Virgina Pastor Inspires His Church, His Community to Lose Weight
Pastor Steve Reynolds was heavy his whole life. When he decided to change, it has led to an inspiring change for all those in his congregation. After losing 100 lbs, and overcoming diabetes himself, he then helped his Annandale, Virginia congregation lose 6000 lbs, 3 tons of weight! And all this, in just 2-1/2 years!
Before
Reynolds has authored a book, Bod 4 God, a second edition of which is soon to be published by Regal Books. He believes that discipline is part of the Christian message, and that the care of the body temple is a spiritual responsibility. He now leads a fitness and weight loss program called Losing to Live. Patterned after the hit TV show, The Biggest Loser, Reynolds combines friendly competition with group coaching to achieve phenomenal success stories. He partners with Body and Soul Fitness, an exercise class set to Christian music to provide the physical training for the participants. Steve recommends each participant craft their own personal lifestyle plan, which means he doesn’t dictate a specific set of dietary guidelines. In this way, individuals can select a dietary plan that meets their needs, honors family/ethnic traditions and matches their body metabolism.
Pastor Reynolds says the scriptural underpinnings of his weight loss success are found in Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.” and Matthew 16:24-25, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Steve explains, “God created us but through self control, and self denial, we honor him and our bodies. We stress the ‘for him’ in this program.”
After
This Saturday, the next Losing to Live conference starts with a Kick off Conference and Luncheon. Doctors, nutritionists, fitness instructors will give a motivating and fact filled program to get the aspiring weight losers off to a good start. The event will be held at the Captital Baptist Church, 3504 Gallows Road, Annandale, VA. The cost of the program is $50.00 which includes 2 books, Bod4God by Pastor Reynolds and Small Simple Changes to Weight Loss and Weight Management by David Kaye, plus a t-shirt. At this price and with these added resources, this program is truly a ministry.
Please, if live in Northern Virginia, and you have a desire to lose weight, do not let this opportunity pass you by. You don’t need to believe in God to attend. All are welcome. You just need to believe in yourself enough to want change. People of any faith may participate. To register call 703-992-8677.
This popular program may soon be available in your area. Steve and his Living to Lose program have been featured on national television Fox News and CNN. For more information, to see other incredible before and after pix, visit Steve’s websites:
Healthy Diet and Exercise, Keys to Good Health!
This post is part of the Hartke is Online! Natural Cures Tuesday blog carnival. If you have weight loss strategies, healthy diet recipes or success stories to share, please submit them to Hartkeisonline.com by email, or comment below. See our Natural Cures page for details.
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3 Comments
There is great support in joining with others to achieve nutritional goals. But we must be cautious what is being supported. For example, my brother in law lost 40 pounds in one month when the Hcg diet swept through his church. He also lost two teeth to insufficient nutrition. And I don’t mean cavities or root canals, I mean they fell out of his mouth. He wants to go back on it this fall to lose another 40.
The church I was in prior to my current one called a one month fast, not for religious purposes, but for weight loss only: water only could be consumed, including children over the age of 5 and pregnant women. This pastor was also “anti-fat” and came across quite clearly as being anti-fat-person, which was not helpful at all. True, the church set a record that was important to the pastor, but the methods were scary.
Group environments can very important for support and community for many, but they can also be a dangerous laboratories for unsafe methods. Add a religious element and the danger only increases. It’s been tried, remember “Weigh Down Workshop”, “BABES”, “Holy Land Diet”, “Hallelujah Diet”, “The Promised Land” diet and so many others? I see nothing on the site detailing what “Bod4God” entails, if it is safe and includes the important animal fats necessary for health, of if it is just another “eat less, exercise more, avoid fat” regimen.
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Points well taken, you’ll notice this program doesn’t dictate any diet, it lets the participants choose their own regime. Hopefully, they will choose wisely.
One great leader eh?.. That’s how a good leader must act. Keep up the good work!
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