Today I received the following letter from a reader:

So my company is starting a Biggest Loser challenge where they’re going to pay us $5 for each pound we lose. The whole idea is utterly offensive to me, especially since I have an eating disorder. The challenge is being lauded all around the building and people are constantly talking calories and weight loss. How can I communicate to our HR that this can be a very damaging thing for some people? What do I communicate to them if anything at all?

I was so affected by her questions that after writing her back, I wanted to share my answer so that others could both benefit by the ideas therein and offer their own additional arguments and resources against company weight loss programs.

My Letter

By way of an early warning, I would say, when you do speak to HR try your best to discuss things on a factual level rather than an emotional one. Much as this is a very emotional issue for you and many other people, we’ve found that these kinds of approaches may be less effective.

The reason is that your company is probably doing this weight loss program for monetary reasons. Their insurance agent will raise premiums if people are heavier at your company and, potentially, lower them or at least keep them steady if people’s collective weights go down. However unjust, unethical or unfounded this approach is, it is the approach of insurance companies, and it is based on their logic and monetary needs. For your company, the concern is the same.

Weight Loss Programs Will Cost More Money Than They Save

What’s important, then, is to demonstrate that your company’s approach of trying to get people to lose weight is ultimately not going to save them money and, in the long run, may cost them money. You can demonstrate this in a few ways.

First, long-term, diets don’t work, as Dr. Joanne Ikeda proves. That is to say that less than 5% of people who diet keep the weight off for more than two years, and when those 95% of people regain the lost weight, they end up gaining more than they lost. In short, if heavier personnel means more in insurance premiums, they are guaranteeing higher insurance premiums soon enough. Dr. Linda Bacon demonstrates this in her article here, and this other article shows the same.

In addition, even if being less weight is healthier (which is unproven, but let’s say it’s so as the insurance companies do) the actual act of dieting has been proven to be damaging to one’s health - due in part part to yo-yo dieting and a variety of other injurious effects of dieting - which will cause insurance premiums to go up when the insurance company evaluates the cost being spent by your company on health care. This article by Sheri Albert will demonstrate this point as well as the next.

Studies also show that when people are on diets they are less productive because they think about food an inordinate amount of time, and their brain function isn’t optimal due to a lack of energy and distraction. That means that even if money is saved on insurance premiums, productivity will take a nice hit as the entire company suffers from seemingly inadequate nutrition and at the very least perpetual distraction by diet mentality.

These, as you can see, are all monetary reasons why this approach is damaging and I believe them to be your best weapons. If you choose to proceed, there are other reasons that can solidify your case (though be wary of damaging your case by these ideas falling on unsympathetic ears). What follows are a few more reasons that your company may want to be wary.

Ethical, Psychological and Discriminatory Effects of Work Place Weight Loss Programs

You should let HR know that their actions in promoting weight loss are discriminatory. The damage they are doing is also explained by Dr. Julie Gast in this article. In addition, studies show that larger people in the same positions as thinner people make less money (similar to the relationship between the earnings of men and women). You can see this proven by Dr. Timothy Judge in this recent article.

By encouraging people to lose weight and incentivizing it monetarily they are perpetuating stigmas against fat people by saying they should try not to be fat (and that they can help being fat with dieting), and your company is therefore discriminating and promoting discrimination around the work place. This makes for a hostile work environment. Various places around the country have already made it illegal to discriminate based on height and weight, and cases like this bolster the legal argument wherever you live for the need to put this kind of legislation in place. I doubt that your company would like the kind of publicity associated with this discrimination.

And at that, your eating disorder is the perfect addition to mention here, if you’re comfortable sharing that with them. While many are unconcerned with discrimination against fat people, they are aware of the dangers and damage caused by eating disorders and would be wary of discriminating against someone with that kind of condition. Emphasizing that this makes a hostile work environment for you because it is effectively encouraging you to return to your eating disorder (psychologically there is no middle ground for someone with a full-blown eating disorder and healthy eating) may be a worthwhile approach with HR. That is, dieting will reintroduce the mentality of body disparagement that leads to an eating disorder. This article by Judith Matz explores the importance of a non-diet approach towards psychological health, body image and overcoming eating disorders and related issues.

Not only is this true for you, you can point out, but with 9% of America suffering from eating disorders of some kind and an even higher percentage of people suffering from body dysmorphia, it is quite likely that there are many other people suffering from similar issues, who could have their issues reinvigorated by this weight-loss campaign and office wide discussion about it - not to mention those who may develop issues as a result of this office craze. To demonstrate the dangers of emphasizing the superiority of thin bodies in our culture and what it can lead to, check out this article on Mass Media and Body Image.

If you want to return to monetary issues, you could point out that the psychological counseling and days off required as a result of these disorders and their effects can drive those health insurance premiums right back up and mess with productivity in negative ways.

Food for Thought - Wait! No Food & No Thinking!

Please be warned that some of the things I’ve said will be viewed as rocking the boat and that none of this is legal advice. Depending on your phraseology, this could even be construed as threatening to your company. I highly encourage you to speak out against this as best you can, but as with all things, use your best judgment in how you say it and what specifically you choose to say. If they mention a concern at supporting the “obesity epidemic,” allow them to read this article by Dr. Bacon.

Since this contest is being construed on their part as a health effort, you may want to point out that there is an alternative to this weight loss methodology, which is the Health at Every Size model. This model encourages body love, healthy behaviors, and an end to destructive thinking. It has been proven in studies to be effective - not at reducing poundage and size - but at increasing health mentally and physically both over the long and short term. You could let them know that you’d be happy (if you are of course) to start a group at the office that supports these ideas, to which you could invite speakers (over the internet, perhaps), read the book Health at Every Size, and discuss the value of this approach. We would be happy to help you orchestrate something like this or put you in touch with people who can help further - including finding a facilitator for the program. You could also start passing around print-outs of this pamphlet by Dr. Jon Robison.

One great place to read up on the literature and get full citations on studies and more is the non-fiction section of our book store but all of the resources I’ve quoted you are available for free in our Resource Center, which I encourage you to peruse and send your HR representatives to. Our community experts blog weekly on great Health at Every Size tips in the areas of fitness, nutrition and mental wellness. I encourage you to read them and recommend them to others.

What are your experiences with these kinds of programs in the work place? Do you have other suggestions for how to combat them? Please feel free to point to related useful resources!

As an historian, Jay understands the degree to which our aesthetic judgments are shaped by our cultural surroundings, and he has studied and written about the importance of rights, respect and acceptance for all people. Jay is a member of the Association for Size Diversity and Health.