Michigan is fat.

Trust for America’s Health, a health advocacy organization, recently released nationwide obesity statistics and found the Great Lakes State to be ranked the ninth most obese in America.

With 28.8 percent of its population obese, including more than one-third of 55 to 64-year-olds, Michigan is up from last year’s tenth-place ranking.

“We basically eat too much and don’t exercise enough,” said Matthew Stack, physician assistant and health professions faculty member.

Stack said obesity is a serious problem and is a factor in several health risks, including heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and some forms of cancer.

“Part of the problem is fast food,” he said. “For only four or five bucks, you can get over 1,000 calories.”

Dr. Sarah Yonder, physician for University Health Services, said many people at University Health Services have noticed an increase in obesity on Central Michigan University’s campus.

“I’ve only been at CMU a couple years, but other people have mentioned that they’ve noticed an increase in people coming in, like freshmen, who are reflecting the nation’s numbers,” she said.

Yonder said obesity poses just as much of a health risk as smoking and should be one of the state’s top concerns.

She said there is no easy answer to the problem, but by promoting healthy behavior at an early age, obesity could be greatly reduced.

“If people could drop even a few pounds every couple months they could help out their heart and blood pressure,” she said. “You got to do it slowly, fast weight loss is bad.”

Rockford senior Todd Cates, a personal trainer at the Student Activity Center, said many people feel they need a certain body type or fast metabolism to lose weight. This, he says is false.

Cates trains several students to lose weight, one of which he said lost 25 pounds in one week.

“It’s really about having drive and desire,” he said. “If you put in the work you can lose the weight. My motto is, ‘the only limits that exist are ones you set for yourself.’”

The obesity report suggested the medical condition, generally defined as having a Body Mass Index above 30, is on the rise in 23 states, including Michigan.

Mississippi is the most obese state for the fifth consecutive year, with a 32.5 percent obesity rate. Colorado is the less obese in the United States at 18.9 percent.

Stack said students can lose one pound a week by cutting 250 calories from their daily diet and burning another 250.

“It’s a fight that’s going to take a few years to push through,” Yonder said. “I still see a good percentage of students who make exercise a priority; most people are at least making a concerted effort.”

news@cm-life.com

E-mail the author: Joe Borlik