If you’ve been reading my blog and following me on Twitter (@MJ_analytics), you know that I am on a personal journey to be fit by 40. Recently, CNN picked up my story.
Those of you who know me personally will not be shocked to hear that I read every comment posted on that CNN article – EVERY COMMENT! As you can imagine, the comments spanned the spectrum from those finding inspiration in my story to start their own weight loss goals, to those who aptly pointed out that I am still obese. I am. But, I am headed in the right direction.
What this means for your clients
Brokers, this is a very important message to convey to your clients. As I mentioned in an earlier blog, the notion of losing a significant amount of weight is daunting. We are a society that craves instant gratification (part of our problem to begin with). It can be terribly de-motivating to think of weight loss goals in terms of years. Let’s break this down a bit.
In a year and a half I have lost over 100 pounds. What could this type of accomplishment mean to your clients’ bottom line?
Let’s take a look at obesity classes and associated costs:
When I started my journey in March 2011, my BMI was a whopping 50.8, well into the category of Severely Obese. I am not proud to write this, but have gotten over the shame I felt about having been at that weight (it helps to have your weight published on CNN.com) and want to share concrete numbers with you to demonstrate that this is possible!
My current BMI is 35.3, so close to Mildly Obese I can taste it! “So what, you’re still fat!” (says that mean girl in my subconscious, and some commenters on CNN.com). Well, it’s not going to derail my efforts! It’s not going to work because I am looking at what I HAVE accomplished. By reducing my BMI from Severely Obese to Moderately Obese I have decreased expected medical costs associated with workplace accidents by over 50 percent. On a scale of 100 workers, that would be from roughly $51,000 to $23,300 (source: Ostbye, Dement, and Krause, “Obesity and Workers’ Compensation: Results from the Duke Health and Safety Surveillance System”, Archives of Internal Medicine, April 2007).
Now, what kind of impact would a 50 percent reduction in workers’ comp costs on a single claim have on a client’s bottom line over three years? That’s real, tangible savings! Not to mention that as I shed a few more pounds to be considered Mildly Obese those costs would be expected to go down further, from $51,000 to $19,000. Next, when I reach the category of Overweight, the same costs would fall to $13,000 – and then to $7,500 for a group of normal weight workers.
The bottom line
The bottom line is that you should encourage employers to celebrate small steps individuals make to lead more healthy lives. Even minor improvements can have significant positive impacts on a company’s bottom line. Moreover, place emphasis on prevention. If an employer has a young, healthy demographic, start talking to them now about keeping employees healthy and at a normal BMI to prevent future costs. As the CNN story emphasizes, metabolism unfortunately slows after 40.
I’d love to hear what is and isn’t working for you in communicating about this very touchy topic. Leave a comment below, tweet me or drop me an email.
A big kudos to you for putting all your personal business out there for the purpose of helping others! I’ve been talking about how obesity impacts the cost on health plans with our clients. Some surveys say obese employees spend twice as much on the health plan as smokers! Wow. So much for the “smoker surcharge” employers charge.
The biggest WOW isn’t that you lost weight (although that is amazing)… but that you’re still you’ve stuck to a goal for a year and a half. That means saying “no” to a lot of birthday cake and other temptations for a very long time.
You go girl!
Thank you for this article. Our firm offers wellness consulting as a value-add and this is a wonderful bar graph to show concrete evidence that encouraging employers to adopt a variety of initiatives to improve employee health really works in the long run. Results are not instant; comprehensive worksite wellness is a long-term strategy for success.
Thank you, Lori and Renee!
This journey has been personally beneficial, but I also feel like I have unearthed so many valuable resources that we can all use in our daily work. You both hit the nail on the head – change is easy to begin, but hard to maintain. Let’s continue to share ideas to keep ourselves, and our clients, on the right path!
Congratulations Michelle! Losing weight is no easy feat and losing 100 lbs is absolutely amazing. I can relate too well about the weight gain after 40 (especially around the middle). I am on a journey myself and have been working with a dietitian and personal trainer and am seeing great results, feeling better than I have in a long time, and the best part is I do not feel deprived or hungry.
I too love to cook and was worried that my passion for cooking would be stalled by my weight loss efforts but I have found great pleasure in making healthy receipes. I have a really good recipe from Rocco Dispirito for garlic mashed “potatoes” actually made with caulifower that is fantastico. I can share it with you if you like?
As a wellness consultant for EHD I work with my firms corporate clients to help them start or enhance their employee wellness. This article gives great insight into the importance of supporting people to maintain a healthy weight. I was at a wellness seminar and the speaker said a primary goal for wellness could be to first get people to stop gaining weight This goes back to your idea about prevention.
I wish the best as you continue on your journey.
Be Well!
Thank you, Holly! I would love your recipe.