The Eagles' record and the Phillies pennant race may have been losers for Philadelphia in the past year, but there is one instance in which the city can be proud to miss the cut.
In Men's Fitness magazine's annual survey of America's fattest cities, Philadelphia slimmed down from second last year to 23rd this year.
The magazine takes into account such statistics as television-watching rates and pizza parlors per capita to create its somewhat less-than-scientific rankings.
The magazine largely attributes the city's improvement in rank -- which was announced in this month's magazine -- to the efforts of Philadelphia Mayor John Street and his staff.
"I feel much better than I did last year," said Gwen Foster, the mayor's health and fitness czar, about the city's new ranking.
The magazine highlighted two initiatives that Street launched this year to combat the city's weight woes: the Health Journey Program, which uses grants to make 100 gyms, health clubs and physical activities throughout the city more accessible, and the Family Fitness Challenge, which mentors 100 overweight Philadelphia families to help them live a leaner lifestyle.
Foster declared the initiatives "extremely successful," adding that "we've really earned it. We've worked very hard."
But don't reach for the celebratory cheesesteak just yet.
Despite shedding 21 spots on this year's fattest-cities list, Philadelphia was declared the nation's least athletic city in the same magazine, taking the crown from San Antonio, Texas.
In the magazine's study of participation in 100 different sports, Philadelphia came in second-to-last in both jogging and calisthenics and last overall.
Many Philadelphians take issue with being labeled as unathletic.
"I couldn't disagree more," said Mike McGettigan, owner of Trophy Bikes. The magazine is "mistaking our menu choices and some of our professional sports fans for our general population."
A life-long Philly native, McGettigan was eager to defend the athleticism of his fellow Philadelphians.
"We're out biking, rowing --we're out in the morning before people at Men's Fitness even get up," he said.
12th Street Gym President Rick Piper disagrees with the ranking as well.
"There is no question that fitness is becoming far more central in [Philadelphia citizens'] lives," Piper said, adding that membership at his gym has been increasing.
Some at Penn may find allegations of idleness hard to believe when many students frequent Pottruck Health and Fitness Center and the Schuylkill River trail to keep in shape.
"Every time I come to the gym I see it [at] full capacity, so I would disagree" with the ratings, said College sophomore Manuel Trujillo after finishing a workout at Pottruck.
The magazine cites Centers for Disease Control findings that 77.3 percent of Philadelphians are at a health risk for not getting enough exercise, with 22 percent of adults having not participated in moderate physical activity in at least a month.
And Rob Ferguson, manager of City Sports on Walnut Street in Center City, noted that "sales have been down, especially in exercise equipment."
So why aren't Philadelphians exercising?
Graham Wolfe, manager of the Market Street General Nutrition Center, feels the problem lies in the city's personality.
"I think generally speaking, this city kind of has an attitude of 'what do you want?' as opposed to 'what can I do for you?' And in turn, that kind of reflects on all aspects of life," Wolfe said.
"There's plenty of gyms, but there's no great inspiration within the city itself," Wolfe said. "Who knows? Maybe Rocky VI will bring that back," he added, referring to the impending Sylvester Stallone release.
