Viewers may sometimes forget that the contestants on the television show "The Biggest Loser" are also just regular employees. From that vantage point, contestants' triumphs and setbacks on the show may offer insights for employers trying to create a healthy workforce.

Last year, Bill Germanakos, a medical sales representative for Quest Diagnostics, won top prize on "The Biggest Loser." He lost 164 pounds - 49.1% of his body weight - in 34 weeks, dramatically improving his health. In April, Quest Diagnostics appointed Germanakos, who had previously led a sales team selling new technologies, as its director of employee wellness initiatives.

"Now that I have been re-educated and have more knowledge about health and wellness, it seems like a natural fit for me to join the company's health and wellness management team," explains Germanakos.

On a quest for health

Germanakos clearly has the New Jersey-based company following in his healthy footsteps, as Quest Diagnostics was named a Gold Award winner among the 2008 Best Employers for Healthy Lifestyles.

The award, presented by the National Business Group on Health, annually honors more than 50 U.S. employers for their commitment to help employees choose a healthier way of life. This is the second consecutive year that NBGH has named Quest Diagnostics, which employs about 43,500 workers, as a Gold Award recipient.

Lauded for its HealthyQuest employee wellness program, between 2005 and 2007, Quest helped its participants lower their health risks by adopting healthier behaviors, such as quitting smoking and exercising more frequently.

For example, more than 70% of participants have achieved an assessment rating that indicates a low risk of developing major health problems, compared to 60% when the program began. Programs include physical fitness, weight management and stress management resources; tobacco cessation counseling; and efforts to improve the healthful quality of food choices at onsite cafeterias and vending machines.

"HealthyQuest results have been remarkable. As a company, we are beginning to see a positive return on our investment, and our colleagues continue to tell us that, due to HealthyQuest, they are making important lifestyle changes," says Fred R. Williams, director of health benefits management at Quest Diagnostics.

"Others credit the program with anticipating major medical problems, like diabetes, and helping them to halt destructive behaviors, such as smoking," he adds. The underlying goal of the program is to encourage all employees to take action.

Last year, the company conducted it first colorectal cancer screening for people who were in the high-risk demographics based on age and ethnicity.

"After the screening, we projected we saved or maybe extended the lives of about six to eight people. It is one thing to help someone lose weight, but it may be more rewarding to help someone recognize that he or she may have a cancer, and the sooner you treat it, the better off you are," Williams says.

As for Germanakos' new role at the company, "It was a no-brainer to have him join our team. He is a wonderful example of what can happen when you are faced with many high-risk health factors, and you are able to put mind over matter to make changes in your lifestyle," Williams says.

Germanakos sharing his wellness story encourages others to share their own, which gives HealthyQuest participants confidence that they can make a change as dramatic as his, whether it's quitting smoking or losing weight, notes Williams, adding that improving health is a metric that the company tracks.

Preaching wellness

"At this point, the position is new to me, so I am making public appearances and letting people know what I have accomplished," Germanakos says of his wellness ambassadorship. "People want to hear how it's done."

What's more, he is teaching workers about becoming healthy and losing weight. "If I was able to do it, then they can do the same. By no means was it easy, but it's a worthwhile endeavor.

"I am trying to spread the word and educate people about health and wellness, which means taking from what I learned from the show and passing that knowledge on to not only my coworkers, but also to the clients of Quest Diagnostics," he says.

Even before going on "The Biggest Loser," Germanakos had participated in some of the health and wellness programs offered by Quest Diagnostics.

"I had a good understanding of what my biometrics levels were before I arrived at the show's training facility, but I needed a little bit more motivation. That is why I signed up for the show," he says.

The biggest challenge for people who are trying to lose weight and become healthy is to maintain that lifestyle while working full time. "For me, I am on the road all of the time, which makes it difficult to keep to a good diet and adhere to a routine workout schedule," he says.

The hard work has more than paid off - personally and professionally - not only for Germanakos, but his Quest colleagues as well.

"We are very pleased to honor these forward-thinking companies for their leadership in the development of a wide range of innovative programs and opportunities they are offering their workers to create a healthy work environment," says LuAnn Heinen, vice president and director of the NBGH Institute on the Costs and Health Effects of Obesity.