theoldwolf

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.