The Lamest Excuse For Not Doing Low-Carb

When it comes to being on the low-carb lifestyle or really any diet for that matter, you have to fight the nagging tendency to allow your plan to become so monotonous and predictable that it becomes booooorrrrrrriiinnng! Many of the opponents of low-carb especially try to discourage people from trying this way of eating by scaring them into thinking they'll be bored.

What a crock!

That's about the lamest excuse for NOT doing low-carb that these antagonists have yet to come up with. Their thinking is people on the low-carb life are stuck eating meat, cheese and eggs all day. While eating that way is certainly one way to low-carb, most of us who make low-carb our healthy lifestyle change eat a few more foods than that.

So how do you keep the low-carb diet from being so boring that you feel like ditching it for good? The answer is simple, my good friends. You just don't allow it to bore you stiff. Sounds too easy, doesn't it? But it's a lot more elementary than people make it out to be. Let me show you.

When you think of breakfast while low-carbing, most people just automatically assume you must eat eggs. These are an amazing protein-packed way to start your low-carb day (and I could eat them everyday for many days in a row and not get tired of them with melted cheese on top and a touch of pepper...man, that hits the spot!), but you have other foods to enjoy, too--fresh strawberries or cantaloupe, a low-carb bar like GoLower or Atkins, a protein shake, a ham and cheese wrap, and so much more.

Click here to see more of my tips about how you can ward off boredom when you are livin' la vida low-carb.

Ingles Supermarket Supplying Customers With Uninformed 'Heart-Healthy' Diet Advice

Ingles dietitian McGrath should not be passing on bad dietary advice

Health information is everywhere these days. From your doctor’s office to public service announcements on the radio and television to annoying and utterly meaningless “heart-healthy” claims that appear on the packaging of some pretty awful food products on grocery store shelves today. Like I said, this stuff's EVERYWHERE!

But imagine my surprise to find information about health in a very odd place--your friendly local supermarket. I was flipping through one of those weekly circular grocery store newspapers with that week’s specials for Ingles grocery stores when I saw this blaring headline that you couldn't help but pay attention to:

“It’s all about the heart!”

As the skeptical person I have unfortunately become regarding any and all health claims about “the heart” these days, I admit my curiosity was piqued. Yet I was bracing for the predictable and was not disappointed by what passes as good health advice in 2007. I'm sure you can predict it, too.

With a picture of a smiling young dad carrying around his mouth-wide-open cherub of a baby (very cute, too!) as the mom gazes on with prideful joy and all smiles as well. Of course, they’re out taking a brisk walk as evidenced by their attire because we know EVERYONE should get in “regular exercise, at least 20 minutes every day,” according to this article right slab in the middle of the Ingles grocery flyer written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath, RD, LDN.

Oh goodie, another duh-duh-dietitian (nightmares still haunt me about this one--LOL!) telling us how we are supposed to eat. Yippee freakin’ skippy. So what else exactly does she have to share about “the heart” in her company’s circular ad? Too bad for the unsuspecting average Joe and Jane reading this flyer, the answer to that question sadly is PLENTY!

You knew McGrath would say SOMETHING about cholesterol and she hits the ground running with it in the first paragraph when we are spoon-fed that good old standby line that “high LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol and low HDL ‘good’ cholesterol” is what “increases your risk of heart disease.”

ARGH!

Can we safely say based on this thorough blog post I wrote about cholesterol recently those archaic beliefs are absolutely not true? Ms. McGrath, please educate yourself better about nutrition if you are going to disseminate information to the public about their health, especially as it relates to “the heart.” The very latest research shows you are wrong.

How do I know this? Check out what she says are “other culprits” besides hereditary reasons for “high cholesterol.” This is verbatim what McGrath provided in the article:

Smoking
Lack of exercise
Poor eating habits (high fat diet)
Stress
Being overweight or obese

She added, “Making small changes in your eating habits and lifestyle choices may be all it takes to reduce…total cholesterol under 200mg/dL.”

Did you notice how right dab in the middle of that laundry list of mostly reasonable explanations for elevated cholesterol, McGrath couldn’t resist putting in a jab at a “high fat diet?” Yes, it is true that smoking, lack of exercise, poor eating habits, stress, and obesity can lead to elevated cholesterol levels. Fair enough.

But who says “high cholesterol” defined as 200mg/dL is necessarily a bad thing when the research does not support this?

Oh yeah, that's right--doctors and dietitians like McGrath actually think a “high fat diet” is harmful. Of course they do siince that's the only message they know. Yet with all this consensus on what is considered healthy for “the heart,” how can some layman without any nutritional background like Jimmy Moore go around claiming that all of them are wrong and he is right? Do you wanna know HOW I can? Because the science is proving they are wrong and I trust the unbiased studies I cite so often here at my blog.

Sadly, most of the people in the medical community who still actively promote low-fat as the only way to eat healthy for “the heart” have failed to update their education beyond the 1960s. Hello people! There’s a whole lotta learning to do that somehow has failed to cross your eyeballs for several decades. If you truly care about your patients, then start the learning process immediately!

I don’t know if some of the old-timers have the attitude that there’s nothing new to teach them since they’ve been treating patients the same way for their entire career or what. But even the new doctors have this same indoctrination about low-fat diets being somehow healthier for people despite all the mountains of research otherwise.

Maybe it’s the medical schools that need to heed the message to update their educational materials for these fresh medical students. But you and I both know that’ll never happen as long as the American Heart Association, American Diabetes Association, and other such “health” organizations keep spouting the same failed low-fat message over and over again. This maddening cycle needs to end if we are ever going to move forward in tackling obesity.

The following may seem obvious to those of us who have been livin’ la vida low-carb a while, but I’ll say it anyway for the many newbies and those who are first getting used to the vernacular of diet-speak.

Whenever you hear the phrase “high fat diet” (like McGrath used), I want you to translate that to mean a low-carbohydrate diet. The low-fat diet advocates like throwing this around as if it is something awful (much in the same way the people who support abortion call people who are pro-life the much more agregious-sounding “anti-abortion”).

Conversely, when you hear “low-fat diet,” I want your brain to understand that to be a mostly high-carb diet since they recommend people consume a mindboggling 60-75 percent carbs daily as part of a supposedly healthy diet.

This will help keep it in the right perspective for you.

McGrath also discusses a list of 10 ways to show you care about your heart that are a mixed bag—some good, some bad, and some absolutely, positively, without-a-doubt ignorant advice. Let’s take a look:

1. Reduce the saturated fats in your diet. Eat less red meat or leaner cuts of red meat. Eat more chicken, turkey and fish and try having vegetarian meals.

Why would I do this when saturated fat has been found to be a HEALTHY thing to eat, hmmm? There is no good reason at all to eat less or leaner cuts of red meat. NONE!

While those other meats are delicious ways to get your fat and protein, I will certainly be enjoying a fat, juicy steak if I so choose. As for the “try having vegetarian meals,” my only question is how many vegetarians I can eat? HA!

2. Bake broil or grill your meat. Avoid eating fried foods.

Hmmm, this is a tricky one because I agree with the advice to shun the fried foods specifically because of the breading. But if you want to fry up your meat in a pan full of butter, then knock yourself out. It’s a healthy way to enjoy that succulent protein-loaded food.

While it’s nice to bake, broil, and especially grill meats, don’t fall for the illusion that cooking these ways is any healthier than cooking meat in fat. Avoid the trans fats, of course, but you shouldn’t worry about saturated fats as long as you are livin’ la vida low-carb.

3. Read the label and avoid trans fats.

Excellent advice, Ms. McGrath. But I’ll take it a step further. While you are reading the label making sure you avoid trans fats, also read the ingredients list for anything “partially hydrogenated” to make sure they aren’t putting hidden trans fats in there and failing to list them in the nutritional info since it may contain less than 0.5g per serving (I blogged about this practice as it relates to carbs, too!). But that doesn’t mean it’s trans-fat-free! Sneaky, isn’t it?!

4. Stop smoking.

Well duh!

5. Increase your fiber by eating fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans every day, such as Kashi Go Lean cereals and Quaker oatmeal.

Can you tell Ingles got some corporate sponsorship dollars by slipping in a product mention here and there? What’s sad is those products are just awful for you because they are very high-carb! Yes, I know they have whole grains in them, but does that make them healthy? McGrath seems to think so, but I don’t.

As for the generic advice to eat more fruits and vegetables as well as beans to get more fiber in your diet, I think it’s time we stop this across-the-board approval of everything. For fruit, you need to keep them low-glycemic, or low in sugar, such as berries and melons. As for veggies, non-starchy and green leafy vegetables are best like salad greens, cauliflower, and green beans, just to name a few. Beans are too high in carbs to be eaten when you are losing weight no matter what the health “experts” will tell you!

6. Switch to low-fat or fat-free dairy products (milk and yogurt).

Again, why would I do that? Your body needs fat and you should include this vital macronutrient in your diet, not exclude it. Of course, milk is fairly high in carbohydrates so try to go for lower-carb substitutes like Calorie Countdown (which Ingles just so happens to sell, by the way!).

Have you tried fat-free cheese and yogurt? Yucky poo! I think I’d rather eat something that rhymes with poo! EWWWW! It’s disgusting to consume, so why bother? How about eating the full-fat version as part of your new low-carb lifestyle and enjoy the foods that are making you healthier than you’ve ever been before!

7. Switch to canola or olive oil, such as Italica Olive Oil with Omega 3 or Harvest Farms Organic Canola cooking spray.

Nothing like the unabashed product endorsement, but I like the idea of eating more olive oil which is arguably one of the best ways to enjoy more fat in your diet (along with butter, avocado oil, and macadamia nut oil).

8. Get regular exercise, at least 20 minutes every day.

No question, exercise complements your low-carb diet.

9. RELAX by praying, meditating, reading a book or exercising.

In other words, try to de-stress your life with whatever methods work for you. If you believe in God, then pray for the Prince of Peace to deliver you from your problems through regular quiet times using the Bible for inspiration.

But even if you are not a Christian, finding a book by your favorite author or taking a quick run around the block can do wonders for relieving the tension that builds up in your body from life itself. Enjoy your life and don’t just endure.

10. Lose weight. Sometimes just losing 10-20 pounds may help lower cholesterol.

To help “the heart,” just lose weight. I mean, these dietitians like Ms. McGrath act as if people are so oblivious to the obvious that it’s almost as if they look down on fat people. We already know livin’ la vida low-carb can help lower cholesterol primarily through the weight loss is produces.

The whole “it’s all about the heart” motto that Ingles through their dietitian Leah McGrath is trying to communicate to the public is that eating a low-fat diet (remember, translated as “high carb) is far superior to a high-fat diet (which is livin’ la vida low-carb). But now you know nothing could be further from the truth.

It seems to me that a grocery store should be about the business of providing food products and solid service to their customer base and not be taking such a strong position on what constitutes a healthy diet. People can find that information elsewhere and decide what’s best for them.

Personally, having the Ingles dietitian lecture me about what is good for “the heart” is quite insulting to say the least, although Leah McGrath seems nice enough in the Ingles commercials. Maybe she's willing to be convinced of the error of her ways.

You can leave your feedback for McGrath about her one-sided dietary advice by using this contact page.

Where Can I Get Reliable Low-Carb Advice?

My e-mail box has been rockin' and rollin' lately with lots of outstanding questions and comments from people who are livin' la vida low-carb to lose weight, improve their health, and radically change their life for the better. That's exactly what it did for me and I am happy to provide a place of refuge where people feel comfortable enough to ask questions that will help them get to that same place in their own life.

As I have stated many times, though, I am not a doctor or a nutritionist (although I am looking into trying to become a trained dietitian--if only there were a program that was "low-carb" friendly to teach people like me the ins and outs of it all). So the information I provide here is from two perspectives. First, it is from my own empirical research and investigation into this amazing lifestyle change known as low-carb living. And second, it is from my own personal experience losing a ton of weight and improving my health with this remarkable nutritional approach.

With that said, I sometimes receive a much more complicated question from a reader desperate for an answer that I have no idea how to respond to it. That's okay because I never pretend to have all the answers. But I do know a few people in the low-carb community who DO have the knowledge and experience to accurately provide answers to the tough topics.

Here's the difficult e-mail I received late last week:

Dear Jimmy,

Thanks so much for your blog. I am enjoying and learning so much. Personally, i have been pregnant and/or nursing for the past 11 years, so my weight has been all over the place and low-carb living during the past 4 years has helped me so much with all of the typical issues.

Alas, this e-mail question is not about me, though--it's for my husband.

He has had extremely high cholesterol/triglycerides issues (total cholesterol is about 400 and triglycerides are over 1200). About 3 years ago he did the low-carb thing and lost about 30 pounds (was still overweight but no longer obese) and his numbers went way down to normal or almost normal (while taking the drug gemfibrozil). After resuming normal American eating habits again, he gained the weight back and was switched to another drug and the numbers are through the roof again.

I also have a question about another issue he has--kidney stones. These have been determined to be made from uric acid. In my research one of the recommendations for improving this is to avoid eating meat and even chicken. My husband wants to go back to his low-carb ways, but how do we know if this low meat thing is for real or if it is the standard government scare tactic that "saturated fats are bad" line?

So I suppose my general question in the end is when it comes to diet recommendations for specific medical conditions, where can I get reliable information that is "low-carb friendly?" Thanks for all your work in the low-carb world!!

WOW, where do you start with an e-mail like that?! I've never heard of cholesterol and triglycerides being that high, but it is obvious livin' la vida low-carb would SUBSTANTIALLY reduce both numbers as it has in the past. If it worked so well before, then why would this person subject themselves to the "normal American eating habits" again?

That's why you constantly hear me talk about making this way of eating a permanent lifestyle change. People sometimes look at me like I'm some kind of alien when I declare to them that I am still on the Atkins diet. What?! Why would you keep doing that "extreme" diet long after you have gotten your weight and health under control? My answer--precisely because I want to KEEP my weight and health functioning the very best it can for the rest of my life. Period. End of story.

Call it "extreme" all you want, but it's working EXTREMELY well for me. :)

Regarding my reader's question at the end about where to find reliable "low-carb friendly" medical advice, it is available from a couple of outstanding sources that I very highly recommend to you. I have previously discussed them here at my blog, but I'll share them with you again--the "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog from low-carb practitioner Dr. Mary C. Vernon (who helped me out with this e-mail today which I will share with you in a moment) and "The Salerno Strategy" blog from Dr. John P. Salerno who used to work directly with Dr. Robert C. Atkins at his Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine a few years back.

Additionally, there are people like Regina Wilshire from the "Weight Of The Evidence" blog, Protein Power author Dr. Mike Eades and his fantastic blog, Adam Campbell from "The Fitness Insider" feature at Men's Health magazine, and so many others. I know most of these people personally and rely on their many years of collective low-carb wisdom to guide me when I am stumped about how to answer an e-mail like the one I shared in this post.

Thankfully, Dr. Vernon stepped up to the plate to answer this one for me:

This is a common problem. Here's why-

Elevated triglycerides are a marker for abnormal glucose metabolism. I'd argue that evidence exists to show that the high levels of insulin tell the liver to make fat--that is, to synthesize triglycerides.

Get a 3 or 5 hour glucose tolerance test with insulin levels at the baseline (fasting) and 2 hour draw. Best is a 5 hour GTT with insulin drawn at every blood draw. The insulin and glucose normals are described in Atkins Diabetes Revolution.
I have seen many patients completely normalize their triglycerides and cholesterol levels by using carbohydrate control.

Now, about the kidney stones--

The kidney stone formation is linked to the underlying metabolism with the high insulin levels just like the trigylcerides are. It's not the protein, it's the carbs that cause the kidney stone formation in susceptible people. The Atkins diet gets blamed, I think, because if you cycle on and off of it, as your husband did, then you might form stones when you are off of the diet.

When you begin to control carbs enough to lose weight, usually one loses the extra water that high insulin levels pull into your body. This causes increased urine production and "washes out" the stone. So it seems to happen on the diet, but really happened before. I've followed lots of patients and I have only had one patient with "new" kidney stones in all these years!

OK, so let's hypothesize that my data and I are both wrong. What if some folks do form kidney stones on the diet? Potassium citrate can be used as a preventative. I discuss this with anyone who has a history of kidney stones because I want my patients to be healthy and feel good. Passing a kidney stone does not feel good.

So, check out the glucose tolerance test, get your husband to discuss potassium citrate with his physician, and keep the carbs controlled. Patients with the metabolic response to carbs like your husband has will always have it. Losing the weight doesn't make the tendency to have this problem go away. So make the changes lifestyle changes.

He is at risk for blood vessel damage based on what you have told me--so if he has chest pains take them seriously and get medical attention immediately.

Hope you find this helpful.

Mary Vernon

I learned a lot from Dr. Vernon's response and I appreciate her willingness to provide an answer to this very complex question by my reader. You can send your own questions to Dr. Mary C. Vernon anytime by visiting her "Ask Dr. Vernon" blog anytime. She may feature the answer to your question in a future post, so give it a try!

As always, I am happy to field your question about livin' la vida low-carb anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Of course, with over 1650 blog posts, it is possible I have already blogged about the issue you are concerned about (most of the time I have). If you do a Google search of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" and then the subject matter of your question, then most of the time you'll find my columns. If not, then give me a shout, okeydokey! SEE YA!

Bride-To-Be Wants Low-Carb Advice From Me

It's about that time of year when women all across America are busy organizing, planning, and getting ready for one of the biggest days of their life--THEIR WEDDING DAY! Yessiree, this is the one event that can bring out the best and the worst in so many people who let it encompass and worry to the point that they wonder if it's even all worth it in the end.

Can I get a witness?! LOL!

Seriously, your wedding is supposed to be a magical moment in your life that you should try to make as "perfect" as possible, but most people would just do well to simply take it all in and enjoy the process because you've got the rest of your life to contend with REAL issues that merit your attention. This concludes the relationship advice portion of this blog post. Please deposit $5.00 into the account of J-I-M-M-Y M-O-O-R-E. Hee hee!

There is another aspect of planning a wedding, though, that doesn't get as much attention as the invitations, the guest list, the cake, and the dress. What is it? You know what it is--losing weight. It's funny to me to watch the hysteria that happens when a woman is proposed to and she says "yes." The first thought that crosses her mind is, "Oh, no, I have to go lose weight now for my wedding!" This has always seemed odd to me since that handsome man who asked "Will you marry me?" didn't attach a rider to that proposal by saying "...and lose 20 pounds." Hmm, how many women would agree to that?! LOL!

Nevertheless, women put this pressure on themselves to lose weight and it has become as much a part of the tradition of holy matrimony as anything else. One of my newest readers who is getting married in September and says "wants to look my best" e-mailed me this week about how to lose those 20 pounds the low-carb way.

Here's what she wrote:

Hi Jimmy,

First off, I love your blog. Of course, I had heard of it but I recently started reading it and it's great!

I am wanting to start a low-carb diet. I've found that even whole-wheat bread and various carbs make me crave them more. I have about 20 pounds to lose, I just don't know where to start!

I weigh about 145 pounds and I enjoy eating foods like nuts and peanut butter, whole milk, and various full fat cheeses. I will eat meat like hamburger, steak and pork. I also love eggs and will eat veggies.

Can you suggest a possible meal plan? I thought about going to a nutritionist, I have one, but she has only recommended low- fat diets for me in the past which did not work very well.

I know you're very busy but I hope to hear back from you if you get a chance!

I'm never too busy to help a reader in need, so here's what I wrote back to her:

THANKS so much for writing and CONGRATUATIONS on your engagement. Marriage was the best thing that ever happened to me (yes, even more than my 190-pound weight loss!) so I know you will LOVE IT!

I'm proud of you for wanting to lose a modest 20 pounds in the next 6 months--ABOUT THREE POUNDS A MONTH! This should be easily within your reach.

You're exactly right that carbs make you crave more carbs and more carbs. It's a ruthless cycle that you DON'T want to get caught up in. Skipping the bread (even whole wheat has LOTS of carbs), potatoes, white flour, and the sugar will be an excellent start for your low-carb lifestyle.

You are on the right track with most of what you like to eat, although I would caution you about eating too many peanuts, peanut butter, and whole milk at least during your weight loss on low-carb. There are alternatives for all of these that are better when you are livin' la vida low-carb.

Instead of peanuts, try almonds and macadamia nuts.
Instead of regular peanut butter, try a brand called Naturally More.
Instead of whole milk (or even 2% and skim), try Calorie Countdown.

Eat up to 4 ounces of full-fat cheese daily as well as portion-appropriate meats like hamburger, steak and pork which you say you enjoy. Plus, eggs and veggies are a great start to your day. :)

A menu, eh? It looks like you have it all set with what you eat, so here goes:

BREAKFAST
3-egg omelet with your favorite veggies and a little cheese
8 oz glass of Calorie Countdown milk

SNACK
2 oz roasted almonds

LUNCH
Hamburger steak
1 cup of salad greens (I LOVE spinach, but whatever you enjoy!)
Full-fat Ranch dressing (I LOVE Hidden Valley and it's only 1g carb per serving)

SNACK
2 oz macadamia nuts or a Tablespoon of Naturally More

SUPPER
Grilled Pork or Steak
1 cup of salad greens
Full-fat Ranch dressing

Be sure you drink PLENTY of water (I drink between 1-2 gallons a day, but I'm a big boy still...get up to 1 gallon and you'll be doing great!). Also, I see from your e-mail address that you LOVE Diet Pepsi. Can I convince you to drink Pepsi One, Diet Coke with Splenda or Diet Rite instead? The aspartame in the regular Diet Pepsi has been found to sabotage weight loss among other health concerns.

If you get hungry (you shouldn't!), then nibble on an Atkins or other low-carb bar or perhaps a sugar-free chocolate bar if that floats your boat. These were essential during my weight loss and I could not have been successful without them. I LOVE ChocoPerfection bars and they are LOADED with lots of healthy fiber, too. And they really are AWESOME! :)

Hope this helps! You're gonna do GREAT! :D Write to me anytime. You're gonna be a gorgeous bride.

My response instigated a follow-up e-mail:

Thank you so much!! This really helps. I actually gave up aspartame a few weeks ago :D I just haven't changed my e-mail because so many people know it and I've been lazy! I had horrible withdrawals from the aspartame since I was drinking up to 10 aspartame-sweetened drinks a day. No weight loss yet but I would never go back to aspartame again.

I drink Diet Rite and Diet Coke with Splenda. Those ChocoPerfection bars sound great. Where do you get Calorie Countdown milk? Is it possible to order it? Let me know, and thanks again.

To answer her questions, I wrote the following back to her:

Diet Coke w/Splenda is MY fave. I wish they'd make a Diet Cherry Coke with Splenda, too. Not gonna happen, but I'd buy stock in it if they did. :D

Calorie Countdown is in the dairy section at most grocery stores. It used to be called Carb Countdown, but they changed the name of it last year.

You can get ChocoPerfection bars from directly from the company or at most of the major low-carb stores. I live on these things for my chocolate fix and they are remarkably good.

THANKS again for writing. YOU CAN DO IT!!!

This e-mail conversation is pretty typical of the kinds of e-mails I receive day in and day out. I am ALWAYS available to answer questions from just about anyone who wants to discuss livin' la vida low-carb. Write to me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. If I can help, I will. And if I don't have an answer to your questions, then I will do my best to find the answer. So don't be bashful.

As for this bride-to-be, it turns out she's a blogger at "The Health Fanatic" blog. She is actually soliciting advice from other low-carbers about what she can do to be as successful as she can be on the low-carb lifestyle leading up to her wedding day. You can leave her YOUR feedback by writing a comment to her at her blog.

Here's what she wrote on her blog:

Hi guys. Today I'd like to post about low carb diets. You may have read the Livin' La Vida Low Carb blog written by Jimmy Moore - which is an excellent blog on living a low carb lifestyle. Jimmy lost a huge amount of weight - I believe around 140 lbs - and has been eating a low carb diet for three years and kept the weight off.

I have about 20 lbs that I would ideally like to lose for my wedding. My first dress fitting is in June so that gives me about three months - a rate of around 2 lbs/ week. I became interested in low carb diets after hearing them get a bad rap and then reading in the media that they are as good for your heart as low-fat diets ( a study I read earlier this year). I have a nutritionist and she has always recommended a low-fat diet with plenty of carbs - but I find that those increase my cravings and make me want even more, while also leaving me hungry.

I don't really know how to go about such a thing, but I emailed Jimmy Moore himself and he sent me a great meal plan. I now have something to go on and will have to shop soon.

I recently tried Shirataki tofu noodles - these only have about 1g net carbs and can be found at health food stores or ordered online. If you haven't tried these, please do! I mixed them with a little bit of pesto and olive oil and I thought they tasted great! I bought them soaked in water, and the smell is a little off-putting (it says to parboil them to avoid this) but I just drained them and heated them up.

Jimmy is also against aspartame because he says it slows weight loss. I have been off aspartame completely for a couple weeks now and I only drink diet drinks sweetened with Splenda (Diet Rite and Diet Coke with Splenda are two of my favorites and I also like Pepsi One). Of course I am not seeing any weight loss yet, and the withdrawals were tough, but I think in the end I'll be glad I did it.

I used to eat more low-carb during the day - and eat carb-heavy cereals and sandwiches in the evening. Recently I've been trying to have a few carbs at breakfast and keep them low the rest of the day.

Have you tried a low carb diet? Post and let me know!

I've already provided her with my advice. So, how about giving this bride-to-be YOUR tips about how she should be livin' la vida low-carb? I know she'll appreciate hearing from people who have made this their permanent lifestyle change because she looks like she is ready to make that change herself. THANKS for encouraging her and showing her some love from the low-carb community! :)

Kellow's Yellow Journalism On The Atkins Diet

Dietitian Juliette Kellow is obviously not a fan of the Atkins diet

It's that time of year again when those who think they know what diets people need to do and not do so freely share their opinions about what they think is healthy, nutritional, and safe. Of course, at the same time, they are just as eager to blab on and on about what diets they think are decidedly unhealthy, lacking in nutrition, and even allegedly dangerous. As I have said in the past, you should be very wary of any "expert" weight loss advice because the source may not be very reliable.

Furthermore, do I even need to tell you which ones a typical dietitian thinks are good versus the one ones that are supposedly bad? No, I don't because the examples of the intense and bitter feelings against livin' la vida low-carb have been evident with just about every dietitian who has ever written about or uttered an opinion on this amazingly healthy lifestyle. Click here to see just a few examples of this kind of stupidity from these self-proclaimed health "experts" that I have highlighted at my blog. The concerted effort by these people to not just maim but completely destroy all remnants of low-carb from modern-day life is as clear to see as the protruding stomachs of a majority of the world's population.

Well, even still we've got another dietitian and health columnist today from Mirror.co.uk who continues with the Atkins-bashing party. Her name is Juliette Kellow and her bio describes her as a "bright and bubbly" professional who seeks to help people lose weight with her "wealth of experience in health, food and diet." HA! What you will quickly find is that Kellow shares more of the same old garbage information about low-carb because it is simply mindless and ridiculous attacks against the low-carb lifestyle. Will these people ever grow up and get a brain for once? We can only hope...SOMEDAY!

In the article entitled "A Decade Of Diets But Which Should You Try," Kellow gives her own personal lowdown on the most popular diets from the past ten years including Weight Watchers, The Food Combining Diet (never heard of!), Low GI Diet, South Beach Diet, Detox Diet, Blood Type Diet, Atkins Diet, and The Zone Diet. As you can see, half of these are considered "low-carb" plans. However, Kellow was not afraid to tell you quite explicitly which one she thinks was the worst among them: The Atkins Diet!

My blogging friend and fellow triple-digit Atkins diet weight loss success story Kent Altena wrote a letter to the editor of Mirror.co.uk to express his concerns about how Kellow so blatantly distorted the truth about what the Atkins diet is about in her column. Kent did such an outstanding job with it that I'd like to share with you what he wrote. It is a fantastic, fact-filled response that exposes the malicious lies that Kellow tried to get away with! Not gonna happen!

Here is the classic masterpiece response that Kent wrote:

I would urge your health correspondent, Juliette Kellow, to actually research the topics before actually writing about them. I am of course referring to her recent "Decade of Diets" article where she reviews the popular diet plans. Her review of the Atkins Diet was chock full of misconceptions and gaping holes about this way of eating that were so large a truck could drive right through them!

I am an avid follower of the Atkins way of eating and have lost over 200 pounds on the diet. Because of the gross misrepresentation that Kellow made with her column, I would like to respond to each of her points individually to share the truth:

"HOW IT WORKS This high-protein diet cuts out carbs so your body begins to burn fat. Bread, potatoes, pasta, milk and fruit are off-limits but you can eat meat, fish, cheese, cream and butter."

There is not a single phase of the Atkins diet that cuts out carbs altogether. Her statement simply ignores the fact that there are four distinct phases to the diet and she conveniently leaves out the fact that vegetables included even in the Atkins diet. In fact, during the Induction phase people are encouraged to eat six servings of vegetables per day, which is considerably more than the average person eats. The purpose of the Atkins diet is to simply get people to take back control of their eating first and foremost and then begin adding back foods that are healthy for them long-term.

THE PROS You lose weight quickly - around 6-10lb in the first two weeks, slowing to 1-3lb a week after this.

No argument here, but let's not forget that the point of the Atkins diet is not to lose weight but to learn how to eat healthy.

THE CONS Research shows this diet is unhealthy. A high fat intake increases the risk of heart disease, a lack of fruit, veg and fibre are linked to cancer and excessive protein may cause kidney problems. Side effects include bad breath, fatigue, nausea, constipation, headaches and insomnia. And veggies can forget it.

Boy, there's a lot of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) being spread in those statements, Ms. Kellow! Most of the current scientific research is showing how beneficial to your health a low-carb dietary approach really is. I eat more vegetables today than I ever did before I went on the Atkins diet. Additionally, Dr. Atkins recommended in his books for people to eat vegetables high in fiber rather than ones high in starch. I don't know where you are getting the notion that the Atkins diet is lacking of vegetables because it is certainly not from the Atkins books! Certainly some of the side effects you mention can happen when you are first getting in a state of ketosis, but I'll take them over obesity and diabetes any day! Atkins or obesity: Which do you think is more dangerous, Ms. Kellow?! The good news is that most of the side effects you mention are gone after the first few days of Induction.

JULIETTE'S VERDICT There are lots of healthier diets. If you must, follow it for two weeks and make it healthier by choosing lean meat, grilling rather than frying and skipping butter and cream.

Skipping butter and cream for trans-fat-loaded margarine or flavor-free skim milk? Umm, NO THANK YOU! Why would I follow the Atkins diet for just two weeks and then leave just as the results are beginning to happen? I would highly encourage Ms. Kellow to simply admit that she doesn't know one single fact about the Atkins diet and how it really is more than just eating meat, cheese, and bacon for three straight meals!

WOO HOO, YOU GO GET 'EM, KENT! Man, I must be rubbing off on you with a response like that! LOL! I enjoyed the way you broke down each point one by one because it really was loaded with factual errors that an "experienced" health writer should not be making. But we know why she wrote what she did and it has to do with her low-fat/low-calorie/portion control agenda. There's no doubt about that.

Just look what Kellow said about Weight Watchers:

Eat or drink whatever you like, providing you stick to your daily points allowance. Points are based on the calorie and saturated fat content of foods so ultimately you're following a reduced-calorie, low-fat diet. Counting points takes away the need to tot up calories or fat. And it's a good way to learn about healthy eating.

Says who?! What makes Weight Watchers "healthy eating" and the Atkins diet NOT, Ms. Kellow? The senile subjectivity of a "healthy diet" is something that people who are livin' la vida low-carb have had to deal with from day one of their plan. The pervading myth that low-fat is inherently good and low-carb is obviously bad must stop if we are ever going to move forward with getting a handle on obesity. What happened to rational thinking and open-mindedness, hmmmm?

She got in more comments in her review of the other low-carb plans:

- GI Diet--"When combined with a low-fat intake, the GI diet is a great way to lose weight."
- South Beach Diet--"The first two weeks are similar to the Atkins diet - this means you won't get your five daily portions of fruit and veg and may suffer similar side-effects. This diet is more flexible than other low-carb plans and requires serious willpower only for the first fortnight."
- The Zone--Trying to work out how to make each meal and snack meet the 40:30:30 ratio is almost impossible, unless you have a degree in nutrition or plenty of spare time. As with all low-carb plans, this is likely to be lacking in fibre and certain nutrients. There are loads of easier diets.

"Easier?!" Is that what losing weight is all about, Ms. Kellow? Nobody ever said weight loss was going to be easy, but frankly speaking on a personal level, eating a low-carb lifestyle has been one of the easiest diet plans I have ever followed in my life! Too bad I can't say the same about my low-fat diet experience. Talk about a hard diet to follow and to keep following over the long-term. I pity those who have fooled themselves into believing that they HAVE to eat that way for the rest of their life to be healthy. It's simply not true and the proof is in the fact that people like me and Kent have lost 200 pounds each and kept it off for several years now.

Special thanks to my friend Kent Altena for sharing his impressive response to Kellow's misguided remarks about the Atkins diet. We all need to openly challenge the status quo health "experts" when they make these kind of ridiculous comments about livin' la vida low-carb in places where people can be influenced such as a newspaper column. I try to find them and respond when I can, but YOU should be on the lookout for them and reply when appropriate as well.

If we ever hope to change the hearts and minds of people concerning low-carb living, then it must begin with our staunch and undying support for what we believe in. Even if that means taking on the "experts" like dietitians. Don't be intimidated to tell them they are wrong about livin' la vida low-carb because they usually are!

'Our Lady of Weight Loss' Is Speaking To You

The weight loss world will never be the same again because of this book

Wouldn't it be great if there existed in this world a singular person or entity who had all the answers to your questions regarding health, nutrition, and weight loss? This person would know exactly what to say about your specific circumstance and present the information to you in such a way that you felt good about yourself and honestly believed you could make the necessary changes in your life with little pain. For the millions of overweight and obese, that would be a miracle.

Well, I hope you believe in miracles because such a person DOES exist. Her name is Our Lady of Weight Loss and she spoke to a woman named Janice Taylor at a weight loss clinic of all places in 2001. From that day forward, Janice saw a change in her life like she had never experienced on any diet she had ever been on and completely turned her life around.

Does all this pseudo-religious talk sound a little spooky to you? LOL! Yeah, it did me, too. That is, until I kept reading and found out how these principles are what helped Janice Taylor shed 50 pounds and keep them off.

For the past five years, she has been helping others hear the voice of Our Lady of Weight Loss through her life coaching, motivational speakin, creative artwork, and Kick in the Tush Club (visit www.ourladyofweightloss.com for more information). And because of her growing success, she decided to write a book about her experiences to help even more people discover what she and her faithful flock have found. The book is entitled Our Lady of Weight Loss: Miraculous and Motivational Musings from the Patron Saint of Permanent Fat Removal.

The Our Lady principles entail the following:
- Seeking the weight loss help of those who have gone before you
- Becoming a weight loss artist to divert attention away from food
- Instead of obsessing with food, try doing something artistic
- Join a support group to share ideas and stay accountable
- Feeling the urge to move and shake your body
- Offer an all-inclusive, spiritual journey towards health

Still a little freaked out by this? Nah, you shouldn't be. Janice Taylor is a real person who did something about her weight and now stand ready to pour every ounce of creative energy into helping others lose weight, too.

This is arguably the most unique weight loss book I think I have ever put my hands on. It's unconventional and Janice seems to like it that way because it fits her personality, too. You get the feeling she's definitely tried all the drab and dry diets that have ever been created and decided that enough was enough. She wanted to jack up the creative mojo to make this book like none other on the market today. Did she ever!

Our Lady of Weight Loss is loaded not only with helpful weight loss advice in the most peculiar way, but also many delicious-looking recipes. However, I must warn those of you who are livin' la vida low-carb--the recipes are not very low-carb, but rather low-fat and low-calorie. I don't bemoan Janice for putting these in her book, but I thought my fellow low-carb friends should be forewarned.

Nevertheless, I like the genuinely fresh approach that Janice Taylor brings to the weight loss world which will forever change what you think about weight loss books. My impression of this woman is that she is having fun while doing something meaningful in the lives of so many. If that is the formula for success that works for people to help them lose weight and get healthy, then keep on beckoning the call of Our Lady of Weight Loss.

As someone who has lost 180 pounds myself, I am all in favor of people finding SOMETHING that will work for them. Our Lady of Weight Loss may be just the thing that helps you attain the Holy Grail of the obese: lasting and permanent weight loss. Haaaaaaallelujah!

Health Hacks Podcast: Episode 3 Has Arrived!

The Health Hacks Podcast is like a cup of java to wake up your health

Have you had a chance to listen to the "The Health Hacks Podcast" yet? What a fun way to learn about all kinds of health tips from people who have taught themselves a thing or two about healthy living through their own experiences. I am so privileged to be a member of the Health Hacks Podcast Posse and urge you to give these podcasts a listen when they come out each week.

For those of you who missed Episode Beta and last week's Episode 2, go back and listen to them if you get a chance. We're already at Episode 3 and invite you to experience the Health Hacks Podcast for yourself.

Click on the PopUp Player below to listen to the Health Hacks Podcast:

 Health Hacks Podcast Episode 3: PopUp Player

You get to hear some interesting ideas this week, including a unique workout routine called Shovelglove from Reinhard Engels, fitness tips from a special guest named Gus Caveda, a synthesis of the best ideas from each diet from Executive Producer Kevin Kennedy-Spaien, and how to help your server when dining out at a restaurant while on a low-carb diet from me.

Please leave your honest feedback about the show at the Health Hacks Podcast Episode 3 show notes post.

Have you listened to these podcasts? If so, what do you think? We'd really like to know if you find them useful or if you think they're garbage. You won't hurt our feelings at all because we're all just a bunch of guys trying to offer helpful hints about health for others to learn from. Your feedback is very much appreciated--good, bad or ugly! How about it?