Gov. Sam Brownback weighs in for weight-loss challenge.

Vowing to reduce the size of the state’s waistline, Gov. Sam Brownback on Monday launched a weight loss challenge.

“We have a problem in America with obesity and gluttony,” Brownback said.

Five-member teams were invited to weigh-in through Jan. 15 and eat healthier and become more active.
The state team with the largest weight percentage loss will win a monetary prize that hasn’t yet been determined.

Nearly 350 teams have signed up. Brownback also encouraged non-state employee groups, such as businesses and municipalities, to accept the challenge and provide incentives for weight loss.

Brownback’s team included himself, Transportation Secretary Mike King, Acting Labor Secretary Lana Gordon, Commerce Secretary Pat George, and Kansas Adjutant General Lee Tafanelli.

At a news conference in the rotunda of the Statehouse, Brownback announced his team weighed a total of 1,043 pounds. Individual weights were not revealed as team members stepped up to a scale that had a visual barrier.

Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a physician, said he hoped the challenge would help Kansans learn more about diet and nutrition. “This will affect your entire life,” he said.

More information on the challenge is available at www.weightloss.ks.gov