Readers know America is getting fatter but might not know that 75% of us may be overweight or obese by 2018, that children are at risk for obesity and diabetes as never before or that obesity is the number one cause of the rise in our nation’s health care costs. T hey might also believe, like many Americans, that obesity results from a lack of self-control. But people today work harder and take better care of their health than ever before. S o how could three-quarters of us somehow suddenly lack willpower when it comes to eating right and exercising? HBO, together with the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, has gathered the nation’s foremost experts to explain how we got here and what we can do.

• Could weighing too much during pregnancy set my child up for a lifetime of poor health?
• Do “fat kids” ever grow out of it?
• Why can I eat the same amount as my friend, but I gain weight and she never does?

HBO’s four-part documentary series premieres in May 2012, and examines the serious health consequences of obesity, shows viewers how to help themselves and their children live healthier lives, looks at the obesity epidemic from every angle and explores the growing epidemic of childhood obesity.