'Track Your Plaque' Author Interviews Jimmy Moore About Saturated Fat, Low-Carb Weight Loss

One good interview deserves another!

In late August, I was privileged to conduct an interview with a cardiologist named Dr. William Davis who utilizes a rather unconventional approach for examining heart health by measuring the amount of plaque build-up in the arteries called a heart scan. It is cutting-edge technology that would be a more widely accepted way to manage heart health if there was money involved in it. This is the uphill battle that Dr. Davis is attempting to counteract with his "Heart Scan Blog" which I fell in love with after Dr. Davis wrote a blog post entitled "The Ornish Diet Made Me Fat"--I WAS HOOKED! :)

Not long after my interview with Dr. Davis, he approached me about returning the favor--doing an interview with me--because he was especially interested in learning more about why I support saturated fat consumption as part of a healthy lifestyle. It's too important a subject to be swept under the rug and I was appreciative of the opportunity to articulate my argument to a man with an open mind willing to be convinced he may be wrong.

The interview is now available online at Dr. Davis' blog entitled "Is saturated fat the villain we thought?" Check it out and give a look-see at the comments that have been generated by it, including a rather informative one from Colette Heimowitz from Atkins Nutritionals who shared some remarkable research about the various kinds of saturated fats and their impact on heart health that you'll want to read as well.

Before his interview with me, Dr. Davis contended that he has "had a hard time dismissing the ill-effects of saturated fat."

"After all, we've all been taught--drilled--with the idea that saturated fats cause LDL cholesterol to go higher, cause arterial constriction, growth of atherosclerotic plaque, inflammation, even cancer," Dr. Davis contended.

But...

"...there does indeed seem to be a growing sentiment that this long-held dogma may not be true," he concluded following his interview with me.

Here's just a few snippets from the interview:

"My thinking on saturated fat has evolved since I started eating this way nearly four years ago. Like most people, I was terrified to eat ANY fat at all because of the abject fear that people like Dr. Dean Ornish and other so-called health "experts" instilled in me about how dangerously unhealthy it is to consume it. This fat phobia is arguably the single biggest contributor to the ongoing obesity crisis our world faces today."
**********
"To me, as a simple layperson with no medical background, it's all a matter of who you believe. Do we continue to buy into the low-fat propaganda machine and assume that what they are telling us about saturated fat is true? Or do we instead start paying closer attention to the latest research that is coming out about saturated fat that doesn't exactly line up with the edicts of the last three decades? The choice for me is a simple one."
**********
"As for consuming the highly-touted 'healthy whole grain' cereals that you mentioned, what a travesty that would be for people trying to manage their weight and health. While the cereal manufacturers have had a heyday in their marketing efforts promoting their whole grain content, it's all just a big fat ruse on the public trying to convince them that these cereals are somehow healthy for their bodies. Sure, they're better than the sugary cereals, but all those grains are metabolized as sugar inside the body, so you might as well be eating Lucky Charms and Fruit Loops!
**********
"There's a balance that people need to find for themselves and it's different for
all of us. I am one of the unlucky people who has to keep his carbohydrate
intake below 50g daily or I gain. It's just a fact of life that I've come to
grips with and realize is a necessity in order to manage my weight for the rest
of my life. But I wouldn't have it any other way!"
**********
"My philosophy is simple: Find the diet plan that will work for YOU, read and research everything you can about that chosen plan, follow that plan exactly as prescribed by the author of that book, and then KEEP doing that plan for the rest of your life. If you do that, then there's no reason why you can't succeed just like I did."

There's much more in the FULL INTERVIEW, so be sure to check it out and leave a comment at Dr. Davis' blog! Special THANK YOU to Dr. William Davis for sharing my story with his readers and I hope we all continue to learn from one another about how to be as healthy as we can possibly be.

He and I both agree the current path is too tied up in the financial interests of the parties involved to give a rat's rear end about the people who are suffering from heart health problems. That's a bigger problem that needs to be confronted, exposed, and addressed to end this pandemic of cardiovascular disease that grips our nation.

Dr. Davis indicated that as a result of his interview with me, he's going to "rethink all the old observations" about saturated fat he once thought were the gospel truth.

"I am impressed with your knowledge on this topic," he remarked. "You've made a powerfully convincing argument for the misguidance of the saturated fat dogma. Thanks for teaching me a few things, Jimmy!"

It's my pleasure, Dr. Davis, and I encourage you to keep fighting the good fight against those who try to take advantage of making heart disease a multi-billion dollar moneymaker rather than trying to prevent it in the first place. Your efforts will not be in vain for those who find out the truth before it is too late for them.

For more information about the inexpensive heart scan test that Dr. Davis advocates to measure the plaque in your arteries, pick up a copy of his book Track Your Plaque.

Kimkins 'Cover Girl' Passionately Declares Diet 'Dangerous' After Health Issues Emerge

Kimkins cover girl: "I was wrong...Kimkins is not the way to lose weight"

It takes a very special person to publicly admit when they were wrong about something even after multiple warnings and concerns shared by those around them. And yet that is exactly what has happened this week when Kimkins Woman's World cover girl Christin delivered an impassioned video apology at her blog along with a detailed explanation of the health complications she and others have suffered since beginning the risky low-carb imposter diet scheme devised by a morbidly obese woman named Heidi Diaz.

I blogged about my concerns over the Kimkins fiasco that culminated earlier this week when this beautiful young woman had to be rushed to the emergency room because of some pain in her chest and heart complications. When you hear something like this happening that was brought on by such an extreme low-fat/low-calorie diet like Kimkins, it should make you angry. AND I AM ANGRY ABOUT IT!

To anyone who is still on the Kimkins diet, CHRISTIN has a message just for YOU:


Show your support for and encouragement to Christin by leaving a comment about this video at her "The Journey On" blog. What a brave woman she is and I am honored to know her as a friend. She has demonstrated nothing but grace, elegance, and dignity in the midst of what has become a complete and utter nightmare for so many of us in the low-carb community concerning this Kimkins debacle.

For the sake of those who cannot view the video, the following is a summary of the video, including direct quotes made by Christin regarding her experience following the Kimkins diet. Be prepared to be shocked and stunned as she shares quite openly about the negative impact this weight loss fraud has had and may continue to have on her health. Pray for her even now as she seeks to reverse the damage that has been done.


Christin before Kimkins when she weighed 250 pounds

Christin said she did this video so that others would "know exactly where I stand on this." She explained why most people choose to lose weight: to improve their health. Period! When you are 100+ pounds overweight, then you are not living healthy, she noted.

She chose the Kimkins program because she "wanted to lose weight quickly and I thought healthfully" because she "wanted more for my life." She wanted to "be there" for her family in the years to come. I think all of us who have ever gone on a weight loss plan can relate to that.


Christin today after losing 100 pounds

When she first began, the program was working great for her because "I was following the program exactly as written. I thought I was doing perfectly." But after losing 100 pounds in five months, Christin then conspicuously noticed there was not one single doctor who approved the Kimkins diet. That's when she started looking into who Heidi Diaz, aka Kimmer, really was and what she claimed to be.


The REAL Kimmer is this woman--not the 118-pound woman she claims

Diaz had alleged in the marketing of Kimkins that she lost 198 pounds in 11 months on this Kimkins diet and was promoting it that way to anyone who would listen with supposed pictures to prove it. But it was this recent series of articles that included recent photographs of Diaz along with several other sites that made Christin become concerned and realize that those claims by Diaz were simply "not true."

"Heidi did not lose the weight, she did not follow this program that she claims is safe for anybody, even for diabetics," Christin said.

Then Christin turned in her video to the "risks" of being on the Kimkins diet that she discovered first-hand while following the program. She said she has real "concerns for everyone else that has attempted this program or will attempt this program."

That includes first and foremost hair loss. Christin admitted that her hair "started fall out in handfuls" and it "scared" her. She estimates she has lost as much as 60 percent of what used to be "thick, full hair" prior to her Kimkins experience.

"Now it's very thin," she exclaimed.

Another side effect was the loss of her menstrual cycle that she believes happened from "eating so few calories and my body was becoming malnourished." She said the hair loss and lack of periods are both tell-tale signs of anorexia, an eating disorder where victims literally starve themselves to be thin.

"I believe now the Kimkins diet program promotes a form of anorexia that I don't know if science has even attempted touch on this yet," Christin stated. "300 calories a day is not safe weight loss."

Any dietary change this drastic need to be closely monitored by a doctor just like those who undergo gastric bypass surgery do, she added.

When these symptoms began to show up, Christin went on the Kimkins forums to see if anyone else was losing their hair and female cycle like she was. "What's going on?" she pleaded to anyone who would listen to her concerns. And Christin said she "saw it come up multiple times" regarding these symptoms she was having in other people, too.

The excuse provided in response to this happening was that it was "perfectly normal and you're going through a shed. Your body is just losing estrogen." It was just too coincidental that "almost every other person who kept their calories under 1000 calories, probably more under 700 calories, has lost hair."

"I don't want to scare you," Christin said speaking directly to people who are still following Kimkins, "but I want to bring you into the reality that there is a better way to lose weight."

Christin asks "are you really doing this?" and urges people to take their diet plan to their doctor for him to examine it. "Take him your Fitday, take him exactly what you are eating, let him see your calorie counts," she said.

"I'm concerned about you," Christin pleaded.


Christin says she is sorry for supporting the "dangerous" Kimkins diet

When the time came for Christin to step into the spotlight back in June when the Woman's World magazine cover story opportunity came up, she said she was "put on a pedestal as the 'cover girl.' I was the model, I was the way to do it." But now she realizes how she was used as a pawn and seeks the mercy of those who trusted and looked up to her.

"I need to ask your forgiveness," she said. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Kimkins is not the way to lose weight. Kimkins is dangerous...for your health, it's dangerous for your psyche."

But as much as Kimkins hurt Christin up until this point, none of it was as grave as what was happening to her without even realizing it. She had the symptoms of an eating disorder that she admits made her realize she "had a problem" when she was fearful of even consuming some salad out of fear that she'd stall in her weight loss.

"I did not get fat on salad and on healthy vegetables," Christin explained. "I got fat on sugar and white carbs."

Getting over the fear of eating was a very difficult mental test for Christin as she now obsessed over every little bite of food she was eating and how it would impact her on the scale. She revealed that she hasn't met anyone who has been on the Kimkins program who wasn't "literally scared" to add food back into their diet.

"What kind of a program is it that makes you scared? Weight loss is not about fear, weight loss is about excitement, it's about joy, it's about recapturing your life," Christin shared with a glimmer in her eyes. "It should be a fun journey, not a fearful one."

And yet fear was exactly what gripped Christin and it would not let go of her.

"If I wasn't losing everyday, then I began wondering what was wrong with me," Christin admitted. "Nothing was wrong with me. My body was screaming at me. It was putting the brakes on and telling me you're going about this the wrong way."

As a devout Christian, she knew that "God created us to eat healthy foods; vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and yes, even fat." Christin reiterated that she believes there is "validity to low-carb programs" like Atkins, Protein Power, and the like when they are done the correct way and not the Kimkins way.

"You will provide your body with all of the nutrients that it needs" when you follow low-carb by the book, Christin shared. "God did not create you to starve yourself."

Outlining the "many dangers within the Kimkins program," she said that it goes much deeper than just an eating disorder. She said that "something is going on within my body" and that it has been manifested in the form of "flutters" in her heart for the past month.

"Twinges, cramps, aches, all within my chest cavity right around the area of my heart," Christin expressed, sharing that it all came to a head on Monday when the "severe chest pains...stomach aches, and nausea" were so great she was admitted to the emergency room staying there until late at night.

The doctors examined her with many tests, including an EKG, blood work, chest x-rays, and they kept her at the hospital for several hours to monitor her condition. It's still unknown what caused the tremendous pain to come on Christin like it did on Monday night, but she was prescribed pain medications and was referred to a cardiologist for an immediate follow-up visit.

That visit to the cardiologist took place on Wednesday who shared several concerns for Christin. With a "more and more serious" look on his face after hearing Christin's story about her starvation-mode weight loss method compliments of the Kimkins diet, he told her flat out that "our bodies can suffer damage from eating that little."

After conducting more tests on her, including an EKG, an ECG, blood work, and "lots of listening with the stethoscope," the cardiologist said he was not concerned about what he called a "normal" low pulse rate of 45 (incidentally, mine is in the upper 40's since I lost nearly 200 pounds and Christin has experienced a heart rate in the low-to-mid 40's). Even still, she says she "might get a second opinion on" just to be sure about it.

But there were real concerns that the cardiologist had for Christin, including "possible damage to my heart nodes and valves from malnutrition." Because of that, he wants to have a sonogram of Christin's heart to confirm whether or not there is this damage since it was inconclusive from the initial examination. He's also concerned about some "esophageal spasms" that happen whenever there is a "rapid change in your dietary program and you lose a lot of weight."

"Things can change on your insides," Christin quoted the cardiologist as saying, "that it takes it a while to catch up."

She is now medication for this "distress" with the contractions surrounding her esophagus and trying to rest as her body goes through the healing process.

Speaking passionately and directly to those who still think the Kimkins diet is a safe and effective way to lose weight in a healthy manner, Christin had an extremely clear and articulate message for them.

"If I and my story can stop anyone else from having pain and having the fear that I did that I might have caused even further damage and by attempting to be for my family I hindered my longevity with them--I was scared to death. That ride to the hospital was one of the most fearful ones that I have ever had! My husband was scared at having to face the possibility of losing his wife and his helper and his love," she recalled from her haunting experience earlier this week.

When they got to the hospital, Christin said she and her husband "prayed together" while holding hands hoping for the best in God's hands. And that's something she wants to help others avoid if they will simply listen to what she has to say.

"If I can save any of you from having to go through that, then it is worth it," Christin concluded.

Speaking about her role as the Public Relations head of Kimkins last month and as the cover girl on the Woman's World magazine in June, Christin said she did it because she "thought [she] was helping" others as is her heart's desire.

"It has always been my desire to help people," she said. "And especially those that I feel a connection with, those who have struggled to lose weight their entire lives, those who have issues with obesity--something that I know all too well."

Christin said taking on those responsibilities felt like she was "doing my part to give hope, to give assurance, to sympathize and to empathize" with people who were facing the same struggles that she had trying to lose weight. She still has those feelings for people who want to beat their obesity which is why she is still blogging and participating in a low-carb forum again.

"My heart goes out to you because I know what it's like," Christin stated. "I know the euphoria of losing weight quickly, but I also know the risks and the dangers involved and I am begging with you now to please listen to your body like I've said so many times and do the right thing."

She added: "There is a right way and a wrong way to lose weight. And I am now convinced that starving yourself and utilizing the Kimkins program in that manner is not the right way."

Realizing there is still a need for a community for people who desire weight loss the healthy way, Christin said we should all "stand together and learn together" the "correct way to use a low-carb program to make each other healthy, to live a longer life for our loved ones and our families."

Christin said she'll be back to blogging again soon and appreciates the friendship and love that has been shown to her through this horrific experience.

"I love you and I'm here for you," she concluded.

Visit Christin and learn more about her continuing low-carb weight loss journey at her "The Journey On" blog as well as the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum. And if you would like to contact Woman's World magazine to let them know about your concerns regarding the Kimkins program, their direct e-mail address is DearWW@aol.com. Perhaps if enough of us let them know about Christin and others who have suffered serious health consequences from being on Kimkins, then they may print a retraction.

Cardiologist Contends Ornish Low-Fat Diet For Reversing Heart Disease Is A 'Scam'

You gotta love a cardiologist with the spunk and tenacity of Dr. William Davis

Special thanks to BamaGal and Regina Wilshire for pointing me to this incredible blog called "The Heart Scan Blog" by Dr. William R. Davis, MD, FACC.

As a cardiologist in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area, Dr. Davis says he is "deeply disturbed by the state of affairs in heart disease" nowadays. In fact, he's so troubled by the profit-driven motives of "hospitals, drug companies, medical device companies, and physicians" over the issue of heart disease that he created a brand new blog entitled "Heart Scam" to expose these practices to the world.

In fact, his "Heart Scan Blog" does much the same thing while arming people with what to look out for when heart health claims are made and how to avoid falling into these moneymaking schemes.

It seems the good Dr. Davis has had some experience with the low-fat diet as he detailed in his post from late last month called "The Ornish Diet Made Me Fat." I absolutely love the humor he invokes in sharing what his life was like eating an ultra-low-fat diet in the early 1990s. It brought back some rather painful memories for me.

As you know, I went on a very low-fat diet in 1999 to lose weight and experienced remarkable success at it losing 170 pounds in about 10 months. But on the inside I was screaming bloody murder to get out of this diet. I was literally HUNGRY ALL THE TIME and didn't like the way it made me feel.

Sure, I was skinnier and everyone around me was stunned by the transformation. But I was unable to convince myself that this was a healthy way to eat and live, so I got off of it in a big way! Within four months after ending my low-fat diet experience and rebelling against thinking I had to eat that way for the rest of my life, I gained all that weight back...AND MORE!

I remembered the lesson of that experience well when it came time to start livin' la vida low-carb in 2004. One of the primary reasons I chose this way of eating was my belief that it was something I could do forever and ever amen. Four years later, I'm still eating this way so there must be something to that. This is something Dr. Davis can relate to personally as well as for his patients.

As you will quickly discover, he's no fan of the Dr. Dean Ornish plan for "reversing heart disease." This was something I experienced early and often from Mr. Low-Fat Diet himself during my interview with him last October. Dr. Davis says he is tempted to "roll my eyes" when a patient asks if they should go on the Ornish diet.

Here's what his Ornish diet looked like:

- Consumed less than 10% of his calories as fat
- Eliminated all fish, meats, vegetable oils, and nuts
- Ate vegetables and fruits
- Increased whole grain consumption
- Ornish-recommended recipes
- Running five miles daily
- Avoiding sugary candy and fruit juice

This "healthy" diet is supposed to help improve weight and health so that you never have to worry about heart disease, right? Well, let's see what happened to Dr. Davis:

- Gained 31 pounds
- Developed protruding belly (this study confirms it happens)
- HDL fell to 28 mg/dl
- Triglycerides vaulted to 336 mg/dl
- LDL cholesterol particle size was the small dangerous kind
- In a strange mental fog by the afternoon
- Constantly tired and cranky
- Sudden surges of anger and frustration over the small stuff
- Needed excessive amounts of coffee to function

Over the years of treating patients, Dr. Davis has seen similar symptoms happen to other Ornish low-fat dieters, too. Recent research suggests the high-carb, low-fat approach is ineffective for people who are insulin resistant, will raise your blood pressure, and could actually lead to breast cancer.

Respected researcher Dr. Jeff Volek from the University of Connecticut asserted in my interview with him last year that the low-fat diet has no positive impact on health apart from weight loss. So what is Dr. Davis' point? While the low-fat diets promoted by Dr. Dean Ornish may have been all the rage 30-40 years ago, it's time to move on to something more efficient and effective for improving health based on all the latest nutritional knowledge we have at our disposal today.

"Few of us wear bell-bottomed jeans, tie-dyed t-shirts, or say 'groovy'...so should go the misadventures of the ultra low-fat diet, as articulated by Dr. Ornish. His day came and went. We learned from our mistakes. Now let's do something better."

We are, Dr. Davis! It's livin' la vida low-carb, baby!

You can e-mail Dr. William Davis to thank him for sharing his perspective about the the use of a low-fat diet on heart disease and health at heartprotection@aol.com. We need more voices like his to stand up for the truth and speak it boldly to those who need to hear it most!

A Cardiologist's Diet? I Don't Think So!

My high school friend Laura Creekmore wants to "eat better"

One of my favorite blogs to pay a visit to every now and then is one called "Fixin' Supper," a fun cooking blog dedicated to the culinary desires of its author Laura Creekmore. Of course, I am a bit biased in favor of checking out this blog since Laura is a long-time friend of mine from high school. You may recall I featured her and her blog at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" last year.

Anyways, I was looking around Laura's blog today and noticed she mentioned my name in a blog post she called "Eating Like A Cardiologist." Hmmm, sounds like it oughta be interesting, so I kept reading.

It turns out, Laura is thinking about trying to eat better for the sake of her health and to set a good example for those beautiful kids of hers. Despite the fact that she was the captain of the cheerleading squad in high school (oh how time flies when you're living life, huh Laura!), she now struggles to eat right in her mid-30's. Can I get a witness anyone? :D

The neat thing is Laura has two prominent weight loss success stories--both of which happen to be the result of livin' la vida low-carb--in her life.

"I'm surrounded by South Beach and Atkins successes, but frankly, they always seemed faddish to me," Laura quibbed at her blog. "Not that there aren't good ideas in both--well, heck, just ask my friend Jimmy Moore or NYC sister about the positive effects of these plans."

Even still, she has "resisted" the urge to jump into this way of eating full-fledged. But she does recognize that both me and her sister see our low-carb diets as more than just a way to lose weight, but actually they are "lifestyle transformations." ABSOLUTELY, Laura, and yet...

"And, this, too, I resisted," she admitted.

LOL! What a paradox! Laura knows WHAT to do and the WHY behind it, yet she isn't convinced it's right for her? The constant back and forth of this food is good for you, no wait now it's bad for you headlines has thoroughly confused Laura over the years about what is right for her. She has come to the realization she'd "rather eat barbecue than live to be 100." I think many can relate to that sentiment, Laura!

Self-describing herself as "a reasonably healthy person," Laura says her kids keep her accountable and she loves to exercise regularly (of course, carrying around a little munchkin all the time will give you a hearty workout!).

I think Laura also speaks for most people when she says "if I'm not having fun while I'm here, what's the point?"

True! Which is why it is important to find something that works for you, keeps you healthy, maintains your weight, and is STILL pleasurable. For me and your sister, that has been livin' la vida low-carb. For others, it could be eating a vegetarian or vegan diet. To each his own and nobody should judge us about OUR choices.

The "tipping point" for Laura came when she read the cover story of the February 2006 issue of National Geographic (go to Laura's blog for the link!). In it, she noticed that the cardiologists quoted in the story ate NOTHING but health food and were all taking so-called cholesterol-lowering statin drugs like Lipitor and Crestor. Don't get me started on statins again!

Laura has the right perspective about this healthy eating discussion.

"I do NOT need another medication...trust me, I'm over my lifetime quotient...but I can certainly eat better."

Good for you, Laura, and I'm VERY proud of you for realizing this in your life. That's a rarity these days because most people are simply unwilling to even CONSIDER making changes until something bad happens to them like a heart attack or stroke.

If more people started thinking about what their health is going to be like in five, ten, even twenty years from now, then perhaps they could prevent the inevitable onset of such diseases as diabetes, heart disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer, just to name a few. There's no time like the present to get healthy!

I love that part when she says she'd "rather eat barbecue than live to be 100."

Hee hee! Actually, Laura, if you eat the barbecue and combine it with a solid low-carb plan, then you very well COULD live to be 100 years old because you will be eating the healthiest diet on the planet! Eat those non-starchy and green leafy vegetables as well as low-glycemic fruits like berries and you'll see remarkable positive effects on both your weight and health. YOU CAN DO IT!

If you'd like to send your encouragement to my friend Laura Creekmore about her newfound desire to eat better, then e-mail her by clicking here.

By the way, let me give some props to Laura for being featured in The Tennesseean newspaper recently for her work with Internet groups in the Nashville, Tennessee area. WOO HOO! Can I have your autograph, Laura! :D