AFMC wins BIG with Team Lean Challenge Published Nov. 19, 2007 By Kathleen A.K. Lopez Air Force Materiel Command Public Affairs WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- At a time of year when high school, college and professional football teams and fans are obsessed with winning, Air Force Materiel Command is celebrating losing -- 9,401.8 pounds of human fat, that is! The weight loss is a result of AFMC's Team Lean Challenge, or TLC, a six-month, voluntary, command-wide fitness competition that kicked off in the spring, and recently concluded. The TLC is part of AFMC's ongoing Wellness and Safety Campaign, or WASC, which debuted in May 2006. The challenge was designed not only to help AFMC Airmen lose weight, but also to assist them in changing their lifestyles for the better, said Col. John Leitnaker, AFMC Command Surgeon's office. "It's no secret our nation as a whole struggles with excess weight and poor exercise habits," said Lt. Gen. Terry Gabreski, AFMC vice commander, herself a TLC participant. "With a high operations tempo at both work and home, it's no surprise that some of our AFMC military and civilian Airmen struggle with these same challenges. The key is taking a team approach to do something about it." The TLC's intent was to promote weight loss and wellness by using the concerted efforts of five-person teams to help individuals reach their goals. "A healthy workforce, to include mind, body and spirit, is better fit for mission readiness and success," General Gabreski said. "However, instead of leaving folks to do this on their own, we wanted to find a way to bring them together, supporting and motivating each other." Participants had the option of building their own teams with members from their unit or base. Otherwise, individuals were assigned to a team with four other TLC partners from their base. "TLC is based on the recognition that weight loss and behavioral change requires concerted effort, and is much more likely to be successful with the direct support of other people, specifically, that of a team," Colonel Leitnaker said. "The program facilitated the team concept throughout units, installations and even the command." The TLC recognized the highest percentage of weight loss, not necessarily the amount of weight loss, he said. Losing nearly 9,500 pounds, equivalent to more than 33 million calories -- not ingested, due to improved eating habits, or, burned off, due to improved exercising habits -- was no passive tasking. The TLC joined 1,473 individuals, or nearly 300 teams, from Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., to Hanscom AFB, Mass., and the other eight AFMC bases in between, Colonel Leitnaker said. "In addition to the TLC Web site, all bases provided various programs through their Health and Wellness Centers, or HAWCs, and Civilian Health Promotion Services, or CHPS," he said. "With the Web site, teams could check on weight loss progress, though not individual weight losses, of their own team as well as teams throughout their base and the command. "The HAWCs and CHPS provided educational classes, fitness classes, weigh-ins, and tests for such things as cholesterol and blood pressure," he said. The key with the TLC is that it wasn't just a single person trying to achieve goals such as weight loss or revised exercise habits for just him or herself, he said. Rather, being assigned to a team made individuals accountable to others. "From the feedback we've received, people were motivated to reach their goals, but they were equally motivated not wanting to let down their teammates," the colonel said. "My weight, although just below the Air Force's weight standard, was affecting my life and career," said Maj. Donna McAuley, deputy commander, 96th Contracting Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Fla. "The challenge provided me one more reason to lose weight and keep it off through a healthy lifestyle. Plus, being part of a team, I didn't want to let down my teammates. "My fitness score improved 12 points to an 'excellent,' my weight continues to go down, I have more stamina to handle the stresses of my job, and I feel great!" Joseph Capelli, a program manager with the 88th Air Base Wing Civil Engineering directorate, here, has a similar story. "My coworkers and I took a 'true age' test on the Wellness Support Center Web site," he said. "When we saw our aging rates, we all were a little scared. The TLC came right at that time, and we knew it was for us. "My coworkers, who were my TLC team, and I began walking three miles at lunch time four days a week," he said. "The CHPS folks came to our office and gave us a portion-control class. At home, my wife, who doesn't work in federal service, became my wingman and followed the program with me." The result for Mr. Capelli was that he lost 56.5 pounds, or a 21 percent weight loss -- the highest in the command. Additionally, his team, "p2 (squared)," was the first-place winner for Wright-Patterson, losing 12.5 percent of their weight as a team. Because the TLC was such a success, Colonel Leitnaker said there are plans for a second competition. However, he hopes participation numbers increase. The initial TLC sign-up had 4,000 weigh-ins. Of those, 1,473 individuals completed the program with an official weigh out. All statistics are based on the 1,473 figure. "As a command, we lost nearly 9,500 pounds," he said. "Considering TLC is a first-time program, WASC leadership is very pleased with the results. However, there are many more folks we want to reach. We received a lot of feedback, to include suggestions on how the program can improve. We look forward to many more AFMC Airmen joining an even better TLC next time." And the winner is... Colonel Leitnaker said 1,473 individuals won the competition, which makes the command, as a whole, a winner, as well. However, because it was a bonafide team competition, the base with the highest percentage of weight loss was Wright-Patterson AFB. Its amount of weight lost was 3,428.4 pounds, with an average percentage loss of 4.4 percent per participant. How AFMC bases compare Base Pounds lost Arnold AFB, Tenn. 139.8 Brooks City Base, Texas 226.6 Edwards AFB, Calif. 352.6 Eglin AFB, Fla. 705.3 Hanscom AFB, Mass. 420.2 Hill AFB, Utah 928.8 Kirtland AFB, N.M. 168.7 Robins AFB, Ga. 1,187.4 Tinker AFB, Okla. 1,835.0 Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio 3,428.4 TLC at a glance: Of the 4,000 AFMC Airmen who weighed in for TLC kick off, 1,437 AFMC Airmen weighed out for TLC's conclusion. Following competitor statistics based on weigh-out numbers: 58 percent female; 42 percent male 71 percent civilian; 29 percent active-duty Average weight loss percentage: 3.24