Office Weight Loss Plans

With more than two-thirds of Americans overweight, it only makes sense that the impacts will be felt in the business world. The financial burden to both employers and employees has increased. A 2009 study led by Duke University obesity researcher Eric Finkelstein estimated that obesity costs have risen to $16,900 per capita for obese women with a body mass index, or BMI, over 40 in 2008. The cost for men was $15,500. The decision to create an office weight loss plan makes good economic sense that can yield positive results for all parties involved.

Costs of Obesity

Obesity costs employers in several ways, including absenteeism, health problems and loss of productivity. These three areas alone represent substantial losses. However, obesity carries another risk for employers and employees. A 2006 study by John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Injury Research and Policy looked at the connection between work injuries and obesity. Researchers found that 85 percent of workplace injuries involved overweight individuals, lending further support to company weight loss plans.

Types

The type of weight loss program a company uses can vary widely. It can be as easy as setting a weight loss goal with weekly weigh-ins. An office can implement more elaborate plans such as setting company-wide goals and rewards for the department that loses the most weight. They can also use programs that help build good health habits such as a step-tracking program. By encouraging employees to increase their daily steps to 12,000 or more, they can lose weight successfully.

Motivating Employees

The success of a workplace weight loss plan depends upon the motivation of the employees. Companies can offer incentives such as vacation time or cash rewards to employees who successfully complete fitness goals. This type of reward may be more successful than options such as an office party. An employee may be more likely to stick with a weight loss program if she has a direct association between weight loss success and the incentive. Companies can also provide support for weight loss through business communication and formation of teams.

Other Components

In addition to physical activity, office weight loss plans can offer additional ways to increase calorie burn. Simple changes can provide health benefits. A 2008 study by State University of New York-Buffalo had sedentary office workers use a therapy ball for desk work rather than the standard office chair. Researchers found that calorie burn increased by 4.1 calories per hour. While that may not sound like much, you need to only reduce your caloric intake or raise your calorie burn by 100 calories a day to avoid the average two-pound weight gain most Americans experience each year, explains a 2003 study by the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. An office weight loss plan needn't be elaborate to bring about favorable results.