I Need Help Starting My Work's Biggest Loser Competition!

JRRCLR
JRRCLR Posts: 338 Member
edited September 28 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm starting a Biggest Loser competition at work. This is the 2nd time we've done it. We're gonna base the winner on % lost. To be eligible for a prize the ladies are going to put up $5 and it sounds like we have 4 ladies joining so the winner will get the whole pot of $20. We'll do the competition for a month and if we like how it goes we'll go another month and so on.
Has anyone ever done anything like this? I would like to make it more fun for so those that didn't join this time will want to join the next time...I'd also like to be able to keep the girls motivated somehow...I'd love to give little incentives but that isn't in the budget...
Anybody got any advice?

Replies

  • vold94
    vold94 Posts: 256
    My whole town does a biggest loser competition every January. They do it so each week the winner with highest % gets a small prize. Then ofcourse the grand prize winner gets big prize at end. But maybe if each week you can give little incentive prizes that don't cost much it would motivate them more! Good luck!
  • JRRCLR
    JRRCLR Posts: 338 Member
    My whole town does a biggest loser competition every January. They do it so each week the winner with highest % gets a small prize. Then ofcourse the grand prize winner gets big prize at end. But maybe if each week you can give little incentive prizes that don't cost much it would motivate them more! Good luck!

    I would love to but I'd be the one buying them and that's not in my budget...
    I have done paper clip chains with them before...each pound they lost they got a paper clip to add to their chain.
  • nanbaya
    nanbaya Posts: 3
    I am doing the exact same thing, Biggest Loser competition for this month with our local fitness center. We did it at the beginning of the year as well, so this is round 2 for me as well :) Have you considered going to some local business and asking for donations? That is what our fitness center did, and was able to come up with some fabulous prizes- also she hit up people who sell stuff like Avon, Shackley, Norwex, etc...and asked them if they could donate some "prize pack, or treat bags- that was an incentive for those types of businesses as well because they could put their business cards/catalogs in the prize bags and that would potentially give them some orders/business. We also did before/after pictures and put them up as well, and she even got the local newspaper to do an article, which was also motivating. Hope this helps!
  • nanbaya
    nanbaya Posts: 3
    I am doing the exact same thing, Biggest Loser competition for this month with our local fitness center. We did it at the beginning of the year as well, so this is round 2 for me as well :) Have you considered going to some local business and asking for donations? That is what our fitness center did, and was able to come up with some fabulous prizes- also she hit up people who sell stuff like Avon, Shackley, Norwex, etc...and asked them if they could donate some "prize pack, or treat bags- that was an incentive for those types of businesses as well because they could put their business cards/catalogs in the prize bags and that would potentially give them some orders/business. We also did before/after pictures and put them up as well, and she even got the local newspaper to do an article, which was also motivating. Hope this helps!
  • beverlyl64
    beverlyl64 Posts: 381
    We did $20 a piece, then the winners were the biggest amount lost, the highest percentage lost and the most motivated (the office voted on this one) They posted our loss' each week, it was a lot of fun
  • nasprewell
    nasprewell Posts: 17 Member
    We have one going on at my job now, but it is for the whole company and the winner gets a paid vacation day off. See if HR is willing to expand the competition that will make things more exciting!
  • mytime60
    mytime60 Posts: 176 Member
    We just finished one. There were 23 of us from work. We put $10 in the pot and we did it as teams this time (our 3rd time). Winners were based on % lost. We weighed in every week and charged .10 per 1/10 lb gain on the scale (ours was digital). We called it paying the pig. We actually had a Piggy Bank that oinked when you put money in it! lol This time we decided the winning team would get the whole pot; but in the past the money paid to the pig has been donated to the local food shelf or the one we ended just before christmas last year adopted a family for christmas. We bought xmas gifts and christmas dinner. By the way the contest we just ended lasted 20 weeks and the group as a whole lost 473.9 lbs!
  • jwbuffy
    jwbuffy Posts: 3
    We do a contest at my work. We have weigh ins every week. If you don't lose at least a half pound you have to put $5 into the pot. There was no initial money to start. We are doing a rolling 12 week contest. The winner is the person with the greatest percentage lost those 12 weeks. They win the pot.

    We have 7 people in the contest currently and are on the 2nd 12 weeks. The 1st 12 weeks we had 12 participants and the winner lost 38 lbs and got $150. (Don't remember the percentage lost)

    Our latest results: Week 4 - Total loss for the group of 7 was 66.20 pounds for the last 4 weeks.

    Hope this gives you a few ideas. Good luck on your contest and your weight loss journey.
  • mytime60
    mytime60 Posts: 176 Member
    I should have said the team thing worked best, because many people said they felt it was ok to let yourself down and paying a $1 here or there was no big deal; but no one want's to be the one to let down a team member.
  • barbpet55
    barbpet55 Posts: 6 Member
    I recently completed a 12 week Biggest Loser challenge. We had over 20 people participating and it cost $35 for the 12 weeks. Each week we weighed in and if you gained a pound, you had to add $1.00 to a kitty. Each week we had a weight loss count down where you all stood and then we kept saying who lost this many pounds or more to keep standing. When the last person was left standing, they revealed their weight loss for the week and won a small prize. At the end of the 12 weeks, we had a 1st place winner, a 2nd place winner and a winner for the money that was in the kitty. We had someone who taught nutrition do the class and they took all our measurements at the beginning and at the end. The top two winners were by total percentage lost. The person who won the money in the kitty was the one who lost the most inches. I came in 2nd place and won $165! I signed up to do it again!
  • JRRCLR
    JRRCLR Posts: 338 Member
    WOW! Thanks for all the great tips!
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