BIgger is NOT better, Part 2

In my last post, I talked about the CDC's 2007 data for the fattest states in America. Mississippi weighed in as the fattest state, and Colorado was the leanest. But almost all 50 states have gotten fatter.

Kentucky, my home state, ranks as the seventh fattest state.

According to the World Health Organization, this is not just a problem in the U.S. The whole world is getting fatter. Globally, there are more than 1 billion overweight adults, at least 300 million of them obese.

Like I said in my last post, this is bad news. But if we are going to even begin to turn this trend around, we need to be armed with some information.

Starting with this: What is considered overweight and obese? How do you know when you have crossed the line?

The CDC defines overweight and obesity as ranges of weight that are greater than what is generally considered healthy for a given height. The terms also identify ranges of weight that have been shown to increase the likelihood of certain diseases and other health problems.

Overweight and obesity is most often measured with the BMI, or Body Mass Index. It uses weight and height to calculate a number that, for most people, correlates with their amount of body fat. An adult with a BMI between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight, and an adult who has a BMI of 30 or higher is considered obese.

Here is a BMI calculator. Try it. Are you too fat, underweight or just right?

Now, what are you going to do about it?

A good series of 10 topics on the Workout IQ blog highlights weight loss problems and how to deal with them. The series addresses such topics as challenges to working out, having unrealistic expectations and fear of failure. It's a good starting point for those of you wanting to lose weight.

If you have calculated your own BMI and faced the results, you've armed yourself with the information you need to get started on a healthy path. It may not be all you need, but it's a good start.

And if just one or two people can take this step toward a healthier future, maybe there's hope yet for Mississippi, Kentucky and the rest of the world.