A Wild & Wacky Weight Loss Feeding Frenzy

When January 1, 2007 was celebrated at the stroke of midnight on Sunday night, I knew it was merely the beginning for me and other weight loss blogs and web sites out there providing information about shedding pounds and getting healthy. While I thought my life was busy before, this week is evidence that it can always get even crazier. But I LOVE IT!

After doing an entire week of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" podcast to start off the new year, the traffic at my blog has more than DOUBLED the numbers I had in December 2006. I knew it was going to increase, but I had no idea it was going to SKYROCKET! :) Again, what a thrill it has been!

I'd like to share with you some of the e-mails I have received during my wild and wacky weight loss feeding frenzy during just the first few days of 2007 so far. This will show you a little bit of what I have been experiencing from your fellow readers:

Hi Jimmy,

I have been reading your blog for quite a while and love the new podcasts. I have been listening faithfully from the first broadcast. Beginning in the summer of 2004 I began low-carbing and lost over 60 lbs. I stopped short of my goal to see if I could actually maintain this lifestyle change and in the next year I lost another 10 lbs without even trying and with no deprivation. Now, food choices are not even an issue. I don't worry that I will ever go back to eating the old way. When people ask I tell them the key was giving up sugar, which for me was so powerful.

In the summer of 2006 I decided to change my life direction (I'm 49 years old) and began to study for certification as a personal trainer. I think the changes in my life were so profound that I had to find a way to share them with others - not unlike you, eh?! Anyway, the point of writing you today is to encourage your goal of resistance training. My trainer (yes, personal trainers often have their own personal trainers) and I have been working a program that includes 5-6 days a week of cardio (I've actually been road running again for the first time since my 20's) and 3 days of weights. I've come to love the weights for two reasons: 1. feeling strong is wonderful, and 2. my body has changed in very pleasing ways.

As I have increased my strength, I have noticed a tightening of my loose skin. Now admittedly, my loose skin from a 70 lb weight loss is not what it would be from a 180 lb weight loss, but none the less I see a difference and it pleases me. One thing that I am profoundly humbled by is the realization during my weight loss and in the time since then that body image and self image are distinct and yet connected and that after significant weight loss it takes time to alter the mental and emotional landscape that informs our sense of self.

In a very real way, the weight loss while it is a great accomplishment just sets the stage for what comes next which is the transformation of our lives as we step up to embrace the next challenge that comes our way. So my advice is, trust your trainer. Don't expect the results to show immediately - first you have to condition the muscles and then grow them - good
training takes patience and persistence, but in 3 to 4 months you should be looking in the mirror with renewed appreciation.

If you get really interested check out Tom Venuto's Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle website. Venuto isn't a low carb advocate per se - most fitness experts aren't (and yet many of them follow low carb diets themselves while calling it something else) - but he does acknowledge that for some people it is necessary to cut carbs quite low while eating whole foods and plenty of protein. There is much to his system that is very useful and you might find his business model including what he has to say about "the fifth element" - a support network of positive people - quite interesting.

While you are working at reducing your body fat I am doing the same and looking forward to good results in the upcoming months. All the best to you!

Can you tell she's gonna be a GREAT trainer? I think so! Of course, she's referencing my 2007 Health New Year's resolutions to lower my body fat and start weight lifting again. I appreciate the encouragement and the story!

Here's someone reacting to my blog post where I state that calorie counting and portion control are irrelevant when you are livin' la vida low-carb:

Jimmy,

Just catching up on some of your old posts. I'm sure I'm not the first person to play the "calorie counting and portion control" card, but after trying everything it seems that counting, however annoying it is, is the best way to go, for me at least. All the best in 2007!

Like I've said many times before, find what works for you and then do it! If counting calories and portions floats your boat, then you won't see me stand in your way. I want to see you succeed HOWEVER you choose to do it.

Next up is a guy who is sick and tired of being overweight and wants to get into shape so his 2 1/2-year old daughter will have a healthy daddy for many years to come. Here's his story:

Hello,

I have been overweight my whole life. I am 6'1" and I weigh 255 pounds. At my heaviest I was 263. I know that the low carb lifestyle is effective because I go on and off it all the time. I stay on for about 2 months and lose around 20 pounds and then I start feeling sick. Literally sick. I get sick to my stomach and end up hating the food I am eating. I am normally acarnivore. I prefer to have seconds of my dinner than to have dessert. Is it normal to start feeling sick around this time? It is almost like I am very anxious. Kind of like that feeling you would get in high school on Sunday night as you are going to bed you realize you didn't study for the test on Monday morning.

Well, to make a long story even longer, I have decided to go back on the wagon. I am sick of being fat. I have a beautiful healthy 2 and 1/2 year old daughter who loves me very much. I also have the most beautiful and fit wife who supports me as best as she can. I want to live long enough to enjoy it. Your blog posts have inspired me to do that.

I am going to keep an online journal on my blog to track the change. You WILL be getting updates because I WILL be successful. Keep up the good work. I will keep your brother in my prayers. Thanks!

Here was my response back to him:

That's a vague question, but I assume by "sick" you mean lethargic, run down, and just an overall sense of BLAH! Am I right? If so, then you are still fighting addiction to carbs. The longer you go without sugar and refined carbohydrates, the better off you will feel. But if you give in even a little to temptation, you WILL feel bad. I'm not saying you've done this, but if you have STOP! :)

Make sure you are taking adequate supplementation and that you are eating enough high-protein, high-fat foods to keep you satiated and energized. People usually don't eat enough food when they are livin' la vida low-carb, so try not to fall into that trap. YOU CAN DO THIS! Thanks again for your e-mail!

Not long after sending this response, he e-mails me again with the following:

You know why I love this lifestyle? Because of your last paragraph. What other "diet" lets you speak like that! THANKS!

It's the miracle of livin' la vida low-carb, my friend, and I'm proud of you for giving it the old college try yet again. By the way, my brother Kevin is doing okay for now and I appreciate your prayers for him. It's at the point where HE must decide to change if it's gonna happen.

Another reader is starting back on low-carb again this week after a tumultous 2006 caused her to gain all of the weight she had previously lost on the Atkins diet:

Hello,

I have just started today back on my low carb eating. Back in 2003 I realized I was not happy with my weight. I am 5'8" and weighed 185 lbs at the time. I went on to a VERY STRICT Atkins diet and stuck to it like never before with any other diet. I started on October 1st that year and by the end of the month I had lost 15 lbs and by the end of November I was at 155 lbs--EXACTLY where I wanted to be. Everyone told me that I would gain it right back but I didn't. I kept it off in fact fluctuating between 145 to 160 until January 2006. That's when I changed jobs and got to work from home which was bad for me because I didn't move with excercise. I just worked and took care of the house and my three kids.

I slowly gained back the weight and now I'm back to my 185 lbs again. But I know I can get back down and am determined to do it, so TODAY is the first day back. I am tired of my pants being tight and I REFUSE to buy new ones. I know I can do it. I was surfing the Internet and came across your articles and decided to email you. I am up for this 30-In-30 challenge but hopefully less. Hee hee! So I dont know what we do here whether I have to buy something or we just all team up. But I will look forward to your response.

Yes, you'll need to purchase 10 copies of the book "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" and pass them out to...JUST KIDDING! If you want to sign up for my "30-In-30" Low-Carb Weight Loss Challenge, then simply visit the blog and comment with your fellow participants. We weigh-in on Tuesdays so come share your weight loss success with us and don't be afraid to talk about your struggles. Let "30-In-30" be your support system during your journey!

You might just be a success story like the next e-mailer who was so excited to share with me her amazing new "Weight On My Mind" blog. Although it's only a few days old, I REALLY like what she has to say and the way she says it. Sorta reminds me of--ME! Here's what she wrote:

Hi Jimmy,

I've not got a success story as such for you to link to, but I have just started a blog about my success lowcarbing and I was thinking maybe you could add it to your list of blogs about weight loss.

In a nutshell, I've lost around 100lbs, plus and minus 5 pounds or so, and am now at around 155lbs. I started off with Carbohydrate Addicts over five years ago, switched to Atkins 4 years ago, and have been maintaining my weight loss ever since.

I've been a member of various online low-carb forums, but this blog I've started is very personal and right now I'm keeping my identity anonymous. Take a look and see if you'd like to link to it. It's called "Weight On My Mind." Thanks for your own fantastic web site.

I GLADLY added this blog to my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Links" blog. If anyone has a low-carb blog or web site that they would like featured at my links blog, just drop me an e-mail.

Finally, I received the following e-mail today to just broke my heart when I read it:

Hi,

I was reading your blog and am finding myself in the place that many have been before me. I am a female who is 6'2" and weigh just over 400 pounds myself. That's a lot of weight for a girl to be carrying and I want 2007 to be my year. I was reading about the low carb thing and am interested to know how one goes about leading a low-carb lifestyle. I'd really appreciate it if you emailed me back.

And so goes the kind of e-mails that have come my way this week by the hundreds! I answer every single one, so don't hesitate to send me one at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Whether you are brand new to my blog or a long-time reader, I LOVE hearing from you so tell me what's on your mind. This is why I'm here--to encourage, educate and help YOU in any way that I can. THANKS for reading my blog!