With help from friends, At Work participants succeed in weight loss

The support of family and friends has been crucial to the success of teams participating in the Fittest Loser At Work Challenge.

Whether it's by exercising together or providing encouragement to eat healthier, team members say that they couldn't have done it without their support system.

Roosevelt University's Dwindling Divas team has found support in family, friends and each other. Team members report that many of their loved ones have decided to join them on their journey by either eating healthier and exercising — or both. In addition, the team has been using My Fitness Pal, a smartphone app that tracks diet and exercise.

Team Captain Camille R. Andrews says that the app allows team members check in with each other to see how much weight they lost each week.

“We share pictures of ourselves every day and compliment and encourage each other so that we start the day off with a positive attitude,” Andrews says. “It is during times as these you can see and feel the support of true friends that care and love you and will be there for you through every struggle. Yes, this journey has helped us to lose weight, but it has also helped us all to realize and appreciate the people that are close to us and love and support us no matter what we look like on the outside.”

Another team from Roosevelt University, RUCOP, reports that some friends and family have been supportive by working out with team members. Others support each other by encouraging healthy eating habits.

“My son challenges me to race short distances to see who would sprint the fastest,” says one team member. “My husband encourages me to not give up and keep doing my best. My peers continually ask for updates on my progress. Everyone I've encountered has been very supportive.”

The Flab-U-Less 5 from the Elk Grove Park District Pavilion Fitness center finds most of its motivation and inspiration in its own team members. Ed Federmeyer says his best motivation is seeing the progress of his team mates — Deb Gallagher, Tina Merrill, Katie Sales, Joe Man and team captain Aileen Tischauser.

“That motivates me to push myself that much harder,” Federmeyer says.

Many in the group keep track of each other through their FitBits — wireless and wearable activity trackers that measure a variety of data such as the number of steps walked and other personal metrics. They also participate in group workouts.

“The weight and health benefits are awesome of course, but the best feeling is moving down a size in clothes,” Federmeyer says. “I recently needed to cut a second hole in my belt.”

He says that he can also see the weight loss in team members.

“You can see their bodies change,” he says. “You can see their genuine smiles. You can see their willingness to jump, to run, to plank and even do cartwheels.”

In Itasca, the Now Eliminating Calories (NEC) team from Quality Assurance and Solutions, has discovered support on every level of the spectrum.

“My friends have been great in encouraging me and helping me achieve my goals,” says Betty Berngard. “They are very conscious of my diet and workout regimen, that we plan our activities around my gym time. We also try to choose better restaurants to go out to eat at so that I can eat healthy foods.”

Larissa Torres has found support from her daughter, who has been pushing her to eat healthier and keep up with her exercise. “As a family we have been working out at the YMCA a lot or just simply by walking,” she says.

Kim Holm finds support from co-workers and from the trainers at the Biggest Loser Resort in Bloomingdale. Co-workers often encourage her to stay away from unhealthy foods and email her links to workout videos.

“The other Fittest Loser team members have seen my progress from the beginning and have commented that they see a change in my appearance,” she says. “We also all encourage each other at the resort to do our best with the workouts.”

Lisa Dressel receives support from her family and friends. “I recently went to work out with a group of old friends and they all noticed changes in me and complimented the work I have done to get there,” she says.