American Journal Of Medicine

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Want to get fit quickly? Then, enter a weight loss competition.

I'm not talking about getting on some reality TV show and dropping pounds ala "The Biggest Loser." Rather, instead of shedding weight in front of millions, consider entering one of the dozens of local weight loss contests being offered around the world.

A new study shows that weight loss competitions have become successful weapons in the battle against obesity. The study, conducted by researchers at The Miriam Hospital and Brown University, concluded that these types of challenges can produce weight loss in large numbers of people at minimal cost.

The study's authors suggest that team-based weight loss competitions can promote modest weight loss in large numbers of people, and they hope the study will encourage more people to enter similar programs. Researchers did note that some improvements could be made to basic weight loss contests, such as adding diet and exercise education, teaching ways to change behavior or offering access to health coaches.

One of the most popular weight loss contests offered in the United States is Shape Up Rhode Island, a statewide Internet-based weight loss competition, which has resulted in thousands of overweight individuals melting away unwanted pounds.

According to reports, Shape Up Rhode Island reduced the percentage of obese contestants from 39 percent to 31 percent. What's more, individual contestants learned that by increasing their activity, they could not only lose weight, but keep it off as well.

The contest is designed to include teams that compete for weight loss, pedometer steps and exercise minutes. The contest runs for approximately one year. Competitors pay $15 to register, and most of the contestants say they were able to get the fee paid by their employer.

In 2007 nearly 5,000 overweight individuals signed up to compete in the program. Of those participants, roughly 3,400 or 71 percent of participants completed at least 12 weeks of the study. Participants who were heavier at the start of the program lost the greatest amount of weight, though all of the contestants, who stuck with the program, noted that they had experienced some type of weight loss.

Have you ever participated in a weight loss competition?

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