http://healthyamericans.org/reports/obesity2009/

I thought Dixieland was the land of hot college girls not fat baby boomers.
Mississippi and Alabama are the two most obese states in America.

It was pretty startling going to my high school reunion (in Alabama) and seeing how many of the dudes had gotten FAT.

Although it wasn't really that many, percentage-wise. From what other people have said about their high school reunions in other places, it seems like that's pretty typical.

And anyway, I think MS, AL, and WV are among the poorest states in the country, and people's obesity has as much to do with what people eat as how much. They eat cheap crap. The report kind of explains that.

do people walk more or less in super rural areas?

FOOD TASTES GOOD.

It's sorta crazy -- there are 100s of fast food restaurants, meat and 3s and barbecue places around here, but I literally could not tell you where I could get say, a vegan meal.

there is one really nice sort of coffee shop place downtown here, they serve everything from fresh ingredients, try tod o the locavore thing, etc, but it's 15 bucks every time you go in.

Yeah, I didn't notice that many people at my reunion being obese, but a lot of the ones who got fat were a real shocker.

As for the income thing, I buy all that and would also point out that every state I looked at had a plus 20% obesity rate and tended to be around 25 or 26%. I didn't notice if WV was above 30% like AL and MS.

Way less unless they're actual farmers.

Of course people are gonna walk more in cities with actual mass transit and places to go within walking distance. Mass transit is pretty much non-existent in Southern cities, including this one. And it's also really hot.

And we do love our BBQ and fried chicken.

Less, people here fucking hate the idea of public transport and walking. You'll see people roll up to community food kitchens in new cars. I used to hate walking around my hometown, now I walk/jog ten times the amount I did in high school.

Yeah, I make an effort to walk when I am just going somewhere downtown here, but like where you're from Drink, you can't really walk anywhere unless you literally go for a walk in the woods or something.

From my house it is not feasible for me to walk anywhere, even though there is a Publix and Starbucks like half a mile away -- no sidewalks.

(Drink, if you remember the area I live near Montg. Academy like Zelda and Carter Hill area)

You didn't notice that WV was bright red on the map just like AL and MS? It's only a tenth of a point behind AL, being at 31.1%.

No, I didn't really look at the Appalachian states. I compared all the great plain states and was looking at all the southern states around AL and MS.

Also No sidewalks is bullshit. When I was a kid, my hometown forced people to either get sidewalks or pay the city to do it for them. Some rich folk tried to avoid it once they started building a housing development after I graduated from high school and there was a lawsuit over it. They still had to put the sidewalk in.

There's sidewalks in my neighborhood, but not on the main thoroughfare I would have to take to the store. And even if there were, if I walked to the store I promise like 15 people I know would slow down and ask what was wrong with my car and if I needed a ride. People just don't walk around here.

I sorta know the area, but I honestly never spent that much time in downtown Montgomery.

When I took my wife to visit my parents several years ago, we went to downtown Montgomery so I could show her the Southern Poverty Law Center (w/ the Maya Lin MLK thing) and just hang out and walk around. It was a beautiful day, and there was NO ONE out. No one. It was like a plague had hit and everyone was dead, and we just had the place to ourselves. Of course there wasn't really anywhere to walk to or anything to actually do.

We live in what's known as "midtown" but my office is downtown. It has gotten a lot better in the last 3-4 years. But on a weekend or after dark, that is an apt description -- it really does seem like there's been a 28 Days incident.

The overall statistics are what they are, but personal experience has proven that Cleveland, Toledo, and Schenectady, among others and none of which are anywhere near the south, have more beefy women per square mile than ANY comparably sized southern town I've ever been in. And, bleached hair seems to have never gone out of fashion up there either.

You guys sure about the walking thing?

I mean, I don't walk anywhere in Atlanta really. I mean I exercise but I'm not walking to the store or anything. In fact, aren't there really only a handful of cities in America this is even applicable.

If anything I'd argue that, at least in the case of kids, there is more bicycle riding in small towns than in urban areas. 1) It's probably safer and 2) the neighborhoods and houses are more spread out so the kids bike further to their friends houses, etc.

Regardless, this is all nothing new. In America's race to be the fattest, the South has always been slightly ahead of the curve.

I'm single-handedly doing everything possible to bring Tejas into the red.

I am shocked Hawaii isn't up higher. I guess there is a ratio of super healthy to super fat.

I am sure that this is directly correlated with income/poverty rates.
Rich people (at least in the North East and CA) like to be SKINNY

and of course the arguement that the poor don't have access to healthy food....

Bob, do you expect us to believe you're only eating with one hand?

Philadelphia claims itself to be americas greatest walking city or something. And it's pretty sure, there is very little I need in my life that I can't get to in a ten or fifteen minute walk. But Philly is also one of the fatter cities.

I watched Food Inc. last night. They didn't tell me anything I wasn't already aware of, but it makes you think twice about what is going down your gullet.

But yeah, Drinky and XIX (and if anyone else made the comment) are right on: Obesity is definitely related to poverty. Either you don't eat and die, or when you do eat, you eat the cheapest, shittiest, fattiest foods possible. Also it hot and the obese are just fine with sitting in the AC in front of their TV when it's 95+ degrees outside.

this is totally based on everything Michael Pollan claims in his books and all the other Morgan Spurloch/Eric Schlosser claims. Food stamps cover shit food. I know there is a big push in New York towards using food stamps, etc. for organic produce, etc.

Not having a car makes a difference. I laugh at the small distances I would drive when I lived in Hawaii. I walk miles a day now without thinking about it. That said, it's hard to walk places when it's really hot and there is no sidewalk!

This thread has convinced me to have potted meat and saltines for lunch.

Are you saying that it's a hillbilly issue?

Yeah, I'm poor, white and don't use a car. I use my AC due to my brother's illness, but I know a lot of poor white arty type people who live in shit holes without it.
The Food Stamp system is pretty fucked up. I hate to see people in line at Wal-Mart with several bags of Doritos, cases of Pepsi and a bunch of frozen pizza using state issued EBT cards.