Is everyone in the South obese?

This pretty much nails it. We live in what used to be a little town on the edge of Birmingham. It's a municipality, but it's pretty much a suburb now. It's an old neighborhood. Our house was built in 1948. We've got sidewalks and its nice walking the blocks around my house, and on occasion I do. City Hall and the municipal library are walkable. As far as walking to go somewhere, that's another story. I can hit a Quik Mart, or a couple of fast food franchises. I can walk to get a short list of groceries from Dollar General, although I have to cross a four lane to get there. That's not a bad walk. Walking to do much of anything else? Forget it. You're back around to no sidewalks, walking the shoulder of the road with the traffic whizzing past.

All the stuff above about weather still applies here, possibly a bit more so.

I'm a suhthern boy, and while I eat lots of fresh vegetables, I also eat plenty of traditional southern cooking. I love my BBQ. I run through sweet tea like nobody's business... and I'm 5'8" and weigh 168, so /rude to "Why is everyone in the South fat?".

Sweet corn on the cob is 5/$1 at the local grocery, and I'm tearing it up.

 

Lightweight fabrics and Gold Bond.

 

I'm in Chacos or Reefs any time I'm not in the office (but we are allowed to wear shorts from Memorial Day to Labor Day).

 

When I was growing up, I lived in New Jersey and we walked everywhere. Roaming the neighborhood, playing sports, it was just what we did all the time.
In college I lived on campus and didn't even have a car the first two years. Just walking back and forth to class every day, I figured I walked at least 2-3 miles a day if I did nothing else. Even doing that, I was still as active as you'd expect a 19-year-old to be. We played basketball, I'd walk around and explore campus, climbed stairs all the time, etc. My calves looked like tree trunks when I was that age. It's not shocking that when I graduated college I weighed 145 pounds at 5-foot-8. It was never hard to keep the weight off just by doing my everyday activities.
I firmly believe that that sort of lifestyle is a lot of keeping the weight off. If you can do that, any exercise on top of it is just a bonus.

 

Do not Google "boom batty" and click on the YouTube video "Fatty Boom Batty."

 

There's only one Boom Bat, from Trenton, and he's living the rest of his life behind bars.

 

The more north you travel in Florida, the more South you get. True fact.

 

There are plenty of Southern Crackers in Florida, but as you say, you have to get north of Tampa before you start to see many. Once you hit the panhandle, the place is stiff with them.

 

Just stand under a tall tree and wait those thunderstorms out. What's the worst that could happen?

 

I can attest Jacksonville is just ate up with rednecks. I was one of them for a spell.

 

So get a job that’s within two miles’ walking distance of your house and you’re golden.