Rick Warren, creator of the Daniel Plan.
According to Pastor Rick Warren, author of the best seller The Purpose Driven Life and leader of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., Scripture not only urges followers to live a better life but also can motivate them to lose weight too. Warren created the Daniel Plan for his congregation, a wellness program inspired by the Book of Daniel in which Daniel refuses the decadent royal feast offered to him by King Nebuchadnezzar and instead asks for vegetables and water. The Daniel Plan consists of eating programs, workout classes and small-group meetings designed to help people make changes in their lifestyle in order to improve their health. More than 15,000 members of Warren’s congregation have signed up, collectively losing 260,000 lb.