When the First Place Christian weight-loss program came to his church in 1998, Chino computer programmer Mark Gutierrez -- who weighed 310 at the time -- was skeptical. The 44-year-old father of two had tried numerous high-profile weight-loss programs, starting as far back as age 13.
"I had lost weight many times, but always put it back on and more," he says.
Fear and doubt, he says, delayed him from committing to the program for a year. But once he signed on, in early 1999, he met with rapid success -- dropping 120 pounds in the first 12 months.
The program's spiritual component made all the difference to him.
"You draw your encouragement and strength from God and Bible study, from prayer and the prayers of others in the room with you," he says of the First Place program.
Religious diet and weight-loss programs are booming, fueled by spiritual leaders' heightened attention to the problem of obesity and its medical fallout. They are delivering a compelling message to the faithful: God cares about physical health.
The movement, overwhelmingly Christian, mirrors trends in alternative health and the secular diet industry, with their emphasis on natural, nonprocessed foods, and vitamin and herbal supplements.
There are no solid statistics on how many people are now turning to God and his mouthpieces for guidance on trimming down and getting fit, but a growing trend is unmistakable.
First Place, founded in Houston in 1981, now boasts half a million members in every state and dozens of countries. The Chicago-based Thin Within, founded in the late 1970s, has more than a hundred groups in the U.S., Britain and Canada.
The Tennessee-based Weigh Down Workshop, launched in 1986, now claims a million followers in more than 30,000 groups worldwide.
And recent years have seen a swelling number of programs, books and events dispensing faith-based advice on diet and fitness.
Two books -- "The Maker's Diet" by Jordan S. Rubin and "Body by God" by Dr. Ben Lerner -- have made religious and secular bestseller lists in recent years, and the latter has inspired hundreds of Body by God makeover challenges across the country.
Today, even televangelist Pat Robertson touts his own "age-defying" protein shake and "weight-loss challenge" on his Christian Broadcasting Network.
As the movement swells, some weight-loss experts are questioning whether these programs and the advice they proffer are effective.
