http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/wayof....ap/index.html
Mayor to town: Lose 1 million pounds
Story Highlights
Mayor challenges residents to drop million pounds
City rated 15th fattest in survey
Mayor seeks more bike trails, sidewalks for walking
OKLAHOMA CITY, Oklahoma (AP) -- With a button-popping spread of cornbread,
sausage and gravy, chicken fried steak and pecan pie designated as
Oklahoma's official state meal, it's no surprise that Oklahoma City's mayor
wants to put the city on a diet.
Mick Cornett has challenged the city to shed 1 million pounds as its New
Year's resolution.
Prompted in part by his own struggle to lose weight, Cornett wants to end
Oklahoma City's dubious distinction as one of America's fattest cities.
"The message of this obesity initiative is that we've got to watch what we
eat," Cornett said Thursday. "Exercise is part of it and the city is trying
to change into a city that is less sprawling, has more density and is more
pedestrian friendly, but you're not really going to take on obesity unless
you acknowledge that we eat too much and don't eat the right foods."
As part of the initiative, residents can sign up and track their weight
loss on a new Web site,
www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. More than 2,600
people had registered by Thursday. They've lost more than 300 pounds.
Besides a body mass index calculator, the site includes recipes and links
to metro-area fitness centers. Plans call for expanding the site to include
the opportunity to blog and network with other participants, Cornett said.
"It's always easier if you're doing something hard if you have other people
to do it with," he said.
The mayor timed the start of the weight-loss program to the beginning of
the new year, when many people begin exercise programs after holiday
feasts.
Oklahoma City ranked 15th in a 2007 survey of America's fattest cities
conducted by Men's Fitness magazine. The survey examined lifestyle factors
in each city, including fast-food restaurants per capita and availability
of city parks, gyms and bike paths.
"I can't tell you exactly where you rank in our 2008 survey, but I can tell
you that Oklahoma City is in the top 10," magazine spokeswoman Jennifer
Krosche said. "That's not good."
The Oklahoma Legislature designated an official state meal in 1988. The
menu also includes fried okra, squash, barbecue pork, biscuits, grits,
corn, strawberries and black-eyed peas.
Cornett, 49, stands about 5-foot-10 and weighs 183 pounds. He began a
personal fitness initiative eight months ago when he weighed 217 pounds.
"I would like to get down to 175, so I've made a goal to lose 8 pounds over
8 weeks," he said.
Carrie Snyder-Renfro, a 44-year-old teacher working out at a fitness center
Thursday, said she made a resolution last month to eat healthier and
exercise. While she was unaware of the mayor's Web site, she said she would
consider signing up.
"Last year I dieted and lost about 10 pounds a month for three months, but
I left out a key component," she said, huffing and puffing on an elliptical
machine. "I didn't exercise regularly. I ended up losing muscle mass
instead of fat, and I ended up gaining almost all of it back.
"Now I'm making it more of a priority to put everything in balance. I have
to get the eye of the tiger back."
Cornett wants to make exercise more attractive to residents by increasing
the number of bike trails and sidewalks in the sprawling city, where public
transportation is minimal, most people are wedded to their cars and outdoor
activities for some might be limited to watching a football game.
"In Colorado, you ski, you climb, you run ... something," said Karen
Massey, community nutrition coordinator at Integris Baptist Medical Center.
"In Oklahoma, we're either involved in competitive sports or we do nothing.
We're spectators."
Mayor to town: Lose 1 million pounds 
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