God Watching: Seeing Kevin, Visiting Dad, And Driving 1300 Miles In A Busted Car

Christine's picture shows God was watching over us

Oh, it just feels so good to be home! This past week has been filled with all sorts of emotional ups and downs, but I am glad I was able to be away to be with my family. Thanks for indulging me in my longest absence from the blog since I started it. As you know, we drove 450 miles down to Pensacola, Florida to see my brother Kevin and most of the family I grew up with last Tuesday.

Our original plan was to stay until Tuesday this week, but a telephone call from my stepmother Faye last Thursday changed our plans. That day we learned my father was going to be going in for quintuple heart bypass surgery this week. So we took a detour on Sunday north to Bolivar, Tennessee before coming back home to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Tuesday night. It was quite a memorable week of events.



We had an awesome time seeing my brother Kevin who has been told he only has a few more months to live. In 1999, he suffered a series of heart attacks that basically killed 85% of his heart function. The doctors cut out the majority of his "dead" heart a few years back and he only has one artery functioning now. That artery is 95% blocked and stents don't do any good anymore. He's too high-risk for any surgery and he's pretty much given up on changing his diet at this point.



The thing that struck me about seeing Kevin was how "normal" he looks right now. Yes, he's a very large man weighing about 350 pounds. But he's out and about doing the things he loves the most--playing Texas Hold 'Em, bingo, flirting with the ladies, and singing at the local karaoke bar. We did a little bit of all of that together last week (sans the flirting for me since I already have my woman!). And yet he's on morphine and oxygen for comfort because he's easily out of breath and starts sweating profusely even in a well air-conditioned room. This is Kevin's life right now.



Despite my little "accident" earlier this year on the cruise to Mexico singing karaoke, I ventured back on the stage again to sing "You Are So Beautiful" and Roy Orbison's "You Got It" to my lovely bride Christine while Kevin sang some country music songs that I'd never heard of. It was a lot of fun, although not something I'm accustomed to doing around midnight on a Friday night. :) But I wanted to be there with and for Kevin. We made some great memories together.



We stayed with my beautiful sister Beverly for the week who was a very gracious host making us homemade meals, driving us around everywhere we wanted to go, and just being a good little sister. In fact, Kevin came and stayed with Beverly too during the week. Since we all grew up together as kids, it was pretty neat all being under the same roof again as family. That has been a rarity since we all became adults.



When we went over to mom's house for dinner to watch some Jeff Dunham DVDs together (HILARIOUS if you have never seen this funny ventriloquist--he's the "on a stick" comedian with Walter, Peanut, etc.--Kevin was laughing so hard I was worried about him, but it was great seeing him enjoying himself so much), I took a photo of a picture when all of us kids were young. Beverly was about 3, I was 5, and Kevin was 9 or so in this photo. Don't you just love looking at how dorky you are when you were a kid (no Christine, I don't STILL look dorky today!).



My mom and stepdad Frank surprised me while I was there--they said they started livin' la vida low-carb to lose about 50 pounds each. As you know from my podcast interview with my mom last Fall, mom has struggled keeping her weight off despite having gastric bypass surgery in December 2003. I was so tickled to hear how enthusiastic Frank was about the low-carb lifestyle and his eagerness to be doing it for his weight and health (he cited that study that came out last week because he saw it on the news touting low-carb over low-fat--ummm, I haven't heard of it! LOL!). And they've even got Beverly to join them on this. I suppose this situation with Kevin has caused them to get serious this time around. Here's hoping.



It was hard to say goodbye to my family in Florida on Sunday, but I had to be there for my dad and his surgery on Tuesday. We hit the road early that day to be in Bolivar, Tennessee before dark and met up with my half-brother Nathan, his wife Stephanie, and their new son Hunter. As you know, Nathan (or Nat as we called him growing up) was one of my inspirations for starting low-carb since he was so successful on it. Interestingly, he's not doing it now, but he knows it works for him when he does it. It was awesome seeing their new baby. I WANT ONE! :)



We also had a delightful visit with my Aunt Mary Jane while we were there. She told me about how much she enjoys reading my blog (HEY MARY JANE!) and feels like she's been talking with her nephew when she reads it. In fact, my computer illiterate dad finds out more about me through Aunt Mary Jane from the stuff she reads here at my blog and tells him about. That freaks out my old man out when she tells him some of the things I'm up to. He is so 19th Century!



Of course, the reason we went there was to see my dad in support of his heart surgery early on Tuesday morning. We had hoped to spend most of the day Monday with him, but my dear old dad had other plans to "tie up loose ends" and working all day. He has the kind of job where he is a Jack-of-all-trades (or a J.D.-of-all-trades as I call him--J.D. is his name!). And he was up bright and early at 6:00am Monday morning and worked until nearly 9:00pm the day before having his open heart surgery. That's my dad for ya.



We were up obscenely early on Tuesday morning--like 3:00am to get packed up, hit the road up to Jackson, Tennessee, and be there with dad before his surgery. On the way to the hospital, my check engine light started going crazy on me. I noticed when I pressed the gas the engine would struggle. Uh-oh, not NOW! More about that in a moment! Needless to say, we prayed without ceasing for that little Escort to keep going.



Imagine my surprise when less than an hour before he was going in to have his chest cut open here comes about 20 people to be there with my dad to pray and support him during the surgery. In addition to me, Christine, Nathan, and Faye, there was dad's older sister Mary Jane, dad's brother Paul, dad's younger sister Gaylon, and I do believe the entire Sunday School class from dad's church in Middleton, Tennessee as well as the pastor. What a blessing it must have been for dad to see all these people fawning over and sacrificing their time early in the morning just for him. He's not used to this kind of attention. But I know he appreciated it more than he'd ever admit.



That sunset from my dad's front porch is all he is gonna be working on for the next few months as he recovers and heals from the surgery. I had no idea they actually had to break his chest bone to get inside his heart. OUCH! That's gonna be the hardest part whenever dad will want to cough or sneeze (which he is prone to do with his allergies). Don't you know he'll be squeezing a pillow with him a lot? The really GREAT NEWS is he got through the surgery and is now up and alert with no complications. Praise God! THANK YOU so much for your prayers and happy thoughts.



Now, about our car. Our beat-up and nearly broken down 1998 white Ford Escort was literally on its last leg although we didn't know how close it was to dying on us as we traveled through the mountains of Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee on Tuesday--but we kept praying for God to just get us home. After driving 1300 miles in the span of a week to be with family in their time of need, we NEEDED that miracle to happen for us...and it did. The car ran perfectly until I went to the post office on Wednesday morning and that was all she wrote.

When the car started shaking violently and making a loud rickity-rackity noise, I knew it wasn't good. Turns out my timing belt broke and the valves were all shot to you know where. The expense to repair would have been about as much for another vehicle, so we decided to get a new car for us. That car in the picture above is our new 2002 Buick LeSabre with less than 50,000 miles on it--and it cost us less than $10,000. WOO HOO! I couldn't have been happier with that deal. We'll be making payments on it, but at least it's a car we can rely on as we travel around to various places with our business.

I am beyond tired right now and need to get some rest. But I will be back to full-time blogging again starting on Thursday and for the next few weeks until my trip to Nashville, Tennessee in mid-August for former "Biggest Loser" contestant Isabeau Miller's FitCamp where I'll be joining other "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog readers and people wanting to get into shape on a two-week journey to whip themselves into shape. I can't wait to provide daily video updates of this experience for you.

Plus, while we're in Nashville, I'd like to have a get-together meetup with the low-carbers in that area, so let me know if you're interested in coming. I don't have a specific date or time yet, but we're staying in the Franklin, Tennessee area on Murfreesboro Road. Drop me an e-mail if you think you can possibly come in late August at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Let me again say THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed and thought about us this past week and a half. It really means the world to me that so many people care and love us like family. I gotta tell you I've missed blogging, though, so I'll be back at it hot and heavy in very short order. SEE YA!

My Dad Is Having Emergency Quintuple Heart Bypass Surgery Next Week

Hey everybody! Yes, Christine and I are still in Florida having a GREAT visit with my brother Kevin, sister Beverly and our mom this week on our vacation. We've had a good time together so far spending quality fun time with each other (mostly playing Texas Hold 'Em and we're planning going out for karaoke on Friday night) and I'm so glad we've been able to do this. Kevin looks and sounds great right now (although it's probably the morphine the hospice nurse has stocked him up on!), so it's like nothing is wrong with him. But we know his time could be coming up soon.

THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for us during this time. Beverly said Kevin is down to just one functioning artery and when it becomes completely clogged, well...you know the rest. While our hearts and emotions about this are heavy, it's good to know we are able to be with Kevin in a joyful way during these potentially final days of his life. He's still the same ole big lug brother I grew up with and I wouldn't have it any other way.

I wasn't planning on being online much or at all during my visit to Florida this week, but I just got a telephone call from my stepmother Faye in Tennessee who said my dad is going in for an emergency QUINTUPLE heart bypass surgery next Tuesday. The doctor recently did a heart cath and said three of his arteries are over 90% blocked and the fourth one is 80% blocked. It's not a good situation at all, but they seem to think they can help him. He's had a couple of heart attacks before, so this isn't completely unprecedented. On top of what's happening Kevin, this is a bit much to take right now.

We're deciding whether we are gonna make that trip up to Tennessee and when because we want to be there for him. Our original plan was to drive back home to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Tuesday and we'll probably just go straight to Bolivar, Tennessee from Florida--likely on Sunday. His surgery will be taking place in Jackson, so we may just meet the family there on the day of the surgery on Tuesday. He's expected to be in ICU for several days although he told my stepmom he'd be out in a regular room the next day (YEAH RIGHT--that's my dad!).

I don't know how it's gonna happen with all that's going on right now, but I want to be there for my dad through this. He's only 59 years old which is too young to be dealing with this. But it's a solemn reminder that we just never know when our health is gonna kick us in the tail. Dad and Kevin have both made choices to be in the position they are in right now, but that doesn't make what they are going through any easier to deal with.

Right now, it's unfathomable to think about the worst case scenario of losing both my brother and my dad this year. But I'm hoping for the best in both situations right now and I know that God holds both of these men in my life in His Hands to do as He wills for them. Whatever that is, I'm just thankful for the opportunity to call J.D. my dad and Kevin my brother. They are two remarkable people that I had the privilege of growing up with and loving during my life.

THANKS so much for your prayers for Kevin and my father.

Oh, by the way, I am aware of this July 17, 2008 issue of New England Journal of Medicine with that study that is ALL OVER THE MEDIA right now and I was even interviewed and quoted in this Wall Street Journal column in today's paper. This was awesome POSITIVE coverage for livin' la vida low-carb (although Dr. Dean Ornish got in his digs despite his assertion that we all agree on diet)--I think they purposely planned to release it knowing I was gonna be gone. Just kidding! :)

I'll update again when I get a chance...I appreciate your support!

I'm Gonna Be In And Out The Next Two Months, Visiting My Brother Kevin Soon

I wanted to give you a quick update about what's happening with my schedule before I leave out of town on Sunday after church. I'm about to go into about eight weeks of nearly non-stop busy, busy, busy with my schedule. Some of that time I will be near my computer and able to blog as usual. But other times I won't.

Here's a rough sketch of what is coming up for me:

Sunday, July 6, 2008
I'll be in Durham, North Carolina again to meet with the Triangle Low-Carb Meetup group as they gather together at 6:30pm at the Golden Corral on NC-55. Christine and I will be there and will have lots of fun and valuable door prizes to share with those in attendance. If you missed us on our last visit to Durham, then I hope you can make it out this time around. Anyone who is interested in the healthy low-carb lifestyle should come out and meet your fellow low-carbers in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area.

Monday-Tuesday, July 7-8, 2008
Christine and I will be visiting with Dr. Eric Westman at the Duke Lifestyle Clinic to see if he can help identify what is happening with my weight this year. We've got a series of tests set up, including a glucose tolerance test to measure blood sugars and insulin after I consume a low-carb meal. I'm anxious to see what this finds. We'll also be running cortisol levels, vitamin D, and a few other blood tests to try to rule things out. We'll be discussing the reactive hypoglycemia theory espoused by Dr. Keith Berkowitz to see what role it might be playing in this. I'm anxious to figure this thing out already!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008
I've been invited to New York City to be one of the first to see, hear about, and taste the new products from food manufacturer Cargill Foods that are made with Truvia--a sweetener derived frm the stevia plant. You'll recall I blogged about Cargill and The Coca-Cola Company trying to get FDA approval for stevia as a sweetener and apparently that ruling is coming soon. The event I will be attending is located at The Rockefeller Center and will be taking place at the Truvia Greenhouse where there will be tons and tons of stevia plants all over the place. They've invited me to bring my video camera, so I plan on shooting some YouTube footage while I'm there. I'll be flying in from Raleigh/Durham that morning and flying back that afternoon, so it'll be a quickie trip! But I'm excited since it's only the second time I've ever been to NYC--we won't talk about the nightmare I had the first time I was there two years ago (this time I will have a car service taking me to and from the event so I don't have to worry about a crooked New York City cab driver again!).

Tuesday-????, July 15-???, 2008
Christine and I will be driving down to Pensacola, Florida to visit with my brother Kevin perhaps for one final time before the good Lord takes him home. I want to tell you how much I sincerely appreciate all the outpouring of love and support for me and my family during this difficult time with not knowing how much longer Kevin will be with us. I hope and pray we can spend a week or so one last time together and have one final happy memory with my only full-blooded brother. He's a good man who deserved so much more from this life than the hand he was dealt. I'm honored to be called Kevin's brother and will cherish this time with him and the rest of my family. I will not have any Internet access while I am in Florida other than on my iPhone, so there will be no blogging while we're there that week or so.

Saturday, August 16th to Monday, September 1, 2008
Coming up in August, I've got something pretty incredible happening in the Nashville, Tennessee area. You'll recall I interviewed former "Biggest Loser" contestant Isabeau Miller about her experience on the weight loss reality show. Well, she's now a personal trainer and wanted to give average, everyday people a chance to feel what it was like being on the show. That's why she started FitCamp which will take place over a two-week period in July and then again in August. Christine and I will be coming to the August session along with several of my readers who were the winners of an essay contest and received scholarships to come. I have already told Isabeau that I want to go through all the daily exercise and activities just like everyone else and I'll be video-blogging the entire experience as well as checking in each day with pictures and how it went. Considering I haven't lost any measurable weight since my sudden 30-pound weight gain earlier this year, this could be a great chance to get the scale moving in the right direction again. I'm so excited about this trip and can't wait to meet Isabeau and everyone else who will be there.

So that's about it going on in my life the next two months as far as trips go. I'm also in the midst of writing at least one and probably several books that will feature many of the most popular blog posts I have written at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. This has been a special request from many of my readers who know I've blogged about an issue they care about, but they can't seem to find it. I'm trying to remedy that problem by putting my best blog posts in a series of books. The working plan right now is to release a trilogy (Volume 1-3) that will contain thematic groupings of my best posts on a variety of subjects, including vegans and vegetarians, the failed low-fat diet, inspirational and motivational posts, the real fad diets, and so much more! I'm excited about this project and will be telling you more about it when we get closer to publication.

I've gotta get some sleep now since our choir is singing at the early service tomorrow morning for the 4th of July weekend. And you're not gonna believe what my church is doing as a churchwide event--they're serving red, white, and blue pancakes!!! UGH! The red comes from strawberries, the white is the whipped cream and the blue is from blueberries, but COME ON! PANCAKES?! I guess I don't have to tell you that Christine and I will be going to Denny's for a Grand Slam to get some good eggs, bacon, and sausage for our healthy low-carb lifestyle. Okay, rant over. SEE YA SOON! :D

Prayers Needed For My Obesity-Battling Brother Kevin, Given One Year To Live

Are these the final days of my brother Kevin's life?

My heart is very heavy and saddened today with even more grim news about my only full-blooded brother named Kevin. I just blogged about him two weeks ago with an update on his weight and health, but I received some news this week that doesn't sound good at all. The doctors have basically given Kevin one year to live. His morbid obesity, despite his recent efforts to bring it under control, has become too much of a burden on his struggling heart and now it's only a matter of time.

For those readers who haven't heard about the history behind my brother Kevin's before, he suffered three straight heart attacks at the age of 32 back in 1999 that nearly killed him primarily from his poor eating habits which ballooned him into morbid obesity. He and I both had struggled with this most of our lives and it was this event that really got me to thinking about my own health and led me to make the necessary changes in my life to prevent this from happening to me, too. Kevin's heart function got down to 15% and he was told to lose weight or die before the age of 40.

Here are some blog posts about Kevin I have previously written:

"My Brother's Morbid Obesity Is Killing Him"
"Kevin's Obesity Saga Hits Too Close To Home"
"So Bad News Really Does Come In Threes"
"Surprising Kevin Perhaps For The Last Time"
"Health Update On Kevin Moore"
"Kevin Finally Getting Serious About His Morbid Obesity"
"Morbid Obesity, Health Problems Continue For Kevin"

Well, today Kevin is 40 (he will turn 41 on August 22nd if he survives that long) and still weighs upwards of 350 or so pounds. He's been on and off various diets the past few years, including stints on low-carb and most recently his cardiologist's highly-recommended low-fat, low-salt, low-cholesterol, and HIGH-CARB diet. UGH! It's disappointing and frustrating to see my own brother, who also has Type 2 diabetes, doing this to himself when his health is already teetering on the brink of disaster. The way he's currently eating, it's a death trap just waiting to snatch him from us.

The fragility of Kevin's health was made abundantly apparent just two weeks ago when he had to rush himself to the hospital with major chest pains. I was just on the phone with him two hours before this happened and we were joking about how he lived halfway between two hospitals in case something ever happened. It did and this was no laughing matter. The doctors put THREE stints in his heart to open up the only remaining passageway that was unblocked providing blood to this most vital organ of them all. Three of his arteries are COMPLETELY clogged up and the other one is almost all the way blocked. It didn't look good at the time and we knew something like this could happen again at any moment.

And it did not sooner than we thought.

Kevin went home after a few days in the hospital and then he had to call an ambulance to come get him soon thereafter because he couldn't breathe and his heart felt like it was about to explode. The stints hadn't worked and they rushed him into the critical care unit to attempt yet another stint. This time, the doctor was very concerned that the blockage is just too severe and has now given Kevin less than a year to live unless something miraculous happens with his arteries. They're so clogged up now that there is really nothing the medical experts can do for him. He's just run out of time and the clock is ticking on his life.

Now, I truly believe in the great healing power of Jesus Christ to do virtually anything--including the impossible--because I've seen it time and time again in my lifetime. But at the same time I am pragmatic about things like this that happen in life too knowing that this day would be coming sooner rather than later most likely. Kevin has already lived even longer than the doctors had originally expected him to despite his failure to lose the weight as he was told to. Even still, coming to grips with the fact that my brother may not be with us much longer is a devastating blow to me and my family. But I'm ready for it whenever God wills it to take place--whether that's years, months, weeks, or even days.

I've spoken with both my mom and my dad about this and they are in the same mindset as I am. This was inevitable and we're ready for it when it does happen. I can't imagine what it's like for them to see one of their own children near his deathbed at such an early age. The pain that comes with losing a child especially in a way that was clearly preventable many years ago cannot be adequately measured. It's gonna be a sad day when Kevin leaves this world and I hope that God spares him just a little longer so we will have the chance to spend just a few more moments with him. He's truly a good man who deserves so much better than the hand life dealt him.

Kevin called me yesterday and wanted to talk to his "little bro" as he calls me. He said he's going home from the hospital today and he can't wait to get out of there. I told him how much I loved him and was praying for him through this experience. You could almost sense that he knows the end is near and it's an emotional time for all of us right now. We cherish your thoughts and prayers and offer our sincerest THANKS to all the readers at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog for staying interested in how Kevin is doing. Your notes of care and compassion have been an incredible source of encouragement to me over the past few years, so THANK YOU for your loving support.

I'll let you know if anything else changes for the better or for the worse. In the meantime, if you could share this prayer request with your church group, we'd certainly appreciate it. When the good Lord decides to take Kevin home, I pray even now that we can find peace in the midst of the pain that will come. He's still here with us and I'm gonna make the most of every moment I have left with Kevin.

6-26-08 UPDATE: I just got a call from my mom today. She said my brother Kevin went home from the hospital on Tuesday and then went back to the doctor today to see how he's doing. The physician said Kevin needs to get his affairs in order and hospice has been called in. There's nothing more they can do for him at this point.

When my half-sister Beverly who Kevin and I grew up with heard about this, she lost it. Mom was upset as I was talking to her, but pretty steady considering the gravity of this. She said it could be days or he could live as much as a few more months or a year. But it looks like Kevin's been on borrowed time for a while according to his doctor.

His physician noted that the event last week that put him in the hospital should have been the end of Kevin's life, but he's been given a little extra time for which I am thankful. I asked my mom if Christine and I need to come down to Florida to spend Kevin's last days together with him and she didn't think that was necessary since it could be months before he's gone. We have a planned trip to Durham, NC and a one-day stint in New York City coming up the week after the 4th of July and will likely drive down to Pensacola, Florida to be with Kevin and basically say goodbye.

THANK YOU for your continued prayers.

So Much Moore: Cavuto, Kevin, Oprah, Transcripts, & Forum

I like to keep the focus of this blog on the subject of low-carb and healthy living, but it is a blog written by a real person sitting behind a computer screen typing on a keyboard. So it's impossible for me to separate Jimmy Moore the guy who blogs about low-carb and Jimmy Moore the actual guy who does the blogging. We are as inseparable as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. :D

To that end, I want to share just a little bit Moore (sorry, I've never been able to resist that pun throughout my life!) about what's going on in my world right now. I can't tell you EVERYTHING or I'd have to kill you. Hee hee! Alrighty then, shall we update you on what's happening? Let's do it!

I ALMOST MADE IT ON FOX NEWS' NEIL CAVUTO SHOW TODAY

This morning I received a telephone call from a fellow diet and health colleague of mine (will remain unnamed) who was contacted by the producers of "Your World with Neil Cavuto" from the FOX News Channel about his reaction to the new Dreamworks film starring Jack Black called "Kung Fu Panda" portraying the main character as someone who is obese and everyone makes fun of him. Since this friend of mine was unable to do the show because of a prior commitment, he wanted to know if I would like to take his place. I said I hadn't seen the film yet (and really hadn't planned on it!), but it would be great to share some of my thoughts about the whole ridiculous "fat acceptance" movement that has crept into our society. So YEAH BABY!

I spoke with the producer several times this morning and in the early afternoon anxiously awaiting my chance to be on this popular afternoon cable business show. I even went through a mock interview with the producer to see how comfortable I was sharing my opinions on the phone to her as a gauge to see how I would do on camera. She liked what I had to say and here's just a little bit of my thoughts:

The bottom line in my mind is that obesity has become such an accepted thing in our society now that it's not out of place to make fun of fat people anymore like it is to use derogatory terms about race, sexual orientation, or gender. So a movie that shows a bunch of people making fun of the fat panda is part and parcel of what we expect nowadays. Is it right? Of course not. But that's where we are these days.

It does come down to the parents to make responsible decisions for their children and the actions they allow them to take. Fat kids don't sit around all day just stuffing their mouths with food as the stereotype (and this movie) portrays them. Instead, they probably feel guilty about eating and skip breakfast and probably lunch too and end up eating a hefty supper. Overweight and obese kids are ruthlessly picked on by their peers and that can drive a lot of kids to turn to food for comfort.

In "Kung Fu Panda," whenever the main panda character did something well, they rewarded him with food. Parents do the exact same thing with their kids giving them food as a reward when most children would probably enjoy other non-food rewards like a trip to a theme park, a favorite new toy, or even a trip to the movies. The responsibility for obesity isn't some mysterious disease, but the decision of the person who is fat. When you're talking about kids, though, that onus is on the parents.

Obese kids don't need to be told in a movie that they're fat--they know it already. As a former 400-pounder, I used to be the subject of stares from people who passed judgment on me because of my size. Of course, they had never met me nor had they been exposed to any of the reasons why I got to be the weight that I was at the time. That didn't matter because if you're fat, then it must mean you're a lazy slob who can't take care of yourself. While there may be some people like that, I don't agree that all overweight and obese people deserve to be characterized that way. It's just an unfair stereotype.

I was rip-roaring ready to go when about two hours before I was scheduled to appear on the show at 4:41pm EST, the phone rang and the dejected producer on the other end said she regretted to tell me that the satellite equipment for uploading video from my local FOX affiliate where my interview was gonna take place was busted. WHAT?! You have GOT to be kidding me! Of all the things that could have happened, this is what kept me from being on national television today. Oh well, life goes on.

The producer lady was VERY apologetic and upset that I wouldn't be on the show since I was a new guest they'd never had before and she was looking forward to having my perspective shared with their viewers. Before we hung up the phone, she did say that the next time they talk about something diet, health, and obesity-related, they'll be calling on me. I sure hope so and look forward to the opportunity. :)

MY BROTHER KEVIN IS BACK TO LOSING AGAIN...HOPEFULLY!

The last time I blogged an update on my brother Kevin's battle with obesity and health problems was in February, so I thought I'd share a quick message about what's happening with him. I just spoke with him over the weekend and he sounds pretty good. Since a few people took me to task the last time I blogged about Kevin because I would ask him about his weight, I have purposefully avoided even discussing the subject unless he brings it up. In our conversation on Sunday, Kevin said he's losing weight again. So I felt he was giving me permission to talk about it.

He said his girlfriend of six months recently told him, "You know, Kevin, I'd like you better if you weren't so big!" My brother is quite the sensitive type, so this really hurt him and he told that girl to take a hike. Why wait so long to bring something up like that?! Plus, Kevin revealed he had lost 40 pounds since February. When I spoke with Kevin before, he had gotten his weight down below 335, so I was thinking he was getting closer to 300 now. Nope.

I asked him what he currently weighs and he said he was DOWN to 346. Well, at least he's going down again...hopefully for good. I asked him what dietary approach he's using since the last time he was eating lower-carb. It was quite a shock to hear he went back to the diet his cardiologist put him on right after his heart attacks in 1999. What is he eating for breakfast? Hold on to your hats with this--Whole Grain Cheerios with skim milk, a banana, and a glass of orange juice. Be still my fluttering heart!

When I explained about how everything he was eating would lead to a major insulin response, which is made worse since Kevin is a Type 2 diabetic, he rationalized it and said that at least it was healthy stuff like whole grains and fruit. True, this is better than a McDonald's meal or some sugary pastry to start your day. But WOW! I hope he can stick with his chosen diet this time around because I'm afraid his chances of long-term survival get worse and worse with each passing year his weight remains elevated. That poor heart of his is doing all it can to keep him alive.

Kevin is a 40-year old man who can do what he needs to do for his weight and health. He doesn't need me telling him what he should eat or anything like that. I'll keep loving and supporting him because he is my one and only full-blooded brother. But I really don't want to see him die young either. THANK YOU to everyone who has offered up prayers for Kevin and I know they are what has kept him around longer than anyone expected. I'll let you know if Kevin continues to lose eating his low-fat, high-carb diet.

OPRAH CASTING WEIGHT LOSS SUCCESSES...YOU SHOULD TRY!

My readers are some of the sweetest people you'll ever meet. They send me all kinds of stuff about themselves or articles they've read somewhere. It's a neat community of people who all rally behind this message of livin' la vida low-carb. One of the things I've been receiving quite a bit lately is this link from "The Oprah Winfrey Show" requesting weight loss success stories. That's so thoughtful of people to think of me and encourage me to share my story with Oprah Winfrey. There's only one problem--I already have.

In 2005, right after I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet, I sent my story in to Oprah because she frequently features guests who have lost weight on her show. They acknowledged receipt of my request to be on the show, asked for pictures which I mailed to them just like they asked, and then I never heard back from them again except for a letter that said my information is now on file. Okay, great! But it's been three years since then and I've resent my information several times, including asking some friends and readers to mail personal letters about me to the Oprah producers. Nothing.

So, while I am flattered you would think enough of me to send me that link to the Oprah show, it doesn't appear they are even remotely interested in hearing my story. Perhaps my low-carb lifestyle has something to do with it since it doesn't really jive with what Dr. Mehmet Oz and Bob Greene have to say about a healthy diet. That's too bad because I think I have a story worthy of being on Oprah. Whether she chooses to give me a chance to share that story or not is up to her and her staff.

WHERE ARE THE TRANSCRIPTS TO YOUR PODCAST INTERVIEWS?

Several of you have been writing to me in recent weeks to inquire about my string of podcast interviews on "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore." Here's an example of what the e-mails are saying:

I really enjoy your blog, and would like to see/hear some of your podcasts and YouTube things, too. However, I am an antiquated computer-phobe and don't have speakers with my computer. Is there a way to see a transcript of some of your podcasts?

What a GREAT question and there's a simple answer: no. While I am a fast typer and can record interviews with all sorts of people in the world of diet and health, the reality is I'm a terrible transcriber. I remember in 2006 when I did a transcription of my FIRST interview with Dr. Dean Ornish, it took me about a week and a half to write out those 45 minutes of raw audio for my blog. I'm even BUSIER now than I was then, so it would be next to impossible for me to get anything else done if I tried to transcribe two interviews a week. EEEEK!

If I had unlimited resources, then I'd pay somebody to do it. Unfortunately, the work I do isn't making me tons and tons of money, so I'm pretty much a one-man show (except for the production of my podcast show done by my amazing producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien). Reality is reality--I'm just happy to be able to share interviews in audio format and look at it just like radio. Can you get transcripts for radio? Nope. I hate that because there is some excellent information in my podcasts. Maybe this will be the impetus to get some speakers for your computer and upgrade so you can access the audio content. :)

MY NEW & IMPROVED FORUM IS OFF TO A BLAZING START

Have you been over to see the all-new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum yet? The membership there has built back up very quickly and many more are joining in on the conversation every single day. Most of your old friends and your favorite moderators are back as well, so I hope you come by and make yourself at home. We have some spirited, but respectful discussions there for all kinds of topics related to the low-carb lifestyle. JOIN TODAY! :D

I've got plenty more I could tell you about, but we'll leave it at that for right now. THANK YOU for reading and making the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog a regular part of your day. We'll still be here as long as you keep coming back. SEE YA!

31-Year Old Heart Attack Victim Wants To Know If He Should Continue With Low-Carb

Reader Josh Westbrook had a heart attack on February 10, 2008

When you meet literally thousands upon thousands of people a week through a weight loss blog like I do, it's difficult to fathom that each and every one of those people is a real person with a real life going through some very real circumstances that got them to be obese and unhealthy in the first place. I receive so many e-mails from the people who read here and I'm grateful to play even a small role in your life although I've never even met you face-to-face.

One such person is a man named Josh Westbrook. Josh wrote to me a while back telling me about how livin' la vida low-carb has helped him improve his life. He's lost about 30 pounds, starting feeling better than he ever had, and was well on his way to living a healthy lifestyle for many years to come.

But then it happened on February 10, 2008--Josh had a heart attack!

As he shared at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum today, Josh is only 31 years old and weighs in at 226 pounds. It's not like he was so morbidly obese that his heart couldn't take it anymore.

"Not a perfectly fit person but not obese," he wrote.

Now his cardiologist wants Josh to cut back on the fat in his diet and he's at a crossroads about what to do. The doctor was very explicit that it wasn't his low-carb diet that caused the heart attack, but rather stress-induced. Josh acknowledges he has been under an intense amount of pressure for a while.

"And he is right," Josh admitted. "I went through the hardest year and a half of my life."

Even still, Josh says he is "very confused" about what to do with his low-carb lifestyle now. Some well-meaning, but ignorant naysayers are blaming the Atkins diet on the heart attack, but Josh knows better. And yet the doctors are giving strict orders for him to cut back on the fat completely.

According to Josh, he is eating a lower-carb diet that is more than 100 grams a day mostly from berries, whole grain bread, and low-fat staples.

"I am allowed to eat pasta but so far have refused," Josh explained. "I miss steak. I miss dark meat chicken (my favorite). I miss butter when I am cooking."

It sounded like Josh would do fairly well with the lower-carb South Beach Diet by Dr. Arthur Agatston. That plan allows for higher amounts of carbohydrates and less fat. I told Josh to ask his doctor about whether that plan would be suitable for him to follow.

But there's a nagging concern that is bugging him right now that he hasn't been able to find an answer to.

"What if because my family has a history of 'heart disease,' higher fat is actually dangerous for me?"

Josh is looking for any experiential advice from my readers and/or doctors who have been through this before. It's a scary situation for a young man like him, but one that really needs to be addressed. Share your feedback for Josh in the comments section below so he can find some direction about what to do next.

Obviously, he needs to get a handle on how he reacts to stress in his life. People just don't realize the damage they are doing to their bodies when they let all the pent-up frustrations, pressures from your job and family, and other daily stresses weigh us down and cause real damage to our health. It's why I step away from the computer, engage in elliptical workouts, spend time with my wife watching television, sleep when I'm tired, and take vacations like I'm gonna do next week. We've got to unwind and recharge our batteries so that our health remains intact.

I'm so happy that Josh is still with us today. Hearing his story reminded me of my brother Kevin who had three heart attacks in one week back in 1999 that nearly killed him. He was only 32 years old and his was induced by both stress and his weight. By the grace of God he is still with us today, but has to take a big handful of pills every single day for the rest of his life. My prayer is that Josh avoids this fate in his own life.

So how about it everyone? Do you have any experience with how to eat healthy following a heart attack? Is a high-fat, low-carb diet like Atkins (which was created by a cardiologist by the way!) conducive for someone who has been through a traumatic cardiovascular event like this? Josh has an appointment for rehabilitation on March 10, 2008 where he will ostensibly be given his low-fat dietary instructions.

What say YOU?

Morbid Obesity, Health Problems Continue For My Brother Kevin

My brother Kevin shaved his head, but hasn't cut any weight lately

It's been a long time since I've updated you about my brother Kevin. I apologize for that since so many of you have been asking about how he is doing since his weight and health have been major issues that I have blogged about often at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." The reason is not that I don't want to update you, but that there's not much new to share.

Now that it has been a little over two years since I first blogged about Kevin's morbid obesity, I am pleased to share that he is at least keeping his weight and health relatively stable (not GREAT news to share, but a step in the right direction). This issue has been a source of grave concern for me over the past few years since I have been able to overcome my weight and health issues and now I feel helpless to help my brother do the same thing for himself.

When I saw Kevin at Thanksgiving in 2006, I seriously thought it might be the last time I see him before the obesity took him away from us. It's a daily concern that I'm gonna get a call from my mom informing me that Kevin has died. This is so out of the ordinary for me because I am not one to dwell on such morbid thoughts. And yet it's hard not to with a brother unwilling to make the necessary changes to get healthy.



I did see Kevin again last year twice: once at our Memaw Luerene's funeral in April (where the four men of Moore were all together again for the first time in nearly two decades) and then again in December when we surprised our dad for Christmas.

And there was hope in 2007 that Kevin was losing weight and getting healthy when he reported starting to eat a low-carb diet and walking to help shed the pounds. He started feeling better and came off of some blood pressure medications which was both good and bad. It was good that he no longer needed the drugs, but bad that he felt better because he always STOPS whatever he was doing to feel better thinking he's okay. He's FAR from being okay despite the fact he did reach his 40th birthday last August.

Thankfully, Kevin calls me every weekend to stay in touch and I ALWAYS ask him about his weight and how he's doing. For the longest time, he'd report that he's down to 345, then 340, then 335. But suddenly he'd stop telling me his weight and when I'd inquire about it he'd say that it's not doing so well (which is code for he's gaining again). Recently he's been telling me that he wants to get back to walking again which is the only kind of exercise his doctor will allow him to do considering his very weakened heart (at about 15% capacity still following his heart attacks in 1999).



Flanked by my brother Nathan on the left and me on the right, Kevin certainly has plenty of motivation to eat right and get the weight off. If you've read my book Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year, then you know that it was Nathan who inspired me to start on the Atkins diet in the first place after his incredible weight loss success on it. Although he had slipped back into some old habits again, Nathan was recommitted to this lifestyle change when I saw him at Christmas so it was awesome to hear his enthusiasm.

I was hoping some of that would rub off on Kevin, but there he was stuffing his mouth with high-sugar, carb-loaded foods again like a drug addict who can't help himself with the crack cocaine. Yes, I know it's hard to give it up and stay on the right path, but for Kevin it MUST be done if he expects to survive much longer. It's interesting to hear him talking about the future as if he's gonna be here for decades to come. The sad reality is he is not if he remains on the current path he has chosen.

Kevin is one of the most lovable, kind human beings you will ever meet in your entire life. He's that way to a fault and it sorta defines who he is. And I'm sincerely happy that he has found himself a wonderful woman now who loves him just the way he is and takes care of him as he deserves (unlike the horrendous ex-wife that made his life a living Hell for years after his heart attacks). At least he's happy and that will help keep his stress level reduced to ward off further health complications.

But it is imperative Kevin gets SERIOUS about his health and it just baffles me that he hasn't to this point. Only when he hits rock bottom after being admitted to the hospital for chest pains does he even bother trying. Yet he starts on a plan, begins feeling better, and forgets that he's not out of the woods. It's a ruthless cycle he puts himself through and I'm frustrated that I cannot force him to understand why he needs to be livin' la vida low-carb.

Therein is the central issue of this entire discussion about my brother Kevin: it's HIS life and I have no control over him whatsoever. Until HE makes the decision to do this for himself, it's not gonna happen. Even if I could be near him in Florida, forcibly feeding him what to eat, and being next to him 24/7, none of it would matter if Kevin didn't want to do it. That's a lesson we all must learn as we talk to our friends and family who need to lose weight for the sake of their health.

Continue praying that Kevin will realize he is killing himself with his actions and that he won't give up hope that he can beat this. I believe it's not too late if he can just get down to 250 pounds or less and stay there. I KNOW he could do it just like I did, but he needs to have the WANT TO within him to make it happen. It's gonna take a miracle for him to overcome all those years of bad habits, but I still believe in the miracle-working power of God to make that happen.

THANK YOU to everyone who has shared thoughts, concerns, and prayers for Kevin over the past few years. I still hold out hope that one of these days it's all gonna finally "click" for him like it did for me. That's my prayer for him.

At Long Last, My Brother Kevin Is Finally Getting Serious About His Morbid Obesity

It now appears my brother Kevin is ready to deal with his weight

It's been a little while since I gave you an update on my brother Kevin and his ongoing battle to lose weight, get healthy, and quite literally save his life.

Ever since I first blogged about Kevin, interest in him has ranged from the curious to the concerned and has even brought out a few crazies (One memorable e-mailer wrote, "Why is your brother so fat if you've figured out the cure to obesity is low-carb? It must not work too well if your own brother can't even get his weight under control.").

So I've tried to give periodic updates on his weight and health for those of you who are praying for him. I've even used his story as an example to make a point in blog posts about livin' la vida low-carb pouring out my heart and expressing the pain that comes from my brother who just doesn't seem to get it yet.

You can read some of my previous posts to see exactly what I was feeling at the time about this deep, dark pit of hopeless despair Kevin had put himself in by clicking here, here, here, here, here and here.

My emotions about this issue with my brother have run the gamut--sadness, frustration, anger, bitterness, disappointment, fear, disgust, concern--sometimes many of these all at once! Never knowing if today's the day your only full-blooded brother is going to die is no way to live.

After suffering three straight heart attacks in the span of one week in 1999 that nearly killed him, Kevin has been living on heart medications with a mere 15 percent of his heart's capacity left. He's been in and out of the hospital with chest pains and middle-of-the-night scares so much in the past few years while his weight has not come down that I thought he had given up all hope for weight loss forever.

Although his doctors have told him to lose weight or die, nothing seemed to get through to Kevin. That is, until something that happened in April this year.

When I was being interviewed for the upcoming documentary film called Inspired: The Movie a couple of weeks ago, I shared with the director my sincere concerns about how to get through to my brother who apparently doesn't care about his obesity. You can see a brief clip from the movie of me talking about Kevin by CLICKING HERE.

The filmmaker was so moved by my heartfelt cry for help on behalf of Kevin that he said he would like to travel to Florida to include him in the documentary, too. So I told the director I'd have to ask Kevin if he'd be interested first. After all, it's a touchy subject talking about being fat with a morbidly obese man--AND ON CAMERA!

But Kevin is not shy in the least (in fact, I'm the shy one between us if that tells you how outgoing my brother is!), so it wasn't surprising when I approached him with this that he was all-too-eager to do it. GREAT! We are planning on driving down to Florida in July for a taped conversation about Kevin's weight. This will hopefully be enlightening and inspiring...to me, Kevin, and anyone struggling with how to help an obese friend or relative. More about that later!

While I was talking to Kevin about the film, I could hear in his voice he had something to tell me. "Guess what, little bro?" he said to me in his own distinctive vernacular. "I'm losing weight now."

WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY?!

After I picked my jaw up off the floor, I just had to confirm what I heard Kevin say. Yep, it was true! He said he was tired of always feeling bad and going to the hospital that he started eating better (yep, that means less carbs--WOO HOO!) and getting as much exercise as his weak heart can handle. All I could say was WOW, WOW, WOW!!! Praise God for answering prayers!

I was curious what made him begin this new journey and he said it happened when our Memaw died a couple of months ago. She was the last grandparent we had and her death was partially brought on by heart disease from eating poorly (although she lived to be 77 years old).

This shook Kevin to the core and woke him up!

Just a few months earlier when I asked Kevin why he doesn't get serious about shedding the pounds, he had told me "I don't know, I'm lazy I guess." Now he had found the impetus for getting serious about his morbid obesity.

HALLELUJAH!!!

He says his weight is under 400 pounds right now, but he doesn't really know for sure since most bathroom scales only register up to about 350. But the good news is he cares, the weight is moving down at about 10 pounds a month, and he seems committed to this.

I'm not gonna assume Kevin's gonna stick with it because he never has before. Right now, though, his mind is on this goal to lose weight and I will support him the best way I know how. Love him, encourage him, and respect his courage to do what he has to do to climb this Mt. Everest in his life.

At the end of our conversation, Kevin shocked me one more time when he said "Jimmy, I'm proud of you for helping so many people with their weight loss stuff. You're doing a good job!" When he said that to me, I nearly choked up trying to hold back the tears. It was as if he said I GET IT, JIMMY, I FINALLY GET IT!

Finally, the message has sunk in. Now the real work has only just begun.

Meet The Four Men Of Moore

Kevin, Jimmy, J.D., and Nathan Moore together again

I've talked about all of them here at my blog, but I thought you'd like to see a picture of the men in the Moore family.

From left to right:

That first guy is my full-blooded brother Kevin who has been battling health issues because of his morbid obesity and heart problems. It was great to see him at my grandmother's funeral last week, although he's not really doing anything with his diet to improve his health. My mom drove him up to Bolivar, Tennessee from Pensacola, FL since she was worried about him driving alone considering his heart condition.

The second fella in the picture is me! You know who I am! :)

The third person is my father, J.D. Moore. He's a chocoholic and a half, but has been able to manage his weight well for most of his life. Makes me sick! LOL! He's always been stout strong, although back and shoulder issues have kept him down from time to time during his life. He grew up hauling hay, so I guess that all has caught up to him as an adult.

Finally, the fourth person is Nathan, or Nat as we called him growing up. He's my dad's second wife's son, so that makes him my half-brother. But I've always called him my brother. If you've read my book, then you know Nathan was one of my inspirations for starting the Atkins diet in 2004 (my high school friend Keith Jackson was the other). He's still keeping his weight off, although he's not as strict on his low-carb lifestyle as he once was. I've warned him to be careful and not let the weight creep back up on him.


I got to see my little niece and nephew in Tennessee

It's a shame it took a funeral to bring all the Moore men back together in one place again, but I was thankful for the chance to be together and photographed. This time together was especially awesome with my little niece and nephew from Nathan, both of whom are absolutely spoiled rotten. HA! They're so full of energy and Nathan's wife Stephanie is pregnant with another little one.

WHOA! Slow down, little bro! Christine and I have to start catching up. Hee hee! Anyway, I'm glad you got to meet the four men of Moore so you can now put a face to the name when I blog about them.

Health Update On Steve Dyar And Kevin Moore

These are two very dear men in my life: Steve Dyar and Kevin Moore

This blog is as much about my life as it is about the low-carb lifestyle. I've never even tried to keep these two things separate because Jimmy Moore the normal guy is the exact same person as Jimmy Moore the man who lost almost 200 pounds on the Atkins diet. Anyone who tries to compartmentalize each aspect of their lives into different little boxes can never be completely themselves and I don't try to live my life that way. What you see is what you get, warts and all!

Because I write about my life within the context of the discussion of health, diet, and livin' la vida low-carb, there are some rather personal stories of real people who I have shared with you. I have asked you to pray for people who are going through intense and seemingly hopeless health complications and often I receive e-mails from readers wanting to hear an update on those dear loved ones in my life.

Do you remember when I told you about Steve Dyar just a few months ago? He's the former music minister at my church who listened to the call of God to go into full-time vocal ministry traveling the country with his beautiful and talented wife Susan a couple of years back.

Then in December 2006, Steve got just about the worst news anybody could ever hear in their life--CANCER! It was esophageal cancer and the doctors said they didn't have much hope for him beating it. But this mighty man of faith is putting his hope and trust in the Lord Almighty not just to help him through this calamity that has hit him, but to completely heal his body of the cancer that seeks to devour him.

The strength of this incredible man is such an inspiration to me and you can follow his journey through the chemotherapy treatments and the victories and trials along the way at his CaringBridge web site. Please sign his guestbook and let him know you are thinking and praying for him to truly overcome and rise victorious over this.

Last Sunday night a real miracle happened when this man who used to have such a booming voice before the cancer set in made a surprise appearance in our church choir's Easter musical by SINGING a powerful song called "You Were There." Our choir director and all of us in the choir had prayed he would feel well enough to do that song with us since the lyrics embody Steve's testimony.

Here are the lyrics to that incredible song:

Weary from the trials that it seemed I faced alone.
Wondering why God left me here to struggle on my own.
I thought of all the verses and the Scriptures I had read.
How He promised to be with me,
How He never would forsake me.
So with all the faith within me, I cried out to God and said,
"You were there for Moses; you were there for Joseph;
you were there for David when he didn't have a prayer.
You were there for Stephen so I believe in time I'll see
That through it all, you were there for me."

Seeing this big man who has lost a considerable amount of weight (the hard way!) gracefully walking up on that stage, sharing briefly about what he has been going through since being diagnosed with cancer with a weakened speaking voice, and then singing this song custom-made just for him conjured up so much emotion that those of us in the choir almost couldn't sing our background parts on the song. But we made it through the tears to stand behind this very brave and couragous man.

Oh my gosh, hearing Steve's soaring baritone voice croon this anointed song about finding supernatural strength in the midst of a very bleak circumstance was enough to make Christians and non-Christians alike shout for joy at what God can and is continuing to do in this man's life.

In fact, after our first service at 4:00pm, a mom brought her daughter up to the front to speak with the pastor to let him know that Steve's song ministered to them since the little girl was recently diagnosed with a juvenile form of cancer a couple of weeks before. Now she KNOWS she can walk through this valley. To God be the glory!

Steve Dyar is by no means miraculously cured (YET!), but his unwavering belief that God can do it is an encouragment to all of us regardless of the situation we are going through. Continue to lift him up to the Great Physician because we are believing in a 100% healing of this man. It can happen and we'll rejoice in that miracle WHEN it comes.

The other dear man in my life going through tremendous odds in regards to his health is my brother Kevin Moore. You will recall I discussed in this blog post about how he has been through a series of heart attacks in 1999 and now weighs in at over 600 pounds! That's NOT a mistake--he really is THAT big.

His doctors aren't holding out much hope for Kevin because his morbid obesity is complicating and accelerating the rate that his body is shutting down. His life has been quite a whirlwind ride and he doesn't seem to care about getting his weight under control to save his health and quite possibly his life. You don't know how much that hurts me to see him going through all of this. It breaks my heart!

Kevin is my only brother and all of this just hits too close to home for me. That's why I was so glad to be able to see him at Christmas 2006, perhaps for the last time. I hope he sticks around until he's in his 40s, 50s, and beyond, but it doesn't look good.

As has been the case for the past several years since his early 30s when he suffered those nearly fatal heart attacks, Kevin has been in and out of the hospital with chest pains and other obesity-related issues with his heart. He's not even 40 years old yet (his 40th birthday is in August this year) and has had fluid build-up around the chest cavity drained more times than anybody else I've ever known in my life. His latest stint in the hospital was just a couple of weeks ago and now he's back home again living what passes for his life nowadays.

I love my brother and it hurts me to see him go through this preventable circumstance. What's done is done with his heart, but he could extend his life and improve the quality of the remaining days he has left if he would simply lose weight. He's seen my low-carb success and knows it can be done--he just has to want to do it. Up until this point, he hasn't.

Nothing I can do can make him do this. I just have to keep on loving him, encouraging him, and praying for him to do what's right for his health. Please remember Kevin and pray that he would FINALLY seek the truth and have the desire to save his life--before it's too late.

THANK YOU for all the wonderful e-mails of concern about both Steve and Kevin. These men are a big part of my life and I want God's will to be done in both of these situations regardless of what that may be. I firmly believe that God has the power to touch them physically and restore them to full health. Trusting Him to bring about His Will for them, I only ask that you join me in my prayers. God bless you and THANKS for your sincere and heartfelt interest.

Surprising Kevin Perhaps For The Last Time

I hope this isn't the last picture taken with my brother Kevin

When it comes to going on vacation, I'm the kind of person who would much rather stay home and just take in the sights and sounds of life in my area that are normally overlooked in the day-to-day living to simply relax and enjoy myself. Loading up the car with a bunch of luggage, driving umpteen hundred miles to get to your destination, and then trying to cram in activity after activity to entertain yourself is not my idea of the perfect vacation. Don't you need a vacation from your vacation when you get back?!

But one thing trumps all of that when it comes to going on vacation: seeing your family! My wife Christine has family north of us and my family is split between west and south of our home in South Carolina. We try to make the rounds every year or so and it had been a couple of years since we went to visit my mother. stepdad, brother and sister who all live in the same town. So we decided to travel down I-85 (through some horrendous traffic there and back going through Atlanta!) to see my family over the Thanksgiving weekend.


Here's my family sitting around the table after the Thanksgiving meal

My sister Beverly was so gracious to open her home up for Thanksgiving when she heard we were coming and that we wanted to surprise Kevin. My mom had planned on going out to eat with my stepdad, Beverly and Kevin for turkey day, but my dear sister wanted it to be more special than that with us driving down to visit. She did an excellent job with the meal!


That's my pretty little sister Beverly who is two years younger than me

Mom cooked the turkey and brough ham and Beverly did the rest. They allowed me to cook up a batch of my mashed cauliflower and low-carb stuffing, although my mom and stepdad weren't very thrilled with either. Oh well, it wasn't for them to eat now, was it? :D

I didn't eat any of the desserts that were prepared because they were loaded with sugar and flour. But everyone made sure to tell me how mmm mmm good the chocolate pie and apple pie was. Not for me because I'm livin' la vida low-carb and those are just RAT POISON! LOL!


From left to right, my mom, my wife Christine, and my brother Kevin

We didn't have a whole lot of time together over the weekend because he had some odd and end things to do, but I was able to see my brother Kevin a little. As many of you know, he has had quite a year since being told by a doctor to lose weight or die. Despite this grim warning, Kevin has not lost a lot of weight yet and his health has paid the price.

I was very tempted to tell Kevin what he needed to do to shed those pounds and get his health in order. However, more than anything else, I just wanted him to know he was being thought about, prayed for, and wished well by countless numbers of people (mostly YOU!) who really do care about him and want to see him well. He wanted me to let you know he appreciates your concern and that he is going to try to do something about his situation. We can hope and continue to pray at this point.


Kevin's a big man who has had one doozy of a life so far

One thing that shocked me was when we sat down to watch a movie together as a family on Saturday night was when mom made a big batch of brownies. The aroma in the air was just too much for Kevin to bear, so he went and loaded up his plate with 4 large blocks of brownies with ice cream on top. Keep in mind he's a Type 2 diabetic and morbidly obese! Oh, you don't know how much I wanted to scream, "NOOOOOOO!!! YOU DON'T NEED THAT, KEVIN!!!" But I bit my lip and remained silent.


My beautiful Christine with my brother Kevin

I learned a long time ago that you can't force someone to change who isn't ready to change. They have to be ready and it's our job to serve as an example until they are. That's all I have left to hope for at this point. Kevin is a 39-year old man who doesn't need someone to hold his hand about what to do with his life. He alone makes the decisions about his life and he will have to face the consequences of his actions at some point. Hopefully he'll have a "later" to get to it.

It was so good to see my skinny momma looking so good following her gastric bypass surgery three years ago. But the woman eats worse than a bird does nibbling on about three or four bites of food and then stopping. Amazing! Yet she looks absolutely fantastic and I'm so proud of her.

My stepdad pulled out his glucose meter on Saturday to check his blood sugar and wanted to see what reading everyone else had. My mom was in the 160s, my wife Christine was in the 120s, and Kevin refused to have his checked (maybe 300+ after that brownie bonanza?!). So he came to me and his jaw dropped to the floor when he saw my reading was 86.

He asked me if I was feeling okay and I said I felt perfectly fine. He said that my blood sugar was a little on the low-side. I told him that's pretty normal for someone who is controlling his carb intake to manage his weight and health. Let's just say it left an indelible impression on him that may have him counting carbs and watching his sugar. THAT is the power of being an example for others to follow.

Overall, the time away was amazing except for the fact that I missed blogging for you while I was gone. But I promised Christine I would not blog, so I didn't. Now I'm back in the saddle ready to keep providing you quality content that you can use as part of your low-carb lifestyle. THANK YOU for giving me a few days off and I look forward to the year 2007 which will be here before you know it!

Hopefully, my brother Kevin will make 2007 his banner year for a comeback with his weight and health. Otherwise, I don't think he's gonna have any more chances. YOU CAN DO IT, KEVIN! JUST DON'T GIVE UP! DON'T EVER GIVE UP!

'House' Episode Stirs Up Healthy Obese Debate

November 7th episode of FOX's "House" featured 600-pound man

Did you catch the November 7th episode of the hit FOX drama "House" which features the brilliant acting of Hugh Laurie in the role of Dr. Gregory House? My wife Christine absolutely LOVES this show and never misses an episode on Tuesday nights. She told me about tonight's episode and said I should watch it with her after seeing the previews because it deals with an obese man who is admitted to the hospital with a mysterious disease that put him in a coma.

Of course, the first thing all the doctors do is try to figure out why the 600-pound man, in an intense gripping performance by actor Pruitt Taylor Vince, got to be so sick and they immediately looking for correlations to his massive weight problem. The doctors start conducting tests on the obese man to see what is wrong and run into problems that actually reminded me a lot of my brother Kevin, who coincidentally also weighs 600 pounds.

Like Kevin, the obese character on "House" had difficulty having an MRI conducted because the table weight limit is 450 pounds. They got his "seven-foot waist" in the machine while he was still in a coma, but then he woke up from it in the midst of the test. Not surprisingly, he breaks the table as the doctors attempt to calm him down.

When the man is brought back to his hospital room, he tells the doctors he is all better now and that they should let him go. But they attempted to convince him that being in a coma was serious and they wanted to find out the reason why he fell into that physical state in the first place. Stubbornly, the obese man attempts to leave the hospital only to collapse through the front glass window of the hospital lobby after losing his balance on his way out.

The reaction from the obese man about his deteriorating condition is that people have constantly judged him about his health throughout his life because of his weight even though he claims his health was fantastic prior to the coma. The doctors keep trying to look at all kinds of theories about his strange health complications that don't have anything to do with his weight. But the obese man took great offense to being tested for diabetes because he considered that another "fat" disease and threw a temper tantrum flinging sugar water all over the place.

During an altercation with the obese man, Dr. House finally figures out the real reason for the coma had to do with cancer which they all conclude had nothing to do with what one of the doctors described as a "suicidal" weight problem. More on why that conclusion was dead wrong in a moment.

I'm so glad I watched this show because it was fascinating on so many levels. I really enjoyed the way they attempted to show that it is possible for overweight and obese people to be relatively healthy despite their weight. There was a time in my life when I felt that way about my health, even though I weighed 410 pounds. But the eventual damage I was inflicting on myself was going to catch up to me sooner or later! Thankfully, I shed 200 pounds and never suffered those consequences.

But this obese character REALLY reminded me of Kevin who actually pretends to think he is healthy despite being on a handful of prescription medications and in and out of hospitals for the past six years with heart-related problems. Is it normal to walk around as a 600-pounder thinking everything is peachy keen? Why do people who allow themselves to get this big get so angry when people attempt to help them? Don't they realize they have a problem that needs to be fixed?

The whole healthy obese debate was on display front and center in this "House" episode and it reminded me of the popular "fat acceptance" movement that so many overweight people have embraced as a way to avoid directly confronting their weight problem. Trivializing obesity by calling it a medical illness or disease, as was mentioned in the show, is yet another scapegoat that prevents people from losing weight. While you may not have chosen to get fat, doing something about reversing that condition is the responsibility of the individual.

One scene from this "House" episode haunts me even now when I heard the obese character declaring that he dreams about, loves smelling, loves cooking, and, of course, loves eating food and that he thinks he can't really do anything about. Being this overly obsessed about food is as bad a problem as being addicted to and hooked on the worst drug you can think of. Sure, drugs will kill you faster, but food is such an unassuming way to dig yourself an early grave. One of the doctors told the obese man, "You don't see too many obese old people these days, do you?" And it's true!

Obese people need to understand that people aren't judging them when they offer to help with their weight problem. If they get angry at this, then that's a pride issue that needs to be dealt with. I know it can be difficult to admit you have a problem with your eating habits because I've been there. But there are very pleasurable ways to rise above the criticism and do something productive that will help you shed the pounds while vastly improving your health.

I cannot imagine living inside of a 600-pound body and not feeling the effects of that. Nevermind the fact that you can't buy clothes at a regular store, you can't fit in a restaurant booth, movie theater seat or behind the wheel of a car, your mobility is severely limited, or any of the other bazillion or so problems with being that big. The obese man said he'd rather enjoy eating his favorite food than to have to suffer running 26 miles a day. This totally misses the point.

Getting healthy is not an overnight thing just as getting morbidly obese doesn't happen in an instant. But the road to getting better does start with that first step in the right direction. Getting your mind set in the right direction, following a proven plan for success, and then executing that plan is what will make weight loss come for just about anyone. If people want it bad enough, then they will do whatever it takes to get there. Remaining obese should NEVER be a viable option if you truly care about the future of your health.

What an excellent subject matter for one of the hottest shows on television to tackle head-on! I'm glad I watched this episode of "House" and would like to hear your thoughts about it if you saw it, too. Even if you didn't, let's continue this debate in the comments section about where it is possible to be healthy as an obese person. Can a 600-pound man be truly healthy from head to toe with absolutely no negative consequences to his weight, hmmm? I say NO WAY! While he may not have any visible problems right now, I believe he's allowing major problems to be cultivated from within that will catch up to him in very short order.

Oh, one last thing about the way this "House" episode ended. When they break the news to the obese man at the end of the episode that he has an inoperable form of esophageal cancer which will lead to his death, they leave the viewers assuming the cancer had nothing to do with his weight or diet. But guess again! You will recall this recent study I highlighted which found eating a high-carb diet actually leads directly to cancer of the esophagus. So, in essence, it WAS his poor eating habits that led to his demise after all, even if it wasn't a direct result of his morbid obesity. Ironic huh?

Where do YOU stand? Healthy obese or eventual demise?

600-Pound Man Convinced He Is Healthy

I'd like to publicly thank everyone who has sent me notes of encouragement and hope about my brother Kevin as he has been battling the seemingly endless saga of heart health problems in recent months. Your words and prayers have comforted and strengthened me and my family during this sometimes tense ordeal.

In fact, one of the people who read about Kevin's story here at my blog is a heart specialist who works with Olympic athletes to get them into tip-top shape. He personally offered to help Kevin free of charge if he would be willing to share his typical daily routine, including the medications he takes. When I presented this offer to Kevin, he seemed very excited about it and I was delighted that perhaps the dark cloud of despair that has hovered over him for the past few years may finally begin to clear up.

Unfortunately, though, I am afraid Kevin is squandering this golden opportunity by being less than forthright about his condition. When I requested some basic information from Kevin about his health, here are the mendacious answers he gave to me along with the cold hard facts:

Height - 6'0" (TRUE)
Weight - 373 pounds (FALSE, he's closer to 600 pounds!)
Waist - 62 inches (FALSE, it's MUCH BIGGER than that!)
Calories Consumed Daily - 1800 (HA! Maybe for breakfast! FALSE!)
Exercise - 2 miles daily (With 15% of his heart functioning? FALSE!)

He had a series of heart attacks back in 1999 and had 4 stints put in at the time. In 2005, an icdinplant was put in, and he was declared a Type 2 diabetic. Here is a list of the prescription medications he currently takes:

GLUCATROL 2.5 MG
PRINAVIL 10 MG
POTTASIUM CHLORIDE 10 MG
PLAVIX 75 MG
COUMADIN 10 MG
ASPRIN 81 MG
IMDUR 60 MG
COREG 37.5 MG
LASIX 80 MG
ALLOPURINOL 100 MG
TOPROL 50 MG

As you can see, Kevin's still in pretty bad shape and I fear he will stay that way as long as he keeps lying to himself about his weight and health. Some people criticized me for claiming people with obesity are in deep denial about their weight problem, but I've got a barely living and breathing example of this in my brother Kevin. This man who hasn't even turned 40 yet has so convinced himself that he's eating and exercising the healthy way that there's no way he could possibly do anything more for himself.

If that's NOT denial, then I don't know what is!

Furthermore, I don't believe for one second that Kevin eats just 1800 calories per day. Heck, even I eat around 2300-2500 calories daily and I'm actually LOSING weight! Then, to be off on how much he actually weighs by more than 200 pounds?! That's something everyone who gets really, really big goes through. When I started livin' la vida low-carb in January 2004, I thought I weighed about 320, but my ACTUAL weight was a whopping 410 pounds! NO SENSE OF REALITY EXISTS!!!

Then for him to say he walks 2 miles a day is completely absurd. He may "feel" like he's walked that far, but it's probably not much further than a few blocks and then he turns back around. Kevin is playing mind games with himself and not owning up to his end of taking responsibility for his weight problem. Until that happens, NOTHING changes.

And, yes, lest anyone accuses me of being inconsistent in my viewpoints, I believe Kevin does need to take personal responsiblity for his weight problem. Don't blame mom or dad for why you gained weight either because I overcame. And so can you!

While the circumstances of how he got to be 600 pounds is one thing, the truth for him and anyone else in the same circumstance is they need to make weight loss a priority and JUST DO IT! Stop your whining, stop your bellyaching about it being too hard, and for goodness sake stop pointing fingers. There's no arguing about genetics or a propensity to being fat in some people. But too many people are using those as lame excuses to wiggle out of making the right choices for themselves.

When I spoke with Kevin's roommate recently about what he had eaten that day, she told me Kevin had a bowl of oatmeal and a banana for breakfast, she didn't see him at lunch so she doesn't know, and for supper he had a big bowl of grits with eggs and sausage. Then he went out with friends and she was unaware of what he ate, but suspects he ate something. He's obviously eating way too many carbohydrates and calories still even though he is supposed to be trying to eat lower-carb and allegedly sticking to 1800 calories. PUH-LEEZE! This is frustrating me to no end!

I REALLY wish I could be in Florida with Kevin to personally watch him when he eats, walk with him for as long as he can take it, and show him practical ways to lose the weight and get healthy. That's just not a feasible option for me right now. What Kevin needs now more than ever is a major life intervention and quickly or he won't make it to the age of 40. He's been give that chances with this generous heart doctor, but I'm not so sure he's going to avail himself of this golden goose.

Continue to pray for Kevin Lee Moore that he would change his thinking about his weight. Until he comes to grips with the grave reality of his condition, he will remain morbidly obese and slowly keep chipping away at his life. The devastation of Kevin's condition that continues to happen right before my eyes keeps me focused on what I am doing to help educate, encourage and inspire others to get this part of their life headed in the right direction.

It's not my fault if people like Kevin don't listen, but it won't stop me from trying. I'll NEVER quit if for no other reason than to help spare others the pain of having to go through the drama of seeing a loved one eating his way to an early grave. If we can save just ONE person from doing that, then the tens of thousands of hours I have invested in my blog will have been all worth it!

I'll let you know if I hear anything new out of Kevin, especially if he decides to make a full commitment to improving his weight and health. I'm not confident he will, but I am hopeful for the best. THANKS again for all of your thoughts and prayers.

How's It Going And How Can I Help You?

I suppose I owe you an update on the bad news I shared last week from what's been happening in my life. It's funny how stinging that proverbial 2X4 on the backside of the head feels a week after getting walloped! :)

First, my brother Kevin. He did end up going three hours away from home to a university medical center for them to check out his clogged arteries about what to do regarding his dismal heart condition. My mom called me on Tuesday and said they decided NOT to do emergency open heart surgery or even an angioplasty for him.

Instead, they are going to try two things that the doctors back in his hometown can administer--a harness to wrap around his thigh that is supposed to help pump the blood through the heart when the flow gets weak and an experimental new oral medication designed to break up blockages in the arteries. I've never heard of either one of these treatment and they seem to be some of the latest advances in medical technology they are using on him. Pray that they work to heal him.

The good news about the one completely clogged artery (if there is good news to share with that) is that it leads to the "dead" part of Kevin's heart that was permanently damaged during his heart attacks in 1999. In other words, it wouldn't do any good for him even if it was completely cleared. Kevin is not out of the woods with his health yet and I only ask you to continue praying that he would FINALLY wake up and get serious about his health before it REALLY is too late.

I so desperately want him to DO IT this time and may try to get personally involved somehow in making that happen although I live over 1,000 miles away. He can't keep living the way he has been and expect to see his weight and health improve. Pray for me to have the wisdom and direction about how to approach Kevin to help him through this and for him to have the "want to" this time to save his life.

Second, my bathroom floor and roof. Well, we have a new floor installed now thanks to the $1750 we plopped down to have that fixed which basically eliminated our savings we had for our roof to be repaired. That's just a part of life we all have to deal with, but it was just the timing of it that makes it that much more difficult to bear. The workers are scheduled to come back tomorrow to finish up putting in the pipes and installing the vanity, so that issue is pretty much resolved at this point. We are going to start saving for the roof repairs again once I can begin earning money again.

Speaking of that, finally, there's my job situation. It was one week ago today that I was told I no longer had a job with the company I had invested the last 4+ years of my life to. As painful as that experience was and the fact that I was not allowed any compensation for my nearly two weeks of vacation time that had built up or even a severance package, I'm doing okay with it. Nobody ever said life was easy and this past week or so has certainly validated that statement for me.

Some good news is that the temp agency I am working with to find employment has a prospect for me in the same field of work I was doing previously. It is for less pay and obviously NO benefits such as health insurance, retirement, or a gym membership. But is IS a job and I'll take it in a split second if and when an offer is made. My primary goal right now is to start bringing in money again to support my family. That is a priority that I will make happen in short order.

At the same time, I will be looking for full-time employment in a career that would allow me to use my writing talents, marketing experience, and even weight loss success to lay the groundwork for what I will be doing in the years to come. I know we all have our dream jobs and most of those are unfulfilled for whatever reason. But if my nearly 200-pound weight loss taught me anything, it most certainly showed me that nothing is impossible for those who hope and expect success to happen. That doesn't mean the perfect job will fall in my lap, nor should it. However, I believe it CAN happen and it very likely will.

One thing I have been encouraged by over this past week has been the outpouring of love and support from so many of my readers. There have been literally hundreds of e-mails from people all basically stating "how's it going and how can I help you?" You all are among the kindest people on the planet for showing this goofy opinionated low-carber the kindness and friendship that you have. I am truly humbled by your faithfulness to me and the work I am doing here and feel so unworthy of the adoration that you have bestowed on me. How can I say THANK YOU enough?

A few of you asked me about making a contribution to a PayPal account to help me out during this time. I do not have a PayPal account and have never posted one at my blog. The work I do through "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" is a labor of love and I do not mind giving back to others for what the low-carb lifestyle has done for me. Do I wish I could get paid to do what I do at my blog? Heck yeah! I'd be the luckiest guy in the world to be able to support my family writing here for a living. But that's not gonna happen anytime soon.

However, one of my readers read my post over at the "30-In-30" Low-Carb Weight Loss Challenge blog this week where I announced that I had gained 10 1/2 pounds during my troubled week. I chalked the weight gain up to the stress of everything I've been going through and the reader was sincerely concerned to the point that she felt compelled to help me out personally.

Here's what she wrote to me:

"I’ve been following your tough week: from your brother’s health, to losing your job, and now gaining 10.5 pounds on top of all that! That motivated me to ask you something I’ve thought about asking you for quite a while, but just kept putting off.

I assume there are costs involved with your blog that you pay for out of pocket. I’d like to make a contribution. Would you be willing to accept it?

In gratitude to you, in appreciation for your hard work, and to help a wonderful couple going through a tough time, I’d really like to help you out with a small contribution. If this is okay with you?"

Let me just say that I would never stand in the way of anyone who has such a generous heart from being blessed by God for showing this kind of earnest compassion on a fellow human being. That is one of the most thoughtful and selfless acts of kindness and respect that I have ever been shown in my entire life and it would be quite prideful on my part to stop her from doing this.

What a surprising reminder that there really are some very good people in this world today who still remember the human touch that is too often left out of most of our interaction with others. God bless this reader for wanting to reach out to me and Christine in our time of need. We cannot begin to express our THANKS for this unexpected gift.

So, as you can see, life is beginning to look up again after the intial blow that came on us last week. But I knew it would. Everything really does happen for a reason and a purpose that we may never know why, but I'm just trusting the Lord will continue to work all things together for good to fulfill his great and mighty purposes. With friends like so many of you out there praying for us and offering to support us financially, I can't help but be reminded of that eternal truth on a daily basis.

THANK YOU again to everyone who has shared in these difficult times with me and helped me believe that better days are on the horizon. You are my angels and I cannot praise you enough for all that you have done for me. Take care and be blessed!