Background: Alarmingly 60% of Americans are currently overweight or obese and many of them do not even know their own weight, Buffalo State College’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) chose a “Weigh-in on Wednesday (WOW)” program to help employees achieve better health, quality of life, and productivity.

The ramifications of obesity are concerning. Persons with excess adipose tissue can experience various chronic health issues to include: • Heart disease and stroke • High blood pressure • Diabetes • Some cancers • Gallbladder disease and gallstones • Osteoarthritis • Gout • Breathing problems, such as sleep apnea (when a person stops breathing for short episodes during sleep) and asthma. It has been stated that shedding just 5% of your body weight is more reasonable for the average obese person. Ten percent weight loss is often unachievable which can lessen future results by people to pursue a healthy diet.

Setting achievable weight loss targets are important. Weight loss of a few pounds can decrease in total body fat, visceral fat (the dangerous kind that hugs your organs), and liver fat. Plus, that small tip of the scale can also lower your blood pressure and improve your insulin sensitivity1. All together this can also mean a lower risk of type 2 diabetes and hypertension.

The participants will meet in Cleveland Hall 205 every Wednesday at 12:00 p.m. from February 2022 to July 2022, and an EAP coordinator will weigh the participants at each meeting. All weigh in will be confidential and all records will be stored in a locked filing cabinet and on a password-protected computer in the EAP office. We will provide a weekly handout of healthy lifestyle tips, engage the participants to discuss their eating challenges, and gather interest in a walking group after weigh in. Some of the goals we would like to achieve are to lose weight, eat healthier, move more, develop a positive mind-set, or all the above. The participants will be encouraged to participate in the WellNYS Monthly Challenge. The participant who loses the highest percentage of their body weight will be awarded a prize. 

Presenter: Mary Codick and Gina Game