Born in Bloomington, Indiana, Norris J. Chumley, M.A., M.Ph., was an overweight baby who eventually grew to be an overweight child and then an overweight adult. After years of battling bad eating habits and negative emotions, Chumley had a change of heart.

During a turning point in his life, he decided to attend support group meetings with people that had the same problems that he did. It was there that he was able to gain the strength he needed through God to overcome his addiction to food. He took control of his life realizing that he no longer wanted to use food as a substitute to true happiness. Chumley lost 150 pounds and has kept it off for over 16 years. He went from being nicknamed “Enormous Chubby” to becoming enormously successful with work that has been featured on Beliefnet.com, PBS, NBC, AMC, A&E, Showtime, The Movie Channel, HBO, Cinemas and WNET/13.

He is currently a Ph.D. candidate at Union Theological Seminary in New York. Most recently, Chumley has authored “The Joy of Weight Loss: A Spiritual Guide to Fitness,” and appears with Susan Sarandon in the documentary DVD, “The Spiritual Guide to Weight Loss.” He is currently a featured columnist for Beliefnet.com, and teaches at various clinics and churches, including Kripalu Yoga and Health Center and The Riverside Church in New York City, in the area of spirituality and health.