Easy that belt out one more notch, put down that drumstick, pull up a recliner and listen a spell.

You see, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, if you&8217;re reading this; chances are you or someone you know is fat.

No hold on, don&8217;t throw that drumstick at us yet. We&8217;re not trying to be offensive; we&8217;re just trying to make a point.

Once again, the state of Mississippi was listed at the &8220;top&8221; of another dubious list.

Yes, Mississippi is considered the fattest state in the union, weighing in with an average of nearly 31 percent of all adults judged as obese.

Don&8217;t chuckle too loudly, Mr. and Mrs. Louisiana. Your state came in No. 4 in the rankings, but had the single-highest rate of growth over the previous year.

The big concern with the ranking isn&8217;t trying to &8220;keep up with the Joneses&8221; or anything, it&8217;s a question of health. We love Mississippi and all her people. We want them to live long, fruitful lives.

Unfortunately, an increasingly high number of us will succumb to illness related to obesity.

Blame the Mississippi Mud or perhaps grandma&8217;s fried chicken, but the real fingers need to be pointed at each of us.

From personal responsibility to eat smaller portions, to pushing for legislation to provide better nutrition for our school children, we all must do our parts to watch the state&8217;s collective figure and drop a few pounds.

Now get up off that recliner and start doing something (and watch what you eat).