can a city make you fatter ?

lou693

when i first lost all my weight 112 pounds i was in a different city , i went to the gym every day like church i would run around the block if i was bored or do smthing asle rather than eat , everyone use to call me the food Hitler i lived close to my family had a good job i moved citys 1 yr ago , i feel i eat way to much ive put on alot of weight i still go to the gym but not like i use too part of it is that we live out of a small town now so i have to drive into town just for the gym and think its a watse of gas i dnt know why i kinda eat different did not eat so much meat but now i do i live with my partner now and new city i dnt know much people i dnt have a great job in old city i did ,now i work at kfc , i just know if i went back and stayed in my old city i know il be me again and il know it will just cme off so easy , i dnt know thats just what i think , im just trying to think when im in my old city i feel like me and now in my new city i feel like im going back to the old me , so do you think a city can play alot on how you eat and who you are ?

kjjm08

Well, the city doesn't force you to eat crappy, nor does it make you not exercise. NOW on the other hand - if you are depressed or not happy with you current situation [i.e not happy where you live etc] you may emotionally eat and everything like that. So I think it could be a factor but in all reality, it is up to you whether you eat healthy/exercise or not. Make sense? You sound homesick and I can relate to that because I'm an Air Force Wife and I moved away from home. Just remember though, you CAN do this. You did it before and you can do it again.

get_fit2009

It is ultimately up to you, but healthy choices are easier in some places than in others. I also truly believe that everyone has to find the place where they are "in their element". I am originally from southern California. I was insecure and uptight all the time because I just wasn't comfortable in the area where we lived. I am in a suburban area in Washington now and feel like I have better control of my life and like I "belong". So, it can definitely affect you, but you can figure out how to get a handle on it if you put your mind to it.

joejccva71

A city does not make you fatter.


Excess calories and sitting your *kitten* on the couch makes you fatter.

sarah_ep

A city does not make you fatter.


Excess calories and sitting your *kitten* on the couch makes you fatter.

Agree, however, after moving from one of the fattest cities in America to one of the fittest I do believe it is easier to make healthier choices when they are more available to you. It was very hard to go out to eat and find a "healthy" but filling lunch for under 500 cal in San Antonio, but it's easy as pie in San Francisco!

joejccva71

Agree, however, after moving from one of the fattest cities in America to one of the fittest I do believe it is easier to make healthier choices when they are more available to you. It was very hard to go out to eat and find a "healthy" but filling lunch for under 500 cal in San Antonio, but it's easy as pie in San Francisco!

Nonsense. No offense Sarah as I don't know you, but think about what you just said for a minute please.

Abigailblue39

No. Eating crap in excess of ones caloric expenditure, and, in addition to this, leading a sedentary lifestyle, makes one fatter

_Sally_

Agree, however, after moving from one of the fattest cities in America to one of the fittest I do believe it is easier to make healthier choices when they are more available to you. It was very hard to go out to eat and find a "healthy" but filling lunch for under 500 cal in San Antonio, but it's easy as pie in San Francisco!

Nonsense. No offense Sarah as I don't know you, but think about what you just said for a minute please.

I agree wtih Sarah. I've lived in four states and you have different available options, conveniences, obstacles, climate and culture in each place. Of course, you control what goes in your mouth and the level of exercise you get, but I found it much easier to be fit in a place like Portland, OR, for example than Southest Michigan. Just sayin'....

Jellyphant

Definitely. If I lived in San Antonio, I'd eat at Azuca's every damn week!

kjjm08

I just moved from San Antonio after 4 years there and while yes, they have amazing mouth watering food there - never once was I forced to eat it lol. It's all about choices, whether they are good or bad.

perceptualobfuscator

A city does not make you fatter.


Excess calories and sitting your *kitten* on the couch makes you fatter.

This may be so, but that isn't to say we should disregard the significance of urban design and environment as a contributing factor to weight gain. Often, the cities listed as having the lowest average weights are also the most pedestrian friendly. If you have good public transportation systems rather than vehicle transportation as the best option, it will make a difference in an individual's behaviour. Walking and biking burn more calories than driving, but in some areas these are unrealistic options. Environment can also be a contributing factor. If you are in a part of the world with long, cold winters, in which people regularly die of exposure, this will make a difference in how often you leave the home, whether for exercise or to scrape your windshield. I mean, it's minus forty, the windchill puts it in the fifties, and someone wants you to risk frostbite walking to work? Not going to happen.

This isn't to excuse poor health choices. But it is intended to point out that where you live can make a difference, particularly when it comes to the convenience of exercise.

Having lived in some really hickish small towns, I also think it makes a difference when it comes to food. If your tiny city manages to have three McDonald's and only one restaurant in which you can get a veggie burger, it's a pretty sound analysis that health food will be hard to find. The demographics of a city make a difference when it comes to ease of access - the bigger the city, the easier to find diversity, the easier to find healthy options.

Sorry for rambling. It's an interesting topic!!

joejccva71

And again, the food choice differences from the grocery store in which anyone that is serious about losing weight will tell you that you are better off buying groceries in the store so you know what youbare eating versus eating at Wong Dong Ho's chinese joint. And like I have said a bunch of times you do NOT have to step inside a gym or take a step on a treadmill to lose weight. Losing weight is about diet, plain and simple. That is not to say that doing cardio and mor weight training doesnt help...but itisnt required.

So with that being said, you going to tell me that cold winters are going to prevent you from counting calories, keeping track of your intake and macros? Cause if thats the case then you have far more life threatening concerns to deal with.

I dont make excuses why I cant do something, and I certainly dont blame not being able to lose weight on the city I live in. I live in DC where there are nothing but fat *kitten* politicians that love junk, so restaurants cater to them. Does this mean Im gonna get fat because the restaurants are more geared for fat people? Hell no.

I take my *kitten* to the store and buy my own food, set my own goals and I do it.

kjjm08

And again, the food choice differences from the grocery store in which anyone that is serious about losing weight will tell you that you are better off buying groceries in the store so you know what youbare eating versus eating at Wong Dong Ho's chinese joint. And like I have said a bunch of times you do NOT have to step inside a gym or take a step on a treadmill to lose weight. Losing weight is about diet, plain and simple. That is not to say that doing cardio and mor weight training doesnt help...but itisnt required.

So with that being said, you going to tell me that cold winters are going to prevent you from counting calories, keeping track of your intake and macros? Cause if thats the case then you have far more life threatening concerns to deal with.

I dont make excuses why I cant do something, and I certainly dont blame not being able to lose weight on the city I live in. I live in DC where there are nothing but fat *kitten* politicians that love junk, so restaurants cater to them. Does this mean Im gonna get fat because the restaurants are more geared for fat people? Hell no.

I take my *kitten* to the store and buy my own food, set my own goals and I do it.

I love the last line and the post in general. Well said!

beth40n2

When I lived in one state I lived across the street from a gym, and I was in better shape and was smaller than in the state I live now. Of course I live in the country now and live 30 miles from a gym. Now I had to buy a treadmill to use in the snowy winter and staying in shape is a challenge.

Friends can be an influence also. Find friends who are fitness minded. If you befriend people who don't care how they look, it tends to wear off on you, especially when you go to restaruants that have very little good food choices.

2Heavy2Long

Only if you eat it. :sick:

perceptualobfuscator

And again, the food choice differences from the grocery store in which anyone that is serious about losing weight will tell you that you are better off buying groceries in the store so you know what youbare eating versus eating at Wong Dong Ho's chinese joint. And like I have said a bunch of times you do NOT have to step inside a gym or take a step on a treadmill to lose weight. Losing weight is about diet, plain and simple. That is not to say that doing cardio and mor weight training doesnt help...but itisnt required.

So with that being said, you going to tell me that cold winters are going to prevent you from counting calories, keeping track of your intake and macros? Cause if thats the case then you have far more life threatening concerns to deal with.

I dont make excuses why I cant do something, and I certainly dont blame not being able to lose weight on the city I live in. I live in DC where there are nothing but fat *kitten* politicians that love junk, so restaurants cater to them. Does this mean Im gonna get fat because the restaurants are more geared for fat people? Hell no.

I take my *kitten* to the store and buy my own food, set my own goals and I do it.

I'm not advocating restaurant use as a primary food source, and don't think that I did in my post above. I mentioned restaurants briefly, as an example of how restrictive an environment can be due to simple population demographics.

For the record, you did mention that a sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity (re: sitting *kitten* on couch), and this is part of the reason I addressed exercise. And I stand by my statements. It is foolhardy to believe that the amount of exercise an individual engages in is unrelated to their weight. There are many studies - not to mention research on a population basis supporting the idea - that those who engage in larger amounts of exercise are not only healthier, but also weigh less. Losing weight itself is certainly related to the consumption of calories, but it is not the only factor that contributes to the weight of individuals or populations. For this reason, exercise and convenience of access to exercise should not be disregarded.

Perhaps you have not encountered research about differing obesity rates in different locations (and the co-relating statistics regarding public transport - I am not pulling this information out of thin air; it is very credible), or are lucky enough to live in or around a city that is large enough to provide all your needs, but many do not. Washington isn't exactly what one would call cold, or remote. I've lived in areas which would be considered both. There are also many towns out there in which there is one grocery store, a small one at that, and you're rather stuck with what you've got, because the next town over is 300kms away, and it's a hick town too. Oh, and there's no internet access. Counting your macros has all of a sudden become much more difficult, hasn't it? Also, healthy food costs more due to transportation, and quite frankly the produce isn't all that fresh after traveling such a great distance.

The majority of people are not in this situation. But let's not discount the ones who are. Where you live really does make a difference.

Societal tendencies and the statistical analysis of such in the form of population demographics is something I have a keen interest in. Understanding why one city or region is predominantly overweight while another is predominantly of healthy weight is something that can be understood on the scale of populations, rather than individuals. And the research consistently shows that cities with certain qualities (for example, environment and/or urban planning) will overwhelmingly tend to produce one result over the other.

Justkeepswimmin

I gained like 50 lbs living in cleveland over 5 years or misery and cold. I have lost 17 since moving to phoenix and 2 since joining MFP. I didn't even TRY for those first 15, or know I lost them over the 9 months that I did. I now live in Phoenix, and although you can't hike in a blizzard, you can hike in 106 degree heat (if the suns' going down) quite comfortably. No winter weight gain, or hiding behind big baggy clothes in the winter. I dieted literally 3 weeks before joining MFP....other than that I ate normal or overate!!! I exercized twice a month, and STILL lost 15 lbs merely living in Phoenix...it's just more...active.

I hate cleveland.