Mayor walks STC to talk weight loss, LRT, chicken wings

Rob Ford has been very vocal about his support for burying the Eglinton LRT, but this weekend he (mostly) put politics aside to talk about another one of his battles – his weight loss.

Mayor Ford took an hour-long walk through the Scarborough Town Centre on Saturday. Flanked by councillors Norm Kelly, Gary Crawford and Doug Ford, he was there to promote his Cut the Waist challenge.

“I’ve lost 16 pounds in two weeks,” he said.

Councillor Doug Ford is the other face of the campaign. The Ward 2 councillor and mayor’s brother, also lost 16 pounds, but admits it was a tough week.

“Dairy is a killer for me,” he said. “I love chocolate milk.”

Gary Crawford, Ward 36, also joined the dieting challenge. So far, Crawford has lost 12 pounds, but said his visit to the mall was in support of something else.

“Every single person inside (the STC) wants subways.”

– Mayor Rob Ford

“We need to have underground subway,” Crawford said. “Having it underground is crucial.”

Mayor Ford shared his thoughts on LRT in the media scrum following his walk.

“Every single person inside (the STC) wants subways,” he said.

Back inside the mall, crowds gathered to have their picture taken with the mayor. One of the people in the crowd was Michelle Jodzio.

Jodzio, 26, who voted for Ford, took a moment to speak with him.

“I told him to hang in there and not to listen to the negative things people have been saying,” she said.

On this walk-about, there would be no jeers.

Elena Pablo had her picture taken with the mayor when Councillor Raymond Cho won his seat  in 2010. Pablo had the picture with her on Saturday.

“I am happy because Mayor Ford signed this,” she said. “He looks thin now.”

Even the mayor’s brother said he is looking thinner, but the pair would face their biggest challenge the following day: Super Bowl Sunday. The mayor had a prediction.

“I am going to take the Giants,” he said. “And stay away from those chicken wings”

The mayor’s brother had a better idea.

“And order diet chicken wings,” Doug Ford said.

It turns out the mayor was right.

The New York Giants won the Superbowl by a score of 21-17.

On Monday morning, the mayor and his brother had their latest weigh-in at City Hall. The mayor lost an additional four pounds bringing his total to 20 and his brother lost another half-pound bringing his total to 16.5 pounds.

About this article

By: Matthew Wocks
Posted: Feb 8 2012 8:42 am
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