The Most Obese State in the U.S.

Mississippi is kind of a big deal: 35.4 percent of the people who lived there in 2013 were considered obese, making it the state with the highest obesity rate, according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. It stole the top spot from West Virginia, which had the highest obesity rate in 2010-2012 but came in second place this year. Here's the complete top 10 list for the states with the highest obesity rate in 2013:

1. Mississippi – 35.4 %
2. West Virginia – 34.4 %
3. Delaware – 34.3 %
4. Louisiana – 32.7 %
5. Arkansas – 32.3 %
6. South Carolina – 31.4 %
7. Tennessee – 31.3 %
8. Ohio – 30.9 %
9. Kentucky – 30.6 %
10. Oklahoma – 30.5 %

And these were the 10 states with the lowest obesity rates last year:

1. Montana – 19.6 %
2. Colorado – 20.4 %
3. Nevada – 21.1 %
4. Minnesota – 22 %
5. Massachusetts – 22.2 %
6. Connecticut – 23.2 %
7. New Mexico – 23.5 %
8. California – 23.6 %
9. Hawaii – 23.7 %
10. New York – 24 %

Of course, your home state doesn't have to define your health habits. Zakiee Labib, a Women's Health reader, referred to her hometown of Olmsted Falls, Ohio, as "Fast Food Heaven"—but was able to lose 104 pounds by swapping out drive-thru meals for low-cal recipes. Autumn Mastroianni, another Women's Health reader, never felt out of place being overweight in Danville, Kentucky. But when she spent a semester abroad in Germany and saw that no one there was as big as she was, she became inspired to slim down—and managed to lose an impressive 63 pounds.

Read more inspiring success stories from women all over the country—they're filled with tips that you can follow to accomplish your own weight-loss goals, no matter where you live.

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