Texas Among The Fattest States In The US

HOUSTON, TX — Apparently everything is bigger in Texas, and that seems to include the ever expanding waist lines.

As a result, a not so new "F" word has krept back into the vocabulary, and it doesn't stand for “fabulous” "fun" or even "friendly."

No, this "F" word stands for "fat" or maybe even "flabby" and that's not so "fantastic" for a number of reasons.

In fact, there are a number of states, including Texas, that could use a cleanse, a gym membership and a full caloric makeover of this urvey is indeed true.

According to a WalletHub survey released over the holiday season, Texas is ranked No. 11 in the 2017 Fattest States in America.

In fact, the top 10 fattest states — with the exception of Indiana — are in the southern US.

Not a coincidence when you factor in Tex-Mex, Barbecue, Chickenfried Steak and nearly anything deep fried into the equation.

The Top 10 Fattest States are:

• Mississippi
• West Virginia
• Tennessee
• Arkansas
• Louisiana
• Kentucky
• Alabama
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Indiana

Unfortunately, fat has become the new normal, and while that may make some of us think about a change when it comes time to pen those resolutions for 2018, new findings by the Physical Activity Council suggest a need for more aggressive efforts to combat the issue.

According to the report, nearly 81.5 million Americans aged 6 and older were completely inactive in 2016.

Lack of physical activity is a leading cause of obesity, in addition to genetics, emotional instability and sleeplessness.

The factors included in this particular survey included the number of overweight adults, child obesity, physical activity, consumption of fruits and vegetables, and medical issues related to Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

According to that survey, Texas was No. 2 in the US for child obesity, while Mississippi was ranked high for obese adults, adults who eat poorly and adults with a myriad of health issues related to obesity.

Meanwhile, a similar WalletHub.com survey took a closer look at the fattest cities in the USA.

The Top 10 Fattest Cities included:

• Jackson MS
• Memphis, TN
• Little Rock, AR
• McAllen-Edinburg, TX
• Shreveport, LA
• Chattanooga, TN
• Mobile, AL
• Lafayette, LA
• Winston-Salem, NC
• Knoxville, TN

As in the survey in the fattest states, the fattest cities are in the southern region of the US, and while only one Texas region made the top 10 fattest cities, there were others that were not too far behind.

San Antonio-New Braunfels, home of the Riverwalk and the best Tex-Mex cuisine anywhere, came in at No. 14, while the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land region came in at No. 17 on the list.

El Paso was No. 22 on the list, while Dallas came in at No. 25.

Farther down, and undoubtedly Texas’ healthiest city, was Austin, which was the 71st fattest city in the USA out of a possible 100.

According to this survey, McAllen-Edinburg, TX had the highest number of obese adults in 2017, while San Antonio was No. 5 on the list for obese adults.

McAllen-Edinburg also led the way for adults who don’t exercise, and has the second highest number of diabetic adults in the US in 2017.

Want to see how your city or state fared? Click the links and Happy New Year

Image: (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)