Gwen Shamblin was an American author, dietitian, and the founder of the Remnant Fellowship Church as well as the Weigh Down Workshop, a Christian diet program. Born on February 18, 1955, she gained prominence in the 1990s and early 2000s for her approach to weight loss, which combined faith and biblical principles with dieting. Shamblin's teachings encouraged individuals to turn to God instead of food for emotional support, promoting a message that physical hunger should be the only reason for eating. Her most famous book, "The Weigh Down Diet," published in 1997, became a bestseller by offering an alternative approach to conventional diets, urging readers to reject dieting culture and instead focus on a spiritual relationship with God to overcome their struggles with eating and weight. Shamblin faced controversy and criticism for her methods and the control she reportedly exerted over her followers. Despite this, she remained a prominent figure in the Christian weight loss movement until her death. Gwen Shamblin Lara, along with her husband and several other leaders of the Remnant Fellowship, died in a plane crash in May 2021.