The Fattest/Fittest Cities in the U.S.

[Guest bravesfan]

The story...

 

For the third year in a row, Houston has been named the blubber capital of the United States, according to Men's Fitness magazine's fifth annual survey of the nation's 50 most populous cities.

 

The top 10 fattest cities:

   1. Houston, Texas

  2. Chicago, Illinois

  3. Detroit, Michigan

  4. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  5. St. Louis, Missouri

  6. Cleveland, Ohio

  7. Atlanta, Georgia

  8. Columbus, Ohio

  9. Dallas, Texas

10. Charlotte, North Carolina

 

And the top 10 fittest cities:

  1. Honolulu, Hawaii

  2. Seattle, Washington

  3. San Francisco, California

  4. Colorado Springs, Colorado

  5. San Diego, California

  6. Portland, Oregon

  7. Denver, Colorado

  8. Virginia Beach, Virginia

  9. Tucson, Arizona

10. Sacramento, California

 

To arrive at its findings, Men's Fitness evaluated the nation's 50 largest cities between July 2002 and September 2002. Cities were assessed in 16 commensurate categories, using data specific to each city. The categories were selected as indicators, risk factors, or relevant environmental factors affecting fitness, obesity, and health. Sample categories included: fruit and vegetable consumption; sports participation; smoking rates; drinking, air, and water quality; length of commute; availability of parks/open spaces; and percentage of overweight/sedentary residents.

 

Men's Fitness also cited these sobering statistics:

•According to the National Health and Nutritional Survey, reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association in October 2002, roughly one out of three Americans is now obese. Factor in those who are overweight and nearly every two of three Americans has a serious weight problem.

 

•The number of overweight people is increasing by about one percent annually. "If these rates continue, we'll all be overweight by the year 2035 and obese by 2100," said John Foreyt, director of the Nutrition Research Clinic at Houston's Baylor College.

 

•The health care system is being overwhelmed. $120 billion per year--and counting--is spent treating an epidemic of diabetes and other disease caused by obesity.

 

•Exercise is crucial. People tend to blame fast foods, snack foods, and round-the-clock consumption for the epidemic, but many experts are convinced that people simply need to exercise more.

 

 

--Cathryn Conroy

[Guest starvenger]

How New Orleans and Milwaukeedidn't make the top 10 is a mystery.

 

Seeing as I live in Houston now, I can believe that they "won" 3 years in a row. I don't exactly consider myself to be the fittest person around (5-9, 185), but I look pretty small compared to some native Houstonians.

 

I suppose that one of the problems is the food portioning. The amounts that they give you here is insane, and when you eat out you could easily eat enough for 2 people without realizing it.

 

You also pretty much have to drive to get anywhere in Houston, and in the summer, you don't want to move because of the insane humidity.

 

Hmm, I think I better start going back to the gym...

[Guest evenflowDDT]

How does S.F. get on the fittest cities list? There are WAY more health nuts in L.A. now that the dot-com busted and the majority of the yuppies/baby boomers it brought in have moved on.

[Guest IDrinkRatsMilk]

San Francisco has a large gay population. A good portion of gay men practically live at the gym. No joke, I used to live there and it's true.

I'd have thought somewhere in Florida would have made the fattest list. We've got lots of old folks, they don't care as much about staying in shape, plus it's hot as hell, you really don't feel like moving around much.

[Guest NoCalMike]

Well I am here in Sacramento. I am not as fit as I should be, so I guess I can give myself the goal to keep our city in the Top 10 the best I can and lay off the fast food~!

[Guest Dopey]

I live in Sac-town and I'm fairly fit. Go SAC Yeah!!!

[Guest starvenger]

How does S.F. get on the fittest cities list? There are WAY more health nuts in L.A. now that the dot-com busted and the majority of the yuppies/baby boomers it brought in have moved on.

They took stuff like air quality ("relevant environmental factors") into account, which almost immediately eliminates LA and NYC from a top 10 finish.

[Guest RevEvil]

San Francisco has a large gay population. A good portion of gay men practically live at the gym. No joke, I used to live there and it's true.

Also, SF has many hills. Since parking is almost impossible, people often choose to walk up and down those hills.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

My guess for fittest was San Diego -- not far off...

 

My guess for fattest was Cincy. I heard they got some distinction for being the fattest city in the Midwest -- guess all that rioting from a few years back provided a good workout for a bunch of fatties...

[Guest Agent of Oblivion]

Odd how all but one of the ten fittest cities were out west, and all of the fattest were generally from the midwest and texas.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

When you're out west you have good weather so you stay fit -- in the Midwest, there's nothing to do but eat...

[Guest Texas Small Arms 09]

starvenger - where in Houston are you?

[Guest Matt Young]

I'm in central Illinois, 2 hours or less from St. Louis and 3-4 hours from Chicago, so my fatness was accounted for.

[Guest Gimmick Poster.com]

Finally, some Houstonians.

[Guest Texas Small Arms 09]

yes, not that I'm happy about it

[Guest CanadianChick]

Hmm. I find it interesting that 2 in 3 Americans have weight problems...I wonder what the stats are for Canada...

[Guest starvenger]

starvenger - where in Houston are you?

I work downtown and live just west of Med Center/Rice Village

[Guest CanadianChris]

Hmm. I find it interesting that 2 in 3 Americans have weight problems...I wonder what the stats are for Canada...

It's nearly one in two (using 2001 data). About one in seven Canadians are obese. Complete stats are here.

 

I would even question the two in three statistic. Of course, the actual number varies greatly depending on what measurement you're using. Body mass index (BMI), which is weight (kg) / height (m) ^2 and is the most common measuremet of obesity, has a tendency to overstate the overweightedness of a population, simply because it does not account for body type.

[Guest nl5xsk1]

When you're out west you have good weather so you stay fit -- in the Midwest, there's nothing to do but eat...

... you forgot about drinking. I visit Chicago a few times a year, and never have a hard time finding a bar that's got ice cold Miller to drink until all hours of the night.

[Guest Bosstones Fan]

As a Houstonian, I can say that I find it both hilarious and sad that we've been named the fattest city for the third straight year. I don't know why it's funny, but it is.

 

What amazes me about it though is, with the thousands of acres of parks available for recreation and the 50 or so gyms I can count while driving around the freeways we have around here, we're STILL a bunch of fatties. I guess that makes us the laziest city in America as well! Score!

[Guest Texas Small Arms 09]

starvenger - where in Houston are you?

I work downtown and live just west of Med Center/Rice Village

I'm on the Northwest side on 1960 near Willowbrook Mall.

 

It is sad, so sad infact that the Texas School Boards have told all public schools that if they want to get their money they have to cut off the power supply to their venting machines during all lunch periods. If you want a candy bar or a coke you have to get that before any lunch begins or else you are SOL. And you can't go off campus and eat so you are basically fucked. Luckily I got out before they put that rule into effect.

[Guest CED Ordonez]

As I eat an In N Out Double-Double, I'd like to say, "Go Sacramento!"

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

"What amazes me about it though is, with the thousands of acres of parks available for recreation and the 50 or so gyms I can count while driving around the freeways we have around here, we're STILL a bunch of fatties. I guess that makes us the laziest city in America as well"

 

Well maybe if you didn't have all those illegals coming over mowing your lawns and doing other manual labor you fatties would get into shape!...

[Guest Tim]

Mmm, but even the fittest city in the USA would probably we worse than nearly any other cities, seeing as the US is the worlds fattest country. In fact, that title is kinda similar to the European title. Best amongst the worst.

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

Yeah, we have all this food. Damn us...

[Guest EricMM]

We must be oppressing the masses or some shit...

 

There ACTUALLY is enough food to feed the world, and if every third world shithole actually got some decent leaders, they'd be fed too. It's a fact.

[Guest starvenger]

Hmm. I find it interesting that 2 in 3 Americans have weight problems...I wonder what the stats are for Canada...

It's nearly one in two (using 2001 data). About one in seven Canadians are obese. Complete stats are here.

 

I would even question the two in three statistic. Of course, the actual number varies greatly depending on what measurement you're using. Body mass index (BMI), which is weight (kg) / height (m) ^2 and is the most common measuremet of obesity, has a tendency to overstate the overweightedness of a population, simply because it does not account for body type.

Absolutely right. According to the BMI, most athletes would be overweight.

 

What amazes me about it though is, with the thousands of acres of parks available for recreation and the 50 or so gyms I can count while driving around the freeways we have around here, we're STILL a bunch of fatties. I guess that makes us the laziest city in America as well! Score!

You just mentioned part of the problem. You basically have to drive to get anywhere in Houston, and in the summertime, when there's 90% humidity and 95F temperatures, you ain't gonna be doing a heckuva lot of things outside, but you WILL be drinking those "ice cold" BEvERages.

[Guest HartFan86]

7. Atlanta, Georgia

 

Where the Big Boys Play!