Americans ARE fat, and they did almost elect Bush- so 'nuff said on their lack of intelligence:
As Big as Texas: Lone Star Cities Try to Shed Fat
Thu Jun 24,11:07 AM ET
By Jon Herskovitz
DALLAS (Reuters) - Hey Texans, step away from that barbecue buffet, step out of your pickup trucks and step into a health club because your mayors don't like seeing so much fat.
Men's Fitness magazine early this year ranked three Texas cities as being among the metropolitan areas with the fattest people in the country, and five Texas cities were in the magazine's top 10. Mayors in these Lone Star cities think Texas-sized may not be a compliment when it comes to weight, and they have launched efforts to get citizens to shed pounds.
Houston was ranked by the magazine as the second-fattest city in 2004 -- a slight slip from its top ranking in 2003. Dallas came it at No. 3, San Antonio was No. 4, Fort Worth was No. 6 and Arlington No. 8.
The mayors are going belly to belly to see which one of their cities will win the battle to decrease the bulge.
The magazine ranked cities on 14 factors such as the number of health clubs and sporting goods stores per 100,000 people, Centers for Disease Control figures on obesity and sedentary behavior, commute times, the total numbers of pizza, ice cream and doughnut shops per 100,000 people and TV watching.
Detroit was the fattest U.S. city, according to the magazine.
The magazine said there are some factors that make it difficult for Texas cities to move down the list such as a hot and humid climate that make outdoor activity about as enjoyable as playing tennis in a sauna. But some other factors are easy to correct, such as cutting down on the large amount of time Texans spend watching TV and saying no to junk food.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites), Texas ranked sixth in the nation in 2001 with 23.8 percent of its population classified as obese compared to a national average of 20.9 percent. Mississippi topped the list at 25.9 percent.
HOUSTON: WE HAVE A WEIGHT PROBLEM
Houston, the home of highways jammed with pickup trucks, has said enough is enough. In 2002 former Houston Mayor Lee Brown appointed a fitness czar and launched a campaign called "Get Lean Houston."
The mayor backed up his words with a personal weight loss program in which he dropped 20 pounds. The city pressed for its schools to serve more nutritious meals, asked McDonald's to create leaner offerings and encouraged its citizens to exercise.
The reward for Houston and its thinned-down former mayor came when Men's Fitness took Houston out of its top spot as the fattest U.S. city this year and moved it to No. 2 on the list.
Even the slightest achievement has been celebrated in a big way in the Houston battle on fat. Lee Labrada, a former professional body builder who is the Houston fitness czar, said of the No. 2 ranking: "We have succeeded in our goal to improve the image of our city. The sky's the limit."
Mike Moncrief, mayor of Fort Worth, and Robert Cluck, mayor of Arlington, challenged each other to a walking duel to see who can cover the greatest distance on foot for a week. The loser must wear a T-shirt emblazoned with a phrase praising the neighboring city.
LOOK MA, NO CARBS
"Big D" is the nickname for Dallas and the "D" obviously does not stand for "dieting" because the Texas city has moved up the list in recent years to become the third-fattest city in the United States.
With much fanfare, Dallas Mayor Laura Miller donned workout clothes, hiked a path through the city and announced earlier this year a campaign called "Lighten Up Big D!" She challenged the city to drop weight and drop more ranking spots on the list than Houston.
She is calling on local companies to encourage their employees to exercise, eat more nutritious meals and lay off the doughnuts for company breakfasts.
"At a time when we are focused on bringing more tourists, conventions, businesses and homeowners to the city, being named the third-fattest city in America is not the kind of distinction I welcome," Miller said.
But her words have not thinned the lines at Sammy's barbecue in downtown Dallas, where hundreds of office workers line up each day for a calorie bomb of a lunch featuring some of the tastiest smoked meat in the city.
"This is a low-carb meal. Look, I have a diet drink here," said Shea Melton, who carried a tray with hefty servings of barbecued beef brisket and smoked pork.
Obesity is a national problem and according to the American Obesity Association, about 127 million U.S. adults are overweight, 60 million obese, and 9 million severely obese. Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable death in the United States. According to the CDC, the metropolitan area with the worst weight problem is San Antonio, but no other Texas cities were among the top five.
Peter Sikowitz, the editor in chief of Men's Fitness said the fat city rankings have been taken as a wake-up call by many cities, especially the ones in Texas.
"There are problems in Texas, and, as we know, bigger is not necessarily better," he said. |
