You'd have to be living under a rock to not know we're living through a serious obesity epidemic. And in turn, it seems like everyone's out to pinpoint the one most prominent culprit: Soda. But Big Soda's kept their "cans sealed" on the issue ... until now. Coca-Cola has released a new ad today that acknowledges the elephant in the room. The company says they want to be a stronger voice in the intensifying debate over sodas and their impact on health, and they highlight their track record of making low-calorie and calorie-controlled alternatives to full-on, sugar-packed Big Gulps of Coke.

It's a bold move, and a necessary one, because when politicians and the media seem to be targeting soda as the cause for obesity -- which is totally nuts -- it's not like they could stay mum anymore. But I'm still skeptical.

It sounds more like a scene out of some juvenile Will Ferrell movie than reality. But what happened to Ulanda Williams as she walked down the street was no joke. The 400-pound woman fell through an NYC sidewalk. She had been seeking shelter from the rain underneath the awning of an Atomic Wings restaurant when the concret buckled and she plummeted seven feet into a basement. “I was standing there approximately 10 seconds and when that occurred, I just fell right through,” she told the New York Post. "It was horrible, absolutely horrible." They had to use a crane to lift her to the surface. But that isn't even the most jaw-dropping detail in the story.

Turns out, New Year's resolution season isn't what it used to be. Women are actually "dieting" less these days, according to a new survey of 3,800 adults, which found 11 percent fewer women were "on a diet" in 2012 vs. 1992. Even worse is the fact that in 1985, most women thought being thin was more attractive than being heavy, but fewer than 1 in 4 agree now. Oh boy. That's it. We are totally on a crash course for society as it exists in Wall-E, where humans are all obese and sit in floating chairs all day drinking huge sodas and staring at screens!

OR ... people are just starting to be more health conscious over body conscious? Maybe our perception of beauty is finally starting to shift from the ridiculous to the realistic?

As more Americans, kids especially, are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, it's important to have a national conversation about what people should be eating. We need to talk about how we make, sell, and buy our food. But some suggestions are out of line, like that of The New York Times columnist Mark Bittman, who's calling for a ban on soda purchases with food stamps. Because, really, who am I to tell people what they can and can't spend their money on.

It's an argument with merit: sugary drinks cause obesity, which creates health problems, and therefore we should try to help people make healthier choices. But if you tell someone he or she can't have a soda, what's next?

"You can never be too rich or too skinny." It's an old adage, something that people love to say to motivate each other to lose weight, to make money, and to keep up the ambition. But it's also wrong, says Victoria's Secret model Erin Heatherton, who says she is all about the "curves."

Before you laugh at Heatherton's comments, consider this: She IS curvy compared to, say, Kate Moss. The comment could be viewed as empowering. "It's important to be fit, but you shouldn't get too skinny," she said. Except, here's the thing: the notion of "too" anything is actually not helpful.

People's bodies are, in part, genetic. We can work out to our heart's content, but some of us will be naturally thinner than others and some will be naturally heavier. I know women who run 10 miles a day and still look overweight, and I know women who do nothing and are very thin. See below:

Barbara Walters is apparently obsessed with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's weight. She brought up Christie's weight before and she's doing it again. This time to his face.

Yep, despite deciding that Christie is one of her "10 Most Fascinating People" this year, she somehow missed the fact that in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, he seemed to be everywhere at once and never missed a beat. She actually had the nerve to ask him if he thought he's too fat to be President of the United States.

Is she kidding, shockingly rude, or just completely oblivious?

What's the number-one reason why the Army rejects recruits? It's not for any misdeed, exactly. It's because of obesity. In the first 10 months of this year alone, the Army had to reject 1,625 soldiers because they couldn't meet the fitness standards. A whole 5.3 percent of the troops (86,186 people) were declared overweight or obese in 2010. And military leaders have been warning that Americans' battle of the waistline may be an issue of national security.

I can't imagine how humiliating it would feel to be rejected from the Army because of your weight. That must feel terrible. Is there really a health crisis in the Army, or is this more about budget cuts? If it's both, what can people do about it?

Last week, Reddit was ground zero for the latest battle royale in the war on fat. It’s bad enough that society has such a low tolerance for heavy women on television and the big screen, but now we can’t even stomach the sight of heavy mannequins in our stores. When a user posted a photo of a larger-than-average mannequin along with the comment, "Anyone else horrified that they make obese mannequins too now?" the Internet responded with hatred.