DeWayne Gibson started 2026 at 280 pounds. By Monday morning, the senior pastor of Parkway Baptist Church in Hodgenville, Kentucky, weighed 179 — a loss of 101 pounds — and felt better than he had in years.
His weight-loss journey has included setbacks. He lost a significant amount of weight about 15 years ago, but the pounds gradually returned.
Bloodwork in January provided the wake-up call he needed. His triglycerides measured 920, his blood pressure and A1C were high, and he was prediabetic.
“Everything was out of whack,” he said. “I knew I needed to do something.”
Giving up bread, sugar
Gibson cut calories, began eating mostly meat and vegetables, and gave up two favorites: bread and sugar. He also started running. As the pounds came off, he gave God the praise.
Balancing ministry with a job in the school system keeps Gibson busy, and finding time to eat well has required changes.
As a pastor, “you grab when you can and eat out of the car a lot,” he said. “In ministry, most of the social things deal with food – meeting someone for breakfast or supper. Food is always involved.”
His wife, Carlene, has supported his efforts and helped him avoid temptation, no small sacrifice “because my wife is a phenomenal cook.”
Gibson’s struggle with weight is far removed from his days as a college football lineman at Campbellsville University in the late 1980s. At 5-foot-11 and 211 pounds, the guard spent four years trying to gain weight while playing for coaches Ron Finley and Haywood Riner, both influential men in his life.
Number kept climbing
After college, however, he gained 25 pounds in a year. His weight eventually reached 320, a number he is determined never to see again.
He has traded jeans with a 42- to 44-inch waist for a size 32, but the benefits extend beyond his wardrobe. Gibson wants to help — friends, church members and fellow pastors — feel as good as he does.
“I feel great,” he said. “I thought I was having some arthritis in my hands but after losing the weight that’s gone so it was mostly inflammation.”
The changes have also affected how he feels in the pulpit. When preaching about addiction and self-control, Gibson said, he no longer feels the conviction he once experienced during his own struggle with food.
With more energy to meet the demands of work and ministry, he has begun encouraging friends with similar weight struggles. He welcomes the opportunity to help others, too.
“I’m approachable,” he said. “I really, really feel blessed to talk to other people. It’s a judgment free zone with me.”
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Mark Maynard and originally published by Kentucky Today.
