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Episode 9: Meet Coach James Tate
Donna Chacko and Author James Tate at the 7th Annual African American Children's Book Fair in Baltimore in May 2019.
James Tate before and then after his faith-based weight loss journey.
In this episode of Pop-Up Conversations, you’ll hear about James Tate’s extraordinary journey from obesity to reclaiming his health through a biblical approach to diet. He ultimately shed more than 200 pounds and became a faith-based fitness coach, speaker, and author.
James describes himself as always heavy with his lowest high school football weight being 275 pounds. After graduating from DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, he went to Johnson C. Smith University in North Carolina. Several years after college, his life was derailed by a serious accident. He spent a year in bed and several more years trying to recover.
His weight ballooned to 415 pounds.
He tells us the story of how he returned to church, turned to God, and lost more than 200 pounds in a year.
The Interview: Meet Coach James Tate
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““Stay faithful and lean on God. He is there.
The teacher is always quiet when the test is going on.” ”
His Weight Loss Journey
The Daniel Fast, What Would Jesus Eat?, and What the Bible Says about healthy living
It started with a 21-day fast. The Daniel Fast is a plant-based diet as described in Daniel 1:12, “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink,” and Daniel 10:2-3, “At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.”
It took a lot of discipline. James tells me that, before he started this diet, “I never had gone two days without a chicken wing.” However, he did notice that he started to feel “amazing” once he began to take better care of his mind, body and spirit.
James also followed an approach to eating as described in the book What Would Jesus Eat? The Ultimate Program for Eating Well, Feeling Great, and Living Longer by Dr. Don Colbert. This book showed him how nutrition and scripture were linked. James also recommended What the Bible Says About Healthy Living by Rex Russell, M.D.
So, what does he eat today? He tells me, “I started my weight loss with a fish only pescatarian lifestyle (no shellfish. Only fish with fins and scales.) Currently, I follow a whole food plant based lifestyle. I do not eat meat or consume dairy. I avoid fried foods but if I have a weakness, it would be chips (tortilla) and cupcakes. I love chips with salsa and guacamole. I know that doesn't sound like a bad snack but my body holds onto fat when I consume fried foods, so I have substituted chips with air popped popcorn for my snack. I still love cupcakes, but I avoid them until I reach my goals. It's very important to know your body. I do not eat fast food. My favorite meal would be buddha bowls. They allow me to combine many vegetables into one meal.”
On a Mission
Once James’ own health improved, he felt called to help others. He studied and took multiple trainings and developed his ministry at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Maryland. He didn’t have enough money for the first training, so he asked God to “make a way.” When his IRS refund arrived in the exact amount of money, “to the penny,” that he needed, he knew he was on the right path.
He founded the Beyond W8 Loss Total Wellness Center, where he offers one-on-one fitness coaching, corporate wellness programs for Fortune 500 Corporations, and public speaking. His mission is, “Helping people to become totally "Fat" free (Mental, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical) and improve overall health.”
He also wrote a children’s book, Kool Kids & The Land of Giants. The “Kool Kids” are a group of Christian friends who motivate, educate and inspire children and their families to live healthy lives. In this first book in the series, the Kool Kids face The Obesity Giant.
James’ Steps to Being Holy and Healthy
Eat whole foods, not processed foods.
Avoid fried foods.
Cook at home with whole foods.
Include a variety of colors in the vegetables and fruits.
Realize the value of your health. “Your body is one of the most expensive things you will ever own in your lifetime. The human body is a multi-million dollar machine. Don’t take better care of your car than you take care of your body.”
Walk with Christ and pray to know how to eat a more healthy diet. “Read his word. Spend time with him.”
Seek support. “Surround yourself with like-minded people. You cannot do it by yourself. Pray for people who will hold you up like Aaron held up the arms of Moses.”
Free Class—"Body by Christ” Biblical Nutrition and Whole Body Wellness
If you are struggling with your weight, eating habits, blood pressure, or diabetes, consider joining James’ Wednesday night class dealing with biblical nutrition and whole body wellness. The class is free, from 7-9 PM on Zoom. For information and to sign up, email: bodybychrist@fbcglenarden.org.
Additional Links and Resources
Check out James website.
Go here to buy Kool Kids & The Land of Giants
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About James Tate
James Tate
Coach James Tate is a husband, father of three children, a certified health coach, and a health minister at First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland. He has extensive training, including at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and Wesley Seminary. He is the founder of Beyond W8 Loss, a Christ-led “Wholelistic” wellness center focused on “Total Fat Loss” (Mental, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical) and improving overall health. James is also the award-winning author of Kool Kids and the Land of the Giants, a children’s book about fighting obesity.
About Donna
Dr. Donna Chacko promotes health of body, mind, and spirit through her website (serenityandhealth.com), her blog, and programs at her church. She is the author of Pilgrimage: A Doctor’s Healing Journey (Luminare Press, 2021).
Donna previously practiced medicine for forty years, first as a radiation oncologist and later, after re-training, as a family medicine doctor. What she learned taking care of immigrants and the homeless in Washington, D.C., continues to influence her programs. A central theme is that health of body, mind, and spirit is interrelated and connected to God, all as a package deal. Donna is a wife, mother, and grandmother and lives in University Park, Maryland.
Questions? Reach out to Donna Chacko.
Do you use these excuses to avoid having to take action?