Lots Of Local Love For 'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb'

Story on my blog and business in two Spartanburg, SC papers

The local media here in my hometown of Spartanburg, South Carolina have been very kind to me ever since I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004. I've been on all the major local television affiliates, the powerhouse talk radio station, and in several different newspaper columns over the past three years. You can see links to all of these features and more at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Links" blog in the section called "More Moore." It's a real honor to be able to share my low-carb weight loss success story with people on a local level right here in my own hometown.

Three weeks ago, I received an e-mail from a columnist for the local newspaper The Spartanburg Herald-Journal named Christina Wilson. She came across my blog while searching for health-related information in the Spartanburg, South Carolina area. Because of the enormous traffic I receive, my blog articles are ranked very high in the Google search engines and she contacted me about writing a story about me.

Since they had already done an article about my weight loss a couple of years ago, I said they could update my story to let people know I've kept the weight off. But Wilson was more interested in the business aspect of what I do working full-time as a blogger, doing podcasts and YouTube videos, and selling my own low-carb chocolate bar. Yeah, I suppose doing all that for a living is kinda rare these days.

She asked me all sorts of questions about how I got into blogging, where did I learn how to do what I am doing (I still don't know! LOL!), what is my source of income--almost exclusively focused on the business aspect of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." It was an awesome column and I encourage you to read it all by clicking on the images below:

PART 1 PART 2
CLICK ABOVE to enlarge Part 1 and Part 2

Originally, I was told the article on me would be featured in an insert in the newspaper that publishes once a month called The Pulse. This health-oriented magazine features stories about diet, weight loss, health, and fitness as a supplement to the regular newspaper. An online version of the January 9, 2008 edition of The Pulse can be accessed by clicking here (you'll see my picture and a tease about the story on the front cover and the article appears on pages 9-10).

But imagine my surprise on Tuesday this week when that same story written by Christina Wilson ended up on the FRONT PAGE of another sister newspaper of The Spartanburg Herald-Journal called HJ Weekly. This was way cool because it's a free newspaper that gets delivered to the driveway of every single home in Spartanburg County. And when they open it up, that's me they see smiling at them along with my business story. WOW!

Okay, now about that picture they used of me jumping up with my mouth open. You might be wondering why was it so goofy looking (no comments from the peanut gallery)? Here's the final photo they chose for the column:



A little wild and crazy? SURE! But what the newspaper photographer Holly Bowman asked me to do was simply hold up my old "fat boy" pants in front of me. Yaaaawwwwnnn! BORING! See for yourself:



It was a nice picture, but let's have some fun with it, shall we? So she asked me what I had in mind and I decided to jump up and show some personality. The photographer was lovin' it and she said, "do that again" and "how about something else?" So we got a whole buncha photos of me in poses that gave me a workout. Here are a select few others that didn't make it to print:



All in all, it was an exhilarating experience to get the word out about the healthy low-carb lifestyle in a positive story in my local press. Every time something like this happens for me, I generally receive feedback from people who said that my blog is just the inspiration they needed to start living healthy again. You just don't know how good it feels to know that.

If you read about my story in either The Pulse or HJ Weekly, then welcome to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. I'm happy to help you in any way that I can to become the same kind of success that I was back in 2004 when I shed 180 pounds on the Atkins diet. Feel free to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and I'd be honored to assist you in your low-carb lifestyle. THANKS for reading and please come back often for education, encouragement, and inspiration for living better than you ever thought possible!

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.

Spartanburg Journalist Challenged To Present Both Sides Of Atkins Story

A front-page story in my local newspaper ran on Wednesday about the Atkins diet that sadly only presented one side. Can you guess which side that was?

Spartanburg (SC) Herald-Journal General Assignment Writer Teresa Killian wrote an article entitled "Low-Carb Atkins diet on the run" features lots of dissenting voices regarding the Atkins diet in reaction to Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. declaring bankruptcy this week. Incredibly, though, not one single paragraph or line in the story highlighted anything positive regarding the low-carb lifestyle including those of us who have had a lot of success with it.

In response to this, I sent the following e-mail to Ms. Killian on Wednesday evening requesting another story:

Dear Ms. Killian,

After reading today's Spartanburg Herald-Journal, I must admit that I am disappointed with your coverage of one of the major news stories of the week. It seems like you only presented half of the story and missed a golden opportunity to share with your readers another side.

As a result, I would like to request a follow-up story to your "Low-Carb Atkins Diet On The Run" column that ran on Wednesday, August 3, 2005 in the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. I believe you failed to present the "other" side of the story about the Atkins bankruptcy this week.

While there are certainly a lot of naysayers lined up against the Atkins diet and other low-carb weight loss programs, I think it is doing the public a disservice to completely ignore those of us who have been successful using this method for not only losing weight, but also keeping it off for good. That's exactly what Atkins has done for me.

On January 1, 2004, I weighed 410 pounds and made it my New Year's Resolution to lose weight by following the Atkins diet and exercising. By the end of last year, I had shed 180 pounds and I have kept that weight off for more than 7 months.

I created a blog in April 2005 called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" at http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com (which is currently averaging about 400 pageviews per day) and recently completed the manuscript of a book about my weight loss experience. The book, also called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb," is set to release in early 2006.

Since Atkins is still in the news as a result of their bankruptcy announcement, another front-page story highlighting an Atkins
success story would certainly be timely and relevant. I will already be appearing on The Ralph Bristol Show on Newsradio 1330/950 WORD-AM on Friday, August 5, 2005 from 5:00-6:00pm to talk about my weight loss success and invite you to consider the follow-up story I am requesting.

I look forward to your response to my inquiry.

Jimmy Moore, "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Man"
livinlowcarbman@charter.net
http://livinlavidalocarb.blogspot.com

If you would like to encourage Ms. Killian to write this story, you can e-mail her at teresa.killian@shj.com to let her know how livin' la vida low-carb has changed your life for the better.

She quotes the local owner of the Krispy Kreme franchise in Spartanburg, South Carolina who exclaims "the low-carb craze pretty much fizzled, and now we are selling more doughnuts than ever. The Atkins diet, I think they're the ones feeling the pinch now."

Hardy har har har. With obesity rates continuing to rise at unprecedented rates, a doughnut shop owner can take great pride in knowing he is contributing directly to the problem whether he cares or not. Doughnuts are still one of the worst possible foods you can eatbecause they are loaded with both sugar and white flour. There will come a time when people realize that Dr. Atkins was right, but I'm afraid many more people will have to get heart disease and die from being overweight before they finally wake up.

Killian continues her column by looking at a local bread store which claims their sales are up again and quoting a registered dietitian who said of Atkins, "That's not a diet we ever advocated because of the lack of balance" and allegedly cut out so many nutritious foods.

Uh, I don't know what version of Atkins she's referring to, but I get to eat plenty of delicious and healthy fruits, vegetables, nuts and more as part of my eating program. This whole idea that Atkins is lacking in nutrition is unfounded. If you read Atkins New Diet Revolution, then you wil see all of the great foods you can enjoy during the various phases of following the Atkins diet. While the Induction phase is the most restrictive regarding carb limitation, you only stay there for two weeks. Most of the time, the majority of people enjoy in excess of 50 carbs per day which is a lot more than you think once you start livin' la vida low-carb.

One woman in the story testified that she has never tried the Atkins diet because she "couldn't live without potatoes." But of the people Killian interviewed for her story who had tried the Atkins approach, none of them last for more than a few weeks on it. They complained that it was too hard to follow for more than a couple of weeks or so.

Give me a break, people! If you can survive the first two weeks of Atkins, then the rest of the weight loss experience is a breeze in comparison. I won't lie to you. That first two weeks is pretty tough. But that's your body going through the necessary changes it needs to make to purge your system of the toxic impurities that have caused you to become overweight or obese. For me, it was definitely the sugar. I was addicted to sugar and my body felt the withdrawal when I first started livin' la vida low-carb. It was literally hell. But once that short-term phase was over, I noticed that I felt much better than I ever have and that feeling has continued as my weight dropped and dropped and my energy level began to skyrocket!

Quoting the NPD Group's market research showing that just 2 percent of adults are on low-carb currently, Killian said this movement is apparently "waning." However, the statistic she quoted is well off the 12-15 percent numbers that the latest Opinion Dynamics Corp. survey shows regarding low-carb's popularity. Regardless of whose numbers you believe, the fact is that millions upon millions of Americans are still choosing the low-carb lifestyle to get their weight under control.

About the only positive comment about low-carb in this story is when Killian noted that "The South Beach Diet" is still a New York Times bestseller. She didn't mention this in her story, but Dr. Atkins was recently recognized by online retail giant Amazon.com as their all-time bestselling health author. Despite the negative coverage regarding his diet, the books by Dr. Atkins still sell extremely well because people are looking for answers about losing weight.

A food industry analyst in the story said the Atkins diet has been losing popularity since February 2004 because it has simply "ran its course." Killian even adds in her story that Atkins went from "fad to fade like so many others before it," comparing the diet to the Scarsdale and cabbage soup diets.

Well, if Atkins is a fad diet, then how come it has been around for more than three decades and still going strong? I fully intend on eating this way for the rest of my life whether health experts or the media likes it or not. It's a lifestyle change I can live with and plan on continuing with until the good Lord decides to take me home. Thanks to my improved health, I believe that will likely be a lot longer than it would have been had I remained obese!

Sadly, Killian quotes nutritionists and health experts at the end of her story who recommend eating smaller portions and watching your fat and calorie intake while exercising more. That's the same old, same old failed message we've been hearing forever and ever. Yadda yadda yadda! Been there, done that, NEXT! I think I'll be sticking with livin' la vida low-carb thank you very much. It's so much more exciting, fulfilling and long-lasting than any low-fat diet!

While she does mention the glycemic index at the very end of her column, Killian still failed to mention even ONE success story of someone who has been on the Atkins diet.

I will let you know if I hear back from Killian or anyone at the Spartanburg Herald-Journal about my suggestion to write a follow-up story highlighting the positive aspects of livin' la vida low-carb. Again, you can write her an e-mail at teresa.killian@shj.com.