Department of Personnel

Yes, it's that time of year again - resolutions, goals and the Weight Loss Challenge. The Bee-Fit Weight Loss Challenge has undergone some exciting changes and promises an even better competition than ever before.

This fun program encourages people to come together and take control of their health by losing excess weight and turning back the deadly toll of weight-related diseases that threaten nearly half of Americans. Participating in this challenge is not only about shedding those extra pounds, it's about taking the time to fight the very real risk that being overweight poses to you and your families.

 What are the differences this year?

The competition itself has not changed at all, there's just more of it! Instead of having ONE ten-week competition (January - April), we will have TWO eight-week competitions (January - March and July - September).  And, instead of THREE maintenance weigh-ins at three, six and nine months, we will have ONE maintenance weigh-in in May for the first competition and ONE in November for the second competition.

You will still receive the same number of incentives and there are several other benefits:

• Participants will have TWO chances per year to win some great prizes (vs. one).
• Those who participate in both competitions are engaged in a competitive weight-loss mindset for 16 weeks (vs. 10 weeks).
• Employees who didn't participate in the first competition can join the second (vs. waiting an entire year to join a team).
• Participants will have six "official" weight measurements per year (vs. five), creating more accountability.

 What do you need to know to get started?

• The first competition begins January 24, 2011 and ends March 18, 2011.
• Form a team of three to five employees, elect a team captain (all captains must have an active employee e-mail address because all registration forms and logs must be sent via email this year), complete a registration form and return it to Matt Meyers via e-mail, MeyersM@stlouiscity.com before Wednesday, January 12, 2011.
• Beginning Monday, January 18, Matt Meyers, Bee-Fit Wellness Coordinator and Kevin Simpher, HR Specialist, will visit your worksite for an initial "weigh-in" on the official scale. If you don't already have a scale at your worksite, an inexpensive unofficial scale will be provided, once the competition starts, for you to track progress.
• At the end of each week, team members will weigh in with their team captain on the worksite scale. This year all team captains must communicate team totals each week to Matt Meyers via e-mail or telephone. (These totals will be used to track progress only and will have no bearing on individual or team prizes.)
• During the week of March 21, Matt and Kevin will re-visit your worksite for the final "weigh-in" on the official scale.
• Individual and team winners will be determined by percentage of weight lost, not total pounds lost. For example, if your team's starting weight was 400 lbs. and you lost 50 lbs., your percentage lost would be 12.5%.
• To be eligible to win the team and/or individual competition, participants must be within 10 lbs. of their final weight from the 2010 Weight Loss Challenge, at the initial 2011 weigh-in.

Prizes:

All participants who report their weight each week and complete the 10-week program will receive a Bee-Fit Weight Loss Challenge t-shirt.

Individual Prizes:

1^st Place - Flat Screen LCD-TV (valued at $300)

2^nd Place - Wii gaming system (valued at $200)

3^rd Place - Garmin GPS System (valued at $100)

 

Team Prizes:

1^st Place - Digital Camera (valued at $100)

2^nd Place - 7" Widescreen Digital Picture Frame (valued at $80)

3^rd Place - 2GB iPod Shuffle (valued at $50)

 Last year we had 700 participants lose a total of 3600 pounds during the 10-week competition. Let's blow those numbers out of the water this year and start 2011 with the resolve to make this year your year of health and wellness!

Please contact Matt Meyers at meyersm@stlouiscity.com for a registration form and a weekly log sheet.  All forms and weekly logs must be sent via email this year.

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