Lose weight with the help of friends, co-workers

Shaking off excess weight? Want a little company? Consider joining the 50 Million Pound Challenge.

Concerned about Americans' battle with the bulge, Chicago-based Dr. Ian Smith started the fitness campaign last year with the help of sponsor State Farm. The effort, which involves free online membership, team tracking, weigh-ins, diet and exercise tips, pedometer kits and fitness events in 14 cities, lit like fire in churches, sororities, fraternities and families nationwide.

To date, 2,360 individuals and 60 group teams in Minnesota have joined the challenge (www.50millionpounds.com), including the Minnesota Movers and Shakers, Minnesota Mommies and Minneapolis Apples.

Nationwide, 650,000 participants have dropped 2,514,480 pounds so far. Craig Nash in Chicago went from 390 to 192 pounds after finding an online community that gave him support 24/7.

"His story is phenomenal," said Smith. His other favorite success story is State Farm's marketing vice president, who first suggested her firm sponsor his program. She lost 50 pounds. "She is exuberant. She started off at 217 and she's doing great," Smith said.

Other successes are mounting. Rita Johnson-Mills, who works in Minnetonka, signed up, hired a personal trainer and has lost 28 pounds since February. "It was the 50 Million Pound Challenge that got me motivated and keeps me motivated," she said.

State Farm spokeswoman Melissa Bailey said such feedback is constant. "It a very viral thing. Once people find the website, they tell other friends. And that is the way it should be, people helping other community members get healthy."

Some trends are emerging. "We have found that people who are on a team are losing 25 percent more weight than the people who are not on a team. That is a significant difference," Bailey said. "The teams are a proven success."

David Maggitt, 53, is a State Farm agent in Golden Valley, a Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity member and a lifelong marathon runner. He liked the challenge so much he helped bring it to fraternity and sorority members across Minnesota. His 50 Million Pound Challenge group, Brothers and Sisters United, holds monthly socials, has a traveling trophy and writes a newsletter featuring successes.

"So far, we've had 219 people signed up and we have lost 1,121 pounds," Maggitt said. "We try to establish workouts twice a month at different clubs; Life Time Fitness, the YMCA, Core Yoga and the company Select Comfort also provided their facilities for us to use. We want to make sure that our [challenge] members get exposed to different types of places and exercise options."

The group recently took a boxing class, and will participate in the United Negro College Fund 5K run next month. The community approach to fitness seems to work, Maggitt said. The main thing is to keep it fun.

Smith applauded the Twin Cities for its constant run of fitness challenges and said that any group just getting started should consider these five tips:

• Substitute white starches with whole wheat bread, brown rice and yams or sweet potatoes.

• Eat at least five servings of fruit and vegetables daily.

• Start an exercise program with 15 minutes cardio every other day. Build to 45 minutes.

• Limit fried foods to four servings a week.

• Spend 35 minutes a day doing something just for you.

Dee DePass • 612-673-7725