Losing Together: Try These Weight Loss Challenges For Groups

There are a number of great ways to keep yourself motivated when you’re on your weight loss journey.

One is keeping the bigger picture in mind through the small daily weight loss challenges. You’re doing this to live a longer, healthier life.

Another is to reward yourself along the way, which you can do with these weight loss challenge medals. Not only do you see your progress on the scale, but you’ll have real-life medals you can proudly display.

A third solution is to work out and lose weight as a group, because it’s a way to unlock benefits that are difficult to achieve on one's own. 

That starts with accountability, as group members can hold each other accountable to sticking with the program and making progress towards their goals. 

This accountability can help increase motivation, consistency, and adherence to the program, as individuals are less likely to skip workouts or cheat on their diet if they know they will be letting the group down. 

Another huge benefit is the emotional support you’ll experience as you each help to boost each other’s confidence and self-esteem.

This sense of community and shared experience can help foster a positive mindset and sense of camaraderie that can be difficult to find when working out and losing weight alone. 

While we love a good 30-day weight loss challenge, this three-week group weight loss challenge will keep you motivated and moving.

The goal for the 21-Day Slimdown Challenge is to stick to a specific meal plan and workout routine for 21 days, with daily group check-ins and progress tracking. These check-ins can be a shared chat, or if you’re doing it with coworkers, a meeting just before or after work.

The meal plan should be tailored to individual calorie needs, with a focus on whole foods with limited processed options. 

The group workout routine should include both strength training and cardio, with a recommended minimum of 30 minutes of exercise per day.

It's time to step up and step out of your comfort zone. 

In addition to your own personal weight loss journey, the Step Up Challenge is an additional push that you take on with your group. Each group has to hit a daily step count goal, which increases each week for a set number of weeks. 

For example, the first week could have a goal of 5,000 steps per day per person, the second week could have a goal of 7,000 steps per day per person, and so on. Participants can track their steps using a pedometer or a fitness tracker.

The challenge from here can be for the group to keep rising to the challenge with each new week. For a more time-boxed group weight loss challenge, divide your group in two parts, and compare weekly totals for bragging rights.

You're sweet enough already, so it’s time to leave out the added sugar for this group weight loss challenge. 

At its base, you’ll commit to eliminating added sugars from their diet for a set number of weeks. This includes all forms of added sugar, including artificial sweeteners. 

Taking this on as a group can help alleviate some of the shock of cutting back on sweets. Group participation could include creating a shared document or chat group where participants can check in daily or weekly to share their progress, offering support and encouragement, and sharing healthy recipe ideas.

You can add some sugar-free icing to the sugar-free cake of this group weight loss challenge by going a step further. See who can go the longest without consuming any added sugars (then try one of these four non-food-or-drink weight loss rewards).

Hydration nation, here we come! Let's make sure we're drinking enough water to keep our bodies happy and healthy (after all, drinking water has been shown as a way to lose weight!)

While we love a drinking water challenge, we know that sitting by yourself and pounding glasses of water isn’t the most entertaining. 

This can be a fun challenge to do between groups because there are a number of ways to visualize how much water you’ve had. From selfies with empty water bottles to emoji tallies, there are plenty of ways to get creative and to motivate your group to stay hydrated.

It only takes two to weight loss tango!

While a big group weight loss challenge can be great for settings like an office, it’s not 100% necessary to get the benefits of accountability.

With just one other person – a friend, a partner, a coworker – you’ll get the support you need to make your weight loss journey a more positive experience. 

What’s great about the Buddy System Challenge is that you can still stick to your own weight loss journey. Instead of only tracking calories or steps, the challenge here is your accountability to this other person. 

Ideally, you’ll have a daily check-in to share progress updates. One I’ve had success with is exchanging a photo after our workouts. You’re sweaty, you’re tired, and you’ve done it! Plus, once you start building a chain of accountability, it becomes harder to break it off.