Mystery doughnuts are sliding into strategically visible spots on colleagues’ desks.
Baggage handlers might find a plate of tantalizing cinnamon rolls in the break room. And the employee fitness room at Denver International Airport is getting a real workout.
All are signs that the great holiday fat-avoidance push is in full swing at DIA and other pockets of city workers across Denver.
In an annual competition encouraged by city wellness officials and Kaiser Permanente, teams of co-workers are competing for prizes awarded to those most successful at keeping off the 5 to 7 pounds many Americans add around the holidays.
Sabotaging the competition is part of the fun. Thus, Ryan Nisogi of the Denver Career Service Authority will cast a wary eye on any cinnamon rolls other teams may put on his desk, as they did last December. His toughest battle, though, will be with the pizza he loves above all other foods.
“Our office has so many little treats around,” said Nisogi, preparing for a mass pre-Thanksgiving weigh-in of teams in an empty DIA retail space.
If the teams waiting for their turn on the 10-person scale needed more encouragement, the weigh-in space overlooks the security lines where controversial full-body scanners are taking images of travelers’ holiday figures.
The DIA teams are not only competing with one another, but with newly formed weight-maintenance groups among Denver police, firefighters and other agencies. The team that stays closest to its pre-holiday weight, or actually loses pounds, will get a bragging-rights trophy and a healthy lunch arranged by Kaiser.
So, it’s game on for DIA’s Jaudonna Daniels and her “Risky Business” team — and no, they did not weigh in wearing only their underwear, a la Tom Cruise. Daniels’ target for pushing naughty sweets is the “Pink Poodles” team.
“We bring them snacks every day!” she said.
Taunting is not out of the question either. Team members take stock of one another in the employee gym and while walking the terminal for lunchtime exercise.
The nine people on “Risky Business” weighed in at 1,670 pounds to start. As they shuffled onto the group scale, they mentioned what would be their downfall if they strayed:
“Pumpkin pie!”
“Peppermint ice cream!”
“Wine!”
Of course there are ways to game the weigh-in as well. Some employees are not above eating all three meals for that day before lunchtime — inflating the starting point and making the endpoint that much easier. Wearing a heavy sweater on weigh-in day and a light shirt on weigh-out day is not unheard of either.
The friendly competition, which avoids the shame of any employee singling out their own weight, will keep at least 75 teams and 350 city employees busy this year. The teams try to weigh in once a week to check the march of calories.
In an internal Kaiser competition last year, 900 employees lost a total of 1,200 pounds over the holidays, said coordinator Barry Strand.
If all goes well at DIA, Mike Allen will pay the price. As a wellness coordinator for airport employees, he gave out 130 three-month gym memberships last year to successful competitors. He, too, joins the contest, knowing “it’s the easiest time of the year to gain weight.”
“If I don’t gain my 5 pounds, times 10 years, that’s 50 pounds!” he said, patting a stomach that must now behave until Jan. 9.
Michael Booth: 303-954-1686 or mbooth@denverpost.com
