'People make people obese'

Regarding "The king of pop" (Sept. 18, Page A-1): Soda does not make people obese. People make people obese. Pop or a plate full of food can sit on your table all day long and you will not gain a ounce until you eat and drink what is there. People can't say "no" to overeating and -drinking, which is even worse for their children, because the parents cannot say "no" to their children either.

I drink about one liter of Coke a day. I also work out at a fitness club three times a week. Guess what? No weight gain, and I am not skinny or fat.

Food is like guns. Food does not make a person obese, and guns do not kill people. A person has to make a decision to overeat and kill themselves and a person has to make a decision to kill someone with a gun.

Try joining a fitness club. Where I go, the young people and old people all get along. Some are skinny, some are fat and some are jocks, but we are all there for the same reason — our health.

STEPHEN MYERS

Turlock