A Louisiana employer's health perks helped their workers lose weight. Here’s how.
At 330 pounds,
For a while, some of them worked. But always, the weight came back.
He knew he needed to make a permanent change. He couldn't get down on the floor to play with his young granddaughter. He wanted to go to
So when the software developer got an email from his company in
"That's my lifeline," he thought to himself.
Schenck is now one of the dozens of workers part of a health program focusing on a low-carb diet at
The approach could be a blueprint for other large companies in
With a population that is sicker than most,
As benefits got swankier, costs went down
Before 2012, human resources director
LaBiche started chipping away at those costs in ways that are uncommon at
The company staffed a free, on-site fitness center with personal trainers and a registered dietician at the company's headquarters in
The company also opened two health centers on their
"A lot of it, in the beginning, was cost-driven," said LaBiche. "But we've seen a lot of a lot more than controlling of costs that have come out of it. It's created a lot more productivity, efficiency and control."
For example, a shift worker doesn't have to clock out to visit the on-site health center. What might take two hours or more if an employee had to go to urgent care takes about 30 minutes on campus.
Thousands in drug savings
Since the pilot group,
"I would say (drug cost savings) are small compared to the benefits you get from the people whose lives change and their productivity is very different," said Lapeyere. "The track they're on changes pretty dramatically.
Weight loss
In the first six months of the program, the nine participants lost an average of about 38 pounds and lowered their blood glucose by 1.1%, a significant drop that shifted some out of a diabetes diagnosis. Their blood pressure also went down on average from 141 to 120, according to the analysis, published in Metabolites, a peer-reviewed journal.
The creator of the program, Dr.
"It's not like, 'Here you go, here's a meal plan and see you later," said Kalayjian. "Let's figure out what difficulties you had. Let's figure out what's working well for you."
Kalayjian's
"We learned to make king cake with almond flour," said Kalayjian. "We worked with a bakery in
"I'm never going back to eating the way that I did before," said McDonald. "I feel too good. I can work all day, take care of my house, take care of the kids, taking care of my parents, all of those things that I couldn't do before," said McDonald.
Two more cohorts of employees from
Long-term results remain to be seen
Low-carb diets are not for everyone, though.
Dr.
"I like the way this company is thinking," said de Silva. "I would support any company trying to move forward with helping employees be healthier."
Although in the back of his mind, he's worried at times he might slip, Schenck feels like this diet has allowed him to see the effect of sugar on his body and stop his cravings. He's committed in a way he says he hasn't felt before. He can also play with his granddaughter. They left for
"She tells me all the time, 'Come play with me,'" said Schenck. "I see so many benefits and rewards for doing this."
Hurricane Ida – Entergy customers get $1.4B bill for grid damage
More discussion needed before Louisiana special session on insurance, governor says
Advisor News
Annuity News
Health/Employee Benefits News
Life Insurance News