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Why most Californians need to lose weight during the new year

Published: Thursday, Dec. 29, 2011 - 3:41 pm
Last Modified: Friday, Feb. 8, 2013 - 9:40 am

Pledging to lose weight is the classic New Year's resolution. But most Californians haven't followed through -- at least not well enough to get to a healthy weight.

About 25 percent of California adults were obese in 2010, up from 15 percent in 1995, the latest federal data show. Another 37 percent are overweight, meaning that almost two-thirds of Californians are carrying too many pounds.

Unhealthy weight can lead to diabetes, heart disease and myriad other health conditions. It also correlates with shorter lifespans.

This chart plots the weight and height of roughly 17,000 Californians who took the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey last year. Markers above the two lines represent Californians deemed overweight or obese, according to their estimated Body Mass Index (BMI).



Source: Bee research; CDC

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Read more articles by Phillip Reese



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