Weight Loss Competition Ideas....

Hi J.,

Make sure you judge the event by highest percentage of body weight lost. Record everyone's starting weight, and have them weigh in weekly. Instead of reporting everyone's weight, you could report on the % of body weight lost.

The other thing you could do is to do a true "Fitness" challenge instead of weight loss. Have everyone do a short workout, and then in 60 days repeat the workout and see who improves their time. We do this at our gym. Here is the short workout we use, and it's done for time:

Row 500 meters
40 Air Squats
30 sit-ups
20 push-ups
10 pull-ups

You could also do something easier such as seeing who can improve their 1 mile run time the most.

Just a thought! Good luck!

J.

A few years ago, we did a Biggest Loser type competition at work. Participants paid $50 each. We were in teams of 4 and weighed in with the school nurse, so it was confidential. At the end of the contest, I think it was 4 - 5 months, we weighed in again. The team with the largest percentage of weight loss won the prize money - $350 each. We did not do weekly weigh ins and our weight loss was on our own - no group activities or such. Each person decided on their own how they were going to lose the weight. 75% of my team did Weight Watchers. The money came in handy to buy much needed new clothes!

Good for you! My sisters and I recently started a Biggest Looser competitions similar to the one described below. Different amounts to "buy in", based on our incomes. One sister, the self-appointed coach since she is a PT and is in awesome shape, weighed us each on the start day.

We are required DAILY to send an email with our food intake, exercise activities, pedometer readings and inspiring thoughts or quotes. We "reply all" so everyone can give everyone else support (defeats the "competition" aspect- but it works since we are all close and we all need encouragement.

Pedometer goal for me: 5 miles a day. Some days it is easy, some days NOT! But, it is a great objective measure of my activity level and I can score "steps" playing at the park and chasing my kids.

The plan is to weigh in again at the end- 120 days- and winner takes all!

Right now, I am reading/listening to an incredible book my "coach" recommended and I think it is going to be a huge help for me:. I got it on Amazon.com.

I Can Make You Thin, my Paul McKenna. He is like the "Dr. Phil" of England. It deals with EMOTIONAL EATING and sabotage and cravings!! My down falls. The CD is very good- like self-hyponosis. It helped me recover from Diet Coke cravings!

GOOD LUCK!!

J.,

My work recently did this type of competition. They had each person contribute money ($15 I think). People weighed in weekly and reported their weight loss. The person who lost the most weight each week earned a small monetary prize. Then, at the end of the competition, the person with the greatest total weight loss earned the largest amount of money, and second and third place earned a smaller amount of money.

Whatever way you chose to compete, be sure to use www.sparkpeople.com as a resource. It's a diet and fitness and weight loss site, and it's completely free! It has been a godsend for me and so many others.