Despite the one million pounds Alabamians have lost while participating in Scale Back Alabama for the past nine years, the state still has the 6th highest rate of obesity among adults of any state in the country.

Those high obesity rates lead to costly health problems, which the Scale Back initiative hopes to improve.

Scale Back Alabama (SBA) is a free statewide weight-loss program designed to encourage Alabamians to get healthy and to have fun while doing it.

The program encourages those who want to lose weight to find a partner and form a team. Those teams whose members lose at least 10 pounds each are eligible for prizes.

Weigh-in for the 10-week program is set for the week of Jan. 25. Area weigh-in sites include Andalusia Regional Hospital, Mizell Memorial Hospital, and both locations of Darby’s Pharmacy.

After focusing on fitness for 10 weeks, participants will “weigh-out,” for their chances at prizes.

Weigh-in times have been set as follows:

• ARH – Tues. and Wed., Jan. 26 and 27, 8 a.m. – 2 p.m.

• Mizell – Weigh-ins will be at the Mizell Wellness Center between 5:30 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 5:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Fridays.

• Darby’s – weigh-ins are during business hours, Monday through Friday. Even though weekly weigh-ins are not required, participants are welcome to stop by and weigh each week if it will help them be accountable, Laura Darby said.

Scale Back participants must:

• Be at least 18 years of age

• Live in Alabama or work for an Alabama-based company

• Be on a team of two individuals (no more, no less)

• Register online or visit an official weigh-in site

• Both team members will be asked to weigh in (and weigh out) together at the same weigh-in site at the same time. If someone on your team is from another part of the state, make sure they can be with your team at those times.

• Teams must begin and end the contest with the same members – no substitution is allowed.

 

2016 Prizes

• The first three teams drawn win $1,000 per team member, or a total of $2,000 for the entire team.

• The second three teams drawn win $500 per team member, or a total of $1,000 for the entire team.

• The final three teams drawn win $250 per team member, or a total of $500 for the entire team.

 

Individual Prizes

• All individuals who lose at least 10 pounds, as recorded by a coordinator at an official Scale Back Alabama weigh-in site, are eligible for an individual prize, regardless of their team’s achievement.

• From the pool of eligible contestants, 40 individuals drawn win one of 40 achievement prizes of $100 per person.