Positive Peer Pressure

Fans of the TV Show The Biggest Loser will recognize the familiar format: healthy eating and exercising throughout the week, and then the weekly weigh-in to see how you've done. Well, it's not just a TV show. In Fossil, Oregon, the town has united in their own version of the show. In all, 80 townspeople (nearly 1/5 of the entire population), have signed up. They come together each Monday to weigh in and have a group meeting. The person who has lost the most weight is the Biggest Loser that week and gets to take home bragging rights and a pound of fat to display. The "gym" is the school gymnasium--fully equipped with mats and resistance bands (and that's all). Instead of a Stairmaster, they climb stairs. The local grocery store owner helps participants consider the caloric content of their purchases, and the restaurant has a daily low-cal special. And with these measures, the town together has lost over 600 pounds. Perhaps more importantly, they have seen health benefits such as lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels. The program has also renewed a sense of community in the town. So it's win, win, win!

NPR Story