Sharing About My Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Change At Liberty Curves

Liberty, SC Curves owner Gena Gibson invited me to speak to her ladies

One of my favorite things to do ever since I lost over 180 pounds three years ago on the Atkins diet is go around to various venues talking about my low-carb weight loss success. I enjoy blogging, podcasting, and YouTubing my experiences on this amazing lifestyle change gift I have been given. But there's just something about standing in front of a group of people to intimately and passionately share what has happened to you.



Earlier today I had an opportunity to do just that in a town called Liberty, South Carolina at the local Curves there. If you have never heard of Curves, it is an international fitness phenomenon designed for the busy woman who wants to lose weight and get healthy. I have nothing but admiration for what this company is doing to help members of the female population feel comfortable working out and doing something about their health. My only regret is that they don't have a Curves for men (and don't tell me that's what Gold's Gym is for--EEEEEK!).



The ladies who were in attendance today were quite attentive and enthusiastic with their questions about my weight loss success. The overall theme I shared with them was about how livin' la vida low-carb or whatever their chosen diet plan is not about having some great willpower to shed the pounds. If we had such great willpower, then how in the world did we get fat to begin with? Instead, as I have blogged about previously, this lifestyle change is more about having a steadfast resolve to make better and smarter choices for your health first and foremost and the weight loss will come as a side effect of that. I kept coming back to this theme time and time again.



Although there were only about a dozen people there on this gorgeous Saturday afternoon, the insightful questions they posed to me kept me quite busy. Everything from the loose skin issue to eating out at restaurants as well as why some fruits and vegetables may not be healthy all the way to the role of exercise in my weight loss was brought up. We were having so much fun that the first time I looked up at the clock, over 1 1/2 hours had passed by!



I sincerely appreciate everyone who came out to meet me and listen to my opinions about diet, health and weight loss at the Curves in Liberty, SC today. It was such a pleasure meeting you and hopefully I was able to help educate, encourage, and inspire you in your own journey to better health. Please do not hesitate to contact me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you have any specific questions or comments about this way of eating. I'm by no means an expert, but I have been living this way for close to four years and will happily share from my experiences.



Since we were moving quite fast with all the outstanding questions that were being asked, you might have missed the names and authors of some of those books I mentioned. Here is a recap of the ones I talked about:

- Livin' La Vida Low-Carb by Jimmy Moore (who? LOL!)
- Good Calories, Bad Calories by Gary Taubes
- The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan
- Mindless Eating by Dr. Brian Wansink
- The Great Cholesterol Con by Dr. Malcolm Kendrick

There were many other books I could have recommended, but this is a good list of ones to begin with. Keep reading my blog to see even more! :)



Finally, here are a few blog posts to follow-up on some of the key points during my presentation if you are interested in even more information. Check these out:

- Study on creating a false memory (sugar is rat poison!)
- Study about how 30 minutes of exercise daily good for heart health
- My "loose skin" posts
- Fruits and vegetables are not all good for you
- Eating soy/tofu not so good for you after all
- Almonds are super-healthy for you to consume
- Getting adequate fiber in your diet
- The importance of drinking plenty of water
- The infamous "planned splurge" strategy
- I'm still obese according to BMI, but I don't look like it

We talked about so much, so please feel free to write to me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net if you have any questions for me. I'm always happy to help! THANK YOU again to Gena Gibson for providing such a warm welcome for me and Christine during our visit to the Curves in Liberty, SC today. It was a load of fun and we look forward to coming back again in 2008!

Would you be interested in having me come speak to your group and make a public appearance in your area? If so, then please contact my publicity agent Christina Jeffrey from The Palladian Group at 864-596-7501 or e-mail her at Christina@ThePalladianGroup.com to inquire about more details. She'd be happy to mail out an informational package about me and set up everything with you about scheduling my appearance. I look forward to seeing you to talk about the incredibly healthy low-carb lifestyle in the near future. Book your date now before it fills up fast in 2008. :D

Leaving 'Leatherheads' For The Last Time

The leather helmets worn by the football players in "Leatherheads"

When I stood in line for about three hours trying out to be a football-playing extra in "Leatherheads" in December 2006, I thought to myself, "This is crazy! There's no way that I'll ever have the chance to be in a major Hollywood movie starring George Clooney, Renee Zellweger, and John Krasinski!"

Boy, was I wrong!

Although it wasn't as a football player, I did indeed have that chance to be on the movie set in early March portraying the doorman at the Emerson hotel filmed in downtown Greenville, South Carolina where Clooney's character delivers a line to me and I give him an incredulous look back. Way cool!

A few weeks later, they asked me to come back to play the role of a fan during the football game scenes filmed in Travelers Rest, South Carolina for the "Leatherheads" movie, a romantic comedy set in the 1920's around the time professional football was born. Although the pay rate for being an extra is only $7 an hour, just to be on that set with Clooney, Krasinski, etal. was indeed an experience I won't soon forget.


Everyone was dressed up in 1920's attire from head to toe

Wearing a big wool coat, scarf, hat, dress pants, shirt and tie, and dress shoes is definitely not the attire of the 21st century, but that's exactly what the men wore day in and day out back then. So we had to dress the part whether it was 85 degrees outside or 45 degrees. It was like we stepped back in time seeing each other dressed like this and the women were all dolled up with their cute hats and bright makeup. I swear, all the women looked exactly alike! Gorgeous, of course. ;)


Is that George Clooney posing with Jimmy Moore?

As you can imagine, there have been literally hundreds of people working as extras for the "Leatherheads" movie and I was privileged enough to meet quite a few of them. One of the most popular extras has got to be Greg Helker, aka G.C. As in "George Clooney"--yep, that's him in that picture with me above. What a great guy, too! The man was so gracious and humble to everyone who spoke with him and wanted to have their picture taken with "Clooney" (actually, he looks a little more like late-night talk show host Jay Leno than Clooney in person).

In fact, I remember Greg wearing a white T-shirt with the message "I'm Not Clooney" at the football tryouts in December. What's really funny is he was just as star-struck as the rest of us on the set watching all the movie stars. Yep, even the Clooney look-a-like was glad to be a part of this movie. It was great to meet you, Greg, and I hope to see you in the film (is that YOU or Clooney, hmmm? LOL!).


What's a football movie without cheerleaders, right?

There were all kinds of extras used in the movie, including football players, referees, fans, members of the press, vendors, and cheerleaders. Many of the extras were dressed completely by wardrobe and others of us brought some of our own clothes which were supplemented with items from the movie set. There were special privileges given to the people who were in 100% vintage costume for close-up shots and they took great pains to keep this period film as authentic as possible.


George Clooney watching the monitor as John Krasinski stands by

On Thursday, filming of "Leatherheads" resumed in Charlotte, North Carolina (about 100 miles north of my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina) and the wake-up call that day for me was really, really, REALLY early...2:30am! EEEK! What's really bad is I didn't get to sleep until midnight, so I barely got any rest at all that night. Why was I up so early? Extras were told to report to the check-in between 4-7am. I wouldn't get home that night until nearly 8:00pm!

Yep, it was a long day for us, but we had to cram in a full day of filming which turned out to be the opening scenes of "Leatherheads" where (NBC's The Office star) John Krasinski's character Carter Rutherford is playing college football for Princeton against Penn. We moved around all over the stadium doing the same scene over and over again from different angles and it different positions. I don't think the average Joe and Jane can even begin to realize all that goes on behind-the-scenes to make a two-hour movie look the way it does. It's amazing!


George Clooney gabbing it up with John Krasinski on the set

During Thursday's filming, we got to see George Clooney and John Krasinski a LOT (but regretfully I have yet to see Renee Zellweger in the four total days I worked on the set--darn!). In fact, Clooney was dressed in regular clothes for the scenes we shot in Charlotte since he was not on the field portraying his "Dodge" Connolly character that day. But since he is the director of "Leatherheads," he had to be there to make sure the movie looks exactly like he wants it to.


David Webb consults with George Clooney about the next scene

Of course, Clooney couldn't direct "Leatherheads" all by himself, so he got ample help from his 1st Assistant Director David Webb. Man, what a pro this Webb guy is! From the first time I saw him on the set in Greenville a month ago, I could tell right away he knows exactly what he is doing and would keep the day flowing right along. He's the one who would say "Action" through the bullhorn. Of course, all of us extras were also accustomed to hearing him say "Cut--back to 1" which meant we would be doing the scene over...AGAIN! :) But you knew when he said "That's a wrap" that they got the shot they were looking for.


Producer Grant Heslov chats it up with John Krasinski

Although we never heard from him on the set, you could see "Leatherheads" producer Grant Heslov walking around observing and quietly giving his input during the filming of various scenes. You may recall Heslov as an actor in such hit movies as True Lies, Dante's Peak (one of my favorite films!), Enemy of the State, The Scorpion King and the Academy Award-nominated Good Night, and Good Luck. Now he's been working with Clooney since August 2006 in a movie company called Smoke House.


George Clooney was constantly moving throughout the day

Speaking of the aforementioned Clooney, he was everywhere on the set that day. In fact, at one point he climbed up in the stands smacking his gum (yep, the man didn't stop chewing for even a moment the entire day!) and coming within just a few feet of us extras. We weren't supposed to talk to him, but a few extras got in some comments to him anyway. Constantly keeping us loose by giving acting instructions with a bit of dry humor, you can tell Clooney absolutely loves his roles as director and actor in "Leatherheads." I am confident that he is going to do this movie justice and make it fantastic.


John Krasinski signs an autograph for a fan

To be honest with you, I didn't even know who John Krasinski was before this movie. I'm just not a big fan of the style of comedy on The Office. I just don't get it. Sorry. But this guy is absolutely hilarious! Even still, when the camera was rolling he was all business and did his job extremely well. Like I said in my previous post, he was more than willing to run the length of the field for his scene and then run back to his starting position for another take rather than hitching a ride back. Classy guy! It'll be interesting to see if he keeps that same good head when he becomes a superstar like Clooney one day.


Catching John Krasinski's back side with extras looking on

There was one scene that you'll see at the beginning of the movie where Krasinski's character runs in the end zone for a touchdown and he is swarmed with people running up cheering for him. A group of guys lift him up on their shoulders like a hero and he's pointing to the crowd. Anywho, they had to do that scene over about three or four times because the extras were inadvertently pushing John's head into the camera which doesn't make for good filming. Their new instructions were to "Get excited, but not TOO excited." How's that work? :)


Football players watch Clooney and Krasinski strategize

For all the glamour and glitz that comes with being a Hollywood star like George Clooney, the reality is a movie like this takes a lot of hard work, grit, and endurance to make it happen. Of course, the payoff for the big boys involved will be when this $60 million movie makes $300 million at the box office when it releases in late 2007/early 2008. But being an extra is not a job I would want to try to support a family on. Not by a long shot, no matter how thrilling it is to do it.

With that said, I have now left the "Leatherheads" set for the last time and it has been a fun ride. They'll keep on filming in North Carolina for about another month and then it will go to production where the fate of the scenes that all of us extras are in lies in the hands of the person with the scizzors on the cutting room floor! Cross your fingers that they will keep a few of my scenes intact. :) I'm pretty sure the 20-second doorman scene will remain if nothing else.


We each got a "Leatherheads" keychain as a memento from the film

Would I do something like being an extra in a movie again? Heck yeah, in a heartbeat, baby! But I couldn't do this kinda work every single day of my life for the money they pay. Give me blogging about the low-carb lifestyle and a "normal" life thank you very much! THANKS for the memories, George Clooney, John Krasinski, and the rest! And Renee, too bad we didn't see you in person, but I'll look for you on the silver screen. Good luck to "Leatherheads" at the Oscars!

Read the latest news about the "Leatherheads" movie at Clooney Studio or Clooney Project.

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!

My Pictures From The Set Of 'Leatherheads'

A shot of football actors during filming of the movie "Leatherheads"

Ever since I thought I might have a chance at being in "Leatherheads," the upcoming 1920's period film which is actually a romantic comedy about the birth of professional football directed by and starring the one and only Hollywood superstar George Clooney (do you see him in that picture above--probably not since it's so small, but he's the one wearing #7 on the left-hand side), I've kinda felt like good things were about to happen for me.

Then when I got the fateful call late last month that the casting director wanted to use me as an extra in what is sure to be a blockbuster flick when it comes out in early 2008, I was totally surprised but overjoyed at the opportunity.


There's Jimmy Moore in his doorman costume in "Leatherheads"

A few weeks ago, I experienced my first time ever on the set of the "Leatherheads" movie during the taping of a scene where I portray the doorman of a hotel. That was an awesome time since my character was the only extra in the scene that Clooney's character actually talks to. They miked me up to give a line back, but then decided I didn't need one. YES I DO! PLEASE! LOL!

Nevertheless, it was still a fun experience and I thought that was the end of my work as an extra on a Hollywood film. But then I got another call from the casting office for "Leatherheads" earlier this week asking me if I would like to do some more extra work. Uh, let me think about it...HOW MANY WAYS CAN YOU SAY YES?! They said filming would begin on Thursday and last through Saturday if I could make it. You bet your sweet bippy me, myself, and I will all be there.


One of the old-timey cars used on the set of "Leatherheads"

What a weekend it was! The scenes were shot in a town about 45 minutes from my house called Travelers Rest, South Carolina and were all about simulating a football game during the movie where Clooney's team, which he is the quarterback, along with John Krasinski from NBC's The Office, who portrays the rising star of this new football league, are on their way to the big championship game. That's where some nearly 400 or so extras were strategically placed in certain sections of the stands and given instructions to cheer, react, and make the moviegoer believe we are responding to what's happening on the field. Through the magic of CGI, we'll be about 20,000 people when you watch the movie. COOL!

I don't think people have any idea how much time and energy goes into making a two-hour film happen, but I will tell you it's quite exhausting. And I've only been on the set for a few days--I can't imagine what it's like to be a member of the crew for the 5:00am reporting time to be on set and then working until past 8:00pm most nights. You think I'm joking, but those are the grueling hours so they can try to squeeze in every last second of work into each day to make the film what it needs to be.


It was surreal seeing everyone dressed in 1920's attire

You won't hear me complaining about it, though, because this is Hollywood baby! The hourly pay is only $7.00 for extras, but I'd do it for FREE just for a chance to be seen in a film expected to be watched by millions of people worldwide on the silver screen and then when it comes to DVD. Although my second experience on the set began on Thursday, they actually began shooting these scenes in Travelers Rest last Sunday when the co-star of "Leatherheads" Renee Zellweger was on the set. Oh dang, I hate I missed that and wish I'd been there! I still haven't seen her yet.

The extras who were there on Sunday and then again on Wednesday said I was lucky I didn't work those days because the heat was so unbearable. We had record-high temperatures here in the Upstate of South Carolina with the highs reaching in the mid-to-upper 80's in the middle of March. That wouldn't be bad if this was a movie set on a beach or if the costumes were shorts and T-shirts. But they had everyone wrapped up in layers of wool coats, scarfs, and top hats like they wore in the 1920's that got just a wee bit toasty under the baking sun.


This was my outfit as a football fan in "Leatherheads"

When I arrived on the set on Thursday, there was a significant cooling trend that came through and kept the highs in the lower 60's. Ahhhh, much better. Even still, it was very windy, cloudy, and a fine mist of rain was coming down for a while during our filming (FOOTBALL WEATHER!). In fact, at one point the rain began coming down hard enough that they sent us all back inside to eat lunch while they waited for Mother Nature to cooperate. I suppose unpredictable weather is one of those things that filmmakers deal with and can't really control.

We ended up waiting in the extras holding area for about seven hours before a member of the casting crew came in and said, "Okay, you can go home for the day." Yep, that's how it goes. The natives were getting restless from being bored out of our minds doing nothing and we were hoping for more action come Friday. We weren't disappointed. After another 5:00am call time, we were on the set by 8:00am and got in a LOT of filming of various takes, retakes, retakes, and...(did I mention we had some retakes? Hee hee!) before lunch came at 2:00pm.

There were several times when the camera passed right in front of where I was sitting, walking, or standing. It's all orchestrated to make the scene look as authentic as possible. Unlike my scene as the doorman where I'm pretty sure I will be seen, it's hit or miss whether these scenes that the camera caught me in will actually show up in the final cut. We'll just have to wait and see when it hits the big screen.

One of the scenes was with Clooney doing the Statue of Liberty play where Krasinski was supposed to come behind him for the handoff. Unfortunately, these are actors and not athletes, so we saw a few fumblerooskis and dropped balls along the way. It was funny because all of the extras in the stands would start booing them. But it was all in good fun, though, and they eventually pulled the scenes off to make them look believable. Clooney threw a pretty good spiral, too!

Speaking of the aforementioned Mr. Krasinski, who I admittedly had never heard of before this (I just don't get the comedy on The Office), he was a hoot on the set. We were about 100 feet away from him sitting in the stands, but you could hear him cracking jokes and keeping the football actors, extras, and crew loose on the set. I'm sure his name will become QUITE familiar after this co-starring role in "Leatherheads" with Clooney and Zellweger.

One more thing that was funny about Krasinski was when they had him running the length of the field down the sideline for a big play and he'd have to do the take about 10 times. Instead of hopping on the camera cart, he simply turned around and sprinted back to his starting position. That's impressive for an actor although he did look a bit lanky running down the field. I'm sure the magic of Hollywood will make him look like a pro! :)

We were graced with a little extra excitement when one of the football-playing actors portraying the character of "Big Gus" (you'll know exactly who this is when you see the movie--he'll be hard to miss because of his weight) noticed a member of the paparazzi hiding in the woods ostensibly trying to take photos of Clooney for his newspaper or magazine. When "Big Gus" saw this guy, he suddenly started pointing and yelling to the top of his lungs, "Hey, hey, get out of here. I see you, you've been outed. Now get out of here."

Of course, everyone on the set looked in the direction "Big Gus" was pointing and saw an embarrassed photographer scrambling to get away fast enough. As the guy tripped several times while attempting to leave, all the extras start laughing at him and then cheered "Big Gus" for spotting this creep. On Wednesday, police actually snuck up behind another photographer and arrested him, according to the extras who were working that day. The officers found him covered in kudzu attempting to camoflauge himself. It obviously didn't work! Are these people THAT hard up to get a photo of Clooney? Sheez!


I won this "Leatherheads" banner during a drawing on Friday

During some of our downtime in the extras holding area on Friday, they had a drawing for some "Leatherheads" knick-knacks. My name was pulled out of the jar and I won that banner you see above. It'll be a nice reminder of my experience in the film. But I'll have many more memories in my head watching Clooney in his role as both actor and director. This man is very good at what he does and showed it quite often over these past few days. What an honor it was to be a part of his film.


This is the "thank you" letter they gave to the "Leatherheads" extras

As we were wrapping up work on the film for the weekend, all the extras got a signed letter from the Extras Casting Director for "Leatherheads" named Tona B. Dahlquist thanking us for being a part of the movie. Um, I think WE should be the ones thanking YOU for the opportunity to be a part of something like this--so, THANK YOU! I don't know how people do this for a living with all the hard work that goes into it, but it sure is exciting for those of us who live somewhat "normal" lives in comparison.

But my Hollywood experience isn't over yet! They've asked me to travel a couple of hours north to Charlotte, North Carolina for more scenes as a football fan this Thursday, April 5th. If the call time is 5:00am, then I guess I'll be getting up at 2:00am that day to get ready and then drive there. It'll be a long day I'm sure, but hopefully it will be worth my while if I get into the movie for a few more glancing seconds. I'm excited. I'm stoked. Ready or not, world, here I come. :D

I've Been Cast As A Football-Playing Extra In New George Clooney Movie

Remember when I blogged about trying out to be an extra in a movie written, directed, and starring Hollywood superstar George Clooney back in mid-December? They're filming his latest flick "Leatherheads" a few miles down the road from me here in South Carolina.

I decided to attend the open football-playing extras tryout in December for the novelty of the experience and it really was a lot of fun joining over 1,000 other men of all shapes and sizes from the Upstate of South Carolina attempting to grab a taste of some cinematic magic for themselves.

But I knew from the get-go it was going to be a very long shot that I would ever step on the set of "Leatherheads" since they could only choose 50 men total to make up the various football teams in the movie. I held out hope for the best, but was bracing to be rejected.

They were specifically wanting Caucasian males 20-35 years old, between 5'9" and 6'3" tall, and weigh 160-250 pounds to fit the prototype of the 1920's football players. While playing football in high school or college was not required, the applicant must have been considered athletic.

I qualified on all fronts (although barely since I'm 35 and 6'3" tall), but never seriously expected the producers to call me since I didn't play football in high school or college. This wouldn't have even been a remote possibility before my 190-pound weight loss on the Atkins diet in 2004 when I started out at 410 pounds. But good things happen to people in the strangest ways sometimes.

When January came and went with nary a word from anyone about the "Leatherheads" movie, though, I just assumed the opportunity had passed me by this time and honestly had forgotten all about it by now.

So, imagine my surprise when my cell phone rang around 5:00pm on Tuesday afternoon from a "Private Call." I always wonder if I'm gonna get a telemarketer when that shows up on my caller ID, but this time I decided to take the call anyway. I'm so glad I did!

On the other end of the line, the very nice lady said, "Hi, I'm from the 'Leatherheads' movie and we'd like to know if you are still interested in being an extra in the film?" Um, let me think about it...YES, yeppers, yip-yip-yippee! I couldn't believe I actually got the call two days shy of March because they've already started filming a couple of weeks ago.

Even still, here was the call I had been waiting for but not really ever expecting. WOW!!! She said I needed to come by the set in Greer, South Carolina on Thursday morning around 9:00am to get fitted for my football gear that I will wear (similar to what Clooney is wearing in the picture at the top of this post) in the movie. She said they didn't have a size 13 black-laced shoes for me to wear, so I should bring some if I have them. Well, it just so happens that I DO have a pair of black shoes!

She also asked if I was available on Sunday for filming and I asked what time. "It will be all day long," she responded. Oh, okay...er, yeah! I'm there, baby! This is the movies, the "chance of a lifetime" that I previously blogged about. Yee haw! What an extraordinary opportunity to experience something I can tell my grandkids about someday. Although the funky looking football uniforms will take some explaining. :)

Pinch me right now because I can't believe I'm gonna be in a movie with George Clooney and Renee Zellweger! How many people can actually say that?! Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited about this right now? I know I need to calm down and focus on what they will have me doing and I will. Consider this my little celebration party for getting the part. Wheeeeee!

I'll be sure to provide blog updates on my "Leatherheads" experiences as they happen so you can know how it's going. At this point, I don't know how long they will need the extras. But filming should be finished by May. I'm gonna enjoy this while it lasts and do my best to make everyone proud. THANKS to everyone who wished me well in this dream of mine. Now, it's a dream come true!

2-28-07 UPDATE: I just got back from getting fitted for my costume for the film and found out at that time that I WON'T be a "football-playing extra" as I first blogged about. Actually, it turns out they liked my height and broad shoulders, so I will be playing the part of a doorman of a hotel in the 1920s.

This is actually even better because I am going to be the ONLY doorman in the film which means I should end up in the final cut unless they don't use my scene at all. I'm still scheduled to be on the movie set all day on Sunday, so forgive me if my blogging that day is skimpy. This is literally ONCE IN A LIFETIME and I'm gonna enjoy every moment of it! THANKS for all of your well wishes and I will continue to update you about this unique experience.

I Joined The Spartanburg 'Shrinkdown'

Let me share with you the ambitious thing I did on Monday. I joined something I first blogged about last year called "Shrinkdown" sponsored by my local YMCA in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

Last week I blogged about a man who lost 128 pounds in 2006 after beginning his weight loss journey with the "Shrinkdown" challenge, an effort taking place all across the state of South Carolina over the next eight weeks.

It took a little more than an hour to get through the process of registering for this weight loss event. As I was waiting to have my health markers checked, I started flipping through the materials they handed out. It should come as NO surprise to anyone that this plan is focused on increasing physical activity (a VERY good thing since exercise goes hand-in-hand with low-carb living) and good nutrition. What does that mean? You know--low-fat, low-calorie, portion control! UGH!

Why can't organized weight loss programs like "Shrinkdown" EVER acknowledge the low-carb lifestyle as an equally healthy and beneficial plan for losing weight and keeping it off forever, hmmm? Who died and made the low-fat diet the ONLY way to lose weight and improve health?

It broke my heart to think how many people at that "Shrinkdown" sign-up yesterday will lose a few pounds in the next couple of months eating foods like the apples, fruit bars, and water they provided at this event only to get frustrated by the disgusting choice of foods and from being hungry so much eating this way. That was my experience on a low-fat diet in 1999 and it wasn't pretty.

Click here to read more about my experience signing up for the "Shrinkdown" program and why livin' la vida low-carb could save a lot of the participants on this low-fat, low-calorie, portion-controlled diet a lot of disappointment.

SC Man Experiences 128-Pound Weight Loss Watching Calories, Carbs

Jimmy Dorsett lost 128 pounds watching his calories and carbs

One year ago, I blogged about an exciting weight loss initative taking place in my own backyard here in South Carolina called Shrinkdown. Thousands of overweight and obese people stopped by their local YMCAs all across the Palmetto state to say enough is enough with their weight and health problems. One man that did that locally in my hometown of Spartanburg, SC was 41-year old Jimmy Dorsett.

According to this Spartanburg Herald-journal column, Dorsett was more than just a little apprehensive about trying yet again to lose weight for the bazillionth time and the large crowds of people waiting to join the Shrinkdown efforts didn't calm his fears any. But the reality was he weighed nearly 400 pounds and NEEDED to be there although he once thought he would "always be big."

Yet, his fateful decision to stay which led to his eventual weight loss success was due to the prodding of his loving wife Lisa.

"There were so many people, and he asked, 'How are we going to do this?' and I said, 'One day at a time,'" she recalled.

Today, Jimmy Dorsett is still taking it day-by-day and is so glad his wife convinced him to stay. One year later, he has now lost an incredible 128 pounds and dropped 14 total pants sizes. WOWsers! What an amazing accomplishment that almost didn't happen because of his pride.

But the big payoff is what this weight loss has meant to him not just physically, but also emotionally.

"I really feel healthier, and I have more energy and my spirit is higher," Dorsett explained.

While the actual duration of the Shrinkdown program was only a couple of months (which resulted in a 35-pound weight loss over that time for Dorsett), the real challenge was whether he would maintain those new habits he had learned.

So, you might be wondering, how did he do it?

Dorsett began eating more fruits and vegetables and incorporated regular walking into his life. But what about his actual diet? I was pleased to see he pays close attention not just to his calories, but also his carbohydrates. In other words, he's livin' la vida low-carb--and he's committed to doing it for a lifetime!

"I learned this wasn't a diet," Dorsett said. "It was a life change."

WOO HOO! That is exactly what I talk about here often at my blog. Regardless of which plan you choose as your method for losing weight, just do it with all of your might and for the rest of your life. Nobody will debate me on this idea because only the individual can know what works for them. Jimmy Dorsett found his plan and now he's sticking to it!

When I read this story in my local newspaper, I decided to look up Dorsett's telephone number in the phone book to congratulate him on his phenomenal weight loss success. His wife Lisa answered the phone and I told her how proud I was of her husband Jimmy for getting his weight and health under control. I shared with her about my 180-pound weight loss in 2004 on low-carb and encouraged her to continue providing her husband with positive feedback so he can keep the weight off.

Lisa admitted to me that Jimmy had allowed himself to indulge over the Christmas holidays, but that he gotten right back on his low-carb diet and exercise routine at the first of the new year. She said the determination that Jimmy has displayed has astounded her and she is so happy to see her husband taking his weight and health more seriously now.

Interestingly, Lisa said the newspaper article left out an important part of Jimmy's weight loss--God's role in it. I told Lisa that the Spartanburg Herald Journal wrote a story on my weight loss too and omitted my mention of my faith and its impact on my success. I explained to her that kind of thing just comes with the territory when you talk with the media nowadays.

I previously explained in this blog post about how having faith in God can indeed help you in your weight loss efforts, so I won't bother repeating that here. Suffice it to say, Lisa and Jimmy believe in their heart of hearts that this would NOT have happened without the Lord's help. Amen because I couldn't agree more!!

One of the neat things about Jimmy's outstanding weight loss success is that fact that his wife Lisa and teenaged son Jimmy Ray both went on this diet with Jimmy to support his efforts. Lisa lost 32 pounds and Jimmy Ray shed nearly 20 pounds. Lisa told me they have gained back some of the weight, so they need to get back on it again. Ironically, she said her husband is now being the example for THEM!

I had to share with Lisa about how Christine weighed 95 pounds on our wedding day while I was around 350 pounds. This more than 250-pound weight gap has now been whittled down to less than 75 pounds in 2007! HA! Christine really HATES it when I tell this story which is why I keep telling it. LOL! Hey, I've gotta whip that girl into shape, ya know? Oh the irony of just a few years that have passed.

The real "it" moment for Jimmy when it all sunk in and he realized his life had dramatically changed was when he went to fasten the seatbelt buckle on the rides at the local country fair a few months back during the Fall.

"Tears got in my eyes and I said, 'Last year, I could not do this,'" Dorsett stated.

Man, that brings back memories for me, too. Sitting in a movie theater seat, realizing your gut is no longer touching the steering wheel of your car, walking down a narrow hallway easily, rings falling off my fingers and so much more. These are little changes that happen to you when you lose weight, but every single one of them are confidence boosters that propel you to want to keep the weight off forever.

For all intents and purposes, Jimmy Dorsett got his life back in 2006 and extended it for many years to come. His blood pressure is stable, he feels better and younger than he ever has in his entire life, and he can now wear his own wedding ring again for the first time in a very long time.

"I'm just so proud of him," Lisa said. "He's a new man. I told him he's sexy, and he likes to hear that. He's my hunk now."

Sounds like we know WHY Jimmy was so successful now, don't we? Lisa reminds me a lot of Christine who encouraged me all the way through my weight loss and she still does to this day. I couldn't have done it without her and neither could Jimmy Dorsett do it without Lisa. It's yet another low-carb weight loss success story with a happy ending.