The 50 Million Pound Challenge Announces One-Millionth Member

The Free Health Initiative founded by Dr. Ian Smith Reaches National Milestone

NEW YORK, March 24 /PRNewswire/ -- In just under two years, The 50 Million
Pound Challenge has rallied more than a million Americans to come together to
'Give up the pounds, not the fight.' In doing so, those individuals have
improved their lives and health and logged more than 3.8 million pounds lost
at 50millionpounds.com.

"The number one health crisis facing all Americans is being overweight," said
physician and Challenge founder Dr. Ian Smith. "Weight loss is an epidemic
that touches all races and ethnicities and The Challenge is devoted to each
and every American who is struggling with weight loss."

The Challenge offers consumers a free, easy to use online solution that truly
works. All resources and tools, including a 30-day customizable diet plan,
online journal, personal weight and activity trackers and Challenge teams make
fitness easier and more fun, and are free thanks to sponsor State Farm(R).

Online community support is key. In fact, a study in the February 2009 issue
of the New England Journal of Medicine found that group support and community
is a key factor in a successful weight-loss plan. Among the study of several
weight-loss programs, attendance at group sessions was positively associated
with weight loss. In a separate study, 66% of adults (ages 35-44) agree that
an online weight-loss community could provide just as much or more support to
individuals trying to lose weight. Challenge statistics also show that
registrants who have joined one of more than 26,000 teams on the site are
losing an average of 23% more weight than those who have not teamed up.

Following on the heels of the one-millionth registrant milestone and to help
address the growing attention cities are paying to the health of their
citizens due to correlated health care costs, Dr. Ian Smith has announced he
is working with the mayors of several cities across the country to stage The50
Million Pound Challenge Annual Walks. On May 16, 2009, people across the
country will join together in their individual communities to take part in the
walks and take the symbolic steps signifying their journey to a healthier
lifestyle.

For more details on The 50 Million Pound Challenge, visit 50millionpounds.com.

About The 50 Million Pound Challenge:
Dr. Ian Smith's 50 Million Pound Challenge is a national health initiative
encouraging people to come together and take control of their health by
getting fit, losing excess weight and turning back the deadly toll of
weight-related diseases that threaten nearly half of Americans and hits the
African-American community especially hard. The Challenge is a free campaign
supported by national civic and health organizations and sponsored by State
Farm(R). It is helping cities, churches, civic groups, friends and families
team up to help reverse the epidemic of excess weight and turn it into a
culture of healthier living.

About Dr. Ian Smith:
Dr. Ian Smith is diet expert on VH1's Celebrity Fit Club, contributor to The
View, and a former editor of Men's Health. He hosts his own nationally
syndicated radio show HealthWatch on American Urban Radio Networks, has
written for Time, Newsweek, New York Daily News and has been featured in
People, Essence, Ebony, Cosmopolitan and University of Chicago Medicine on the
Midway. He is author of 5 books, including #1 NY Times bestsellers The Fat
Smash Diet and Extreme Fat Smash Diet, and the new The 4Day Diet.

About State Farm:
State Farm(R) insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S.,
is the leading insurer of watercraft and is also a leading insurer in Canada.
State Farm's 17,000 agents and 68,000 employees serve more than 78 million
auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and more
than 1.9 million bank accounts. State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company
is the parent of the State Farm family of companies. State Farm is ranked No.
32 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please
visit statefarm.com(R) or in Canada statefarm.ca(R).

SOURCE The 50 Million Pound Challenge

Mia Jazo-Harris of The 50 Million Pound Challenge, +1-309-766-5242; or Blair
Decembrele of KGPR, +1-508-277-2955, for The 50 Million Pound Challenge