Sometimes New Year’s resolutions are hard to keep, but there’s a program in Alabama designed to motivate and keep participants on track toward their weight loss goals.

Scale Back Alabama is in its sixth year and is a 10-week contest designed to encourage people to lose weight in a healthy way and have fun while they are doing it.

Last year, 33,000 people participated with a combined weight loss of 143,309 pounds.

“The new year is a perfect time to think about establishing good habits that will make you healthier,” said Karen Herring, Troy Regional Medical Center’s marketing director.

Teams of four signed up to participate in the statewide contest this week. A participant’s goal is to lose a pound a week. Every person who loses 10 pounds during the contest will be entered for a chance to win one of 50 prizes of $100.

Teams where every member reaches their goal of 10 pounds will be entered into a drawing for one of three grand prizes ranging from $250 per team member to $1,000 per team member.

Every person who completes the program, whether they lose 10 pounds or not, will be placed in a drawing for one of five participation prizes of $50.

“We’re really encouraging healthy weight loss, not crash dieting,” Herring said.

The Troy Regional Medical Center is a weigh-in site for the Pike County area.

The deadline to register a team for Scale Back Alabama was Friday and prize winners will be announced on April 30.

Throughout the contest, participants will be provided with tips on how to eat healthier, use portion control and exercise.

Herring said this may be the best showing ever for local participations with 17 teams registering. Regions Bank is one of the businesses in Troy that is participating as an office.

They signed up four teams to challenge each other during the 10-week competition.

The program is hosted by Alabama hospitals and the Alabama Department of Public Health. For more information, visit www.scalebackalabama.com.