Episode 147: Gwen Shamblin Lara and the Weigh Down Diet - Part 1
CW: This episode contains discussions of weight loss methods and diet culture as well as brief mentions of child abuse. Listener discretion is advised.
A self-described dumb blonde with a genuine heart for God, this registered dietician combined her love of the Lord with her professional training to craft her lightning rod hit weight loss program. But what started as a health venture morphed into a strict religious sect that concerned religious scholars and controlled its members’ everyday behaviors - sometimes with deadly consequences. This week’s episode is Gwen Shamblin Lara and the Weigh Down Diet - Part 1.
SOURCES
CHURCH MAN Who is Gwen Shamblin’s first husband David Shamblin?, The Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/2987040/who-david-shamblin-gwen-shamblins-first-husband/
BIBLE-BASED WEIGHT LOSS WORKSHOP SUED FOR RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION, Nashville Sun: https://www.nashvillepost.com/home/bible-based-weight-loss-workshop-sued-for-religious-discrimination/article_67b83f27-d020-5a7c-b6d7-a554c3a14f63.html
Remnant Fellowship releases statement about church future following deadly plane crash, Williamson Herald: http://www.williamsonherald.com/communities/remnant-fellowship-releases-statement-about-church-future-following-deadly-plane-crash/article_e642c592-c30a-11eb-8b14-8f8d4013f7ce.html
Watch out for tell-tale signs, The Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2009/may/27/cults-definition-religion
'INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY' What is the Remnant Fellowship Church cult?, The Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/news/2987091/what-is-the-remnant-fellowship-church-cult/
Murder trial set to start for parents accused of beating their 8-year-old son to death, CourtTV: https://web.archive.org/web/20070224153226/http://www.courttv.com/trials/smith/020607_background_ctv.html
NTSB releases preliminary report on Rutherford County plane crash into Percy Priest Lake, Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/06/15/nntsb-releases-preliminary-report-osb-releases-preliminary-report-plane-crash-into-percy-priest-lake/7701982002/
Remnant Fellowship Church says Joe Lara was medically cleared to fly, News 4 WSMV Nashville: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DFM_ZeZbKI
Citation Crash Smyrna TN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjJYD_0oDxk&t=0s
Ga. Parents Sentenced in Boy's Death, Fox News: https://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_wires/2007Mar27/0,4675,ChurchChildDeath,00.html
Larry King Live (Part 1) Interview with Gwen Shamblin | Weigh Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK1z6-zUMD4
Larry King Live (Part 2) Interview with Gwen Shamblin | Weigh Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KXHMP586Y4
Larry King Live (Part 3) Interview with Gwen Shamblin | Weigh Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CyFo8M7tOkI
Larry King Live (Part 4) Interview with Gwen Shamblin | Weigh Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eqf0Pi01vps
Larry King Live (Part 5) Interview with Gwen Shamblin | Weigh Down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seWaMWGdRr8
Controversy surrounded Brentwood church, founder for years; Gwen Shamblin Lara among those presumed dead, News Channel 5: https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/controversy-surrounded-brentwood-church-founder-for-years-gwen-shamblin-lara-among-those-presumed-dead
The Covenant Wedding of Gwen Shamblin to Joe Lara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvMX22rMc5o
The Fallout: Gwen Shamblin's Denial Of The Trinity c. 2000: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5SA1yVrB6A
Previsous (sic) Remnant Fellowship NC5 Investigations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4d4L_GPQfPg
My Viewpoint On Remnant Fellowship by Tim Smith, ex-member Remnant Fellowship Nashville, Spiritwatch: https://www.spiritwatch.org/RFtest3.htm
New Sect: Weigh Down guru Gwen Shamblin's Remnant Fellowship grows, Christianity Today: https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2002/december9/6.15.html
Weigh Down FAQs: https://www.weighdown.com/help-and-support/general-questions/
Gwen Shamblin Website: https://gwenshamblinbooks.com/bio/
Joe Lara Website: https://www.joelara.com/
Who Was Gwen Shamblin Lara? Christian Diet Guru in Plane Crash That Killed 7, Newsweek: https://www.newsweek.com/who-was-gwen-shamblin-lara-christian-diet-guru-plane-crash-that-killed-7-1596193
Religion Journal; Seeing Overeating as a Sin, and God as the Diet Coach, The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/2004/05/29/us/religion-journal-seeing-overeating-as-a-sin-and-god-as-the-diet-coach.html
The Official Weigh Down Website: https://www.weighdown.com/
'Continue the Dream:' Remnant Fellowship Church Founder's Children Will Keep Church Going After Her Death, The Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2021/05/30/remnant-fellowship-church-continue-after-founder-gwen-shamblin-laras-death/5276463001/
Eating Disorders Are Rare - Disordered Eating is Common, Refinery29: https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2017/09/173222/eating-disorder-disordered-eating-difference
Excerpts from Woman's Day Article, Weigh Down Media: http://weighdownmedia.com/media/womans-day-november-22-1994/
Religion Professor Examines 'Salvation by Diet' Phenomenon, Princeton University: https://www.princeton.edu/news/2005/01/27/religion-professor-examines-salvation-diet-phenomenon
CHURCH MAN Who is Gwen Shamblin's First Husband David Shamblin?, The Sun: https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/2987040/who-david-shamblin-gwen-shamblins-first-husband/
Who is 'Diet Guru' Gwen Shamblin Lara? Meet the Late Weigh Down Creator, The Focus: https://www.thefocus.news/celebrity/gwen-shamblin-lara-diet/
Church Lady of Diet Weighs in on Trinity and Her Flock Flees, The Wall Street Journal: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB972863852671088281
The Engagement of Gwen Shamblin to Joe Lara: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7SVKHZMXlg
Who is Gwen Shamblin Lara? | By Gwen's Daughter Elizabeth Shamblin Hannah: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GPF5DdKy60
FURTHER READING
You Have the Right to Remain Fat by Virgie Tovar: https://amzn.to/2VWQB2O
