Restaurants, fast food joints and even huge casino buffets don't make Nevadans - or anyone else - fat. Adjusting for genetics and other factors people can't control like health problems or disabilities that limit mobility - both which can affect metabolism and fat storage - lifestyle choices have the biggest affect on individual weight.
Several recent weekend trips to a Carson City McDonald's, and a few Reno McDonald's, provided the following anecdotal evidence: although these restaurants were packed to the rafters, almost no one eating there was even slightly overweight. Nobody was obese. The patrons were of all ages and lifestyles. Little kids played on the indoor playground, preteens in sports uniforms loitered in groups, young parents and grandparents indulged in Big Macs, and a few business people sipping McCafe coffees took advantage of the free WiFi.
Nobody was fat. Nobody was even chubby except one McDonald's employee.
Anecdotally, Reno cannot blame its obesity rate on fast food alone. Apologies to Morgan Spurlock, but McDonald's doesn't appear to be the sole culprit in rising obesity rates. So what about the abundance of buffets in the "Biggest Little City." Is that why Nevada has a chunky obesity rate?
Nevada is rated number 34 in obesity with an average of 19 percent of the population being considered obese. Is the "new" government BMI standard for measuring obesity really a valid measure? No. Because in the 1990s, the US government arbitrarily changed how the body mass index is used. By changing the numbers of the standard downward, suddenly millions of Americans were declared overweight or obese without having gained even a pound. For more on why the BMI is a fairly useless tool, see the video on the sidebar.
All of this begs the issue, who's in charge of our bodies, our health and our weight? Do people get fat just because where they live promotes or even condones conspicuous consumption of cheap food? Are individuals unfit and overweight because buffets provide a mind boggling variety of culinary creations? Or is it because casinos make it easy and comfortable to sit at gaming tables or poker machines for hours while chugging free booze or pop?
The obvious answer is no. Temptation to eat abounds to a greater degree in Reno than say a less tourist driven city like Grand Forks, North Dakota. But individuals choose whether they overeat on a regular basis or whether trips to the buffet are an occasional treat. Everyone also chooses whether to be sedentary, or to go outside and take advantage of Northern Nevada's numerous sports and outdoor activities. No matter how much the government nags and plays health nanny, whether someone stays fit or gets fat is for the most part under an individual's control.
As for too much food being offered, this can be a good thing and even diet friendly. Buffets can be the best places to eat if you are judicious and choose wisely. They offer enormous choices (both good and bad). For low carb dieters, there is a wide variety of fresh produce, salads, cheeses, berries, meat and seafood, real butter, real cream and breakfast items like eggs, ham, bacon, and sausage. And many buffets grill stir fry to order. It's very easy to go low carb at the big buffets. And it's just as easy to make low calorie and low fat choices for other dieting styles.
Nevada as a state boasts a 24 hours a day lifestyle which encourages excess. Nevada never closes. Citizens can literally get off work at midnight, 2 am, 4 am, or any time at all and go to a sports bar, casino, restaurant, buffet, or grocery store and do, eat and drink whatever they please. But people can just as easily choose to eat moderately and healthily, get enough sleep, exercise, and not overindulge in cheap food and free alcohol.
Northern Nevadans have ample opportunities to get outside and move. Nevada citizens also have more opportunities than many states to take advantage of resorts and spas with gyms and indoor pools. Like all Americans, Nevadans have to make choices about individual health, nutrition, fitness, and weight. And like many Americans, Nevadans are making poor choices. Our collective waistline keeps growing and health declines.
What a shame that many folks living in vast and beautiful Northern Nevada with its endless outdoor activities including amateur team sports, winter sports, water sports, equestrian events, dozens of golf courses, several skateboard parks, spas and gyms, guided walking tours, cycling events, and hundreds of miles of walking, riding, and hiking trails with breathtaking vistas and wide open spaces prefer to graze at buffets and sit on their ever widening backsides in front of video poker machines eating, smoking and drinking.
Choosing health and fitness are all about individual choices and lifestyle decisions. And this is a free country. Everyone is free to take advantage of outdoor sports and indoor workouts or to sit and stare at a television, computer or gaming screen. Individuals can choose overindulgence or moderation in food consumption. Every choice made builds a lifestyle. And lifestyle is a major determiner of weight, fitness, health, well being and ultimately self-esteem.
The bottom line is that each individual has the power to determine their health and fitness even in a land of temptation.
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