MILWAUKEE -- Some overweight Christians are working on the theory that they can slim down by concentrating on their relationship with God.
"If I'm accountable to a counselor at Jenny Craig or Weight Watchers, I can blow them off. But if I'm accountable to God, that's an entirely different story," Joy Jankowski says. Jankowski coordinates the local Weigh Down Workshop at the Redeemer Evangelical Free Church in Greenfield.The 12-week course requires dieters to meet two hours each week. At each session, they pray for help getting through tough times without bingeing or ask for the strength to resist favorite fattening foods.
The plan was developed by Gwen Shamblin, a dietitian and former faculty member at the University of Memphis. The workshop claims 30,000 disciples worldwide.
LiLi Ji, a professor of nutritional science and exercise physiology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, says religion clearly can work as a method of weight loss. But, she adds, diet programs that train body and mind not to enjoy food could lead to eating disorders.