We had a large family get-together in Colorado this last week and all of us remarked that it didn't feel like we were even in America anymore based on the weight of the people there. Whatever they are doing about obesity we should do the same. More bike paths was the only thing I really noticed right off the bat.

I was in colorado last week as well up in the mountains. I feel like I am in pretty good shape and I was struggling sometimes late in the afternoons after walking around most of the day. I think most are in good shape cause for a few months out of the year they are cooped up and when the weather is nice like it was you just want to be outside. Here we are cooped up in the winter and a large portion of the summer due to heat so only the really motivated people are outside excercising

Bostonfan, it's not about the trails and sidewalks, it's about mentality and culture.

The more facilities there are, the more people use them and that just feeds upon itself.

We all know darn well that the culture in OKC is to sit around, go eat, sit around some more, snack, watch TV, eat again, etc.

I never realized it until I moved to California and then would come back to visit.



This is 100% true.

When I lived in OKC I worked out regularly (an hour a day...mostly cardio) so I was in shape, but I was the only one in my family that did so (and the only one in my office as well).

Upon moving to Colorado I was surprised at the 180' difference in culture. People here go outside and DO stuff, and not just up in the mountains. EVERYONE (or at least the majority of folks I know) either run, bike, or something like that nearly every day. It's literally like a culture of being active. I was blown away.

This is 100% true.

When I lived in OKC I worked out regularly (an hour a day...mostly cardio) so I was in shape, but I was the only one in my family that did so (and the only one in my office as well).

Upon moving to Colorado I was surprised at the 180' difference in culture. People here go outside and DO stuff, and not just up in the mountains. EVERYONE (or at least the majority of folks I know) either run, bike, or something like that nearly every day. It's literally like a culture of being active. I was blown away.

Sounds like Minneapolis. Same deal. And in winter, cross country skiing/snowshoeing is huge. And of course everyone plays hockey ;)

Another reality check is that is only takes about 15 minutes to consume 400-1,500 calories at many of the restaurants people these days frequent - yet it takes a solid hour of intense working out or jogging to burn 400-700 calories. Then you consider many people will repeat that caloric consumption 3-4 times a day and then fool themselves into thinking its okay because "I exercise." But they have no idea they are burning far fewer than they are consuming.

Yeah, I've put on a few pounds lately. I think I do need to cut down going to restaurants and quit going to the Sonic after 8pm for chocolate malts at 1/2 off.

Dare I say it? .... corn.

A correlation can be made.

Kids stopped playing outside cause their yards suck when I was a kid I was everywhere either on bike or foot. These kids grew up in the mindset that cars are the only transportation these days its stranger danger that keeps most from going out at all

Oklahoma also needs tougher smoking laws. I know this is controversial and some will strongly disagree but I can assure you that once California implemented their very strict laws, behavior changed. At first, people just continued to smoke (it is an addiction, after all) but before long you wouldn't even see many people outside bars smoking. It's a pain the arse for them and I'm sure many people just never picked it up in bars and clubs because you absolutely can't smoke in them any longer.

Oklahoma's smoking rate is among the highest in country. We can talk all day long about why one person or another smokes or eats badly, but the bottom line is that municipalities and communities can do things that help shape behavior. You can see the plain difference in communities and states that have been proactive in these areas.
It surprises me how many people here in Colorado smoke, maybe a bunch of it is all the transplants from elsewhere. I got used to Austin where the smoking ban (voted into effect by the public) changed bars and restaurants there. Whenever I went to a place in Williamson County I remembered how nice the smoke free places were.


My brother lost 50 lbs last year because he started eating right, went on walks, exercised, etc. He started gaining weight back because he lost the dedication and got lazy, but he gained control and is losing weight again.
I was doing pretty well last summer walking 3-4 days a week 3-4 miles, until the heat got so bad it was still 100+ at 10:00 at night. That just sapped any motivation that I had , I would typically go to the track at Crockett High School about 8:30, it would still be around 95 but the sun was behind the building and I could tolerate that, after it ratcheted up in late July I lost the will. The weather is much nicer here and we have a large park in our neighborhood but I still haven't developed the motivation to get out there yet.


I was in colorado last week as well up in the mountains. I feel like I am in pretty good shape and I was struggling sometimes late in the afternoons after walking around most of the day. I think most are in good shape cause for a few months out of the year they are cooped up and when the weather is nice like it was you just want to be outside. Here we are cooped up in the winter and a large portion of the summer due to heat so only the really motivated people are outside excercising
I was "cooped up" more in Austin because of the heat than I have been here in Denver because of the cold. The snows that we had last year weren't bad, I could drive around with the top down a couple of days later in most cases.

Blaming anything on city planners, lack of parks, society, or whatever is incredibly weak. Obesity is usually the result of some combination of laziness, ignorance, and complacency. Of course, there are the few cases of actual medical illness. Then you have the obese parents shoving McDonalds down the throats of their kids. How many parents feed their kids ZERO vegetables? IT IS CHILD ABUSE.

Not meaning to offend anybody, but obesity is not okay. Healthy people have to subsidize the cost of health insurance for all of the unhealthy people (lumping in smokers here). It's sickening and pisses me off. I know there are obese people and smokers who don't have problems and there are "fit" people who have many problems, but these are largely the exception.

Your whining makes me want to light up a cigarette. Got a light?

Blaming anything on city planners, lack of parks, society, or whatever is incredibly weak. Obesity is usually the result of some combination of laziness, ignorance, and complacency. Of course, there are the few cases of actual medical illness. Then you have the obese parents shoving McDonalds down the throats of their kids. How many parents feed their kids ZERO vegetables? IT IS CHILD ABUSE.

Not meaning to offend anybody, but obesity is not okay. Healthy people have to subsidize the cost of health insurance for all of the unhealthy people (lumping in smokers here). It's sickening and pisses me off. I know there are obese people and smokers who don't have problems and there are "fit" people who have many problems, but these are largely the exception.

Did Bostonfan have a backup account? :)

Just not ready to start declaring people lazy and ignorant because of their weight. A close family member of mine is heavier than the norm, but she spent her entire professional career in the health field, on her feet umpteen hours a day 8 days a week for 30+ years, doesn't even like most fast-food options, and I'd defy anyone to call her lazy or ignorant. Unilateral proclamations like that are just, well, how shall I say it....wrong. You have zero notion of what kind of genetics are involved in any one person's situation. I know another family with three siblings, all brought up substantially the same way; one is heavy, one is ridiculously stick-skinny and can eat anything. Which one is lazy or ignorant?

Let's flip it a different way. I personally know someone who drinks a two-liter bottle of pop EVERY DAY the way most people drink a cup of coffee. He smokes. He puts away a six-pack of energyzilla drinks in between pop bottles. He routinely totes in a bag of McDonald's or Whataburger for lunch. To my knowledge, he has no workout regimen. And it was relayed to me that the guy won a physical fitness challenge at their mutual previous employer by a mile. He was hardly out of breath after a mile run. The guy is every bit of 6'4", and I'd be amazed if he were much more than 210 lbs. And he could probably choke me with one hand. Guess what? Not lazy. Not stupid. Not ignorant.

The guy is obviously blessed with genes that are waaaaay different from ours. Yeah, maybe things will change for him when he gets older, and he'll wake up one morning weighing somewhere north of 400 lbs. But the point is, right now, he breaks ALL the rules for "healthy" living as best I can tell, and I'll wager he's among those in the best physical shape I know of.

So this unilateral "if they're fat they're stupid" business just, frankly, has to stop.

IGNORANT, not stupid. Crash diets NEVER, EVER work. Many fat people have great work ethic, but unfortunately they are ignorant to what will achieve results. They think if they eat less they will lose weight. Your metabolism eventually slows to a crawl and your body fights like hell to store fat and will actually burn precious muscle. In the gym they do the same thing YEAR AFTER YEAR (worthless circuit routines on "the machines", doing only aerobic exercise and skipping anaerobic, fat people skipping leg workouts and doing bicep curls. WTF will curls do to your physique when you are 50 lbs overweight? )

Moist overweight people would see amazing results by eating until they are full by fueling their bodies with vegetables, beans, whole grains, lean meats, eggs, berries, nuts, WATER, etc and doing 3 full body workouts with actual FREE WEIGHTS. There should be some variation of squats/deadlift/press/pull movement. Then do some cardio 3 days a week. Ideally anaerobic cardio like sprinting shou ld be mixed in with aerobic cardio like jogging.

Your first task at losing weight should be to read up on it in a respected book or website.

"Moist overweight people..."

*shivers*

Blaming anything on city planners, lack of parks, society, or whatever is incredibly weak. Obesity is usually the result of some combination of laziness, ignorance, and complacency. Of course, there are the few cases of actual medical illness. Then you have the obese parents shoving McDonalds down the throats of their kids. How many parents feed their kids ZERO vegetables? IT IS CHILD ABUSE.

Not meaning to offend anybody, but obesity is not okay. Healthy people have to subsidize the cost of health insurance for all of the unhealthy people (lumping in smokers here). It's sickening and pisses me off. I know there are obese people and smokers who don't have problems and there are "fit" people who have many problems, but these are largely the exception.

You can't explain obesity demographics without taking a look at city and state planning...

"Moist overweight people..."

*shivers*

We do indeed. We get over it pretty quick though.

IGNORANT, not stupid. Crash diets NEVER, EVER work. Many fat people have great work ethic, but unfortunately they are ignorant to what will achieve results. They think if they eat less they will lose weight. Your metabolism eventually slows to a crawl and your body fights like hell to store fat and will actually burn precious muscle. In the gym they do the same thing YEAR AFTER YEAR (worthless circuit routines on "the machines", doing only aerobic exercise and skipping anaerobic, fat people skipping leg workouts and doing bicep curls. WTF will curls do to your physique when you are 50 lbs overweight? )

Moist overweight people would see amazing results by eating until they are full by fueling their bodies with vegetables, beans, whole grains, lean meats, eggs, berries, nuts, WATER, etc and doing 3 full body workouts with actual FREE WEIGHTS. There should be some variation of squats/deadlift/press/pull movement. Then do some cardio 3 days a week. Ideally anaerobic cardio like sprinting shou ld be mixed in with aerobic cardio like jogging.

Your first task at losing weight should be to read up on it in a respected book or website.

I disagree in general with some assertions here. When my doctor told me I was obese the only action I took was exactly what you say doesn't work and it DID work 100% for me.

I joined my wife at the Y for her step aerobics classes (Tues, Thurs, Sat - 2hrs each day) and my doctor had me download an app to monitor my calories (no more than 1,200-1,500/day). Literally in just a few months I lost around 52 pounds. That was a few years ago or so and I've never gained it back and I continue to do mostly cardio exercise and monitor my calories. While I did cut out non-diet sodas and typical fast food (McD's, Taco Bell, Sonic), I still eat pretty much whatever i want (Tucker's, Hideaway, food trucks, etc.).

Because I lost the weight I am much more active and that keeps the weight off. But I firmly believe that caloric restriction and simple aerobic exercise (consistently and prolonged) can significantly lower a person's weight. I've known several people at the Y that followed the same thing I did and lost even more than me.

Not saying the routine you forward is not really good (sounds like it is), but I don't believe its the only right way to do it. I don't have the mindset to do P90X for very long, but a girl I know did it and then would take recovery time (yoga and light cardio) and do it again, and again. She's really lost alot of weight and looks great.

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.

Chicken fry .... an addiction to die for.

- An Addict

Oklahoma City created fat people. I've explained it before but if you're not familiar with Oklahoma inventions and Oklahoma history, I'll do so again.
Back in the early 30s, most people were trim, obesity wasn't a problem.
Then in 1935 Carl Magee, with the help of two OSU professors, invented the parking meter.
Prior to this time when people went downtown to shop, because parking was free, shoppers walked a long distance, got exercise.
When the parking meter came in, cities profited but more spaces opened up and shoppers were able to park closer to the stores = less exercise.
Less exercise was a small step in creating fat people. To really add on the pounds people needed to buy more groceries but that was a problem
because there was no way to carry large quantities of groceries to your car.
However, Sylvan Goldman, stepped up with the invention of the shopping cart... in 1937. Voila', now folks could stock up on Mega sizes.
You know how Oklahoma responded? We got fatter... and the names of our grocery stores reflected this: Piggly Wiggly and Humpty Dumpty.

Okay, was that enough in our creation of fat people? Not exactly. We also needed huge feeding troughs so Sirloin Stockade started the concept in 1966.
Golden Corral, from North Carolina but started in 1971, latched on to the concept to build most of their early restaurants in Oklahoma. These huge feeding
emporiums reinforced their floors to cater to 300 pounders and up. They figured if this is the state giving us the shopping cart, we can certainly provide more food.

I get what you're writing Stan, but in my case, growing up in se ok meant sunday post Brother Bob times were ample amounts of fried chicken or pot roast (both with loads of mashed taters and gravy, corn and green beans, at minimum) or a trip 1-2 times a month to the bountiful smorg at the Lake Wister Cafe. There, a hand written sign gently urged folk to take all you want - eat all you take. Apparently some of us took the sign a wee too much to heart and haven't fully rewired over the years.

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.
Good points.

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.

I'd have to know your definition of 'poor people.'

My definition would probably range from people with hourly jobs (often not full time with no benefits) to those who live off gov't assistance.

While I'd agree most do not have the luxury of gym membership, the Y in particular offers memberships on a sliding scale.

IMO, the only reason 'poor' people are more prone to obesity has little to do with their financial situation. I would guess their financial situation is often caused by the same reasons many 'poor people' are overweight - upbringing, lack of education, lack of motivation, and insulating themselves with like minded people, etc.

I know lots of people you'd most likely qualify as 'poor' and I put very, very few of them in the category of 'working extremely long hours' and having little down time. The one's I do know that work labor or service jobs for long hours (or even multiple jobs) are mostly in financial straights because they choose to have 3+ kids while not being financially secure.

At the same time, I know lots of people that would be considered 'wealthy' and a high number of them are overweight to obese too. Why? Same as the 'poor' people I know - lifestyle choices.

Blaming anything on city planners, lack of parks, society, or whatever is incredibly weak. Obesity is usually the result of some combination of laziness, ignorance, and complacency. Of course, there are the few cases of actual medical illness. Then you have the obese parents shoving McDonalds down the throats of their kids. How many parents feed their kids ZERO vegetables? IT IS CHILD ABUSE.

Not meaning to offend anybody, but obesity is not okay. Healthy people have to subsidize the cost of health insurance for all of the unhealthy people (lumping in smokers here). It's sickening and pisses me off. I know there are obese people and smokers who don't have problems and there are "fit" people who have many problems, but these are largely the exception.

My mother as the oldest child in her family recently became the only one of them still living. Unlike her siblings she did not get as fat and certainly didn't take up smoking and drinking. If you want to live past 80 or 90, try to avoid bad health habits.

People here go out to eat more than they eat at home.
The weather and distance between places prevents people from walking and biking.

In this recent survey of the 10 fattest cities in America, Oklahoma City was not one of them.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/galleries/2012/05/07/america-s-10-fattest-cities-from-memphis-to-new-orleans.html#slide8

Some of the cities that did make the list are cities that some people perceive as more cultured like Indianapolis, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, and surprisingly Baltimore.

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.


I know people have injuries and can't do certain things. Heck, I get achilles tendonitis if I run more than 2 miles straight and my knees ache after playing volleyball or basketball. I'm still pretty young at 32. That said, running sprints is free and takes 10-15 minutes to get a fantastic workout. Stairs are even better because you can get a glute/hammy/quad/calf workout in addition to cardio. You can get a TREMENDOUS workout in 4 minutes doing tabata-type (intervals of 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do and then 10 seconds of rest...repeat for 4 minutes)--this can be body weight squats, pushups, and pullups, which can be done for FREE. You can do wall sits in your office (back against wall, thighs parallel to the floor) for a few minutes. Don't worry about how many calories you are burning. Just work hard and increase that metabolism. If you can't find 15 minutes, then God bless you.

Food is expensive. You can't really avoid that. Sams Club can be your friend. Buy in bulk and freeze.

People should get into the mindset that food is your friend. It is fuel. If people will fuel up on clean food, they will feel so much better. Fill up on veggies when you are still hungry after the main course. Include as many colorful veggies as posible. Do this for every meal.

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.


I know people have injuries and can't do certain things. Heck, I get achilles tendonitis if I run more than 2 miles straight and my knees ache after playing volleyball or basketball. I'm still pretty young at 32. That said, running sprints is free and takes 10-15 minutes to get a fantastic workout. Stairs are even better because you can get a glute/hammy/quad/calf workout in addition to cardio. You can get a TREMENDOUS workout in 4 minutes doing tabata-type (intervals of 20 seconds of as many reps as you can do and then 10 seconds of rest...repeat for 4 minutes)--this can be body weight squats, pushups, and pullups, which can be done for FREE. You can do wall sits in your office (back against wall, thighs parallel to the floor) for a few minutes. If you can't find 15 minutes, then God bless you.

Food is expensive. You can't really avoid that. Sams Club can be your friend. Buy in bulk and freeze.

People should get into the mindset that food is your friend. It is fuel. If people will fuel up on clean food, they will feel so much better. Fill up on veggies when you are still hungry after the main course. Include as many colorful veggies as posible. Do this for every meal.

I disagree in general with some assertions here. When my doctor told me I was obese the only action I took was exactly what you say doesn't work and it DID work 100% for me.

I joined my wife at the Y for her step aerobics classes (Tues, Thurs, Sat - 2hrs each day) and my doctor had me download an app to monitor my calories (no more than 1,200-1,500/day). Literally in just a few months I lost around 52 pounds. That was a few years ago or so and I've never gained it back and I continue to do mostly cardio exercise and monitor my calories. While I did cut out non-diet sodas and typical fast food (McD's, Taco Bell, Sonic), I still eat pretty much whatever i want (Tucker's, Hideaway, food trucks, etc.).

Because I lost the weight I am much more active and that keeps the weight off. But I firmly believe that caloric restriction and simple aerobic exercise (consistently and prolonged) can significantly lower a person's weight. I've known several people at the Y that followed the same thing I did and lost even more than me.

Not saying the routine you forward is not really good (sounds like it is), but I don't believe its the only right way to do it. I don't have the mindset to do P90X for very long, but a girl I know did it and then would take recovery time (yoga and light cardio) and do it again, and again. She's really lost alot of weight and looks great.


I should elaborate on what I was getting at. I'm bad at articulating my thoughts and I posted that from my phone! People will often lower their caloric intake when they stall in weight loss. Then they lower it again. Then again. This leads to slower metabolism...and less energy. Less energy leads to bad workouts or no workouts. Not exercising also slows your metabolism. Double whammy! Restricting your calories TOO much can cause your body to fight to store fat and will burn muscle instead.

With my exercising routine blurb, I was meaning to rip the people who never see results, but STILL do the same thing year after year. If you aren't seeing results, TRY SOMETHING ELSE!!

I should elaborate on what I was getting at. I'm bad at articulating my thoughts and I posted that from my phone! People will often lower their caloric intake when they stall in weight loss. Then they lower it again. Then again. This leads to slower metabolism...and less energy. Less energy leads to bad workouts or no workouts. Not exercising also slows your metabolism. Double whammy! Restricting your calories TOO much can cause your body to fight to store fat and will burn muscle instead.

With my exercising routine blurb, I was meaning to rip the people who never see results, but STILL do the same thing year after year. If you aren't seeing results, TRY SOMETHING ELSE!!

Yeah, I agree with that. I was originally only doing cardio step class. I initially saw really good results (10-15 pounds off) and then stalled a bit. My body conditioned to the class and it simply was not 'stressing' myself enough to continue to burn sufficient calories. Now I do a combination of step, Body Pump, stationary cycling class, some ellipticals and jogging. I'd do more resistance (weights) but my doctor said I'd benefit more healthwise by doing cardio and light resistance whenever possible.

I've mentioned using apps to help with workouts and eating right (calorie counters mostly), but another tool I love is my Polar FT60 watch and chest strap. Really helps to make sure you're not waisting your time at the gym.

While I did cut out non-diet sodas and typical fast food (McD's, Taco Bell, Sonic), I still eat pretty much whatever i want (Tucker's, Hideaway, food trucks, etc.).


I've enjoyed some of your post lately.

I like this one quite a bit. I've found that overall, if i skip traditional fast food places i almost instantly start losing weight. Its just way to easy to drive through and spend 2-4 dollars multiple times a week at Mcd, Taco Bell, etc and not even really enjoy the stuff im eating. I've found if i save the cash i would of spent during the week and take my lunch most days and go out for a decent lunch 1-2 times its more enjoyable and it keeps me from consuming needless extra calories on a daily basis.

Plus on the money side of things, im personally not going to be the type of person who spends 10 bucks a day on lunch so the whole system regulates itself.

Most people eat far more calories than they think they do. I've been dieting for the last year and I was shocked at how many calories are in most things. I'm pretty close to the weight I'd like to stay and so now I practice what my husband calls the "dog diet". Anytime you go out to eat, cut your meal in half and bring it home....to your dog. Actually, the smartest thing to do is to put the second half away and eat it for dinner the next night. That saves money as well as calories and keeps your dog healthy. By the way....the part about giving it to your dog is a joke. But, the part about only eating half of what restaurants consider a "normal" portion is not. And that's just to maintain weight. To lose weight, you've got to eat even less. Exercise is great, but it's really hard to consume lots of calories and lose weight, even if you exercise. And I only drink water and diet soda. No empty calories in my drinks.

Most people eat far more calories than they think they do. I've been dieting for the last year and I was shocked at how many calories are in most things. I'm pretty close to the weight I'd like to stay and so now I practice what my husband calls the "dog diet". Anytime you go out to eat, cut your meal in half and bring it home....to your dog. Actually, the smartest thing to do is to put the second half away and eat it for dinner the next night. That saves money as well as calories and keeps your dog healthy. By the way....the part about giving it to your dog is a joke. But, the part about only eating half of what restaurants consider a "normal" portion is not. And that's just to maintain weight. To lose weight, you've got to eat even less. Exercise is great, but it's really hard to consume lots of calories and lose weight, even if you exercise. And I only drink water and diet soda. No empty calories in my drinks.

We practice what you preach. Just tonight we did takeout from Venezia in MWC. The wife and I ordered a single order of spaghetti with meat sauce (comes with a side salad and two dinner rolls). It was enough to split the salad and one roll and we each took 1/3rd of the spaghetti. That left another 1/3rd and a roll for lunch tomorrow. $8 for three meals total. To think that serving was meant for one person at one sitting is crazy!

If people simply downloaded LoseIt (or a similar app) and counted every calorie for a week, they'd be totally shocked how many they consume in a single day.

Let me come over and raid your fridge I need to gain about 60 pounds but keep losing weight cause I can't afford to eat 3 meals a day last week has been especially rough about 3 meals in the past week
So if you want to lose weight invite me to dinner and give me 2/3rds of your meal

The reason I think there are so many fat people here, and this one hasn't been mentioned yet, is because there are so many poor people here compared to most other states.

Poor people don't join gyms, poor people don't eat out a lot at places that sell sushi they go and have fast food, poor people don't shop at Whole Foods they get what's on sale at Wal-Mart. Even the 'middle class' here freaks out over some price related things that are common in other states.

Yes, there are lots of free ways to exercise like walking around the block. But poor people are usually working extremely long hours and don't have the time or energy to do so in their off hours, or are often young single parents and have higher priorities.

To me it seems like the correlation is poor states, not southern states. Although most southern states are usually the fattest. And the most violent. And the most crime ridden. And on and on... and it probably all goes back to economics, which I suppose one could argue goes to a root cause of poor education levels here.

And mentality.

My mother as the oldest child in her family recently became the only one of them still living. Unlike her siblings she did not get as fat and certainly didn't take up smoking and drinking. If you want to live past 80 or 90, try to avoid bad health habits.

My mother's dad drank like a fish and outlived all of the tea-totallers by many years. He died at 94.

My mother's dad drank like a fish and outlived all of the tea-totallers by many years. He died at 94.

There are rules and then there are exceptions to the rules.

Here's one reason: http://www.okctalk.com/showthread.php?t=31409

I know its probably been covered, but from my personal observations - I'm an avid jogger, typically 4-5 times a week, 2-3 miles at a time. I just enjoy it and it helps me feel better. The vast majority of people are fair weather fans and ive noticed a huge swing of people because of

wind (bigger than you think)
outside temperature
temperature swings (this is big,one day in 70's, next in 90's-really makes 90 feel miserable)
rain
potential for storms
holidays
days of the week
football games

Really as far as weather goes most people have a lot of good excuses for not going outside to exercise. The only one that really stops me is wind. I've developed some tolerance and found a portion of a park that i go to that does a good job of sheltering you but with the amount an strength of wind we have is miserable. Plus with wind some large changes in temperature which can drain your energy in itself.

When we had the first big drop from the 115 degree days down into the 90's it was nice to see everyone out at the parks. Tons of people walking, jogging, pushing strollers, playing Frisbee,etc. You could really tell that it felt more like a 'community' than what you get most times during the year.

What most people dont realize is that it feels cooler on those 115 days than it does on 100 degree days, but i wouldnt recommend it if you have any health problems.

What most people dont realize is that it feels cooler on those 115 days than it does on 100 degree days, but i wouldnt recommend it if you have any health problems.
After going through last summer in Austin I disagree, most of the time. It mainly depends on the humidity, 115 with very low humidity feels better than 100 with 50% humidity. I had no issues with it between 95-100 at 9:00 since I had gradually become used to the heat but once it was still 105 at 10:00 at night with the humidity down there I lost my motivation. There is rarely very low humidity in Austin, it is just too close to the gulf as the prevailing winds are from the southeast to get all the moisture but none of the sea breeze cooling effect. In OKC there might be some drying out with an extreme high temp but not enough to make most comfortable, especially if you don't tolerate the heat well. It takes me a long time to cool down to being comfortable, something that I have always dealt with even when I was much younger and in good shape. After late night softball games in the summer it would take me a few hours to cool down to the point of being able to go to sleep, not good when the games run late and you don't end up leaving the fields at midnight. I know that with the lack of humidity up here in Denver temps in the mid-90's are much different than the same in Austin (or OKC) since it actually cools down when the sun goes down. We had a few 100's this year (a record number for Denver I believe) but it has never been the oppressive heat that we went through last summer.

steak sandwhich supreme