View Full Version : City is going on a Diet



oSutrooper
12-31-2007, 10:36 PM
Didnt see this one here so I thought I would share......

Mayor Cornett: “This city is going on a diet”





Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has an ambitious New Year’s resolution for Oklahoma City. He is asking residents to collectively lose one million pounds in an effort to create a healthier City. An interactive Web site has been created to track the city’s weight loss progress.



“As someone who has addressed weight-loss issues my entire life, I know how difficult it can be,” said Mayor Cornett. “But we can do it. We need to pull together as a community to lose weight, exercise more often and eat nutritiously. Obesity is an epidemic in Oklahoma, and the problem is only getting worse. It’s time to end our sedentary, fast food lifestyle.”



At the heart of the program is a Web site that is being launched on New Year’s Eve: www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. The Web site is designed as a one-stop resource for people intending to lose weight.



The interactive Web site allows participants to confidentially track their weight loss progress and calculate their Body Mass Index (BMI), which is a simple method for estimating body fat and determining a goal weight. The site also features helpful information about nutrition, exercise and how to successfully set weight loss goals.



The homepage will feature a live counter to indicate the cumulative number of pounds the Web site’s participants have lost. Corporations, civic groups and individuals are all encouraged to register.



“Weight loss works best when people are surrounded by friends, family and coworkers who help them reach their goals,” said Cornett. “By changing our lifestyle we can become a healthier, more active city and reduce our chances of developing cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, sleep apnea and osteoarthritis.”



According to the Trust for America’s Health, Oklahoma City has the ninth highest rate of adult obesity in the nation and the 17th highest rate of obesity for children ages 10 to 17.



“This city is going on a diet,” said Cornett. “Putting an entire city on a diet may seem a little extreme but we have to get people’s attention. We have to promote a healthier lifestyle. This is a serious public health problem that’s not going to go away unless we act.”

Karried
12-31-2007, 10:51 PM
“This city is going on a diet,” said Cornett. “Putting an entire city on a diet may seem a little extreme but we have to get people’s attention.


I'm sure we'll get plenty of attention.. can't wait to read CNN tomorrow....

heavy sigh... bring on the Oklahoma jokes - again.

In theory, it's a good idea and he has good intentions .. but come on.

Do we always have to turn on the spotlight to the rest of the nation and bring negative attention to this city/state in such unflattering ways?

Granted it is needed and I do hope that out of this, a few people will get off their couches, put down their Whopper and walk around Lake Hefner or something.

oneforone
01-01-2008, 12:28 AM
I think I will start my diet at the ballot box in March.

Matt
01-01-2008, 12:42 AM
What if a million people sign up, and lose one pound each? Will the goal be considered reached?

By the same token, what if a million pounds are lost, but all by one person? Same question.

solitude
01-01-2008, 12:57 AM
This is mayor kind of stuff. He has no real power except the title of mayor - which is pretty meaningless in Oklahoma City. He's just a member of the council, but gets to do publicity stuff and be the "face" of announcements, etc. The only power of any consequence in being mayor of OKC is his power to appoint and re-appoint board members. The City Manager has the real power in this city. So, this health kick thing, this is definite mayor material.

u50254082
01-01-2008, 02:45 AM
So are all of you saying this is a bad idea?

Even if its for kicks, it never hurts to get healthy.

PapaJack
01-01-2008, 07:02 AM
My first New Year's prediction:

OKC will get far more positive pub from this than negative. We will get off the couch and "shrink" to the occasion.

As for all you nay sayers, I hope you choke on your California rolls (just kidding).

Please pass the fried twinkies!

170

metro
01-01-2008, 11:24 AM
I agree PapaJack, the negativity from Karried and others I think is overestimated. I too think we'll get far more positive publicity from this than negative (this coming from a marketing and advertising professional). I'm glad to see him do this and personally which he would have made an even bolder statement. Perhaps if we reach the goal (Very attainable) then he will be even bolder next year (2009).

metro
01-01-2008, 11:24 AM
Oh, and here is the article from the JR:

OKC mayor puts city on a diet

January 2, 2008

OKLAHOMA CITY – If you live in Oklahoma City, you’ve just been put on a diet. Mayor Mick Cornett expects you to lose at least one pound this year. “This is a community of just over a million people – surely we can get a pound out of everybody,” Cornett said at a press conference held in front of the elephant exhibit at the Oklahoma City Zoo on Monday, launching what he called the OKC Million challenge. Cornett wants the entire city to commit to lose weight together, with the collective goal of shedding 1 million pounds. The mayor is asking businesses to play a special role in the effort. An interactive Web site, www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com, launched on New Year’s Eve, providing Oklahoma City residents with the tools and information they need to lose weight, improve their health and track the city’s weight-loss progress. The Web site includes social networking features to create a city-wide diet buddy system, helping participants maintain motivation throughout the year. “If cities could be represented by an animal, most cities would look like these elephants,” Cornett said, offering up Asha and Chandra, the zoo’s pair of Asian elephants, as an example. Oklahoma City’s future should look a bit more like zoo resident Bandit, a ferret, he said. When it comes to economic development, Oklahoma City ranks high on the wrong kinds of lists, he said. Business leaders look for places to expand or relocate where the work force is healthy, leading to lower health care costs, higher productivity and lower absenteeism, said Cornett. But in 2007, Oklahoma City had the “dubious distinction” of earning the title of “fast-food capital of America” according to Fortune magazine’s rankings of U.S. cities that had the greatest percentage of heavy users of fast food. The state of Oklahoma has the ninth-highest rate of adult obesity in the nation, at 26.8 percent, and the 17th-highest rate of overweight youths, at 15.4 percent, reports the Trust for America’s Health. “Oklahoma City is not doing the worst, but I don’t even want to be on these lists,” said Cornett. What is needed is a change in the culture of the community to value good health, he said. The city is primed to create a healthier lifestyle with plenty of park trails for biking, walking and running. Each year, local and national charities host numerous wellness runs and walks. The challenge is to get Oklahoma City residents to eat better and exercise more as a way of life, not just as another new year’s resolution, said Cornett. Corporations can assist the effort by signing up their organization as a participant, encouraging employees to become actively involved in the program. Businesses are also invited to join as a sponsor “and obtain extra bragging rights on the OKC Million Web site as well as the program T-shirt and other program giveaways to all participants,” according to the Web site. Sponsors may provide in-kind gifts, employee volunteers and other methods of support. “I don’t think any other city has been put on a diet before,” Cornett said, conceding the approach may seem a bit brash. “We needed something to get in your face and get people talking about obesity. We needed to get people’s attention. Obesity is a nationwide epidemic, but in Oklahoma City we’re not going to sit back and let it happen and let it get worse.”The goal is so important Cornett said he was willing to put himself in danger by putting an entire city on a diet. “I just put my wife on a diet,” said Cornett. “And my mother. I don’t recommend that.”

Karried
01-01-2008, 11:30 AM
I'm just trying to avoid things like this.. sing to Oklahoma Rising:

'We're Oklahoma Fatties, Fatter than a car,
Stand up and Talk about us, let the world know who we are.'

Actually, I think it's great to have people get healthy and stop sucking down Sonic's shakes every chance they get.. but I just wish it wasn't so prevalent .. so much that the Mayor had to step in and put the city on a diet. It's like getting a call from Jenny Craig - only worse, since it's the entire city.

It's an embarassing stigma for our city.

Karried
01-01-2008, 11:34 AM
Besides no one likes to be 'put' on a diet.

soonerliberal
01-01-2008, 11:50 AM
Is it bad that I think this is a really good idea? It will at least generate positive press for the city known for its addiction to fried... anything.

Architect2010
01-01-2008, 12:01 PM
I don't see it as him "stepping in" to keep it from getting worse. I just think he just wanted the city to get healthier. Its not he was like whoa! Our city is so fat, I need to have an intervention with them and make them lose weight b4 we all die.

I just think its another step forward for OKC. And it is definitely positive I think.

bandnerd
01-01-2008, 12:21 PM
We've been on the fat lists for years...it's time for someone to being so damn PC and do something about it.

jbrown84
01-02-2008, 09:51 AM
I think it's a good idea, and will show that we have progressive leadership that is taking big steps to help our city not just get an NBA team, but be healthier too.

AgeSage
01-03-2008, 09:54 PM
Residents of Oklahoma City,

The Mayor could really help Oklahoma City Residents become more healthy by promoting multiple wellness centers as part of the next MAPS. A good example of what can be done is the Wellness Center for Adults over 50 completed by the City of Rogers in Rogers Arkansas. See the link at:

The City of Rogers Arkansas (http://www.rogersarkansas.com/wellnesscenter/index.asp)

The City of Rogers spent $7,000,000 to build this one facility and charges $25 per year for membership. They now have 9000 members and have 900 users per day and are now planning an addition. This is a city of less than 50,000 people.

If 10 similar facilities were built through out Oklahoma City as part of MAP III, then it could really be said that Oklahoma City was taking a major step forward in creating healthier residents.


PS: I have great pictures of this facility but am a first time poster and am not able to paste these pdf files onto this page. Can some one explain how to do this?

Thanks,

AgeSage

jbrown84
01-04-2008, 08:54 AM
Great idea. I'd be much likelier to join a gym if it was that cheap.

metro
01-04-2008, 09:05 AM
Residents of Oklahoma City,

The Mayor could really help Oklahoma City Residents become more healthy by promoting multiple wellness centers as part of the next MAPS. A good example of what can be done is the Wellness Center for Adults over 50 completed by the City of Rogers in Rogers Arkansas. See the link at:

The City of Rogers Arkansas (http://www.rogersarkansas.com/wellnesscenter/index.asp)

The City of Rogers spent $7,000,000 to build this one facility and charges $25 per year for membership. They now have 9000 members and have 900 users per day and are now planning an addition. This is a city of less than 50,000 people.

If 10 similar facilities were built through out Oklahoma City as part of MAP III, then it could really be said that Oklahoma City was taking a major step forward in creating healthier residents.


PS: I have great pictures of this facility but am a first time poster and am not able to paste these pdf files onto this page. Can some one explain how to do this?

Thanks,

AgeSage

Great idea. Perhaps you should have submitted these ideas on the MAPS3 site when it was taking suggestions. Unfortunately it's too late now as the MAPS3 projects for the most part have been decided. Perhaps you should submit your idea to the city council and Mayor anyways and it could be funded through a different mechanism.

Karried
01-04-2008, 10:22 AM
From CNN:

Mayor to town: Lose 1 million pounds

<LI class=cnnhiliteheader>Story Highlights
Mayor challenges residents to drop million pounds
City rated 15th fattest in survey
Mayor seeks more bike trails, sidewalks for walkingOKLAHOMA 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."

jbrown84
01-04-2008, 10:51 AM
Karrie, do you still feel this is bad press?

raw98682
01-04-2008, 10:52 AM
We should compete with other fatty cities!
LOL...

raw98682
01-04-2008, 10:56 AM
I think this is a great idea. Very inspiring. Hopefully it will inspire the nation to get fit.
No matter what kind of bad press we get, OKLAHOMA CITY is the city stepping up and saying 'this is a problem- nation wide- and solving it starts with US.' I think we're setting a good example.

solitude
01-04-2008, 03:36 PM
It's not a bad idea. The irony is he wants to build a practice facility, paid for by taxpayers, for the exclusive use of millionaire basketball players (and their billionaire owners!).

I like that Rogers, Ark. idea. Thanks for posting that.

metro
01-07-2008, 01:26 PM
To all the naysayers of this initiative thinking this would make us look bad. I've seen nothing but real positive national press coverage. I saw it on FOX News and CNN the other day and they portrayed us very well and progressive for getting in front of the nations growing obesity problem. Also today on iVillage Live they had a good segment on us again and featured Mick Cornet and let him speak for a few minutes and they are going to do a follow up here in a few weeks. It was an excellent segment! They (Chicago) was really impressed with OKC taking the initiative in the growing obesity epidemic.

If you go to today's segment, it's within the first 5 minutes or so of the show:

In The Loop with iVillage - On TV, On the Web and On the Go! (http://intheloop.ivillage.com/on_demand/watch)

bandnerd
01-07-2008, 01:35 PM
I'm trying to figure out a way to have a "thisschoolisonadiet.com" kind of thing for the high school where I teach. My newspaper staff thought it sounded like a fun idea, but instead of focusing just on weight, we'd rather focus on general health, because some of our students are SO thin they really need to gain weight lol.

I still think it's a great idea!

metro
01-07-2008, 01:36 PM
And here's an article from Yahoo News:

Oklahoma City mayor puts city on a diet - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080104/ap_on_fe_st/oklahoma_city_diet_4)

jbrown84
01-07-2008, 03:11 PM
Same AP article...

bombermwc
01-09-2008, 01:17 PM
Cornett was also on NPR on the show "What Do You Know" this last Saturday. They interviewed him about OKC going on a diet. The host, Michael Feldman, mentioned that Madison, WI (where the show is based) is currently the fattest...in at least whatever poll he saw. When I listened to it, I got the impression that the audience was impressed that there was such an initiative.

Feldman made a funny joke though...talked about buying "thin credits" from places like Denver...lol.

CCOKC
01-10-2008, 07:23 AM
That must have been at the beginning of the show. I totally missed that.
I heard on the local npr station this morning that mayor Mick is going to be on the Ellen show ( I forgot which day).

Karried
01-10-2008, 07:36 AM
mayor Mick is going to be on the Ellen show ( I forgot which day).

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

metro
01-10-2008, 07:42 AM
Karried, no offense but why are you so negative on this? I've seen nothing but very positive press for OKC and all the national channels I've seen are very supportive and have had great things to say about OKC. The worst I've heard from is you, no offense again.

Karried
01-10-2008, 08:08 AM
Oh I don't know.. maybe because it brings national attention to the fact that our mayor thinks we're all so fat and stupid that he needs to direct us and put us (the entire city) on a 'diet'..... like we couldn't figure that out our ourselves. It's offensive and insulting.

I'm sorry if it bothers you Metro, no offense.

Most people will never come here, all they see and know is from national media.

I personally am tired of the negative image, the stereotypes, the stupid jokes, the horrible comments about OK and this doesn't help one bit.

You can spin it into a positive if that works for you.... but if I saw a mayor from any other city on Ellen talking about how obese his city is and how we're all losing a million pounds, the image that comes to mind isn't the image I want our state to have.

That's my opinion and the way I feel about it.

Karried
01-10-2008, 08:12 AM
One other thing.. the idea isn't so repulsive to me... the Mayor attempting to help the citizens in their attempts to lead a healthier lifestyle.

It's the way it was presented and framed...

'Mayor of OKC Puts Entire City on a Diet !!

"We Need to Lose a Million Pounds"

ugh - It makes me so crazy.

metro
01-10-2008, 09:34 AM
Thanks for your side of things. All the national shows I've seen talk about how obese their own cities are and it's a great idea and should be implemented nationwide and how progressive we are on getting on top of this epidemic. It's really a nationwide problem. Heck, even the Seattle media spun it off good (and they've been negative towards us for the Sonics issue).

ouguy23
01-10-2008, 11:49 AM
I too have only seen good press from this and do not see a negative to this at all. I think that it is good the mayor is being proactive about a major health problem as opposed to skirting the issue. I commend the mayor for actually trying to get his city healthy. :congrats:

Karried
01-17-2008, 05:50 AM
Tue January 15, 2008
Mayor taking diet to 'Ellen'

By Bryan Dean
Staff Writer
Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett's call for city residents to go on a diet has been heard from China to England.

Since he announced a weight loss Web site Dec. 31, national media have been calling nonstop. Cornett is scheduled to appear on the "Ellen” show Thursday. Dr. Phil has shown interest, too.
http://promos.newsok.com/adview.php?what=zone:494&n=a715791f (http://promos.newsok.com/adclick.php?n=a715791f)

The story has made CNN, Fox News and the parody newspaper The Onion.

Cornett did radio interviews with Voice of America in China and the BBC. He also gave an interview for National Public Radio's "Whad'Ya Know?”

While Cornett expected the program would make local television and newspaper headlines, he had no idea it would gain so much international attention.

Cornett said he's also been pleased that the reaction has been generally positive.
"The risk was that it was drawing attention to something that could be a negative,” Cornett said. "We're proactively doing something about it. It's taking a health issue and putting a positive spotlight on it.”

The ultimate goal, he said, is to get the city off of various lists of the fattest communities in the country.

City spokeswoman Kristy Yager said calls have come in from numerous talk show hosts and radio stations. A story by The Associated Press ran in newspapers across the country.

"I did not expect this at all,” Yager said. "When we found out it was on the front page of a newspaper in Brainerd, Minn., that was a bit surprising.”

Supporting each other
The Web site encourages city residents to sign up and track their weight loss. It has diet, nutrition and exercise tips, a schedule of 5-kilometer races and other exercise opportunities and a running tally of the weight those registered on the site have lost.


As of Monday afternoon, about 8,600 people had signed up and more than 6,000 pounds were lost. Cornett has challenged the city to lose 1 million pounds, though he said he doubts the tally on the Web site will ever reach that mark.

"A lot of attention goes toward the million pounds,” Cornett said. "But it's not the distance I'm worried about, it's the direction. I want to create a culture that thinks more about health.”
Cornett's hope is that people will see the site as a way to support each other and lose weight together, a community experience rather than an individual struggle.

He has been honest about his own weight loss struggles in his various media interviews. "We're doing this together, thousands of people,” Cornett said.

jbrown84
01-17-2008, 07:49 AM
Karrie, I saw what I believe was your comment on newsok.

I still believe that this puts OKC in a positive light, showing that we have a progressive leadership that's doing creative things to try to combat prevalent health issues in our city.

It's not that Mick is "putting us on a diet" in the sense that he's playing the scolding doctor and we're the patient. It's just a matter of saying, hey let's all try to lose weight, and lets keep track of it on a website to promote it big that we need to be healthier.

eataroundokc.com
01-17-2008, 08:09 AM
For what it's worth, I think this is a great promotion. If it helps even just a few people to embrace a more healthy lifestyle, it would be worth it. At best, I think it could really help to influence our city's mindset.

Karried
01-17-2008, 08:29 AM
Okay, I will concede that Mick Cornett did a wonderful job in how he presented the idea on Ellen today.

I love the fact that he mentioned that yes we are on the Most Obese Cities List but that we are also on other lists like the Best Place to Start a New Business etc etc.

I loved that he kept saying that a lot of cities in our region are also on the list.

I like the Mayor, have loved what he has done in promoting the NBA here and what he done to bring positive recognition to OKC.

The way he discussed the plan on Ellen makes more sense that how the media first portrayed it.



I think I got distracted by the original terminology.. Mayor Puts City on a Diet.

So, yes, I am coming around a little bit and trying not to be so negative about the idea. :bright_id

shane453
01-17-2008, 08:58 AM
And, the audience really thought it was funny when he said the website title, "Thiscityisgoingonadiet.com". He did a great job- don't know how you could lose confidence Karried... You knew he was going to use any and every national exposure opportunity to share positive aspects of OKC, like mentioning the new 300 miles of sidewalk and 47 new inner city gymnasiums etc etc

Karried
01-17-2008, 09:04 AM
Yes, good point, I forgot to mention that he brought up the sidewalks... ha,ha, my day would be made if he mentioned the NBA ( just in a round about way, sneak it in - plant the seed, lol)

And he gave Ellen her own day in honor of her birthday... I love Ellen so that was really cool.

I was worried that she would really poke fun at the concept and bring it home that we are one of the heaviest cities but she didn't and was very complimentary.

Okay, off to Jimmy's Eggs for Biscuits and Gravy.

j/k

soonerguru
01-17-2008, 09:38 AM
Good for mayor Cornett. I didn't vote for him but I really like the fact that he's so telegenically polished. I can't imagine Tolbert on "Ellen!"

CuatrodeMayo
01-17-2008, 10:33 PM
The comments on NewsOK are hilarious. I can't believe we have that many ignorant people in OKC who know how to use the internet and type.

soonerguru
01-18-2008, 12:06 AM
he comments on NewsOK are hilarious. I can't believe we have that many ignorant people in OKC who know how to use the internet and type.

I think that is a great indicator of the collective readership of the Oklahoman. What a bunch of buffoons.

Karried
01-18-2008, 07:35 AM
I can't believe how quickly the focus turned to gay bashing because he gave Ellen a day in our city!

Sheesh, the ignorance never ends.

The anonymity of the internet can be a very evil thing. People say things (or write) things they never would dream of saying to someone's face. They take on personas, personalities, other characters, other names.... no one knows for sure who anyone really is.

Well, that's another topic I guess.

jbrown84
01-18-2008, 08:17 AM
I was surprised Mick would do that considering she's gay, but I'm glad he did. People can get over it.

CuatrodeMayo
01-18-2008, 08:45 AM
Anybody see the Hank Hill from Arlen comments?

kmf563
01-18-2008, 09:14 AM
I applaud our mayor for taking action, but I too see where Karried is coming from. I would much prefer a city effort on getting healthy than being put on a diet.

I don't see why he wouldn't set up some kind of promotions agreement with a local gym already in existence. All American is always trying to do something to be active within the community. I'm sure they would have agreed to something like 3 free months for anyone who signs up for this city campaign with some sort of discount with a year commitment. Anything to make it cheap to get people going would have worked. I certainly don't need a diet but would be all for a large community effort on being healthy.

Has anyone looked at our state ranking with obesity and compared it to other states in the realm of health insurance and benefits?? I think that route would be interesting to see. A lot of larger companies in other states have built in health facilities on location as well as paid benefits to join spas and/or organizations for health. The only one here I know of is Chesapeake. My job says that sidewalks are free to walk on for exercise.