I recently had the privilege of doing one of the keynote presentations at the University of Oklahoma’s Choosing Health event, along with Bob Greene (yes, Oprah’s trainer). This photo of us was taken after the speakers’ lunch along with a lucky audience winner who happened to be a dietitian; I’m the third one over with the green shirt.
This event was inspired by Oklahoma City’s Mayor Mick Cornett who put his entire city on a diet and set a goal for Oklahoma City to lose one million pounds. You may be asking yourself, as I did, how could a mayor have the audacity to put anyone, much less an entire city, on a diet?
As Mayor Cornett explained, his city was on the top of the lists for growth and employment, but also at the top of the list of obese citizens. He recognized that unhealthy lifestyles would limit the city’s potential so he launched the website www.ThisCityIsGoingOnADiet.com.
You know I don’t believe in diets but that isn’t really the mayor’s focus. The website is designed to encourage small lifestyle changes and provide support and accountability. More importanly, Oklahoma City isn’t just talking about leading a healthier lifestyle, they are investing in the necessary infrastructure – like putting gyumnasiums in inner city schools and sidewalks in all new city developments. And of course, they invited me to share my message about changing the weight management paradigm altogether – one more step in the right direction:)
