They swear by their diet book

Bible-based weight loss programs teach that self-control is God's will

06:54 PM CST on Thursday, January 29, 2004

By EMILY RAMSHAW / The Dallas Morning News

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Pat Wilbourn tried everything to lose weight. She counted calories, measured her food and joined Weight Watchers – three times.

But she didn't slim down until she gave up those diets and turned to God, using his will to stop overeating.

In the last three years, Ms. Wilbourn has dropped 50 pounds and six clothing sizes on Thin Within, one of several Bible-based weight loss programs. And she has led dozens of overweight people to the same result, combining good eating habits with Scripture.

"Food is just fuel, but people are so preoccupied by it," Ms. Wilbourn said. "We communicate with God every time we sit down to a meal."

Experts say in recent years, programs like What Would Jesus Eat, the Daily Word for Weight Loss and the Weigh Down Diet have taken back seats to new low-carbohydrate plans like the Atkins and South Beach diets.

But proponents of scripture-based weight loss say there's no substitute for teaching self-control as God's will.

"Those other diets, they're about doing what someone else tells you to do – people aren't really in control," said Ms. Wilbourn, who holds weekly Thin Within classes in her Cedar Hill home. "God gave us a temple, and when we fill it up and do all kinds of crazy things to it, we're vandalizing it."

Thin Within is not your typical diet. Ms. Wilbourn said the program puts no restriction on what participants eat, as long as they eat only until they're comfortable – not until they're full.

"We try to think of our stomachs as being the size of our fist," she said. "You only need to eat that much food."

Ms. Wilbourn said participants can only eat when they are "at a zero," or truly hungry. She said it doesn't matter if they eat fast food or substitute dessert for dinner, as long as they follow the portion rules.

"Other weight loss programs talk about the problems with food," she said. "We talk about what drives people to overeat – be it boredom or an emotional roller coaster."

There are no scales at Thin Within meetings. Members are told to gauge their weight by how their clothes fit, not by numbers.

Betty Oswald has directed the First Place program at Cedar Heights Baptist Church for three years, and has lost 50 pounds in the process. In the First Place program, members weigh in at meetings and eat limited servings following the recommendation of the American Diabetes Association.

"This is a live-it, not a diet," Ms. Oswald said. "We encourage one another, and we are taught to spend time reading our Bibles every day."

Ms. Oswald said one of her group's favorite Bible verses is from 1 Corinthians: "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God."

"First Place is used nationwide," Ms. Oswald said. "Most people who stay in it don't do it so much for the diet, but for fellowship, and for a closer walk with God."

Joyce Pickrell of Duncanville said she tried every diet in the book before looking to Bible-based programs. She said she has lost 80 pounds in the last five years, relying on God and common sense to prevent overeating.

"I ask God to give me the strength to eat just what I need," said Ms. Pickrell, who attends Ms. Wilbourn's Thin Within meetings. "I can eat fried foods, or pizza, or a hamburger. This is a program I can live with for the rest of my life."

E-mail eramshaw~dallasnews.com or call 214-977-8156.