You know the stereotype that religious people are mostly poor, uneducated and overweight? Well, it looks like there might be something to it. A new book entitled “Born Atheist” compiled two different studies on religiosity and obesity, and unsurprisingly, found the fattest states also turned out to be the most religious.

The CalorieLab 2010 obesity report, based on statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, indicates the most overweight states, in order, are Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, West Virginia, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Arkansas, South Carolina and North Carolina. All the way down at No. 50, the leanest state is Colorado.

Compare this result with a 2008 Gallup poll of more than 355,000 adult Americans on how important religion is in people’s lives. The top 10 religious states are Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, Louisiana, Arkansas, Georgia, North Carolina, Oklahoma and, finally, Kentucky in a tie with Texas.

The only oddball state was Colorado, which is the leanest state but is still moderately religious. My theory is with all those mountains around, it’s hard to stay chubby.