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I can concur about the diet differences. However, I can tell you this much ~ Oregon has a helluva lot more obesity than people realize. I began to notice it in the early-80's, even wondered if it wasn't an organic problem here.
A few months ago I was riding the Light Rail home when I observed all the people sitting around me (5 women and only about two men), and every single female was 50 - 75 lbs overweight, me being the smallest (and I am still no Skinny Minny). Of the men, one was in really good shape.
And I don't really know the issue here. The only thing I can come up with is the climate. More people suffer SAD than the state is willing to admit (too much rain and gray), and perhaps that discourages people from getting exercise. I know that I tend to hibernate a lot half the year.
Location: from houstoner to bostoner to new yorker to new jerseyite ;)
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I had a conversation with a woman from Upstate NY the other day, or maybe it was the woman from Chicago, I don't remember, anyway, they weren't from the South. She observed that the South seemed full of affordable, sit-down, family restaurants compared to some other parts of the country where sit-down restaurants are usually four star, fine dining establishments out of most of Middle America's price range. Lots of places in the South for cheap (granted, often unhealthy) eats where you can feed your whole family down here; it's part of the culture. Maybe that has something to do with it.
Sugar, Fried Food, less public transportation and sidewalks all come into play but having travelled all over the U.S. I might have to slightly disagree as obesity affects most of the U.S. and eating healthy and exercising is the key anywhere, thus one can be obese or fit anywhere in the world today. In fact I've seen a lot more Big boys and girls in college towns around the Midwest than that or the South in comparison
Sugar, Fried Food, less public transportation and sidewalks all come into play but having travelled all over the U.S. I might have to slightly disagree as obesity affects most of the U.S. and eating healthy and exercising is the key anywhere, thus one can be obese or fit anywhere in the world today. In fact I've seen a lot more Big boys and girls in college towns around the Midwest than that or the South in comparison
They're fatter down South because Waffle House and Sonic is down here! Ok, maybe there is better food in the South but the hot summer really make you want to stay inside with A/C and not go out and work out!
My friend went to college in the south. She was maybe 10 lbs overweight at the time and she went over to a friend's house for dinner. The friend's mother told her 'you are too skinny, we are going to have to fatten you up!' She told me that they gave her sooooo much food and that she could not believe how much they ate for dinner. Not saying this situation is true for all southerners, but this topic reminded me of it.
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