How the Biggest Loser Can Make You Money

In tonight's The Biggest Loser : Couples finale on NBC (GE Quote) even those that do not win, will still feel better about what they lost.

Losing weight is hard, even when you have a national audience watching your every calorie, but the benefits of keeping excess poundage off can be more valuable than even the $250,000 cash prize awarded to tonight's couple who has lost the most weight. Achieving a healthy weight can result in numerous lifestyle benefits, including reducing your risk of a heart attack. And some employers are even willing to pay you to stay fit.

The battle of the bulge is a daily reality for many Americans, more than 30% of whom are obese, according to the National Center for Health and Statistics . The number of at risk individuals increases when you factor in those who are overweight. Obesity and being overweight are not synonymous: An overweight individual has a Body Mass Index greater or equal to 25 and an obese person has a BMI greater or equal to 30. (That means a 5 foot, 5 inch tall person who weighed 150 pounds, or more, would be considered overweight; if they weighed 180 pounds, or more, they would be considered obese.) Weight is an issue for all kinds of people, even celebrities. Oprah Winfrey , Carnie Wilson, Kirstie Alley , Star Jones, and Ruben Studdard are just a few celebs that have struggled with weight.

Maybe instead of a nutritionist you should turn to your boss for help?

Corporations today are realizing that healthy employees means better business. Obesity costs U.S. companies $13 billion per year, according to a report by the Department of Health and Human Services . Employers with health initiatives increase employee revenue by 20%, according to Watson Wyatt , a consulting firm. And it's not just earnings that improve. Controlling obesity helps lower your risk for cancer, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, and mental disorders.

Companies such as IBM (IBM Quote) are taking action. Through January, 2007, the computer and consulting firm has shelled out more than $130 million in incentives for its employees to get healthy. Translation: That means they will pay you cash if you go to the gym. "When you can help people feel better about themselves, and their lives, and their health, then over time you will see the difference because people do have few sick days and less absenteeism and less disability," says Luann Heinen, Vice President at the National Business Group on Health.

About 370 companies use the NBGH to provide health solution suggestions, such as opening company stairwells to promote walking, or by removing the Krispy Kreme (KKD Quote) donuts from conference rooms. According to Wyatt, 46% of employers offer or plan to offer financial incentives to promote health. Unsure if yours does? Ask the human resources department.

Technology can help, too. Healthy Dining Finder is one of the food source Web sites utilized by NBGH for its network to find the restaurants in a given area that add nutritious food to the menu.

And when you're tuned into The Biggest Loser, remember to watch what you eat. Maybe some air popped corn (no butter) instead of deep fried Oreos Oreos (KFT Quote). You'll feel better about yourself and your career.