The Weigh Down Diet [Hardcover]

Gwen Shamblin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 17, 1997

You can now join the thousands who have discovered a liberating new weight control plan and are turning to God to take away the desire to overeat. The Weigh Down Workshop, a remarkable program which already has thousands of support groups across the country and has gained national attention in media from "A Current Affair" to Woman's Day, is now available as a book. What makes this ground-breaking approach to weight loss so unique is that participants can eat any kind of food-including fats and sweets--and be able to stop in the middle of a candy bar when their stomachs are full.



People who have known no end to fullness and who have no control over their late-night binges have learned through the Weigh Down Method that God can remove the seemingly irresistible pull of the pantry and drive-thru restaurants. With this approach, participants can reduce the volume of food they want to one-third of what it used to be and yet still eat with fulfilled satisfaction. Yet this is not a diet like others you've seen. Dieting only increases chewing whereas with the Weigh Down approach, you will chew less food, but more importantly, with God's help-want less food. Quite simply, this approach equals weight loss. Weigh Down gives back hope; hope to dieters who will learn that they are not a failure. Stop torturing yourself. God did not put chocolate or lasagna on earth to torture us--but rather for our enjoyment! Hallelujah!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"We have been trying to feed our hurting, longing hearts with physical food," writes Gwen Shamblin, registered dietician and founder of the Weigh Down program, which emphasizes "God's power--not 'will power.'" This book offers instruction on how to eat only when physically hungry, how to "nourish the soul with a relationship with God," and how not to confuse different hunger urges. The diet plan teaches you not to overeat by letting you eat exactly what you want, but much less of it.

The key is to understand hunger, recognize fullness, and sense what your body is really calling for. You learn to "rate" food by its appeal, and eat your favorite foods first, stopping when you're getting full (not waiting until you're stuffed). This is not a nutritional guide; in fact, Shamblin's own sample menu is high in fat, cholesterol, sugar, and salt. The Weigh Down Diet is, however, a guide to using your religious beliefs to help you stop overeating and see food in a new light. This book inspires you with scriptural passages, discussions of "God's rules" about eating, and assurances that God's love will help you win your battle with weight.

From Library Journal

Tried every diet fad imaginable without success? Then try God. That's the advice of dietitian Shamblin, who claims that if we shift our focus from food to something more ethereal, the pounds will just melt away.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Religion; 1 edition (February 17, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385487622
• ISBN-13: 978-0385487627
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (233 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #213,736 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 60 pounds and counting., January 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weigh Down Diet (Hardcover)

From looking at these reviews, there is no middle ground--people either love this book or they hate it!

I look around me every day and see people who preach low-fat diets, fitness fads, miracle foods, and super supplements. At one time I bought into many of those things, but none took the weight off permanently. They did not deal with the problem--my overeating. People are looking for easy answers, quick results, and bottled solutions to their problems; it is as if they view their problems as external to themselves, rather than in their own hearts. The basic message of this book, I feel, is this: In the grand heirarchy of creation, God ranks above you, and you rank above food and just about everything else. Never serve that which is lesser than yourself, even if it's 100% whole wheat.

I've lost 60 pounds in the last nine months, with another 40 pounds to go. My life no longer revolves around food, dieting and/or exercise. (Even though I was and still am overweight, I spent a lot of time, money, and energy trying to lose weight.) I recommend this book to anyone who has tried everything else. This is not a diet. This is an attitude adjustment. Serve the Lord instead of your dinner plate and the pounds will vanish!

88 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Great insights, but not the last word., April 3, 2002

By 

Joan "joan2742" (Edgewater, MD, United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Weigh Down Diet (Hardcover)

There are two really great things about this book. First, it helps those trying to lose weight to realize that eating behaviors influence calorie intake (and therefore weight) as much as what is actually eaten. Mrs. Shamblin encourages three basic changes for the overweight eater to make:

1. Eat only when physically hungry
2. Eat slowly, savoring both food and company.
3. Stop when full, not gorged.

If you can follow that advice, you can't help but to reduce your calorie intake significantly!

The second great thing about the book is that it promotes more prayer and a better relationship with God as the best way to stick with the healthier eating program. That's a fresh perspective for a weight loss book! On the other hand, Mrs. Shamblin has a religious outlook that is partly Evangelical Protestant and partly her own. This outlook is definitely reflected in her spiritual and scriptural perspectives, and those of us who don't share her beliefs might want to turn to other sources for that "closer walk" with God. Further, the author's desire to support *all* her ideas using Scripture leads to weak or even odd biblical interpretations in a few parts (e.g. page 81). Yet overall, the religious aspect of this book is a plus.

A very big weakness of the Weigh Down system is that the rules above are seen as "God's Way" of losing weight, so that other methods (cutting fat, less sugar, more fiber) are wrong or even ungodly! Even exercise is not strongly encouraged. On the contrary, the best diet plan is the individualized integration of many good habits. No one thing should be done in an extreme manner; nutrition, good eating behaviors and exercise should all be used according to the person's needs and temperment. It is particularly important to "err on the side of caution" with respect to complete nutrition; many respected authorities see nutritional lack as being a big problem in this country.

So read this book, then read several more to get a well-rounded perspective, so that you can follow that on-and-only, unique program that is best for *you*.

52 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars FREEDOM!, March 7, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Weigh Down Diet (Hardcover)

Eat whatever you want?? Could it really be true?!?

The Weigh Down Diet is the first diet that makes absolute sense as a Christian. The concepts are so simple: Eat only when you are truly hungry and stop eating when you are full. No more diet lists, counting calories, figuring fat grams, etc.!

But The Weigh Down Diet is much more to the Christian than merely a weight loss program. We can find those on every block. What sets WD apart from the rest is an absolute dependence upon God, our Creator, for our strength. No more relying on our own "will power." No more being a slave to exercise and restrictive food lists. Weigh Down encourages prayer and learning to know the body's own God-given "hunger" and "full" signals.

Don't go back to a bondage of a diet you know won't work in the long-run. Stop being a "yo-yo dieter" forever. Turn to God, the Master Dietician, Great Physician, Supreme Scientist, and Creator of all! God may use this book to change your life!