My co-workers and I always seem to be talking about losing weight to improve our well-being. The topic came up again one lunch break and, after some discussion, we decided to combine weight loss with friendly competition, and our Weight Loss Challenge was born!
Basically, we weighed-in every Monday for six weeks. The amount of pounds we lost (or gained) was converted into a percentage of our starting weight. Whoever lost the highest percentage at the end of six weeks would be declared our #1 loser!
We supported each other by encouraging healthy eating and moving more during the day. But, there were some sabotages along the way, like people leaving a cake and other snacks on my desk. Oh the temptation!
After six weeks, the results were in and the 24 participants collectively lost 89.5 pounds, or 3.72 pounds per person. So, as a group, we were all losers!
We declared two winners, one male and one female. Here’s what they shared about our challenge:
Lynelle - For me, it wasn’t really changing the food I ate, just how much of it I ate. Vegetables became the predominant food on my plate instead of the carbs and protein. I didn’t deny myself anything (desserts, chocolate, etc.), just practiced moderation. I began taking only half servings of what I usually would eat and see if I was satisfied. For the majority of the time, I was.
I also tried my best to not eat after 7 p.m. However, popcorn is always an exception.
Darren - I got in it because I had let my eating habits slide. It was fun competing with friends while making changes at the same time.
I cut back on carbs, and ate more vegetables. My biggest challenge was cutting back on snacking. During the challenge there seemed to be a lot of snacks that appeared on my desk. They definitely knew my weakness. And that’s what made the competition fun!
I had bad eating habits because I had gotten lazy. The challenge made me more intentional about my diet. I plan to keep eating well now that it’s over. I’ll go off-track every now and then, but I just won’t let it become a habit.
Pictured L-R: Moani Wright-Van Alst, Lei Manoi, Colleen Cappon, Alice Nagano, Trey Takahashi, Lynelle Fox, Darren Matsuda, Marysia Wu, Catherine Kikuchi, and Ash Tsuji.
