When you’re listed as one of the fattest cities in America by Men’s Fitness Magazine, you either buy bigger pants or decide to do something about it.
Mayor Mick Cornett of Oklahoma City (pictured, left, in before and after shots) decided to encourage his constituents to lose weight, 1 MILLION POUNDS by the end of this year. Just in time for those optimistic New Year’s resolutions, he started a web site called thiscityisgoingonadiet.com and challenged people to join the cause and start losing. The site keeps an ongoing tabulation of people and the pounds lost. (When last checked, they’d lost over 25 thousand pounds so far.) The site also provides City-sponsored events, information, and plenty of encouragement for people to stay involved, become part of the fun, and lose weight.
Mayor Cornett is using the power of the virtual community to benefit the real community. ‘It’s always easier if you’re doing something hard if you have other people to do it with,’ says the Mayor in an article by Sean Murphy on My Way News.
The article also mentions that the official state meal of Oklahoma is fried okra, squash, cornbread, barbecue pork, biscuits, sausage and gravy, grits, corn, strawberries, chicken fried steak, black-eyed peas, and pecan pie—which may explain how the city found itself high on the fat city list in the first place.
Seriously, obesity has reached epidemic proportion, and The Food Channel applauds the Mayor for his leadership. He’s helping people get healthier and at the same time chipping away at the image of America the Fat.
That’s it, from the edge of the food world,
Bob Noble, CEO of The Food Channel, gives his perspective on current food news and events. Read earlier editions of Food News from the Edge.
See our update to this story here.
