The holidays offer many tempting culinary treats presenting a challenge for people trying to be good stewards of health.
Matt and Suzy, NBC's The Biggest Loser season 2 winners who lost 157 and 95 pounds, respectively, shared advice recently for eating through the holidays and beyond with a weight-loss group at the Auburn City (Wash.) Church. Their advice? Take healthy food with you to holiday gatherings, or invite people to your home.
"[As a couple] we decided we're going to change our family legacy," Matt says. A typical meal in their home starts with a salad and a salad dressing they like. They over-portion their vegetables, drink lots of water, incorporate a protein, and save the most tempting item for last.
Matt and Suzy offered three basic steps for making lifestyle changes: 1) Stop talking and take action; 2) Find a support system; and 3) Do some housecleaning in your life and find new friends to support you in your new lifestyle choices.
"The most important lesson we learned is to finish," Matt says, who recently competed in an Ironman Challenge. "There's always going to be a reason to stop, but you have to choose to keep going."
Heidi Martella, Washington Conference associate communication director
Introducing The Big Picture of Ministry
Every month in the GLEANER you read a snapshot of ministry activity in the Northwest. Our churches, schools, and ministries are active in sharing Jesus with family, friends, and neighbors.
In the conference news pages this year, Washington Conference is introducing a new feature called "The Big Picture of Ministry." We'll share big picture ministry and mission tidbits in 140 characters or less. Each Big Picture box will include a reference to www.washingtonconference.org where you can read more about the current Big Picture feature.
As we look at the Big Picture of Ministry, we invite you to join us in praying for God's blessing with our ministry outreach.
Heidi Martella
Read more
Western Washington churches offer community follow-up programs after holiday outreach events. See stories at washingtonconference.org.
