Dental maintenance staff keep resolution

Almost no one is immune to the effects holiday parties and get-togethers have on weight control. It was during December 2006 that staff in the School of Dentistry’s dental maintenance service noticed the numbers on their scales increasing, and they began a good-natured verbal rivalry.

The challenges (“I can lose more weight than you can”) became more serious when six employees joined the dental maintenance weight loss challenge. On January 2, they began their quest, dieting and exercising for 38 days. Their strategies were similar—increase exercise, cut calorie intake, drink more water, avoid fast food and sugar, and stop eating between meals. Exercise programs included basketball games, walking three miles at lunch (two times around the campus) and after work, and climbing to the fifth floor on the east and west staircases in the School before work.

By the end of the challenge, the group had lost a combined 91 pounds. They plan to continue their new lifestyle until each person meets his or her personal goal.

By Nancy Yuen