JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Just over 14 months since the launch of the program, Duval County residents have lost over 79,000 pounds in 904 Mission One Million.
Bryan Campbell, CEO of the Duval County Medical Society, who has lost 80 pounds in the program, said that most people can lose weight with the right approach that includes proper diet and exercise.
"For me, a low carb diet worked," Campbell said. "But for some people who have other dietary restrictions or allergies, that might not work. There is a solution out there for you, but it has to be a lifestyle that you can sustain."
When the program began, Duval County ranked 55th out of 67 Florida counties in overall health in a study by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and 24% of adults over 20 years of age said that they do no physical activity of any kind.
"What we're trying to encourage, is for the entire community to support each other," Campbell said. "If people around you are saying 'we're in this together' your going to find the thing that you need to have success."
Since Mayor Lenny Curry and Duval County Medical Society Foundation president Dr. Sunil Joshi launched the program in April, 2016, over 4,200 residents have signed up on 904missiononemillion.com.
Campbell stressed that the exercise to lose weight doesn't necessarily have to be overly strenuous.
"I actually had a knee injury at the beginning of this process, so the most activity that I've been able to do is walking," Campbell said. "So I am walking and watching what I eat. Don't try that thing that you don't enjoy then fail at it."