How To Host A Biggest Loser Competition
The Biggest Loser television show has helped many people to lose weight. Now many businesses are assisting their employees to shed those extra kilos. Holding an in house Biggest Loser competition is one way to motivate your staff to become healthier and to lose weight.
Here are some basic rules to follow, if you want to ensure the competition is a success.
1 – Formal Weigh In
Competitors should weigh in periodically over the competition. You may like to have a prize for the most weight lost each week. Consider also checking percentage of body weight lost and not just kilos. Body Mass Index is a good indicator of the percentage of body weight lost. It means that everyone has equal chance to win.
Tell participants before the competition how the biggest loser will be decided. You may like to give two prizes, one for the person who loses the most kilos in total, and one who loses the largest percentage of their body mass.
While the weigh in process should be formal, consistent and overseen by an independent person, preferably a doctor, it can also be private. You may consider publishing results such as number of kilos lost each week by each competitor but their actual weight should remain confidential. Some people will be more likely to enter the competition if their colleagues do not need to find out their weight.
2 – Reasonable Time Limit
Having a definite starting and ending point to the competition is essential. Do not plan to have the competition drag on for too many months, as people’s attention and interest will wane. The competition should ideally run for about eight to ten weeks. This is enough time to register substantial weight loss, without giving people time to become bored with the competition.
Healthy weight loss is about one to two kilos a week and many people could lose ten to 15 kilos over the two to three month period of the competition.
3 – Food Intake and Exercise Diaries
Giving your employees information about healthy eating plans and exercise ideas is a good start to the competition. Some companies are also providing food intake and exercise diaries, so the participants can keep track of what they are eating and how much they are exercising.
4 – Great Prizes
Incentive is a great motivator. Having a decent prize for the person who wins the competition is one way to motivate the staff to lose weight. You may consider charging an entry fee, with the biggest loser at the end receiving the cash. Holidays, gym memberships and gift vouchers make great prizes.
As well as having one prize for the biggest loser, you may like to consider having several other prizes for all the participants. You can have smaller prizes for the winner of each weekly weigh in, or a prize for all participants who do lose some weight.
5 – Encouragement and Support from All
Losing weight is never easy. Encourage everyone in the company to support the participants in the competition. Ensure there are no wisecracks, or teasing for someone who makes the effort to lose weight in the competition.
You may like to get everyone involved by giving prizes for the best healthy meal recipes provided by the staff. Give the recipes to the participants in the competition to try. Create an atmosphere where celebrations mark the achievements and weight loss of all the participants, even if they do not win. Any weight loss is a benefit to the individual.
Benefits of Hosting the Competition
Hosting a Biggest Loser competition at work encourages all staff to eat healthier meals and to exercise regularly. Even those who do not enter the formal competition are likely to try to eat well. Healthier staff will mean higher productivity generally, as people work better when they are healthier. Healthy staff need less time off work for sick leave.
Promoting healthy eating, weight loss and exercise for the staff can give a business a competitive edge, as people will see the company as socially responsible and caring.
Hosting a Biggest Loser at Work competition can only bring you benefits. After all, what do you have to lose?