Savannah Davis, 16, of Lufkin, Texas, poses on the Wellspring campus. Travis Dove/for NPR hide caption
Living Large: Obesity In America In a series, NPR looks at how life is changing in a country where tens of millions of people are obese — in the home, at the grocery store, in the doctor's office, on the factory floor and at the airport.
Special Series
Living Large: Obesity In America
An NPR series looks at how obesity is changing the ways Americans live, work, eat and travel.
Wellspring students do high steps on the tennis court. Exercise is paramount at Wellspring, and a little rain doesn't get in the way of outdoor activities. Travis Dove for NPR hide caption
Alvanon is the largest maker of mannequin body forms in the world. The Manhattan-based company uses a device called AlvaScan to create these forms — which are then used to create clothing sizes. "We are so diverse that in any given size, there are probably four or six different body types that are represented," says the company's president, Ed Gribbin. Courtesy of Alvanon hide caption
Ed Gribbin, head of Alvanon, says spandex is a "democratic" fiber because it morphs to the body as opposed to limiting it. Marisa Penaloza/NPR hide caption
Many doctors and patients aren't discussing the health consequences of weight. iStockphoto hide caption
One recent study found that people were able to burn up an extra 450 calories a day with one hour of moderate exercise. That can include walking briskly, biking or swimming.
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To encourage healthy choices, Dow's corporate cafeteria features color-coded utensils. Healthy foods like broccoli, spinach and beets have green handles. Yellow handles mean caution, and red is for temptations like bacon bits and high-fat dressing.
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This office chair was custom-built by a company called ErgoGenesis for a client who exceeded the 600-pound limit of its other chairs. It cost $1,800.
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Ryan Van Duzer, an outdoor enthusiast who has starred in reality TV adventure shows, visits Colorado schools to talk about how working out can be entertainment. He says he often leaves frustrated after kids tell him about staying inside playing video games. Kirk Siegler for NPR hide caption
Before getting bariatric surgery, Los Angeles DJ Big Boy posed for a photo promoting his radio station, Power 106. He weighed more than 500 pounds. Courtesy of Power 106 FM hide caption
In the CBS series Mike & Molly, Molly Flynn (Melissa McCarthy) and Mike Biggs (Billy Gardell) show a healthy intimate relationship. While many obese people lead happy and healthy sex lives, therapists are seeing more obese people who say their intimate lives are suffering because of their weight. Richard Cartwright/AP hide caption
Valerie Moore's weight and poor eating habits caught up with her two years ago, when she had a stroke at age 26. Dave Anderson Photography hide caption
Jackie Gleason (right) played Ralph Kramden — a bumbling but loveable overweight husband — in the 1950s sitcom The Honeymooners. Audrey Meadows co-starred as his wife, Alice. Paramount Pictures/Getty Images hide caption
Restaurants line a street of the Quartier Latin in central Paris. Bertrand Guay/AFP/Getty Images hide caption
As part of her exercise routine, Curtis starts most mornings walking a gaggle of neighborhood toddlers to their day care. Tovia Smith/NPR hide caption
A buffet at a Double Quick convenience store in Holmes County, Miss., shows a wide array of fried foods. Dave Anderson/Oxford American hide caption
Dr. David Gilder gives Sally Johnson a checkup at the Mallory Community Health Center in Tchula, Miss. Dave Anderson/Oxford American hide caption