Obesity Discussion Forums

[Obesity Discussion]

Fattest People in the United States live....in Mississippi for the 4th year in a row. The south seems to be affected the most by obesity, which is also the poorest area in the US, but also eats very fatty and fried foods...it's a south thing. Definitely a correlation. Also at the top are Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia and Louisiana.


Fattest people in the US will probably stay in the south for a while I surmise.

[Lucyp]

Its sad though that the poorest regions are the fattest it does show that the food poorer people can afford is not good for you and it is not fair to make the poor suffer then putting an increase on the health system later in life.

[Irving]

i agree lucy. i do think fast food places prey on the poor too. does not help.

[SheaGrl]

California signed a new bill banning trans fat in restaurants starting in 2010. This includes all fast food restaurants. Maybe other states will enact similar legislation?

[Twinkle]

That's not good. In this country we get annoyed if people say that poorer people cant afford healthier food because it's more expensive to eat fast food etc than to buy the good stuff! xxx

[bjconnor60]

For the past two years there has been an effort in Mississippi to get people moving. This year there is a website through the Jackson newspaper. Last year, it was a "Let's Get Walking" campaign (our governor participated in that one).

It is not simply the eating habits, but the exercise habits of the people. Additionally, African-American men and women are more prone, regardless of diet, to high blood pressure and diabetes. It is certainly a combination of factors.

We have wonderful home-grown fruits and vegetables down here, year-round, that is not terribly expensive. I think these efforts to educate the general population are the key to reducing the rates.

Oddly enough, we do not rank #1 in childhood obesity rates (I believe that is West Virginia).

[Twinkle]

I agree BJConnor - education is key to changing people's lifestyle habits! xxx

[nes2124]

i heard on the TV that 85% of the population is going to be obese by 2020.

[Fluffymomma]

I am here in Texas. We are fat here in Texas, for sure....me being one of them. But I dont' get it, because fast food is more expensive than a healthy alternative. It's laziness but I don't know why we really are fatter here than in the North. Maybe I should move North and lose this weight instead!

[MamaBear]

Interesting... I am surprised that Wisconsin didn't make the short list. I thought Milwaukee was supposed to be one of the fattest cities. (Lots of beer and brats!)

I don't entirely agree with the 'healthy food is too expensive for the poor' argument. Yeah, some health foods are stupidly overpriced. But the basics (fresh fruits and veggies, eggs, skim milk, low fat cheese) is cheap. It just takes some effort, and some wisdom to know what the shop for.

I dunno... I won't pretend to know the answers or even to understand the problem fully. But this is an interesting discussion.

[monique]

I think some of it is TIME. If you are poor you are putting in as many hours as you can and don't have time to shop and cook. Personally I saw myself and my husband gain weight when we were both working long hours and commuting a long way. Now that I'm home we are eating a lot better and I finally had time to focus on some weight loss. If you only have half an hour for lunch and are constantly tired so you don't have the energy to get up early and pack a lunch, you are going to go get something that's probably full of fat and salt. Even without eating transfat or the stereotypical burger and fries from McDonalds, we gained on veggie burritos and turkey subs.

~Monique

[MamaBear]

Originally Posted by monique

I think some of it is TIME. If you are poor you are putting in as many hours as you can and don't have time to shop and cook. Personally I saw myself and my husband gain weight when we were both working long hours and commuting a long way. Now that I'm home we are eating a lot better and I finally had time to focus on some weight loss. If you only have half an hour for lunch and are constantly tired so you don't have the energy to get up early and pack a lunch, you are going to go get something that's probably full of fat and salt. Even without eating transfat or the stereotypical burger and fries from McDonalds, we gained on veggie burritos and turkey subs.

~Monique

That's a very good point!!

[lovelyloserkb]

Originally Posted by monique

I think some of it is TIME. If you are poor you are putting in as many hours as you can and don't have time to shop and cook. Personally I saw myself and my husband gain weight when we were both working long hours and commuting a long way. Now that I'm home we are eating a lot better and I finally had time to focus on some weight loss. If you only have half an hour for lunch and are constantly tired so you don't have the energy to get up early and pack a lunch, you are going to go get something that's probably full of fat and salt. Even without eating transfat or the stereotypical burger and fries from McDonalds, we gained on veggie burritos and turkey subs.

~Monique

Oooh Monique, I couldn't agree more.
I am a single mother, I work, take care of my little one, also attempt to keep the house running. Sometimes it's exhausting! I am fortunate that he is 3 years old and perfect in the height to weight ratio, I do worry about the future. I don't want him to have issues with food like I do.