I'm reminded of past days, those moments when I ask myself did they actually happen; those instances in which even while in the moment, I'll take a step back and ask myself, "how did I wind up here?"

Today, I'm referencing the Czech Republic, for Tuesday's weigh-in was the same as it was upon my return from my education abroad, though that context was after water fasting for 4+26 days. The +? It was a brief interlude at this McDonald's followed by a couple of selections at a Tesco Express that has since been replaced by a Cycle Republic (cute) near the dorms I stayed at in London—before classes started during the leadup to the Olympics, I spent 4 days just minutes (on foot) from the British Museum.

However unlike today, from a practical perspective, weight loss from water fasting is never sustainable and in the final analysis, fails as a vehicle for weightloss. That said, water fasting excels at discipline development.

Weightloss is simple: expend more calories than are consumed so as to draw from reserves. Weightloss optimization is when things get creative. And you don't need 3 easy installments of $19.99 to get there.

An aspect of Europe that I really wish we had in America is the ease to travel across the continent and within the cities by foot. From the Highlands of Scotland to Poland to Rome to Normandy, aboard bus, train, tram, and ferry, my shoes have been everywhere, man. If I was a citizen, I'd have no need to own a driver's license.

This mobility propels an agenda of remaining in a condition that supports it. Sure, the western diet grows worse in proportion to food labs market cap—maybe one day we as people will make the leap to choose foods not based on taste aggrandizement, but to amplify nutrition— c'mon, who are we kidding? UTILITY MAXIMIZATION!

But all that aside, would we have the volume (in numbers...and in practice) of these behemoths orbiting the Walmart aisles if organically, people were more mobile? It's not like weight gain is an overnight failure. It's many little things that build up the adipose ick. And frankly, it is a sad state of affairs that retailers make available electronic carts to trolley their customers around the store. Clearly, they have not incurred a handicap, for these not-so-jolly giants from the fruitless fields of Velveeta and the Dewed Mountains of Doritos would have brought their own vehicle or a frakin' crutch if a leg or two were out of commission—though the cardio involved in an upper body workout of pulling oneself to a store would be spectacular! But, no, they plop down into the machine's groans as they dispossess their humanity upon that death knell ride.

Worse yet is what we all have realized, yet do not recognize: we all drive living rooms with plush seating. We waddle from our homes, plop ourselves into our recliner, drive to work, just to plop down into our chair with lumbar support with the occasional waddle to the snack machine. Plop, plop, plop: the drumbeat of America.