Doctor looks at how Oklahomans can drop pounds after being named 9th-most overweight state

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    OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (KOCO) — Oklahoma once again finds itself near the top of a list you don’t want to be on.

According to a new study, Oklahoma is one of the most overweight states in the nation. A doctor from OU Health spoke with KOCO 5 about the findings and how Oklahomans can turn that statistic around.

“Not shocked, but saddened,” Dr. Catherine Mims said.

That’s how Mims felt after seeing the report from Wallet Hub, which ranked Oklahoma the ninth-most overweight state in the country.

“We are second-highest in the percentage of people who eat less than one service of fruits and veggies per day,” Mims said.

The study used 31 metrics from share of overweight population to sugary beverage consumption to health care costs to make the list.

Mims believes a big contributing factor is many Oklahomans don’t have access to healthy food options.

“Particularly fresh fruits and vegetables,” Mims said. “The fact is the vast majority of Oklahomans live in rural areas where their grocery store is really more along the lines of a convenience store.”

She said there are things people can do right now to get healthier: Buy cheaper and longer-lasting canned and frozen fruits and vegetables, add one day of exercise a week then work your way up, and, the easiest change, is to swap out sugary drinks for water.

“In Oklahoma, we love our sweet tea and pop. Try to at least decrease the amount and increase the water,” Mims said.

When it comes to dropping the pounds, Mims said “as a physician, I care less about what your actual weight is and more about are you developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and stroke risk. Those are decreased by a healthy lifestyle overall.”

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