queno, I think we all experience that on a local level to some degree. When I was the Relief Society president of my ward, a woman I had known in high school visited. After seeing me conduct the meeting she asked what my calling was. When I told her she said, “Wow, they must be hard up.” I wasn’t overweight and I wasn’t a slob, but obviously I was deficient in numerous areas!

msg, interesting insights. There may be another motive for the second marriages. If the conversation I had with Eldred G. Smith a couple of years ago is any indication, it’s because they have a responsibility to provide sealing ordinances to those who haven’t had the opportunity to get them. But he’s a bit outspoken about polygamy.

Over two decades ago I decided to stay home with my kids after President Benson’s “big talk” to mothers. It wasn’t something I had ever wanted to do. Soon after, when Sam was still in grad school, I attended Women’s Conference. It was so discouraging to me. Ever single speaker I heard was lauded and praised for her career contributions.

So, I’m supposed to stay home with my kids, but if I do then what I think won’t be deemed worth listening to?

In a similar way, I can promise you that if I’d had just one or two (or even three or four!) kids, I’d look much more the “successful woman” part.

I believe leaders are called because they are perceived as influential, and I believe we are all influenced, consciously or otherwise, by appearance.

Kathy, I think you nailed it.

In my experience, there is a strong positive correlation between the appearance of a person’s home and his or her success in other areas (such as fitness and grooming). I have no guesses about “righteousness,” but all the senior vice presidents and CEOs I have known personally are at least passably athletic, spiffy dressers with good hair, and immaculate housekeepers. It seems to be a predictable success package.

Obviously they’re also smart and ambitious. But there’s the appearance thing too. I can’t think of any exceptions.

She sat on a bench at the back of the building every week and passed out candy from a large bag. The line of kids snaked through half of the church. Some parents got really bugged about it. (I admit it wasn’t my favorite thing to load them up right before we went home to a healthy dinner.) But she so loved doing it and the kids so loved it–and connected with her because of it–that I didn’t have the heart to drag them away. She did it with nothing but love for the kids.

That said, if we lose the chocolate and pastry bribe to get people to sit through extra meetings, then we darn well better lose the basketball bribe to get the young men out, too!

Please note that I didn’t say every incident of obesity is *caused* by food intake. Of course it’s not. (No more than every incident of thinness is due to a regimented diet and exercise.) My own mother had her thyroid removed and was diabetic, both causing weight issues for much of her life.

And I’m no skinny minny myself, even though I work out every stinking day (I ran a marathon 4 years ago) and am a “clean eating” freak. I gained 50 pound with each of my six full-term pregnancies (and proportional amounts with the six I lost). Losing has been a huge struggle and harder each time. I was a chubby kid who killed herself to lose enough to survive through high school and college and compete in pageants (and win swimsuit competitions–to prove a point, I guess).

And, yes, I friends who eat garbage 24/7 and never work out and are thin as reeds. A number of them. (I try not to slap them around too much.)

Weight is a complex issue. As bb brought up, it’s easier to tackle ten pounds of laundry than ten pounds of fat.

So, to assume that a *particular instance* of obesity is caused be gluttony would be stupid. But to realize that “obesity is directly related to food intake” is just the truth.

…a while back I was criticized for hiring professional cleaning help to avoid the slob situation…

Do tell.