Comments on: Fat: The New Thin?

By: Chubby Mommy

Chubby Mommy — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:48:23 +0000

One of the articles I linked made the point that “crowded cities = more walking,” in part because the crowding amounts to more services within walking distance. They also found that such things do have a correspondence with lower BMI in residents.

That 5 mile trip may have been great for Grandma and Grandpa walking to school… up hill… both ways… in the snow… year round… as the joke goes. But in terms of being “walking distance” for daily functions, it’s not realistic.

OTOH, amenities within a 1-mile round trip? Not so hard. Especially if a community incorporates wide walking paths that would permit Moms to haul groceries in their kids’ little red wagon.

By: jae

jae — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:08:56 +0000

One way to make draw some interesting conclusions on the walking/compact community theory would be a comparison of weight/BMI (whatever measurement you want to use) big-city dwellers and the ‘burbs.

By the theory of walking, public transportation, market availability it would stand to reason that individuals in New York City would, on average, be thinner than, say, residents of Los Angeles (notorious for the number of drivers). I’d personally like to see a breakdown within the states instead of taking one lump number to such a vastly diverse nation of individuals.

We live IN the city (population approximately 60k) and are less than 5 miles from five grocery stories and countless pharmacies, etc. Like the other mom said — shop for 6+ people and see how you can lug home ANYthing. And we don’t buy much prepackaged anything anymore. There’s got to be more to the picture somewhere I think.

By: Chubby Mommy

Chubby Mommy — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:44:07 +0000

Thank you!

I’ve been thinking about this topic for quite some time now, especially since I live in what’s considered a smaller town — and yet the nearest grocery store is over 2 miles away. A 4-mile round trip with my little one in tow just does not sound enjoyable.

Back when I lived in Paris for a short time, there were markets within, oh, every quarter mile or so. No, they didn’t stock everything — like our super markets do — but they had fresh produce and the other essentials.

I often wonder if it’s a chicken-and-egg thing: do we buy high-cal, high-fat convenience foods because we, conveniently, don’t have to lug them home in our arms?

By: Musings of a Manic Mom

Musings of a Manic Mom — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 22:33:07 +0000

While I wish I could walk more places, it is also a “can’t”. It’s not just about things not being close by, although that isn’t as much a problem. But with five kids in tow, having to grocery shop for a family of 7 and carry THAT much back home, just makes it less desireable to do. I do wish I had more motivation, and maybe as the seasons begin to change that too will change and I will be more motivated to walk to get my kids hair cuts, grocery store for small things, gas station for a drink, and uhm….well… I can’t think of anywhere else nearby except a home improvement store and lots of fast food.

I really liked this entry btw! It was informative and made me seriously think about walking more. *sigh* Now to find the time.

By: Electric Venom

Electric Venom — Wed, 31 Dec 1969 19:00:00 +0000

enlarging and weakening them in the process, and forced many parents to drive their kids to school. The culture that killed the corner bar. I’ve long believed that sprawl is one of the primary reasons America is so overweight, and not just adults:sprawl is one of the reasons our kids are fat, too. Yes, my first reaction to learning about Seattle’s green-y, tree-hugging idea to close certain city streets for a day was the typical knee-jerk reaction of any person who dislikes government interference. But then it dawned on me that for many of