A recent study placed three Louisiana cities in the top 10 fattest cities in the country based on three different metrics, with Baton Rouge coming in at ninth.

The state of Louisiana has over 76 fast food restaurants per 100,000 people. Being one of the more dominant options, fast food is a major part of people’s diets here in Baton Rouge.

“If you look at California, you know, most people are eating very, very healthy, and their population shows it,” Barbie Dupuis with the Aspen Weight Loss Clinic said. “Whereas here, most people are eating very unhealthy and our population certainly shows it.”

Dupuis says one of the biggest struggles for Baton Rouge residents when losing weight is finding motivation.

“Everybody wants to lose weight, but not everybody wants to do the work it takes to lose weight,” Dupuis said.

Baton Rouge resident John Sheridan got tired of being part of the statistic after a nearly 20 year struggle with being overweight. Sheridan worked to lose 73 pounds to get into shape. His motivation was a major health scare.

“Before I went through my whole weight loss journey, my doctor told me I was at high risk of getting diabetes and high blood pressure,” Sheridan said.

Obesity can cause a number of health issues. Professionals advise clean eating and staying active to keep Baton Rouge healthy.