Houston-Corporate 1st Biggest Loser Challenge

Houston Colleagues Lose Weight, Raise Money in the Biggest Loser Challenge Twenty colleagues from Mercer’s Houston office committed to a true test of will power: Entering a Biggest Loser Challenge to see who could lose the most weight over a three-month period – which included the tempting holiday season. The challenge, which began in September, was open to everyone in the Houston office and attracted contestants from all lines of business. Each participant contributed $30 – $20 toward the prize money, with the remaining $10 ($260 total) donated to the Houston Food Bank. The contestants competed for all or nothing, which meant that the first place winner collected the entire $400 grand prize. There were no rules or requirements other than weighing in at the office every two weeks. “I'm not normally the type of person who participates in something like the Biggest Loser Challenge; however, the previous January, my wife had pledged to get into the best shape of her life and saw very good results, and around the time our challenge was announced, I had finally decided to lose weight,” said Matt Grapentine, an H&B consultant and the winner of the challenge. “So, on a whim, I joined in, not really expecting to win the top prize, but knowing that the motivation would help. The thing is, nobody could make the decision for me – I had to decide for myself that it was time to get in shape.” Kathryn Cark, an H&B consultant, organized the event to help colleagues get healthy for the holidays. She provided a steady stream of health tips, recipes and motivational messages throughout the challenge to keep everyone on track. For example, the participants were encouraged to keep a food diary where they could note everything they consumed, their mood at the time, where they ate, and so forth, all so they could become more conscious of their eating habits. At the final weigh-in in December, Matt won the grand prize with an 11% loss of total body weight. Kristi Parker, South Zone Clinical Consulting Pharmacist, and Maria Erlewein, Client Data Administrator, tied for second place with a 9% loss, and Theresa Thornton, H&B Brokerage Consultant, took third place with a 6% loss. “I'm currently down about 40 pounds and have lost more inches than I'm willing to admit publicly. While I'm currently holding steady at my current weight, I'm about to re-start my weekly gym routine and plan to drop another 30 to 40 pounds,” said Matt. “Eating healthier foods has led to a huge change in my awareness around food, calories, sodium and fat content. My new-found healthy eating habits are helping my children as well. It's not unusual anymore for my children, ages five and 11, to ask if we can have salad for dinner – as the main course.” All together, the contestants lost 116.5 pounds even though they faced daunting stretch of the year from Halloween through Thanksgiving and into the Christmas season. “The important thing to remember is that everyone who participated is a winner. Almost everyone lost at least some weight and we're all healthier for it,” said Matt.