Two Years Of Low-Carb Blogging And Counting

The date April 21st on the calendar will always be a special day in the life of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog because that is the day back in the year 2005 when all of this low-carb, weight loss, and health talk began in earnest. I was already writing opinion columns since 2001 at a web site called CommonVoice.com when I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004.

But on April 21, 2005 at 11:57am, I created my blog and wrote my very first blog post not knowing exactly what was going to happen in the months and years to come. Here's an excerpt from that brief blog post to kick off what would become the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog:

This blog was literally birthed out of the tremendous outpouring of requests I have received around the world for help from people who have struggled with losing weight as I once did.

After losing 180 pounds on Atkins in 2004 and keeping it off with a continued low-carb lifestyle, I am embarking on a mission to help as many people as I can to do the same for themselves. If I can do it, then so can you!

I am happy to answer any questions you may have about low-carb. Feel free to e-mail me...or leave a post.

Now it's time for me to get back to livin' la vida low-carb!!!

And so it began! Because I already had a few readers who had been following my writings at CommonVoice.com, I also posted this column there to share with them about this new venture in my life. It brings a smile to my face when I read the title of that column: "Low-Carb Lifestyle Blog Created To Encourage And Educate." Two years later, that's still the EXACT same mission that I have for my blog.

Here's just a snippet of what I wrote in that CommonVoice.com column about why I needed a blog:

I decided that there needed to be an outlet for me to comment more often about low-carb on the Internet than I am currently able to do. Oftentimes I have wanted to respond to negative media accounts regarding the low-carb lifestyle, but I just haven't had the time to write a full CommonVoice article about it. Also, since CommonVoice tends to focus more on politics and government, I do not believe this is the forum for presenting these ideas (unless, of course, the government comes out with some ridiculous new health standard that needs to be addressed!).

For that reason and because I wanted a way to interact on the web with people trying to learn more about low-carb, I created a new blog entitled "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" where you can learn about how I was able to lose weight and read commentary from me about the latest low-carb news. This is an exciting venture for me because I have never done a blog before.

My heart literally goes out to people who struggle with losing weight. I have personally been there and know the heartache it brings to people desperate to get their weight problem under control. It's not a fun place to be and I want to help people like that overcome their struggle any way that I can.

I am always available to answer any questions from people about living the low-carb lifestyle. My personal mission is to encourage and educate people about this amazing way to lose weight and keep it off permanently. Hope to hear from you soon at my new blog!

Had I known THEN what I know NOW regarding just how popular my blog would become, then I don't think I would have ever believed what I am doing here would have made such an impact on so many lives. The amazing thing to me is that this thing just keeps growing and growing beyond anything I could have asked or imagined. It seems like just yesterday I was celebrating my first blogiversary. Oh how time flies!

Thousands of you visit daily now and I'm now averaging well over 125,000 pageviews each and every month as well as attracting tons of new people all the time. In fact, April 2007 is on track for yet another traffic record. WOW WOW WOW! That's all I can say about it. It's unbelievable!

In March 2007, I surpassed the 1 million pageview mark in less than two years and am on a pace to hit 2 million before the end of the year. I keep thinking the traffic is gonna have to slow down at some point, but it hasn't. You won't see me complaining about it, though. :) New people write to me every single day!

All those eyeballs means more and more people are being exposed to the positive message of the healthy low-carb lifestyle. Whether they've been livin' la vida low-carb for 2 days, 2 months, or even 20 years, I try to provide information that everyone can use to be educated, encouraged, and inspired to keep doing what they're doing to control their weight and health. That's really what this blog is all about--helping people help themselves become the success they so desperately desire.

So, on my two-year blogiversary today, I simply want to say to you THANK YOU! I never want to take YOU for granted with anything that I do. Sure, much of what I write about here I do tend to personalize because this blog is the story of my weight loss success and living my life ever since. But if you didn't find what I write about useful in your own life, then you wouldn't keep coming back. I must be doing something that you find valuable and I consider your presence here a compliment.

My wife Christine and I are humbled to know that so many lives are being changed for the better because of this blog. I hear it from the literally hundreds of e-mails I receive each week (my wife Christine keeps them all and is putting them in a scrapbook for me!) with all the questions, comments, praise, and concerns shared by real people looking for someone who cares. Isn't that what all of us who have struggled with our weight for most of our lives are looking for?

The fact is I do care because I've been there, done that, and yes, I've even written the book about it! LOL! Although I definitely enjoy blogging and try to have fun with it, I am dead serious about all that I do in this regard because it is not a laughing matter.

Obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and worse are all very clear and present dangers to modern society and much of it is self-inflicted because of our poor dietary choices. That's why I not only need to keep doing what I am doing to spread the good news about livin' la vida low-carb, but I need many more of you to join me in this effort. I've listed many of the excellent resources for people who desire to learn more about low-carb at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Links" blog and I'd LOVE to add your blog or web site to that list, too!

You might be wondering what's next for the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog? I really don't know what's gonna happen over the next year and beyond, but I do know my mission and reasons for blogging will NEVER change. Too many people are hurting for me to stop doing what I'm doing.

I'm just gonna keep living my low-carb life, sharing my experiences, exposing the hypocrisy of the naysayers, sharing the invaluable research that is flooding the scientific community, and always offering a hand of comfort and guidance when I'm asked. It's the least I can do for the miracle that God performed in my life through this low-carb weight loss experience.

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. With the increase in traffic, my ability to respond as quickly as I have before has been diminished. But if you take the time to write to me with a question about low-carb, then I WILL write you back. That's my promise to you for having the courage to share what's on your heart and being willing to admit you don't want to stay where you are.

Be looking for some major changes to the look of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog coming VERY SOON to help you navigate through all the information I have for you. The content won't change, just how it is presented to you. I think you're gonna enjoy the changes, so be looking for that in the very near future. I can't wait!

Also, if you haven't signed up and entered your name in my 2nd Annual Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blogiversary Giveaway Contest yet, then you have just a little more than a week left to put your name in the hat for the BIG drawing next week for the GRAND PRIZE--Deluxe Vermont Castings Grill as well as tons more prizes you can see here, here, here, and here. So many have entered, but we've got room for YOU, too!

Again, I cannot fully express to you how much you mean to me personally and professionally with your presence here day in and day out. It's an honor and a privilege to be a part of your life, even in some small way, and I will never take that for granted. God bless you and be with you as you continue to make low-carb living your permanent healthy lifestyle change on your way to improved weight and health. You guys really are the greatest! SEE YA!