"I watched quietly as hundreds of thousands of people lost weight on the 50 Million Pound Challenge, but Pam El--the vice president of marketing who is responsible for getting State Farm to sponsor this initiative--continued to gain weight and look unhealthy. Then one day, the reality of her situation struck her. She looked at me, almost crying, and decided enough was enough.
This is her story.
Dr. Ian Smith
Dear Challengers,
For the last two years, I have read your stories and been moved by your struggles and your successes. I have lived through your trials and tribulations. Dr. Ian has urged me several times to tell you my story but I have hesitated. Why? Because sometimes reality hurts.
My life has been like the “tale of two cities.” I have found true success and happiness in my professional career. I have worked hard to get to my current position of running the marketing department for one of the largest companies in America. I have the rare pleasure of saying that professionally I’m doing EXACTLY what I want to do.
Personally, I have a wonderful life. I've been married to my best friend for 15 years and have two phenomenal step children who love me for me. I have dear family and friends who I can trust with my life and a mother and 5 siblings who taught me everything that's important at a very early age. Personally, I am happy and grateful for all of the blessings I’ve had and continue to have.
So it was hard for me to come to grips with the fact that I could be so completely successful in my professional and personal life and fail so miserably in my health life, specifically when it comes to my weight issues that I’ve excused away at times and ignored at others.
Like millions of other Americans, I have struggled with weight for the past 20 years and have failed over and over again in my attempts to get it off and keep it under control. My repeated failures have been extremely painful.
About 2 years ago, with high blood pressure and teetering on diabetes, I picked up Dr. Ian’s book, The Fat Smash Diet and started losing weight successfully and consistently for the first time in a long time. Then when all was going well, I did what I’ve done for decades. I faultered and surrendered. Again. My typical pattern—smell a little bit of success, then stop for no apparent reason.
I then took on the "challenge" of my life. I partnered with Dr. Ian Smith, to promote the 50 Million Pound Challenge to all of America.
This uniquely visionary and heartfelt initiative, which I brought to State Farm to sponsor, sent me and others out on the roads of America promoting weight loss and healthy lifestyles. We were touching millions of people with our message.
So while helping others gain control of their weight and health, what did I do? I gained weight!!!
Then my moment of truth happened. I saw myself on one of the documentary videos we had been shooting for The Challenge. I was paralyzed as I watched myself. There I was, successful, happy, hard-working and morbidly obese. 5'2" and 217 pounds. I looked tired and old. I looked uncomfortable and vulnerable. But mostly I looked like a hypocrite. I was traveling all over the country speaking to hundreds of thousands of people about the advantages of a free weight loss initiative and I looked like the poster child for obesity. A health time bomb ticking away.
I knew then and there I needed to change or this project, which is so near and dear to my heart, would be seen by the external world as an embarrassment. I also knew that I was going to become a statistic if I didn’t get serious and really turn my life around!
So I went to work. I began reading and then following Dr. Ian’s 4 Day Diet™. It is a program that I credit for saving my very life. I lost 40 pounds in 6 months. I am now down a total 64 pounds, from 217 to 153. My goal weight is 140. I have gone from a size 18 to a size 10 and am very close to wearing an 8, something I never imagined would happen again in my life.
Needless to say, my entire life has changed. My relationship with food and exercise has changed. My destructive behaviors have changed. I have a workout partner who has supported me through everything and I keep a daily journal that keeps me focused and informed. My physician says I have "walked away" from the early signs of diabetes and my blood pressure medicine has been reduced and will soon no longer be needed.
I have done one of the hardest things people ever do, and I have done it successfully. I have lost weight and I have kept it off, but more importantly I have gained control of my life by getting control of my health.
Some may say, “Sure, if I traveled the country with Dr. Ian by my side, I’d lose weight too.” Let me clarify. I spent the first year and a half of my time with Dr. Ian gaining weight! It was not until I had that “moment with the video” that I found my true motivation and was able to lose and truly change my habits.
Though I did use all three of Dr. Ian’s diet books to help me with my diet and exercise, it was my own motivation that made the difference.
One thing I did learn from Dr. Ian and have confirmed it by reading your stories, “once you set your mind to it, you can do anything.”
The 50 Million Pound Challenge has literally saved my life. I know it can save millions of others.
Pam El
I am so proud of Pam. She lost weight with vigor by meticulously following the 4 Day Diet™and not only did she lose more than 60 pounds, but she inspired thousands of others who have seen her success and were encouraged that they too could succeed."
Dr. Ian Smith
Hi, I am a thirty year old African-American female. I was introduced to the 50 Million Pound Challenge through our local radio station here in Columbia, SC. 
I first heard about the 50 Million Pound Challenge & Dr. Ian at my sorority (Zeta Phi Beta) national leadership conference. The sorority had recently announced at the national level that each of it's regions would have a team and I was very excited about participating. 
