The fattest states of America

[crgildart]

We have McDonalds and other bad food options everywhere.. It appears that the states with population centers in higher elevations stay slimmer than those with population centers closer to sea level. Perhaps because your cardio system works harder to collect and process O2 while living at higher elevation it speeds up your metabolism as well?

 

[Dadskier]

I'm doing my best to move Mass up the list ...

A college buddy has a busy bariatric surgery office in Denver ... all those gastric bypasses must be working.

 

[Tricia]

I guess one state was so fat it occupied 2 spots on the list?

Washington DC is listed as its own entity.

We have McDonalds and other bad food options everywhere.. It appears that the states with population centers in higher elevations stay slimmer than those with population centers closer to sea level. Perhaps because your cardio system works harder to collect and process O2 while living at higher elevation it speeds up your metabolism as well?

I noticed that areas like this have a ton more options that aren't fast food, but easy to access.
We have a locally owned taco shop near our grocery store. There is a wing stop and McDonalds in close proximity, but the taco shop is always busy, while the other two aren't.
Imagine a mexican family making tacos with fresh products, carne asada made fresh, chili rellenos made fresh. low fat, minimal carbs....
People have great options and they make better choices.

 

[James]

God forbid one taxes sugared drinks. In Columbia apparently, talking about taxing sugared drinks can get you killed.
Clouds have nothing to do with being overweight. In Bergen, Norway it's the opposite of Colorado- it rains 230 days a year. They are not fat. It is one of the richest counteies in the world though. (If not the) But in the US down South- it's not cloudy and they're not lean.

She Took On Colombia’s Soda Industry. Then She Was Silenced.
November 13, 2017 NY Times

 

[tball]

There is an assumption of expected recovery in an area where people tend to live a more active lifestyle.

I've heard more than once that doctors who come to Colorado after being trained elsewhere need to recalibrate recovery expectations. A patient returning to normal activity levels is often dramatically different than elsewhere.

If you want to stump your doc, ask her if it's okay to get your heart rate up to 170 at 13,000 feet. Somehow, that hasn't been studied for most medical conditions.

 

[AmyPJ]

We have McDonalds and other bad food options everywhere.. It appears that the states with population centers in higher elevations stay slimmer than those with population centers closer to sea level. Perhaps because your cardio system works harder to collect and process O2 while living at higher elevation it speeds up your metabolism as well?

Interesting theory. The body does adapt to it, though. Plus, I have maintained an almost identical weight since college (I'm WAY out of college now) after having lived in WA, CA, OH, VA, CA, WA, and now UT. (I actually DID gain almost 15 pounds in OH, hmmm.)

 

[Wilhelmson]

Many of the fitter states are in the mid latitudes where the weather doesn't get too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer.

Most of the population in Massachusetts lives less than 200 feet above sea level.

Seems like California, New York, and the northwest would have a similar climate and demographic yet they lag behind. There will always be outliers and who knows how accurate the study is.

 

[focker]

Minnesota: An island of health is a midwest full of fatness...

 

[Eleeski]

I wonder how it correlates to wealth. @James hinted at that. First world problem, the poor people are fat?

Eric

 

[Wilhelmson]

Trying to avoid that Eleeski, but that's what they say.

 

[HDSkiing]

These studies are always interesting as they generate theories (like who lives where) that may or may not have merit.

At the end of the day it's no more complicated than calories in vs calories out. (Yes some calories are much better choices than others). Get into a 250 calorie deficit everyday by either excercise or diet or a combination and you will loose a half pound a week. Do that for 3 months and you drop 6 pounds. 500 calories and you double that. (Not unattainable for a healthy person). Extend it out and you double that every 3 months or so.

If only it were that easy right? The math is easy, but the application may not be which makes me wonder if people in the skinnier states are better at math...jk.

As has been mentioned it may be just modeling, if you're around fitter/active people that becomes more of a lifestyle choice perhaps?

Demographics come into play as well. Fast food loaded with the evil white stuff (flour, sugar and sodium) and the fact that you don't even have to get out of your car to get it and is less expensive (and easier to get) than other choices that may require more expendable income and time.

A sedentary life style is our doom. There was a time, not too long ago where it was a struggle to get enough calories in a given day as the amount of work required by our bodies just to put a meal on the table exceeded what the food provided.

Interestingly in NYC where people walk a lot they stay thinner without worrying too much about what they eat or how many sets they did at the gym today.

If you look at the Meditarian Diet you see lots of vegetables, meat and fish and not a lot of starchs, so again we are back to regions.

I guess the take away is that there is an abundance of information about what causes weight gain or loss. Some people (me included) have to be vigilant as we were evolutionary survivors, easily gaining weight in case of future famine. Still even then we are back to math....sigh.

 

[Monique]

These studies are always interesting as they generate theories (like who lives where) that may or may not have merit.

At the end of the day it's no more complicated than calories in vs calories out. (Yes some calories are much better choices than others). Get into a 250 calorie deficit everyday by either excercise or diet or a combination and you will loose a half pound a week. Do that for 3 months and you drop 6 pounds. 500 calories and you double that. (Not unattainable for a healthy person). Extend it out and you double that every 3 months or so.

If only it were that easy right? The math is easy, but the application may not be which makes me wonder if people in the skinnier states are better at math...jk.

As has been mentioned it may be just modeling, if you're around fitter/active people that becomes more of a lifestyle choice perhaps?

Demographics come into play as well. Fast food loaded with the evil white stuff (flour, sugar and sodium) and the fact that you don't even have to get out of your car to get it and is less expensive (and easier to get) than other choices that may require more expendable income and time.

A sedentary life style is our doom. There was a time, not too long ago where it was a struggle to get enough calories in a given day as the amount of work required by our bodies just to put a meal on the table exceeded what the food provided.

Interestingly in NYC where people walk a lot they stay thinner without worrying too much about what they eat or how many sets they did at the gym today.

If you look at the Meditarian Diet you see lots of vegetables, meat and fish and not a lot of starchs, so again we are back to regions.

I guess the take away is that there is an abundance of information about what causes weight gain or loss. Some people (me included) have to be vigilant as we were evolutionary survivors, easily gaining weight in case of future famine. Still even then we are back to math....sigh.

Without going into detail, it appears that calories in/ out is not really the end of the story. Metabolisms adapt to change - ie, slow in response to fear of starvation - so it's a complicated equation.

 

[Bruuuce]

I'm surprised that my recent home of Wisconsin is not higher on the list. With a diet of Bratwurst, cheese curds and beer, what can go wrong???

There is actually a term for some (many?) UW Badger fans. They are called blood clots because they are round, red, and look like they are one step from a massive coronary.

Being back in the state this week I can confirm that cloudy, cold, rainy weather is not motivating...still love the state though. Go Badgers!

 

[KevinF]

It is interesting that Massachusetts (my state) is an outlier for the Northeast.

The weather here is not exactly sunshine and happiness year round. I have several friends who bundle up, head inside by the fireplace and dream of warm places for five or six months of the year. They're all of "normal" proportions. I'm not aware that any of them are particularly devoted gym rats either.

The eastern third of the state is essentially the Boston Metro area. It's no secret that our traffic is miserable. A lot of people spend lots of their day working or commuting to and from work. There are no mountains or beaches (for the most part) visible to keep people dreaming of the "outside". Getting to those places generally involves more traffic anyway.

Basically, found it surprising...

 

[Pdub]

I live in the second healthiest county in Massachusetts and work in the least healthy county (Hampden, home of Springfield.) I work in health care where lunches are brought in by drug reps or else eaten in a group/cafeteria setting.Lunch at work is incredibly unhealthy: greasy and sweet. Everything is doused in cheese and sugar, then it's fried for good measure. You can't even find a healthy salad, unless you make it yourself at the cafeteria. There are no healthy restaurant choices I am aware of. Few of my co-workers exercise much, except the ones who commute like me. Many make fun of my obsession with fitness. And as unhealthy as my coworkers seem, they are beacons of fitness compared to the patients, of whom at least 60% are obese.

The contrast is stark. Where I live it seems that every one exercises daily, trains for triathlons or hiking expeditions, or somehow battles into middle age. Many of the eating establishments are vegetarian, middle eastern or Mediterranean. It does not take a lot of effort to stay fit and healthy in the county where I live, while it would take quite an effort in the county where I work.

This explains the stats, but the real question is when and how the two places diverged.

(There are socioeconomic and political differences as well but I'll stay away from that one.)

 

[Monique]

I live in the second healthiest county in Massachusetts and work in the least healthy county (Hampden, home of Springfield.) I work in health care where lunches are brought in by drug reps or else eaten in a group/cafeteria setting.Lunch at work is incredibly unhealthy: greasy and sweet. Everything is doused in cheese and sugar, then it's fried for good measure. You can't even find a healthy salad, unless you make it yourself at the cafeteria. There are no healthy restaurant choices I am aware of. Few of my co-workers exercise much, except the ones who commute like me. Many make fun of my obsession with fitness. And as unhealthy as my coworkers seem, they are beacons of fitness compared to the patients, of whom at least 60% are obese.

The contrast is stark. Where I live it seems that every one exercises daily, trains for triathlons or hiking expeditions, or somehow battles into middle age. Many of the eating establishments are vegetarian, middle eastern or Mediterranean. It does not take a lot of effort to stay fit and healthy in the county where I live, while it would take quite an effort in the county where I work.

This explains the stats, but the real question is when and how the two places diverged.

(There are socioeconomic and political differences as well but I'll stay away from that one.)

That's really interesting. How many miles between your home and your work?

 

[Pdub]

17 miles.

The two counties are separated by the Holyoke Range, about 1000 feet high. But they are worlds apart.

 

[SBrown]

...A sedentary life style is our doom. There was a time, not too long ago where it was a struggle to get enough calories in a given day as the amount of work required by our bodies just to put a meal on the table exceeded what the food provided.

Interestingly in NYC where people walk a lot they stay thinner without worrying too much about what they eat or how many sets they did at the gym today.

If you look at the Meditarian Diet you see lots of vegetables, meat and fish and not a lot of starchs, so again we are back to regions...

I remember my first time to Europe, and seeing everyone walking or cycling everywhere. And eating amazing food and drinking wine, and no one was fat. This was a while back, but I think it still holds true-ish. I know a bunch of studies have come out about standing vs sitting, too, and I always think of my mother. Now, she doesn't eat a ton of food, but she bakes every day and always has dessert. But she never ever sits. She is 76 and never weighed more than 120 (and barely more than that even pregnant).

 

[crgildart]

Washington DC is listed as its own entity.


I noticed that areas like this have a ton more options that aren't fast food, but easy to access.
We have a locally owned taco shop near our grocery store. There is a wing stop and McDonalds in close proximity, but the taco shop is always busy, while the other two aren't.
Imagine a mexican family making tacos with fresh products, carne asada made fresh, chili rellenos made fresh. low fat, minimal carbs....
People have great options and they make better choices.

We literally have a taco truck on every corner and a family operated restaurant/cantina almost every block between. Tons of food options.. None of those are really much better honestly. Grilled chicken and fish is the best alternative short of vegan.