Mississippi leads the way!

Woo-hoo! The South brings home the bacon once again, literally, when it comes to being fat. Of course, the Centers for Disease Control considers these rates "conservative" according to the Associated Press because "it’s based on what respondents said about their height and weight. Men commonly overstate their height and women often lowball their weight, health experts say." As a 6-foot-8 male myself, I find that type of generalizing offensive.

These are the 10 states with the highest levels of adult obesity, according to a 2007 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
1. Mississippi, 32.0 percent
2. Alabama, 30.3
3. Tennessee, 30.1
4. Louisiana, 29.8
5. West Virginia, 29.5
6. Arkansas, 28.7
7. South Carolina, 28.4
8. Georgia, 28.2
9. Oklahoma, 28.1
10. Texas, 28.1

This illustration, by the way, comes courtesy of my friend and co-worker Don Coker, who also did the cover illustration for my first book.