Teams find communication, support is key to weight loss

Communication is a key component in the At Work teams' weight-loss journey - and weekly meetings offer the opportunity for participants to discuss successes and disappointments.

Many teams have opened up to each other, admitting that they have made a poor food choice, often during a day off from work or at a celebration event. George Sullivan of the Hanover Park Police Department's Pounds for Blue 3 team says, "As we all know, the scale does not hide these breakdowns, so Monday morning is always the wake up bell for the guys."

Discovering our weaknesses is a step in the right direction, and overcoming these weaknesses builds strength and motivation that the whole team can benefit from.

Quint Thompson of QT3's Tru-Fit team says, "One of my team's strengths is they band to pull together and support one another. I found that their weakness is making excuses for themselves when things become a little tough."

Thompson discovered that allowing his team to talk through their concerns and issues, has taught him that "it is not easy to break old habits, but trying is easier than holding on to past hurts and pains."

Most teams have been struggling with their diets, and the two largest culprits have been overeating and indulging in sweets and unhealthy comfort foods.

Kristen Dallman of The Weiss Advisors team of Weiss & Company LLP says, "Staying on track with food is our strategy. We are bringing more healthy snacks to the office instead of the usual tax season junk food."

Meal prepping has also been a big help for some of our At Work contestants.

Participants of Team RSM - 0BS discuss meal prepping and teammate Samantha Becker says her strategy is to "meal plan and meal prep on the weekends to provide healthy meal options throughout the week." Becker also says that her strength comes from "reaching out to my teammates for encouragement on days when I don't feel like working out. They hold me accountable and understand the struggles I am going through."

The bottom line is, teams find success by holding each other accountable and by not allowing small fumbles to stop them from moving forward and continuing their weight-loss journey.