By the year 2030 more than half of all Americans in 39 states will be obese according to Trust For America's Health.
Currently about two-thirds of Americans are overweight. In their projections they have Nebraska currently at 28 percent obese - that number jumps up to a projected 57 percent 18 years from now.
"We've seen the rates and how they've been dramatically increasing over the last 15 to 20 years and when you see where they've been it's kind of logical they're going to keep going at this rate," said Trust For America's Heath communications manager Albert Lang.
Health officials urge people to stay away from fatty foods and to make right lifestyle decisions to prevent obesity.
"A lot of people want that magic pill or they want to do something that will take that weight off quickly and it really is an on-going process of making better choices," said UNK Associate Director of Health Care Cindy Matson.
One way to slow down the increase in obesity rates is to instill healthy lifestyle values in our next generation. Making changes to nutrition in school lunches is a way to do this.
"We're going to be at 51 percent whole grain this year. We're offering more fruits and vegetables," said the president of Nebraska School Nutrition Association, Judy Poehlman.
The key is to start these healthy habits early.
Even the National Football League jumped in with their Play 60 program to help keep children active.
The Trust For America's Health projections state that medical costs for treating obesity-related diseases will likely increase from $48 billion, to $66 billion per year in 2030.
