Diet Meister Hammers The Lowdown On Livin' La Vida Low-Carb

I found a new blog I had not heard of before on Wednesday called Diet Lowdown, which is dedicated to giving a critical eye to all things related to dieting. The Diet Meister is a three decade veteran in the health and nutrition industry and has dedicated most of the past 2 1/2 years of his life trying to help people figure out who is telling the truth regarding weight loss and general health.

Not surprisingly, the Diet Meister came across my blog during his research and was disappointed in the way I have chosen to eat on my low-carb lifestyle. That led him to write a blog post entitled "Livin La Vida Low-Carb Or Livin La Vida Loco."

Describing me as a "junk food addict," the Diet Meister said in his post that I might be losing weight, but I'm not being very "healthy." I asked the question last week if there was such as thing as an "unhealthy weight loss." Nevertheless, the Diet Meister was "shocked" and said I was doing a great "disservice" to Dr. Robert Atkins by describing my diet as the Atkins diet (actually, I call it livin' la vida low-carb). Finally, he believes I should change the name of my book to "Livin' and Dyin' La Vida Low-Carb." OUCH!

Some of these issues about my personal way of eating have been discussed at my blog previously, but I decided to post the following comment back to the Diet Meister at his Diet Lowdown blog:

Hey Diet Meister,

THANKS for mentioning my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog (although the URL is livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com) and for sharing your genuine concerns about the way of eating I used to lose my 180 pounds and keep it off. You make some valid points and I would just like to clarify them for you.

The "sample" of what I eat in a day I assume came from this post where I sent the "Today Show" an average meal for me. It was not meant to be an indication of what I eat EVERY SINGLE DAY because I don't eat the same thing all the time. I even mentioned that it my post.

While you believe my diet is filled with what you would call "junk food," which I assume you are referring to the low-carb snacks and diet sodas in that category, I have seen these as lifesavers for me as I have been livin' la vida low-carb. I got some similar criticism after I posted that blog and decided to pen this blog post to help people understand my philosophy about why I eat the way that I eat.

I admit in that post that my eating habits are not as strict as some people who have lost weight and trying to keep it off with low-carb. This is all still a process for me. I don't claim to have all the perfect answers to everything about doing low-carb. I'm simply sharing what I have done to lose and maintain my weight through the low-carb lifestyle.

With that said, my goal in 2004 was to lose weight, but my goal in 2005 was to successfully keep it off for the entire year. In 2006 and beyond, I will make other changes such as backing off on my 9 diet sodas (which I love very much - CAFFEINE FREE, by the way!) and sugar-free chocolates. The way I see it, as long as my weight is not adversely effected, I have no problem consuming those items.

Will I keep doing that for years to come? Probably not. You have to remember I was a 410 gorilla just a little more than a year ago. This process of changing into a new, thin man is still a work in progress. My blog just gives me an opportunity to tell others about how livin' la vida low-carb has changed me and is still changing me.

By the way, I eat lots of fruits and vegetables, including cauliflower, green beans, garden salad, strawberries and blueberries as part of my low-carb lifestyle on a regular basis. I mix it up so this way of eating doesn't get boring as so many claim that it is.

I can appreciate your concern about my eating habits and thank you for allowing me to clarify them just a bit here at your blog. I did indeed write a book called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" due out in October 2005 and available at my blog and Amazon.com. I think you will be pleasantly surprised by what you read and will gain a better understanding of where I came from before my miraculous weight loss.

Don't give up on me yet! I'm that flower that is just waiting to bloom. Don't rush me into sprouting before it's my time to do it. I'll get there in due time.

THANKS AGAIN and take care!

Jimmy Moore, "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man"
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com
livinlowcarbman@charter.net

Feel free to send your feedback to the Diet Meister at dietmeister@hotmail.com.

9-18-05 UPDATE: The Diet Meister wrote a follow-up article after reading my reaction to his original column at his blog today. You can read it by clicking here. He makes some very valid comments that I am in fact addressing even now. As I have said before, the main thing for me was to lose weight. When you weigh 410 pounds, it doesn't matter HOW you lose weight, you just do it! But now that I'm holding steady (and actually starting to lose some more weight in recent days), I am making subtle transitions in my diet to make sure I am eating as healthy and as "balanced" as I can. I appreciate the honest analysis of my nutritional program and welcome the comments and feedback of anyone concerned about the way I am eating. I'm still learning, too! THANKS, Diet Meister!