For three months, 95 IRC employees participated in a weight loss challenge as part of IRC’s Wellness Program. The annual Biggest Loser Challenge is a great challenge that emphasizes camaraderie, social interaction, and motivation. Nutritionist Valerie Mosher guided 21 groups to successfully complete the challenge. The total weight loss was more than 800 pounds, with a percentage loss of more than 22%; this was calculated with a simple formula of adding up every group’s percentage weight loss and dividing it by the total number of groups that participated.
So that participants could grasp how much weight was lost, the WOW Program provided them with some fun facts: 800 pounds is equivalent to 350,000 jelly beans, 600 basketballs, and half the size of an average cow. With weekly weigh-ins, each group had team captains that were responsible for collecting weights from their team members. Team captains would then send weights monthly and those numbers were recorded to tracked as both individual and group weights.
With so many fads and diets, Nutritionist and challenge leader Valerie Mosher warned participants about drastic weight loss and gave them tips on keeping the competition nice and healthy. All groups also had access to a private Facebook page where Valerie would post articles, recipes, and words of encouragement.
At the end of the three months, a winning group was chosen based on the group’s percentage weight loss. Each member of the group won a $75 Nike gift card. The winning group consisted of 5 motivated ladies from the Intake department: Monique Lucio, Margaret Garcia, Arlene Terrazas, Evelyn De La Torre, and Wendy Elias. In the end, they lost more than 8% of their original weight with a total group loss of 75.8 pounds. The top three individuals overall in the competition were also recognized: Nicholas Terrazas lost the most weight with a 14% loss; Arlene Terrazas came in second place with a loss of 13% loss; and Margarett Meza and Cyndy Niebres tied for third place, each with a 12% weight loss.
Aside from the Biggest Loser and weekly on-site classes, a new addition to the WOW Program are 21-Day Challenges. So far, we have offered challenges on eating a healthy breakfast and avoiding added sugars for 21 days straight. The final upcoming challenge will be getting 6-8 hours of sleep every night.
About IRC’s Wellness Program
The Working on Wellness (WOW) Program is designed to encourage our employees to lead healthy lifestyles. From on-site yoga and meditation classes, to discounted gym memberships to health challenges, the WOW program caters to many needs.
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