New Year, New You

By Nina Hammerling Smith

WEB EXCLUSIVE

Back in January, we asked our readers to tell us what they'd want to change about themselves—and promised to help one lucky winner make those changes happen. Little did we know what kind of response we'd get. We read through 1,647 entries to come up with a list of 60 semi-finalists, then had the difficult task of whittling it down to 10 finalists.

"I was genuinely moved by the responses we received," says our online marketing manager, Melissa Walder, "and how people opened up about their lives to Guideposts."  

Finally, it came to just one entry: 42-year-old wife, mother and teacher Tammie Temple from Monroe, Louisiana. Tammie had spotted the New Year, New You contest announcement as she was reading Guideposts magazine during her Christmas school break.

Having experienced some health problems, including blood pressure that "was starting to creep up," Tammie was trying to work on her weight and had in fact already lost 25 pounds. But she'd hit a plateau, finding it hard to make time to exercise and not knowing exactly what she should be cooking.

The January cover story on The Biggest Loser's Julie Hadden also made a big impact. "I thought, 'If she can do it, I can too!'" So Tammie sent in her entry.

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"After I wrote the essay, I said a little prayer: God, you know I've been working on this, but I can't do it without you. You know how bad I need to lose this weight. I need your help." Then she pretty much forgot about the contest. She was busy, after all, between teaching sixth-grade reading as well as a class at her church, and caring for her two sons and her husband—and working on their new house.

Like so many moms and teachers, Tammie is a giving person, leaving not a lot of time for herself. "It's easy to relate to Tammie's struggles," says Julie Hadden. "She's the typical American: She's a little overweight, she's a mom, she works full time. And she makes a lot of the same wrong decisions that a lot of us make."

In late March, Guideposts contacted Tammie's best friend, Christine, asking her to break the news to Tammie, which she did at a church meeting.

"Suddenly she makes this announcement that there was this big contest," recalls Tammie. "I was halfway not even paying attention, but then I heard her say it was through Guideposts...and she said, 'The winner goes to our church!' Then my husband came out with gardenias. I felt like I'd won Miss America or something! To be recognized not only for my hard work but for my heart and my needs and wants...It was an answer to a prayer."