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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Top 10 Low-Carb Movers & Shakers Of 2007
It has been an ongoing "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog tradition since I started blogging in 2005 for me to share with my readers the ten most influential members of the low-carb community over the past twelve months. This list is totally subjective and is based on my own personal opinion about the people who have made a difference for the sake of the low-carb lifestyle.
You can see the honorees from both 2005 and 2006 to get a small taste of this rather distinguished group of leaders on behalf of livin' la vida low-carb. It's never easy coming up with a list like this because you don't want to leave anyone off who is worthy of being listed. But you'll have your chance at the end of this post to share other noteworthy names for this list if you feel I have omitted any.
We owe a great deal of gratitude and respect for these people who are sincerely making a real difference both behind-the-scenes and working directly with those who need to hear the positive and uplifting message of the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle. These are the real heroes in the realm of low-carb in my book and I am ecstatic to share them with you today.
So, without further delay, here are my top ten low-carb movers & shakers of 2007:
1. GARY TAUBES
What can you say about a journalist who decided to take the health establishment head-on by challenging their premise that it is fat that makes you fat? When Gary Taubes wrote his now infamous "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" column back in 2002, I don't even think HE knew the kind of impact it would have on our culture at the time. So, naturally, when he released his long-awaited book Good Calories, Bad Calories in September 2007 continuing this same topic of conversation, it should be no surprise that the public interest in low-carb has once again spiked. And the ripple effects from this book alone will be felt for many years, maybe even decades, to come.
2. DR. JEFF VOLEK
I've met Dr. Jeff Volek in person twice and he wouldn't necessarily stand out in a crowd by his physical stature. But the low-carb researcher from The University of Connecticut more than makes up for it with his high-quality studies on the impact of a high-fat, low-carb diet on fitness and health. He's mentoring the low-carb researchers of tomorrow like the great Cassandra Forsythe while working on some excellent studies on the positive role of saturated fat in the diet. He recently co-wrote the book Men's Health TNT Diet and is actively involved in educating the public about exercise and the health benefits of low-carb living.
3. ADAM CAMPBELL
Speaking of the Men's Health TNT Diet, the other co-writer Adam Campbell is the outstanding Features editor for the #1 men's health magazine in America and what an incredible writer he is. He made national waves last November when he wrote a column taking the American Diabetes Association to task for promoting a diet for diabetics that is making them sicker. His solution? Livin' la vida low-carb! Adam also has an excellent blog called "The Fitness Insider" with regular low-carb friendly news and information that you won't want to miss.
4. DR. LARRY MCCLEARY
Earlier this year, I had never heard of Dr. Larry McCleary until he and I were introduced by our mutual friend Dr. Mike Eades. But from the first time I began corresponding with this man who is one of America's leading neurosurgeons, I knew he was someone very special. He released a book about how low-carb diets can improve brain health called The Brain Trust Program (which he was kind enough to ask me to write a blurb for the back of his book) and has been actively promoting livin' la vida low-carb for treating all sorts of brain ailments, including Alzheimer's, migraine headaches, and even brain cancer. Find out more about what Dr. Larry McCleary is up to at DrMcCleary.com.
5. DRS. MICHAEL & MARY DAN EADES
What more can you say about the king and queen of livin' la vida low-carb since the untimely death of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins. Even as all the other so-called leaders of low-carb living went into hiding, Drs. Mike & Mary Dan Eades who wrote the Protein Power books kept right on plugging away and have been for the past several years. That's one reason they are the ONLY three-time honoree on my annual movers & shakers list because they just keep the spirit of the low-carb lifestyle alive with all they do. Be sure to keep up with both Dr. Mike's always witty and sometimes eye-opening comments about the state of nutrition in modern times at his blog as well as the scrumptious recipes and food information with a creative flair Dr. Mary Dan give you at her blog. And don't miss checking out ProteinPower.com for even more about the work of this low-carb royalty.
6. DR. JONNY BOWDEN
How can anyone not like Dr. Jonny Bowden? The man exudes enthusiasm, excitement, and energy and he takes all of that, packs healthy nutritional messages it into a nice, neat package for people to understand, and then delivers a wallop of a punch right between the eyeballs for those who need to learn more about diet and health. Every low-carber should own a copy of his classic book Living The Low-Carb Life as well as his latest release 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth. Jonny has taken a more stealth approach to promoting livin' la vida low-carb and I can respect that because I know he still believes in this lifestyle at his very core. You can still hear those principles being taught in his motivating audio series. Get caught up on the latest from Dr. Jonny Bowden at JonnyBowden.com.
7. MICHAEL K.
Unless you live the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, you may not know who Michael K. is. But for the customers at the Low-Carb Central store there in Hales Corner, Michael was a very special man who helped positively impact the lives of the literally thousands of people who walked inside his store. I was even privileged to conduct a speaking appearance and book signing at Michael's store last year when I got to know this incredible man. It is with great sadness that this honor for Michael is happening posthumously because he went home to be with the Lord a couple of weeks ago. On behalf of all those people who were positively touched by the low-carb ministry of Michael K., I'd like to express sincere sympathy for his wife Marilyn during this difficult time. We are praying for you and love you very much. It was a blessing to have known Michael and shared even a few moments with him on this Earth.
8. JUDY BARNES BAKER
What a delightful woman Judy Barnes Baker is! When she decided to release a low-carb cookbook called CARB WARS earlier this year, I don't think even she realized it would become one of the bestselling low-carb cookbooks of the year. But that's exactly what has happened and I'm so proud of Judy. She too asked me to write a quote for the back of her book and I was happy to oblige. Don't miss her companion web site for her book for more recipes, low-carb information, and background on this super lady. Visit CarbWarsCookbook.com to catch up with all that's happening with this rising superstar in the wonderful world of low-carb.
9. DR. MARY C. VERNON
If ever there was the perfect illustration for passionate in the dictionary, then it would have to be Dr. Mary C. Vernon. As the current president of The American Society of Bariatric Physicians and on the front lines for the controlled-carbohydrate cause, Dr. Vernon has been a leader for those suffering from obesity and diabetes by helping them overcome their physical ailments. That's one of the reasons I nominated her for "Diabetes Educator of the Year" earlier this month because she has proven herself quite worthy. Being around Dr. Vernon is infectious and you can't help but get all excited about livin' la vida low-carb when she speaks about this incredible way of eating. Go to her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog to find out why this back-to-back mover & shaker deserves this distinction.
10. LOW-CARB FRIENDS/ANTI-KIMKINS BLOGGERS
Finally, I couldn't let this list of the year's most influential movers & shakers go by without recognizing and honoring the impact of a collective group of people who helped bring awareness and concern about one of the biggest scams to ever hit the low-carb community. Yes, even I was pulled in by it and later apologized to my readers for not knowing better sooner. But the members of the online forum called Low-Carb Friends did. The "Why the Fascination with Kimmer?" thread is chock full of the day-to-day soap opera that has surrounded what has been known as the Kimkins diet since early in the year. The egregiousness of this starvation/anorexic diet that has since caused some major health problems for the most ardent supporter spawned a whole boatload of anti-Kimkins blogs. The most famous one of them all is Kimkins Exposed by someone or a group of people calling themselves Just Ducky. The duck avatar soon became synonymous with those who didn't want to see the good name of the low-carb lifestyle being drug down with this dangerous diet scheme from a woman named Heidi Kimberly Diaz, a weight loss fraud who never lost a pound and a well-known scam artist. The low-carb community owes Low-Carb Friends and the anti-Kimkins bloggers an appreciative THANKS for all the work they did to expose this before more people got hurt.
So that's my list of the Top 10 Low-Carb Movers & Shakers of 2007. What do you think? Are there any glaring exceptions I left off of my list who should have warranted further consideration for their contribution to the low-carb cause? Feel free to share your comments below and make the case for other honorees.
She may be evil-looking, but this witch is totally low-carb
Halloween is here this week along with all that sugar, sugar, and more sugar (aka "rat poison"). It really disgusts me that we have a national day for children to load up on one of the most damaging things they could possibly put inside their body. But the candy companies love it because their sales projections depend on this deeply-entrench annual tradition that shows no sign of ever going away.
Call me a party pooper, but at some point we need to wake up to reality and realize that our condoning of passing out gobs and gobs of candy on Halloween sends mixed messages to children about health. If all the adults are giving out candy to children, then it can't be that bad, right? WRONG! Those of us who are livin' la vida low-carb should take the lead and refuse to pass out sugary treats. Instead, we can buy small toys or some other non-sugary treat.
We'll keep talking about this problem year after year until people realize it is all that sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and excessive refined carbohydrates behind the childhood obesity and Type II diabetes epidemic we face. Either we figure that out now while we still can or we are forced to come to grips with it when these conditions are expected to overtake ALL our children by the year 2044.
So what can we do? Well, we can at least try to find ways to cut the sugar content of the "treats" we serve for days like Halloween. That's why I'm happy to tell you about a really awesome cake recipe that is shaped like a wicked witch. COOL! Special thanks to SheKnows.com for this outstanding sugar-free/low-carb recipe.
LOW-CARB WICKED WITCH HALLOWEEN CAKE
For the cakes: 4 cups almond flour 2 cups unsalted butter (room temperature) (plus 1 tablespoon for greasing) 6 tablespoons Splenda 10 large eggs 2 generous teaspoons baking powder 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
For the frosting: 2 (8-oz ) packages cream cheese 1/2 cup Splenda (sucralose) 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/4 cup whole milk* Green food coloring (for the face) 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1 tablespoon whole milk* 1 tablespoon Splenda (for the hat) 17 Sugar-free Gummi Worms, plus your choice of any other sugar-free Halloween candy shapes for decoration only.
*Use low-carb milk if desired. This will change the nutritional analysis below.
Servings: 20 Nutritional info per serving: 6.61g carbs 2.53g fiber 9.29g protein 38.39g fat 180.74mg cholesterol 144.46mg sodium 409.92 calories
Click here for the baking directions on this deliciously evil low-carb Halloween dessert.
I am now a contributor to the outstanding diabetes site dLife
I'm pleased to share with you another new writing opportunity I have been given with one of the premier health web sites on the Internet today--dLife. They were impressed by my writing skills and strong blog following and asked me to contribute to their Food and Nutrition section on a monthly basis. It was such an honor to have this opportunity to write about livin' la vida low-carb in an arena that is not necessarily pro-low-carb.
My very first column is now available for you to read: "Research Round-Up: The Case For Low-Carb." I shared about how the new Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories has brought low-carb back to the forefront again and that some very exciting research has come out in support for low-carb living in 2007.
These dLife columns will feature much of the research showing why carbohydrate restriction is healthy and why high-carb, low-fat diets are not. My column for November will take a closer look at the high-carb diet studies showing how this nutritional approach leads to a decline in health. You'll enjoy that one! :)
Be sure to tell everyone about Jimmy Moore's new dLife column!
Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller developed this strange low-carb plan
In Episode 97 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," I decided to take a closer look at one of the more bizarre low-carb diets out there today--The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet by Drs. Richard and Rachael Heller. Although there have been a lot of people who swear by this odd nutritional plan, I have some serious doubts about how it can be healthy and effective for you over the long-term.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear today's podcast:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 97 [14:14m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet certainly sounds like a dieter's dream: eating whatever you want in whatever quantities you want for ONE HOUR a day for supper. In other words, you basically get a "splurge" meal EVERY SINGLE DAY (rather than every 6-8 weeks on my "planned splurge" strategy)! This includes consuming unlimited amounts of sugary desserts, starchy foods, and even fast food if you want it. Throughout the day, you basically eat a no-carb diet with very small amounts of fat and protein leading up to your BIG MEAL at the end of the day.
YIKES! My biggest concern about this diet is you never stop eating the foods you are addicted to. When I started the Atkins diet in January 2004, there were certain foods that I used to love that I could no longer have on a daily basis. Macaroni & cheese, pizza, donuts, sugary sodas, sausage biscuits, Little Debbie snack cakes, McDonald's French fries, and so much more. POOF! Gone forever from my life and four years later I don't miss them one bit!
Four ways to listen on your computer, laptop, iPod, or phone by:
What's your impression of the Hellers and their controversial diet program? Do you think it could work for you? Why or why not? And if you have tried this plan and had great success with it, then let me hear from you with your story. Tell us all about it so we can understand how this alternative low-carb plan might have worked for you. I personally could never see myself eating that way ever again even if it was for only an hour a day. NO THANK YOU!
We're coming up on my 100th podcast episode next Thursday, so stay tuned to find out how YOU can win some really cool prizes on that special day. Also, I have an interview coming up next Monday with my mom talking about her gastric bypass surgery experience that you won't want to miss. And come back on Thursday for another fun and exciting episode of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore"--the top-rated low-carb podcast show on the Internet today. THANKS so much for your support!
Olivia Brown takes advantage of the new video review format at Amazon
You really have to admire the marketing brilliance of a company like Amazon.com. They are true innovators and undeniable leaders in their industry because they never just settle for the amazing success they have been able to achieve. Instead, they keep improving and improving by offering their customers unique features that keep them coming back.
The latest such improvement is the addition of a brand new feature that allows for video reviews of the products on Amazon. Yep, now not only can you WRITE about what you think of your favorite CD, book, electronic device or whatever else you purchase on their site, but you can also TELL everyone by making your own video reviews. It's the new wave of technology in product reviews and I think it adds a personal touch to their web site.
One of the most enthusiastic reviewers on Amazon who has taken this new video review format and run with it is Top 1000 Amazon Reviewer Olivia Brown. What a spunky woman this is and she's a self-described "a voracious reader and consummate blogger." Her blog is Happy Luau and I'm impressed by how elaborate it is because she has a lot to say. In fact, Olivia reads MY blog and has commented here quite a bit lately.
Because of her prestigious position at Amazon as a highly-respected and prolific reviewer, Olivia's opinions carry a lot of weight. So when she started video reviewing beginning a couple of weeks ago when Amazon rolled out this new format, people began taking immediate notice. And when she reviewed what is arguably the most compelling book about diet and health in the last century, I took notice.
Check out Olivia Brown's video review of Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes to see how detailed she gets with her reviews. This woman is absolutely amazing and thorough in her analysis of the books she reads and I was impressed with what she said about the Taubes book. It sounds like that book has genuinely changed her life.
But Olivia didn't stop with Good Calories, Bad Calories for her video reviews. She also did an awesome one for Jonny Bowden's classic book Living The Low-Carb Life which compares the various low-carb plans and gives an overview of each one to help you decide which diet is best for you. I reviewed this book and have spoken very highly of it for anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb. Olivia was inspired by this book to continue her new low-carb lifestyle journey.
Finally, I was pleasantly surprised to see Olivia's video review of my book Livin' La Vida Low-Carb. She was very kind in her remarks about the book I wrote about my low-carb weight loss journey. And she saw EXACTLY what I was attempting to do with my book: help motivate others in their own journey to lose weight and get healthy. THANK YOU Olivia!
Check out more from Olivia Brown as she is adding lots of new reviews--both the "old school" written ones and the hip new video ones, too! GREAT JOB, Olivia! Keep 'em coming!
It has now been one month since the most talked about health book in years was released to the public. But Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes is already penetrating the culture with the low-carb message and having a positive impact on the lives of so many people who have never heard the basic principles of livin' la vida low-carb so brilliantly explained. Sure, people like the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins, Drs. Michael and Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Barry Sears, and many others have been trumpeting these concepts for years, but Taubes has ushered in a new wave of interest that will quite frankly do more for the cause of the controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach than anything else in the years to come.
Regular readers of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog have been able to keep up with all the latest news and information about Gary Taubes and his blockbuster book right here at my blog in my posts here, here, here, and here. There's been plenty more to happen with Good Calories, Bad Calories since I last updated you, so let's share that with you today.
CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER DISCUSSION STARTING ON OCTOBER 29TH
By popular demand at my new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum (which is set to break ONE MILLION pageviews this week after less than three months, by the way!), we have decided to create a chapter-by-chapter discussion of Good Calories, Bad Calories to go through this outstanding book over the next six months. Anyone who wants to participate is invited to chime in with your thoughts about each chapter as they are being discussed. Keep in mind we will only have discussion on one chapter a week and then the thread will be closed to focus on the next chapter. Taubes has agreed to answer any questions that we as a collective group would like more information about, so come join the fun!
ATKINS NUTRITIONALS OFFERS COMMENTS ABOUT TAUBES BOOK
I've asked various key players in the world of diet, health and nutrition to chime in with their thoughts about Good Calories, Bad Calories and today I'd like to share with you the ones from Colette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. Here is her review of the book:
Four years ago, a blockbuster article on the cover of the New York Times Magazine asked the question, "What if it's all been a big fat lie?" The epynonomous "big fat lie" was the belief that "fat" in any form was evil and the root of all disease. Secondarily to that notion was the idea that following a low-fat diet would prevent all manner of illnesses and conditions, from heart disease to obesity. The author, three time winner of the Science In Society Journalism award Gary Taubes, suggested that low-fat diets weren't all they were cracked up to be, and that pioneers- such as DR. Robert Atkins- were onto something when they questioned the wisdom of low-fat.
The concepts presented in that article were so revolutionary that they earned Taubes a much-publicized (and very lucrative) book deal. Now, four years later, the book has arrived. And it was very much worth the wait.
Some critics have already called "Good Calories Bad Calories" the most important nutrition book of the past 50 years. They may be right. In almost 500 pages of closely reasoned, impeccably researched material, Taubes details how the "low-fat" philosophy gained traction in the 60's, largely on the strength of seriously flawed research by Ancel Keys. Keys surveyed 21 countries looking for correlations between diet and heart disease, selected seven that supported his thesis that cholesterol and heart disease were cause and effect, and then tirelessly campaigned for his position to reduce cholesterol by reducing fat. The resulting tale is part sociology, part politics, part medicine, and part detective story, all of it absolutely fascinating.
Taubes painstakingly and carefully explains some basics of research that will make any reader a more knowledgeable and astute consumer of information-- namely the difference between correlation and cause. Correlation is when two things happen together (the rooster crows, the sun come up). But correlation is not cause (the rooster doesn't cause the sun to rise). Yet in much nutritional and dietary research, they are treated as the same thing. High fat diets are indeed often found in societies where heart disease is high. But so is smoking, eating processed foods, low vegetable intake, smog, stress and exposure to chemicals. And-- most important to Taube's brilliantly detailed arguments- so is sugar.
The story of how fat came to be blamed for the ills of western society is more sociology and politics than it is good medicine. Actually, sugar consumption accounts for the "data" just as well- but the sugar hypothesis did not have the same support and political lobby as the "fat hypothesis". Yet sugars- and foods that convert quickly into sugar- are prime culprits for the many diseases that have insulin and insulin resistance at their core. The brilliance of Taube's book is that he explains that those diseases are far more numerous than we might suspect.
Alzheimer's, for example. High levels of insulin actually divert energy from the same pathways that would normally be clearing out the plaques and tangles that are so central to Alzheimer's. Taubes also explains the insulin connection to cancer. And of course to diabetes, obesity and heart disease. A pretty damning indictment, overall, and a pretty compelling case for eating low on the glycemic scale.
We can't help ourselves from feeling somewhat vindicated. Here's a serious book, with serious, detailed, meticulously documented research, that supports what we at Atkins Nutritionals have been saying in one form or another for decades. Fat is not the enemy. But a diet high in sugar, processed carbohydrates, and trans-fats most certainly is. This book deserves a wide audience, probably wider than it will actually get, since it's a long and tough read. But if you take the time to get through it- time which the material richly deserves- you may never think about your diet, and about food, in quite the same way.
And that would be a very good thing indeed.
Colette Heimowitz, M.Sc. VP Nutrition Communication & Education Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.
I am still working on getting many more exclusive reviews from various voices in the world of nutrition and health to share their comments about the Taubes book. Stay tuned!
GARY TAUBES RESPONDS TO GINA KOLATA'S NEGATIVE REVIEW
In my previous update, I shared with you this book review from Taubes' fellow New York Times colleague Gina Kolata where she was not impressed with what was shared in Good Calories, Bad Calories. So Gary Taubes responded this week with a well-reasoned response to Kolata's premise that a "calorie is a calorie is a calorie." In fact, you can even read a snarky follow-up from Kolata herself to Taubes' rebuttal where she ignorantly states about low-carb diets "if they work so well, why are so many people still searching for an effective way to lose weight?" Um, Ms. Kolata, could it be because people like yourself who refuse to look at what Gary Taubes describes as "any reasonable alternative hypotheses" keep feeding the public a steady diet of nutritional insanity (aka the low-fat, low-calorie, portion-controlled diets)? Start PROMOTING livin' la vida low-carb and watch how fast obesity and disease rates PLUMMET!
MISTAKEN FOR TAUBES AGAIN, BUT HAPPY TO RESPOND ANYWAY
Last week I shared an e-mail exchange with a woman who e-mailed me thinking I was Gary Taubes. Even still, I answered the e-mail and shared about my low-carb experiences with her. Well, it happened again this week with another woman who had a few things to say to Gary Taubes after hearing him on "The Lionel Show" on the liberal talk radio network Air America. Here's the e-mail I received:
Dear Mr. Taubes,
I heard you speaking the other night on the Lionel Show regarding your high fat low carbohydrate diet philosophy, and, although I respect your opinion, my own life's experience with losing weight, along with my mother's and my son's seem to seriously challenge some of your theories.
Number one, at the age of 22, I lost 25 lbs. on a self-prescribed diet of fried chicken, English muffins, saturated in butter, candy bars and a minimal amount of greens. Since that time. In the 27 years since, my diet has consisted of not necessarily the same foods, but the same category of foods, especially in the candy department, and I have not gained a single pound. I have since gained five pounds, deliberately, because people kept telling me I was too thin.
The same is true for my mother, who put herself on a "donut diet" which included two large buttermilk donuts at around 11:00 a.m. and a dinner of steak, salad, bread and potatoes around 6:00 p.m. She too, lost 25 lbs. and for the remainder of her life, never gained it back. And, as for my son, at the age of 15, he was 5'8" and weighed 228 lbs. By the time of he graduated from high school at the age of 18, he weighed 135, and again on a high carbohydrate diet of his own creation. He is now 28 yrs. old and has since maintained his weight.
Though you might think I am stretching the truth, I have found it interesting that, despite the fact that at no time in my life has the success rate of dieters exceeded 3%, nor has the rate of recidivism fallen below 97%, that three people in the same family (genetics anyone?) were able to defy the odds via diets of their own creation consisting primarily of high carbohydrates, and high fat food. It is also true, that the three of us are the only ones among an entire extended family of over 50 people who wound up maintaining a normal weight through the course of their lives, a feat accomplished by eating according to the philosophy that there is no such thing as "forbidden" foods," but there are "forbidden portions."
I have, on numerous occasions experienced the envy of many overweight people watching me scarf up dessert and wondering out loud, "how the hell can she eat that stuff and remain so thin? If I even looked at such and such, I would gain 10 lbs." Many times I would want to reply, "if you ate the same amount I did you would stand a better chance of defying gravity, then of gaining 10 lbs." I have also learned through experience, that due to the uniqueness of everyone's biological make-up, that although, your theories might work for some, there is no such thing as a "one size fits all" food plan. Thank you for your time.
Well, I guess she told Gary Taubes, didn't she?! HA! Sounds like this lady should be writing her own diet plan called Good Carbs, Even Gooder Carbs if it works so well. Nevertheless, although I am not Taubes, I was happy to respond:
THANKS for writing to me, but I'm not Gary Taubes. My name is Jimmy Moore and I am the author of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. I lost nearly 200 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004 and have been able to maintain that weight loss by consuming a diet that closely resembles what Gary Taubes wrote about in his book GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES.
I'm sure Taubes will agree with me that people should find the plan that will work for them not just for improving their weight, but also their health--something his research into carbohydrate restriction piqued his curiosity to a point that he just had to go find the data to prove it. And that's what he did in his book.
Let me just say how very proud I am of you and your family for implementing the necessary changes in your lifestyle to lose weight and get healthy. If we could just get more Americans to care about themselves enough to eat more healthy whole foods rather than the high-carb processed junk and fast foods that dominate our society, then obesity and the related diseases would cease to exist.
Limiting carbohydrates is not so much about simply managing your weight as has been so easily bantered about since Dr. Atkins, but it is also about controlling blood sugar levels, insulin spikes, and other health markers that lead to such ailments as insulin resistance, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, Alzheimer's and even cancer. Carbohydrates feed every single one of these diseases and the data backs up those claims. Read GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES to see for yourself.
The fact that you can eat so many carbs and not have it impact your weight in a negative way means you are one of the fortunate few who can tolerate carbohydrates. When I weighed 410 pounds about four years ago, it was obvious I was highly addicted to sugar/carbs. Not until I restricted those carbs to an average of about 30-40 per day was I able to manage my weight and health. Today, i STILL eat less than 50g carbohydrate and happily so. I've never been this healthy in my entire life.
Absolutely, we are all different and there is no "one size fits all" dietary approach. That's something Dr. Atkins often talked about and I'm confident Gary Taubes believes it as well. But that wasn't the purpose of his book. This isn't a diet book and Taubes is not pretending to be a diet guru of any sort. He is simply challenging the conventional wisdom of the nutritional dogma that has dominated our culture for decades--namely that fat makes you fat and that carbohydrates are a necessary part of the human diet. His conclusion based on five years of meticulous research says both of those statements are probably inaccurate.
THANK YOU again for writing and I appreciate hearing from you! CONGRATULATIONS on your success and I urge you to keep living a happy and healthy life! God bless you!
Unlike the reader last week, I never heard back from this one. I guess my answer satisfied her. Or she went back to eating her donuts, potatoes, and candy bars again. Anyone else wanna write to me this week thinking I'm Gary Taubes? You WILL hear back from me whether you like it or not. :)
LA TIMES CONDUCTS THE BEST INTERVIEW OF GARY TAUBES I'VE SEEN
Gary Taubes has been an interviewing machine since his book launched late last month and this time he appears in the Los Angeles Times. This was by far the VERY BEST interview I have seen about the concepts shared in Good Calories, Bad Calories. The interviewer Andreas von Bubnoff was extremely fair and in-depth with the interview questions and you could tell this person actually read the book (unlike those clowns Joy Behar, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Jillian Michaels who were on "Larry King Live" with Gary Taubes recently). Kudos to the LA Times for getting it right with this and doing Gary Taubes and his book justice! However, from the looks of the letters to the editor in response to this interview the readers aren't so happy about it!
A QUICK LOOK AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE ABOUT TAUBES' BOOK
WOR RADIO INTERVIEW WITH GARY TAUBES BY DR. RONALD HOFFMAN
Wanna know why Gary Taubes got so interested in this subject of a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet? You REALLY need to listen to this interview he did with Dr. Ronald Hoffman from WOR Radio and you'll see why he decided to pursue it. Actually, he was working on another story about salt intake when this one kinda fell in his lap regarding the role of fat and carbs in obesity and health. LISTEN NOW to that interview and ENJOY!
AFTERSHOCKS FROM LARRY KING APPEARANCE STILL BEING FELT
Ever since Gary Taubes appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" a couple of weeks ago, the buzz around what was said by the other guests on the show has been the topic of disgust and anger from low-carbers who thought they ganged up on the Good Calories, Bad Calories author without ever reading the book. The very best part of the interview was when Dr. Andrew Weil basically endorsed the Taubes book. But it was the rest of the interview that got under the skin of some of my readers.
Here is one comment:
Jimmy,
I would love to have you respond to Jillian Michaels from the Biggest Loser where she dares Gary Taubes to present anyone who has lost 100 pounds using low carb. She was actually saying that her way was the only way. She was vicious!
I know that you saw the original telecast on CNN. I missed it when it aired but saw the video. Didn't it infuriate you?
In a way, yes it did. But what do you expect from a show like this? It would have been nice to have a low-carb weight loss success story sitting there with Gary Taubes, but it doesn't work that way unfortunately. I'm thinking of going back through the entire Larry King Live show and pull out the idiotic comments and respond to them. That may take some time...something I don't have a lot of right now. But I'd love to share my triple-digit weight loss success via livin' la vida low-carb.
One other e-mailer analyzed this CNN broadcast superbly:
I saw the Larry King thing, and was amazed at how irrelevant everything was that Dr. Oz brought up. It was very, very obvious that he made no effort to read any portion of the book, yet feels qualified to critique the conclusions!
One of the main things a reader takes away from Taubes' book, is that, even before he draws any conclusions, he exposes the reaaaaaaaallllly bad science of so many involved in metabolism research. Oz has no idea of this exposure, so every time he cites some clinical work, he doesn't know that Taubes has probably already exposed it as flawed. The meticulousness of Taubes' work is irrefutable, and Dr. Weil makes one of the best summaries of Taubes work, the LKL segment is worth it for that alone.
I saw the bit by the FoodDude and it was great! It addressed nearly every point of Oz's irrelevant issues. What both the FoodDude and Oz don't seem to get, along with so many others involved in food and metabolism work, is that there IS a certain percentage of people that do better with more plant food. The Drs. Eades bring this up in their first book--25-35% of the world population do better with less meat, more plant food. It strikes me that Oz may be one of these people, and as passionate as he is about improving the health of his fellow Americans, he may not be the guy to give advice to 75% of the population.
EXCELLENT! Incidentally, the FoodDudeTV guy on YouTube has since mysteriously removed his video "Calling Out Dr. Oz" suddenly over the weekend. I was planning on posting it here for you to watch, but it's now gone. I've contacted him directly to find out why he took it off of YouTube. We'll let you know!
CBC-TV IN CANADA FEATURES GARY TAUBES TALKING ABOUT EXERCISE
Although it is the diet aspect of Good Calories, Bad Calories that most people are paying attention to regarding his comments on sugar, refined carbohydrates, and fat and their role in obesity and disease, Taubes is also catching flack for his comments about the inadequacy of exercise for the sake of weight loss. CBC-TV in Canada featured this video story about his premise. It's funny how people misunderstand what Taubes is stating in his book because he's not anti-exercise or anti-fitness. His point is there may be benefits to exercise, but becoming lean is not one of them.
OC REGISTER READER REQUESTS COMMENTS FROM DR. DEAN ORNISH
A letter to the editor of the OC Register asks them to get low-fat diet guru Dr. Dean Ornish to "write a reply to this outlandish column and set the record straight" regarding a positive review of Good Calories, Bad Calories. Interestingly, I have been trying to get Dr. Ornish to provide me with his commentary about the new Gary Taubes book and his response to me was, "What do you think about it?" Um, I asked you first, so why not share what you think of it with all of us? You told me in my interview with you last year that if someone can present the evidence that shows why fat consumption doesn't make you fat and unhealthy, then you'd be happy to look at it. Well, here it is, Dr. Ornish! How about reading the book and rebutting anything that is wrong with it? Otherwise, your silence must mean you totally agree with everything Taubes presented in the book. THANKS for your ringing endorsement.
BRANDWEEK COLUMNIST SUGGESTS LOW-CARB FOOD COMPANIES USE GOOD CALORIES, BAD CALORIES TO MARKET THEIR PRODUCTS
Whether Gary Taubes ever meant for his book to be used in the marketing efforts of companies that make low-carb foods like beef, pork and eggs or not, that's exactly what is proposed in this BrandWeek column. Since the focus of this magazine is about marketing products, it was interesting for them to see Good Calories, Bad Calories as a catalyst for pushing high-fat, low-carb as healthy to combat the high-carb, low-fat diet trend. Fascinating! The entire article is well worth reading for those of us who are livin' la vida low-carb. Could the pendulum be swinging back to a low-carb marketing trend? Hmmmmm...
TONY MIKSANEK POSITIVELY REVIEWS TAUBES BOOK FOR CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
It looks like Gina Kolata is just about the only major reviewer who has a problem with Good Calories, Bad Calories because most others have been highly supportive at least of the research and the call for a second look at the "fat makes you fat" theory for obesity and disease. this Chicago Sun-Times review by Dr. Tony Miksanek does exactly that and he summarizes the book best at the end of his review:
"The problem of obesity is getting bigger. Already one out of every three Americans is obese, and over a billion adults in the world are overweight. Whether you agree with the Taubes' analysis and conclusions on what kind of diet best promotes longevity and health or not, Good Calories, Bad Calories offers plenty of food for thought."
And that's all Gary Taubes wants people, especially those in the medical community to do--take a second look at the conventional wisdom on diet and health to determine whether it is accurate or not. Dr. Miksanek gets it!
That's all the news I have for you about Gary Taubes and his book Good Calories, Bad Calories this week, but I'll keep my eyes open for even more as it happens. Feel free to pass along anything you find about it by e-mailing me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
10-29-07 UPDATE: I was taken to task today by one of my readers who didn't like the way I described Oprah Winfrey's diet guru Dr. Mehmet Oz in this post:
Dear Mr. Moore,
I view your blog every day and I think it is the most comprehensive site for up to date information about Low Carb living. I was disappointed that you referred to Dr. Oz as a clown, ("unlike those clowns Joy Behar, Dr. Mehmet Oz, and Jillian Michaels who were on 'Larry King Live' with Gary Taubes recently").
I respect Dr. Oz even if I do not agree with him on many of his beliefs. I do believe he cares about his fellow man. He did not treat Gary Taubes with disrespect and if ever he came to change his opinions, he would be an invaluable help to those fighting obesity.
I think comments like this are not worthy of someone who also cares so much for others and is doing so much to improve their health.
I provided my own response to her concerns, but what say you? Was I inaccurate in my description of Dr. Oz who clearly did not read the book prior to the "Larry King Live" appearance? Or was my comment completely justified considering the way Tabues was treated by Dr. Oz on the program?
Regardless of your choice of diet, you need to be taking supplements
One of the most common questions I receive from people inquiring about my low-carb lifestyle is regarding vitamin supplements. They want to know specifically what I take and why I take them. I've briefly blogged about this before, but this was such an interesting topic that I decided to dedicate Episode 10 of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" to go over the ones that Christine and I currently take.
Some people erroneously think that they can get all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need by simply eating the right kinds of foods in their diet. Unfortunately, that is next to impossible to do which necessitates the need for supplementation. There are arguments both for and against taking vitamins, but I personally feel better and healthier over these past four years since I added DAILY supplementation to my lifestyle. Nobody will ever convince me otherwise.
See EXACTLY what I am taking in our latest YouTube video:
We'd love to have your feedback about Episode 10 at YouTube, including any supplements that you take that I did not mention. Plus, your comment will make you eligible to win another very special surprise prize that will be announced in our next episode. Click here to leave your comment and GOOD LUCK in the contest.
Special CONGRATULATIONS to one of my LowCarbDiscussion.com forum readers ChrisTina (aka Mrs. A), whose screen name at YouTube is xf89, for being the winner of our previous surprise giveaway contest from Episode 9. She won certificates for 10 FREE Atkins Nutritionals bars just for leaving a comment and for being fortunate enough to be chosen in our drawing. YOU could be the next winner, so be sure to leave a comment at Episode 10 TODAY! :)
Get caught up on our YouTube videos real fast by clicking on the following links:
- Promo video--A half-minute promotion of the new video series - Episode 1--Introduction of Jimmy & Christine Moore - Episode 2--What kind of fruits can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 3--What kind of veggies can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 4--What does a low-carber do for something sweet? - Episode 5--Why is fat so healthy for you on the low-carb lifestyle? - Episode 6--Which restaurants can you go to on the low-carb lifestyle? - Episode 7--What are the best new low-carb books you need to read? - Episode 8--Why should you be eating a lot more eggs? - Episode 9--If you're gonna do Atkins, do it by the book
We are continuing to grow in the number of subscribers to our YouTube videos, so keep sharing and telling others about them. We value your input about how to make the videos even better, so don't hesitate to let us know your thoughts at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Your constructive criticism and suggestions for future topics for me and Christine to talk about are greatly appreciated. THANKS as always for your faithful support for the work we are doing to educate, encourage, and inspire others who are livin' la vida low-carb through these videos.
Sharing About My Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Change At Liberty Curves
Liberty, SC Curves owner Gena Gibson invited me to speak to her ladies
One of my favorite things to do ever since I lost over 180 pounds three years ago on the Atkins diet is go around to various venues talking about my low-carb weight loss success. I enjoy blogging, podcasting, and YouTubing my experiences on this amazing lifestyle change gift I have been given. But there's just something about standing in front of a group of people to intimately and passionately share what has happened to you.
Earlier today I had an opportunity to do just that in a town called Liberty, South Carolina at the local Curves there. If you have never heard of Curves, it is an international fitness phenomenon designed for the busy woman who wants to lose weight and get healthy. I have nothing but admiration for what this company is doing to help members of the female population feel comfortable working out and doing something about their health. My only regret is that they don't have a Curves for men (and don't tell me that's what Gold's Gym is for--EEEEEK!).
The ladies who were in attendance today were quite attentive and enthusiastic with their questions about my weight loss success. The overall theme I shared with them was about how livin' la vida low-carb or whatever their chosen diet plan is not about having some great willpower to shed the pounds. If we had such great willpower, then how in the world did we get fat to begin with? Instead, as I have blogged about previously, this lifestyle change is more about having a steadfast resolve to make better and smarter choices for your health first and foremost and the weight loss will come as a side effect of that. I kept coming back to this theme time and time again.
Although there were only about a dozen people there on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon, the insightful questions they posed to me kept me quite busy. Everything from the loose skin issue to eating out at restaurants as well as why some fruits and vegetables may not be healthy all the way to the role of exercise in my weight loss was brought up. We were having so much fun that the first time I looked up at the clock, over 1 1/2 hours had passed by!
I sincerely appreciate everyone who came out to meet me and listen to my opinions about diet, health and weight loss at the Curves in Liberty, SC today. It was such a pleasure meeting you and hopefully I was able to help educate, encourage, and inspire you in your own journey to better health. Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you have any specific questions or comments about this way of eating. I'm by no means an expert, but I have been living this way for close to four years and will happily share from my experiences.
Since we were moving quite fast with all the outstanding questions that were being asked, you might have missed the names and authors of some of those books I mentioned. Here is a recap of the ones I talked about:
There were many other books I could have recommended, but this is a good list of ones to begin with. Keep reading my blog to see even more! :)
Finally, here are a few blog posts to follow-up on some of the key points during my presentation if you are interested in even more information. Check these out:
We talked about so much, so please feel free to write to me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you have any questions for me. I'm always happy to help! THANK YOU again to Gena Gibson for providing such a warm welcome for me and Christine during our visit to the Curves in Liberty, SC today. It was a load of fun and we look forward to coming back again in 2008!
Would you be interested in having me come speak to your group and make a public appearance in your area? If so, then please contact my publicity agent Christina Jeffrey from The Palladian Group at 864-596-7501 or e-mail her at Christina@ThePalladianGroup.com to inquire about more details. She'd be happy to mail out an informational package about me and set up everything with you about scheduling my appearance. I look forward to seeing you to talk about the incredibly healthy low-carb lifestyle in the near future. Book your date now before it fills up fast in 2008. :D
You know what they say about a picture being worth a thousand words. Well, I came across a couple of pictures that speak volumes about what livin' la vida low-carb is all about. The common argument people, including educated ones, use against low-carb plans like the Atkins diet is that it relies too much on meat consumption.
In fact, you'll recall noted health expert Dr. Andrew Weil appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" last week to talk about the new Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories and his primary criticism of the low-carb lifestyle was the description of it as a diet that is "mostly meat and no carbohydrate." Dr. Weil, you should know better than that! You know good and well that neither the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins or any of the other low-carb diet authors ever call for what you have described.
So, to dispel the myth that the Atkins low-carb diet is just meat, meat, and more meat, here are those pictures I promised.
This first one is a rather creative photograph that Dr. Atkins had made with his smiling face posing with all the wonderfully delicious foods you can eat on the Atkins diet. Hmmmm, what do you see more of in that picture than anything else? Is it meat? Nope! It's veggies, baby, and that's just the way Dr. Atkins liked it:
The second image I have to share with you is a food pyramid for people who are livin' la vida low-carb. No, this is not the USDA-indoctrinated Food Pyramid that tells you to eat carbs, carbs, and more carbs with very little fat. Instead, you'll notice the foods on the lower end of the pyramid are non-starchy, green leafy vegetables and delicious selections of fish, beef, and poultry. Above that is low-glycemic fruits and cheese followed in very small quantities by beans and whole grains as well as teeny tiny amounts of sugar at the very top. It's quite illustrative of this way of eating:
Finally, I'd like to show you a picture of the food my wife Christine and I chose to eat on a recent trip to one of our favorite restaurants--Denny's. You'll notice my plate on the left has delicious portions of meat with their outstanding mixed vegetables side dish. I also had a side salad not shown in the photo. But look what my lovely darling, who recently hit her goal weight of 122 on the Atkins diet, decided to have for her meal. A fried chicken sandwich with seasoned fries! Say it ain't so! Here's the proof:
Christine was right in the middle of saying "Oh no you didn't" as I was taking her picture stuffing her face with this high-carb food bonanza! LOL! Yes, she can get away with eat more carbohydrates than I can and she likes to rub it in my face sometimes. She probably lost another pound after eating that meal, too. Makes you sick, doesn't it?
So the next time somebody tells you that livin' la vida low-carb means you eat a no carb diet, remind them that the Atkins diet is so much more than meat. And now you have the visual proof to show them, too. :)
Days Away From LAP-BAND Surgery, Woman Decides To 'Stick To The Low Carb Way'
My three-pronged mission here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog is to educate, encourage, and inspire others as they venture down this journey to weight loss and better health. It is the heartbeat of everything I do here on a daily basis and I am gratified to know that real lives are being changed for the better because of it.
But today I have a very special e-mail from one of my readers that greatly inspired ME and I couldn't wait to share it with you. I'll warn you, the e-mail is quite long and detailed. But the end result should make anyone and everyone who is livin' la vida low-carb feel very proud of their chosen dietary lifestyle change.
Prepare to reignite the passion that fuels your low-carb lifestyle!
Hi Jimmy,
Here's my story and when you read it I know you will understand why I love your website. Congrats on the weight loss - I know I can do it too and reading your website encourages me.
I too had asthma from 6 months old until I was 28. My mom thought I looked unhealthy because I was skinny at 8 so the doctor gave her liquid vitamins with something in it to cause me to eat. Boy did I because I was a plump little gal and went through a real ugly stage. In 4th, 5th and 6th grades I was called names like Godzilla from boys. It made me feel terrible. I had a mom who was a constant dieter with weight watchers and every week I watched her start a diet on Monday only to break it by Friday with the talk of promising to start back on Monday to stick with it again. Week end and week out she was a consistent diet breaker. HMMMM...wonder where I learned this??
At the end of 6th grade they took me to an asthma specialist who ran tests. He then took me off all dairy products - no more chocolate milk, ice cream every night or cheese on everything. Over that summer I lost 30 lbs which is a lot for a 12 year old. I started junior high as a new person and people didn't recognize me. My height stopped growing and every person out grew me so I was no longer the tallest, largest Godzilla that I was called. I kept this weight off until I was 20 and was pregnant. Even after that I was only 20 lbs overweight and I eventually lost that down to 117 - my high school weight.
Then at age 28 I was prayed for healing of asthma at church and went off all my asthma meds - cold turkey!! The first week was the toughest but I kept praying and kept getting better. The asthma meds had always given me a fast heartbeat. Within the first year I gained about 30 lbs. The next year another 30 lbs. - it was like my metabolism was totally messed up and I couldn't stick to any kind of diet. It didn't help that I had a crummy marriage and was stressed out all the time. I started a business, became successful at time and owned it for 9 years. I got divorced in 1991. I had lost 50 lbs right before the divorce but then slowly gained it back over the next 2 years. It seemed like I could never get past this threshold of weight.
I bought Dr. Atkins book back in 1995 (heard it was revolutionary) but couldn't follow it because I had gone to a weight loss doctor and loss 50 lbs doing low-fat. With low carb I couldn't imagine a life without bread or pasta, smart ones or lean cuisine!! I closed my business in 1996 due to burn out. Then I loss the same 50 lbs 5 years later (in 1997) after a job related injury that changed my life. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel, Thoracic outlet pain syndrome and Fibromyalgia. What this meant was constant chronic pain. I have been on disability ever since. In 1998 I got married to an wonderful man (moved from Dallas to Sacramento and yes we met on the internet) but he weighed 365+ which didn't help me stick to losing my last 35 lbs to reach goal. Unfortunately I packed it back on rather quickly and ballooned to 302 at my max.
Then in 2003 I discovered Atkins low carb from some friends and with the Internet's help I stuck to it. I did great and lost about 35 lbs. Then we went on a road trip vacation the low carbs flew out the window. So I have yo-yo'd from low carb to all carb ever since losing the same 35 lbs over and over again. I would have support from my husband and he would be the first to bail ship. It seemed like this man with a strong will power had none when it came to healthy eating. I became convinced that I couldn't do it alone although in my 20's to late 20's I weighed less than 135 and with every weight loss no one could rival my will power.
Since I am on Medicare (since I was 45) I read where they approved gastric bypass but I just didn't want my stomach detached. Granted I did want to get rid of the weight but when I found out about low carb and removed the sugar and carbs from my diet I found I had no hypoglycemia attacks and my energy level increased a great deal. Get off the low carb way I seem to fall into what I call a "death spiral abyss of no return" unable to get back on low carb for months ultimately gaining the weight back.
The first 4 months of 2007 started off bad - From Nov to March 1st I had two severe bladder infections, one resulting in a kidney infection. Then I had to have 3 molars surgically removed because of decay from Vicodin and other pain meds over the years. The pain from the dental work lasted 4 weeks. Then I got bronchitis that turned into pneumonia which took 6 weeks to completely get well. By this time I was sick of being sick - having every incident put me in bed with exhaustion translated from the Fibro. So I decided to check out lap band surgery and found that Medicare covered it. Knowing I didn't have the money for the co-pay and also knowing that I could qualify for Medi-Cal I decided to plan out my journey to weight loss heaven.
My plan was perfectly planned. I was approved with Medi-Cal and found a PCP. Before I went to the doctor I checked out the Medicare website for approved lap band physicians. I called every one of them. I chose a hospital bariatric clinic that I know is a great one. They told me their process to get an appointment. So with the referral I got a packet to fill out and mailed it back the next day. One requirement for the first time appointment was to have a chest x-ray and EKG from my primary. I also learned that they require 10% weight loss prior to surgery. So I went back to my PCP, had the tests done and was referred to another doctor for a weight loss management class. I went to the bariatric orientation and started the class about the same time. By the time I had my first appointment with the lap band doctor I had lost 18 lbs in just two weeks - ALL ON LOW CARB. So they counted this loss towards my 10%. I started out at 298. The doctor put my surgery date at March 10th for lap band.
When we attended the gastric bypass orientation night a plastic surgeon showed a scary slideshow of massive weight loss resulting in hanging skin. They said it didn't matter whether you exercise or not, you would have skin like that. He said insurance will only cover two of the surgeries. The gastric bypass doctor presented the surgery pro's and con's. After much thought for 2-3 days I came to a decision. I was also starting the weight management class. I didn't like some of the things I heard with the surgery but I am serious of getting the weight off. So I proposed to my husband that I will start a lifestyle change with low carb AGAIN using this class for accountability for a least 4 classes (then I was on my own). If I could go through all the holidays - Thanksgiving through January 1st sticking to low carb, exercising and LOSING weight - come January I think I will NOT have surgery. I set a weight loss goal of 60 lbs by March 1st. Now I needed a back-up plan. So I said I would go through the entire process at the lap band clinic - meaning appt.,classes, reviews, tests, etc. leading up to the surgery date. I am so serious about this time being the last time that I will go through with surgery if that is what it takes to get the weight off.
So I went through all the weight management classes and I started walking and then going to 24 hour fitness. It was slow at the beginning. It's been 7 weeks and I have lost 28 lbs. Likewise the doctor said I needed very few tests because I was so efficient with my preparation of test prior to my first visit. So I went through with the EGD and colonoscopy (yikes!) but sooner or later they would make me do that. It came out excellent and I knew it was a matter of time that the clinic would want to move the surgery date up. If they did, I knew for sure that I was completely covered with the insurance. It was cost me nothing out of pocket. Post weight loss I could probably get approval for the skin removal as well.
Then I signed up on the Yahoo groups lap band for my area and lapbandtalk.com and have been reading post after post of problems each person has and how they are learning to live with their lap band even 3 years post-surgery. Almost every person has this vomit type reflux and acid reflux - hate it! I would rather be sick than vomit! I heard of lap band's slipping from several people and they had to re-do the surgery. All this is the northern California area. I really didn't hear a lot of positive - only problems.
So after weeks of this I posted a questionairre survey for the lap banders. I got about 10 responses to all my questions. Then I shared that I was on the fence about having surgery. I was doing so well with low carb - 28lbs and increasing my exercising stamina was great. My 60 lb goal should be reached by January 1st which is only 4 months from the start. I searched for hours to find out weight loss results on the lap band surgery and the average for the one year mark was 50 lbs and the greatest weight loss in 6 months was 70 lbs with some weight gain the following 6 months. I keep remembering - surgery is only a tool - you will only lose if you exercise and change your eating habits. Duh! If I have to go through all that changing of habits anyway - why have the surgery?
Then on Thursday of this week the call came that I knew would come. The lap band clinic called to say they wanted to move my surgery date up. My tests were all in. I hadn't even had my appointment with the dietician but they were willing to look beyond that and move the surgery date up to November 8th. Pre-op would be Oct 31st and my dietician's appointment would be Nov. 2nd. WOW! Of course, when I hesitated to the office she told me they don't know how much longer he will be doing the lap band's and he may just decided to not do them anymore so I better get in while I can. Plus I would be well by Thanksgiving and losing weight through the holidays. Boy, the pressure was on. They did "pencil" me in for surgery and I don't know what I just didn't say no. So after talking it over with my husband, who by the way has lost 27 lbs!!!! - we decided to stick to the low carb way and wait to schedule the surgery after January 1st and then maybe not at all.
So here I am - I am fresh, energetic and will be reading all I can get my hands on. I don't have money to buy the books or CD's or cookbooks but I do have 3 low carb books and I have the internet. My true plan is that this time will be different and permanent. Each and every day I commit to God and myself to make the most of each day, to eat healthy and low carb and exercise in some way. My goal each week is to push my exercise to another level. With Fibro I had to start off slow and gradual - that's still the case but I can push it a little faster now.
Thanks for reading my book of a story. If your website and YOUR story had not inspired me you would have never heard from me. I will somehow make it through your entire site absorbing everything and enjoying the journey.
I'm just speechless. This is too incredible to put into words. Let's just say it makes me happy and proud to do what I do. I sent this dear reader a FREE copy of my book for putting a smile on my face with her story. Utterly amazing!
Does 'Erratic' Weight Management Negate Previous Triple-Digit Success?
My weight decline: 410 in 2004, 230 in 2005, and 229 in 2007
When you put yourself out there front and center as a pretty major low-carb weight loss success story, the reaction that people give you about your progress is as varied as there are people in the world. Most people applaud your accomplishments and stand in awe of your continued success. Others doubt you can keep the weight off and stay healthy over the long-term.
But sometimes you receive a "different" kind of response. Before I get into what someone had to say about my weight loss progress over the past four years, I received a related e-mail from a reader who is a bit disappointed about her own low-carb journey that is rather illustrative of what can happen on any diet program when you fail to make it a permanent lifestyle change. This will become relevant to the topic of this blog post as you will see in just a moment.
Here's is that e-mail from my concerned reader:
Hi Jimmy!
Today I'm writing because I find myself in a situation I'm pretty unhappy about and could use some advice. Quick background: I quit smoking about 10 years ago after losing Mom to cancer. At that time, I weighed about 150-155 (I'm 6 ft tall). Instead, I just let myself eat whatever I wanted, and over the next 5 years or so gained a LOT of weight, ending up over 210 lbs and feeling really crappy about it. About 3 years ago, my sister got tired of my whining and convinced me to try Atkins, and I figured why not. The result was that I lost about 60 lbs and got down to the 150s area, wearing size 12 like I had been 10 years earlier. Woohoo!
Okay, so over the past year, I fell prey somewhat to carb-creep, allowing occasional slices of whole wheat/low-carb bread back into my diet, occasionally even splurging on a local restaurant's breaded/fried mozz stixs. However, when I realized my weight was climbing as a result back in June, I cut back again and upped my exercise. That should have worked.
But it hasn't.
Instead, my belt keeps feeling tighter and tighter every day and I'm just thoroughly miserable. My friend who hung with me through the original weight loss months is one of those lucky ones who can eat an entire pan of sweet rolls with no obvious weight ramifications (I used to be like that in my 20s - not anymore!), so she's sympathetic, but she really doesn't understand how upset I am over a few pounds. Her reply is to just undo my top pants button or go elastic. Don't wanna do that again! Don't wanna be fat again!
So I'm trying to figure out what's going on. Is this just my body's way of saying "Sorry, you're 48 now and the pounds are going to settle around your waist no matter what you eat or how much you exercise?" Or am I eating more carbs than I think I am?
A rundown of recent days meals:
I'm one of those can't-eat-breakfast types. It makes me sick and always has. So I have a cup of coffee with cream first thing, then I take 4 1-oz low-fat mozzarella sticks with me to work, eat 2 at about 9am and 2 more at 10:30am.
Lunch: big "baby lettuces" salad with a can or pouch of drained tuna, a handful of shredded cheddar, 4 grape tomatoes and 3 T ranch dressing (2g carbs per 2T)
Snack: a handful of roasted almonds or 2-3 T of I.M. Healthy soy nut butter (1g carbs per 2T)
Dinner: grilled chicken breast or grilled pork tenderloin or hamburger w/cheese, side of steamed broccoli w/butter or sauteed zucchini or blanched/sauteed rappini (always using olive oil for the sautee). Usually with the cheeseburger, I put it on half a low-carb tortilla (so 2.5 g carbs there) and grill a quarter of a vidallia onion and a few crimini mushrooms to go with plus a few more grape tomatoes.
Sometimes before bed I have 2 squares of ChocoPerfection dark chocolate (more than that makes me positively zeppelin-gaseous from the fiber :) ).
My beverage choices for the day are the cup of coffee with cream, decaf Diet Coke, Lipton's diet White Tea w/Raspberry (0 cal/0 carb), or water. I also always mix 2T of Fibersure into my drink with dinner each night.
I've increased my exercise to walking to and from work every day (4-5 blocks), jumping jacks and other like exercises in the backyard while I toss the Frisbee for my dog every afternoon, crunches and similar exercises in the evening while watching TV, etc. I don't go to a gym so I fit it all in where/when I can, take the stairs at work each day, always park far from a store and walk, etc.
I honestly thought once I lost all that weight a few years ago that if I just continued to never again eat all the things I had stuffed my face with for years -- donuts, Cadbury chocolate bars, sweet rolls, potatoes, pasta, cookies, etc. -- that I'd basically be okay. Now I'm finding that even low carb w/moderate exercise isn't enough to keep the weight at bay, and I'm truly depressed about the whole situation.
Any ideas? I vowed once that I'd never start buying larger sizes of clothes again, but now I'm faced with that scenario as I sit here being almost bisected by the waistband of my size 12 pants :)
It isn't pretty and I'm discouraged (can you tell?). As my husband says almost every day (he's 55), getting old sucks. I do, however, love the side benefits of eating low-carb overall -- the acid reflux is completely gone, my blood work is stellar, etc. I will definitely keep eating this way, I'm just feeling a little let down by it right now, I guess.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts you might have!
Pretty grim, huh? And frankly it's not all that uncommon either. Weight loss stalls and even weight gains can happen eventually even when you're doing everything right. After all, weight gain is the latest dieting craze over the past few years! We are all different and have varying levels of tolerance for carbohydrate. It is possible like this reader to allow that extra bread and splurge to make an impact on your weight and it happens to the best of us.
That's why I tell people livin' la vida low-carb is always a work in progress and you never fully arrive. When you think you have, then you are setting yourself up for disaster. People think the fact I have maintained my weight since 2004 means I don't struggle anymore, but nothing could be further from the truth. But the difference is I know how to respond when difficulty comes.
I shared with my reader that she might want to try adding more fat to her diet and pay very close attention to the kinds of carbs she is consuming, including that soy nut butter (EWWWW!), as well as any hidden carbs. It could be her carb counts are perfect, but she's not eating enough fat. She wrote me back and said she will begin adding more fat in the form of butter, full-fat cheese, nuts, cream and other sources. Fat is good for you as long as carbohydrates are reduced.
Okay, so what about this guy who was critical of my weight loss progress? This "different" response was actually very well thought out and documented by a reader on Amazon.com who read the thread I started in August 2006 called "What Are Your Criticisms Of The Low-Carb Lifestyle?" You'll recall I've blogged about some rather heated, but always educational posts there a couple of times before here and here.
The Amazon username for the person who questioned me about my weight loss progress is 2bluesky2 and I was quite impressed by the background he did at my blog prior to writing his comments at Amazon. I do believe he was being very sincere in asking these questions in his post and I'm happy to address them today.
Wanna see what he wrote? Here it is:
Jimmy, I want to ask you about your own weight odyssey, which you discuss frequently on your blog. In looking over your blog, I found frequent references you made to your weight. You also frequently say that your goal weight is 199 lbs. Here is a table compiled from your blog showing your weight over several years:
1999. Lost 170 lbs on lowfat diet, regained it in 4-6 months 01-01-2004. 410 lbs. Started Atkins diet 01-01-2005. 230 lbs. Lost 180 lbs in 2004 on Atkins diet. 11-27-2005. 225 08-14-2006. 240 11-21-2006. 215 12-12-2006. 215-217 12-31-2006. 220 01-31-2007. 229 02-08-2007. 220 06-05-2007. 248 06-08-2007. 235 06-12-2007. 229 06-25-2007. 223 06-26-2007. 222 07-02-2007. 219 07-05-2007. 219 07-06-2007. 218 07-19-2007. 216 07-20-2007. 212 10-04-2007. 220-225 10-09-2007. 223
The table shows your amazing 180 pound weight loss during 2004 for which you can justifiably be proud.
But the table also shows that from November 2005 to August 2006, you gained 15 pounds going from 225 to 240. By November of 2006, you had lost 25 pounds and weighed 215. But by June 2007, you regained 33 pounds and were up to 248. By late July 2007, you had lost another 36 pounds, but since then you regained another 10 pounds or so. I didn't find any listings of your weight after October 9, 2007. On your September 17, 2007 podcast, you mentioned that your weight had topped out at 253, but you didn't' mention whether that occurred in 2006 or 2007.
Achieving major weight loss, as you did in 2004, is a major accomplishment. Thereafter, consistently maintaining weight loss presents different challenges. Your 2004 weight loss is truly remarkable. But your up and down pattern since November of 2005 seems dubious. In the past 2 years you have gained 15 pounds; then lost it and more; then regained 33 pounds; then lost it and more; then regained another 10 pounds or so. Now you are about where you were in November 2005 when you started your up and down pattern. During all of that time, you still never reached your goal weight of 199. As you know, at 6 foot 3 inches your current BMI is in the "overweight" category (and will be until you reach your goal weight of 199). As you have recently pointed out, BMI might not fairly categorize people like yourself who have a significant sagging-skin problem after major weight loss. Still, the 199 target was your own choice, and you haven't achieved it yet.
Your huge weight loss in 2004 was an inspiring accomplishment. But most people are not facing the challenge you were looking at on January 1, 2004. I think most people face the challenge you faced in November of 2005: maintain current weight, but also hopefully lose another 20 or more pounds. Your 4-year record is awesome. But your last 2 years are erratic. Those who have a major weight problem like you had in 2004 should consider doing what you did. It accomplished a lot for you. But should your recent track record inspire those who have a much smaller weight problem? Your program just doesn't seem to be working as well for you as you deal with long-term maintenance and losing those last few pounds.
I am not a health professional or expert, but I think an effective weight management program should do three things for a person in your situation. First, within a reasonable amount of time it must get you out of the obese weight range and within, say, 10% or so of your target weight. Low-carb did that for you. Second, within a reasonable amount of time thereafter, it should get you to your target weight. Ignoring your unwanted volatility, you have been basically stuck at around 220 for the past two years. Maybe you should just redefine your target as 220, maybe not. I don't know. That's for you to decide. But if 199 is a realistic target, then low-carb is not getting you there anymore. Third, once target weight is reached, the program should enable you to maintain a stable weight with low fluctuations of, say, 2% or so over some extended period (ideally: permanently). Even if you redefine your target weight as 220, low-carb has not enabled you to achieve a stable weight over the past 2 years. You fluctuate too much. Your weight increases of 15 pounds in 2006 and 33 pounds in 2007 are alarming. Those recent gains may seem trivial in view of your major weight loss in 2004, but you are in a different league now. You are not a fat guy anymore. Your 2006 and 2007 fluctuations are very inappropriate for your present size and weight.
My quick-view evaluation: Major weight loss? Yes! Achieve goal weight? Not really, unless you fudge the goal. Maintain stable weight? Nope, no way. Needs improvement.
So where does all this discussion lead? Well, you have to decide that. I think that your program needs some tinkering, and maybe some strategic rethinking. If I were to make a single simple suggestion to you it would be this: start posting your actual and goal weight on your website on a regular basis. Your readers and fans will alert you if/when you need a kick in the behind. That may be all the motivation you need to keep "weight creep" from getting out of control again. I think you will agree that your fluctuations over the past 2 years are not in your best interest. They also do not reflect well on your advocacy of a low-carb program for long-term maintenance.
In this forum you have asked for comments on low-carb. I have had my say. You may not like hearing it all, but I think my observations and comments are within the scope of what you asked for. What do you say? I look forward to your always interesting comments!
See, I told you this guy put a LOT of time and thought into that post. And I can appreciate all of the comments that were shared. It's gratifying to know that when you blog there are real people who are watching you to see how you are doing. This Amazon comment is a gentle reminder of that reality and I am grateful for it. Accountability in my weight loss is one of the reasons I started blogging to begin with.
Let me begin my response by saying I do not consider this criticism by 2bluesky2 to be malicious or purposefully negative in any way. He raises questions that I'm sure others have thought about and never vocalized. From the outside looking in, he seems to make some points that ring true. But since he doesn't have the advantage of knowing what I am thinking (and that would be a good thing for him! LOL!), the reality is he doesn't have the full picture in mind.
It is true I have often talked about my weight fluctuations here at my blog and gladly so. I think it is beneficial for people to realize that once you hit your weight loss goal, the journey isn't over. In fact, it really just begins. After losing 180 pounds in 2004 to get down to 230 pounds, my goal in 2005 was DON'T GAIN IT BACK! The longest I had ever kept weight off after losing over 100 pounds was about two months before I started gaining weight. I was bound and determined not to let that happen this time.
Of course, unlike my 170-pound low-fat weight loss experience in 1999 that he mentioned, I was not miserable and tired of my low-carb lifestyle even after eating that way for a full year. Yes, the diet had become so routine to me that I didn't think of ever going off of it again. That's a lesson that will serve anyone well who expects to keep their weight off long-term. And today I'm happily livin' la vida low-carb.
But as you can see from the graphic that was shared about my weight ups and downs over the past three years, the "success" of my efforts seems pretty dismal or "erratic" as he puts it. In fact, he missed the date when I mentioned my high weight of 253 pounds from earlier this year which precipitated me to try that infamous diet plan we all love to hate now that will remain unnamed.
What should be most interesting about those numbers is the fact that when they went up even slightly, I did what I needed to do to bring them back down again. In the past and with many other people who lose weight, when they see the "creep" begin to happen they just throw their hands up in the air and concede defeat. Predictably, all the weight comes pouring back on them and then some.
But that hasn't happened with Jimmy Moore.
And there's a good reason for this. Am I somehow immune to the inevitable weight gain that can overtake even the person with the strongest willpower? Heck no! I'm like most people who have battled obesity their entire lives and deal with the same temptations, frustrations, and aggravations that come with weight control. It ain't easy and anyone who tells you it is can't possibly understand. But I do have a steadfast resolve to make smarter choices now than I ever have before.
That said, let me address the past two years which is the premise of 2bluesky2's comments. When I began this journey at 410 pounds, I never would have thought in a million years that I could get my weight down to 230 and keep it there for the next three years. My track record for weight management in the past was dismal at best, so the hope of keeping weight off didn't look very good.
By the end of 2004, I was at my goal weight at the time of 230 pounds. It felt good being at a "normal" size and I wanted to stay there. Unlike my low-fat weight loss experience, low-carb made me feel good while I enjoyed the way I ate. That was the major switch that made this "diet" work for me this time. So I kept eating this way to maintain. As it stands today in 2007, my weight is STILL maintaining at 229 pounds. Regardless of what it has done over the past few years, I would say that is doing a pretty good job of keeping the weight off, wouldn't you?
Yes, my weight has fluctuated from 215-253, but that is a normal part of maintaining. Granted, you shouldn't have major fluctuations all at one time, but they can add up. Five pounds up, three down, then eight up, two down, then four up, and two down is quickly a 10-pound weight GAIN! This happens when you allow extra carbs in your diet for those who are carbohydrate sensitive like me. Taking your eye off the ball can lead your weight to slowly rise which is why I originally started my "30-In-30" Low-Carb Weight Loss Challenge.
The continued journey to maintain my 180-pound weight loss success from 2004 requires that I stay challenged. It is what drove me to lose the weight in the first place and it is what drives me now. If I have a goal to pursue, regardless of how long it takes me to get there, then I am always in pursuit. But once that is removed, there is little incentive to keep that fire burning within. That's why I have a goal of hitting 199 pounds.
Does that mean I need to hit that goal anytime soon? Heck no! It's a very long-term goal for me that could be met when I finally get that long-awaited tummy tuck surgery done to remove all the excess loose skin in my abdomen which weighs about 15-20 pounds. For me, the low-carb lifestyle is more about eating healthy and getting my overall health under control as much as it is about my weight. When I allow foods into my body that aren't as healthy sometimes, my health and weight can suffer. It's all about finding what my body can tolerate and realizing my limits. That's a learning process you never stop doing.
Yes, I realize at my current weight that I am considered by the body mass index to be obese which I can live with perfectly fine for the rest of my life. I feel GREAT at my current weight and anywhere between 220-230 pounds. When I get below 220, though, my body just doesn't feel right. I've been lightheaded, dizzy and even blacked out when I've forced myself to try to lose weight beyond 220. I don't like that feeling and wouldn't wish it on anyone.
So the pursuit of 199 on paper is more about keeping my weight in check than it is to actually reach that goal as soon as possible. I know I'm eating healthy right now--healthier than I ever thought possible! The Atkins diet was indeed a godsend for me and I'll never regret one moment of my decision to begin eating this way. For the first time in my life, I feel like I am in control of my weight and health. And I am despite my minor ups and downs.
The difference now between my 10-15 pound weight swings and before is I know what I need to do to get my weight managed. Previously, I'd lose 100 pounds, but then gain back 125. I'm not playing that game anymore because there's too much heartache and pain involved. Instead, livin' la vida low-carb helps keep me on the straight and narrow for now and in the future. It's the best thing I have ever done for my health.
Regardless of the concerns by 2bluesky2, I think anyone who reads my blog can be inspired in their own weight loss efforts to begin this lifestyle because the track record speaks for itself--180 pounds lost in one year and maintained for the next three years. I challenge anyone to tell me that accomplishment is unworthy of admiration because I've worked my butt off to make it happen.
Again, I appreciate the conversation starter that 2bluesky2 brought up at Amazon and I welcome your feedback. Do you see anything wrong with how I have managed my weight since losing 180 pounds in 2004? Does "erratic" weight management negate my previous triple-digit success? Tell me what YOU think and be honest about how you feel.
