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The guru of a novel weight loss phenomenon, Gwen Shamblin, preaches to her faithful listeners the gospel of eating less food and concentrating their hunger towards God. In this program, participants don't need to diet, count calories or even exercise. That appeal has many Americans, and lately many Canadians, listening to Shamblin's message about needing less food and needing more of God.
Shamblin, a registered dietician from Nashville, Tenn., founded the Weigh Down Workshop Inc. in 1986 after becoming discouraged when her own efforts to lose weight failed. She then learned the secrets of slimming down while watching a friend eat only half a hamburger. Shamblin took those secrets and developed them for others who have become disillusioned by traditional weight loss methods. Because of the simple spiritual focus, churches of every denomination across the US and Canada are running Shamblin's program, not just for their members but for the people in their communities.
Shamblin's seminar "Exodus Out of Egypt" is a non-denominational Bible-based weight loss program. Participants learn that just as the Israelites were liberated from bondage in Egypt, so too people obsessed with food can be liberated. At each weekly meeting, participants listen to an inspired message from Shamblin on video, share their past week's experiences and pray for each other. In between the 12-week sessions, they listen to audio tapes of Shamblin giving them encouragement, and then spend time reading the Bible, journaling in their workbooks and praying.
"This program is the opposite of dieting which makes the food `behave' and only increases your desire to chew," Shamblin notes. "The urge to eat when we are not truly physiologically hungry is what we call `head hunger'; with the Weigh Down approach, you will chew less food, but more importantly, with God's help—you will desire less food."
The cost for participating in the program for the first time is $150. The second time it is $75, and after that it is free. Participants can take the program as many times as they want. The program is hosted by a volunteer coordinator who doesn't necessary need to have taken the course or have any training. Everything is explained in the introductory materials.
The brochure describes the basics: "The `Exodus out of Egypt' seminar teaches people to transfer a love relationship with food to a love relationship with God. Through this seminar, you will learn how you can be delivered from slavery of overeating and dieting. God can change your heart so that you truly have no desire to eat the second half of a candy bar if you are not hungry."
While the popularity of the Weigh Down Workshops are spreading across the country as the new fad phenomenon, the testimonies remain the selling point: "In about a year, I lost 112 pounds,"says one woman from Missouri. One man from Arkansas says: "I lost 90 [pounds]. My cholesterol level was lowered by 121 points. Weigh Down has affected how [my wife and I] act and the way we relate to everyday challenges." Another woman, from Minnesota, says: "I lost 141 pounds in 9 1/2 months. The best part of this program was the spiritual awakening in me. My marriage has improved 100 percent. And my family is happier too. I am free from the bondage of food."
Here in Canada, there are MB churches offering the program or a variation of it, from Central Heights MB Church in Abbotsford, B.C. to Fort Garry MB Church in Winnipeg to Orchard Park Bible Church in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ont.
While the success of the program may be something of a phenomenon and the program may be a fad, the fact that people are improving their relationships with God and with others and focusing less on food, is nothing short of a miracle.
As one testimonial from Fort Garry MB Church summed up: "My relationship with God and my husband has improved; the weight loss is a by-product.
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