He ain't heavy, he's your co-worker.

Or, possibly even your boss.

But in this case, being a corporate "fat cat" isn't a good thing. Obesity is on the rise in Canada and being overweight can hurt more than just the bottom line for both the employee and the employer.

More than 5.5 million Canadian adults are obese and are at an increased risk for early disability and death, decreased quality of life and a diminished capacity to contribute to the economy, according to the Canadian Obesity Network (CON), a group of more than 1,000 obesity researchers and health professionals.

Harvey Brooker

While the CON says there is limited information on obesity in the Canadian workplace, a Duke University medical center study released earlier this year found that in the United States obese workers filed twice the number of workers' compensation claims, had seven times higher medical costs for those claims and lost 13 times more days of work from injury or work illness than non-obese workers.

The researchers at a Durham, N.C.-based medical centre looked at the records of 11,728 employees of Duke University who received health-risk appraisals between 1997 and 2004.

In Canada, Harvey Brooker specializes in weight loss for men. His program, simply called Harvey A. Brooker Weight Loss for Men, operates out of Downsview, Ont., and is described as North America's only men's weight-loss support group.

Brooker says that obesity can affect every aspect of a man's life and is often prevalent in business situations.

Companies are not as apt to promote overweight men, he says, as they think they're a health risk because of their obesity.

Businesspeople also tend to look at a man who is overweight as a person who lacks control. Businesses may feel that overweight men have lower energy levels as the extra weight is seen as a burden that depletes the person's energy level, adds Brooker.

"What's happened is that people have developed a lifestyle that's very hedonistic in our society," says Brooker, who earlier in his life weighed in at 210 pounds on a five-foot-six frame. Today, he weighs around 155 pounds.

"We sit all day long and there are very few calories burned in earning a dollar."

That sentiment is also shared by epidemiologist Peter Katzmarzyk, an associate professor at Kingston-based Queen's University in the school of kinesiology and health studies.

"There's been a fairly steady increase in obesity since the early 1970s. It's not something that all of a sudden came upon us," says Katzmarzyk.

"We know our society in general has a drive towards efficiency and that's the biggest problem as we don't need to be physically active.

"We've completely engineered physical activity out of our daily lives. Couple this sedentary existence with all this freely available high-density (fast and snack) food and it's a recipe for disaster."

Brooker's strategy uses a combination of motivational speaking, a supportive setting and the promotion of a healthy eating plan to fight the weight-loss battle.

"Unless you want to buy a farm and work it by hand, you just can't eat everything that everyone else is eating," says Brooker. "You have to find a healthy eating program and get away from the nonsense and the gimmicks that are being sold out there. Losing 40 pounds in 40 days is nonsense."

When it comes to the business world, Brooker says overweight men do not enjoy the same esteem as their thinner colleagues.

"Overweight men do not get the respect in business that a right-weighted man would get, even if they happen to be better at it (the job)," he says.

"I've been asking men how it (being overweight) has affected their business life. One of the guys in my class, who is an engineer, told me that when he was 100 pounds overweight, he could see that there was no room at the top for overweight men. So he went into business for himself. This way, he could hide behind the computer at his Internet-based business and not see anybody."

In that instance, there was a happy financial ending as Brooker says the client sold the Internet company for a seven-figure amount.

In another case, where Brooker's weight-loss client could not hide behind the scenes, moving forward with a successful weight-loss program allowed the salesman in question to increase his sales by 75 per cent after losing 30 pounds. Not only did he look, he also felt better and had more energy, says Brooker.

Michael Stern, president and CEO of Michael Stern Associates Inc., a Toronto-based executive search and executive coaching firm, says that to a certain extent, being overweight can present misconceptions to an employer.

However, he believes the potential employee should be able to address those concerns through references or during the interview process.

"It is possibly an issue that is going to bring up stereotypes and misconceptions that need to be addressed by you as a candidate, just in the same way a candidate would if they are of a certain age," says Stern.

"If employers are concerned about someone's appearance, that's something that is just there.

"If they're concerned about health and energy levels, these are things that can be checked by references. If a candidate has used no sick time (at previous jobs) and is shown to have lots of energy, that negates some of the preconceptions about weight."

But, Stern adds, "I've been doing this over 25 years and I've found there is very little discrimination of any kind that I'm aware of now. Companies are desperate to get the best person available and appearance, gender, age or ethnic background tend to take (a backseat to) the ability to get the job done."

Meanwhile, while Brooker concentrates on overweight men - he also offers a telephone coaching program for those outside the Greater Toronto Area - Weight Watchers offers a weight-loss program called Weight Watchers At Work for both men and women in the workplace.

"The demand for Weight Watchers at Work has increased," says Esther Gryschuk, Weight Watchers' special services manager for Alberta and Saskatchewan.

"Ten years ago, it was 50-50 - sometimes a company would call us, sometimes we would make cold calls. Fast-forward to 2007, and I have a waiting list."

Companies book a 12-week session featuring one-hour classes. Weight-loss programs are tailored to the type of workers and the line of work and can last for years.

"People who attend the at- work meetings said they would not go to a traditional meeting" because of other time commitments, says Gryschuk.

"I've heard the at-work program referred to as 'Weight Watchers with room service.' "

Heavy Hitters

* Obesity has increased in every Canadian population demographic, according to epidemiologist Peter Katzmarzyk, an associate professor at Queen's University.

Being overweight also means a higher incidence for diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

Katzmarzyk suggests the following steps to cut down on obesity in the workplace:

* Use the stairs instead of the elevator.

* Park farther away from the entrance in order to walk more.

* Get off the bus or subway one stop earlier to decrease the amount of time one is sedentary during the work day.

* Go one step better and bike to work instead of sitting behind the wheel of a car or SUV.

* Use common sense by taking an active lunch break.

* Encourage walking meetings where the meeting is held by walking around or through the office, as opposed to sitting in a boardroom.

It's not just about exercise, adds Katzmarzyk.

"It's incorporating physical activity back into our lives, we just need to move more in what we do," he says. "We're not saying, 'Go out and exercise', because that doesn't seem to work."

(Laura Severs can be reached at laura@businessedge.ca)