Blog home
After a rocking Rock Your Body competition, CHG is now 2,358 pounds lighter! In the end, 492 individual employees and 52 teams finished the competition, with 96 people joining the 5% Club by losing five percent of their body weight.
The winning men were Rick Rogers, sales consultant at Foundation Medical Staffing in Edmond, Okla.; Jim Whitehead, manager of IT operations at CHG in Salt Lake City, Utah; and Bradford Cabibi, sales consultant at Weatherby Healthcare in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
The winning women were Jill Vanderzand, recruiter at CompHealth allied health staffing in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Cherise Benson, executive assistant at CompHealth permanent placement in Salt Lake City; and Zont'l Smith, recruiter at CompHealth permanent placement in Salt Lake City.
The first place team, Thinsanity, lost an average of 12.85 percent body fat while the members of the second place team, Putting Pizza First, lost an average of 10.86 percent body fat. The third-place team, Thin to Win, lost an average of 9.75 percent body fat.
All the first place winners will receive 12 months of free health insurance!
Rick Rogers
 
What was your strategy for winning?
Diet and exercise were the keys. I've always had trouble with portion control when I eat, so I worked very hard to find foods I could eat a lot of without getting a lot of calories. I also made it a point to get to the gym three to four days a week for at least 30 minutes of cardio each time.
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
The contest itself was certainly a motivation, but there was more to it than that. My primary motivation was the fact that I turned 40 on my last birthday. That milestone really made me think about getting healthier overall. I have young children and a beautiful wife who deserve a happier and healthier Rick. Whenever I got hungry, or wanted to climb off the treadmill five minutes early, I'd think of a time in the not-so-distant past when I got winded walking up the stairs to tuck my daughter in to bed. I had to take more than a few deep breaths before I could even read her a bedtime story. Above and beyond the individual piece of the competition, I was also thinking about the accountability I had to our team (Perhaps you've heard of Putting Pizza First, the second place team), and the impact our individual efforts could have on each other, and our families.
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
I was really excited to win! I'm a competitive guy, and I never want to compete without an expectation of giving it my best effort, and my best effort turned out to be good enough to win. I'll be looking forward to not paying for insurance for the next year, but I'm really looking forward to looking down and seeing more of my toes than I've seen in a while.
Jim Whitehead
What was your strategy for winning?
I changed my diet from low-nutrient sources to high-nutrient packed foods. As my daughter said, I "took all the fun out of eating."
My diet consisted of 90 percent fruits, vegetables, beans and nuts. I had a little fish and chicken and eliminated dairy and red meats from my diet.
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
My goal and focus was to get into the healthy weight range. As I got closer to my goal, my energy level increased and I felt better. These changes kept me motivated.
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
Coming in second in Rock Your Body was fantastic. I now weigh what I did 20 years ago. Knowing that I made it to my desired weight goal is a great feeling. The best feeling is that I feel 10 to 15 years healthier.
Bradford Cabibi
What was your strategy for winning?
I started waking up early in the morning and going to run sprints with a few of my friends on a football field. Next, at lunch time, I would utilize the gym at the office and do cardio for 45 minutes. On some evenings, I would work out at my regular gym. I also watched my food intake and stayed away from sweets.
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
I wanted to win the competition because I knew I had the weight to lose and it would also benefit me overall to get back in shape. In addition, I had a very supportive team on my side who cheered me on to keep going and try to win.
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
It feels great to win and overall, I feel great! I wish I had gotten first place, but that's just the competitor in me. Plus, my team was happy for placing in top three because of the hard work I put into this.
Jill Vanderzand
Jill (left) with Britt Campbell, provider representative at CompHealth
allied health staffing in Grand Rapids, Mich.
What was your strategy for winning?
My strategy was to know how much past winners had lost so I could calculate how much I would need to lose. I figured out how much that would mean I had to lose each week and it helped make it seem a little more realistic.
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
The whole office knew that I was trying hard to win and everyone was so very supportive. I had people going to the gym with me at lunch and helping me stay accountable. Our team all worked very hard and we kept each other very focused. When there was a celebration in the office, we all walked out without cake or any treats. I also had a lot of support from fellow competitors! I made some connections with the Salt Lake City competitors and they were also so encouraging. I feel so fortunate to have such a great support system!
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
I feel very excited that I accomplished my goal! When it was getting towards the end people asked if I would be disappointed if I didn't win and my answer was, no, I had won already. I know that I gave it all I had and I feel fantastic with my results. I still have a few pounds to go to get to my final goal, but I'm very excited that I'm almost there!
Cherise Benson
What was your strategy for winning?
Chad Austin put together a work-out plan for me to follow. It makes it convenient to have the gym right here in the building. I also took advantage of the Weight Watchers classes held here and kept track of everything I ate. We had regular team meetings to check in and see how everyone was doing and what was working for each of us.
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
I committed to my team members that I would lose 30 pounds. I knew I couldn't disappoint them.
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
I feel great. I still have a ways to go to get to my goal weight but Rock Your Body gave me motivation to get started!
Zont'l Smith
Zont'l (right) with Cherise Benson.
What was your strategy for winning?
I have been on a weight-loss journey since July of 2010. I joined Weight Watchers that month with the enormous task of goal of losing 80 pounds. I was down 50 pounds when RYB started which was perfect! I was hitting a wall motivationally and needed that strong push to finish.
For the first five to six weeks I was incredibly strict on my diet; I followed the points plus values from Weight Watchers and stayed within my points range, never using the bonus or flex points. I also added an extra day of cardio and weightlifting to my already three-times-a-week workout schedule. I found that by working out four times a week for 30 to 45 minutes at a time, I really got my metabolism firing – dropping 15 pounds by the sixth week. The final four weeks, I rotated fasting cleanses with salt restrictions and trips to the steam room to flush my body of excess toxins and water. Those steps helped eliminate the other five pounds.
Since the weigh-out, my weight fluctuates by three pounds, which I attribute mostly to water fluctuations in my body. I feel that is great, considering my body has always fluctuated five pounds, and I am still on track to lose the remaining 10 pounds!
What motivated you to keep losing weight?
I found I was able to stay motivated by joining a Rock Your Body team and I knew if I slowed down, I would let them down! The pressure was also on Cherise Benson and me because we were joining the team that had winners from the previous three years of Rock Your Body! The men were hesitant to allow ladies on their team, but after giving our solemn oath to give 110 percent, the four men decided to let us join them. I think the effort Cherise and I put into proving ourselves to the former winners really kept us going to the end, and even secured our places in the winning brackets! I guess there is a lot to be said about peer pressure.
How did you feel about winning Rock Your Body?
Overall, I loved the Rock Your Body challenge and found it to be so motivating! The daily reminders, the support from the whole company and the camaraderie among coworkers was unbelievable. I have been on this weight-loss journey for almost two years now and have not experienced more motivation and support than I have from CHG's Rock Your Body competition.
Thank you, CHG, for all the wonderful programs and benefits you offer! You'll always be the number-one best place to work in my book!
