Restaurants, fast food joints and even huge casino buffets don't make Nevadans - or anyone else - fat. Adjusting for genetics and other factors people can't control like health problems or disabilities that limit mobility - both which can affect metabolism and fat storage - lifestyle choices have the biggest affect on individual weight.
Several recent weekend trips to a Carson City McDonald's, and a few Reno McDonald's, provided the following anecdotal evidence: although these restaurants were packed to the rafters, almost no one eating there was even slightly overweight. Nobody was obese. The patrons were of all ages and lifestyles. Little kids played on the indoor playground, preteens in sports uniforms loitered in groups, young parents and grandparents indulged in Big Macs, and a few business people sipping McCafe coffees took advantage of the free WiFi.
Nobody was fat. Nobody was even chubby except one McDonald's employee.
Anecdotally, Reno cannot blame its obesity rate on fast food alone. Apologies to Morgan Spurlock, but McDonald's doesn't appear to be the sole culprit in rising obesity rates. So what about the abundance of buffets in the "Biggest Little City." Is that why Nevada has a chunky obesity rate?
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