The Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest is this 4th of July in Coney Island, Brooklyn New York. The winner last year and record holder for most hot dogs eaten in 12 minutes is Joey Chestnut. Joey ate an unbelievable 66 hot dogs last year in the competition, beating Takeru Kobayashi by 3 hot dogs. The International Federation of Competitive Eating has sponsered the event since 1997.

While I can’t even imagine trying to eat 66 hot dogs in 12 minutes, the strange thing about the top eaters is that they are actually quite thin or average build. One would think these would be large people with large appetites, but the reality for many is the opposite. If you look at the top 5 from last year’s contest(Joey Chesnut, Takeru Kobayashi, Patrick Bertoletti, Tim Janus, Sonya Thomas) they are all quite svelte. These eaters have a specific training regiment that they follow that allows them to stretch their stomachs to enormous sizes in just a short period of time and then shrink back when they are done.

Unfortunately for most of Americans our stomachs do not work that way. Our stomachs seem to be growing larger every year and not shrinking back. Between 1962 and 2000, the number of obese Americans grew 13% to an alarming 31% of the population and childhood obesity has tripled in the last 2 decades. While there may be some organiztions, companies, or the government to blame for this, most of the blame should rest squarely on our own shoulders.

While that may sound harsh to some, the reality is good news. If we can take the blame for our eating or overeating habits, we can take control to stop those bad habits. If we understand that while there are many fattening foods being served in restaurants and sold in grocery stores, there are just as many good choices out there as well. We just need to learn what to buy and what not to buy.

This may sound like an overwhelming task, but there are many great books and websites with wonderful information about the kinds of foods that make us fat and the kinds of food that make us fit. If you are one that needs to take off a few pounds, the first thing you need to do is ask yourself if you are ready to put in the time and effort to lose the weight. Most people will start a diet and then quit after a few weeks, because they weren’t committed in the first place. Get yourself committed to make a change and understand that it will be a lifelong change in your diet and lifestyle.

The second thing you should do is to find someone to help you with this change. A great place to start is with your chiropractor. Most chiropractors not only help people with back pain and headaches, but are interested in helping the whole person as well. They are trained to help reduce stress and eat a better diet, two things that can increase back pain. Look up your local chiropractor and find some good diet, nutrition, and exercise books to help you along way. Good luck and watch the Nathan’s International Hot Dog Eating Contest this 4th of July for examples of how not to eat!

For more information on good diet, nutrition, and exercise books please go to ChiropracticBookstore.com.