MFA Oil’s annual Biggest Loser Challenge returned this past January to encourage employees company-wide to get healthy in 2018. Throughout the 10-week competition, employees participated in regular weigh-ins to track their weight loss. The 49 individuals who joined lost an average of 3.89 percent of their weight.
While an overall goal of improving health served as an incentive in the challenge, employees also had monetary motivation to support their weight loss goals. Participants paid a $10 fee to join the competition, and the prize money was split among the top three winners for both the men and women, respectively. The winning team and top three individuals for each gender also received a jacket as part of their reward.
Mitch McCleary, service desk technician, won the men’s competition with a loss of 12.37 percent of his body weight, earning him $94.50. Bert Bryson, accounts payable lead clerk, lost 11.33 percent, winning her $126 and first place in the women’s contest. McCleary, a winner of the Biggest Loser Challenge in 2016 as well, says cutting out sugar for the first 20 days and maintaining a restrictive calorie intake helped him to lose the weight.
“I focused on cutting out soda and maintaining portion control in my diet in order to win the challenge,” says Bryson. “You don’t realize how much soda you drink in one day when you’re sitting at your desk.”
Team Raptor Claw was this year’s top team, with a combined total weight loss of 30.19 percent. The team members included McCleary; Adam Kertz, application support analyst; William Bybel, service desk analyst; and Shane Griffith, retail technology supervisor.
All participants received a Fuel 4 Life cooler for their efforts.
Congratulations to everyone who participated in this year’s competition!