Losing weight puts these women in good company

Published 10:54 pm Saturday, April 26, 2008

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.