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!

South Beach Diet Now Emphasizing Lifestyle Change With New Name

I snapped a picture of the new South Beach packaging at Sam's Club

One of the most common themes I talk about is how you can't just go on a low-carb "diet," but that you must make it your permanent and healthy lifestyle change. That's why I use livin' la vida low-carb instead of "low-carb diet" to describe this way of eating for me. It's all about the "living" and the makers of the bestselling South Beach line of products are finally embracing this concept in their marketing.

This Cape Cod Times story explains why Kraft Foods, manufacturer of the popular low-carb food line prominently using the name of Dr. Arthur Agatston's famous diet plan, has changed the name from "South Beach Diet" to the new and improved "South Beach Living." Sure, it's merely semantics but the word "diet" has almost become taboo now. Lifestyle change or "living" is a kinder, gentler way of saying the same thing.

According to the article, consumers have become increasingly agitated by the use of the word "diet" and would prefer to be pursuing healthy "living" instead. After all, it's better to be living than the alternative (which just coincidentally happens to be the first three letters of that "d" word we no longer like!). Or is this much ado about nothing by some back room marketing executives?

The story goes on to site other examples of this move away from the use of "diet" in the marketing of products, including the much-heralded Coke Zero--a new version of Diet Coke that is sweetened with the overly-used sugar substitute aspartame (or as I call it NASTY-tame!) and the sweetener-enhancing acesulfame potassium (ACE-K). The Coca-Cola Company credits the absence of "diet" in the name of their product to its early success (no, it couldn't have anything to do with the fact that every other commercial on television was advertising Coke Zero when it came out, couldn't it? NAH!).

They say young men (hey, I'm still pretty young at 36) wouldn't buy Diet Coke because it was a chick thing. For me, it wasn't about anything other than taste. Regular Diet Coke is disgusting to me which is why I prefer Diet Coke with Splenda (sweetened with Splenda and ACE-K) or the caffeine-free Diet Rite which is also sweetened with Splenda and ACE-K).

I think these marketing analysts get a little too caught up in their own little world to really know why anyone buys their product. It probably has a lot less to do with how offensive the word "diet" is on a product and more about the quality that "diet" product offers. I'm personally disgusted by aspartame and try to avoid it as much as possible in the diet sodas and other products I consume. Give me good quality alternatives (which includes diet sodas sweetened with the plant-based stevia) and I'll show you a consumer base that will clamor for your products.

Getting back to the South Beach product line for a moment, a Kraft representative says they want to "broaden the appeal of the brand and fuel its growth" by implementing this name change. Since more people are looking to eat healthy rather than losing weight (something I discussed in a recent podcast show), they wanted to put that message on the 70 South Beach products that line supermarket shelves. And "South Beach Living" fits the bill.

I blogged about the tremendous success of the South Beach Diet food products in early 2006 which was the "primary growth driver" for Kraft. In a market that doesn't have much competition, South Beach has great name recognition and fits a niche market. The tens of millions of South Beach Diet followers are a built-in consumer base for these products, although I highly suspect most who have read Dr. Agatston's books don't currently buy the products. That certainly opens the door for creating a wider customer appeal by marketing it for healthy "living."

Although the popularity of The South Beach Diet books was at its highest in 2003, there is still great interest in it as well as general low-carb in 2008 thanks to the resurgence in this way of eating that has happened over the past couple of years within the researcher community and with a big boost most recently by the release of Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories. One criticism I have about the South Beach products is that they contain some ingredients I wouldn't necessarily put in my mouth (sugar, flour, and the like) and have a higher carb count (double-digit carbohydrates for a bar is NOT good) than I feel comfortable with on my low-carb lifestyle. But that's just me.

That said, I know people who swear by these products and love 'em! Good for them and I certainly don't want to discourage anyone from using these South Beach Living products if they work for you. CONGRATULATIONS on making this "diet" your new way of "living" for life. In the end, that's all that really matters if you have found a way to be healthy.

Does this name change from "diet" to "living" make you more likely to buy Kraft's South Beach products or does it really matter at all? Share your feedback about this in the comments section below.

Steve Jobs Is Either A Dunderhead Or A Genius

Was the decision to slash $200 off the iPhone the right one?

Let me begin by saying I am an absolute Apple Macintosh nut! I always have been since I was first introduced to them in my freshman year of college at the University of Tennessee back in 1989. My English class that year was at a desk with a Mac and it blew me away how a computer like that could do so much.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

It's nearly two decades later now and Macs are still cool to me. In fact, I just got the new iMac and the much-heralded iPhone about six weeks ago and LOVE 'em better than I ever expected. Both have been business expenses well worth the price paid to stay in touch and get the job done well.

With that said, I have to express my slight dissatisfaction and disappointment with Apple CEO Steve Jobs right now. His quick-handed decision to slash the price of the 8GB iPhone by $200 to $399 seemed a bit desperate to me. After just a little more than two months on the market, you feel the need to drop the price?

I suppose the new iPod touch product had something to do with this decision. It's an 8GB iPhone without the phone and allows users to use it as an iPod, surf the Internet, watch YouTube, download from iTunes, and more. The cost? $299!

This would have cannibalized iPhone sales which Jobs could not allow to happen. It made good business sense dropping the price, but most people expected it to happen around late November when Christmas shopping season hit. Looks like Apple is wanting to kickstart that trend three months early.

That's all well and good, but what about those poor people who bought the 4GB iPhone at $499? Now they have something that's half as good and cost them $100 MORE than what the 8GB iPhone costs now. Will they be allowed to switch to an 8GB at no charge as a goodwill gesture, Mr. Jobs? Not as it currently stands.

And those poor AT&T store workers! They found out about the price cut in a text message and e-mail just minutes before the announcement. How tasteless is that? Apple should have given at least a week's notice to AT&T to prepare their frontline workers for the onslaught of both angry old and anxious new customers. Bad business, Mr. Jobs!

Although I wasn't one of the people who purchased the iPhone when it immediately came out (waiting in line for days for a phone just ain't normal), I did get mine in late July for a trip to Indiana when I wouldn't have Internet access. It was awesome being able to keep up with my e-mails, check my blog and forum, and keep in touch with the world while away. Overall, it's been well worth the cost I paid several times over and it has continued to be a business lifesaver for me.

Nevertheless, it still stinks that the price dropped so much, so fast--a $3 a day depreciation that doesn't make for good business if you ask me. Even after Jobs wrote this apology letter promising a $100 Apple store credit to iPhone customers who paid $599 for the phone, it merely left this Apple fan a bit disgusted about it.

Is that the best you can do, Mr. Jobs? Sure, $100 credit is better than zippo, but how about a $200 Apple credit, hmmm? At least there would be the perception that you seriously wanted to make amends to your loyal base of customers who love your company (and I'm one of them!). Plus, you should have announced this BEFORE the price cut rather than as a knee-jerk reaction based on the e-mails you received. You had every intention of sticking it to your best customers now, didn't you?

In actuality, this $100 Apple credit Jobs announced will cost the company about half that much money, so it's not really that great a deal after all IMHO. I'll probably buy a car charger for the iPhone and any other accessories adding up to $100, but I will need to order them online since I don't have an Apple store near me.

Why not give the credit in the iTunes store, Mr. Jobs? We have this cool phone that plays music and videos, so wouldn't it make sense to extend that $100 to iTunes since you own it, too? Can you do that? Please consider this as an option with the credit offer details you are going to announce next week.

Incidentally, if you purchased your iPhone within the past 14 days, then you are entitled to a FULL REFUND as per the Apple Sales and Refund Policy. If you paid $599 for your iPhone, then this may be a great way to get your $200 back in cash when you purchase your new iPhone at $399. It's too late for me, but maybe not for many of YOU. GOOD LUCK!

Am I mad about this? Just a little. But I will admit that owning an iPhone has been the best business expense I've ever made. Now there will be plenty of others who will get to enjoy it just as much as I have. It really is the most amazing technological advancement I have seen in my lifetime and I HIGHLY recommend it.

Is Steve Jobs a dunderhead or a genius? Time will tell. What do YOU think?

9-9-07 UPDATE: Here was an excellent comment from one reader that mirrors much of my own feelings about the iPhone price cut:

I have to say I'm not that terribly upset about the iPhone price drop. It was a tad galling to have the price cut be so large so soon. On the other hand, I got to use a great device for a couple of months before the price cut. In my judgement it was worth the price when I bought it.

I traveled around several states on business and used the iPhone for getting maps, checking email, keeping up on news via Safari and watching videos on the airplane. If I was a savvy shopper I could have waited a while and waited for a price cut. To me the utility of the device was worth the few extra dollars so I don't regret it.

On a more philosophical level, it is curious why the price cut comes now. Sales seemed to be OK. Why not wait until November to cut prices? That would still capture the Christmas buying surge. My private guess is that Apple's competitive research turned up something causing them to accelerate the price cut. Apple is conservatively run. They would normally keep the price high. Even if they did cut the price a more typical approach would have been to drop the 4GB model and reduce the price of the 8GB model to $499. I suspect they knew of a competitor entering the market and wanted to be sure to lock up as many sales as possible before that happened.

Hmmmm, could an iPhone competitor be on the way before Christmas? It's got some pretty big shoes to fill because Apple has raised the bar VERY high!

Losing Dough From Low-Carb Diet, Krispy Kreme Franchise Files For Bankruptcy And Closing Stores

Livin' la vida low-carb is STILL haunting Krispy Kreme doughnuts

One of the most difficult guessing games that happens behind the scenes of the American economy is figuring out how to create a product that people will want often enough to turn a consistent profit. It is this decision-making process that will either make or break a company.

You hate to gloat when a company has to file for bankruptcy (although the media certainly didn't mind doing it when Atkins Nutritionals did in 2005 but then they completely ignored it when they emerged from bankruptcy stronger in January 2006). But when that company is Krispy Kreme doughnuts and they continue to struggle to remain viable promoting high-sugar, high-carb products as their mainstay, it's hard to feel sorry for them.

I first blogged about Krispy Kreme closings in June 2005 and then again in July 2006 when it placed the onus on "the low-carb Atkins diet fad for its troubles." Hmm, it seems that darn low-carb "fad" is still haunting them in September 2007 according to this Chicago Tribune story.

The Illinois franchise called Sweet Traditions LLC of St. Louis who owns the Krispy Kreme doughnut stores in the Chicago, Illinois area is in such dire straits financially that they have been forced to close half of the stores in that area and file for Chapter 11. Not surprisingly, the owner blames high rent and a declining customer base for the closings and economic losses, but does that REALLY explain it?

I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt regarding the idiocy of the corporate headquarters requiring gargantuan stores costing $3 million a piece, but what explains the loss of people coming into the Krispy Kreme stores? This is a trend that's happening nationwide as this once-mighty company is crumbling.

Again I must ask--WHY?! It's not difficult to figure out.

As I shared in this recent podcast, doughnuts are about the worst possible food you could eat if you are trying to lose weight and get healthy. With half of Americans on a controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach, the frequency of doughnut consumption has become less and less.

Although Vegas Krispy Kreme franchisee Lincoln Spoor arrogantly declared last Fall that "everybody cheats" and his doughnuts are the best food to eat on a cheat (I'm not kidding, he REALLY said that!), the fact of the matter is livin' la vida low-carb is putting a serious hurtin' on this chain of stores whose stock dropped nearly 40 percent on Friday after poor second quarter sales reports. Krispy Kreme is expected to close SEVERAL more stores in the rest of this fiscal year. YIKES!

They've tried gimmicks like making "healthy" (translated LOW-FAT!) doughnuts and they announced late last month they were removing trans fats from their menu. While that's a nice PR move and all, it just further proves they don't get it. The business dynamic has RADICALLY changed over the past three years and Krispy Kreme hasn't adjusted to it.

If they want to survive and thrive again, then they will need to seriously consider trying to reach the low-carb market rather than shunning it and thumbing their nose at us. I'm not saying I would necessarily eat there because even a sugar-free, low-carb doughnut would likely be made with inferior sweeteners like the sugar alcohol maltitol, it would at the very least be a "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" strategy for survival. Maybe.

It may be their only hope.

9-8-07 UPDATE: You get all kinds of people writing to you when you start talking about business failures like Krispy Kreme. Here's what one egocentric gentleman penned in an e-mail responding to my post:

Are you kidding me? You’re still spouting that low-carb crap. What are you, a shill for Krispy Kreme?

Take a look at Dunkin Donuts and Tim Horton’s. Why wasn’t their business adversely affected by the low carb craze?

Krispy Kreme went down because of bad management, not because of carb counting.

FYI The low carb craze has been dead for some time. Perhaps Krispy Kreme should look for a way to blame the weather for their poor performance.

Um, yes, that "low-carb crap" has helped me lose 200 pounds and keep it off for the past four years. I have no dog in this hunt with Krispy Kreme, but I'm simply calling it as I see it. Sure, they've made some management blunders, but they are the #1 doughnut company in the United States.

It shouldn't be lost on anyone that low-carb has made an impact on their business and they've even said as much as I noted in my column. Face it, people are eating healthier nowadays and Krispy Kreme has failed to change with the times. That's it, pure and simple.

As for the "low-carb craze" being "dead for some time," perhaps you should come visit my blog more often. Since April 2005 when I created this blog and when low-carb was supposed to be dead then, I have a blog that's about to hit 2 million pageviews since then, a successful podcast show, an independent book release, a fantastic new discussion forum, engaging and fun videos on YouTube, and even my own low-carb, sugar-free chocolate bar coming out later this month.

Does this sound like low-carb is dead? Me thinks not, my friend. Nice try, though.

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 81: Low-Carb The Business And Low-Carb The Diet Are Autonomous

Low-carb has got to be dead now since all those low-carb products that were on supermarket shelves a few years back are gone. I guess this just proves that low-carb has finally been proven to be the dangerous and unhealthy diet that it is.

Have you heard this line of reasoning from anti-low-carb people before?

Well, in Episode 81 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" today I talk about a very important distinction between low-carb the business and low-carb the diet. When you remove the vitriol hatred for the Atkins diet and other low-carb plans from the equation, this just makes sense. Click on the "Play In Popup" link below or download it to your iPod to hear today's podcast show:

 "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 81 [17:55m]: Play in Popup | Download

Livin' la vida low-carb as a healthy nutritional approach has erroneously been thrown into the discussion about the low-carb business failures. There are good reasons why so many of those "low-carb" products that came out a few years back failed that has absolutely nothing at all to do with the low-carb diet. When you merely look at the economics of it, then you are being blinded by the reality--that real people all around the world are losing weight and getting healthy eating this way.

Get the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb with Jimmy Moore" podcast by:

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

Do you believe the financial woes of so many businesses that created "low-carb" products back in the hey day of low-carb dieting has anything at all to do with low-carb the diet? Some would say that it is indicative of this diet's demise. And how do you explain the seemingly constant obsession by the media and the so-called health "experts" on this low-carb "fad?"

Let us hear all about it as you share what's on your mind regarding this topic. Everyone has their own opinions, so let's hear YOURS! :)

Tune in to "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" on Thursday as we discuss whether frequency of meals consumed is more important than the traditional three-meals-a-day we've all grown accustomed to. You're not gonna believe what a graduate student in Biological Science had to say about this subject, so be sure to check it out!

Is Atkins Nutritionals Up For Sale?

Is it time to stock up on your favorite Atkins products before they're gone?

A lot has happened to the namesake company for the world's most famous low-carbohydrate diet plan, begun by Dr. Robert C. Atkins, in just the past year. Although Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is no longer affiliated with anyone in the Atkins family (Dr. Atkins' widow Veronica Atkins cut ties with the business and started the philanthropic Dr. Robert C. Atkins Foundation charity which has given well over $225 million in donations worldwide), many of the harshest critics of the Atkins diet STILL erroneously link the business and the diet. IDIOTS! Let's get one thing straight right off the bat--Atkins Nutritionals and the Atkins diet are NOT the same.

With that said, Atkins Nutritionals has experienced quite a rollercoaster ride from where it was just two years ago. After riding high with a full line of low-carb products in 2004 when everyone was trying to get in on the "low-carb craze" as the media calls it, sales quickly began to drop last year and caused the company to have to file for bankruptcy in August 2005. Predictably, the media and critics took advantage of this opportunity to bash the Atkins diet claiming it had failed just because the company that features the Atkins name was struggling financially at the time. Sigh.

Of course, we cannot underestimate the impact that the frivolous lawsuit from Jody Gorran played in contributing to the money woes that Atkins Nutritionals experienced. But Atkins Nutritionals understandably realized that their product line was severely bloated and needed to be whittled down to the bestselling products, namely their outstanding bars and shakes. So, that's exactly what their plan was earlier this year when they emerged from bankruptcy ready to move forward through 2006 and beyond.

I wrote back in January this year that Atkins Nutritionals could emerge out of this business setback stronger and continue to provide excellent products for people who are livin' la vida low-carb as long as they never forget to invoke the spirit of the man whose name they represent.

"They need to remember who and what they stand for. Dr. Atkins was a man before his time, a true visionary. He knew his life's work was important enough to invest many hours of time and energy into helping people achieve lasting weight loss. He obviously found great joy during his life in helping people reach this breakthrough moment in their lives. Whether Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is here tomorrow or not, low-carb will continue to roar on!"

And yet, despite generating $215 million in sales in 2005, it seems Atkins Nutritionals, Inc. is now in trouble yet again. A source revealed to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog that Atkins Nutritionals is currently being shopped around for a buyer because of their continued financial difficulties. The source added that the company that has been manufacturing the Atkins shakes and bars has ceased new packaging production because they have not been paid by Atkins Nutritionals for past orders they have fulfilled.

What this means to the low-carb consumers who use the Atkins products is that what you see available in stores that stock Atkins products right now may be the last of the inventory for a while until the company can either be sold and/or the bills are brought up-to-date. In other words, this might be a good time to stock up on the Atkins products you will need for the rest of the year so you will have them on hand in case products of new products stops for good. How sad that would be!

Of course, you don't NEED the Atkins shakes or bars to do the Atkins diet, but there are certain nutrients and ingredients that are found in these products that are hard to find elsewhere. I personally drink one Atkins shake per day and would miss being able to have access to them if Atkins Nutritionals suddenly went away. But, again, low-carb living won't be dead if something were to happen to the Atkins company. Low-carb has evolved well enough now that it is not dependent on any company to sustain its existence.

While the Atkins haters will continue their concerted efforts against the diet, news that Atkins Nutritionals is struggling will only send these people into a joyous uproar. But that doesn't concern me in the least because more than 60,000 pageviews were logged at my low-carb blog in August 2006 alone! In other words, PEOPLE ARE STILL VERY INTERESTED IN LOW-CARB--Atkins Nutritionals or not!

I wish Atkins Nutritionals well in their efforts to sell the company to an investor who will care enough about the company to get back to the vision that Dr. Atkins had for it when he started it several years ago. There's still a need that Atkins Nutritionals can meet for the tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and desperately looking for a way to get their weight under control for good. Only time will tell if the right investor will come along to revive the company with a refocus on why they came into existence in the first place. It may be too late now, but we can hope that it is not.