Saturday, March 15, 1997

Weigh Down Workshop puts the Lord ahead of food

By PAMELA PERCIVAL

Special Writer

Over the years, Jymonda Merkel has tried all sorts of weight loss plans to get rid of unwanted pounds.

But none of the programs made as much difference in her life as the Christian-based "Weigh Down Workshop."

"I've done Weight Watchers, the oil diet, the water diet - everything that came along," said Merkel, who is a counselor at Mann Middle School.

"I even lost a whole human person on Slender Now, about 90 pounds," but then that diet lost popularity because of fear it was dangerous to your health.

Each new diet plan Merkel tried seemed to come up short in some area, making it difficult for her to stick with it, until now. She found a way to make food less important in her life through a special type of Bible-study class that is now very popular in the Abilene area and across the United States.

Through the Weigh Down Workshop, Merkel said, "the Lord has convicted me that I need to put the Lord first ahead of food."

"This program is about learning to be obedient to God and to turn to him instead of making food my idol. Instead of eating because I'm frustrated or depressed, I turn to him and his Word. My experience has been one of real growth in the Word, and I haven't done badly with the food," she said.

Merkel is now a facilitator, or leader, for the Weigh Down group which meets on Sunday afternoons at Southern Hills Church of Christ. She says that during their last 12-week class, the 17 participants lost a total of 187 pounds, with one woman alone losing more than 20 pounds.

She says the success of the program is due to participants being convicted by the Lord with a new desire to succeed at weight loss.

"It took me 30 years as a counselor to learn that people don't change until they want to. When I really got into counseling and understood that, I realized I can talk all day to a kid, but if they're resistant, the best counselor or psychiatrist in the world can't make a difference. With Weigh Down, the Lord has convicted me I need to put him first ahead of food."

Weigh Down is just one of several Christian weight-loss programs catching on these days across the nation to help the more than 50 percent of Americans who are overweight try to bring their weight under control.

The programs use an approach that considers the whole person - not just his or her weight - in an effort to bring the body and soul into shape.

Popular programs include the Tennessse-based Weigh Down Workshop, founded by registered dietitian Gwen Shamblin, and First Place, which was started by a group at a Baptist church in Houston.

Both programs involve weekly meetings based on self-assessment, Bible study, encouragement and self-discipline. Neither program chides participants for failing to meet weight goals. Instead, they emphasize health, eating and a closer relationship with God.

But the two programs are vastly different in their approach to weight loss.

First Place gives participants a specific food plan and exercise goals; Weigh Down avoids any kind of diet and exercise rules.

First Place's participants make nine commitments to attend a one-hour meeting each week; to read the Bible and study it; to memorize Scripture; to pray; to telephone another participant to provide encouragement; and to live the program, which means following the food plan, keeping a "fact sheet," and recording exercise.

First Place's eating plan emphasizes a low-fat, low-sugar exchange program, similar to diets recommended by the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association, said Kay Smith, the group's national associate director.

Weekly meetings usually involve about 45 minutes of Bible study and prayer requests, and a 15-minute discussion on diet and nutrition. They also include a Bible-based devotion by one of the members.

Although both First Place and Weigh Down are very popular - both claim to have 10,000 groups meeting nationwide and classes in foreign countries - Weigh Down is the program which seems to have caught on big in Abilene.

More than 11 different Weigh Down groups meet in the area, mostly in churches, and at least one meets at a local health club. Each participant pays $103 for the first 12-week seminar. The fee covers the cost of course materials, including 12 audio cassette tapes and 17 lessons to use daily throughout the seminar.

Weigh Down also provides video cassettes for in-class instruction to churches at no charge.

"Through a series of 12 specially-designed classes, videos, audio cassette tapes, workbooks and Bible lessons, participants learn to exchange their desire for God's word," Shamblin said.

"Turning to God can fill you up and deliver you from the magnetic pull of the refrigerator. This program is the opposite of dieting, which makes the food 'behave' and only increases your desire to chew," noted Shamblin.

"With the Weigh Down approach, you will chew less food, but more importantly, with God's help - you will desire less food."

Weigh Down has one big difference which sets it apart from many weight loss plans. Participants are free to eat whatever their bodies desire - within the boundaries of hunger and fullness.

No exercises, no calorie or fat gram counting, just God-given controls.

With this approach, participants will naturally reduce the volume of food they want to one third of what it used to be and yet still eat with fulfilled satisfaction, according to Weigh Down literature.

Weigh Down support groups meet for a 90-minute class each week to watch a video together, and "to share things that God has done in our lives, and our successes," said Arlena Stevens, who's lost about 25 pounds through her involvement with Weigh Down at First Baptist Church in Abilene.

"It's about obedience, that's the key to the whole program - obedience to God in all areas of our lives. It's made a difference in my life in many ways, more than just my weight loss," she said.

"It gives you a sense of control, that food doesn't control you, you control it. The principles involved can also apply to family, marriage, money, a lot of things. It can be a healer of a lot of things."

After completion of the first 12-week seminar, people can repeat the program as many times as they want, Stevens said.

Repeating a session costs $55 and participants receive another Bible study workbook and four audio tapes. There is no charge to anyone who chooses to repeat the course more than twice.

Many people do continue participating over and over again, and repeaters often become group leaders, or facilitators, who keep the group running and following the course material.

"There's no training required for facilitators, and there's no money in it; it's strictly a gift of love because you want others to experience it," pointed out Merkel, who recently began her fourth Weigh Down session, and is acting as a facilitator.

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For more information on the Weigh Down Workshop, contact the group's headquarters in Franklin, Tenn. at 1-800-844-5208, e-mail info@wdworkshop. com, or check out its home page at http://wdworksop.com.

In addition, the following local facilitators are involved in leading classes in Abilene:

Rachel Perkins, 675-6572, S. 11th & Willis Church of Christ.

Jackee Hamp, 676-0506, Southside Baptist.

Carolyn Pattillo, 670-5040, and Sueann Biggs, 698-7325, Broadview Baptist Church.

Randa Upp, 690-0349, Power Shack Gym.

Judy Moropoulos, 673-8032, Crossroads Community Church.

Elaine Culp, 676-4449, University Church of Christ.

Sue Anderson, 691-9400, Trinity Chapel Pentecostal Church of God.

Mary Mihalakos, 670-1252, Hardin-Simons University.

Leah Barton, 692-5485, Westgate Church of Christ.

Peggy Grimes, 672-7893, Aldersgate United Methodist Church.

Janice Murray, 672-6561, Calvary Baptist Church.

Nadell Mangum, 675-8131, First Baptist Church Ministry of Counseling.

Jymonda Merkel, 692-5715, Southern Hills Church of Christ.

(Some information contained in this story is from a Religion News Service article.)