Rise Above: God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems Forever [Hardcover]

Gwen Shamblin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Rise Above is Gwen Shamblin's follow-up to her million-selling, spiritually based weight loss book, The Weigh Down Diet. Expanding the principles of that book, Rise Above promises to deliver readers from what Shamblin calls the "bondage" of food. Rather than offering a simple diet plan, Shamblin addresses the spiritual root causes of overeating and admonishes her readers to serious introspection. "We are not lacking for information now," Shamblin explains, "we are hurting for motivation and heart-changing cultivation." Shamblin helps readers find motivation to master their cravings for food by reminding them of God's desire to control every aspect of life. "You may eat anything," she writes, "but you are not to be mastered by anything, for 'you are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body' (1 Cor. 6:19b-20)." Shamblin, a registered dietician, conveys her nutritional expertise and her spiritual conviction in every chapter of this straightforward, commonsensical, Bible-based book.

From Publishers Weekly

Shamblin follows The Weigh Down Diet with more encouragement for the 50% of Americans she declares are overweight. Shamblin's cure for overeating has two dimensions: physiological (eat only when you are hungry and stop eating when you're full) and spiritual (replace your passion for food with a passion for God). In this book, the spiritual dimension takes center stage. Shamblin's tone is unfailingly motivational as she utilizes the Bible to exhort readers to serve "The God" instead of "the food god." (She also addresses, not entirely satisfactorily, a wide range of other potential addictions, from overspending while shopping to indulging in pornography.) Shamblin is sometimes strangely dismissive of scientific research on the benefits of a balanced diet, but she plainly states what most diet books do not: that our relationship to food is a profoundly spiritual matter, not just an issue of calories, fat grams and carbohydrates. This conviction makes ancient biblical stories like the Exodus come to life in new ways, albeit with the help of a breezy style that sails by perennial problems in Christian theology with unflagging cheer. For example, Shamblin notes that America, a nation of "professional dieters," is enslaved by its obsession with weight loss. God can free us from the "Egypt" of this enslavement if we replace our love of food with love for God. Readers will have to go elsewhere to plumb the depths of such spiritual issues as idolatry, self-denial and the relationship of human works to God's grace--but here they will find excellent entry-level help for what is arguably America's least recognized spiritual problem. $500,000 ad/promo; 30-city author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 340 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc; First Printing edition (January 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0785268766
• ISBN-13: 978-0785268765
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (54 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #258,451 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

GWEN SHAMBLIN, M.S., R.D.
Registered Dietitian, Masters Biochemistry, University Instructor Foods and Nutrition 5 years

Gwen Shamblin was born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee, with a strong faith and foundational values. She grew up with a medical background, making rounds with her belated father, Walter Henley, M.D., who was a General Surgeon. She received her undergraduate degree in Dietetics and Masters Degree in Nutrition with an emphasis in Biochemistry from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Mrs. Shamblin was an Instructor of Foods and Nutrition at the University of Memphis for five years, and she worked with the city's Health Department for an additional five years, helping specifically in the areas of overweight, obesity, pregnancy, and child health.

A very spiritual person with a strong faith in God, Ms. Shamblin felt led to found The Weigh Down Workshop in 1986, in order to teach these principles to those who were desperately seeking to lose weight permanently. Initially offered through audiotapes and small classes taught by Mrs. Shamblin in a retail setting, this teaching began yielding unprecedented results. Participants were not only losing their weight while eating regular foods, but they were using the same Bible-based principles to turn away from other addictions such as smoking or alcohol abuse.

By 1992, word had begun to spread about Weigh Down, and churches from all over the country asked if they could host Weigh Down seminars for their church members. The program was packaged for seminar use, churches began to sign up, and the media began to pay attention. The growth was explosive. By the late 1990s, Weigh Down was internationally known in most Protestant, Catholic, and Evangelical churches. 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. In 1997, Mrs. Shamblin responded to the nation's request to offer the Weigh Down principles in book format, and The Weigh Down Diet was published by Doubleday, Inc. The book quickly became a million-seller as people discovered the secrets to losing weight quickly and permanently while finding a new relationship with God.

Feeling led to go even further in helping others to live fully for God, in 1999, Gwen Shamblin, along with other individuals who shared her passion for God, founded Remnant Fellowship Church. Remnant Fellowship Churches are now found in over 100 cites worldwide where members hear convicting and encouraging messages of the importance of putting God and His will first in your life. Twice-weekly church services are webcast live from the original Remnant Fellowship church located outside Nashville, Tennessee, built using her own personally donated funds.

The dream of helping people turn away from the love of food and toward a love of God has turned into a ministry. Through Remnant Fellowship and the Weigh Down Workshop seminars, hundreds of people are helped daily as they break away from the pain of obesity and other addictive substance or destructive behaviors. Mrs. Shamblin is continually producing new materials for both the church and the Weigh Down Workshop, yet she takes no salary for her efforts. Funds that are received through the sale of Weigh Down products and seminar fees or through donations to the church are used to support each respectively in order to help hurting people of every nationality discover the love of God that can set them free.

Gwen Shamblin has been married to David Shamblin for well over 20 years. They have two grown children who are married and have children of their own. Gwen's children and their spouses reside close to the Shamblins' home in Brentwood, Tennessee.

Titles by Gwen Shamblin: The Weigh Down Diet (Doubleday), Rise Above, The Legend to the Treasure. For a complete list go to Weigh Down's official website www.weighdown.com or call 800-844-5208.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

130 of 137 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rise Above : God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems, December 28, 1999

By 

Dennis E. Sigle - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rise Above: God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems Forever (Hardcover)

Gwen Shamblin's newest book is even better than the expectations for her 2nd Book. It is a refreshing look at the principles from her first book and then some. It is hard hitting and unapologetic for blowing away some of the current diet fads in today's world.

Because Gwen through her newest book proclaims that Weigh Down is NOT a diet but a whole new way of losing weight and keeping it permanently off without the drudgery of any kind of dieting.

Rise Above picks up where the basic message of Weight Down in her first book left off. As Gwen says in her 2nd book: "Strugglers need more motivation and heartchanging information to help them climb out of this miry pit. We all need someone and something to live for that is bigger than ourselves. We need Jesus Christ. No worldly pursuit--food, alcohol, tobacco, antidepresants, money, the praise of man, sexual lust, or whatever--will satisfy the longing heart. It is not the fault of the food, the alcohol, the money, or the tobacco. It is the effort to use them to fulfill a need that only God can satisfy that is the problem.

For anyone who has been in Weigh Down things will be familiar and yet new in this 2nd book. Familiar statements like America Has a Crush on Food; the Exodus Symbolism; the Struggler, Backstroking the Red Sea will be known by any Weigh Down participant but Gwen goes yet a step farther to explain these things. Any Weigh Down participant will find this book a refreshing additional to things already learned.

For anyone not familiar with Weigh Down, the adventure and new learning will be worth the investment of time and money. Old ideas about dieting will be blown away and new concepts of eating the way God designed will be a welcomed treat!

I personally know that the principles of Weigh Down work. Since 1998 I have lost 113 lbs on my Weigh Down journey. In fact, part of my testimony and before and after pictures are found on page 77 of Rise Above. For me, reading Rise Above has renewed and reinvigorated my quest to the Promised Land!

41 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read This Book, February 16, 2000

By 

CS2nd (Austin, Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rise Above: God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems Forever (Hardcover)

Having read Gwen's first book, I was eager to see what she had to say as a follow up. This book goes deeper than the first, giving the reader an even better sense of what it takes to be devoted to God. I think it is probably better to read the Weigh Down Diet first, but even if you have not, she includes a synopsis in the appendix, which should be read first. This book is changing my life, and I use it as a reference, as I do her first book. Rise Above is a wonderful book, and worth reading more than once. If you are close to the Father, it will bring you closer, if you are struggling to become close, it will give you the guidance you need. Read this book; you will be blessed.

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "Meaty" book -- but not NEW meat :-), January 20, 2000

By 

Changed (Seattle) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rise Above: God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems Forever (Hardcover)

First, I want to say that Gwen and Weigh Down Workshop have changed my life! I'd given up on losing weight, but I've lost 37 pounds eating foods like chocolate chip cookie dough and Haagen Daas ice cream.

I found the book very interesting and inspirational, but it won't be new material for anybody who's gone through the workshop. Much of it is taken verbatim from the video tapes. That doesn't mean it's not meaningful and helpful, but if you're looking for a fresh approach, you may not find it here. An exception is the interesting chapter "Cloud and Fire," which tells the story of life in the desert after the Exodus and relates it to the personal struggles we face as we work to give up our strongholds.

Even so, this book was well worth the money and I thank God for Gwen Shamblin every day! My husband and I have probably added years of life (and quality) to our lives because of her.