Dude, You Should 'Ditch The Unhealthy Fad Diet' And 'Hit The Weight Room' Harder

I have always contended that people are much more assertive, aggressive, and in-your-face on the Internet than they would EVER be in the real world. Sure, there are a few exceptions to this, but for the most part it's true. And when you can post something anonymously without any way to trace where it came from, you can multiply that willingness to say ANYTHING by at least one-hundredfold!

People have their opinions and certainly don't mind sharing them regardless of the consequences. I learned a long time ago that you had better put on a thick layer of skin if you decide to start blogging for the whole world to see, especially when it comes to sharing your own personal diet and weight loss story. Everyone has their own theories about what works and I think it's great that the World Wide Web affords us the chance to hear all of these voices and decide for ourselves what is true or not.

But there is some sense of responsibility for decency and class when it comes to leaving a comment, especially when it is critical. There's nothing more cowardly in my opinion than to do what I like to call a "drive-by comment"--you come into a blog, post a flaming comment anonymously, and then run away. What good does that do? Just put your name and e-mail address on there at the end so that if people have questions about what you wrote they can reach you. How difficult would that be?

Well, I suppose they don't WANT to be contacted and that should make you suspicious of their remarks. Anyone willing to give a strong opinion should never be afraid to catch some heat back from the people who disagree. It's how public discourse should be handled and yet so many people like the following anonymous reader just don't get that.

I've blogged quite extensively about having "loose skin" after my 180-pound weight loss and this nameless, faceless commenter decided to leave his feedback--"drive-by comment"-styled--to this post. Here's what he wrote:

Everyone is being very supportive of your weight loss, but dude you are still very very overweight and borderline obese. You lost a lot of weight, but 220 pounds is not a lean weight unless you're a bodybuilder or athlete. Jesus, you've still got a good 70 pounds of pure fat to lose in order to be considered "normal."

It's seriously not "loose" skin, it's just heaps of fat that you haven't lost yet because you basically starved your body with an improper diet while not doing enough exercise.

I guarantee your body would look worlds better had you hit the weight room and treadmill six days a week and not subscribed to a fad diet that goes against nature itself. Face the facts: You lost weight too quickly while NOT exercising enough. That is not loose skin, that is fat that is backed up by emaciated muscle mass.

Don't believe me if you want, but I know what I'm saying. Your got about 60% if the way to your goal and then you stopped, thinking 220 pounds was your ideal body weight, and you neglected your body composition of muscle: fat ratio. You have no muscle and tons of fat, that's why your body looks so bad. Sure, surgery can fix this, but dedication and a gym membership will fix it as well. And before you go on saying "Well, I do work out, I do have a gym membership, etc.", have you considered you just aren't working hard enough?

Again, congrats on the weight loss, but you need to stop making excuses and face your own issue: get more dedicated to exercise and ditch the unhealthy fad diet. The human body needs carbs to fuel all of our organs, which includes the skin (the largest organ) and brain.

Nice, huh? So, tell me how you REALLY feel. Ahhhhhhh, what do you say to something like that? While there was some truth in what was expressed, there was a whole lotta crap too. I chose not to respond in the comments and to highlight this one in this post today instead because it is indicative of the kind of vitriolic hatred people have not just for people on a low-carb nutritional approach, but also who are on a journey to better health and weight loss. Let's take a look at each part of this comment to separate the good from the bad from the ugly:

Everyone is being very supportive of your weight loss, but dude you are still very very overweight and borderline obese. You lost a lot of weight, but 220 pounds is not a lean weight unless you're a bodybuilder or athlete. Jesus, you've still got a good 70 pounds of pure fat to lose in order to be considered "normal."

By what standards am I "very overweight and borderline obese?" I presume you are referring to body mass index and that's not the entire story. Yes, I'm still a big guy, but everyone who meets me says I am much taller and large structured than they expected. I'm a big guy who used to be a REALLY big guy. I'd love to lose more weight and am working on getting there the best I can. According to you, I need to weigh 150 pounds as a 6'3" man--ummmm, call me crazy, but that's just nuts!

It's seriously not "loose" skin, it's just heaps of fat that you haven't lost yet because you basically starved your body with an improper diet while not doing enough exercise.

I'm the first to admit some of it is indeed body fat, but I could not disagree more than I've "starved" my body with some kind of "improper diet." Have you read the latest studies on a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet? It's stunning and I highly recommend you read books like Good Calories Bad Calories by Gary Taubes to get the whole story before you show how ignorant you are describing this way of eating that way. And how do you know I'm not exercising enough? I did DAILY cardiovascular exercise the entire time I was losing 180 pounds in 2004. How much MORE could I possibly do?

I guarantee your body would look worlds better had you hit the weight room and treadmill six days a week and not subscribed to a fad diet that goes against nature itself. Face the facts: You lost weight too quickly while NOT exercising enough. That is not loose skin, that is fat that is backed up by emaciated muscle mass.

I'm the first to admit I regret that I didn't "hit the weight room" sooner as I noted in the final chapter of my first book. But I did upwards of 45-60 minutes (and sometimes more!) of treadmill or elliptical training every single day of the week during my weight loss. I was afraid of GAINING weight then, but I have since added a regular weight lifting routine with great success so far. What's so "fad" about eating a diet like our early hunter-gatherer ancestors did with healthy whole foods like beef, eggs, fish, nuts, and anything else they could find for nourishment? to me, eating tofu and bean sprouts and saying you love it "goes against nature itself." How did I lose too quickly and how can you possibly know that I wasn't exercising enough? There's a whole lotta assumin' going on out there.

Don't believe me if you want, but I know what I'm saying. Your got about 60% if the way to your goal and then you stopped, thinking 220 pounds was your ideal body weight, and you neglected your body composition of muscle: fat ratio. You have no muscle and tons of fat, that's why your body looks so bad. Sure, surgery can fix this, but dedication and a gym membership will fix it as well. And before you go on saying "Well, I do work out, I do have a gym membership, etc.", have you considered you just aren't working hard enough?

I will agree that I could have lost more weight than I did and I'm still on that journey to get my body weight down to around 200 pounds. That's what I'd like to be at. But I won't sacrifice my health to get there. Right now, I am as healthy as an ox despite your assertion to the contrary. Sure, my body composition could use some more muscle, but I'm working on that. In just the past six months, I've grown more muscle mass than I EVER have in my entire life. I'm proud of this and know it will continue henceforth. I'm not just a member of a gym, but I have a personal trainer guiding me each week about proper form and technique with my lifting. If I was a lazy slob who didn't stay committed to my workouts and exercise routine, then I could see you stating I wasn't "working hard enough." But quite frankly you don't have a clue what you are talking about.

Again, congrats on the weight loss, but you need to stop making excuses and face your own issue: get more dedicated to exercise and ditch the unhealthy fad diet. The human body needs carbs to fuel all of our organs, which includes the skin (the largest organ) and brain.

What a birdbrain! I've never made any excuses for the way I look. My pursuit has always been to become better and better as the years go by. Nobody is gonna argue that I looked better and was healthier at 410 pounds four plus years ago than I am right now. And I challenge anyone to tell me I'm not exercising enough for what my body needs to get stronger, more conditioned, and burn calories. Could I do a little more cardio than I do now? Sure, but the scientific evidence behind it is shaky at best. My focus is on the resistance training, but I get in several hours of cardio a week in the form of basketball, volleyball, and other recreational competitive sports events that are a part of my life. As for the "body need carbs" BS that keeps coming up over and over and over (did I mention "over"?) again and again, I simply point you to my latest YouTube video on gluconeogenesis.

Okay, I feel much better now. :D But one of my readers named Melinda who is NOT a low-carber and lost a significant amount of weight on a low-calorie diet saw this comment from the anonymous anti-loose-skin, anti-low-carb, anti-Jimmy-Moore person and decided to give her a piece of her mind about what she thought about it. You gotta LOVE this:

Alright this just peeves me off. I can't believe how people can come down on someone's success. Jimmy came ages from where he was and achieved something most people only dream about.

No matter what diet you use to achieve weight loss, you can end up with loose skin. It's just a matter of fact. I get tired of hearing people spout off about how working out harder at the gym can "take care" of the extra skin.

I've lost 175 pounds by calorie counting and exercise (no I did not follow the low-carb diet) and I am plagued with loose skin. I am 24 years old and NO I am not still overweight. If I lost any more weight, people would assume I was anorexic.

I am 5'5" tall and currently weigh 120 pounds. Slabs of skin are on my stomach, arms, legs, thighs...heck, even my breasts could use some serious help. Was it because I didn't "try" hard enough, or that I did something wrong? Um...no, it's not!

So stop bagging on people. I just get mad that other people can be such a**holes. Sorry Jimmy. Congrats on all your weight loss. You're amazing.

This is why I don't ever have to respond to negative blog comments like these that come my way. There are plenty of people like Melinda willing to tell 'em off for me. THANKS Melinda! Something tells me you'd probably tell that anonymous commenter a thing or two to his face if you had the chance. I appreciate your support and CONGRATULATIONS on your own weight loss success, too. :)

As for the anonymous commenter, I welcome your criticisms anytime. But how about coming out from behind your computer screen and sharing with us your name and contact information so an open discussion can ensue? Plus, if you have what you believe are the answers to obesity, then why not share them in a blog? I'd be happy to post about it at my blog so that others can see what you have to say. This isn't a competition about seeing who's diet or fitness routine is better. We're all on the same side trying to help people start to care about their health. These kind of needless "drive-by comment" attacks are totally unnecessary. SHOW YOURSELF and be proud of what you have to say.

French Medical Student Features My Low-Carb Weight Loss Success As 'Role Model' For Others

I receive quite a few requests from all around the world concerning my low-carb weight loss success. Some have been personally inspired to begin their own health and weight loss plan while others are just inspired in general that they too can overcome an obstacle in their life like I did. It's gratifying to know the lives of real people are being changed each and every day.

That's one thing that attracted the attention of a medical student from France named Gyanish Gungaram. On my way back from vacation earlier this week, I received the following e-mail from him requesting permission to use my story.

Here's what he wrote in that e-mail:

Hello Jimmy,

How are you doing? I'm Gyanish, a med student from France. I'm writing an article on role models and how they are helping others by providing inspiration for other wannabe dieters. I was thinking of taking you as an example.

I know you are currently on vacation, but can I have your permission to use your before and after pictures to illustrate my points and pull some quotes about you from your blog please?

I'm currently the blogger of Diet Hack. Thanks a lot.

Yours Sincerely,

Gyanish Gungaram

He seemed nice enough, so I permitted him to write his column. You can read the finished product that Gyanish wrote entitled "Role Modelin': Livin' La Vida Local."

It was interesting to see the specific criteria he used to choose me for his paper on finding a diet role model: he knows what has worked him and demonstrated it, has before and after pictures, has detailed the steps taken to lose weight, and has the ability to inspire others to do the same. I think those aptly describe what I do at my blog, so I was pleased to be chosen for this project.

While I appreciate his enthusiasm and desire to use me as an example of a weight loss role model, it doesn't seem our future doctor friend is very keen on livin' la vida low-carb as a healthy nutritional approach according to the article he wrote.

Here are just a few of the ways Gyanish described the low-carb lifestyle:

- Atkins is "a fad diet" (listed among his 19 diets to "avoid at all costs")
- You need carbs for a "constant source of glucose" for energy needs
- Eating excess carbs allows for the storage of glycogen
- "Without carbs, the body would not have any materials" to live
- Don't eat a low-carb diet, but rather try "losing weight the healthy way"

In a way, I don't blame Gyanish because he is simply repeating back what he has been taught about healthy nutrition in medical school. Unfortunately, he's missing out on a lot of the latest research coming out about the controlled-carbohydrate nutritional approach that explains in great detail why this way of eating is perfect for people desiring weight loss and improvements in their health.

But, at least he acknowledges the enormous impact that blogs like mine are having on our culture. And that positive effect on society is expected to continue according to this New York Times column this week that found Google and MSN are being used more and more by average, ordinary people who are looking for REAL answers to their health problems.

While I never intended on being a "role model" in the professional sense of the word since I do not have the education in nutrition and health that others do, I most certainly don't have a problem sharing from my own experiences about how livin' la vida low-carb changed my life forever along with frequently citing the research that backs up those anecdotal claims. It's what I do here faithfully each and every day.

Gyanish said he doesn't think it was the Atkins diet, but rather four other factors that led to my 180-pound weight loss success in 2004. He says the "real weight loss secret" to my success was because I:

1. Drink a lot of water
2. Exercise often
3. Invoked God's help in my weight loss quest
4. Had the full support of my wife Christine

Okay, I can buy into those as contributing factors in my success and continued weight management over the past four years. But I still contend getting my diet in order was priority one--all of these other things simply reinforced that decision.

I left a comment for Gyanish at his blog about his column:

THANKS Gyanish for highlighting my story. However, I don't think the Atkins diet should be lumped in with other truly "fad" diets and would challenge you as you continue your medical education to look at the role of carbohydrate as it relates not just to obesity, but also to the growing epidemic of disease like diabetes, hypertriglycerinemia, insulin resistance, and even cancers.

The evidence is mounting and I appreciate your willingness to be open to new ideas which may go against everything you've ever been taught about healthy nutrition.

Take care and THANK YOU again!

Feel free to leave your own comment about how livin' la vida low-carb has helped YOUR weight and health improve better than you ever thought possible! Then, when the future Dr. Gyanish Gungaram comes across someone who would like to use an Atkins low-carb approach to battling their obesity and/or diabetes, perhaps he will remember the example of a former 410-pound man who changed his life forever eating this way and subsequently enthusiastically endorse it for his patient.

Here's hoping we can keep changing the world...one person at a time!

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 44: What Are The REAL Fad Diets?

One of the major criticisms about the low-carb diet is that it was just some passing fad that has no basis in sound nutrition and health principles. So, to illustrate what a REAL fad diet is, I decided to highlight just a few of them in Episode 44 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" today. Take a listen to these truly fad diets that are absolutely nuts:

 "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 44 [10:51m]: Play in Popup | Download

After hearing about these authentic FAD diets, I think it's safe to say that livin' la vida low-carb is NOT the "fad" diet that the media and the so-called health "experts" make it out to be. Instead, it is the way of life that so many of us have made our permanent lifestyle change because it allows us to eat delicious foods, lose weight, get healthy, and then stay that way forever!

Have you tried any of the fad diets I mentioned in Episode 44? I'd love to know how they worked for you and what led you to start livin' la vida low-carb!

Can't get enough of this low-carb podcast? Check it out 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

Tell your story about being on a fad diet and what brought you back to your senses. I've never understood what makes people think these ridiculous and sometimes dangerous fad diets actually work. Perhaps it's because they view it as a "diet" rather than a new way of life. Therein lies the difference with livin' la vida low-carb.

I have some exciting news to share with you about "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore"--it has been nominated for Best Podcast in the Blogger's Choice Awards. COOL! I'd love to have your vote for my podcast. :) THANK YOU!