Research shows that organized weight loss groups have a higher success rate than people trying to lose weight on their own.
Steps
Step 1. Consider the time of year
January and late spring are both good times to start the challenge. In January, people often make a New Year's promise to lose weight; in late spring, people get ready for the bikini test and feel more motivated.
Step 2. Set a time for an organization meeting
You will have to establish the rules of the competition and guidelines on the choice of diet.
Step 3. Recruit attendees to come to your meeting
To get people to enter your contest, consider these ideas:
- Post an ad in your work newsletter.
- Post flyers in the food court, gym or bar.
- Word of mouth.
- Send group emails that give people the opportunity to sign up for the challenge.
- Post an ad on your company's internal network.
- Use social networks to advertise your contest. You can also create a dedicated Facebook page.
Step 4. Establish a location for the weekly weigh-in
Also, choose a support person who does not participate and takes care of the weighing and recording of the results.
Step 5. Decide the cost of registration
Use the money you collect to purchase the weekly, monthly and final prizes. Alternatively, you can collect all the proceeds and award a cash prize to the contest winner.
Step 6. Draw up the rules of the contest
Make sure you cover these important topics:
- The dates of the competition
- Whether people will have to lose weight individually or as part of a team
- The composition of the teams, including the numbers of members and their respective team leaders.
- Place where the weighing will take place
- Registration fees and premium information
- Method of translating the lost kilos into points (you could for example evaluate a scoring system that takes into account the percentage and not the absolute weight loss, to make the competition more fair)
- Attendance requirements for the countries and the weekly meetings you plan
Step 7. Organize weekly support activities
They will be a useful emotional support and you can learn new weight loss strategies.
- Use coffee breaks or lunch breaks to catch up with the attendees. Discuss what worked or not during your weight loss program.
- Engage in group physical activities, such as walking or training. Sign up for a charity walk, or a 5 or 10 kilometer run.
- Try to find an agreement with local gyms to create group training programs and to enlist the help of instructors and personal trainers.
- Attend health classes or programs as a group.
- Organize healthy dinners where each participant will bring something, to share your recipes or meet in a restaurant that offers healthy dishes.
Step 8. Create your Biggest Loser challenges
A competitive spirit will help people not to lose motivation.
- Give awards or recognition to the person who has trained for the most hours in a week, to the one who has walked the most steps or miles on foot or by bicycle.
- Organize a spinning class or treadmill race to determine who can walk the most meters in 90 minutes.
- Compete to see who can do the most pushups or situps or who can jump rope for the longest time.
- Organize a contest to determine who can climb the office stairs in the shortest time.
- Compete in a fitness class, relay race, tug of war or swimming competition.
Step 9. Celebrate a job well done
Organize a ceremony to award prizes to teams and individuals. Make sure all rewards are for fitness, to preserve the spirit of the contest.
- Create a trophy for the winner or the winning team.
- Assign small fitness equipment or a large item like a treadmill or elliptical.
- Give a cash prize or gift certificate to a sporting goods store.
- Assign a trip to a spa or a membership to a local gym.
- Reward 10 lessons with a personal trainer.
Advice
- Your workplace isn't the only place where you can throw a Biggest Loser challenge. You can challenge people in your neighborhood, your family members, your schoolmates, people from your church or people you met on the internet.
- Join The Biggest Loser League on the internet. Your challenge will be visible to The Biggest Loser community, and this will give you more motivation.
