Employees win by losing

From left, Bill Shane and Arla Neuenschwander are the weekly weigh-in winners; and Ryan Doty is the overall winner last week for Gerber Lumber’s weight-loss contest.  PHOTO PROVIDED

KIDRON Almost 100 pounds in only two months.
Striving to improve their health, 11 Gerber Lumber employees signed on for a fun weight-loss contest at their workplace inspired by the reality TV show “The Biggest Loser.”
The five men and six women lost more than a total of 93 pounds together.

Not only are employees happy with the weight loss, but healthier habits have been reinforced that can stay with them for the rest of their lives. The colleagues enjoyed working together as a team – just in a different capacity than usual.
“We focused on supporting each other with positive and motivational feedback,” said Connie Shane, receptionist at Gerber Lumber. “We shared smart food choices and helpful weight loss information when the opportunity was there. We worked as a team with a little bit of joking here and there. Also, a little bit of challenging banter.”
Shane was one of the contestants, along with her husband, Bill.
During the final weigh-in last week, Ryan Doty was the winner with total loss of 19.8 pounds. Arla Neuenschwander and Bill Shane were the healthy female and male winners for the last week.

Read the complete story in the March 18, 2020 edition.