In yesterday's Columbus Dispatch, there was an article about the announcement
of the latest state obesity rates. The news wasn't rosy. My state, Ohio, was
ranked the 10th worst state last year, but this year we tied for 13th with
Texas. In Ohio, 29% of all adults are considered obese. Mississippi was
ranked #1 with almost 34% of the adults considered obese.
Now Ohio shouldn't be too happy. We didn't drop 3 places because we actually
got slimmer. Basically, there were other states that dramatically had their
obesity rates increase at such a pace, that they leapfrogged Ohio.
Well, that stinks!
Just to clarify, in terms of the Body Mass Index (BMI - a version of the
height/weight chart), anything 30 and over is considered obese. So, a 5'9"
individual who weighs 169 or more is overweight and if that person weighs 203
or more is obese. BMI doesn't take into consideration bodyfat percentage, so
really it provides us with a general indicator.
If you go by bodyfat percentage, generally for women 25% - 33% is considered
overweight and 34% and over is considered obese. For men, 21% - 25% is
considered overweight and 26% and over is obese.
That is why when clients come to me and we do measurements, yes I look at the
scale to see how the weight has changed, but I pay closer attention to the
bodyfat measurement. Someone can actually stay the same weight, have the
bodyfat percentage drop, and look like they have lost weight.
Basically, this shows that we really haven't made any progress with this
obesity epidemic. I know I will keep plugging away and helping people who want
to make a change in their life. As long as their is hope, we will have a
fighting chance to lick this once and for all.
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