Well, not necessarily me - I've got the scales headed in the right direction for the moment, but the latest state-by-state data for how overweight we are as a nation is of concern. This raw data from Trust for America's Health indicates that on average, the percentage of obese adults has risen 0.7% in the last year, to 25.98%. And that's obese, not just overweight, which percentage is about 2/3 of the population.
| State |
Rate |
Rank |
Change |
| Miss. |
32.5 |
1 |
0.8 |
| Ala. |
31.2 |
2 |
1.1 |
| W.Va. |
31.1 |
3 |
0.4 |
| Tenn. |
30.2 |
4 |
1.3 |
| S.C. |
29.7 |
5 |
0.5 |
| Okla. |
29.5 |
6 |
1.4 |
| Ky. |
29 |
7 |
0.6 |
| La. |
28.9 |
8 |
-0.6 |
| Mich. |
28.8 |
9 |
1.1 |
| Ark. |
28.6 |
10 |
0.5 |
| Ohio |
28.6 |
10 |
1.6 |
| N.C. |
28.3 |
12 |
1.2 |
| Mo. |
28.1 |
13 |
0.7 |
| Ga. |
27.9 |
14 |
0.4 |
| Texas |
27.9 |
14 |
0.6 |
| Ind. |
27.4 |
16 |
-0.1 |
| Del. |
27.3 |
17 |
1.4 |
| Alaska |
27.2 |
18 |
-0.1 |
| Kan. |
27.2 |
18 |
1.4 |
| Neb. |
26.9 |
20 |
0.4 |
| S.D. |
26.9 |
20 |
0.9 |
| Iowa |
26.7 |
22 |
0.4 |
| N.D. |
26.7 |
22 |
0.8 |
| Pa. |
26.7 |
22 |
1 |
| Md. |
26 |
25 |
0.7 |
| Wis. |
26 |
25 |
0.6 |
| Ill. |
25.9 |
27 |
0.6 |
| Ore. |
25.4 |
28 |
0.4 |
| Va. |
25.4 |
28 |
0.2 |
| Wash. |
25.4 |
28 |
0.9 |
| Minn. |
25.3 |
31 |
0.5 |
| Nev. |
25.1 |
32 |
1.4 |
| Ariz. |
24.8 |
33 |
1.5 |
| Idaho |
24.8 |
33 |
0.2 |
| Maine |
24.7 |
35 |
1.1 |
| N.M. |
24.6 |
36 |
1.3 |
| N.Y. |
24.5 |
37 |
1 |
| Wyo. |
24.3 |
38 |
0.4 |
| Fla. |
24.1 |
39 |
0.8 |
| N.H. |
24.1 |
39 |
0.6 |
| Calif. |
23.6 |
41 |
0.5 |
| N.J. |
23.4 |
42 |
0.5 |
| Mont. |
22.7 |
43 |
1 |
| Utah |
22.5 |
44 |
0.6 |
| D.C. |
22.3 |
45 |
0.2 |
| Vt. |
22.1 |
46 |
1 |
| Hawaii |
21.8 |
47 |
1.1 |
| R.I. |
21.7 |
48 |
0.3 |
| Conn. |
21.3 |
49 |
0.5 |
| Mass. |
21.2 |
50 |
0.3 |
| Colo. |
18.9 |
51 |
0.4 |
It's not an easy issue to deal with. A few years ago, I got myself down to a trim 163,and stayed there for quite some time. As my relationship went south and divorce ensued, I stopped giving a rat's south-40, started eating whatever the hqiz I wanted, and got the inevitable result. Now I'm paying attention again - but that's just one man's story.
Food is a great comfort. That momentary rush of endorphins we get when we slam our guts full of salty grease and high-glycemic carbs really
does feel good. Ahhh... For the moment. And it becomes a full-blown addiction, as our blood sugar crashes into the red zone and our bodies begin screaming for their next
Phix sorry, fix.
Freudian slip there. Hope you're reading this, Pablo. And the cycle repeats.
But along with getting people to quit smoking, there's not a thing that would do more to reduce overall healthcare costs in America than to get our nation's average Body Mass Index down below 25. 23 would be ideal, but I'd settle for 25 to start with.
So until I get there myself again, I'll pipe down - but this deserved to be said.
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