Straight From The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb E-Mail Box

My e-mail box tends to overflow with appreciation and questions

It's no secret I get my fair share of e-mails from people all across the United States and around the world on a daily basis. When you put yourself out there providing information, encouragement and inspiration about the healthy low-carb lifestyle, the natural inclination is for people to respond to what you have written about and I am honored to have the opportunity to see what people have to say.

Wanna take a look at some of the raw, unedited e-mails I receive from people look like? There are hundreds upon hundreds a week that cross my computer screen and I read as well as respond to every single one of them. If you are kind enough to take the time to write to me, then the least I can do is show you the common courtesy of writing you back.

Feel free to share your comments, questions, and suggestions with me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. But take a walk with me right now as I open up my e-mail box so you can see how the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" brand is leaving an indelible mark on the lives of real people everywhere. And for that I am so very grateful.

Some of these will make you laugh, others will make you cry. But one thing's for sure, you'll not soon forget them! My wife Christine keeps all of these in a scrapbook for me to one day look back on...actually, she's already on her fourth scrapbook! You guys mean more to me than you even realize. THANK YOU!

Here are some recent e-mails from people like YOU. Rather than share my answers to them, I just wanted you to get a feel for what a day in the life of Jimmy Moore is like at least from the perspective of my e-mail box. ENJOY!

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Jimmy Moore & Family,

I wanted to write you to say thank you for having your blog and all the information included in it as well as recipes and resources needed to follow a low carb lifestyle. I right now weigh 272 lbs (as of 5 mins. ago--LOL!). When I started trying to diet, I weighed over 300 lbs.

I've been a heavy set person all my life. For as long as I can't remeber, as well as see in family photos from the past, I've never been an average weight. When I reached 300+ lbs., I was pregnant for the third time (I only have one living daughter) and was very tired. Through most of my pregnancy I was on bed rest or restricted activity due to past miscarriages, bleeding and possible complications with my baby. During all this, I laid in bed and slept/ate. I gained almost 40 lbs with over the course with her and only lost 30 lbs. after c-section delivery at the hospital. She is my motivation to lose this excess weight, as well as my only baby brother.

My only brother Josh is a marine for the USA Military. He is on his 2nd tour in Iraq and I'm hoping to be a bit smaller by the time he comes back home from there. (I disagree with the war, we won't get into that).

Since being on a low calorie diet with SPARKPeople.com, I've only lost a few lbs. (maybe 6 lbs. total) in about 4 months. That's watching everything and staying with in the limits they recommend. It's very frustrating to be measuring out and counting every single morsel of food you touch, let alone actually eat and still not lose weight. Not even going to talk about the feelings of wanting to eat The PLATE, TABLE, TABLE LEGS, AND ALL!!! So I quit the SPARKPeople.com diet and started on my own modified version of Atkin's/Low Carb from various websites on the web.

About.com 's low carb site, Livin' La Vida Low Carb Site/blog, and Doing Atkins are all helping me to understand this new approach to low carb lifestyles. I've been keeping my carbs under 40 mostly, I had a bad day at 60 carbs but it was easy to get right back on track!

Since starting low carb, for the first time in my life I don't feel hungry all the time. Before, I would eat a huge meal and within 1 to 2 hours i would be hungry again, in the kitchen digging for something to eat. With low carb, it almost makes me cry because for the first time in my life, I'm not hungry. I'm not constantly munching on something. I'm not a mindless zombie now. I'm a real normal person. Hours go by and I don't even realize it.

I've got such hope that this will continue to help me with my track to living a better lifestyle and being healthier for myself and my family. Sorry to be so long and drawn out, it's just hard to put into words how thankful I am that you have information posted about low carb living. It has really changed my life, in a drastic way.

Also, I almost feel as if I need to explain my large weight. I was severely depressed for a long while. I had 2 miscarriages in a row, and it was a very hard thing for me to take in and deal with. Again, thank you for your blog, information as well as sense of humor about low carb living.

Thank you, really truly thank you!!!

P.S. I like the video's on YouTube also. I really appreciate the low carb cooking videos. Those explain so much, as well as give some great ideas.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX



Hi Jimmy,

My name is Elaine. I just downloaded your e-book. I thought about buying your book last week but I'm one of those gotta have it now people I guess and I wasn't ready last week. I'm on page 21 but I've stopped for a second because I feel compelled to email you. I've been on low carb 3 times in my life. I've been on every diet. I know all about nutrition from the books. I know what I'm "supposed" to do. Anyway I'll try not to write a book as people tend to say I do.

I'm divorced and I've been fat and thin all my life. I get thin and look pretty and stay that way for probably a few months then get bigger again. I have all sizes in my closet but I'm at my highest I've ever been. I used to think 159 was fat. Even 142 but today I am 183 and a size 16/18 at 5' 7. The online BMI sites say that I'm fat and should be 149 at least to be normal.

I've been single since my divorce in 2001. My mission for losing weight sadly had always been I want to find someone as I'm tired of being alone. I lost weight in 2002 with low carb. I got down to 136. The problem is I got confident and felt I could "eat" again. I never did find anyone when I was cute as a button at that weight. The only people that approached me were "players" and wanted me for my looks. I could not accept that. I want to find someone that will love me fat or thin. I gained weight and then lost weight once more but I didn't get down to 136. I stopped at 145 this time.

Again I tried internet dating and was wearing my itty bitty skirts and found 2 clowns that only liked me for my looks. Hurricane Wilma came to Florida and boom, stress eating. Seems like I always gain my weight back when a hurricane hits. The only thing you can buy is canned food or dry food. You can't do low carb when the electric goes out for a week unless you eat warm canned tuna. My weight shot up to 165 in a few months. The next year I went up to 170 and now this year I"m 183. Still alone and wanting to lose weight for .....you guessed it. Tired of being alone. Nobody wants a fat woman sadly to say not even the nice guys.

Now that I'm older I want to lose weight for my health. I do want to look and feel like a woman again but my legs hurt now. I have acid reflux because I now have upper abdomen fat. I've never been an apple shape before. This belly came out of nowhere. No matter how fat I ever got I never had a Santa Claus belly like now and its uncomfortable. It feels like a separate entity. I have acquired a lot of new ailments since I've gotten fat.

I've tried low carb on and off but couldn't stick with it because I work in an office where bagels and birthday cakes are done weekly. If you say you don't want one they embarrass you saying oh you are on a diet. Quit being anti-social. I'm about ready to lie and tell them I now have diabetes which is probably not far from the truth. People go out for lunch everyday and I have brought my lunch most of the times but every now and then I feel lonely and want to join them.

I went out last week with the lunch goers and it felt good to get out but I could not control myself everywhere we ate. Chinese, sub shop etc... I just have a hearty appetite. When I'm done with lunch I go back to my cubicle and have m & m's and the girl next to me has a pretzel barrel. She is skinny by the way but offers everyone snacks. Her dad used to sit next to me and when he retired last year I thought great! no more candy dish and pretzel barrel. In walks his daughter and says I'm carrying on the tradition!

I thought about starting low carb last week but everytime I've done it it feels like a rut to me. Something I can't stick to because even if I order food out it seems I am stuck with meat and vegetables. At my Cuban restaurant I love I can order grilled chicken salad. sub shop I can order deli meat or chicken and salad.It just seems you have to order..... and salad. After awhile I get tired of eating just meats and vegetables. Sometimes I want something different.

My other downfall is coke. I love classic coke. I'm either on coke or off coke. Right now I'm on. I've tried every diet soda out there. I even tried diet rite a few days ago after watching you tube. I'm sorry I just don't like it. I do like diet root beer or dr. pepper but I think those have NutraSweet in them which hurts my brain. I did a paper in college on NutraSweet in the late 80s. bad stuff. This is wear I'm at now. I've got to do this or I'm going to be 200 lbs. I'm tired of looking down at the floor when people look at me or feeling fat when I go shopping.

Even at blockbuster the other night I looked away when the blockbuster guy said hello. Your blog inspired me and I watched you and your wife on YouTube. I'm a computer specialist and I spend a lot of time on the computer unfortunately. I eat when I'm stressed and bored at work. Being a computer specialist I"m like a fireman. I'm either under pressure or bored.

I want to do this this time. I need to do this. I don't expect to be a skinny minny when I lose weight this time. I just want to feel normal now. I'm starting to wear moo moo clothes. XXL shirts and pajama pants because they are so comortable. I'm tired of my legs hurting. The other day a coworker asked why I was dressed up. I told her no reason. The real reason was the elastic pants that I bought for a funeral months ago were the only thing I could fit into that day. Everytime I've done low carb successfully it worked quickly and I was able to eat hearty. I want to be able to be in photos instead of just taking them. I enclosed some photos of me. I"m even bigger than the biggest one you'll see. I guess I emailed you because I need support. Someone to tell me I can do it.

Since I live alone I notice I'm good on weekends. I don't even drink coke. Its the stress from the office. The minute I get to work I want to snack and I want Coke. I realize environment is what makes me fail. Hearing someone open a soda. Hearing someone opening potato chips. Smelling the fumes of fast food people bring back to their desks. Its a battle ground.

I'll continue reading your book. I really need it right now. I have the Atkins revolution book that I've had on my shelf for years. I put it back then take it out and re-read it. I am doing the treadmill now also. 15 minutes. I know that's nothing but its a start. Jimmy do you ever eat the bad foods once in awhile? pizza? chips and salsa? French fries? Like an alcoholic I just can't control myself with that stuff but I'm not a kid anymore and I know that so I should stop eating like one. Anyway God Bless you and your family. I really feel I can do it this time. I'm going to be 40 in May 2007 and even if I'm still alone I just don't want to be fat at 40 feeling like I'm 60. I hope you don't mind me sending the photos. Funny I didn't have a lot of fat ones on my computer saved to show up but in between the skinny photos over the years were mostly fat photos. I did enclose todays photo. God Bless. thanks :O)

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

I just discovered your blog via your interview at Amazon.com with Gary Taubes. I have been overweight for almost my entire adult life. I am also now a type 2 diabetic. When I was diagnosed a few months ago, I started cutting my carbs drastically. I lost about 8 pounds almost effortlessly, but my weight loss has slowed to a standstill now. Is this normal? I am trying to limit my carbs to less than 40 g. a day, and I think I achieve that most days. Do I need to go lower?

Also, although my overall cholesterol is down a little, my good cholesterol dropped and my bad cholesterol rose a bit. My tryglycerides are down a little, which is good. My doctor wants to put me on statins, but I don't want to take them. Will a low carb diet help my cholesterol levels, particularly a better balance in my cholesterol?

How about exercise? Does it matter? Any help you can give me would be appreciated.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX



Hey jimmy, my names Luigi and I'm writing you from Cape Town South Africa and guess what? As of the 2nd of last month I'm livin' la vida low-carb and loving it and you played a role in that but more of that later anyway, I'm 18 and in my final year of high school and I've always been a fat kid, a few years ago though i lost a lot of weight , about 40kgs by eating low fat, lowering calories and cutting out whites (bread rice etc). I was skinny , about 60kgs (130lbs) and i reached the "end of diet mentality" and gradually i started slipping back into my old habits, chocolate , crisps and HUGE servings of pasta reigned supreme and gradually the fat started piling back on, i think i was in denial of how huge i was getting, I wasn't willing to give up food, which had become practically my best friend.

Fast forward 3 years to 2007 and I weighed 155 kgs (340lbs) i was eating about ten slices of bread a day and between 100 and 200 grams of milk chocolate a day, i was drinking about a liter of Coke day and nibbling here and there all day long. It really makes me sick thinking back on those relatively recent days but thats all in the past now. I had also by this time developed shocking type 4 acne and my derm put me on Roaccutane, then a few months ago she sat me down and insisted i see a dietician, both for my health and because the treatment would work better if i lost weight.

I saw a dietician, got the usual "fat is evil", carbs are your best friend rhetoric but the low fat approach just wasnt working, i was constantly hungry and obsessing over food , dreaming about my next meal until i found a low carb article on wiki that got me interisted, i started researching and came across your site and though "if that guy can do it so can i". Just to be sure tho because of the nature of my acne treatment i went to the dietician and asked her what she thought of low-carb, needless to say she dismissed it as a crash diet but i didn't care, i started atkins on the 2nd of August and to date I've lost about 21kgs (47lbs)!!!

I could eat like this forever if i have to, it's kinda boring but id rather be skinny than eat exciting carb filled meals. Iv still got a long way to go but I'm well on my way and I'm gonna loss this fat, I'm feeling GREAT, energized and ready to take on anything. I've got few questions for you though, are you still trying to lose or are you maintaining and how much carbs do you eat daily? Thanks for the inspiration jimmy, don't ever stop spreading the word.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Hello Jimmy!

And thank you for a very interesting blog! I have a Swedish book published this July. It tells the history of the low fat high carb dietary guidelines which emerged in Sweden 6 years before they did in the US and the Food Pyramid that was invented here back in 1974. The book deals with issues similar to what Gary Taubes deals with in his book. This book is of course far less ambitious (only 200 pages) and has another perspective: What were the political and economical climate like in the seventies and did this make it easier for bad science to prevail over good science? We think so.

Fell free to put anything of this out on your blog. At present this book only exists in Swedish language but I would very much like to have your and your readers comments on whether it might be fruitful to translate and publish this book in English.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Sir,

I’ve been on Atkins before and am considering it again. I just happened to stumble upon your website and had a few questions for you.

At the current Atkins website, I couldn’t find any information about eating fats like sour cream. In the two Atkins books I have, it was unlimited except with regards to counting carbs. Is that still the case? In the weight loss phase, did you limit the amount or types of fat in your diet. It seems that according to Gary Taubes, that is unnecessary when carbs are limited.

Also, I see that when you reach maintenance, it appears that there is a dramatic reduction in the amount of fat allowed as compared to on induction. Is that correct or am I misreading?

If that is correct, was it hard for you to switch from a diet where you could freely eat all kinds of fat to a (somewhat) more conventional diet where fat and bad carbs are limited?

I appreciate your comments.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Hi, we have been referred to your website by a friend of ours who has been doing Atkins low carb diet since June and she lost 71 lbs. My husband and I are not have to lose that much weight however i need to lose 35 lbs and my husband needs to lose 20 pounds - most of which is in his tummy. He takes high blood pressure pills and cholesterol lowering pills. I have to also take cholesterol lowering pills and my sugar level is at 110 which according to my dr is pre-diabetic. I am 47 and my hubby is 45. All of other health issues are terrific we go on regualar checkups. we are both a little scared of this low carb stuff cuz our dr says its not a good idea. where do we go to start this in the right healthy way? thanks

Good post on the heart health index study—I saw the same thing and it is a ridiculous piece of research—its what we call in philosophy a tautology. It merely defines a definition with itself. Great.

Just my two cents here but: something to examine before jumping on the all fat is good bandwagon—we know for a fact that omega 6s are harmful when their ratio to omega3s are out of proportion. So suggesting that all dietary fat is good for you as long as you don’t eat carbs is probably going too far in the other direction. There is a well-established body of literature about saturated fat and cytokine production, cytokines cause an inflammation cascade and metabolic efficiency is likely to be impeded in the presence of an inflammation cascade.

While many people can probably get away with thinking of all fats as equivalent—there are some who certainly can’t (I am one of them) and some who SHOULDN’T—folks with inflammatory conditions that can often be linked to obesity. Using butter to the exclusion of other healthy oils, for instance, could be really bad advice. That’s not to say butter is bad but that is should take its place in the spectrum of fats.

It’s good press to say HEY ALL FAT IS GOOD FOR YOU! But it is not necessarily the case. Fats in the proper ratios are good for you. Some fats in large quantities can impede your overall metabolic efficiency. Grass fed beef is much better for you than grain fed beef. Eating carbohydrates actually turns omega 3 fats INTO omega 6’s in the case of cattle. So certainly, omega 6s are a negative by-product of “carb-poisoning” so to speak.

And we don’t really understand the behavior of fatty acid chains at all—like saturated fat is saturated fat. Except when its not. Like coconut oil. What is up with that?

Just tossing some more nuanced ideas about fat—we don’t have to think in such FAT GOOD no FAT BAD terminology. Like most things, it’s a bit more complex.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Hi, Jimmy,

I have been reading your blog off and on since you started it. I have also been doing low carb eating off and on since the 60's and when I'm not on it, I struggle with my weight. A few years ago I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and have really struggled with my weight and low carb eating since I was diagnosed. I am on medication that works well for me, but I wonder whether people who are having serious problems with low carb may not also have an undiagnosed health condition. I am not
suggesting that they are all hypothyroid, but there may be other health conditions which require modifications of the low carb diet for it to work successfully and to feel as well as other people feel on it. There are bariatric doctors using a low carb approach, but they really want to heap on the meds as well, including antidepressants, diet pills, etc. that I am not willing to mess with.

My problems with it in the past few years have been muscle tightness, sleep problems, dulled thinking and serious fatigue when I tried to exercise even walking. I am still trying to figure out ways to cope with some of this. I solved the dulled thinking by using the herb Rhodiola Rosea. (BTW, there is a book by a physician named Richard Brown on this herb that details extensive research done in the USSR as far back as 50-60 years ago, including double-blind studies done alone and with Swedish researchers. All the info was classified before the Iron Curtain came down, but it is available now and shows that the herb is very safe. The cosmonauts were using it in space even. And dulled thinking is also a symptom of hypothyroidism that is so common it has its own name-brain fog.)

I tried adding a few more carbs at meals in the form of a piece of fruit or yogurt, sweetened with liquid Splenda. That really solved my fatigue, muscle and sleep problems, but left me with serious cravings that resulted in more weight gain especially when I get stressed, as I have been all summer with a very heavy work schedule. And, unfortunately, once you are hypothyroid, it is very hard to get weight off once you've put it on. I never used to have a problem with low carb and dropping weight, but that isn't the case anymore. So now I'm trying the old Heller approach, which is two very low carb meals and one meal with a time limit that includes more carbs. The jury is still out on that one, because I have to be very careful to eat regularly the other two meals and take my supplements regularly or I feel really wiped out.

The reason I am trying to hang in with the low carb approach while I work out the bugs that my health changes have caused, is that my blood lab results on low carb are consistently excellent, even though I am overweight. My health care professional about fell off her chair when she saw how low my triglyceride levels were. Of course my cholesterol and blood glucose are within normal limits as well. My family has a heavy history of heart disease and diabetes so this is a big deal to me.

Anyway, my point in emailing you on this is to provide my own theory on why some people may really have a hard time with this method of eating. I wish there was more research being done on ways to implement this low carb approach when there are tough health conditions. Meanwhile, I am trying my own solutions put together from 35 years of reading nutrition and alternative health literature. The solution to the brain fog was a huge gain for me. It gives me hope that I can solve the other issues as well.

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Dear Jimmy,

I really want to thank you and Christine sincerely for your inspirational work every week. Since I started a low-carb diet at the end of July this year, I've been listening to your podcast show and I look forward to every entertaining episode. It's good to hear your practical advice and upbeat attitude, and I feel sure God put your show in my ears for encouragement on the low-carb journey He's leading me on.

There are three things in particular that you've helped me with in a big way. Can you hear me yelling "THANK YOU JIMMY" all the way from San Diego?

First, I appreciated all the interviews with bariatric doctors from the convention (with the really long name I can't even try to remember). There was so much helpful information in those that I needed to hear and didn't hear from my doctors.

Second, it gave me so much joy to hear you speak about how your relationship with Jesus helped you in your weight loss success ... in a whole episode! I applaud that so much; you put yourself out there to give the Lord some credit and give that testimony, and you're absolutely right. (He's the only one who could get ME to go on a diet ... ha ha)

Third, your exposure of the Kimkins diet was the voice of truth for myself and 3 friends who had all been on that diet. Thankfully, all of us were modifying it a lot already, but now we're completely off thanks to your vigilance.

Jimmy, I trust you. I'm glad you're out there for us. Please keep up the GREAT work and God bless you and your lovely wife!

LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB E-MAIL BOX

Hi Jimmy,

I've sent you an email before for advice but need extra reassurance about the achy kidney thing. You said that drinking more water will make it go away but O never stick with it long enough to see if it does. I live in England and there is no one to get advise from with regard to low carb diets so when i worry its damaging my kidneys or something i can't get reassurance from someone who knows what there talking about. Can you tell me why that happens? I have read the Atkins book, but it doesn't go in to detail about your kidneys aching it just said it doesn't cause kidney damage. Sorry to be a pain. I will buy your book when I get paid cause it looks interesting.

I answered all of these personally and the hundreds more like them that come to my e-mail box week after week. Don't ever stop sharing with me how livin' la vida low-carb is making an impression on YOUR life! It's always good to hear from you and I thank God for you all the time. Keep the conversation going and NEVER GIVE UP on your desire to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. SEE YA!