Mississippi's still king of cellulite

[Dimmauk]

Mississippi's still fattest but Alabama closing in
AP
By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer – 2 hrs 43 mins ago

WASHINGTON – Mississippi's still king of cellulite, but an ominous tide is rolling toward the Medicare doctors in neighboring Alabama: obese baby boomers.

It's time for the nation's annual obesity rankings and, outside of fairly lean Colorado, there's little good news. Obesity rates among adults rose in 23 states over the past year and didn't decline anywhere, says a new report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

And while the nation has long been bracing for a surge in Medicare as the boomers start turning 65, the new report makes clear that fat, not just age, will fuel much of those bills. In every state, the rate of obesity is higher among 55- to 64-year-olds — the oldest boomers — than among today's 65-and-beyond.

That translates into a coming jump of obese Medicare patients that ranges from 5.2 percent in New York to a high of 16.3 percent in Alabama, the report concluded. In Alabama, nearly 39 percent of the oldest boomers are obese.

Health economists once made the harsh financial calculation that the obese would save money by dying sooner, notes Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust, a nonprofit public health group. But more recent research instead suggests they live nearly as long but are much sicker for longer, requiring such costly interventions as knee replacements and diabetes care and dialysis. Studies show Medicare spends anywhere from $1,400 to $6,000 more annually on health care for an obese senior than for the non-obese.

"There isn't a magic bullet. We don't have a pill for it," said Levi, whose group is pushing for health reform legislation to include community-level programs that help people make healthier choices — like building sidewalks so people can walk their neighborhoods instead of drive, and providing healthier school lunches.

"It's not going to be solved in the doctor's office but in the community, where we change norms," Levi said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has long said that nearly a third of Americans are obese. The Trust report uses somewhat more conservative CDC surveys for a closer state-by-state look. Among the findings:

_Mississippi had the highest rate of adult obesity, 32.5 percent, for the fifth year in a row.

_Three additional states now have adult obesity rates above 30 percent, including Alabama, 31.2 percent; West Virginia, 31.1 percent; and Tennessee, 30.2 percent.

_Colorado had the lowest rate of obese adults, at 18.9 percent, followed by Massachusetts, 21.2 percent; and Connecticut, 21.3 percent.

_Mississippi also had the highest rate of overweight and obese children, at 44.4 percent. It's followed by Arkansas, 37.5 percent; and Georgia, 37.3 percent.

_Following Alabama, Michigan ranks No. 2 with the most obese 55- to 64-year-olds, 36 percent. Colorado has the lowest rate, 21.8 percent.

[MoogleAura]

I'm really surprised the numbers haven't started to decline. Over the last decade more and more has been done to make people more aware about what they eat and food manufacturers are 'supposedly' decreasing the amounts of fat, salt etc in their food products. =/

[Mizango]

I know Houston is on that list somewhere.

[Dimmauk]

I wonder if there is a political significance to the obesity in certain states? What is the political affiliation of the fat and lean states?

[Alleya]

I'm really surprised the numbers haven't started to decline. Over the last decade more and more has been done to make people more aware about what they eat and food manufacturers are 'supposedly' decreasing the amounts of fat, salt etc in their food products. =/

Because people still sit in their car to go to work, sit at a desk all day, then come home and sit in front of the TV/computer. Nothing short of starving is going to make you lose weight without actually getting up and burning calories.

I wonder if there is a political significance to the obesity in certain states? What is the political affiliation of the fat and lean states?

Last time I looked, red states are the least healthy. Physically and mentally.

[Dimmauk]

Because people still sit in their car to go to work, sit at a desk all day, then come home and sit in front of the TV/computer. Nothing short of starving is going to make you lose weight without actually getting up and burning calories.

It would help if people stopped eating any and all fast food, stopped drinking sodas, diet sodas, sweet teas, and juices, and drank more water and at least walked outside for 30 minutes a day. People are just lazy and make excuses.

[MoogleAura]

I know people who will use their car just to drive to the local shop which is about a 5min walk away. =/

Alleya I agree, just because you're eating more healthily doesn't mean you aren't going to get fat. Exercise is important, but I don't get people who sit there all day at work and then think 'I'm too tired to exercise at home'.

These people should get some Wii Fit's, it makes exercise more fun! =) I enjoy my morning run, but I love the aerobic and yoga exercises on the Wii Fit.

I work part-time at the weekend, I sit at a desk for 6 hours and by the end of that shift I just want to get up and move because the inactivity drives me insane after so long.=/

[Qalbert]

are those numbers specific or

Spoiler: show

just round figures?

[Absolutely Virtue]

You know what's the best thing about hating fat people?

Not feeling the slightest bit of remorse about it.

[Dimmauk]

are those numbers specific or

Spoiler: show

just round figures?

LOL, good one.

[AoE]

You know what's the best thing about hating fat people?

Not feeling the slightest bit of remorse about it.

Guilty as charged.

[Correction]

It's a defense mechanism against the next hurricane. Fat floats. The south shall rise!

Isn't Mississippi a factory/farm state? How are these people getting so fat?

[Tomk]

Because people still sit in their car to go to work, sit at a desk all day, then come home and sit in front of the TV/computer. Nothing short of starving is going to make you lose weight without actually getting up and burning calories.

I've recently come to realize this. All of these "technological advances to make our lives easier" are really adding up.

Example: Mac and Cheese. I started cooking from scratch 'cause I like it and it's healthier. Since I have a 5 year old I made Mac and Cheese for her. The difference is Microwaving a box for 2 minutes; or boiling noodles, feverishly stirring a bechamel sauce for 30 minutes so it doesn't get lumpy, combining and baking for 30 more minutes, and finally cleaning up 3 pots. The calorie difference is huge. and that is just mac and cheese. Add up all of the advances we have had in the last 100 years and it's easy to see why people are fat.

I'm not saying that we (I'm currently fat I admit) are not lazy. Most people take that extra energy and play sports, craft/hobby, exercise, or do anything; but some just plop down in front of the tv.

[ZarakiKujata]

I'm really surprised the numbers haven't started to decline. Over the last decade more and more has been done to make people more aware about what they eat and food manufacturers are 'supposedly' decreasing the amounts of fat, salt etc in their food products. =/

You can't teach an old dog new tricks is a big part of it. My grandma drives my mom insane with the food she eats and how she refuses to change her diet, despite the fact that she has so many health problems that everybody tells her is due to the diet she eats. That's just a part of it though, these obesity rates will continue to grow until we stop our agrobusiness farming that produces cheap corn which can be used to produce cheap beef, sugar(HFCS) and various other shit we should not be eating. Corn-fed beef has 9 times the saturated fat that grass fed beef has so its understandable that our waistlines would increase since our diet is permeated with the shit. Once corn subsidies are gone though, Mickey D's and shit will get more and expensive and peoples obesity should improve as they begin to eat more farm fresh local food which they don't like now b/c its oftentimes more expensive then cheap processed food.

[Dimmauk]

You can eat your Commie food, I'll keep eating my fatty American GO USA food!

[SubzeroDiabolos]

The difference is Microwaving a box for 2 minutes; or boiling noodles, feverishly stirring a bechamel sauce for 30 minutes so it doesn't get lumpy, combining and baking for 30 more minutes, and finally cleaning up 3 pots. The calorie difference is huge. and that is just mac and cheese

I have been eating at a fast food restaurant about every day for god knows how long i'm 5'8 and 115 pounds.

Most people take that extra energy and play sports, craft/hobby, exercise, or do anything; but some just plop down in front of the tv.

I walk about 8 hours a day. Not trying hard enough.

[Absolutely Virtue]

We will never even begin to make any progress against obesity in this country until we start to actually give a shit about what is in our food, where it comes from, and what it does to our bodies.

But to do that, people will have to take personal responsibility for their actions. What are the odds of that happening?

[Vandole]

most of the fat people here are old people. there's like 4 fat people at my college, and they are all redonkulously morbidly obese.

[ZarakiKujata]

You can eat your Commie food, I'll keep eating my fatty American GO USA food!

And then 30-40 years from now those of us eatting commie food and exercising will be taking advantage of young commie chicks w/ daddy issues while you are in the hospital getting your leg chopped off, lasers in your eyes, and shit shoved up your ass as the result of the diabetes and colon cancer that come w/ the GO USA food.

Natural Selection at its finest.

But to do that, people will have to take personal responsibility for their actions. What are the odds of that happening?

Never gonna happen since the party of personal responsibility is also the fattest.

[TacoTaru]

Isn't Mississippi a factory/farm state? How are these people getting so fat?

Because they're lazy and would rather pay pennies on the dollar for illegal immigrant trying to get work?