I have mentioned several times that after my move to Chicago 3 years ago, I gained about 30 pounds. Most of this weight gain happened in the first 9 months, a bit came off before my wedding, and then it all came tumbling on after that. I blamed my weight gain on a lot of things. First, moving from a warm climate where I was always active (Atlanta) to climate that experiences 8 months of winter (Chicago). Seriously, 8 months of the year here I spend trying not to leave my house. Being cold and gloomy really wears on my mood, and by the time I got home from work from trudging through the snow and sub zero temperatures, the only thing I want to do is curl up on the couch and be warm.Last week, I accepted a new job back in Atlanta and will be moving back down in the next 30 days!! I am so excited to be back near my family and friends, but even more excited about the lifestyle I am going to be able to enjoy again!
This got me thinking about the effects of where you live on your weight. I am certainly not making excuses for being overweight. If you live in a "fat" city, you just have to work that much harder to lose weight and keep it off. Men's Fitness Magazine comes up with a list of 25 fattest and fittest cities each year. Chicago ranks number #13 on the FATTEST cities list, where Atlanta ranks #22 on the FITTEST cities list. It all makes sense now!
Here are the links to the articles. Where does your city fall? How has it effected your weight gain or loss?
