Freeze holiday weight gain with HAWC program

  • Published
  • Health Promotions
EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. --  The holiday season is fast approaching, which traditionally means a time for family, friends, and food. Holiday goodies like cookies, chocolates, and fruit cake can become the central focus wherever you go. How can you try to maintain your weight and heart-health during such a tempting time as the holidays?

Try the AFMC "Freeze the Gain Holiday Challenge." A derivative of the Team Lean Challenge, Freeze the Gain is a command-wide initiative designed to help AFMC's active duty and civilian workforce increase awareness of healthy lifestyle habits during the high-risk holiday season.

Freeze the Gain is a weight maintenance program. The goal is for participants to maintain, not gain, weight during the ten-week period of the challenge, which runs November 9, 2009 through January 8, 2010.

According to Alison DeCaro, Health and Wellness Center's Health Promotion Manager, Eglin personnel can participate in this program by weighing in at the HAWC Nov. 2-6, from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., and on Tuesday and Thursday from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Freeze the Gain participants must be enrolled online at the
Wellness Support Center at www.afmcwellness.com.

In addition to the official weigh-in, participants must be enrolled online for Freeze the Gain. Your weigh-in information cannot be entered until you have completed online enrollment. If you don't already have access to the Wellness Support Center at www.afmcwellness.com, you must take the Health Risk Appraisal or HRA (not required for active-duty). But please note, taking the HRA does not enroll you in the Freeze the Gain Holiday Challenge. See a CHPS or HAWC staff member to officially weigh-in. Once the online enrollment and official weigh-in is complete, participation will be official.

Studies suggest that American adults gain approximately a half pound to two pounds each year during their adult life. A study at the National Institutes of Health found that most of this weight is gained during the six-week interval between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Furthermore, it was also determined that the extra weight is not typically lost in the following spring or summer monThs. These pounds can literally last a lifetime.


As part of Freeze the Gain, teams of two will adopt a wingman buddy system. Many times, goals are better achieved when reinforced by other people working toward a similar goal. Individuals may enter Freeze the Gain as well.

All individuals who weigh-out within two pounds of their starting weight will receive an incentive award.