Gwen Shamblin Lara

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Gwen Shamblin Lara
Lara in 2018
Lara in 2018
Born(1955-02-18)February 18, 1955
Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
DiedMay 29, 2021(2021-05-29) (aged 66)
Percy Priest Lake, Tennessee, U.S.
Occupation
  • Author
  • dietitian
EducationUniversity of Tennessee
Memphis State University
Genre
Spouse
David Shamblin
​
​
(m. 1978; div. 2018)​

​
​
(m. 2018; died 2021)​
Children2[1][2]
Website
www.gwenshamblin.com

Gwen Shamblin Lara (February 18, 1955 – May 29, 2021) was an American author, founder of the Christian diet program The Weigh Down Workshop and founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church.

Early life[]

Lara earned an undergraduate degree in dietetics from University of Tennessee, in Knoxville and her master's degree in food and nutrition from Memphis State University.[3][4] She was a registered dietitian, consultant and a faculty member at Memphis State University for five years.[5][6] She worked in the Tennessee Department of Health for five years.[4]

Personal life[]

Lara was raised in a Church of Christ family.[7][8] She had two children and seven grandchildren.[9][10] She lived with her family in Ashlawn, an historic mansion in Brentwood, Tennessee that was built in 1838.[11][12] In 2018, she married Joe Lara.[13]

On May 29, 2021, Lara and six church leaders, including her husband, Joe, and son-in-law, Brandon Hannah, were killed when her 1982 Cessna Citation 501 private jet, bound for Palm Beach, Florida, crashed into Percy Priest Lake near Smyrna, Tennessee, shortly after takeoff.[14][15]

Career and ministry[]

Weigh Down Workshop[]

Lara began a weight control consulting practice in 1980.[6] She had struggled with her weight in college.[16] She counseled that genetics, metabolism and behavior modification did not explain why some people were thin while others were overweight.[17] In 1986, Lara founded the Weigh Down Workshop, a weight loss program with no food restrictions, exercise regimens or weigh-ins, or calorie counting.[18][19][20][21]

Some experts expressed concern that the program eliminated exercise and guidance on food selection as recommended by the American Dietetic Association.[22]

Lara developed Weigh Down Workshop while working on her master's degree at Memphis State University.[23] As part of a counseling center, Lara hosted the first class in a mall in Memphis, Tennessee.[24][25] The program was offered as small classes in retail and non-religious settings.[26][27] In the 1990s, she began hosting the program at Bellevue Baptist Church near Memphis.[18][19][28] The program consisted of 12-week seminars guided by video and audio tapes featuring Lara.[29][30]

By 1994, the program was offered in Europe and in about 600 churches in 35 U.S. states.[17] By January 1995, the program was in more than 1,000 churches in 49 states, Great Britain and Canada.[20] By July 1996, the program had grown to about 5,000 churches, with about 10 percent located in Lara's home state of Tennessee.[31] About eight churches in Britain were hosting workshops in December 1996.[32] Some participants in the U.S. hosted meetings in their homes.[18]

In 1996, Weigh Down Workshop had a staff of 40 and built a headquarters in Franklin, Tennessee, and Lara began hosting an annual summer convention, Desert Oasis, in the Nashville area.[19][33]

Weigh Down Workshop hosted more than 21,000 classes with more than 250,000 participants worldwide by August 1998.[34] Classes were hosted in every state in the U.S. and in Canada and Europe.[19][35]

Lara was criticized for using the Christianity label while building her business.[36] In 2001, Nashville CBS affiliate WTVF investigated how Weigh Down Workshop leaders spent money. Lara said half the proceeds from Weigh Down Workshop was paid as taxes and the other half was put back into the program.[37]

Remnant Fellowship Church[]

Lara founded the Remnant Fellowship Church in 1999 in Franklin, TN.[10] The church's building was completed 2004 on 40 acres Lara purchased in Brentwood, Tennessee.[10][38][39]

Writings[]

In 1997, Lara published The Weigh Down Diet, a book that advised readers to use spirituality to avoid overeating. The book sold more than 1.2 million copies.[40][41][42] The Weigh Down Diet teaches the love of food should be transferred to a love of God, and to cut food portions in half and eat only when hungry.[43]

Lara wrote Rise Above, published in 2000, and in 2002 she published Exodus Devotional.[44][45]

On August 10, 2000, Lara sent an email to her followers saying that she believed that the doctrine of the Trinity was not biblical. In response, some evangelical churches dropped her program, Thomas Nelson Publishers canceled the publication of her next book, she was removed from the Women of Faith website and some employees left her staff.[7]

Television, magazine and news media appearances[]

Lara has appeared television programs such as on BBC,[46] 20/20,[33] A Current Affair,[9] The View,[47] and Dateline (Australia).[48] as well as in such magazines as Family Circle,[49] Good Housekeeping,[50] Woman's Day,[17] and many newspaper articles.[25][30][34] She was featured on The Today Show,[51] CNN's Larry King Live,[9][33] DaySide,[52] and The Early Show.[53] Participants from the Weigh Down Workshop have been featured on the cover of Good Housekeeping,[54] in the Ladies' Home Journal,[55] in People Magazine,[56] First magazine,[57] Quick and Simple,[58] and in numerous newspaper articles. In 2007, The Tyra Banks Show devoted an hour-long program to Gwen, the Weigh Down Diet,[59] the Fellowship and participants from Weigh Down programs.

In 2009, Gwen and Weigh Down were featured on such television programs as WeTV's Secret Lives of Women[60] and CBS’s The Insider.[citation needed] In late 2011, she began producing a live Internet show, titled You Can Overcome.[61]

Selected works[]

Books[]

  • The Weigh Down Diet. Doubleday. 1997. ISBN 9780385487627.

Other media[]

  • Exodus out of Egypt: weigh down workshop, Weigh Down Workshop, 1992, OCLC 42869110
  • Rising above: the magnetic pull of the refrigerator, Weigh Down Workshop, Inc., 1992, OCLC 42414509
  • Exodus from strongholds, Weigh Down Workshop, 1998, ISBN 1892729075, OCLC 51290468
  • Weigh down at home, Weigh Down Workshop, 1999, OCLC 843098377

References[]

  1. ^ "www.michaelshamblin.com". michaelshamblin.com.
  2. ^ "gwenshamblinbooks.com". gwenshamblinbooks.com.
  3. ^ "Williamson County Local Authors". Williamson County Library. Archived from the original on January 31, 2006. Retrieved April 25, 2007.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Thorp, Lori Frazer (January 8, 1998). "Frazee woman shares personal weight loss story". Frazee Forum.
  5. ^ Gang, Christine Arpe (April 13, 1988). "Unorthodox diet plan targeted at teens". Longview News-Journal. p. 4C. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Heart & Soul: An interview with Gwen Shamblin, founder of the Weigh Down Workshop". Murfreesboro Matters. 1 (3). February 1999. p. 3.
  7. ^ Jump up to: a b Kennedy, John W. (September 11, 2000). "Thomas Nelson pulls plug on Gwen Shamblin's book". Retrieved July 22, 2019.
  8. ^ White, Gaule (March 31, 1997). "Dieting religiously". Democrat and Chronicle. p. 3C. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b c Ieron, Julie-Allyson (January 2000). "Women of the Year: Gwen Shamblin". Clarity Magazine.
  10. ^ Jump up to: a b c "remnantfellowship.org". www.remnantfellowship.org. September 17, 2020.
  11. ^ McCampbell, Candy (March 11, 1996). "You could've had it, for $2.3 million". The Tennessean. p. 1E. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  12. ^ "Ashlawn". City of Brentwood. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  13. ^ "About - Gwen Shamblin". Gwen Shamblin. Retrieved August 28, 2018.
  14. ^ "Plane crashes into Percy Priest Lake; Christian diet guru Gwen Shamblin Lara, 6 others on board, church says". WTVF-TV. May 29, 2021. Retrieved May 29, 2021.
  15. ^ Romero, Dennis (May 30, 2021). "Diet guru Gwen Lara, husband actor Joe Lara among seven killed in plane crash". NBC News.
  16. ^ Hull, Dana (May 17, 1997). "Dieters putting their faith in sustenance of the spirit". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  17. ^ Jump up to: a b c Spencer, Paula (November 22, 1994). "Divine Intervention". Woman's Day. pp. 76, 78.
  18. ^ Jump up to: a b c Waddle, Ray (February 27, 1994). "Churchgoers leaning on God to shed their unwanted pounds". The Tennessean. p. 2A. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  19. ^ Jump up to: a b c d Waddle, Ray (July 3, 1996). "Weigh Down transfers love for food into love for God". The Tennessean. pp. 1B–2B. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  20. ^ Jump up to: a b Associated Press (January 3, 1995). "God is focus of weight-loss program". Battle Creek Enquirer. p. 4A. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  21. ^ Whyche, Stephanie (October 9, 1995). "The Weigh to the Lite". The News Journal. pp. C1, C4. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  22. ^ Quigley, Linda (March 1, 1997). "Praying away the pounds". The Tennessean. pp. 1D, 4D. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  23. ^ Kleczynski, Jennifer Coleridge (April 21, 1995). "Program helps dieters succeed". Strictly Hunterdon. The Courier-News. p. 5. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  24. ^ "Dieters seek help in religion". The News Journal. April 13, 1997. pp. J1, J7. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  25. ^ Jump up to: a b Bell, Bill (June 17, 1998). "The wages of thin: By putting grace before meals, Christian diet programs are reshaping lives". New York Daily News. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  26. ^ Graham, Jennifer (December 7, 1994). "Weight-loss disciples are shedding the extra pounds through prayer". Democrat and Chronicle. pp. 1C, 6C. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  27. ^ Wells, Valerie (May 6, 1995). "Weighty matters". Herald and Review. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  28. ^ Hill, Laura (February 10, 1998). "In God's own image". The Tennessean. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  29. ^ Johnson II, Lucas L. (July 18, 1996). "Faith helps some people lower weight way down". Greensboro News & Record. Associated Press. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  30. ^ Jump up to: a b Rosenfeld, Megan (January 23, 1995). "Dieting with Jesus". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  31. ^ Associated Press (July 26, 1996). "Program urges people to turn to God to shed pounds". The Daily Spectrum. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  32. ^ Brooks, Richard (December 29, 1996). "The divine diet". The Observer. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  33. ^ Jump up to: a b c De La Cruz, Jessi (March 19, 1999). "Heavenly help". Lansing State Journal. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  34. ^ Jump up to: a b Lauerman, Connie (August 20, 1998). "Christian Diet Programs: Nourishing The Spirit Is The Key To Slimming Down The Body". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  35. ^ "Random House". Retrieved February 11, 2010.
  36. ^ Griffith, R. Marie (October 4, 2004). Born Again Bodies: Flesh and Spirit in American Christianity. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520938113.
  37. ^ "Part 1: Is it a ministry or just big business?". NewsChannel5.com. July 1, 2001. Archived from the original on February 24, 2012.
  38. ^ "Gwen Shamblin on the Remnant Fellowship Church Construction". Youtube.com.
  39. ^ "Gwen Shamblin on the Remnant Fellowship Church Construction". www.Youtube.com.
  40. ^ Booth, Claire (March 14, 1997). "Dietitian says God, not food fills void". The Times. Shreveport, Louisiana. p. 2D. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  41. ^ Stein, Joel (October 24, 1999). "The Low-Carb Diet Craze". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  42. ^ Shamblin, Gwen (1997). The Weigh down Diet : The Inspirational Way to Lose Weight, Stay Slim and Find a New You. The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group (published February 1997). ISBN 9780385487627. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  43. ^ Mulrine, Anna (April 27, 1997). "A Godly Approach to Weight Loss". U.S. News & World Report. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved April 6, 2007.
  44. ^ Shamblin, Gwen (2000). Rise Above. Thomas Nelson Publishers (published January 1, 2000). ISBN 9780785268765. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
  45. ^ Lara, Gwen Shamblin (January 1, 2001). Exodus Devotional Volume One (1st ed.). Remnant Publishing. ISBN 9781892729774. Retrieved September 1, 2021.CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  46. ^ "BBC Features Gwen Shamblin and Weigh Down". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  47. ^ "Founder of Weigh Down Workshop to hold seminar at Great Hall". Germantown News. April 6, 2011. p. 7B. Gwen Shamblin and the Weigh Down Workshop was featured on such shows as 20/20, Larry King Live, and The View, as well as in such magazines as Good Housekeeping and Woman's Day
  48. ^ "This week on Dateline: Slim for Him". News. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  49. ^ Long, Marion (May 2000). "The Power to Change". Family Circle. pp. 58–59.
  50. ^ Torgovnick, Kate (January 31, 2008). "Lose the Weight for Good!". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  51. ^ "The Today Show's Matt Lauer Interviews Gwen Shamblin Weigh Down Founder". Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  52. ^ "Can Praying Help You Lose Weight?". Fox News. June 14, 2004.
  53. ^ "The Early Show". CBS.
  54. ^ Bollinger, Caroline (April 2007). "Slim-Down Secrets". Good House Keeping. pp. 158–160.
  55. ^ Cherry, Rona (January 2007). "Diet help from on high?". Ladies' Home Journal.
  56. ^ Williams, Ashley (January 14, 2008). "Incredible Shrinking Couple". People Magazine. 69 (1). Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  57. ^ "I stopped thinking about food and the fat fell off!". First Magazine. April 11, 2005.
  58. ^ "How I Prayed Off the Pounds". Quick & Simple. May 29, 2007. pp. 8–9.
  59. ^ "The Tyra Show: Season 2, Episode 143 Church of Thin". TV Guide. May 10, 2007. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  60. ^ "Extreme Diets: God's Diet". WE tv. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  61. ^ "You Can Overcome Show Archives - Remnant Fellowship TV". Remnant Fellowship TV. Retrieved July 8, 2017.

External links[]

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