For the third year a row, Mississippi has been ranked the fattest state in the nation, with 32.6 % of that state's population coming in overweight or obese, according to CalorieLab.com.
The rest of the fattest states were also all in the South:
West Virginia and Alabama remained as the second and third fattest states this year. The four states of Mississippi, West Virginia, Alabama, and Louisiana have obese populations that exceed 30 percent over a three-year average and two-thirds of the citizens of Mississippi and West Virginia were either overweight or obese by CDC standards in 2007.
Colorado repeated its ranking as the thinnest state in the union. Interestingly, only one place actually lost weight over the past year: Washington, D.C. Maybe our overtapped Metro system is forcing more people to hoof it?
Zach Patton -- Executive Editor. Zach has written about a range of topics, including social policy issues and urban planning and design. Originally from Tennessee, he joined GOVERNING as a staff writer in 2004. He received the 2011 Jesse H. Neal Award for Outstanding Journalism
E-mail: zpatton@governing.com 
Written and compiled by staff writers and editors, GOVERNING View is an on-the-ground, and sometimes behind-the-scenes, look at the topics we're covering in print and online. From notes on what's up in statehouses, county courthouses and city halls, to encounters with people, places and things, GOVERNING View is a window into the side of state and local government you don't always see.
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