Oklahoma City Gets Healthy

Photo: © courtesy of Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum

Getting Personal

"This city is going on a diet," Mayor Mick Cornett told the residents of Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve 2007. The challenge: Drop 1 million pounds—and it was about time. One in 4 residents of Oklahoma County (which includes Oklahoma City) were obese; 1 in 3 got virtually no physical activity; 1 in 10 had diabetes; and Fortune magazine had dubbed the city the "Fast-Food Capital of America."

"I used to think obesity was some other city's problem," Cornett says. "But then I realized it was my city's problem—and my problem. I was 40 pounds overweight. After I lost the pounds, I knew I had to get a citywide conversation going about weight and health. We're polite people here. We don't talk about things like that, and it was getting us into big trouble."

Health on a Shoestring

The mayor rolled out an interactive website ( ThisCityisGoingonaDiet.com) where residents could track their weight-loss progress. Community centers hosted free healthy cooking and wellness classes to help America's "heaviest users" of fast food learn how to eat better (research showed that residents were visiting fast-food restaurants an average of 21 times per month).

"We didn't have a lot of money," says Cornett. "We formed partnerships with local businesses who helped out in ways like building the website for free." Thankfully, the budget's gotten bigger to allow for bigger changes: The city has now pledged future tax revenues to fund a $140 million facelift that will add better sidewalks, bike lanes and more lighting in downtown streets. "We're tearing up and rebuilding every street so it will be more walkable and bike-friendly downtown," Cornett says.

Fast-Forward to 2011

Oklahoma City residents have collectively lost more than 750,000 pounds and are expected to reach the 1 million milestone this summer. Among the biggest losers: Amy Petty, 44, who's dropped 187 pounds since logging on in 2008. "I weighed 350 pounds, was on the verge of becoming diabetic, and took blood pressure medication," says Amy, who is chief operations officer for a credit union and mom to an 11-year-old son.

The community approach is exactly what inspired Amy to get healthier—and helped her stay that way once she reached her goals. "I've become the unofficial wellness coach at work, keeping everyone on their toes to stay active," she says. "We had our own weight-loss contest and we've run marathons and even done triathlons together." Amy continues to log her weight on the city's diet website every month or so. "I bike to the gym about three mornings a week, then ride 12 miles to the office," she says. "I would never have lost the weight—and kept it off—without the bike lanes."