Think fried chicken, biscuits and gravy and pecan pie. What do these Southern classics add up to?

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Numbers that make the South the fattest region in the country and Georgia among the flabbiest states, according to a federal government study released Thursday.

More than one in four Georgia adults is obese, earning the state a ranking of 8th fattest.

Twenty-eight percent of Georgians are obese. Mississippi had the highest ranking with 32 percent tipping the scales too far. Alabama and Tennessee are not far behind.

The national average is 25.6 percent.

Colorado, with its fitness-happy culture, is the leanest state, with about 19 percent of residents obese, according to the study. The Atlanta-based federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention anaylzed more than 350,000 random phone surveys performed last year, including about 7,700 in Georgia.

The CDC did not rank states, as officials say the differences between some states' figures may not be statistically significant.

The study collected height and weight figures to determine body mass index. For example, a 5-foot-9 person who weighs 203 pounds or more would be considered obese, with a BMI of 30.

"Some favorite southern foods...are high in fat," said Deborah Galuska, associate director for science of the CDC's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity.

Beyond a diet that forsakes health for happiness, other factors contribute to the Georgia flab factor, such as the lack of physical activity that characterizes some lifestyles. In metro Atlanta, many people spend a lot of time in their cars and have difficulty finding areas to walk, jog and bike, Galuska said.

In addition, the South has a higher proportion of black people than many other areas in the country, and African-Americans tend to have higher obesity rates. This may be due in part to a greater acceptance of that body size for women in black culture, Galuska said.

Both Georgia and the nation are becoming more obese, the study found. The nation is at its most obese since such studies started in the 1960s.

Fat can be fatal, with obesity linked to such health problems as diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers. State officials have estimated that obesity costs Georgia $2.1 billion every year.

Experts say greater collaboration is needed between health officials and those in the schools, workplaces and communities to educate people on the benefits of healthy eating and exercise.

Georgia was among several states that received CDC grants to boost programs on obesity. The Live Healthy Georgia campaign sends a message of "eat healthy, be active, be positive, be smoke free and get checked."

And watch the gravy.