The Perfect Weight America program has been tested and is ready for prime time thanks to an 11-week pilot program that was completed in Toledo, Ohio, in late spring and early summer of 2007. Jordan formulated a “Healthy Toledo” wellness plan that involved a comprehensive individualized eating plan, a nutritional supplement protocol, an easy-to-follow exercise program, ways to reduce stress and get more rest, and ideas to improve emotional and spiritual health. Toledo was the perfect testing ground because the city was ranked 98th out of the 100 best and worst U.S. cities for men by Men’s Health magazine. Toledo also has the highest adult smoking rate in the country according to the Centers for Disease Control, and this heavily blue-collar city is known for frequenting fast-food chains. For instance, McDonald’s discovered that they could put in three times the number of McDonald’s restaurants into Toledo than they could elsewhere because the market was that huge for Big Macs, chicken nuggets, and their famous fries. While Jordan and his team were confident the program could be a success, they purposed to not only see lives transformed but for participants to quantify their change in health and validate the Perfect Weight America pilot program. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative measures were put into place. At the beginning of Healthy Toledo and at the end, measurements of participants’ blood pressure, weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage, and BMI were taken, and those who signed up were also asked to complete “before and after” health surveys and write essays about their experience with the Perfect Weight America wellness plan. The results of Healthy Toledo—both measured and anecdotal—were quite significant. The 126 participants lost over 1,700 pounds, improved their blood pressure, and decreased their body fat and Body Mass Index in just eleven weeks. Beyond the testimonials of having more energy, sleeping better, moving easier, and overcoming illnesses, the statistics themselves were worthy of review. For instance, the average weight loss among the 126 participants was 13.5 pounds. In addition:   THE TOP 3 PARTICIPANTS (RANKED BY WEIGHT LOSS) DECREASED THEIR WEIGHT BY AN AVERAGE OF 43.7 POUNDS. THE TOP HALF OF PARTICIPANTS (63 PARTICIPANTS) LOST AN AVERAGE 20.0 POUNDS. THE 80 INDIVIDUALS WHOSE BODY MASS INDEX PLACED THEM IN THE “OBESE” OR “OVERWEIGHT” BODY TYPE CATEGORY LOST AN AVERAGE OF 16.7 POUNDS. The average body fat loss for the 126 individuals was 4.3 percentage points, or a 14.9 percent improvement. As an example, this means that an individual with 34.3 percent body fat at the initial weigh-in dropped to 30 percent body fat eleven weeks later. The Healthy Toledo participants lost an average of 3.1 inches off their waists. In terms of blood pressure, 77 percent of the 126 Healthy Toledo participants showed a reduction in systolic, diastolic, or both readings. The average reduction was 9.6 mmHg in systolic and 11.2 mmHg in diastolic readings. In essence, Healthy Toledo participants lost around 10 points in their systolic and diastolic pressure readings, and 25 percent saw their blood pressure fall below 140/90, which signifies hypertension or high blood pressure. Seventy of the 126 participants were women, or 55 percent. These women lost, on the average 10.8 pounds and a total of 5.5 inches from their waist and hips. Women also lost, on the average, 4.1 percent of body fat. In addition, 22 women fell from “obese” to “overfat” or from “overfat” to “healthy” and 58 women (83 percent) put themselves in the “healthy” or “underfat” category. Just over 100 participants completed health surveys before and after the program. Here are some of their noteworthy responses: 69 PERCENT REPORTED FEELING MORE REFRESHED UPON WAKING, AND 43 PERCENT REPORTED THAT IT WAS EASIER FOR THEM TO FALL ASLEEP 65 PERCENT REPORTED AN INCREASE IN ENERGY, WHILE 49 PERCENT REPORTED A DECREASE IN ACHES AND PAINS 75 PERCENT REPORTED THAT THEY WERE HEALTHIER, AND 50 PERCENT REPORTED THEY WERE HAPPIER 43 PERCENT REPORTED A DECREASE IN SYMPTOMS OF ABDOMINAL DISTENSION, SUCH AS GAS OR BLOATING, WHILE 42 PERCENT REPORTED A DECREASE IN OCCASIONAL HEARTBURN 30 PERCENT REPORTED AN IMPROVEMENT IN THEIR IMMUNE SYSTEM The Healthy Toledo participants celebrated the completion of the program—and the beginning of their new direction in their lives—at Freedom Fest, a celebration hosted by The Church on Strayer on the weekend before the Fourth of July. Thirteen participants who showed the most commitment and marked change were announced as winners of the Healthy Toledo “transformation” contest before thousands attending the Freedom Fest event. The grand-prize winner, Kari Diepenhorst, lost 44 pounds and won an all-expenses paid trip to a Weekend of Wellness seminar hosted by Jordan, as well as a year’s supply of whole food nutritional supplements provided by Garden of Life.  The Healthy Toledo event during Freedom Fest was covered locally by the Toledo Blade newspaper and in a news feature on the ABC affiliate, WTVG-TV. Pastor Tony Scott of The Church on Strayer and Healthy Toledo participant Pat Cannon, who lost an astounding 40 pounds in less than three months, were interviewed on the “Your Saturday Morning” show on the CBS affiliate, WTOL. Media inquiries and coverage came from Woman’s World, Quick & Simple, and First for Women. Following the triumphs of the Perfect Weight America pilot program in Toledo, the decision was made to take the program to the greater metropolitan area of Toledo. A leadership team is currently working to develop partnerships in government, corporate, academic, medical, retail, and religious communities. Team leader Dr. Tom Baur is also working to create “Perfect Weight hubs” throughout the city. These hubs will allow participants to meet in small groups and create interaction between participants, businesses, and community centers. When the Perfect Weight America wellness plan was introduced in Toledo, the needle of health budged off “totally unhealthy” by a few degrees in the Glass City. So was what happened in Toledo a mere pebble thrown into a large lake, or was it the start of a ripple effect that touches shorelines far from the city’s borders? That’s a great question, and while no one has the answer at the moment, there's no doubt that the Perfect Weight America wellness plan made a difference. Those who participated were given the tools to make a difference in their lives, the lives of their loved ones, and the lives of those living in their community. The bottom line is this: Perfect Weight America worked for those in Toledo—and it can work for you, too!