FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 20, 2008
INTEGRIS Health Presents a Public Event
with Celebrity Chef George Stella
March is National Nutrition Month
George Stella is a celebrity chef on the Food Network. His weekly television series, “Low Carb and Loving It,” is a crowd favorite and he is also the author of two best selling cookbooks. But Stella hasn’t always enjoyed such success.
At 40, he was classified as morbidly obese, tipping the scales at 470 pounds. His condition was not only threatening his career, but also his life. He was experiencing serious heart problems and was oftentimes confined to a wheelchair. Stella’s doctor warned him that if he didn’t lose weight, he would die.
Stella’s transformation began in October 1999. After nearly a quarter-century of being overweight, he began following a low carbohydrate diet. During the next few years, he dropped an amazing 265 pounds and greatly improved his health. His family’s too. In all they have collectively lost 560 pounds.
Stella’s story has been written about in many magazines and newspapers and has been featured on national television shows such as ABC’s The View, CBS’s 48 Hours, Entertainment Tonight and The Insider. He hopes to inspire others to change their eating habits and begin living a life free of extra pounds and weight-related health problems.
INTEGRIS Health is sponsoring a community event with Chef George Stella called “Family, Friends, Food and Fun!” It is in response to the “Mayor’s Million” call to action, encouraging Oklahoma City residents to lose weight and start living healthier lifestyles.
DATE: Monday, March 3
TIME: 6 p.m.
PLACE: Omniplex/Science Museum of Oklahoma
2100 N.E. 52 Street
The event will be free and open to the public and will consist of cooking demonstrations using children in the audience as “Sous Chefs.” Door prizes will be given away and Stella will be available for book signings and autographs after the show.
Participants will also be able to view the exhibits on the science floor of the Omniplex at no charge, with the exception of the popular “Our Body” exhibit, which will be closed.
Space is limited so please call the INTEGRIS HealthLine at (405) 951-2277 to reserve your seat.
For more information, contact:
Brooke Cayot, INTEGRIS Media Relations
(405) 951-4821/(405) 629-3204 pager
brooke.cayot@integris-health.com
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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 website 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 website that is being launched on New Year’s Eve: www.thiscityisgoingonadiet.com. The website is designed as a one-stop resource guide 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. 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 website’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.”
For More Information Contact:
David Holt – 297-3073
Kristy Yager – 297-2550
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