What A Day For Tons Of Low-Carb Research

After a long weekend full of activities in Nashville, Tennessee for the 2007 Eastern Regional Obesity Course and Nutrition & Metabolism Society Seminar presented by the American Society Of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP), I am finally back at home sweet home in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Ahhhhhh, it feels good to be back although I was privileged to speak with and learn from so many bariatric physicians and low-carb research experts.

Although I conducted eight interviews with various people on Friday, I was only able to do one more today because the schedule was so jam-packed with presentations on the latest low-carb research from people like Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Mary Vernon, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney, and Dr. Richard Feinman. We had to cut out a little early to make it home at a reasonable hour.

I was thrilled to see several other people of interest these past few days: Jackie Eberstein who worked with Dr. Robert C. Atkins for three decades, Laura Dolson from About.com's Low-Carb Diets page, and Collette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals, Inc.

As I was listening to the various presentations about the veracity of livin' la vida low-carb today, the future blog post ideas were popping into my head so fast that I could barely write them all down. But I will attempt to take these and project to you what I have learned based on the knowledge shared in these fantastic seminars from today. If you are a proponent of the low-carb nutritional approach, then take heart...the science is there for all the world to see.

Special thanks to Dr. Mary C. Vernon and Sharon Cooper for coordinating many of the interviews for my podcast show. I look forward to sharing these with you over the next few months likely as a regular feature on Thursdays. There were a wide variety of voices that I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing from, so be sure to check 'em out!

Since I was in Nashville, I decided to look up my high school friend Laura Creekmore who has that fantastic blog called Fixin' Supper. We went out to a nice BBQ place off of Hermitage Road in Nashville and enjoyed catching up on lost time. My wife Christine and I were enamored by Laura's two adorable kids and were glad to be able to see her while we were in town.

Also, I recently blogged about one of my weight loss inspirations being a radio talk show host who held a weight loss contest three years ago named Ralph Bristol. Well, Ralph recently moved from South Carolina to Nashville, Tennessee to become the featured morning host of "Nashville's Morning News" on SuperTalk 99.7FM WWTN. His show is a lot different from the one he did here, but it was neat to hear him on the radio again. I even called up and gave my opinion about something he was talking about on Friday morning.

It's time to hit the sack now (that's going to bed for those of you who don't read Southern!) because I'm just plain TARD! No, not ritard, although Christine has been known to call me that from time to time. The body is slowly getting delirious, so I had better stop typing before I go off saying something REALLY weird. Goodnight John boy! We'll be low-carb blogging again in no time. SEE YA!

A Cardiologist's Diet? I Don't Think So!

My high school friend Laura Creekmore wants to "eat better"

One of my favorite blogs to pay a visit to every now and then is one called "Fixin' Supper," a fun cooking blog dedicated to the culinary desires of its author Laura Creekmore. Of course, I am a bit biased in favor of checking out this blog since Laura is a long-time friend of mine from high school. You may recall I featured her and her blog at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" last year.

Anyways, I was looking around Laura's blog today and noticed she mentioned my name in a blog post she called "Eating Like A Cardiologist." Hmmm, sounds like it oughta be interesting, so I kept reading.

It turns out, Laura is thinking about trying to eat better for the sake of her health and to set a good example for those beautiful kids of hers. Despite the fact that she was the captain of the cheerleading squad in high school (oh how time flies when you're living life, huh Laura!), she now struggles to eat right in her mid-30's. Can I get a witness anyone? :D

The neat thing is Laura has two prominent weight loss success stories--both of which happen to be the result of livin' la vida low-carb--in her life.

"I'm surrounded by South Beach and Atkins successes, but frankly, they always seemed faddish to me," Laura quibbed at her blog. "Not that there aren't good ideas in both--well, heck, just ask my friend Jimmy Moore or NYC sister about the positive effects of these plans."

Even still, she has "resisted" the urge to jump into this way of eating full-fledged. But she does recognize that both me and her sister see our low-carb diets as more than just a way to lose weight, but actually they are "lifestyle transformations." ABSOLUTELY, Laura, and yet...

"And, this, too, I resisted," she admitted.

LOL! What a paradox! Laura knows WHAT to do and the WHY behind it, yet she isn't convinced it's right for her? The constant back and forth of this food is good for you, no wait now it's bad for you headlines has thoroughly confused Laura over the years about what is right for her. She has come to the realization she'd "rather eat barbecue than live to be 100." I think many can relate to that sentiment, Laura!

Self-describing herself as "a reasonably healthy person," Laura says her kids keep her accountable and she loves to exercise regularly (of course, carrying around a little munchkin all the time will give you a hearty workout!).

I think Laura also speaks for most people when she says "if I'm not having fun while I'm here, what's the point?"

True! Which is why it is important to find something that works for you, keeps you healthy, maintains your weight, and is STILL pleasurable. For me and your sister, that has been livin' la vida low-carb. For others, it could be eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. To each his own and nobody should judge us about OUR choices.

The "tipping point" for Laura came when she read the cover story of the February 2006 issue of National Geographic (go to Laura's blog for the link!). In it, she noticed that the cardiologists quoted in the story ate NOTHING but health food and were all taking so-called cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Crestor. Don't get me started on statins again!

Laura has the right perspective about this healthy eating discussion.

"I do NOT need another medication...trust me, I'm over my lifetime quotient...but I can certainly eat better."

Good for you, Laura, and I'm VERY proud of you for realizing this in your life. That's a rarity these days because most people are simply unwilling to even CONSIDER making changes until something bad happens to them like a heart attack or stroke.

If more people started thinking about what their health is going to be like in five, ten, even twenty years from now, then perhaps they could prevent the inevitable onset of such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer, just to name a few. There's no time like the present to get healthy!

I love that part when she says she'd "rather eat barbecue than live to be 100."

Hee hee! Actually, Laura, if you eat the barbecue and combine it with a solid low-carb plan, then you very well COULD live to be 100 years old because you will be eating the healthiest diet on the planet! Eat those non-starchy and green leafy vegetables as well as low-glycemic fruits like berries and you'll see remarkable positive effects on both your weight and health. YOU CAN DO IT!

If you'd like to send your encouragement to my friend Laura Creekmore about her newfound desire to eat better, then e-mail her by clicking here.

By the way, let me give some props to Laura for being featured in The Tennesseean newspaper recently for her work with Internet groups in the Nashville, Tennessee area. WOO HOO! Can I have your autograph, Laura! :D