News

Louisville, KY (April 6, 2005) – The obesity rate in America has reached epidemic proportions as an estimated one out of every two Americans are considered overweight or obese.  To help Americans lose weight in a healthy way, the milk industry is encouraging Louisville residents to join the Great American Weight Loss Challenge – a 12-week plan centered around drinking 24 ounces of milk every 24 hours as part of a reduced-calorie eating plan and exercise that provides the tools necessary to begin losing weight in a healthy way. 

Several studies conducted over the course of the last five years indicate a connection between drinking milk and weight loss.  The Great American Weight Loss Challenge maps out a plan to help potential “losers” to put this research into action.  The key component is milk, since its mix of essential nutrients like calcium and protein have been shown to help improve the body’s ability to burn fat.  As a result, the Challenge recommends adults drink 24 ounces of milk every 24 hours to help shed pounds and build lean muscle mass.  And Joining may not only pay off in pounds shed, but as money in the bank for one community as well – $25,000 to be exact.

Bringing the Challenge Home

To help residents begin a successful weight loss program, the Great American Weight Loss Challenge will stop in Louisville as part of a 75-city, educational tour to host interactive, free events for the public.  At events, residents can:

·        Receive a general health assessment that provides a benchmark for weight loss

·        Register for the Challenge via computer kiosks

·        Speak with a registered dietitian about healthy, long-term weight loss strategies

·        Get exercise tips from representatives of Curves, the leader in women’s fitness

·        Sample low fat or fat free milk from Southern Belle Dairy, Dean Foods Company and Winchester Farms Dairy

·        Don your very own milk mustache for a photo that’s yours to take home

Events are scheduled at the following locations:

Kick Off Event
4th Street Live
Thursday, April 21
11:00am-2:00pm

How Louisville Can Win Big

This Challenge isn’t just a personal one, it’s one that’s community-wide.  The city with the highest participation (measured in the percent of registered members per capita) will win the grand prize of $25,000 for health-related improvements, such as walking paths, and a city-wide Milk Mustache ad to run nationally in Ladies’ Home Journal.

About the Challenge

Developed by internationally-recognized weight-loss expert Pamela Peeke, M.D., MPH, author of the best-seller Fight Fat After Forty and the upcoming Body for Life for Women (Rodale, April 2005), the Challenge is a healthy way to lose weight and burn fat.  When coupled with a reduced-calorie diet and exercise, drinking 24 ounces of milk each day has helped people lose more weight than simply cutting calories alone.

“Milk is the number one source of many of the key nutrients that are likely to be lacking in a person’s diet, yet many people make the mistake of eliminating it from their weight loss plan,” explained Peeke.  “To reverse this misconception, we’re encouraging Louisville residents to see for themselves, by joining the more than 50,000 Americans already taking the Challenge to drink 24 ounces of milk every 24 hours.”

To register for the Great American Weight Loss Challenge and get the tools to continually monitor your weight loss progress over the course of the recommended 12-week plan, visit www.2424milk.com.

About Milk

The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP), Washington, D.C., is funded by the nation's milk processors, who are committed to increasing fluid milk consumption.  Together with dairy farmers, the MilkPEP Board runs the National "got milk?" Milk Mustache Campaign, a multi-faceted campaign designed to educate consumers on the benefits of milk.  For more information, go to www.whymilk.com.

The tagline "got milk?"® was created for the California Milk Processor Board by Goodby Silverstein & Partners and is licensed by the national milk processor and dairy producer groups.

About Curves

Curves offers a 30-minute workout that combines strength training and sustained cardiovascular activity through safe and effective hydraulic resistance.  Curves also offers weight management counseling featuring a breakthrough, scientifically-proven method to raise metabolic rate and /files/storyimages/the need for perpetual dieting.  Gary Heavin, Curves founder and CEO, is the author of several books including, The New York Times best-sellers, “Curves: Permanent Results without Permanent Dieting,” and “Curves On the Go.”

With more than 7,500 locations and three million members worldwide, Curves is the world’s largest fitness center franchise.  For more information, please visit www.curvesinternational.com.