Win by Losing Continues to Help Groups Drop Pounds

Marisela delaGarza

| 2 min read

Image of healthy snack at office.
In the fall of 2009, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan debuted a competition that combined weight-loss goals and teamwork for group customers. Nineteen rounds later, the competition — Win by Losing — is still going strong. Win by Losing is a free, nine-week competition designed to motivate group customers to achieve health goals throughout the year. There are two rounds a year — in the spring and fall. Just how successful is Win by Losing? Participants have lost more than 137,000 pounds total. In the spring 2018 round, participants lost 9,342. The spring 2018 winning teams:
  • 10 and under employees: Orthopaedic Rehab Specialists — ORS-Die Lard: With a West Side Vengeance
  • 11 to 29 employees: Bay County — Withering A Weigh
  • 30 to 59 employees: Lear Corporation SFLD
  • 60 or more employees: Henniges Automotive, Keokuk, Iowa — Team 1 Henniges
In the spring 2018 competition, Lear Corporation SFLD won in the 30 to 59 employees category. The team lost a total of 307.8 pounds for a 3.49 percent weight loss. Teams compete against other Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Care Network customers across the state. The competition is separated into four categories, based on the number of participants. There will be one winner per category. Winners are determined based on the percentage of weight loss from the total starting weight. Winning teams receive the following:
  • A trophy
  • A Win by Losing drink tumbler
  • Bragging rights
  • Healthier habits
Round 19 dates
  • Sept. 17— Competition begins
  • Sept. 21 — Submit total team pounds lost for Week 1 by 5 p.m.
  • Nov. 16 — Last day of competition
How to join Registration for the fall round is open, and your company can join through Sept. 21. Your company will need to pick a team captain, who’ll go to the Win by Losing website, bcbsm.com/yourhealth, to register and submit:
  • Your company name
  • Your team name (it can be different from your company name)
  • The number of participating employees
  • Total group starting weight, which we’ll use as the starting point to track your company’s progress. Your captain will submit your total weight loss each Friday by 5 p.m.
Want to know more about healthy weight loss? Read these posts:
Photo credit: Milkos
MI Blue Daily is sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, a nonprofit, independent licensee of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association