DRMC Biggest Losers Are the Biggest Winners
It might be all the food you ate over the holidays, pants that start feeling a little tight, or New Year’s resolutions, but people tend to talk about dieting once the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1 …
Jon Michel, Cara Imm, Gary Cates, Doug Mangas
In 2009, Gary Cates, president of Defiance Regional Medical Center (DRMC) and DRMC Employee Wellness Council member, issued a 12-week weight loss challenge to ProMedica North Region (NR). The four-person team and region that lost the greatest percentage of body weight would be declared the winners of the Weight Loss Showdown.
More than 150 employees from DRMC and 130 employees from NR participated in this challenge. The two regions lost a combined total of 1,590 pounds, but DRMC triumphed over NR by a margin of nearly 500 pounds.
The winning teams from each region were:
DRMC—Gary Cates, Cara Imm, Doug Mangas, and Jon Michel
NR—Amanda Dominique, Jody McCasky, Kristina Urbina, and Nicole Wilson
Members of the winning DRMC team have some advice to share with current participants in the ProMedica Employee Wellness Program’s Lose Healthy Challenge.
One thing that helped Cara Imm stay successful during the showdown was keeping a journal. “It is a great way to keep track of not only what you eat, but also how much you eat and when you eat,” she says. “You may notice that you tend to have a snack at 3 p.m. every day. Start bringing fruit, vegetables or some pretzels as a healthy alternative to scouring the vending machines.
“One important thing to remember with journaling is to always be 100% honest with yourself. If you make a mistake, make sure to write it down,” Cara continues. “It may make you rethink dessert later in the day.”
Jon Michel attributed his weight loss to some very simple lifestyle changes. “In truth, I just modified my serving sizes and exercised more,” he says. “The secret to my success was not cutting out the foods I loved, just eating less of them and adding healthier alternatives.”
The DRMC team was on the same page when they talked about accountability—not only for themselves, but for the team. They relied on each other and made sure that they were all working toward their individual goals.
“It’s hard to eat unhealthy food when you have several people not only watching, but judging everything you eat,” says Jon. “Your team is your support system—use them.”
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