Maybe it was the post-World Series celebrations, but Chicago has topped Houston once again. And Houston has no problem with it.
Houston has been downsized from No. 1 to No. 5 on Men’s Fitness magazine’s annual list of the fattest U.S. cities.
Houston traded its dubious 2005 distinction with Chicago, which was No. 5 last year.
Men’s Fitness placed Las Vegas an inch behind Chicago, followed by Los Angeles and Dallas.
“I’m proud of you guys,” said editor Neal Boulton. “You’re down to five … It takes an enormous effort to go down that much from that height.”
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Houston has the most fast-food restaurants per capita, earning the title of Junk Food Capital.
“Houston has 70 percent more fast-food places than the average city in our survey,” Boulton said.
Mayor Bill White said the fitness magazine’s methodology is flawed.
“They count Subway as a fast-food establishment,” he said, “even though, in a city like New York, the neighborhood deli wouldn’t be counted as fast food. We ought to be on the fittest cities list, not the fattest.”
White was named one of the three fittest mayors in America by the magazine’s editors.
“His involvement is something we gave Houston points for,” Boulton said. “Mayor Bill White initiated Get Moving Houston, aimed at getting Houston off the list of the fattest cities. Well, Houston, you’re moving.”
The city acquired its pudgy label in 2001. It stuck like doughnuts until 2004, when Detroit surged to No. 1.
That didn’t last.
Houston took the title back a year later.
That year, White launched his Get Moving Houston campaign, which sponsored nutrition, running, walking and bicycling events.
Good for the city. This was an embarrassing title, and now Houston doesn’t even have to bear the mantle of fattest in Texas.