Normally the news media is all over reports on how fat America has become, but this one somehow slid under radar. Gallup — the nice people who bring you so many political polls — has been working with Healthways since 2008 to deliver a regular snapshot of Americas fattest and slimmest cities.

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Over the weekend, NPR provided a Stanford mathematician to argue the invalidity of BMI as a rough measure of fatness. His basis of argument hinges on the idea that BMI measures are not a true indicator of fatness. Mathmatically minded people don’t like BMI because it is, admittedly, inexact. While this may be true to a point, the rough measure is important and here’s why. Read the rest of this entry »

Just a quick note. Despite giant gyms, the LA influence and some really remarkable outdoor recreation. Las Vegas has been named the fattest city in America by Men’s Fitness magazine. This puts it ahead, apparently, of most of Texas since the remained of the top 5 fattest cities are there.

Why Vegas? “Poor eating habits and an alarmingly sedentary population kept Sin City atop the gluttony charts.” Can’t argue with the eating habits, this city has got some of the most tempting restaurants in the world, couple that with buffets and there’s a recipe for weight disaster. The unwary have more than enough options to consume.

Our Mayor was non-plussed and commented, “I don’t understand how they do this besides being cute.” The reality of it is that Men’s Fitness isn’t necessarily wrong.  Since weight loss is an active part of my practice it’s clear no matter how many lean entertainers there are here that there’s a seemingly limitless supply of people who have let extra weight accumulate. Heck, even some of our more notable entertainers are big.

All is not lost, however. A quick web search for “las vegas fitness” pulls up no shortage of gyms and trainers. There are dedicated diet clinics all over this town ready to help people slim down. It’s all a matter of taking the first step.