Weigh Down Founder Dead in Plane Crash

 

Weigh Down Founder Dead in Plane Crash by Martha Rose Woodward

   The death of Weigh Down and Remnant Church founder and dieting guru, Gwen Shamblin Lara, and the deaths of six others who were traveling with her in a private plane, came as a shock to the Nashville community and the world. Shamblin Lara rose to fame in 1986 when she introduced a weight loss program named Weigh Down which included her lectures and classes combined with a religious message. 

  News of the plane crash was sketchy at first.  It was stated the 500 Cessna plane had crashed into the water near the Percy Priest Dam 90 seconds after take-off. Passengers aboard the plane were listed as Gwen Shamblin Lara, her husband, actor John Lara, and her son-law Brandon Hannah. The four other members of her staf were musical director, David Martin and his wife Jennifer Martin as well as John Walters and his wife Jessica Walters. Although rescue efforts were begun, it was soon apparent that all aboard the plane had died. It was not clear who was piloting the plane. Questions arose if the small, private plane was carrying too many passengers with too much baggage. The FAA is investigating. All seven bodies were recovered on Sunday.

  Shamblin Lara’s is survived by her two grown children, Michael Shamblin and Elizabeth Shamblin, and seven grandchildren. She married David Shamblin in 1978 and divorced him in 2018. David Shamblin is credited with helping her establish the business and is credited with the name Weigh Down. She married Joe Lara in 2018. The value of her property in Davidson County and the ministry are said to be worth $5 million. Shamblin Lara claimed she “…never took a paycheck,” from the ministry, yet she lived in a million dollar mansion near Brentwood, TN, was often seen dripping in diamond rings and earrings, furs, and $500 shoes. She wore her long, blonde hair in an exaggerated bouffant style stacked 8 inches or higher.

  With the publication of her first book, The Weigh Down Diet Plan,  Shamblin Lara was featured on national radio and television shows. However, she soon fell out of favor as her teachings and somewhat bizarre behavior came into question. While being interviewed by Larry King she stated that people were simply eating too much. “The reason why the people in Nazi concentration camps were so thin is they ate less food,” she said. This same statement can be found in her numerous posted videos.

  She taught that divorce is the work of the devil, yet when she divorced her husband of 40 years, claiming his refusal to lose weight meant that God would not welcome him into heaven. She stated in numerous videos and speeches that “…fat people can’t go to heaven.” It was common knowledge that she expected all members of her church to be thin.

  Shamblin Lara claimed she was once 20 pounds overweight, however, she was never able to produce any photos of herself as anything but very thin. On the date of her death, she weighed less than 80 pounds; many say she was anorexic.

  Although she recorded thousands of hours of lectures, it is difficult to pin down her exact teachings about weight loss. She did state that she created the only true plan for weight loss. She never advised her members to check with a doctor before beginning her plan. Basically, she taught starvation. She believed that obesity is a sin. When you are overweight you are not in communication with God. No food is off limits but, you may only eat a small portion. She required members to cut all food into half and only eat up to 7 bites from any one plate. She believed that God would send the Holy Spirit to keep a believer from overeating. She often acted out plays in her classes and showed how she was about to eat a slice of pie when a glass of tea spilled on it. She said when a person was tempted to eat, he/she should pray, read the Bible, or talk a walk and talk to God. She taught that wanting to overeat comes from Satan and obesity is a spiritual battle. Members of her church were expected to enroll and pay for classes. They could be dropped from membership if they missed a meeting or payment. Church services were more like theatrical productions with plenty of music and emotional testimonies describing the greatness of Gwen. It is the consensus of the psychiatric community that Shamblin Lara’s ministry was a cult with her being the leader similar to David Koresh or Jim Jones.

   The surviving children announced they plan to “keep the dream alive” in a statement released last week. Buyer beware.