'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 139: Talking Low-Carb With Gary Taubes (Part 1)

Gary Taubes sat down with me in Phoenix, AZ to discuss low-carb

One of the most influential voices in the diet and health arena this decade isn't a doctor, researcher, clinician, dietitian, fitness buff, or any of the other so-called "experts" that we usually hear from as it relates to this subject. Nope, it's none of them and instead is, of all things, an American journalist named Gary Taubes. Unless you've been living under a rock for the past year, then you should be very well aware of Taubes and his bestselling book about the unique role of carbohydrates as the root cause for obesity and most diseases called Good Calories, Bad Calories which continues and expands upon the ideas he wrote about in his infamous 2002 New York Times op-ed piece "What If It's All Been A Big Fat Lie?"

In Episode 139 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," you'll hear from Taubes himself in an interview I conducted with him in April 2008 at the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and Nutrition & Metabolism conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Gary is a very personable gentleman who has been dedicating himself to the research behind diet and disease for many years and have decided to dive head first into the debate and arena of ideas surrounding nutrition and health. This is a man on a mission as you will hear in Part 1 of my podcast interview with him today and then in Part 2 on Thursday.

Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 139:

"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 139 [24:59m]: LISTEN NOW | Download

Gary Taubes has been traveling around the nation giving a rather succinct lecture on the basic tenets of what he wanted to convey with his book. If you haven't seen the lecture, then you really should check it out for yourself because it is well worth the 72-minute investment of your time to listen to what this man has to say. As he revealed in today's segment, Taubes hopes to convince his publisher to allow him to create a more user-friendly book out of that lecture for the sake of clarity and understandability by those of us who are not medically inclined (which was the primary audience of Good Calories Bad Calories).

Hear interviews from REAL experts like Gary Taubes whenever you'd like by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
3. Subscribing to the RSS feed
4. Going to iTunes--Click here to subscribe!

So what do you think so far? Gary Taubes could literally talk on and on for hours about this subject which encompasses so much of his life right now and we need more people like him out there vocalizing what you and I have seen happen in our own lives since we started livin' la vida low-carb. This isn't some dangerous "fad" diet which we've been led to believe by the media and the "experts"--it's a life-changing event that could literally save the lives of millions more if it weren't so vilified. That's why Taubes wrote his book and is lecturing about this so fervently.

Talk about what you heard in Part 1 of the Taubes interview in the show notes section of Episode 139. If you happened to miss any of my blog posts about Gary Taubes and Good Calories, Bad Calories, then you can see them all in one place by clicking here. You can also provide us with your audio feedback about this interview by calling (206) 202-6516.

A special CONGRATULATIONS to Justin Wallraven, Maya, and Steve Whitley for being my three winners of the hit Canadian low-carb documentary called My Big Fat Diet. Last Monday I conducted a giveaway during Episode 137 by requesting a brief essay explaining how a high-fat, low-carb diet has transformed and changed your life forever. There were lots and lots of entries, so THANK YOU to everyone who tried to win. Keep listening for more chances to win FREE STUFF in the future. I appreciate your support! :)

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 134: Face-To-Face With Protein Power's Drs. Mike And Mary Dan Eades (Part 2)

The Eades at the 2008 Nutrition & Metabolism meeting in Phoenix

After being surrounded by a virtual who's who of low-carb royalty at the recent American Society of Bariatric Physicians and Nutrition & Metabolism Society conference in Phoenix, Arizona in early April 2008, it's now time to share a few of the interviews I conducted while I was there. I shared Part 1 of my chat with Protein Power authors Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades on Monday and can't wait for you to hear Part 2 today.

In Episode 134 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," the Eades talk about some of the more absurd dietary delusions of one Dr. Dean Ornish, the bias that exists from people when looking at the latest scientific studies, Dr. Mike's response to the brouhaha that arose between him and Anthony Colpo a few months back, and the tortuous yet effective intermittent fasting concept. This podcast is chock full of a goldmine of content that I hope you will absorb and enjoy!

Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 134:

"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 134 [25:14m]: LISTEN NOW | Download

I probably could have gone on for hours upon hours talking to this remarkable couple about livin' la vida low-carb. They are living legends in the world of low-carb living and I appreciated their gift of time to me so I could share their wisdom with you in these podcasts this week. THANK YOU Dr. Mike and Dr. Mary Dan for this opportunity and I hope to see you again at future Nutrition & Metabolism Society meetings.

Get amazing interviews like this one anytime by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
3. Subscribing to the RSS feed
4. Going to iTunes--Click here to subscribe!

Do you have any response to what you heard from the incredible Mike and Mary Dan Eades this week? Share whatever is on your mind in the show notes section of Episode 134. Be sure to stop by the blogs of both Dr. Mary Dan Eades and Dr. Mike Eades for even more inspiration and scientific analysis of the latest research. They are low-carb national treasures.

Coming up next week on "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" is another interview from Phoenix with biochemistry professor and co-editor of the Nutrition And Metabolism journal Dr. Richard Feinman. I did a blog interview with Dr. Feinman in 2006, but this was the first time I got to sit down with him for an audio interview. He's a fascinating intellectual and I think you'll enjoy what he has to say in next week's two-part podcast on Monday and Thursday. See you then!

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 133: Face-To-Face With Protein Power's Drs. Mike And Mary Dan Eades (Part 1)

I interviewed Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades in Phoenix, AZ

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to meet and greet all the biggest names in low-carb research and science while attending the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and Nutrition & Metabolism Society conference in Phoenix, Arizona. In those few days, I tried to squeeze in as many interviews as I possibly could and over the next few weeks you'll be hearing these on my podcast show. First up this week is a delightful conversation with our good friends Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades from Protein Power.

In Episode 133 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," I asked the dynamic low-carb duo a series of questions about livin' la vida low-carb, including why belly fat is harder to burn as you get older and what to do about it, which is better to consume between fat and protein, why is the "slow-burn" technique better for you than traditional resistance training methods, and so much more! Remember, today is only Part 1, so be sure to tune in again on Thursday for the remainder of the interview.

Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 133:

"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 133 [20:09m]: LISTEN NOW | Download

Although I had met Dr. Mike and Dr. Mary Dan previously at a low-carb science conference in Brooklyn, NY in January 2006 and interviewed them for my blog in October 2006, this was the first time I had been able to interview them for my podcast show. You will not find two more delightful people who treat you with the kind of respect and kindness that Mike and Mary Dan Eades do. They are tremendous ambassadors for this way of eating and I count it a real privilege to stand in their shadow working alongside them in this nutritional tour de force against the continuing low-fat diet enigma. THANK YOU for all you are doing in support for the low-carb lifestyle, Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades!

Hear experts like Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades anytime by:

1. Listening at the official web site
2. Calling (818) 688-2763 to listen via Podlinez
3. Subscribing to the RSS feed
4. Going to iTunes--Click here to subscribe!

Do you have anything you'd like to share in response to my interview with Mike and Mary Dan Eades? Want to share a compliment with them about how much they mean to your in your personal low-carb lifestyle? Leave it in the show notes section of Episode 133. Go visit the blogs by both Dr. Mary Dan Eades as well as Dr. Mike Eades to get more from the reigning king and queen of low-carb living. :D

Be sure to come back again on Thursday as we share the concluding Part 2 of my interview with Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades on "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore." THANKS for listening!

Still On Cloud Nine After ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism Low-Carb Conference

The 2008 ASBP scientific meeting in Phoenix, AZ was amazing!

Sitting in a room full of bariatric physicians with lecturers who sometimes sound like they're speaking a foreign language with all the science and medical jargon they spout off isn't exactly the most ideal way to spend a few days away from home. But when all of the top low-carb researchers and practitioners from North America gather in one place to share their latest findings in the world of livin' la vida low-carb, you can't help but get super-excited about what is to come in the future of diet and health as the evidence in favor of low-carb diets continues to mount. What a weekend it was!



Sponsored by the American Society of Bariatric Physicians, the 2008 Nutrition & Metabolism Society Seminar held in Phoenix, Arizona presented the science supporting the low-carb lifestyle from the biggest names in the world of low-carb research--Phinney, Westman, Vernon, Volek, Feinman, Wortman, Tarino, and German. This year's conference included two half-day sessions on Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning that was in my opinion even better than the one in Nashville, TN last year.



My only regret is that I didn't have a chance to interview more people at the conference than I did. However, I did get in a few outstanding ones in my limited time--Dr. Richard Feinman, director of The Nutrition & Metabolism Society and co-Editor-In-Chief of the Open Access online journal Nutrition & Metabolism, Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades from Protein Power (see Dr. Mike's blog post about the conference by clicking here), the producer of the hit CBC-Newsworld documentary film My Big Fat Diet (which we were able to watch on Sunday morning) about a group of First Nations people who returned to their native high-fat, low-carb diet named Mary Bissell, and a 45-minute chat with the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories Gary Taubes. These and MANY more interviews for my podcast show will be coming in the next few months from various people who attended the conference, so get ready.



Speaking of Gary Taubes, it was such a pleasure meeting him in person. He's taller than I thought (he said the same thing about me) and could literally talk for hours about this unique role of carbohydrate in the obesity epidemic. You could really sense all the years he has invested in this subject has shaped his thinking about this so acutely that he is now a man on a mission. And he said it on several occasions throughout the weekend that he plans on pursuing this for as long as he has the energy and desire to do it. We need people like Gary Taubes who are unwilling to back down just because the message goes against conventional wisdom. He is certainly on the forefront of a revolution that could very well see a breaking point very soon.

I was happy to see many of my fellow low-carb friends and champions of this cause at the 2008 ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism conference in Phoenix:


JACKIE EBERSTEIN, who worked with Dr. Atkins for three decades and is one of the most knowledgeable Atkins diet experts in the world today.


DR. JONNY BOWDEN, author of Living The Low-Carb Life and various other books on nutritional health. It was a genuine surprise to see him there and he didn't even recognize me at first when I was speaking with Dr. Jeff Volek. Jonny greeted Jeff and started to walk away when I said, "Hey Jonny, it's Jimmy Moore!" The look back on his face was priceless! :) THANKS Jonny!


CASSANDRA FORSYTHE, who described herself as "Jeff Volek's slave" (she works with him at the University of Connecticut) was there as well and we got a few minutes to chat about the future of low-carb (read her blog post about the weekend by clicking here). She is certainly one of the rising stars in low-carb research and a name you will be hearing a lot more from in the coming years long after the old-timers have since passed on. She was a lot shorter than I expected, but I'm sure she could still kick my butt! :P



It was a real pleasure meeting Melanie Vogan from Atlanta Teleproductions, Inc. who was filming various interviews with people behind the scenes in the world of low-carb and I was honored to be a part of that. Melanie and her husband snagged a whole bunch of footage from everyone to piece together a documentary about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. I'm excited about this chance to share low-carb living in such a positive manner and Melanie is just the person to do it. She's fully committed to using her talents in the video broadcasting realm to make it happen. We'll be hearing more from her in the future and I'll let you know when the documentary will be available.



The days went kinda like this: wake up, go to breakfast (they weren't the best in the world considering this was an OBESITY conference), listen to a few lectures, take a break, listen to a few lectures, a time for questions and answers, go to lunch (which weren't any better than the breakfast!), listen to a few lectures, take a break, listen to a few more lectures, ask more questions from the speakers, and then go on your own for supper where most of us hung out at the Lantana restaurant each night just to chit-chat about whatever (the supper menus were the best--check out what I ate during this trip at my menus blog). Sounds riveting, doesn't it? Actually, YES IT WAS!!! When you get to come face-to-face with all these people you blog about, this is a VERY big deal. I liken it to being at the Super Bowl (which ironically was in Phoenix this year!) for fans of livin' la vida low-carb.



It was kinda cool sitting across from Dr. Eric Westman and Dr. Mary Vernon while sitting next to Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades for supper (in fact, Dr. Mary Dan couldn't finish her steak, so I happily obliged!). Rubbing elbows and listening in to the conversations that went on was absolutely priceless. I can't wait to share some of the findings that were presented at this conference as well as my interviews because it was a fabulous time for Christine and I to get away despite the hacker who brought down my forum just before I left.



Although I didn't get to hang out with her as much, I was happy to see my friend and fellow blogger Laura Dolson from the About.com Low-Carb Diets site (you can read her comments about the Phoenix event by clicking here). We had a chance to talk briefly on Saturday night, but I would have loved to been able to talk some more. There just wasn't enough time in the weekend to fit it all in!

The weather was certainly a shock to my system going from a cool, humid climate here in South Carolina to the hot, dry climate in Arizona. On day two when I was planning on several interviews with people, I totally lost my voice. My nasal passages were like the Sahara desert and my groggy voice was only soothed after several hot lemon tea sips and constant water helped lubricate the voice box again. Whew, I hated that feeling and would never make it living in Phoenix, Arizona. But it was a fun place to visit and meet several of my readers who live there.



Dave and Kelly Damron (author of the book Tiny Toes and the blog Twin Peas) were very kind to pick us up from the airport and take us back on Sunday. I've had my nightmare experiences with cabs in New York City, so Kelly helped prevent that from happening in Phoenix. We enjoyed meeting up with them for dinner on Saturday night and talking about our failed IVF cycle experience in December. This is what Kelly dedicates herself to like I do low-carb, so it was kinda cool having someone who has been through it and survived despite great odds. Dave and Kelly both commented how well Christine and I have handled our situation and I told them it has only made us stronger as a couple. THANK YOU Kelly for all you are doing and I wish you and Dave all the best raising those little twin female munchkins. :) Hope to see you again someday.



One of my longtime blog readers Jeri Sessler met with us on Friday and we had a blast just chatting it up over lunch. Jeri is such a sweetheart and I'm glad we got to meet her and spend a few minutes enjoying each other's company. What a delightful lady! We also met a relatively new fan of the livin' la vida low-carb concept who makes her own YouTube video series called the Monkaboo Project. Monyka is a real trip! I appreciate her engaging personality and it really shines through in person just like it does in her videos. We agreed to do a little segment for her latest video that I think you'll enjoy. That was a lot of fun! ;)

All in all, it was a superb few days in Phoenix and I'd like to personally thank The American Society of Bariatric Physicians for extending an invitation to me and Christine to attend. We appreciate the privilege of coming to events like this despite having no background in medicine or nutrition. Anyone who is interested in the subject of weight loss, diet, and health needs to know about the fabulous work of ASBP as well as the Nutrition & Metabolism Society. Dr. Vernon was commenting about how the Nutrition & Metabolism portion of the week tripled from what it was in Nashville last year. This is real progress and I expect the numbers will continue to rise each year as the evidence keeps building and building in favor of low-carb dieting for weight and health management (and diabetes was a HUGE focus of many of the researchers as they see this as the primary front for legitimizing low-carb once again to the general public).

Here's my take-home message from this conference--get involved, take the passion you have for what you believe in, and make a real difference in the world. I'll be blogging more about some specific things you can do to put some grassroots feet to spread the word. Let's just say it's time to turn up the heat on Congressmen in Washington, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and anyone else who needs to listen to the low-carb message in a clear, unbiased manner. I have been inspired to begin working on a major project to help facilitate this. Stay tuned for many amazing things to come on this front!

Now it's time to get caught up on e-mails, bringing my forum back online again, and, oh yeah, SLEEP! :)

Meeting Steve Yu, Flying To Phoenix, And Leaving You With 15 New Low-Carb Blogs

Christine and I will be leaving out of town on Wednesday afternoon to drive down the road three hours to Atlanta, Georgia to meet up with Steve Yu, the producer and director of an incredible film project entitled INSPIRED: The Movie. You'll recall Steve brought his wife Mariah and a film crew up to my home in Spartanburg, South Carolina last year to shoot some footage of me talking about my low-carb weight loss success. I'll be interviewing Steve for my podcast show to talk with him about the status of his amazing movie and when you can expect to see it either in theaters or on DVD. Stay tuned!

Then on Thursday, we'll be getting on an airplane heading out west to Phoenix, Arizona for the American Society of Bariatric Physicians and Nutrition & Metabolism Symposium. I've been looking forward to this trip for months and now it's this week. WOO HOO! Everybody who's anybody in the world of low-carb research is gonna be at this amazing conference and I'm gonna do my best to interview and meet as many of them as I can.

In fact, Christine and I came up with a YouTube video idea--since we'll have all these experts in one place, why not ask them a rather simple question that should warrant a variety of responses. Here's what I'll be asking: If you only had 15 seconds to communicate one message about health to the entire world, what would you say? Imagine what people like Dr. Mike Eades, Dr. Mary Vernon, Gary Taubes, Dr. Richard Feinman, Dr. Jeff Volek, Jackie Eberstein, and others would have to say to that question! Well, you won't have to imagine because we're gonna see EXACTLY what they'd say in that video. Be looking for it when we return early next week.

While we're away in Phoenix, I should still have Internet access and I'm bringing my laptop. But I don't know how much time there will be for blogging. Probably little to none since the schedule is so tight. And the hotel we're staying at is a luxurious resort with a water theme park on site, full spa and gym, and lots of scenic beauty that may distract me from blogging. Sorry ya'll, but you gotta soak it in while you can! :P

To that end, I'd like to share a bunch of new low-carb blogs with you as has become my custom before leaving on a long trip away from home. If you missed any of my previous blog posts featuring the latest and the greatest new low-carb blogs, then you can see them here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

Here are 15 pretty amazing new low-carb blogs I've come across lately:

1. JON'S ATKINS CHALLENGE

Jonny D from the UK is on a rather bold, but possible mission--"Reducing my Weight and Improving My Health" and "To discover if the Atkins Approach Really Works." Let me tell ya, Jon, IT WORKS IT WORKS IT REALLY WORKS! He's already approaching 50 days of livin' la vida low-carb (well, sorta, if you don't count cheats like this one with a donut!) and is working his way down to 12 stone, or 168 pounds. Jon is currently at 200 pounds and well on his way to reaching his goal. Check out his blog for posts of what he is eating on his way to fit and healthy the low-carb way.

2. DYED IN VERMONT TIE-DYES

Okay, you might be wondering, "Uh, Jimmy, what's a blog about tie-dye shirts got to do with low-carb dude?" GREAT QUESTION! And I could say I'm looking for the inner 60's hippie inside of me. But the reality is this Vermont blogger named Richard Rogers has some great stuff to say about diabetes that you should read. He's already said there will be more posts about how he controls his Type 2 diabetes. I LOVED this quote: "All type 2 diabetics can benefit from reduced carbohydrate intake, and I have personally found that a very low-carb diet (along with medication and blood testing) can be very effective for controlling blood sugar." WOO HOO! Somebody else that gets it! Are you getting the message yet ADA?

3. ROY AND HAZEL

How can you NOT love a couple like Roy and Hazel? Here they are sharing their livin' la vida low-carb experience for all the world to see warts and all and they LOVE it. Unafraid to share whatever's on their mind good, bad, or ugly, Roy and Hazel are a trip and you should REALLY check 'em out often. Looks like a Ricky and Lucy thing if you ask me. LOL! Luuuuuuuuucy?! AWESOME and ENCOURAGING info, too!

4. 4 KINGS AND A QUEEN

Here's a 30-year old California homemaker named Sarah who deserves a medal or something--raising four boys and a special needs little girl while livin' la vida low-carb, too! You're my hero!!! She's trying her hand at the low-carb lifestyle eating an amazing Atkins-like high-fat/low-carb diet consisting of a fat/protein/carbohydrate ratio of 80/15/5. OUTSTANDING!!! Sarah says some people may think she's "crazy" eating this way, but it apparently "works for a lot of people." That it does. She's "playing around" with doing this for her weight and health and I think the results are gonna be much better than she could have ever imagined. You go get 'em, Sarah!!!

5. GLUCOHOLIC

If you are a diabetic or low-carber looking for sugar-free snacks reviews, then this is the blog for you. ENJOY! :)

6. WEIGHTY MATTERS

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff is an amazing bariatric physician in Ottawa, Ontario Canada who uses non-drug therapies for treating obesity and disease. His blog is chock full of some wonderful information for people looking to live a healthy lifestyle without the need for prescriptions. I'll be sharing a podcast interview with Dr. Freedhoff very soon that you're sure to enjoy!

7. PAUL'S HEALTH BLOG

Paul, a prostate cancer survivor who took control of his own health, is "living the natural path" and wants others to understand clearly why this is more preferred than being drugged up for this and that health condition. I love what he had to say about the "cholesterol deception" that is going on in our culture today. I admire your strength and determination to educate, Paul, and wish you nothing but continued success at keeping your cancer in remission.

8. DR. SEARS' ZONE DIET

Okay, so this site isn't new nor is it a blog. But if you haven't come across Dr. Barry Sears and The Zone diet before, then it's certainly worth taking a look at this site. Dr. Sears has been on the cutting edge of nutritional science talking about the subject of inflammation as the culprit in obesity and disease long before anyone else was. And lately, he's been lauded for helping 1200-pound Manuel Uribe get his weight and health under control (he's lost 500 pounds and counting following Dr. Sears' lower-carb nutritional approach). Check it out!

9. MISS WISABUS

Elizabeth, a 23-year old senior at the University of Oklahoma, is livin' la vida low-carb and loving it too. Check out what she had to say on her April 7, 2008 blog entry: "So, I’m low-carbing, right? It’s changed my life. Complete 180. I couldn’t have imagined how much better I would feel, the energy I would have (Though, I could definitely handle requiring more sleep than I currently feel like I need. The energy I have between 10pm and 2am alone may be enough to raise Dr. Atkins from the dead. Will look into this.), and how good bacon can taste." You ain't seen nothin' yet, Liz! Wait until you've been eating this way for several years--UNBELIEVABLE FEELING! Keep up the great work with your low-carb progress and impeccable blog.

10. THE NEW MANDA--MY WEIGHT LOSS STORY

Manda is a 22-year old student from El Paso, Texas on a "fat loss journey." She hasn't posted in a couple of months, so how about we all encourage her to start blogging again and try livin' la vida low-carb if she's ready to get serious about losing weight and getting healthy.

11. LESLIE'S LOW-CARB LIFESTYLE

Leslie is a spunky 23-year old, 275-pound (and falling!) Indiana girl who's ready to be dead serious about livin' la vida low-carb and lose over 100 pounds. And she's doing it, too, already shedding over 35 pounds this year! Cheer her on to GREAT success in 2008. YOU CAN DO THIS, Leslie!!! We believe in you, girl, so KEEP AT IT!

12. TALKING OUT OF TURN

Charlie Seabold is one interesting chap. Just take a quick look at his blog to see what I'm talking about. But one thing about Charlie that I especially enjoyed seeing is that he is succeeding on the Atkins diet along with implementing Fred Hahn's Slow Burn techniques into his routine starting last month. He's below 200 pounds now thanks to Gary Taubes and Hahn and that's a very good thing. Click here to read about how Charlie's thinking on diet has evolved because of what he has learned about low-carb living.

13. HYPERLIPID

52-year old Peter is a veterinarian from the UK who consumes a diet consisting of 80 percent fat. YEAH BABY!!! He does eat enough carbohydrates to stay out of ketosis and has been doing this ever since June 2003 claiming "I feel better than I did as a teenager." I adored what he had to say about his diet: "I am always looking for evidence that I may be wrong to eat against most current medical advice. So far Pubmed backs me up." HA! You get 'em Peter!!! Superb information found throughout this blog.

14. SH.NET BLOG

Syera is another one of those unconventional bloggers. But I couldn't help but stop in my tracks when I saw this blog post she entitled "Because some people just don't get it." In it, Syera explains the REAL reason why people get diabetes (and it's not because of their obesity) and the diagram she uses to show the connection between carbs, sugar cravings, and insulin spikes is worth taking a look at. THANKS for making this crystal clear, Syera!

15. KELLY THE CULINARIAN

I am a low-carb recipe nut, so naturally Kelly Mahoney's blog was a perfect choice to include among my list of low-carb blogs since that's what she features at her site. This Illinois journalist isn't an exclusive low-carb recipe blogger, but she certainly makes some incredible dishes when she does decide to make 'em low-carb (like this low-carb chicken parmesan dish--WOW!). Bookmark Kelly's blog and visit early and often (preferably on an empty stomach, too!).

Give these blogs a look see and leave a comment for the ones you REALLY like. I'll bet you'll make their day if you do. Tell them you read about their blog at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" from Jimmy Moore. That'll trip 'em out for sure. :D

Got a new low-carb blog you want me to know about? Send me the URL at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and I may just feature it in a future blog post. And if you're thinking about starting a blog, let me encourage you to DO IT! The more low-carb bloggers we can have sharing the good news of livin' la vida low-carb to the world, the better! There are real people who need to know there is a better way than the high-carb, low-fat diet. EWWWWW!

You can access hundreds of low-carb links at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Links" blog.

Sound Science Supporting Saturated Fat Featured In Phoenix This Week

The city of Phoenix, Arizona is about to heat up this week and it's not just because summer is on the way. The American Society of Bariatric Physicians is conducting their 2008 Western Regional Obesity Course and Nutrition & Metabolism Society Symposium beginning on Tuesday, April 8 through Sunday April 13, 2008. Christine and I attended the 2007 ASBP meeting in Nashville, Tennessee last year as well as the 2006 Nutrition & Metabolism scientific sessions that took place in Brooklyn, New York. These are truly amazing conferences to attend and I am honored to be a part of them despite being just a layperson with no medical or nutritional training or background.

This particular conference in Phoenix beginning on Tuesday is where all of the nation's top bariatrics physicians come together to talk about and exchange ideas about how to deal with the ever-increasing problem of obesity and to find out what is working and what is not. Yes, many bariatric physicians seem to get a bad rap for their seeming quick embracing of weight loss surgery, but a lot of the ones I interviewed for my podcast show last year looked at natural dietary ways of dealing with it first before even contemplating going under the knife with their patients. Most of these doctors are fully dedicated to helping their patients find the proven and effective plan that works best for them and they come to conferences like these to hear seminars from other experts in the field to learn how to be even better at what they do.

As an added bonus set of sessions presented by the Nutrition & Metabolism Society, the weekend part of the conference is almost entirely dedicated to the truth from the research community about saturated fat, carbohydrate restrictions, and heart disease. The very latest cutting edge evidence will be presented, including examining whether there is a real connection between saturated fat and heart disease, seeking to understand what role carbohydrates play in cardiovascular risks, and comparing whether carbohydrate restriction or saturated fat restriction is preferred when attempting to prevent and treat heart disease. What a fascinating set of topics that correlates perfectly with what I do here on a daily basis and one I will be taking copious notes, I can assure you.

The highlight of the conference taking place at the Pointe Hilton Squaw Peak Resort in Phoenix is hearing from bestselling author of Good Calories, Bad Calories Gary Taubes as he presents two lectures--"The Real Cause Of Obesity" on Saturday and "History of Dietary Saturated Fat-Restriction Recommendations" on Sunday. I'll be right there listening in to what he has to say as well as conducting my own interview with Taubes who has generously agreed to appear on my podcast show, too. WOO HOO!

Other notables presenting information at this event who I am hoping to meet and interview while I am there include Dr. Eric Westman from Duke University, Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate, Dr. Jeff Volek from the University of Connecticut, Dr. J. Bruce German and Dr. Steven Phinney (who I've been trying to interview for the past three years) from the University of California-Davis, Dr. Mary C. Vernon from the University of Kansas, Dr. Donald Layman from from The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Dr. Jay Wortman who constructed the diet used by the First Nations people on the hit CBC-TV documentary "My Big Fat Diet."

It will be a true honor being in the midst of these true greats who are working tirelessly behind the scenes researching the validity of the low-carbohydrate dietary approach. I consider these men and women the REAL heroes of this way of eating because they have sometimes put their own personal careers and reputations on the line in an effort to share the truth that the data shows them about livin' la vida low-carb. We all owe them a great debt of gratitude for the work they are doing to educate the public about the healthy low-carb lifestyle.

I'm also excited about meeting some other wonderful people in the world of low-carb living who will be in attendance at this conference, including Protein Power authors Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades, Jackie Eberstein from Controlled Carbohydrate Nutrition (and who worked with Dr. Robert C. Atkins for three decades), University of Connecticut researcher Cassandra Forsythe, About.com Low-Carb Diets blogger Laura Dolson, Colette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals, and many more! Christine and I can't wait to get on that plane on Thursday and spend a few days in the "valley of the sun" to get educated, encouraged and inspired anew about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. When I get back, hopefully I'll have TONS of podcasts, blog post ideas and even a YouTube video or two to share with you about this incredible conference.

If you have any questions you would like for me to ask any of the people I mentioned in this blog post during my interviews, then please e-mail those to me no later than Tuesday, April 8, 2008. I will do my best to ask the experts about what's on your mind and get the answer directly from the horse's mouth. :) THANKS for supporting the work I am doing here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. I appreciate you guys!

By the way, if you live in the Phoenix, AZ area, then we'd love to meet you while we are there. E-mail me and maybe we can meet at the hotel to chat or have dinner with you. It would be such a privilege to come face-to-face with the people who enthusiastically support me in the work I am doing. THANK YOU!