OK rated 6th most obese in nation

OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma is the sixth fattest state in the nation, according to a study released Tuesday morning. The report, “F As In Fat- How Obesity Threatens America’s Future 2010,” shows nearly 31 percent of Oklahoma adults are obese, that is up about 1 percent over last year. Many Oklahomans aren’t surprised by the finding.

Tera Leiter is one of those. She is much lighter now than she was a few years ago when she weighed nearly 270 pounds.

Leiter says, “Physically, it was really hard for me to do anything. I had bad knees, a bad back and bad joints.”

It’s a pain Doctor Rita Hancock says she sees often.

Hancock, a pain management doctor and author of “The Eden Diet,” says many of her patients deal with aches because of their weight.

So, when she heard Oklahoma had come in as the sixth most obese state in the nation, she wasn’t surprised.

She says, “Our problem’s just getting worse.”

The study, by the Trust For America’s Health and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found overall, men are typically heavier than women; African American men and Latino men are the heaviest.

The report gives Oklahoma credit for the initiative that is being taken to provide more healthy food in our schools and to cut the junk from vending machines.

However, Hancock says it’s not enough.

She says, “We’re missing the point to teach people to understand the difference in emotional hunger and physical hunger. We need to have an ‘Are You Even Hungry?’ initiative in Oklahoma.”

As for Leiter, she’s lost nearly 120 pounds.

She did it by taking classes and working out.

She’s confident other Oklahomans can do the same if they just start slow.

She says, “I’ve lost a person. If I can do it, anyone can do it.”

Hancock has more about how she believes we can become a healthier community in her book, “The Eden Diet.”

The study found Mississippi to be the most obese state while Colorado came in at the bottom of the list.