Reflections on Gwen Shamblin Lara and the Impact of Her Teachings

Gwen Shamblin Lara, the subject of HBO Max’s documentary “The Way Down: God, Greed and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin,” was a controversial figure known for leading a weight-loss cult that deeply affected many. The docuseries, which includes three episodes with more slated for 2022, explores the experiences of former members from her Brentwood, Tennessee church, The Remnant Fellowship. It delves into Shamblin’s rise to notoriety, her financial success, and the trauma inflicted on her followers, including the tragic child abuse case linked to her teachings. However, this narrative isn’t solely about the documentary; it’s a reflection on how Gwen Shamblin’s doctrines impacted my life as a young girl.

Early Influences and the Weigh Down Workshops

Before establishing her controversial church, Shamblin was a dietitian. Unfortunately, she misused her expertise to create a harmful faith-based weight-loss program. My introduction to her methods came in middle school during the late nineties. Her Weigh Down Workshops gained traction in the church community I grew up in, and her book, “The Weigh Down Diet,” was a bestseller. My father tried her methods and lost weight, which inspired my mother—a plus-sized woman on a quest for thinness—to attend a workshop, bringing along her seventh-grade daughter, me.

The Disturbing Teachings

It was in these workshops that I first encountered the disturbing idea that being overweight was a sin. In circle meetings, we would pray and watch videos of a confident Gwen Shamblin asserting that obesity stemmed from greed. She claimed that those who were overweight confused their spiritual hunger with a physical need for food, suggesting that fatness equated to sinful greed. This revelation hit me hard. Surrounded by adults, including my mother, who seemed unfazed by this message, I internalized it as absolute truth, leading to a profound sense of devastation.

Shattered Self-Perception

Prior to this experience, I believed I was a “good” person, defined by my adherence to rules and my academic success. However, Shamblin’s teachings shattered that perception, intertwining my self-worth with my body size. I left those meetings feeling not just inadequate in terms of beauty standards but also burdened with shame.

Struggles with Body Image and Food

Over the next two decades, I struggled with the notion that my body represented a failure to meet spiritual expectations. The messages I absorbed about food further complicated my relationship with eating. I was taught to balance my intake carefully, leading to feelings of guilt whenever I felt satisfied after a meal. This unhealthy mindset fostered disordered eating patterns that never achieved the thinness I sought but did shift my perception of value—both in society and in the eyes of God.

Finding Freedom

It wasn’t until I distanced myself from organized religion in my early thirties that I began to find freedom in my relationship with food. For five or six years, I have been on a personal journey to define my own beliefs about spirituality, free from the constraints of the harmful doctrines introduced by Shamblin and her Weigh Down Workshop.

Reflections on Shamblin’s Passing

When I learned of Gwen Shamblin Lara’s tragic plane crash in Percy Priest Lake near Nashville, I felt a sense of relief. Her life’s work had been to instill shame in individuals like me, pushing us toward harmful behaviors under the guise of spirituality. While her daughter intends to continue her legacy, I hope the Remnant Fellowship evolves into something less toxic—or collapses entirely. Ultimately, Shamblin spent her life causing pain and promoting abuse in the name of faith. Although I do not celebrate her passing, I cannot mourn her. The power she amassed through shaming others did not save her life or prevent her from facing the consequences of her actions.

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Summary

Gwen Shamblin Lara’s teachings through her weight-loss cult left lasting damage on many individuals, including the author, who recounts her experiences with the harmful ideologies that intertwined spirituality with body image. After distancing herself from these beliefs, she found a path toward healing and self-acceptance, ultimately feeling relief at Shamblin’s demise, recognizing the pain she caused in the name of faith.