Life Imitates TV: ‘Biggest Losers’ at Neteffects Tip the Scales At 2,563 lbs!Recruiter Amy Fields refuses to be tempted by the “insidious” Girl

Scout Cookie sales by energetic parents just wanting to help their Brownies or Girl Scouts.It takes courage, guts and a lot of self-confidence to admit that you need to shed a few pounds. Losing weight is probably the world’s most often made New Years resolution…and generally the fastest broken.But at NetEffects close to half of our delivery team have stepped up to the weighing scale and said that “now’s the time to lose it.” And they are making a sincere effort to do so by participating in our own “Biggest Losers” contest that runs from January 2 through March 5.Starting out at a total of 2,563 aggregate pounds, 12 of our staff members are making the journey to thinness.With each contestant putting up a $20 entry fee, the winner-take-all will pocket a total of $240. Like the TV show, it’s not how many actual pounds lost, but the percentage of weight loss compared to starting weights.Danger In The HallwaysHowever, there is a dangerous stalking issue in the hallways that could threaten the entire program - the tempting Girl Scout Cookie sales that are now underway nationally, and of course, in NetEffects' offices.With the cookies scheduled to be delivered between February 22 and March 7, and the final weigh-in set for March 5, could this compromise the results? Can our fearless dieters resist the siren call of…..Samoas (chewy, gooey, crunchy and delicious) or Thin Mints (great for freezing and sneaking snacks during the year ahead), or shortbread Trefoils (that melt in your mouth) or TagAlongs (those chocolate and peanut butter yummies) or the Do-Si-Dos (with a tall glass of milk — heaven!) If you couldn't tell, we're quite found of Girl Scout cookies around here!Keeping Them HonestTo help keep everyone honest, there is a weigh-in every week. By Wednesday of the second week, there were a couple of holdouts…were they trying to shed a few extra that perhaps were added over a weekend? The plot thickens!“We all want to lose weight, so having a competition is a great motivation for us all,” says Piper Teer, Accounting Assistant who is steering the program, doing the weigh-ins and keeping everyone honest.“The guys seem to be more committed to the gym and exercise part of the effort, but the women are more food conscious, and it shows in that the men have lost more weight than the women.As we go to press, after five weeks, the group has lost a total of 111 pounds.What are your own secrets for success, we asked? Everyone was keeping their mouth shut. As they should!P.S. A little Girl Scout cookie trivia: more than 200 million boxes are sold each year. The most popular- Thin Mint. Between 1920 when sales began and 1934, the girls (and moms) actually baked the cookies themselves. It was 1934 when the first commercially-made cookies became available.