Over 200 Chunky Texas State Troopers Have to Go On a Diet Or Else

According to the Dallas Morning News, over 200 Texas Department of Public Safety (Texas DPS) state troopers have to lose a few pounds by the end of the year or they will face disciplinary action.

Men with a waist over 40 inches and women with a waist over 35 inches are both subject to these new regulations, which is a little bit sexist if you ask me. I happen to be a woman over 6 feet tall, with broader shoulders, bigger feet and bigger hands than most of my guy friends. I wear a size 12 women's shoe and I can palm a basketball.

Are women with larger builds really going to have to get under that 35-inch mark?

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What's more, I've seen plenty of big cops, male and female, chase down bad guys with ease. It seems like it shouldn't be about their size, but about their ability to do all of the things required of them while working. If someone can pass a test of running and jumping and all that good stuff without their weight getting in the way, they should be good enough for the job, right?

Some people are short and squatty. Some people are big and tall. Nobody should have to starve themselves to be able to keep their job, no matter what the job is. I've seen some big guys and gals that have a great deal of 'get up and go.'

What do you think? Do you think women are always just supposed to be smaller than men? Skeleton-wise, women are on average 9 percent shorter than their male counterparts, but that's just an average. There are always exceptions, like me.

RANKED: America's Top 12 Best-Looking State Trooper Cruisers

Did you know that there is a brotherhood of state troopers called the American Association of State Troopers (AAST)? Their goal: PROTECT. PROVIDE. CONNECT. According to their website the AAST was formed in 1989 when a "small group of Florida state troopers had the vision to create an association that would unite state troopers across the country and assist them by providing valuable benefits and services."

Each year the AAST releases a calendar of the best looking state trooper cruisers. Ranking is determined by their Facebook followers. It's all for a great cause too. Proceeds benefit the AAST Foundation, which provides higher education scholarships for AAST troopers' children dependents. A noble cause by any measure.

States Where Recreational Marijuana is Legal

A fun collection of facts and photos! Learn which states have legalized recreational marijuana and when, plus some weed facts you may have never known.