Jackson Free Press

Dirk Dedeaux knows the cost of obesity to Mississippi taxpayers. Dedeaux, a Democratic representative from Perkinston, chairs the House Medicaid Committee, giving him a front seat to witness the economic toll obesity takes on the state, which some projections put at nearly $4 billion annually by 2018.

"The obesity problem costs our state millions of dollars each year in public spending on Medicaid (and) on lost productivity in the workforce," Dedeaux says.

This session, for the second year in a row, Dedeaux, 38, participated in Fit 4 Change, a fitness challenge that pits legislators against each other in a weight-loss competition.

For 12 weeks, Dedeaux woke up at 5:20 a.m. to attend hour-long workouts run by Jackson-area physical-fitness trainer Paul Lacoste. While the program is nominally a competition, Dedeaux said that cameradie among the participants is a large part of the program's appeal and effectiveness.

"I would not get up every morning to do this by myself," he says. " If you're going to be suffering doing some kind of workout routine, you want to be suffering with all of your friends. And it's good to see people that you work with in a non-work environment, because that kind of reinforces the relationships you have with the people in the House."

Dedeaux was already satisfied with his weight and participated primarily to maintain it, but even he noticed significant changes over the 12 weeks. His blood pressure, heart rate and blood sugar all dropped from before the program, and he noticed gaining muscle and shedding fat.

Fit 4 Change, sponsored by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation, culminated March 30 with a 5K run that started and finished at the Capitol. Dedeaux surprised himself by finishing in 28 minutes.

He hopes that legislators' participation in the program can motivate their constituents to change their lifestyles as well.

"If we call people's attention to the need for a healthier lifestyle, we'll have a healthier work force (and) our work force will be more productive. It'll be good for everybody," he says.