According to a recent article published online by “The State Of Obesity” (A project of the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) Arkansas now has the highest adult obesity rate in the United States. Almost 36 percent of Arkansas’ adult population is over weight.
Sadly, West Virginia and Mississippi are only one point behind Arkansas. Unfortunately, for the rest of the States…the news isn’t any better. Not one single State escaped the list. In fact, every single State has an adult obesity rate of over twenty percent. Twenty percent! That’s terrible and disturbing.
Here’s the Top 20 Obese States as of 2014
…incidentally all are above the 30% mark.
- Arkansas
- West Virginia
- Mississippi
- Louisiana
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Indiana
- Ohio
- North Dakota
- South Carolina
- Texas
- Kentucky
- Kansas
- Wisconsin
- Tennessee
- Iowa
- Delaware
- Michigan
- Georgia
- Pennsylvania
Now if we go back in time about 25 years the top obesity rate was just 15% and that was in Mississippi.
So what happened?
Why has obesity doubled in the last 25 years?
Well it comes down to 3 things…
- Lack of exercise
- Eating habits
- Mental endurance
The rise of computers has led many to forgo exercise. It’s just easier to stare at a laptop, mobile device or tablet then engage in a hike or an adventureous bicycle ride. It’s easier to text someone then stand up and walk across the room to pick up the phone and call them.
Grocery stores are selling more prepackaged foods filled with sugars to sweeten, salts to preserve, and chemicals only a scientist could decipher and most contain zero nutritional value. They might taste good, but they are not good for you.
We as a society have lost the mental endurance to fight for a thinner us, we accept what we read as true, we eat everything on our plate regardless when our body says to stop. And when situations get bad we use food as a stress relief.
Can obesity be reversed?
YES it can!
But, it takes a “can do” attitude, proper exercise and an effective nutrition plan you can stick with.
And sometimes, it needs a special tool to help. A tool thats designed to help you lose the weight so you can live a healthier, thinner life. That tool is a surgical procedure.
It’s called the gastric sleeve surgery and yes, it’s a life-saver.
In the last 10 years I’ve performed over 9000 gastric sleeve procedures…that’s over 9000 lives saved from obesity.
If you’re struggling with obesity and diets don’t seem to be working, I invite you to watch our YouTube channel. There you’ll find hundreds of videos, you’ll discover client testimonials, and questions answered on our #AskDrA Show. I would also encourage you to call our office and submit a health history form so that we can determine if the gastric sleeve surgery is the right tool for you.
Just because you reside in a State with a high obesity rating doesn’t mean you have to live like that. Take action…get some exercise, eat right and use your mental endurance to overcome the barriers. And, when you need help…remember, we are here to guide you on your weight loss journey.
