"Biggest Loser" contest at work....GRRRRR!!!!

[XUfan]

So, last week, we got a paper with our paycheck, telling us that they're starting a Biggest Loser contest at work. It starts at the end of May, and continues through the end of August. They're only weighing in once a month (which I find strange).

So, the paper talks about losing weight to be healthier. Then, it goes on to say that there will be info about nutrition, exercise, etc. in the break room, to help us through the contest.

So, why am I upset?

I work in a nursing home. It's a health-care facility. You can look around and see the effects of NOT taking care of yourself, just by looking at some of the residents. So, you would think that the emphasis would be on losing weight in a safe, healthy way.

NOPE!

When I asked, I was told that "anything goes". You don't have to follow any certain diet. You don't have to exercise. You just have to lose weight.

Fine! There's a girl I work with, who is taking prescription diet pills (which she is NOT getting from a doctor, but that's another story). She takes them in the morning, then eats nothing all day long, and has cottage cheese for dinner. She's lost 40 pounds in 3 months. But she looks awful! Her hair looks dead and her complexion is pasty!

So...if I join this contest, and I stay on Weight Watchers, and walk a couple of miles every day, I'll lose 1 or 2 pounds per week...which is HEALTHY! She'll starve herself, and win $250.

How can they allow this? All of the paperwork talks about being healthy. But they're going to allow diet pills and starvation? Really???

OK...tell me that I'm way off base. I can take it.

[mom2lucas]

How will they really know how one looses weight? I understand your frustration, but I can't see how they could police those who follow unhealthy weight loss strategies.

[meggers]

Carol, I agree, but I also see where mom2lucas is coming from too. Ideally, they would bring in a dietician to teach a class once a week for 30 minutes. And yet, you'd still have cottage cheese girl doing as she wanted.

I'm a huge fan (pun intended...lol) of The Biggest Loser & you even see them trying to forego eating when they're not supposed to & they're taught very well. This gal might lose it & keep it off, but she will have learned nothing in the process. What you learn about yourself & about food, is the real prize.

[XUfan]

You're both right. There's no way that they can regulate this, and make sure that everyone does it the healthy way. I guess I'm just grumpy today. It doesn't help that 50% of my shifts are with "cottage cheese girl". She constantly talks about how much weight she's lost...and makes for a long night at work. (Can you tell that I have to work with her tonight?)

[meggers]

Tell her you read that eating too much cottage cheese is the reason for cottage cheese thighs. Hence the term, "cottage cheese thighs."

And you won't be lying cause you read it right here.

[cheynesnana]

Tell her you read that eating too much cottage cheese is the reason for cottage cheese thighs. Hence the term, "cottage cheese thighs."

And you won't be lying cause you read it right here.

[JulieDB]

That's sad. Some years ago I went on a diet with two of my friends from work. One did Jenny Craig, one did Nutrasystem and I did my own diet. We all lost 30 pounds in the same amount of time. Only I kept it off for about 2 years. They gained it back rapidly when they could no longer stand the diet. I needed to lose more weight, continued on the diet. Didn't gain, but didn't lose. And then eventually gained it back and then some.

I do not like that Biggest Loser show. I have never seen but a few minutes of it but have read magazine articles about those people. It doesn't sound to me like they care if the people are healthy or happy or not.

[cintinative]

I know what you mean. I had a bunch of friends doing that HcG diet last year while I was doing the traditional diet and exercise route. They lost it faster, but I still lost it, and I feel like I have changed my lifestyle as a result. So pat yourself on the back for making a life change for the better!

[Rene S]

First of all, I can't believe your workplace is having this type of contest! I could understand if they were promoting healthy living, eating, exercise to get lowering insurance rates--then you would both win.

What your co-worker is doing is pathetic, actually. She's hurting her health, and the minute she goes back to a "normal" diet, she'll gain it all back and then some.

IMO you should do the right thing and eat healthy and exercise. Let cottage cheese girl have the prize--you'll be the winner in the long run.

[kschick96]

It's a fun idea-I think they were planning for this to be a moral booster-but I honestly think it will backfire due to the all of the reasons listed before my post.

Keep doing what you are doing-Weight Watchers is one of the healthest ways to lose weight-I am proud of you for keeping it up! :)