Customer Reviews

The Weigh Down Diet

5 star:		(162)
4 star:		(22)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(29)

 

 

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!

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*.

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!

Gwen's (well, not that she invented these methods but she does emphasize them in the book) basic principals of eating when hungry and stopping when satisfied are very effective. Obviously, if you need to lose weight you need to quit eating so much.

BUT anyone reading this book should be very careful. Gwen feels that overeating means that you're being disobedient to God. And being disobedient to God will block your entrance into Heaven. Thus overeating will cause you to be rejected by God (you will not be accepted into the Kingdom of Heaven).

One must also be careful as this book is part of a full program, WeighDown Workshop, which is basically a tool for recruitment into Remnant Fellowship, Gwen's church (that's pretty much a cult).

However, if you follow the basic principles you will lose weight for sure. I did lose weight but I also picked up some really bad habits (like I stopped exercising and started starving myself instead (I was so weak I had to take a nap everyday for atleast 2 hours) to lose the extra weight). But if you speak to the people who lost a lot of weight and they are truly honest with you, they will admit that they eventually turned to starving themselves. Gwen suggests that you shouldn't exercise because then you are "helping" God take the weight off of you and you're not being totally obedient by fully relying on God. So by not exercising one has to eventually just start starving themself in order to lose the extra weight. By the way, Gwen sees carrying extra weight as sinful (this means you're being disobedient).

Bottom line, I would probably try some of the other spiritually focused books that talk about the same principles (eating when hungry, stopping when full). I do think the spiritual aspect is very important as that gives you the extra support you need to accomplish such a hard task as losing weight.

I have not read it but it's been suggested to me by ex-WeighDown members to try ThinWithin (same principles but with God's SUPPORT not God's VENGEANCE). It's on it's way in the mail now so we'll see!

If you're a Christian, pray before ordering anything and He'll let you know what you need to do. Then listen and DO IT! :)

For the past six years I had been continually putting on weight, at about ten Lbs. a year. I was to the point of total depression. I had tried everything from counting fat to running five miles a day. Nothing seemed to help. After reading this book I felt like I had hope, like I never had before. I started applying the principles that Gwen talks about, and I started losing weight immediately. After five months I lost 50 Lbs. I then got pregnant, and I gained a lot of weight in that pregnancy. But it has been 5 months since the birth and have lost all my weight again, by letting God fill my heart. He had most of my heart before weigh down, but now he has 100%. This book is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. I feel healthier and stronger and more energetic than I ever have before. For those people who worry about the nutritional and health aspects of this book, just ask my doctor who said that I am in much better shape and much more healthy now than when I was lugging all those pounds around on me. When I told my Doctor how I lost the weight, he said it sounded very nutritionally sound. Thanks Gwen for following Gods inspirational call to you to write this book and begin the weigh Down Diet.

Gwen offers a lot of thought provoking ideas in her book the "Weigh Down Diet". Instead of turning to food, Gwen suggests we turn to God. I really feel Gwen has a lot of spiritual richness to share. I am not surprised that many are finding success with the program. "Eat when you are full. Stop when you are hungry" thats Gwens motto and a sound one. I give her book high marks for reminding us of what is important. I do however, have reservations regarding this book. Thin and fit are not always the same thing. You can be slender and not fit. Gwens suggests that you eat whatever you want. I agree you can in moderation but I also feel one should recognize that some foods lack nutrients. Though these foods should be enjoyed I do feel that an effort should be made to eat nutritious, life giving foods. But Gwen does not seem to feel this is important. How much you eat is more important than what you eat, she says. While that may be true for overall weight loss, it is not true for health. Her sample diet lacks in basic nutrients. There was hardly any calcium for example. And as Gwen does not believe in supplementing with vitamins etc. I feel the plan could cause problems in the long run. In addition Gwen supports the use of aspartame which some studies have shown can cause health problems. Gwen does not appear to support exercise either. Exercise if you want, she says, but its not going to help you lose much weight. Gwen seems to forget that exercise helps keep you fit! She mentions that our Grandparents did not set foot in a gym. And that may be true, but many of them led active lifestyles. Today many of us live a sedentary life. Exercise does not have to be formal (ie done in a gym) but activity should be worked into the day to stay fit. Exercise is also wonderful for good mental health. The spiritual aspect of the program is the core of the book. I feel Gwen writes with her heart but I feel that each individual needs to develop their own personal relationship with God. It will not be the same type of relationship for everyone. Gwen has very strong feelings about what God thinks and what God wants you to do. Her ideas of God demonstrating negative emotions, such as jealousy etc. conflict with the idea that others have that God is an all loving, accepting force who supports you no matter what. At times I was uncomfortable with Gwens thoughts. Some of what she said just didnt feel right to me. But Gwen does not seem to allow for individuals to have their own feelings about God. This is what God thinks and what God wants according to Gwen and there is no other way. Personally I prefer to view God as a total loving spirit that will support me regardless of if I eat too many cookies or not. Overall though I feel Gwens book shares some interesting thoughts and her idea that too much emphasis is on food not on the spirit is wonderful. I would recommend reading it for some of the insights she shares. But I would also take heed that good nutrition and exercise are very important.

...I was a person who tried many different diets and diet products and exercise programs...I heard about the "Weigh Down Diet" from friends. I dismissed it as yet another diet fad. Then about a year later I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in awhile. She had lost a lot of weight. In very casual conversation, she told me about the Weigh Down Diet and how it affected her life. This is someone I highly respect and look up to. Soon, I ordered a copy of "The Weigh Down Diet" for myself...

I began putting the ideas of WD into practice the very evening I received the book. And I have never gone back!

I am happy to report I lost all the extra weight and have been maintaining my weight now for over TWO YEARS! This is the first time I can ever say I have done this.

Not only that, contrary to what many people might believe, I am extremely healthy. In fact, I'm rarely sick. And since reading the book, I've been learning to seek God more and more for help in other areas of my life. Even now, when I am tempted to eat when I am not truly hungry, I call on Him to help me and He's not failed me yet! As a result, I have a healthier body (one I'm also happier with) and an even closer walk with Him.

What could be better? :-)

***
NOTE: I wrote the above review in July, 2000 before any of the controversy regarding Ms. Shamblin's religious teachings came out.

While I do not agree with all of her theological/doctrinal beliefs nor do I support them, the main principles of Weigh Down are sound and do work. I wouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater, but would be cautious about further religious instruction she might offer.

Having said that, I've managed to maintain my weight using WD's principles, now in the year 2005. If I am not careful to eat only when hungry and stop when full, I can tend to put a few pounds back on, but if I get back on track I lose them again and begin maintaining.

Being out of the classes now has not encouraged me to keep seeking God as much about this as I did when taking them and I do think mutual support is helpful to WD and ANY diet program.

Of all of them out there, I still prefer WD over those that limit foods, make one count calories, carbs, etc. and/or points. It's the simplest and easiest form of losing weight I know!

I was introduced to the book by my son's teacher. I noticed that she was much smaller than the first time I met her. In her hand was the Weigh Down Diet book. She began to tell me the weight she was and the trials she had been through before she got the book. I was amazed at her testimony and the testimony of others that I met. I could see the difference in their weight and how they felt about themselves. I myself am 20 pounds overweight. I purchsed the book and I have not been able to put the book down. Gwen brings honesty and nutritional knowledge to teach us how we eat. God was her tool to keep her using this particular practice to keep her weight down. The spiritual passages are helpful and useful. I do not believe that she is pushing God down the throat of her users. On the other hand, she gives you the information and allows you to decide what is important to you. If I do not reach my goal to lose the excess 20 pounds, I will definitely not blame Gwen. All anyone can do is provide you with the information. It is up to you to listem to your own body and allow yourself to learn from each mistake. This "diet" is practically free - compared to other plans that make you buy food other than what you cook for your family. "You can lead a horse to water but you cannot make him drink"

I noticed so much with in the first 24 hours how much I overate. How much I ate because I was bored, needed to taste that piece of cake, emotional depression, and stress related depression. The way that Gwen presented the informaiton was so close to home...I laughed, I cried, and I shared the information with friends. I never knew a diet book to be so fun to read. It was like reading a wonderful novel - I was eager to get to the end and find out more.

When I lose my first 10 pounds, I will write back to show my progress. Thanks, Gwen, in advance.

I was between 90 and 100 pounds overweight. Needless to say, I have tried every gimmick, every diet pill, diet powder food, diet powder drink, fasting, low carb diets, rice diets, liquid diets, fruit diets, low calorie, no calorie diets there are! PRAISE THE LORD that I finally tried this book! Which is NOT a diet. It is a book about learning to LIVE in a thin body as GOD intended for us to do from the beginning of creation. I am feeling wonderful and down 24 pounds. I have been a christian since 1984, and I have never known the LORD as I have experienced Him since picking up this book. This book has opened my eyes to the relationship the Lord ment for all of us to have with Him. After many years as a christian, it is a relationship that I did not even know could possibly exist. And in the process, I am finding a thinner me.

Before, I read this book, I was coming to the realization that God must have created our bodies with the ability for it to tell us what it needs for survival. After all, His Word tells us, if He takes care of the birds and the animals, how much more will he do for us? The only overweight birds and animals, that I have seen, were in captivity, being cared for by human beings. This book gives me confirmation that I need to be obedient to "His" will for my eating habits. I need to learn to discern between "Physical hunger for physical food" and "spiritual hunger for spiritual food(the Word of God)" . Today I weigh 429 lbs. THE END of my struggle BEGINS today. With Jesus Christ in my heart I have the power of the Holy Spirit to win this battle. This book is a tool, God has given me, to use for motivation and encouragement, along the way. I will tell, everyone I know, about this book because everyone, with or without a weight problem, needs to be in the center of God's perfect will. God bless everyone who struggles with being overweight. I trully beleive if we follow the principles, laid out for us, in this book, we will be successful. A SISTER IN JESUS CHRIST ETERNALLY!