Alabamians set weighty Guinness World Record
- The free 10-week program officially starts on Monday.
- To register, visit www.scalebackalabama.com.
- Individuals 18 years of age and older may participate by completing an online registration and then going to an official weigh-in site during the week of Jan. 25 – 31 to weigh in.
- The sites will be posted online beginning Jan. 22.
On Friday, 157 Alabamians in Montgomery stepped on a truck scale and broke the Guinness World Record for the most people on one scale.
The previous record was set in 2010 by a British company that succeeded in weighing 130 people at one time.
The Alabama group weighed in at a collective 30,400 pounds, helping to kick off the 10th year of the state’s largest weight loss and exercise program, Scale Back Alabama. The record-breaking event was held at Sabel Steel. Even though the Scale Back Alabama world record attempt was pre-approved by Guinness, the official certification of the record breaking will come following submission and review of the event documentation.
“Having this many people come out at the crack of dawn in cold weather was amazing,” said Rosemary Blackmon, executive vice president/COO of the Alabama Hospital Association. “But even more amazing is the fact that Scale Back Alabama has lasted 10 years and has re
Six years ago, the city of Montgomery was tied for having the highest obesity rate in the country at 34.7 percent. Today, it is down to 27.1 percent, meaning there are 30,000 fewer people in the River Region who are obese, said Michael Briddell, the city’s health czar.
“We’ve got a problem here in Alabama, and we’ve had a problem here in Montgomery,” he said Friday. “It’s called obesity. And it doesn’t just stop there. Obesity often comes with heightened risks of heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, a whole host of bad things. And yet it is so easy and simple to remedy.”
All people have to do, he said, is be accountable for their health. And “then watch what we eat and exercise.”
The numbers in the region have dropped, he said, thanks to programs such as Scale Back Alabama, the Alabama Hospital Association, and the work done in the Alabama Department of Public Health.
“We are grateful, and we are hopeful that even more people across Alabama can follow the recipe that Scale Back provides,” he said.
One of out every three adults in Alabama is obese, according to Scale Back Alabama. This is almost triple the number that were obese just 25 years ago. The state ranks first in diabetes, and second in hypertension — both conditions have strong ties to obesity.
“It’s very difficult to quantify the tremendous benefits of Scale Back Alabama,” said Tom Miller, acting state health officer. “The evidence shows that obesity has serious health consequences, and unfortunately, Alabama ranks near the top in terms of adult obesity. However, it’s also been proven that programs like Scale Back Alabama that offer incentives, education and accountability as a team member go a long way in encouraging healthy lifestyles.”
10th annual Scale Back Alabama
The free 10-week program officially starts on Monday. To register, visit www.scalebackalabama.com. Individuals 18 years of age and older may participate by completing an online registration and then going to an official weigh-in site during the week of Jan. 25 – 31 to weigh in. The sites will be posted online beginning Jan. 22.
Scaling Back
A look at the amount of weight loss in the program since 2007
2015: (changed to teams of 2); 14,288 teams; 28,576 people; 79,942 pounds lost
2014: (teams of 4 from 2007-2014); 6,338 teams; 25,352 people; 114,511 pounds lost
2013: 6,770 teams; 27,080 people; 129,528 pounds lost
2012: 7,484 teams; 29,936 people; 148,963 pounds lost
2011: 8,388 teams; 33,152 people; 143,309 pounds lost
2010: 7,500 teams; 30,000 people; 146,451 pounds lost
2009: 10,177 teams; 40,708 people; 183,135 pounds lost
2008: 10,379 teams; 41,516 people; 207,871 pounds lost
2007: 5,000 teams; 20,000 people; 78,472 pounds lost
Source: Scale Back Alabama