When Rick Salewske appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” in 2002, he had an incredible story to tell. Once weighing in at 538 pounds, the Dallas man had managed to shed some 300 pounds in just two years.
What Salewske did not know at the time was that his story was far from finished. A full 20 years later, he would work with writer Cindy Woods on a book that tells a story he believes is far more impactful than the story of his weight loss.
‘It’s like a folded quilt that’s been in a chest. When you take it out and you start to unfold the quilt, then you see there’s the full pattern. And that’s how God works too.’
That book — published in January and titled “Half the Man, Twice the Faith” — tells the story of Salewske’s faith.
Looking back now, Salewske says God’s hand in his life is evident — right down to the seemingly random encounter that led me to contact him and Woods to hear the full Richard Salewske story.
Giving God the credit
To hear Salewske tell it, however, the story is not about him at all.
“I’m giving God all the credit for all of this. This isn’t about Rick Salewske. It has nothing to do with me. It’s about how powerful God is, how he puts people in your path,” said Salewske.
As Salewske shares in the book, even after summoning the willpower and determination to lose those first 300 pounds, he still struggled with his weight. He developed a habit of waiting for the world to change around him, telling himself, “It will get better.” In short, Salewske says, he lost his way.
It wasn’t until he met Woods — and began to understand God’ role in his life — that he found it again, ultimately losing another 100 pounds.
“When I started working with Cindy on writing the book, it dawned on me,” Salewske says. “I learned that I had to partner with God to do this. And once I started partnering with God, once I started putting my faith with God, it was so easy.”
“Well, I won’t say easy, but it all made sense,” Salewske quickly adds.
Hands off the wheel
Once he took his hands off the steering wheel to partner with God, patterns started to reveal themselves in Salewske’s life. Often, this involved people appearing at just the right moment. Salewske credits the book itself to this pattern of God working in his life.
Woods tells the story this way.
“Rick’s really close friend, Gary, who is mentioned in the book, is an Uber driver, and he talks to his customers. And one day, he picked up a representative from Christian Faith Publishing, and they began to talk, and he told her about Rick,” said Woods.
Salewske had wanted to tell his story in a book for more than two decades. However, his previous inquiries to the publishing world led him to believe it was too expensive — until Gary’s chance encounter.
Gary connected Salewske to the representative, who told him what needed to happen for him to publish his story. Salewske shared that information with a friend, and that friend connected him to Woods.
“It became apparent to me very quickly that this was not to be a weight-loss book. That’s certainly a fascinating part of the story, and it’s a good hook. But what this really is about is how to partner with God in whatever challenges that you’re facing,” said Woods.
After Woods told Salewske her thoughts, he said it all clicked for him. Scientifically, he knew how he lost 300 pounds. It was diet and exercise, but people often asked Salewske how he had the determination.
“Then it just dawned on me,” Salewske said. “God did this.”
He credits God with putting the right people on his path throughout his weight loss journey, including an influential boss, Bill, and Cooper Aerobics founder Dr. Kenneth Cooper. Since coming to this conclusion, Salewske has become determined to spread the word of God.
Looking for him
How do you start seeing God in your life in the first place, though? Woods says you have to look for him.
“It’s like a folded quilt that’s been in a chest. When you take it out and you start to unfold the quilt, then you see there’s the full pattern. And that’s how God works too. You really have to unfold and unpack those things to see how he’s working in your life,” said Woods.
Salewske wants to use his story as a testimony to God’s wonders.
“I was 38 years old. I was 538 pounds. 24 years later, I’m down to 200 pounds,” said Salewske.
He’s been married for over 20 years and has three beautiful kids. All the people who have come into his life have been Christians, and they’ve led him to this.
“How can you say God doesn’t exist?” asks Salewske. He says his story is proof that miracles happen.
Strength on the journey
For those who read the book, Salewske and Woods hope they come away knowing they can rely on God.
“Whatever you’re going through, God will help you get through it,” says Salewske.
Woods cautions against thinking everything will work out exactly as you expect it to, though. Grief, illness, and hardship still prevail in the world. Partnering with God doesn’t mean all of that will cease to exist.
Rather, Woods says, “Turning those situations and those feelings over to God and letting him give you the comfort and the strength to walk whatever valley — that makes all the difference in the journey.”
To that, Salewske chimes in with a cheerful amen.
For Salewske, who still has to work at maintaining a disciplined daily nutrition and exercise routine, that certainly rings true.
At the same time, Salewske is grateful for how far he’s come. He’s blessed with a healthy life that he shares with a wide circle of family and friends as well as a story he shares with everyone he encounters. When you hear that story in person, you can’t help but smile and be inspired. Hope abounds.
“Half the Man, Twice the Faith,” is available for purchase online.
