Maine Is Officially New England’s Fattest State, But …

A press release from the Trust for America's Health shared by News Center Maine, has named Maine as New England's fattest state. Maine has an obesity rate of over 30%. So 1 out of every 3 people in Maine has a fairly substantial weight problem, and that should be taken very, very seriously. But....

Let's also be real for a minute. While that is a totally big deal, put it through the filter of the rest of the country. Nationally, Maine ranks 28th out of 50. So obviously people in other states are doing a lot worse than we are. I'm not saying we should be high-fiving each other, but 28th out of 50 puts us pretty much smack dab in the middle.

Mississippi and West Virginia are tied for first, with obesity rates of almost 40%!! Seriously, the state beverage in both these places must be fry oil. And the state food must be deep-fried bacon butter. In Maine, I feel like maybe we like bacon and eggs too much, but other places are pretty much eating their way to an early grave.

Seriously though, the main culprit seems to be sugary drinks like soda, energy drinks, etc. People definitely eat too much, but soft drinks and the like are the gateway to weight gain. I know someone who was a bit overweight, and just by cutting out sweet drinks alone, lost almost 20 pounds.

Anyway, I'd say this is all food for thought (pun kind of intended), and I certainly fought every food joke that came to mind. But the reality, our eating habits aren't doing us any favors, and this isn't the best thing Maine should be known for. But on the other hand, we're nowhere near the top of the national list.

So relax. We could be doing better, but we could be doing a heck of a lot worse.