Oklahoma, the sixth fattest state according to last summer’s U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study, has lost one million pounds. OKC Mayor Mick Cornett launched the “This City is Going on a Diet” campaign in 2008 in response to the city’s obesity epidemic. The Big Friendly had consistently been ranked as one of the fattest cities, so Cornett got proactive and hit the red-dirt road to spread the word. When he appeared on Ellen to promote the initiative, thousands of new citizens joined the cause.

The “This City is Going on a Diet” website provided several resources to aid citizens in their weight loss journey. Participants were able to track their weight, browse diets and workout regimens, view videos, and get tips from expert trainers and dietitians.
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Our skin is the largest organ in our body, and yet, it’s one that we tend to neglect more than any other. Some more so than others. Today, Daily Glow announced its 55 Best and Worst Cities for Your Skin, and you may be surprised to see who makes which end of the list.

Your ZIP code can play as much a role in the health of your skin as your genes and sun exposure this summer. This is good news for people in Portland, OR, San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA, the top three best cities for your skin. Daily Glow points out that skin health is determined by a variety of factors including the environment, genetics, and lifestyle. In those locations there is low pollution, low ozone rates, and minimal sun shine. In San Francisco, they have the least tanning beds per capita.

“One of the most surprising things we found was that cities in areas that are sunny actually have conditions that are good for your skin,” Dr. Jessica Wu told us. Dr. Wu is a dermatologist to the stars and works as Daily Glow’s Skin and Beauty advisor. She pointed out that Honolulu, Hawaii, which is number six on the list, is a great place for skin because of the low incidence of pollution and high levels of humidity.

There are 10 cities on the list deemed the Worst Cities for Your Skin, and it’s there where the environment and lifestyle are taking a toll on the residents’ skin. Las Vegas, Nev. was named the worst city, as it has the highest number of smokers in the entire country. Forth Worth, TX landed on the list for having the highest number of tanning beds per capita. And Tulsa, OK is the 10th worst because it has the highest number of skin cancer-related deaths.

Dr. Wu’s findings show that we could actually be doing a lot to improve the health of our skin. For starters, stop going to the tanning bed! Dr. Wu called the practice “shocking and disturbing,” and pointed out that any tanning salon that’s advertising their safety is clearly not safe.
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In an official report released last week  by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it appears that most Americans still aren’t eating enough vegetables, and their consumption of fruits is dropping, as well.

The study, conducted via telephone, surveyed hundreds of thousands of adult Americans. In it, the CDC found that just under 1/3 of Americans ate fruit, or drank fruit juice, at least twice a day. An earlier report released in 2000 showed a figure of 34%. Just over 1/4 of those surveyed admit to eating vegetables at least three times a day. This figure remained the same.

When the study was broken down by state, no one state met either the fruit or vegetable recommendation.  California ate the most fruit and Tennessee was best with vegetables. Oklahoma was at the bottom for fruit consumption and South Dakota had the lowest vegetable consumption.
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While waiting for the first Biggest Loser Meals shipment a few problems surfaced. Before ordering, I asked about combining the shipping to save $24.95, also since the delivery is perishable, I needed to know when food would be delivered. Our area is scheduled for Wednesday shipping/Friday delivery.

When the first shipment was sent out I received the credit card charges and shipping information via email. That’s when I found out the shipments weren’t combined and shipping didn’t occur until Thursday with a Saturday delivery. Although we don’t go out of town often, several weekend trips are on the schedule and no one would be available to take care of the perishable food. This is especially worrisome living in Oklahoma where the temperatures can soar over 100 degrees in the summer.

After a discussion with the customer service department the problems were resolved. Shipping will be combined and from now on orders will definitely be shipped on Wednesday for Saturday delivery.

Now it was a wait for the food.

Two big boxes arrived on Saturday and it was impressive how they were packed. Food was still hard-frozen, with dry ice in a styrofoam case. I can see why the shipping cost is $24.95. Also, now that I’ve seen how the boxes are packed, I’m not sure two weekly orders would actually fit into one box.

Also included in the box was the weekly menu, information on the way the food is cooked, cooking/serving instructions and a discount enticement for friends who want to try the program.

The box of food

It’s a LOT of food! Five days worth of meals for one person, lined up with breakfasts on the left, lunches in the middle and dinners on the right. Each meal is in a plastic pouch, inside that pouch are several pouches containing the different ingredients.

Next the most important thing, how does the food taste?

Does Barb have you sold? Read the Biggest Loser Meal Plan review or order the plan from Bistro MD now.