Supersize it
by Volker Weber
Comments
Texas? Sure. But I see more obese people in the northeast U.S. than in any other part of the country. Especially Maine.
My theory, such as it is, is that people who wear coats and jackets all the time find it easier to hide their true shape... especially from themselves.
--Esther
I've heard of a statistic saying that Michigan has the most overweight percentage in all U.S.
Never checked that out really, though, but the theory with the coats certainly would apply in Michigan as well ;-)
The land of the free....
... and the home of the fat
I'm a native Texan and live in the Pacific Northwest of the US. We just spent a week in West Texas visiting family. It was surprising how many overweight people there were there.
There are lots of factors that affect this I'm sure. The income and education level, availability of exercise opportunities, layout of the city, diet choices and others. In Seattle, I ride my bike to work using bike lanes and bike trails, walk most places in our neighborhood, eat at healthy, low-fat places and can hike, snowshoe or bike year around. In Texas, cities are sprawling which discourages walking or riding a bike, they have higher populations and they have the best damn BBQ and Tex-Mex food in the US. Also, 100-plus degree days in Texas discourage getting outside and exercising.
Here are some stats from the American Obesity Association for most and least obese US cities:
http://www.obesity.org/subs/fastfacts/cities.shtml
It's interesting that Portland, Maine is number one in the Lowest Rate of Overweight Adults. And yes, Detroit took honors from Houston this year for Highest Rating of Overweight.
