We don’t all plan to overeat on Thanksgiving. But between the cranberries, candied yams, and piles of stuffing, Thanksgiving dinner tends to loosen our belts a few notches. People typically put on 1–3 pounds in the weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, in many cases permanently. So while we give ourselves the gift of love handles, our Human Resources superheroes can give the gift of employee wellness programs to fend off—or at least prepare for—the holiday bulge.

Employees love to compete, so how about a weight-loss challenge like The Biggest Loser, where the department that loses the highest percentage of weight wins a prize? The flexibility of a weight-loss challenge allows employees to get incentives and to be held accountable: two factors proven to motivate weight loss. Fortunately, it’s easy to use both these criteria in a department-wide or even company-wide wellness challenge. And even better, this kind of informal wellness program has many of the same benefits as a formal wellness program, in that it increases loyalty, morale, attendance, and productivity, with the bonus of being fun and motivating!

For incentive, prizes can be simple, such as a gift card or a special lunch. Incentives can be given to the challenger winner(s), but also to each individual or group when they reach certain weight-loss goals, such as 5 pounds, 10 pounds, and so on. Small prizes can also be awarded to recognize consistent weekly weight loss.

For accountability, try a chart or spreadsheet that records everyone’s weekly progress, just be sure to get permission to include starting weights! This method creates accountability because participants can monitor each other’s progress, and it can also create incentive to post good numbers and earn bragging rights.

By combining a good-spirited challenge with incentive and accountability, employees will lose that holiday weight in no time! And just think—if a small, informal program can bring this much good, what could a large-scale employee wellness program do? Other options, including stress management training, smoking cessation programs, and even alternative therapies such as massage and meditation, are helping employees everywhere to feel healthier and happier. Give the gift of wellness this year!