Rise Above: God Can Set You Free from Your Weight Problems Forever - Hardcover

Shamblin, Gwen

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0785268766 ISBN 13: 9780785268765

Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc, 2000

Synopsis

Describes the relationship between weight loss and Christianity, and offers inspirational words and practical advice for losing weight and strengthening one's devotion to God

About this title

Review:

Rise Above is Gwen Shamblin's follow-up to her million-selling, spiritually based weight loss book, The Weigh Down Diet. Expanding the principles of that book, Rise Above promises to deliver readers from what Shamblin calls the "bondage" of food. Rather than offering a simple diet plan, Shamblin addresses the spiritual root causes of overeating and admonishes her readers to serious introspection. "We are not lacking for information now," Shamblin explains, "we are hurting for motivation and heart-changing cultivation." Shamblin helps readers find motivation to master their cravings for food by reminding them of God's desire to control every aspect of life. "You may eat anything," she writes, "but you are not to be mastered by anything, for 'you are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body' (1 Cor. 6:19b-20)." Shamblin, a registered dietician, conveys her nutritional expertise and her spiritual conviction in every chapter of this straightforward, commonsensical, Bible-based book.

From Publishers Weekly:

Shamblin follows The Weigh Down Diet with more encouragement for the 50% of Americans she declares are overweight. Shamblin's cure for overeating has two dimensions: physiological (eat only when you are hungry and stop eating when you're full) and spiritual (replace your passion for food with a passion for God). In this book, the spiritual dimension takes center stage. Shamblin's tone is unfailingly motivational as she utilizes the Bible to exhort readers to serve "The God" instead of "the food god." (She also addresses, not entirely satisfactorily, a wide range of other potential addictions, from overspending while shopping to indulging in pornography.) Shamblin is sometimes strangely dismissive of scientific research on the benefits of a balanced diet, but she plainly states what most diet books do not: that our relationship to food is a profoundly spiritual matter, not just an issue of calories, fat grams and carbohydrates. This conviction makes ancient biblical stories like the Exodus come to life in new ways, albeit with the help of a breezy style that sails by perennial problems in Christian theology with unflagging cheer. For example, Shamblin notes that America, a nation of "professional dieters," is enslaved by its obsession with weight loss. God can free us from the "Egypt" of this enslavement if we replace our love of food with love for God. Readers will have to go elsewhere to plumb the depths of such spiritual issues as idolatry, self-denial and the relationship of human works to God's grace--but here they will find excellent entry-level help for what is arguably America's least recognized spiritual problem. $500,000 ad/promo; 30-city author tour.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0785268766
• ISBN 13: 9780785268765
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 340