I've been brainstorming a church-wide diet. Here are some of the benefits I can see coming from this:1. Most of us need to lose at least some weight.
2. Doing it together would provide motivation and accountability.
3. One more opportunity for our people to connect and love each other.
4. It would be a practice of solidarity for people who do not need to lose (They decline foods voluntarily because, others must).
5. The church is currently working against physical health with the food we usually provide.
6. There are mental, emotional, and spiritual problems that stem from being overweight and undisciplined.
7. It will give some people the confidence they need to address other problems.
The potential downfalls of such a program are these:
1. It could put too much emphasis on the physical life.
2. Wrongly handled, people could come away thinking that weight loss is exactly equal to good health.
3. People who are not ready to change may feel isolated from the body.
4. There could be a post-diet back-lash.
All in all, I think the potential rewards are worth the risks. (However, I will also try to counteract the risks).
I'm thinking it will work something like this:
Day One- We borrow a scale from a doctor's office to get accurate weights. Each individual weight will be confidential to the individual. Only that individual and a professional nutritionist will know. That nutritionist will help each individual set an attainable 90-day goal.
The nutritionist will give us a sum total of our current weight and and the sum total of the goal weight. This changes the perspective. Instead of me thinking about losing 15 lbs. for me (me, me, me) my focus will be us trying to ??? lbs.
Rules would be in place about food that is set out before and after church and even at pot lucks. Even people who elect to not be a part of the program can submit to the needs of the others.
We would have weigh-ins periodically (every 30 days?).
I'm not sure how the accountability will work. Pairing people up has gone badly in the past, because it only takes one person to tank two. I'm thinking of making it groups of five (probably gender specific).
The program will require each person to do weigh-ins, adhere to a diet, exercise, and provide consistent and persistent encouragement to others involved.
I'd love your input.
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7 comments:
Intriguing. My first response is that this is a great idea. Our bodies are temples and though the obvious understanding is a spiritual one, there is much to be said for how we treat our physical bodies.
Your pluses are right on - especially the # 6 discussing the many problems that arise from obesity.
I say go for it. At the very least it tells the church and the community that you are relevant. Isn't that often the criticism of church - they it doesn't speak to me where I am?
If done well it could be a great ministry for your church and witness for your community.
Two more ideas that came to me this morning:
Try to broker a deal with one of the fitness facilities. With such a large group, there may be some people eager to make a deal.
Also, there is a personal trainer who attends sporatically. He has volunteered before to do a free-of-charge aerobics class. This would be a good opportunity to utilize his gifts.
I was reminded of a bible study/weight loss program. I didn't know if you had heard of it. I know little about it except that it exists. You can read the details at:
http://www.wdworkshop.com/wdw/programs.asp
Here's another:
http://www.thinwithin.org/
I recommend that you also use a body caliper. They can more reliable towards your overall health than a scale.
What's that?
It measures body fat percentage.
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