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S.C. is fat. There we said it. Well we didn't say it, an independent study released by The Trust for America's Health actually did.

According to the Trust's 2011 "F as in Fat" report, S.C. comes in 8th in terms of the percentage of a state's population that qualifies as obese.

The state's three-year average for obesity is 31% of the population, which believe it or not is actually down a percentage point as compared to the previous three-year period.

Other interesting numbers?

• 66% of the state's population is considered overweight & obese
• S.C. ranks 8th for diabetes (low is bad); and
• 11th for physical inactivity (again, low is bad)

This report is chockfull of interesting numbers and facts, but the one that initially caught my eye is that state's with the highest percentage of children breastfeeding exclusivly at 6 months of age have the among the lowest rates of obesity.

That is of course state other than S.C. and Alabama.

S.C. and Alabama, the only two Southern states among the 10 highest ranked (in this case high is good) for that  breastfeeding statistic, are the only two among those 10 with obesity rates among the 10 worst. (Alabama is the 2nd most obese state in the nation.)

So for instance 23% of 6-month-old's in Utah are breastfeeding exclusively - the highest percentage in the nation. And Utah's obesity rate is among the lowest, coming in No. 46. And that's how the top 10 list goes for that statistic other than S.C. (5th in breastfeeding but 8th in obesity) and Alabama (8th in breastfeeding and 2nd in obesity.)

Hope(?)

While we may be ranked number 8, we could soon float up to number 10 as nine other states have faster growing waistlines — and that means, of course, that in time we'll be relatively less fat. And all we have to do is not start eating more. 

1. Oklahoma; 2. Alabama; 3. Tennessee; 4. Kansas; 5. Mississippi; 6. (tie) Georgia; and Kentucky; 8. (tie) Louisiana; and West Virginia; 10. South Carolina.

So what's happening between the infant and adolescent stages? And then on to adulthood?

Too much barbecue? Not enough exercise?

Take a look at the report for yourself by downloading it here.