Carol Costello anchors the 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. ET edition of CNN's "Newsroom" each weekday. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

Forget about rampant diabetes, heart attacks and joint problems -- the scariest consequence arising out of our losing battle with the bulge is the safety of our country.

In about five years, so many young Americans will be grossly overweight that the military will be unable to recruit enough qualified soldiers. That alarming forecast comes from Maj, Gen. Allen Batschelet, who is in charge of U.S. Army Recruiting Command.

Obesity, he told me, "is becoming a national security issue."

I was so taken aback by Batschelet's statement that I felt the need to press him. Come on! Obesity? A national security crisis? The General didn't blink. "In my view, yes."

Of the 195,000 young men and women who signed up to fight for our country, only 72,000 qualified. Some didn't make the cut because they had a criminal background, or a lack of education, or too many tattoos. But a full 10% didn't qualify because they were overweight.

Before you accuse me of sensationalizing, it's that 10% figure that worries General Batschelet the most.

"The obesity issue is the most troubling because the trend is going in the wrong direction," he said. "We think by 2020 it could be as high as 50%, which mean only 2 in 10 would qualify to join the Army." He paused. "It's a sad testament to who we are as a society right now."

The problem is so worrisome for the Army that recruiters have become fitness coaches, like the trainers on the NBC show, "The Biggest Loser."

Yes, your tax dollars pay for Army recruiters to play Dolvett Quince or Jillian Michaels to whip could-be recruits into shape with the hope they can diet and exercise their way to become real recruits. If they lose enough weight, they're sent to boot camp. Some make it; many don't. But, General Batschelet told me the Army must try.

"We are the premier leader on personal development in the world," he told me. "We want to see you grow and become a leader. That is a great strength in our Army."

Except the Army never considered the type of growth it's now contending with. Nowadays "personal development" means working on both character and ... girth. The general, along with so many others in this country, is struggling with why so many Americans, despite all the warnings, continue to eat too much and exercise too little.

I have a theory. It ain't pretty. But it's got to be true: We just don't care.

"The acceptance of obesity is prevalent," according to Claire Putnam, an obstetrician and gynecologist who believes obesity is a national crisis right now. "When you look around you, 70% of adults are overweight or obese. It's seems normal," she said.

Just look at the numbers: More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese . Seventeen percent of all children and adolescents in the U.S. are obese. That's triple the rate from just a generation ago.

So, maybe we should face the fact that we've grown comfortable with our girth. It is crystal clear we haven't the foggiest idea of who needs to lose weight and who doesn't.

Just the other day, Twitter trolls scolded the singer, Pink , for gaining weight. Pink is not remotely fat. Neither is Selena Gomez , haters. Or Britney Spears , hecklers.

Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success



"We have a physiological drive for high-sugar, high-calorie foods," says Stephanie Rost, a registered dietician with the



Changing our environment, experts say, may be more effective than trying to control our natural impulses. Borrow a few ideas from Rost and Public health advocates know our environment, filled with processed foods and sedentary lifestyles, is largely to blame for America's obesity epidemic. That's why there's a big push to make the healthy choice the easy choice."We have a physiological drive for high-sugar, high-calorie foods," says Stephanie Rost, a registered dietician with the Weight Watchers 360 program. "These are the foods that we're surrounded by, in an environment where it's OK to eat wherever and whenever you like."Changing our environment, experts say, may be more effective than trying to control our natural impulses. Borrow a few ideas from Rost and Anytime Fitness chief scientific officer Brian Zehetner to revamp your space for weight loss success. Hide Caption 1 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 1. Give your fridge a makeover. Let's start in the kitchen. The first thing to do is toss or give away any "trigger foods," Rost says. (Yes, that means the raw cookie dough you find yourself eating at 2 a.m.) Next, move fruits, vegetables and lean protein to a shelf at eye level. Put less healthy foods farther down or in the back where they're difficult to spot. Finished? Tackle your pantry with the same tips in mind. Hide Caption 2 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 2. Declutter your countertop. Are there cookies, candy and chocolate boxes lining your countertop? Put them away behind closed doors to help you avoid the munchies. There's research behind this tip, Rost says. "It's a lot harder to just use willpower to say, 'I'm not going to eat this,' when it's literally staring you down." If the ghost of sugar past still haunts you, replace it with a bowl of fresh fruit. Hide Caption 3 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 3. Hide a screen or two. You probably have a laptop, a smartphone, a tablet and several TVs at home. Do yourself a favor and hide one or two for a while, Zehetner says. You're less likely to surf the Internet during commercials -- and more likely to do some push-ups or planks -- if your tablet is in the nightstand drawer. Hide Caption 4 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 4. Make standing mandatory. It's no secret that sitting all day can It's no secret that sitting all day can significantly reduce your lifespan . Identify tasks in your office you can do standing up, Zehetner suggests, then make moving mandatory. For instance, place often-needed files on top of a shelf. Or map your computer to a printer across the room so you have to stretch your legs every couple of hours. Even better, ask the boss to spring for a treadmill desk. Hide Caption 5 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 5. Identify workplace obstacles. Avoid the break room. And the candy jar on your co-worker's desk. And the doughnuts at your morning meeting. The office environment is ripe with free food just waiting to derail your diet. Hide Caption 6 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 6. Pack snacks for the road. Let's move to the car, where you probably spend a fair amount of time commuting to work or driving the kids to all their after-school activities. Packing healthy snacks will ensure you avoid a fast-food fling when time is limited, Rost says. Place a jar of almonds in the backseat, or some peanut butter crackers in the glove compartment for those on-the-go hunger pangs. Hide Caption 7 of 8 Photos: Revamp your space for weight loss success 7. Keep your gym bag handy. Zehetner wears workout gear under his work clothes at all times. While that may be a bit extreme, you can take advantage of unexpected downtime by keeping a packed gym bag in your car or at work. Canceled meeting? Hit the gym. Kid's soccer practice runs long? Do a few laps around the field. "When you get home, life sort of takes over and it's harder to get out," Zehetner says. Hide Caption 8 of 8

If 70% of us are overweight in this country, why are there so many willing to fat-shame people who are not remotely obese? Maybe it's easier to criticize others for carrying extra weight than to admit we have a weight problem ourselves. Because it is abundantly clear we are wallowing in denial.

Dr. Putnam points to one of Kaiser Permanante's medical questionnaires. You know, the paperwork patients are asked to fill out before they see the doctor. There is actually a box on the form that allows the patient to "opt out of talking about obesity." Some patients refuse to step on the scale.

"You want to be sensitive to that patient," Putnam told me. "You don't want to nag. But, doctors need to step in and say we need to fix this."

CNN's chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, agrees with Putnam. "Perceptions of weight are a big part of the problem," he said to me. "If a person is overweight -- as difficult as it is -- they ought to be told. You know, this issue reminds me of the issue with concussions. We should call them what they really are: a brain injury, not 'getting your bell rung.' In the same vein, we should tell people who are overweight or obese that, clinically, they're 'overweight' or 'obese' and at risk for just about every chronic disease in the book."

In other words, chubby is not the proper way to describe a person who is obese. Just like "fat" is not the proper term for Pink or Selena Gomez. And, yes, semantics matter. According to the CDC , 81% of overweight boys and 71% of overweight girls believe they are just the right weight.

We've clearly lost our perspective on what's normal when it comes to a healthy weight. So much so it's becoming a national security problem.

So what will it take? The answer cannot be the U.S Army.