Obesity: More Than 25% of Americans Now Weigh Too Much

From Gerry Pugliese for Connie’s SUGAR SHOCK! Blog.

More than 25 percent of Americans are now obese. Just ask the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The epidemic of adult obesity continues to rise in the United States, indicating that we need to step up our efforts at the national, state and local levels," Dr. William Dietz, director of the CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, told Maggie Fox of Reuters.

The number of obese people increased by nearly 2 percent from 2007; 24 percent to 25.6 percent, Reuters reports.

Colorado boasted the slimmest population, while Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee had the worst rates. Thirty percent of adults living in these states are medically obese.

To see how your state fared, check out CalorieLab’s 2008 rankings of the fattest states. My home stated of New Jersey ranked 40th making it the 10th thinnest state in the nation. (Hooray!)

Now, see the official CDC press release: Latest CDC Data Show More Americans Report Being Obese.

Hey, Americans, what’s with the excess? Why all the Giant SUVs, super-sized fast food, deep credit card debt and excess weight?