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

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!

Eight Interviews Today, More Coming Saturday

When I blogged about being in Nashville, Tennessee earlier today for the 2007 Eastern Regional Obesity Course and Nutrition & Metabolism Society Seminar presented by the American Society Of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP), I had no idea they were gonna run me ragged with interviews all day--EIGHT OF THEM IN ALL! Yikes!

Actually, it was a whole lotta fun getting to chit chat for just a few moments with these men and women who have dedicated their lives to helping the overweight and obese overcome their lifelong struggles with weight, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, heart disease, and worse. They are heroes in my book and I encourage you to find an ASBP board-certified physician in your area by clicking here.

What an amazing experience to hear each of these doctors almost in unison espousing some of the very principles that they have implored in their practice to help bring about weight control in their patients (see if these sound vaguely familiar):

1. Permanent weight loss is about lifestyle change
2. Weight loss will not happen until the person is ready
3. You need to find a plan that will work for you
4. Don't diet to lose weight, but live healthy
5. Sugar and refined carbs are a detriment to your body
6. Losing weight should be fun, not miserable
7. There is no one-size-fits-all diet plan for everyone
8. Protein with every meal is important
9. Regular support is essential to weight loss success
10. Transition weight loss to improving health

Keep in mind that many of these doctors are NOT strong proponents of livin' la vida low-carb. While most of them are at least respectful that the low-carb way of life is appropriate at least for some (it was hard for them to deny this with a 180+ pound weight loss success staring them right in the face!), you could tell they were entrenched in the usual low-fat, low-calorie, portion control mentality that our current society is focused on. Not all, but some.

With that said, I'd like to publicly say THANK YOU to each of the following doctors and researchers who took time out of their busy conference schedule to spend a few minutes with me. They are: Dr. Mary C. Vernon, Dr. Machiel (Mike) Kennedy, Dr. Denise Bruner, Dr. Kurt D. Kraft, Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Allen Rader, Dr. Scott Rigden, and Dr. Larry Richardson. All of these fine people were gracious enough to be recorded for a 10-15 minute interview for my podcast show. Be looking for these in the coming months.

Of course, I'm just getting started with the interviews because I have a full slate scheduled for Saturday with the low-carb researchers who will be featured during the Nutrition & Metabolism Society presentation. I will be attempting to speak with Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Richard Feinman, Dr. Jay Wortman, Dr. Stephen Phinney, and anyone else I can fit into the day before I have to leave (I just hate that I missed out on speaking with Dr. Brian Wansink from Cornell University who was here, but left early this morning--DARN!).

It's been fun, but exhausting...in a good way, of course. Being in the presence of such a wealth of wisdom as it relates to obesity is truly an awesome experience. What's funny is just about everyone I've spoken with here wanted to know more about MY story and how I've been able to keep my weight off for over three years. You know what I tell 'em, don't ya:

"I'm livin' la vida low-carb, baby!"

I'm In Nashville Talking Obesity And Low-Carb

With my wife Christine snoozing away in the other side of this darkened room, I'm sitting here in the wee hours of the morning near the airport in Nashville, Tennessee looking out the window of the Marriott hotel awaiting the sun to rise for another beautiful and exciting day. Why am I in Music City USA right now? I'm so glad you asked. :)

This week is the 2007 Eastern Regional Obesity Course and Nutrition & Metabolism Society Seminar sponsored by the American Society Of Bariatric Physicians (ASBP). Dr. Mary C. Vernon is the president of that group as they attempt to come up with answers to the ever-growing twin epidemics of obesity and diabetes. These kind of meetings are a noble attempt to get a handle on what has clearly become an out-of-control health crisis in the United States and around the world.

While not everything discussed at this conference is going to be a friendly message to livin' la vida low-carb, I am holding out for Saturday's event when the Nutrition & Metabolism Society seminar will highlight some of the latest advances in low-carb research. WOO HOO! People like Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Stephen Phinney, Dr. Richard Feinman, Dr. Jay Wortman, and others are scheduled to present their findings. This will be the most exciting part of the weekend!

That's tomorrow, though, and will be an all-day event. As soon as the final speaker is finished on Saturday, Christine and I will be hitting the road back home for the 5-hour trip to Spartanburg, South Carolina. We're excited to be here and to share with these physicians attending (whether they support low-carb or not) that livin' la vida low-carb does indeed work very well and I'm living proof. It's been fun watching their reaction when I tell them I did the Atkins diet. HA!

So, what about today? Well, I've got a series of future podcast shows with several of the obesity experts who are here. Some are affiliated with low-carb research, but others are simply providing the best possible care as they know it to their obese patients to help them overcome their lifelong struggle with poor weight and health.

Still others are providing studies that could explain why we got to be so obese in the first place. I'm looking forward to recording those interviews throughout the day today. They're certainly gonna keep me busy!

The research community is where the rubber meets the road currently for livin' la vida low-carb and I'm so excited to be in the midst of such learned and knowledgeable experts who are attempting to show the world that this way of eating is not just viable, but actually a preferred nutritional approach to combatting obesity and disease for a whole lotta people. I'm like a kid in a candy store...sugar-free, low-carb candy, that is!

I've got a busy schedule while I'm here, but I'll try to blog some updates when I can. THANKS for your ongoing support for what I am doing with my blog and podcast show. SEE YA LATER!

Thanks For Changing My Life, Ralph Bristol

Radio talk show host Ralph Bristol instrumental in my low-carb success

While most of the readers of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog are aware of my 180-pound weight loss on the Atkins diet in 2004, you may not realize there were other ingredients involved in that experience that helped push me to the great success that I was able to accomplish. One of those was a rather unique opportunity to be a part of a weight loss contest conducted by a local afternoon radio talk show host named Ralph Bristol.

I had been a regular listener of "The Ralph Bristol Show" on 1330/950AM Newsradio WORD in Greenville/Spartanburg, SC for several years before 2004 when Ralph announced a brand new contest he was calling "Ralph's Incredible Shrinking Ton" which would pit five contestants weighing a cumulative 2,000 pounds against each other to see who could lose the most weight as a percentage of their starting weight. You can read my CommonVoice.com column entitled "382 1/2!" to get more of the details of the weigh-in day.

If you have read the Introduction of my book Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year, then you already know the story. If not, then you can read that chapter for FREE and see exactly what happened during the contest. I will tell you this--I won the contest but in the most peculiar way. You'll just have to read it to believe it! CLICK HERE to view my before and after photos from "Ralph's Incredible Shrinking Ton" contest.

After months of arm-twisting and begging him to write the foreword to my book, Ralph agreed and did a fantastic job encapsulating exactly what I was attempting to convey with the book. I will forever be indebted to him for being willing to do that and even bringing me back on his show for a LIVE one-hour interview about the Atkins diet in August 2005. You can read the entire transcript of that interview I did with him by clicking here.

Of course, Ralph is an equal opportunity radio talk show host and once challenged a local restaurant to come up with the world's largest hamburger when gigantic burgers were all over the news. He pulled it off with this amazing 19-pound hamburger that set a new world record! Gotta love that Ralphie!

One thing Ralph will always be remembered for is his ability to be original in a very unoriginal world. I say "remembered" because he is leaving the Upstate of South Carolina where he has grown fans from towns like Greenville, Spartanburg, Anderson, and more with his golden voice and firm stands on the issues. He's gonna be moving up in the world to the Nashville, Tennessee market to become a morning show host.

CONGRATULATIONS to Ralph Bristol and I wish him all the best in his new career path. The Nashville market won't know what hit 'em until they get a load of Ralph, so get ready Tennessee! Bristolmania is about to ensue! :D

If I could just say one thing to this man, it would a warm and hearty THANK YOU! You quite literally were a part of the reason I am alive and healthy today. Had it not been for your contest, I don't know if I could have made it to the end of 2004 nearly half of my original weight. It was and will always be my greatest accomplishment and I have YOU to thank for it, Ralph!

So, I guess what I'm saying is thanks for changing my life, Ralph Bristol. I found a diet plan that works for me and I'm still sticking to it some three years later. No matter what happens to you when you get to Nashville, you will ALWAYS have this badge of honor from your days here in South Carolina. Jimmy Moore may not be the "Slim Jim" he is today without your contest.

Goodbye Ralph and THANK YOU for giving me my life back! God bless you!