A couple of years ago, an AP-Ipsos opinion poll found that almost 80 percent of Americans said they check food labels at the store, but 44 percent said they buy the stuff even if the label tells them it's bad. The results were even worse among young people. Sixty percent of them said they bought foods they knew would make them fat.

It isn't as if people don't know the difference between a banana and a bag of doughnuts. After a while, a label turns into wallpaper. Everyone ignores it.

Still, I have no trouble with labels on grocery items. Ten years ago, I managed to lose 60 pounds, thanks in part to the information on those labels. I've managed to keep most of it off by running marathons (I've completed seven of them now). But during the time I was losing weight, I didn't need a list of calories and fat grams to tell me restaurants were a bad idea, particularly the fast-food kind. And if I did go, I knew enough to order small and not eat it all.

Matheson has had similar success losing weight. The formula is simple. Eat smart and exercise. But you really have to want to.

Most of us won't do that, however. We'll keep blaming the cupcakes while we sigh at the labels, order extra cheese and resolve to do better tomorrow.

Jay Evensen is editor of the Deseret News edito?rial page. E-mail: even@desnews.com. Visit his blog at www.deseretnews.com/blogs.