[Mattie Jo]

1. Why are people rude enough to ask this question?

2. Lack of a good education here due to our government caring more for the oil companies, cause people to not know that prepared foods are bad for you and cause you to gain weight.

3. Due to lack of money from low wages, people can't afford healthy food.

4. Due to lack of education people here end up getting thyroid problems, and being on thyroid pills will not cause you to lose weight. There is no iodine in our soil and people don't think about taking kelp.

5. how can you care about anything when you can't get a good paying job, poor health care, few doctors, etc.

6. Too hot in the summer to walk; too cold in the winter. Where would you walk? Who wants to walk in cruddy or rich neigborhoods? Who can walk in the woods with the chiggers and mosquitoes.

7. I have a friend who was homeless in L.A. for 4 years, and he got fat from what he could afford to eat. Homeless people get fat.

8. Why are all the people in California so stuck on themselves that they have to run every day, have the best makeup, most beautiful, eat only organic. Gee. how narcissistic.

9. Why did the repbulicans have to put down Michele Obama for trying to get people to eat right?

10. Why is it that cookbooks that come from Wyoming clubs all have cheese, sour cream, and butter in them?

11. Why would people want to live long lives when our government stinks, and the air, water, and ground is being pollution, which things will all kill you faster. And why would you want to live long when the climate is changing or a bomb may blow you up any minute?

[Johnhw2]

I think beating UT in football regularly makes one fat and happy.

As an aside, our California friend seems to be smug. Make note Oklahoma to not share your SE quadrants surplus water with those who seem to think Oklahoma has nothing Ca needs.

[Nadal]

Originally Posted by Gothick

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma#Health


Any Okies care to explain? That's HUGE (no pun intended)!

Your Wiki page is using a link from 1985-2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090825...ta/trends.html

Here is an updated link from the CDC.

https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html


So, what is your point to highlight Oklahoma?

[Bass&Catfish2008]

We're Southern Born and we like our food Southern fried.

Ever heard of Chicken Express or Golden Chick?.....not to mention our Southwest BBQ?

Enough said. As the kids say, the struggle is real.

[Bass&Catfish2008]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

The fast food chicken places do well, because they offer french fries but not mashed potatoes with gravy. I'd prefer the latter. But Grandy's went out of business here long ago.

LOL at Grandy's. So good! There are two left...one off of Lincoln in OK City and one in Ardmore off of Main. I eat at both from time to time.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Mattie Jo

There is no iodine in our soil and people don't think about taking kelp.

Ironically, Oklahoma is the top/only iodine producing state in the nation and one of the top three iodine producing regions in the world.

http://newsok.com/article/5347917

[bagster]

I've noticed that dogs and cats will overeat and become fat if an unlimited food supply is available. Maybe it's a primitive instinct for people to also store up fat to prepare for hard times. This is just a guess. I do know I'm fat because I drink too much beer.

[bawac34618]

Originally Posted by bagster

I've noticed that dogs and cats will overeat and become fat if an unlimited food supply is available. Maybe it's a primitive instinct for people to also store up fat to prepare for hard times. This is just a guess. I do know I'm fat because I drink too much beer.

The thing is, this isn't unique to Oklahoma. While Oklahoma is one of the most obese states, it is less so than its cousins Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Alabama.

I think it comes down to Deep South culture. Everything is fried and packed as full of calories and fat as it can be. Combine that with a culture where people are pretty much slaves to their automobiles. Another thing that might play a factor is the fact that people tend to settle down and get married at a young age here. Many people start slacking on keeping their physical appearance up after they get married and settled down. I've known many people who were in shape and muscular when they were young adults only to become overweight a few years after tying the knot.

[sheena12]

I am guessing that it's a combination of things. The type of food that is popular there already -deep fried, biscuits and gravy, and pork.

I'd add that it is not a very high income state. Buying and looking good in clothes, may not be close to their top o priorities.

Nearby Texas, has water access and more wealth. In ground pools are popular, as are bathing suits and fashion. Cosmetic surgery in popular in Texas, but not very popular or common in Oklahoma.

I chose Texas as a comparison because they are in the same region of the country, similar ethnic and religious heritage, yet one (TX) is more like a typical US area with a bunch of upscale denizens who really take care of themselves. The other is more laid back, a tad more religious and more particle and less flashy.

I is not my intention to put any state down, but these are my reasons, by observation and conjecture, that I am not at all shocked that OK has an epidemic of obesity.

Some states and regional standards o attractiveness that are more in line with those o LA or New York. Others do not care.

Other than being healthy, I think the res is a personal choice.

[Threestep2]

Sheena - stereotypes here?