Ideas needed for a work weight loss competition.

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cheli
cheli Posts: 40
in Motivation and Support
Hi Everyone!

So, I'm in charge of coming up with all the details for a work weight loss competition (so far it is me, and 3 of my bosses, lol). So far these are the details of the competition:

Starts next monday, weigh in will be every Monday (we're in a hospital, so we're just going to go to one of the clinic floors to weigh using a medical scale)
We will record our weight every week on our personal chart, but not share it until the end of the competition (they aren't comfortable sharing their current weight, but agree to reveal it at the end of the competition).
There is a $20 registration fee per person. The contest is 12 weeks, and the person with the greatest % weight lost in the end will win the sum of $ paid at registration.

I am also putting together folders for everyone. They do not have to be shared unless the person chooses to do so. In this folder will be the following:
-weigh charts
-a picture of themselves that they don't like that will serve as motivation
-an index card in which they have to write motivational phrases, as well as make a list of reasons in which they want to lose weight
-a pamphlet that I am going to make about common mental hurdles met (ie negative phrases one says to themselves, negative situations, etc) that may sabotage their success, and ways in which they can overcome them (I have a book that shows a lot of this stuff).

Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else can help me think of maybe extra details to add to the competition AND I also need more motivational and/or helpful things to go in the folders.

Your help is much appreciated! Thanks guys/gals!

Replies

  • cheli
    cheli Posts: 40
    Options
    Hi Everyone!

    So, I'm in charge of coming up with all the details for a work weight loss competition (so far it is me, and 3 of my bosses, lol). So far these are the details of the competition:

    Starts next monday, weigh in will be every Monday (we're in a hospital, so we're just going to go to one of the clinic floors to weigh using a medical scale)
    We will record our weight every week on our personal chart, but not share it until the end of the competition (they aren't comfortable sharing their current weight, but agree to reveal it at the end of the competition).
    There is a $20 registration fee per person. The contest is 12 weeks, and the person with the greatest % weight lost in the end will win the sum of $ paid at registration.

    I am also putting together folders for everyone. They do not have to be shared unless the person chooses to do so. In this folder will be the following:
    -weigh charts
    -a picture of themselves that they don't like that will serve as motivation
    -an index card in which they have to write motivational phrases, as well as make a list of reasons in which they want to lose weight
    -a pamphlet that I am going to make about common mental hurdles met (ie negative phrases one says to themselves, negative situations, etc) that may sabotage their success, and ways in which they can overcome them (I have a book that shows a lot of this stuff).

    Anyway, I was wondering if anyone else can help me think of maybe extra details to add to the competition AND I also need more motivational and/or helpful things to go in the folders.

    Your help is much appreciated! Thanks guys/gals!
  • soxygirl
    soxygirl Posts: 173
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    you could do mini-challenges during the week . . . push-up contests, guess the calories in something contest, etc., to keep people interested and motivated.
  • completeplan
    completeplan Posts: 8 Member
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    Just a thought...I think it is very important to Focus on Positive things and not negative. I would include a photo that would be close to the goal weight and pleasing to see. The kind of photo that makes you smile and hope you would still be younger and looked like that. That's what you work towards to. I wouldn't even want to open that folder if there was only negative things about me and a horriblle picture. I see myself in the mirror...all of it.. every day.:laugh:
  • bonniejo
    bonniejo Posts: 787 Member
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    What about a measurement chart too? I like the weekly challenges idea.

    Sounds like a very god idea! I wish there was something like that here at school that I could join!
  • ngwife4life
    ngwife4life Posts: 569
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    Compounding on the mini-challenge idea... I'm participating in a weight loss blog challenge and our first side challenge was to take pictures of everything we ate for the week and post them. The example of mine is here:

    http://andtodaysmenis.blogspot.com

    No criticizing what I eat! I'm incredibly picky and it's been challenging making changes but I'm making them little by little. Oh, and an article of inspiration:
    http://www.thatsfit.com/2009/03/26/slim-down-snap-photos-of-your-food/

    Storyboarding also helped for me. You start with your end goal, say lose 10 pounds in 6 weeks and then work backwards with steps you can take to get there i.e. drink a minimum 64 oz of water a day, exercise at least 120 minutes a week, etc. I think weight watchers does something like this with some of their tools or something. I can't remember.
  • briblue72
    briblue72 Posts: 672 Member
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    If you get a lot more people in on it, you may want to do a 2nd and 3rd place prize.

    I did this last year at the school I work at. 3rd place got their $20 back, 2nd place got $40, and 1st place took the rest (which was ME :tongue: and about $360)!
  • cheli
    cheli Posts: 40
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    Just a thought...I think it is very important to Focus on Positive things and not negative. I would include a photo that would be close to the goal weight and pleasing to see. The kind of photo that makes you smile and hope you would still be younger and looked like that. That's what you work towards to. I wouldn't even want to open that folder if there was only negative things about me and a horriblle picture. I see myself in the mirror...all of it.. every day.:laugh:

    understandable, i just thought of the idea because there was a wedding that they went to this weekend for a coworker and when they saw the pictures they all said "OMG, I gotta lose weight". I was however, for the positive, thinking of having them put together a scrap book of motivational pictures, etc, (like a vision board, but compact) to help keep them going as well. i, for example, don't really have a realistic motivational picture of myself to put in because i don't have many pictures of myself at that weight (i've been struggling with my weight as long as i can remember - i think my current profile pic is one of the only decent pics i have of myself at my goal weight), maybe i'll leave it up to them....tell them whatever they find most motivating is what they can put in there.
  • cheli
    cheli Posts: 40
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    If you get a lot more people in on it, you may want to do a 2nd and 3rd place prize.

    I did this last year at the school I work at. 3rd place got their $20 back, 2nd place got $40, and 1st place took the rest (which was ME :tongue: and about $360)!

    yeah...there don't seem to be many people at my work that want to lose weight. a lot of them are tiny and skinny, or they just don't give a s**t. I'm in Detroit...one of the fattest cities in the US...and for good reason I suppose....a lot of people I work with just really don't care. They love to eat and hate to exercise. I'm trying to get word out though into other labs (i'm in the main lab in the hospital, but I'm hoping to tell others in out neighboring labs), so if we get say 10 ppl or more, then we can do 2nd and 3rd place. right now there is only $80 to dispurse.
  • sportygal
    sportygal Posts: 221 Member
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    You might also want to focus on a body fat/muscle ratio. People could lose 10 lbs. just in water weight and not be healthy. Also you gain muscle mass which weighs more than fat.
    It might make your challenge more fair.

    Fitness challenges might also be fun too. People could get bonus points for every fitness challenge they win.

    Hope you all have a blast!
    Happy Health!

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    Created by MyFitnessPal.com - Free Food Diary
  • cheli
    cheli Posts: 40
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    You might also want to focus on a body fat/muscle ratio.

    But how would we do that exactly? We have no accurate way of taking body fat measurements. Great idea though!
  • sportygal
    sportygal Posts: 221 Member
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    You might also want to focus on a body fat/muscle ratio.

    But how would we do that exactly? We have no accurate way of taking body fat measurements. Great idea though!

    I'm sure online there is a way to calculate it. I know at the gym when we had a challenge it was a ratio of starting/ending weight and starting/ending measurements. Hope your challenge goes well!

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