Weight-Loss Program Tailored To Christians
It may be near heresy in the Bible Belt to eat grits without butter, but a growing number of church members say God has told them to lay off the fat.
They’re part of a Bible-based wellness program that is expanding even faster than baby boomers’ waistlines.
Since beginning at First Baptist Church of Houston in 1981, the First Place program now operates in about 10,000 churches in all 50 states and 12 foreign countries.
The program is similar to other established programs that emphasize slow weight loss, a well-balanced diet and moderate exercise.
It’s the Bible verses that add a twist.
A focus on the Almighty helps during that stressful step on the scales, said Irene Bonner, who has led First Place classes for five years as director of Dunwoody Baptist Church’s Wellness Center north of Atlanta.
“We memorize a Scripture verse and recite it when we stand on the scales,” Bonner said. “This puts your mind to reflecting more on being God’s creation than whether or not you’ve lost weight.”
Weight loss is a popular side effect - not the goal - of the 13-week program. Weekly meetings consist of a wellness lesson, Scripture study, and scrutiny of what dieters have eaten.
Weigh-ins are optional.
The program uses the American Diabetes Association’s low-fat, high-fiber diet.
“Many times, the Bible talks about not eating fat,” said Carole Lewis, national director of First Place. “It’s amazing at how we’ve come back to the fact that the diet that Daniel ate was very healthy.” Daniel, an Old Testament prophet, ate only fruits and vegetables.
Program materials include a cookbook and a notebook with instructions, general tips on good health, and space for diary entries.
“The nutrition itself is very sound. You get all 45 nutrients in the proper amounts,” said Dr. Richard Couey of Baylor University, a professor of anatomy, physiology and nutrition who has gone through the program.
Twelve church members, none of whom was a fitness or nutrition expert, devised the program after finding no religion-based wellness program to offer First Baptist of Houston’s 20,000 members.
“God would want us to live as long as we can, to have a quality life, so we can serve him,” Lewis said.
“The people who started it said we are created as four-sided beings: emotional, spiritual, physical and mental,” said Lewis. “This is designed to bring a balance among the four.
“We have people who know Christ, so spiritually, they’re OK, but the other three areas are out of balance and they have no joy, no happiness. There are a lot of Christians who are extremely overweight.”
By 1992, 1,500 churches were offering the program. That year, the Southern Baptist Sunday school board in Nashville, Tenn., paid for the right to sell the First Place literature in 68 Baptist bookstores and advertise the program.
It probably is a focus on the positive, and not the fear of angels watching a dieter double-dip on the diet salad dressing, that makes the program successful, said Dr. J.T. Cooper, an Atlanta-based weightloss specialist and former president of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, an organization of doctors who specialize in weight control.
“God, King Kong and the meanest doctor in the world could be lurking in the background, but if someone wants to eat, they’re going to,” said Cooper, who has kept off 67 pounds he lost 29 years ago. “The nice thing about the Christian religion is its element of forgiveness.”
First Baptist of Houston charges about $75 for the materials. The church gets about $400,000 of its $8 million annual budget from First Place.
The money is used only for missions and building maintenance.
A Harvard University study has found that only 5 percent of dieters in this country maintain weight loss.
First Baptist doesn’t keep records of weight loss or how long participants keep it off, but Lewis said dieters tend not to regain the pounds. Five class leaders who work with her have lost 100 pounds and kept it off for several years. The “same 20 pounds” she would lose and regain has also disappeared for good, she said.
For more information about the First Place program, call (800) 727-5223 or write 720 N. Post Oak, Suite 330, Houston, TX 77024.
xxxx Scripture offered for eating advice Some Bible verses used by the First Place wellness program: “You must do everything for the glory of God, even your eating and drinking.”- 1 Corinthians 10:31. “To win the contest, you must deny yourselves many things that would keep you from doing your best.” - 1 Corinthians 9:25. “So Jesus grew both tall and wise and was loved by God and man.” - Luke 2:52. “So there is now no condemnation awaiting those who belong to Christ Jesus.” - Romans 8:1. “I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ, who gives me the strength and power.” - Philippians 4:13. Associated Press