Lose weight, get paid

Have you pledged to lose weight?

If so, why not compete with others and maybe win a $100 gift card along the way?

At Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, officials in the health ministry on Monday kicked off a “Biggest Loser Challenge.” The competition will run through April 29 and is open to all who sign up. Gift cards will be awarded to each of the top five finishers -- those who lose the highest percentage of body fat.

“The main thing that we are trying to do is to get people to look at the way that they are eating,” said Edna Sherer, who heads Pleasant Hill’s health ministry. “We are trying to increase motivation and participation in exercise. It’s also to help provide people with resources that they usually don’t know about within their community.”

The initiative was created through the Cabarrus County Health Alliance’s Healthy Lives, Healthy Futures (HLHF) Community Wellness Program – which is funded by a seven-year, $1.1 million grant awarded in 2008 to the Cabarrus County Health Alliance from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust.

The goal of HLHF is to work with low-income youth, adults (including those with disabilities) and senior citizens in Cabarrus, Mecklenburg and Rowan counties. The program seeks to prevent heart disease, stroke, diabetes and other chronic illnesses through physical activity and nutrition.

HLHF will provide those participating in "Biggest Loser" with access to resources they need to reach their weight-loss goals. As part of the competition, contestants are required to participate in nutrition classes, which will be offered each Thursday at Pleasant Hill Baptist, beginning Jan. 26 at 6:30 p.m.

In addition to providing information on portion control, servings, planning balanced meals and other topics, the classes also will include a 30-minute workout session and will be lead by community health advocates from the Cabarrus County Health Alliance.

In addition, Pleasant Hill Baptist is offering free exercise classes each Tuesday begin at 6:30 p.m. (Participants usually arrive around 6 p.m. to mingle and walk for 30 minutes prior to the official start of class.)

The Tuesday classes are optional for "Biggest Loser" contestants, but the Thursday night nutrition courses are mandatory. However, Sherer said participants won't be disqualified if they fail to make all 15 sessions.

“We have some leniency with the classes,” she said. “We know people have things to do.”

Those who can't make the Thursday night class may opt to take a Monday night class at East Stonewall A.M.E. Zion Church.

The weekly fitness and nutrition classes are free and open to the public regardless of church membership or participation in the contest.

Editor's Note: Have you made a commitment to better health in 2012? Maybe you've vowed to lose weight, or give up smoking, or eat better. Qcitymetro wants to hear from you. Email editor@qcitymetro.com.

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