Waist Management Participants Lose 600 Pounds by Challenge Midpoint


“Waist Management Challenge” participants have reached the midpoint of their 12 week challenge, reports Nancy Bedell, regional manager, Employee Health and Wellness. Their progress continues as the 120 participants have lost a total of more than 600 pounds,
Says Bedell, “Several people have lost five percent of their body weight and are right on schedule to reach the goal of 10 percent by the end, And we have one person who has lost eight percent!”
Bedell is especially pleased that nearly everyone who enrolled the challenge in January is still participating, and that team members participating at the different locations continue to meet and support each other.
Participants also are benefiting from education about weight loss, as she explains, “Early group meetings covered topics that could be considered the basic ‘tools’ for weight loss. We discussed keeping a food journal, setting goals, celebrating success and getting moving. From there we moved on to more specific issues, such as how to handle cravings and eating out while dieting. It’s like building a tool chest for losing weight. The final stretch will be how to stay motivated, dealing with weight loss plateaus and developing a transition plan for when final goals are met.”
Bedell is excited that as February gives way to March, Center for Integrative Medicine staff provide programs for participants on managing stress and how stress affects dieting. To complete the Mind-Body-Spirit cycle, the final educational sessions will be on exercise.
“The Employee Health and Wellness team is getting so much positive feedback about the program, it’s very gratifying to see the progress staff members are making and how much they are supporting each other,” says Bedell, “Several have said they don’t want it to end, so we are hoping to start a second challenge if we get enough interest. Current participants could just continue on but we also would want to enroll new folks as well.”
If you might be interested in enrolling in a Waist Management challenge later this spring, please contact Nancy Bedell, 410-822-1000, ext. 5144, nancy.bedell@umm.edu.