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Milwaukee Gets the Fever, Cheers 50 Million Pound Challenge as the Cure

Enthusiastic Crowd Turns Out in Force to Fight Epidemic of Excess Weight, Celebrate Passing Half Million Pound Mark

Dr. Ian Smith and The 50 Million Pound Challenge got a glorious sunny-day welcome in Milwaukee on Saturday, Aug. 25 that filled the historic art deco band shell at Washington Park with song, soul and support for healthier living. More than 7,000 people turned out and rocked the amphitheater to the tunes of featured recording artists Angie Stone, 112, Slick Rick, Shirley Murdock, well-known DJ Biz Markie and national radio host J. Anthony Brown. Campaign founder Dr. Ian Smith was also joined at the free special event by Milwaukee Bucks point guard Maurice (Mo) Williams and a host of community leaders supporting The Challenge’s efforts to help people to take control of their health.

The crowd moved to a hip hop beat but also got serious about healthier lifestyles. Attendees lined up to get free health screenings, learn about The Challenge’s free fitness tips and tools, sign-up for the initiative online, and join Dr. Ian on a Challenge walk. They committed to their personal campaigns to get fit, lose weight, live longer, look and feel great. Many got free eshots photos to use as “before” shots to show progress “after” reaching their weight-loss goals—and motivation to keep the weight off.

The event was the 11th stop on The Challenge’s 14-city tour rallying people across the U.S. to take control of their health and fight the epidemic of excess weight threatening half all Americans, and hitting the African-American community especially hard. The Challenge makes it easier for people to lose weight with free tips, tools and an online support network. The initiative got support of its own in July from a study in the New England Journal of Medicine showing close friends and family set a powerful example for each other. They tend to gain weight together, but can also lose it together, an idea at the core of The Challenge.

Led by Dr. Ian Smith—author of the New York Times #1 bestseller The Extreme Fat Smash Diet and VH1 Celebrity Fit Club expert —The Challenge in the last 4 months has taken on 206,359 participants, who’ve taken off 505,011 total pounds. This historic campaign, backed by a host of leaders and supporters across the African-American community and sponsored by State Farm, continues on to New York City on Sept. 22. For more information, visit 50millionpounds.com.

Key highlights and comments from Milwaukee included:

• “Milwaukee’s got the fever—The Challenge has the cure. On Friday, we passed the half million pounds lost mark and we also just topped 200,000 participants. Today, we’re in Milwaukee to celebrate and ask thousands more people to join us to reach a million pounds in record time,” Dr. Ian Smith said. “This is an historic opportunity to join hands, take control of our health and save lives. We can turn back the deadly epidemic of excess weight and turn it into an epidemic of healthy living and feeling great. What began as a simple challenge has become a remarkable commitment to making healthier lifestyle choices that’s spreading across the entire community. We gained the weight together. We can take it off together. Looking out for each other, we can reverse these deadly health trends, one small step at a time. Join us in taking The Challenge. It’s free. It’s fun. And the reward is worth the weight—it can save your life, and you’ll look and feel great!”
• A representative from Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle’s office—Ray Harmon, director of the Governor’s Milwaukee office—read a proclamation from the Governor that supported The Challenge’s efforts to help people take control of their health, and declared Aug. 25, 2007, “50 Million Pound Challenge Day” in Wisconsin.
• Grammy-nominated R&B star Angie Stone sang her top tunes and said, “Too many people are dying when there’s so much living to do. We need to take better care of our health and stop disrespecting our bodies. We should love and respect ourselves as much as we do others. The Challenge is helping us look out for our health and be strong for each other. It’s helping us make healthier food and fitness choices and enjoy a longer life. Giving up the pounds and staying fit isn’t easy. But The Challenge is making it easier—and more fun! What’s important is for people to get moving—move their feet, move to the beat, move to healthier habits in what we eat. If we move forward together, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish.”
• Milwaukee Bucks NBA point guard Maurice (Mo) Williams put a focus on fitness, signing autographs for fans and encouraging people to: “Eat the right foods and get in shape. That’s how to win the most important game of all—staying alive to enjoy a healthy, happy and lengthy life.
• Rounding out the day was more music to move people’s bodies and souls from Slick Rick, 112, Shirley Murdock and Biz Markie. The crowd also got lots of laughs and love from national radio host J. Anthony Brown.