| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010 12:01 pm |
ADVERTISEMENT |
|||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||
Local News 
|
||||||||||||
Losing weight puts these women in good company They lost 335 pounds. That's a hefty load for 30 people to shed, but only a small slice of their success.Back in January, employees at Pacific Northwest Title took their boss up on a sweet deal. Chris Schulz, president of the Everett title insurance company, offered to cover the full cost for any worker joining a 13-week Weight Watchers at Work program. In addition to the $156-per-person fee, Schulz promised extra vacation days to three people who shed the most weight. Friday morning -- three months after many of us started and promptly abandoned weight-loss resolutions -- Schulz gathered his staff for a meeting. It was time to recognize weight losers and time-off winners. After the group's final meeting with Weight Watchers leader Pam Hurst Tuesday, the losses were impressive. In the 46-person company, 30 participated, dropping an average of 11 pounds each. Four people lost more than 20 pounds each; two others dropped more than 15 pounds; another 12 people were at least 10 pounds lighter, and seven others lost 5 pounds or more. No one gained weight. As tangible proof of their accomplishments, workers Friday brought bags of nonperishable groceries. Filled with cereals, potatoes, big cans of soup and other staples, the sacks were meant to weigh roughly what each person had lost. It will all be donated to the Volunteers of America Food Bank in Everett. In January, the 53-year-old Schulz said he had put on a few pounds. Since then, he has joined the office effort, losing more than 10 pounds. "I bought 10 pounds of food yesterday," said Schulz, holding up his sack stuffed with bulky, 42-ounce containers of oatmeal. "I'll tell you, this sucker is heavy. Having this hanging on me, and now not to have that, I want to thank you all," Schulz told his workers. "You all deserve a big hand, it's been a lot of work." As promised, three women earned certificates granting them extra days off, although Schulz quipped that they're "all redeemable in 2015 -- just teasing." Workers at the company 11 years or more normally get three weeks of vacation. Top losers were ranked by percentage of body weight shed. Tanya Cannon, 37, won three extra days for losing 24 pounds, 13 percent of her body weight. In second place, with two additional days off, was 46-year-old Janelle Thomas, who lost 24.5 pounds, or 12 percent. And Christina Hughes, 33, earned one extra day by losing 21 pounds, or 11.7 percent of her body weight. They seemed more pleased by changes in their bodies and their lives than by extra vacation time. "I haven't worn these jeans in three years," said Thomas, who's been working out daily at 5 a.m. She looks a full decade older in a picture she says was taken 30 pounds ago. "I started jogging, and I do belly dancing and pilates," Cannon said. With no rigid exercise regime, Hughes said she played with the kids, got off the couch and put the fork down. Everyone involved took inspiration from co-worker Roxanne Tye. At 58, Tye has lost 58 pounds since starting the Weight Watchers program in March of 2007. Over the 13 weeks, she added a 10-pound loss to what was already her success story. It's basic eating, the Everett woman said three months ago when her office started the program. "You eat your own food -- fruits and vegetables and a little bit of meat. It just works," she said. Now at work, they're feeling better, looking better, and getting along in whole new ways. "We started as a company to help us all achieve a goal, but it went way beyond that," Schulz said. "We started helping each other. We went on some walks together. The downstairs people got to know the upstairs people. We all got to talk." Sounding like the leader of a pep rally, not a staff meeting, Schulz asked his workers, "Is this the beginning or the end?" The answer was loud and unanimous: "The beginning." Columnist Julie Muhlstein: 425-339-3460 or muhlstein@heraldnet.com. |
- A revolutionary 747
- Fire breaks out at Everett car dealer
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last
- Boeing's 747-8 takes off after weather delay
- Plan for I-5 closures this week
- A new bowling alley for Monroe?
- Lake Stevens man homeless after fire
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged
- A tidy lawn could be law in Lynnwood
(10) - Vote on school levies by Tuesday (9)
- Everett police officers cleared in 2008 shooting death (5)
- 1949 travel aid shows how few places blacks were welcome in Washington (4)
- Everett rethinks boutique wineries (4)
- Three politicians who want Gregoire's job in 2012 (3)
- Toyota has powerful D.C. friends (3)
- Snohomish County's bargain housing won't last (3)
- Life story: Man fought depression courageously, family says (3)
- I-5 bridge joint may give you a jolt, but it isn't damaged (3)
- Edmonds educator, famous announcer dies
- Mill Creek to appeal ruling on annexation
- Through the air, with the greatest of ease
- E-W thriving under new coach
- The path to citizenship
- EUUC puts on ‘Pants & Shoes’
- Wolfpack wins the ‘Battle'
- Lynnwood’s annexation plans OK’d
- Arlington's Cascade Valley Hospital celebrates expansion, national award and 100 years of service
- Business Licences Feb. 2010
- Technology tips for launching your own business
- Business Events Feb. 2010
- Tech Talk: No excuse today for going without a Web site
- State already raising fees and rates that restrict business growth
- Some legislators again targeting people’s initiative petition rights
|
 
|
|
|
|
| TODAY'S TOP JOBS |
| View All Top Jobs |
| Top Cars |
|
| Top Homes |
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT |
|
|
|Contact Us
|Advertiser Services
|Home Delivery
|Newsstand Locations
|Classifieds
|Feedback
|About the Company
|Work@the Herald
|Site Map |
|