Weight-loss plan is only the ‘tip of the iceberg'
Weight-loss plan is only the ‘tip of the iceberg'

Comments 0

By Bryan Dean

Published: April 20, 2008

Anyone who has ever lost weight on a diet knows shedding the pounds is only half the battle.

Keeping the weight off is often just as much of a struggle.

So now that Mayor Mick Cornett has put all of Oklahoma City on a diet, how does he expect the city to keep off the pounds it sheds?

"You've got to change your lifestyle,” Cornett said.

"We know that diets generally don't work. If you are looking at this as a short-term thing, it's probably not going to stick.”

Cornett announced a public health effort Dec. 31, encouraging city residents to visit thiscityisgoingonadiet.com, a new Web site, to register and track the pounds they've lost. The site includes weight loss tips and a calendar of fitness events.

The goal is for the city to lose 1 million pounds.

The effort was in response to the city's continued inclusion on lists of the nation's fattest cities.

Raising awareness

"This is to raise awareness as a community that we are concerned about obesity and we are going to do something about it,” Cornett said. "It's about establishing good healthy nutritional guidelines for our kids.”

The idea drew national attention. Cornett appeared on the syndicated talk show "Ellen,” and the story made national newswires and cable news networks.

Cornett credited the city's novel approach to dealing with a national obesity problem for the attention.

"It is unique that an entire community would be placed on a diet by a mayor,” Cornett said.

"There is a lot of interest in losing weight. It's good for the country for people to have that conversation.”

Cornett said he has already seen a change in the way the city is talking about obesity.

Keeping the weight off will depend on keeping the conversation going and continuing to draw media attention to the effort.

Keeping it off

Anne Roberts of the Oklahoma Fit Kids Coalition said people must consider changes in their diets permanent and must look for ways to exercise regularly if they want to keep weight off in the long term.

"When I was going to school, everybody walked to school,” Roberts said.

"Safe routes to school are a good place to start. We don't really live in a city that is amenable to walking. We have to find other ways to get active. You have to find something that you enjoy.”

Cornett said there was never an end date attached to the effort, and he plans to continue promoting it indefinitely.

"I don't think we should ever let up,” Cornett said.

"This is really the tip of the iceberg as far as addressing a lot of health concerns in the community. We are talking about obesity more than we used to do. We have to continue to talk about it.”

Related Topics: Health and Fitness, Diet and Nutrition, Weight Loss, Obesity