Weigh and Win Expands in Colorado as Waistlines Shrink

DENVER, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Weigh and Win, a free personalized program that offers cash rewards and prizes to individuals who achieve or maintain a healthy weight, has expanded rapidly and is celebrating an important milestone.  In just two years, more than 30,000 Coloradans have enrolled.   

Weigh and Win launched in March 2011 with four kiosks in the Denver area. There are now 43 Weigh and Win kiosk locations up and down the Front Range, from Fort Collins to Pueblo, as far south as Durango and as far west as Grand Junction.  Kaiser Permanente is the founding funder of Weigh and Win as part of its commitment to promoting community health and comprehensively fighting the obesity epidemic through environmental and policy change.

"Weigh and Win has helped thousands of Coloradans live healthier lifestyles. We couldn't be more pleased with the support the program has gained from community partners and the tremendous growth which has made it even more accessible to Colorado residents," said Jandel Allen-Davis, MD, Kaiser Permanente vice president of government and external relations.

Free to all Colorado adults, Weigh and Win is the first program of its kind in the nation.  Individuals who sign up for the program, participate in quarterly private photographed weigh-ins at kiosks in order to track their progress and be eligible for quarterly cash rewards.  Conveniently located kiosks are found in libraries, recreation centers, medical offices and retail stores in communities across Colorado.

Participants who begin with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or greater receive cash rewards according to the percentage of weight lost. For example, a 10 percent weight loss would result in $30 and a 20 percent weight loss would result in $75. Rewards are also provided for maintaining weight loss over each quarter and all participants, regardless of weight, are eligible to win monthly prizes just for participating in Weigh and Win.

"I was looking to lose some weight and the monetary incentive added an additional motivation. The daily reminders and health tips keep it on the top of my mind," said Cassie Kauffman, a Weigh and Win participant. "For me, Weigh and Win should be called Weigh and Win-Win because it truly is set up as a win-win situation. You win by losing weight and gaining health education and you also win some extra cash."

Weigh and Win participants receive personalized coaching via email and text messaging, including  a daily exercise and meal plan, a weekly grocery list, tips specific to their own barriers and motivations, and other success strategies. A variety of resources are available on www.weighandwin.com including an online journal, 24/7 health guide, downloadable workouts, podcasts, and more. Participants can seek advice from a personal trainer through email or over the phone.  In addition, the program's newly designed website features an interactive reward pyramid which tracks a participant's initial weight and calculates online weight targets and rewards for key milestones.

The new Weigh and Win website also features success stories, total number of participants and pounds lost in real time. Program participants can brag about their success in the program through Weigh and Win's Facebook page.

Weigh and Win's success and tremendous growth in the past two years has been made possible through strong partnerships between businesses, public health departments and local communities.

"I am grateful for Kaiser Permanente and the city of Boulder's commitment in sponsoring the new Weigh and Win kiosk for Boulder Main Library," said Jeff Zayach, public health director for Boulder County Public Health. "The results we have seen from the other kiosks statewide in helping communities make a difference in losing weight are impressive. This program is helping to address a major negative trend."  Boulder Main Library hosts the newest Weigh and Win stationary kiosk location.

With the help of community partnerships, Weigh and Win will continue to add a select number of kiosks in 2013. The coming year will also be focused on creating more opportunities within the program for participants to interact with each other and stay motivated to achieve a healthy weight.   

FAST FACTS:

• 30,000 Weigh and Win enrollment
• 43 kiosks state-wide, including 9 traveling kiosks that are being shared among partners in communities such as Denver, Colorado Springs, Greeley, Pueblo, Routt County, Durango, and Walsenburg.  All kiosk locations and the mobile kiosk calendar can be here. 

FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE VISIT:

http://www.weighandwin.com/

About Weigh and Win
As a free program, Weigh and Win provides Colorado adults with access to an effective weight management program. Weigh and Win is aimed at decreasing obesity rates by engaging people with rewards tied to actual measured results. This is the first program of its kind to translate an evidence-based worksite wellness program, developed by a privately owned Colorado company named incentaHEALTH, for the general public. Participants receive personalized technology-based coaching on healthy eating and active living, track progress with weigh-ins at private community kiosks, and earn quarterly cash rewards based on weight improvement and maintenance. Weigh and Win is funded by Kaiser Permanente to complement the organization's other efforts to increase healthy eating and physical activity throughout the state. For more information on Weigh and Win, please visit http://www.weighandwin.com/ or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/weighandwin or Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/WeighandWin.

SOURCE Weigh and Win