Just moved to the fattest state in the union!

Someone else posted awhile ago about life in the fattest state in the union and yes, I'd have a problem there, too. She mentioned having a hard time finding clothes in her size (10/12) and small-cup bras and her DH couldn't find jeans slim enough to fit. She also mentioned very little variety in the produce section of the local grocery store. I'd have a problem with all of that. It would also be difficult for me to partake of Southern hospitality when so much of it is food that I never eat because it's not healthy and I don't particularly like it.

OP, good luck with your business- sounds like the biggest challenge is going to be selling the idea. I also wonder how much of the obesity is due to poor people not knowing how to cook, or thinking it takes too much time or costs more money than the 99 cent menu at McDonald's. I'm working full-time now but after retirement (in about 5 years) I'm hoping to teach people how to cook. I'm not Martha Stewart, but I can sure do better and cheaper than the processed food on the supermarket shelves.

my state is #3 on that list so we are pretty close

I personally think It was somewhat rude and a lil snobby, are there not fat people in Upstate NY, weird you just noticed obesity when you got to Mississippi. They maybe obese but they sure sound like they are very loving and protective people. Great Job Mississippi on that love thang.

Wow what an adjustment....NYS to MS....If you don't mind me asking, what prompted the move?

I live in the Mid west States. I had a flat tire on the interstate. A High way police officer told me i had to hurry to get my car running or he will get it towed. He sat in his car behind me and watch me change my tire. I am a female btw. I was so stress by this I felt like crying. I had police officers in the southern states try to help me but here they would not lift a finger to help and stared at me like i was a criminal. Watched me change my tire and would have car the tow company if i wasn't fast enough. I had to call my husband to help me. I know I how to change a tire but I was so stress that i had a very hard time too.

Yes i like him too.......My favorite is...Garrius!!!

Talk about culture shock! I moved from upstate New York where I built organic backyard gardens for a living to southern Mississippi, where 1 in 3 children are hungry but I cant find em, maybe they're hiding behind all the obese people. I know, thats insensitive, but im going to restart my business down here and im hoping it wont flop, try talking health to anyone around here and they start talking about God! Its scary, lets pray for health, while we eat only fried foods and never move anywhere! My daughter literally goes to school a 7 min. Walk away from our house and we walk, whats odd is ive been asked if we need a ride around 50 times in the month we've been here, each time I state "thank you but we like to walk" and 9 times out of 10 they argue that that cant possibly be the case! Whats worse is they send a bus around to the development directly across the street from the school, which im positive is way more expemsive than hiring a couple crossing gaurds! Idk, I need some health conscious friends online because i feel like im the only one around here who gives 1 iota about being healthy happy and staying that way for as long as possible round this place!

You are living in a place where people stop and offer you a ride instead of honking at you and screaming profanities, and you are complaining about how ignorant they are?

I've have lived in a lot of places (including the South). While there are cultural differences, not all of them my cup of tea, it's a bit arrogant to move into a place and think that you know best. Life is complicated and there is no one way to live.

Obesity is not great, and it's sad when it becomes a cultural norm. But, let's get a little perspective, okay?

HAAA, crazy yankees!!

I lived in a lot of states including Mississippi and New Jersey/New York area. I lived in other southern states as well. Right now I live in the midwest. I lived 19 years in Louisiana and I admit I was tired of there and moved to new jersey to get away as some young people do. I have to say is that I missed the south after a few months. There is a truth about southern hospitality. When southerns offer a ride, we just trying to be nice and hospital. Some of us even opens doors for other people. When I was in the New York/New Jersey area they also made comments about me being so polite. Like it was a bad thing or something. I saw a guy open a door for someone and they gave him withering looks. Its like no one wants to be helped or something there. I guess there is a culture shock when a person from the south or north move to opposite ends of the continent. New York and the other northern states are not the same as back home in the southern states. More past pace etc. People tend to compare the new place to the old place. Alot of people in New York people used to comment about the southern states and it seemed to be almost alien to them. Alot of the people seemed to think of us southerns as hill billies and red necks. The southern people probably has some ideas about the people in the North. Maybe we have some preconceived ideas about the northerners. I used to get comments from the people from England about our guns so i guess to them we are all rednecks and hill billies


Obesity is a problem in all states not just the southern states. Thought I admit its probably high in the southern states. One thing about the New York area and a lot of those big eastern cities is that they built their transit system pretty good. Its more advantage to walk to the subway than drive a car. The cities in the south are more spread out. So yea we are not used to walking as much. Europeans are more fit as well and they got a great transit system. Its so easy to take a train to go someplace(I been there too) America is just more spread out more. Our country decided to built the car system instead. The eastern cities not so much spread out I think and with having a subway you walk to the stations and therefore more fit. We are spread out here as well. We have some transit but not alot. The city has been trying to make bike lanes but I would not use them cause lots of bikers get hit by cars. People are trying to do something about the problem of obesity. The first lady goes on a lot of shows to promote health and fitness. School lunches are starting to offer healthy alternatives in some states. I think it is a good idea for you to try to introduce gardens to people. People don't know where to start so if you help them then they will learn and perhaps get healthier. Build your own garden then invite a few people for a BBQ to your house to advertise your garden and get people interest in one. Grill some stuff from the garden. I want to build a garden myself one day but always held back because i don't know where to start. If I get a garden, I know I will eat healthier. It will be the same for them. Good Luck with your garden.

Simple, tell them the healthy, organic produce is made only with God's own ingredients and none provided by man.

It's all about marketing!

hhahaha Maybe it's because I'm in CA and the super religious people are all Catholic rather than Southern Baptist or what-have-you, but the religious people I know are really really into organic gardening and cutting out processed food... for the reasons you suggested she market and from a moral drive to take care of both one's body and the earth. Not to say the religious people round these parts are 100% the healthiest people ever... but even wine has a nice bunch of antioxidants :P