Biggest Loser Season 7 winner Helen Phillips went from a size 22 to a 2.
They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Based on that rationale, it should not be all that surprising to see that companies across the country have created programs which mimic the hit TV program “The Biggest Loser” in the quest to creating a trimmer workforce. And much like their television doppelganger, these in-house contests typically come with some sort of prize waiting for the most successful participants in the end. Inherently, it is a brilliant strategy to promote office wellness, as it combines familiarity, incentive, and competitive zeal into a ready-made program that is virtually guaranteed to be met with a great deal of enthusiasm. However, if it is not monitored properly to ensure good health is the main objective, the program could wade into somewhat treacherous waters.
As anyone who has organized a workforce competition of any kind, competing for all manner of prizes great and small has a spellbinding effect on people, to the point where people will be compelled to do whatever it takes to win. While that mindset may not be an issue if your office holds a chili cook-off, when it comes to a program based on The Biggest Loser, such a relentless streak could be a potentially dangerous situation if the contest is not monitored with a high level of scrutiny. For example, people may find it necessary to take radical dietary steps such as starvation or expulsion in their attempt to claim victory. As a wellness program, the ultimate goal behind a Biggest Loser type competition is good health; if someone attains victory by punishing their body via starvation or expulsion, then the true goal was not really achieved.
So, if you are inspired to build a wellness program around The Biggest Loser framework, how do you go about making sure that people conduct their weight loss appropriately? Admittedly, it can be difficult to prove that someone is resorting to unhealthy tactics to lose weight. However, you can curb the temptation to go about weight loss in an ill-advised manner by being proactive, constantly reiterating to the participants just how important it is to lose weight in a fashion that promotes good health along the way. Don’t be afraid to utilize methods such as handouts and statistic-laden e-mails to highlight the dangers of going about weight loss improperly. Also, you can encourage the right ways of shedding excess weight by splintering the competition into different categories and offer awards for each subdivision. For example, you could grant prizes for the biggest drop in BMI index or highest percentage of weight lost (a category that would the upper hand to people who don’t have as much weight to lose, so they do not feel the need to drop past an unhealthy weight threshold). The more categories you have will not only increase the chances of participants’ winning, but it can also go great lengths into discouraging unhealthy tricks.
Like I stated before, the most important message that you want to convey during a Biggest Loser-style contest (or any other weight loss program, for that matter) is the promotion of good health. If you strive to place as many parameters as you can to ensure people are not trying to achieve health through unhealthy means, you will succeed in spreading that very point.
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