Do You Live in the Fattest State?
Then I saw the latest survey of the fattest states in the country and the fact that Tennessee is the third fattest state and thought, gee, I hope she doesn't see this before our next session.
The south consistently comes out on top when it comes to weight problems. Experts say this is because the traditional southern diet includes high fat foods and that there are more rural residents, which is a population that tends to have higher obesity rates. I've also found that southern states aren't always as fitness-oriented as other areas and that there may be fewer opportunities to be active than some of the other places I've lived. Here in Chicago, we have a multitude of bike paths, sidewalks, forest preserves and trails and it isn't unusual to look out my window and see people walking, biking and running at all hours of the day...even in the snow. While I know there's plenty of exercise going on in the south, it isn't as accessible as we'd all like it to be.
For the record, here are the top 10 fattest states in the country. Where does your state fall?
- Mississippi
- Alabama
- Tennessee
- Louisiana
- West Virginia
- Arkansas
- South Carolina
- Georgia
- Oklahoma
- Texas
Okay, Tennesseans, it's time to step up and get yourselves out of the top 10 so my friends stop making fun of me. It's never too late to get started with an exercise program and make small, healthy changes to your diet. Hopefully, we can redeem ourselves by next year's survey.
Comments
Good to see Kentucky is not on this list anymore, though we do rank very high in deaths from heart disease. Sorry to see our neighbors in TN and WV here, however. Having family throughout the south, I know we all struggle daily against obesity. Hang in there, my fellow southerners! Let’s get moving and fight these statistics!
And here I was just thinking about a move to Nashville!
All south of the Mason-Dixon Line. There’s something to be said for that.
I pretty much knew So. Cal would not be on the list. Working out is a trend here and health seems to be a constant topic.
Well, of course, we Southerners don’t exercise! When it’s 90% humidity and 97 degrees outside for half of the year, who feels like exercising!
The South didn’t rise until air conditioning was invented!
Dane is right. It was 105 degrees in Dallas yesterday. The only outdoor time you spend in temps like that is from the house or office to the air-conditioned car, where you burn your fingers on the steering wheel. It isn’t safe to be outdoors for long periods in weather like that. The sad part is, we experience the high heat and humidity from early May through mid-October. The lovely weather in Southern California and Colorado would entice you to get out and enjoy moving your body.
I live in Millington, TN about 20 minutes north of Memphis and right now at 5:30 p.m. it is 106F with a heat index of 128F. I love working out outdoors but can’t carry enough water to stay hydrated in the heat we are now having. The treadmill is OK but gets boring after a while and doesn’t provide enough variety. I’d much rather be out walking/running or riding my bike.
I live in a northern state where we have many months of very cold weather - then I exercise indoors or brave the elements and exercise outdoors. People will find excuses for anything to justify their actions.
And some people think just because they can do something, everyone else can do it also. Believe me, I live in NC. where it’s hot and humid much of the time. Some days the humidity is so high, it’s like being in a sauna. It’s hard enough just breathing in this kind of weather, let alone exercising in it. I like to walk. Always have, but I have had to start walking in place, indoors just to get some exercise. And that is not an excuse, it’s a fact.
My husband’s family lives in Minnesota and has some major health problems from being overweight. He is small next to them, but just finished shedding almost 30 pounds, and still has a little left. We live in Illinois and still make every effort to walk or do something to keep fit, no matter what the weather. Yes, I have been to the south and walked in 108 degree weather, for 10 minute incraments. You have to do it slow, but I lost 10 pounds in 4 days!!Hope Tennessee can shed some of the weight!There are some wonderful people I know from there!!!!
I grew up in NC and GA and moved away after my college years. It’s kind of funny hearing people say the heat keeps them from exercising because we children in the neighborhood played out doors all year, especially in the summer. Kickball, softball, baseball, football, basketball, tennis, badmitten…you name it, we played it. Not to mention cops and robbers which kept us running at top speeds. Our parents played with us sometimes as well. But the best thing about the south in the summer is SWIMMING! There are pools and rivers and lakes EVERYWHERE and they are perfect for exercising in the heat. As well as malls for doing indoor speed walking for those living in more urban areas. And, there is ALWAYS Dancing indoors in air conditioning or in front of a fan in the evening when it cools down…fun and easy to get a Great Workout…so just be creative and get moving–you can do it!!!
I hope Texas fares better in the next survey. It is so hot here right now that you can cook on the sidewalk which makes it tough to exercise outside.
It sounds like a lot of excuses to me. I lived in AZ my whole life (until a year ago.) It gets up to 115 in the summer and I would still run at night. And yes, it gets humid there too! Put in a workout DVD for heaven’s sake! Get off your butts and quit making excuses.
I’ve seen this study for the past years and I want to add that I live in Memphis and I’ve seen MORE gyms and group exercise and fitness classes now than years ago. But the fact remains take a glance and you can see a lot of overweight people including children which tells you it’s tied to eating habits more than just not getting exercise. I do agree that there’s no way one should be exercising in high temperature weather. However, what about mornings? I work out at 6:15am every morning inside a gym and only jog or bike at the park but I’m done by 10am on sat. A lot of this also has to do with disposable income, it seems to a lot people a gym membership is a “luxury” rather than a health insurance cost saving tool. But same folks wont’ mind dropping $200 for TV. Keep it up Paige! love your newsletter!!
Currently living in West. Pa. again (woe is me!); just cannot believe it is not ‘way up there in the “TOP TEN” from what I view waddling by, and in our parks and restaurants, every day. Eating habits here still consist of large varieties of fried food, and very little in the way of fresh vegetables. If a restaurant offers any, they are canned, unless dining in very high-end establishments!
Twenty years of living in Fla. involved seeing much healthier, fresh seafood and a lovely variety of vegetables served at almost all restaurants, with the notable exception, of course, of the “fast-food” usual suspects. That’s only Frankenfood at best, obviously. It was clear that better nutrition was a goal of most folks I knew.
When it’s hot and humid much of the year, the usual inclination is to eat lighter foods; e.g., salads, for those with good sense. Also, I certainly enjoyed being outdoors, be it walking, swimming or whatever the pursuit, there, much more than spending all the long, dark and dreary days of Winter here having to hibernate when it was much too foul to get out to the gym or walking.
totally agree with Dane. I’m in florida and it hard to get excited about exercising outdoors. all you have to do is walk outside for 10 seconds and you start sweating. and that is for all hours of the day during summer.
Fried chicken and sweet tea anyone?
Forget outside, get a treadmill or put in a tape. I am 42 and I always exercise and watch what I eat and I am still 5′6″ tall and 120 pounds. No excuses! Walking is a wonderful exercise, just do it in front of the a/c. If you have time to watch some silly tv show you have time to walk on the treadmill. Good luck!
Hey! What are the top ten thinnest states?
From Kentucky: Heat, humidity, allergies, asthma, fried chicken, fried fish, fried everything!
GA is not on the list of the top 10; please correct your error. I looked at the provided link from the CDC.
Cooking Light magazine did a story over several months on the top 20 healthy cities. Atlanta, GA was # 15 on that list. We are active. I wear a pedometer every day and do my share to keep healthy.
there is no way unearth that a poll can be taken stating which state is the fattest in the nation. as always, ms comes out on top or bottom, however you look at it. tell me, who takes the polls and who is in a poll. i have never been polled for anything…so tired of….a fat, beautiful, southern belle
I’m from north of the 49th parallel (yes I’m a canuck). Obesity is rising here too, can’t all be blamed on geography.
you would never know it here in the Houston area- I’ve heard that those “fattest state” rankings on ranked on issues such as available park space, number of fast food restaurants per capita, gyms per square mile, etc. None of which has anything to do with the actual WEIGHT of those that live their. I have struggled with weight most of my life- I’m 4′10″ and have to eat less than my children to maintain 110 pounds! I am by far the heaviest friend I know including acquaintances in my neighborhood! Not true that EVERYONE here is fit, but I’d say around 80% are thin. As for fit- I can out perform most of the model thin women I know! So not sure how “fit” most of us are, but we are not a heavy city by any stretch!
Why does eating fat make you fat? I am trying to understand from a more scientific background, because everything I see on the market is low fat. I am not sure how moderation fits into the equation, but headlines sure state eat less fat. Why?
People are fat everywhere. These statistics are simply slight degrees of diffence and are not a competition. I live in Massachusetts, one of the ‘thinnest’ state, and believe me I still see alot of overweight people. We have to eat better and exercise, simple as that.
I saw a report recently that stated that the lower on the economic scale a community is the higher the number of overweight people.
Eating properly, with fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats and whole grains is more
expensive than higher fat and starch food products.
Also, the south, more so than any other region that I have lived, seems to fry almost everything. I even had a fried salad at a friends home!
One reason the south is the fattest area of the country is sweet iced tea. Liquid calories, especially sweet iced tea, really add up when a large glass of sweet iced tea contains 600 calories. One of those a day without exercise to offset it will add at least a pound a week. So 50 pounds a year can be shed just by skipping that “sweet” iced tea every day.
I really think it is a combination of the heat, diet and attitude. Due to the heat, exercise is just not a priority in the lives of most native southerners. Couple that with a diet high in sugar, fat and simple carbs and you got the recipe for obesity and heart disease. More gyms are probably not likely to help given that rural southerner may not have discretionary income to spend on memberships.