I've sat at my computer for hours on end posting to Blogger
I've put this decision off for a very long time because I wanted to be absolutely sure it was the right thing to do. As much as I love blogging, you just knew the time was gonna come for me to hang it all up, call it quits, and take this show elsewhere--and that's exactly what I'm doing today. See ya, adios, and so long Blogger!
But today it is good riddance to them. Out with the old and in with the new! Does this mean I'm finished blogging about the healthy low-carb lifestyle? Not by a long shot! You can check out my new blogging home RIGHT NOW at LivinLaVidaLowCarb.wordpress.com. I worked all weekend on it to make it look as good as it possibly can and I am so thrilled with the way it turned out. All of your favorite posts and comments have been moved over to this new blog as well as some new bells and whistles that will bring a smile to your face.
A few of my testers have commented how much faster this page loads than the Blogger blog, so I am happy about that. Speed of loading was one of the major problems people complained about with this old blog. The new one is like lightning it's so fast! You'll also notice the layout is very clean and the look is much more precise than Blogger. My favorite feature of the new blog is the fact that you can click on "Next Page" at the bottom of each page and see the next set of blog posts. So now I only have to post 5 blog posts instead of 15-20. WOO HOO! Just click on that link and you'll get 5 more blog posts on the next page...SWEET!
Along the top of the blog are seven clickable links to important information. "Home" will always take you back to the front page of the blog. "Before & After Pics" shows my photos from 410 pounds, pictures from right after my 180-pound weight loss, as well as a new feature showing current photographs in the years since. "Contact" allows you to reach me with your questions and comments. "Disclaimer" explains I am not a doctor, so use the information at your own risk. "LLVLC Sites" lists the various web sites I am affiliated with. "Meet Jimmy" is a brief bio of who I am and why I started the blog. And finally, "Our Sponsors" is a grouping of all the companies that are lending their financial support to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog so I can keep doing what I'm doing.
On the left-hand side panel, you'll see some more new additions: a Subscribe To Feed link, the most recent comments on the blog, the most popular clicked pages on the blog, some weight loss links, the full archives all the way back to April 2005, the MyBlogLog widget box, and the total traffic at the blog which I transferred the numbers from my Blogger account over these past 3+ years (currently at over 3.5 million pageviews!).
On the right-hand side panel, there's a link to my About page connected to a picture of me, a list of the latest blog posts, a link to my book, a link to my before and after photos, an RSS feed of my Low-Carb Menus blog, a list of "LLVLC Quicklinks" that will help you find what you need in a flash, my latest photographs on Flickr, a Meta list, and a link to audio podcasts of my blog posts courtesy of Odiogo.
Finally, in the upper right-hand side of the new WordPress blog is a search box that is unbelievably fast and accurate. If I have ever blogged about it, then you'll find it with this search box. It's located right beneath the blog logo and you should use it early and often to find what you need. Of course, if you need help, then I'm always happy to assist. :)
So this is it! My days at Blogger have come to an end and that's just too bad. I appreciate having them as my blogging tool for over three years, but it's time to move on to bigger and better things at my new WordPress blog. And I'm not alone: Regina Wilshire has also set up shop at WordPress at her new WeightOfTheEvidence.com blog. I'm sure many more current Blogger blog owners will be making the move soon...or they should lest the robots shut down their blog as "spam," too!
Don't forget to change all of your bookmarks to the new blog and resubscribe to the blog feed here so you'll never miss a single post at the all new and improved "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog at WordPress! THANK YOU so much for your support for the work I am doing over the years and I look forward to continuing this for many years to come over at the new blog.
Gaining Stunning Health Improvements Because Of Low-Carb Living
It is always important for us to share about people who are gaining stunning health improvements because of low-carb living. For all the talk about low-carb diets that happens, the subject is generally exclusively focused on weight loss while bemoaning the long-term health effects of this way of eating. But it's hard to argue with real life stories of positive changes.
That's why I am always interested in hearing YOUR low-carb weight loss and health improvement stories so I can feature them at my blog. You'll recall a couple of months back I penned the post "Testimonies Of Real Life Stories Of Low-Carb Transformation" with a few of these stories. Now today I have a lot more encouraging health stories of livin' la vida low-carb to uplift you and get you excited about this amazing way of eating.
Hi Jimmy,
I have been low carbing for about 6 months now (you linked to my blog at one point – thanks!) and just got my cholesterol numbers checked, and compared them to last year.
Last Year Total: 187 HDL: 103 LDL: 65 Triglyceride: 94
This year Total: 217 HDL: 97 LDL: 107 Triglyceride: 67
Of course, my doctor told me since my total is over 200 and my LDL is over 100, I should eat less saturated fat, and get tested again in a year. I didn’t have a breakdown of my LDL to tell me what size my LDL particles were. I’m wondering if I should have this done. Also, I’m not sure if my HDL going down is bad, or unimportant.
But I was happy to see my triglycerides down, even though they weren’t terrible before. I feel like I was pretty healthy when I wasn’t low-carb, but now I’ve gotten healthier. I definitely feel better overall! I haven’t lost any weight since I started, but I’ve been lifting weights for the past 2 years and I think I’ve gained muscle, so perhaps I’ve lost fat. But my triglycerides going down tells me I’m doing something right!
The only thing I’ve noticed is now that I am low-carb, I never really feel hungry, which is good, but my face and neck does start to tingle if I haven’t eaten in a few hours. Have you ever experienced that? I’ve had my thyroid tested and they said my levels were normal. So that’s the only disconcerting thing I’ve noticed after going low carb.
Love your blog!!! *********** Hi Jimmy,
This article was on the front page of Yahoo this morning and I thought it was good. I read your blog everyday and am inspired by you. I am down 24 pounds livin' la vida low-carb. I still have 64 pounds to go but I know this is the way to do it. My boot camp exercise class instructor is blown away by my progress.
Have a great weekend! *********** This is the first time I send an email to a blog and I cannot thank you enough for your blogs and YouTube videos. They have helped me tremendously to keep going on my weight loss. I have been doing Atkins for a little more than two months and I have lost so far a total of 50 lbs. I now weigh 316. I have 121 more lbs. to go. Please continue what you do and thank you for being around. *********** Jimmy,
You have really helped me. After being on low-carb for only 6 days I already feel so much better. I am not lying around in a fog, depressed and feeling hopeless. I am diabetic and my blood sugar had been pretty bad but now it hasn't been over 100 since my 2nd day. Also, I take water pills twice a day because my legs and feet swell so much that every step gives me excruciating pain. Now, my legs have not been swollen in 3 days, I can walk so much better!! and I stopped taking the water pills (don't worry, under Dr. supervision).
I was able to walk to the family room and sing karaoke with my children. This might sound like a small thing, but I couldn't walk more than 50 feet and haven't been to the family room in months! Anyway, could these changes REALLY be because of the low carbs? I am soooo excited!!! Thank you Jimmy. You are a blessing. *********** I work in health care and the other day a coworker (nurse) offered me a "healthy" whole wheat bagel. I politely said no and proceeded to eat my hard boiled egg. She asked why not? I said "I don't eat wheat products." She said "oh my god, you are not one of those weirdos that does low-carb are you?" I said "yes i am, thank you very much." From that point she proceeded to lecture me about the evils of ketosis and how I am ruining my kidneys and health.
I took a good look at this woman and she was overweight. She had the overextended belly and puffy face that I used to have before i went low carb. Dark circles under her eyes and thin dull hair and dry skin. She continued to lecture me as i ate my hard boiled egg. I finally grew weary of her comments and offered her an egg. I told her that the fat from the egg was good for her dull skin and the protien would help her thinning lifeless hair. She sad that "Well, honey you are considerably younger than I am. How old are you 30? At my age 42 this is as good as it gets." I told her I was 44. She got up and left.
This is the typical response i get from people who consider themselves educated. *********** Hi Jimmy,
I gave up yo-yo dieting over 7 years ago, and have been living the low-carb lifestyle ever since. I went from a size 14 to a size 6 and have been that size for 7 years. I still have to maintain at a pretty low level of carbs. I enjoy every meal that I eat, and when I had my cholesterol level checked, my doctors told me that my cholesterol is perfect. Before low-carb, I had quite a problem with it.
I was terribly disappointed when the FDA and ADA did not acknowledge the effectiveness of low-carb living. But, I am very thankful for sites like yours where I can feel connected with people who understand the truth, and have been doing the LC plan long term.
My daughter who is 25 has been doing the diet with me for several years, and she is also very healthy and a size zero. Thanks for having the web site. I am going to be exploring it a lot this summer while I am on vacation. (I am a teacher, and during the school year, I am usually buried!). *********** Howdy Jimmy,
I got my first lab work for the year. This is after stopping all medications and going on the Atkins diet. This was my New Year's Resolution. I went in to see my doctor to get the lab results. This is a pet peeve of mine. People should be able to get their own lab work! Why do we have to make a doctor appointment to get a lab order? I should be able to write my own lab order. I just want to see my numbers and how I am doing.
The nurse said; "any change in medication?" I said; "yes I don't take any, that's a change!". The nurse said; "I'll say!". I should have said, I don't take that crap any more, it was doing more harm than good. It was also costing me a lot of money and making the Pharmaceutical companies rich.
I think the doctor was really pissed when he realized I stopped the medications he prescribed, but what could he say? My numbers were great! My A1C is 5.4! It has never been this low. This is low for someone without diabetes. Diabetics are considered great if you are under 7. Dr Atkins has cured my Diabetes! Thank you so much.
My Blood pressure is also lower than it has ever been. My cholesterol is good. My weight is 155. I still have more to lose for my target weight of 150. The doctor did begrudgedly admit my numbers were great. He had nothing good to say about losing over 30 pounds. So in his book I guess losing weight did not help improve my health. I think it did. I think the weight loss is the biggest factor in improving my health.
Now get this. My doctor still thinks I need medication! For what? I guess that's all they know how to do. He said the Avapro( blood pressure medication ) does more for you than just lower your blood pressure, it also protects your kidneys. What??? First off this crap did not lower my blood pressure! So what the hell was it doing for my kidneys?! I brought my blood pressure down into the normal range with diet and exercise.
I am sure he would also say the Statins do more for you than lower your cholesterol. Hell in my book they don't even do that! He could not bring himself to say, Wow you're doing great! How did you do it? He didn't say it and doesn't want to. He doesn't want to know how I improved my health. Being a doctor you would think he would. He refused to say; You are much healthier today than you were the last time I saw you. He won't say this but my numbers say it loud and clear.
I need help in finding a low carb doctor( your new blog )in my area! I live in Maryland, the DC suburbs This is serious It is a matter of life and death. My doctor is trying to kill me! ********** Hey Jimmy,
I just wanted to update and let you know I am still going strong. I am now 48 pounds from my weight loss goal, and super excited!!! I have to credit you, and SparkPeople for my success. Without the information, education, and support, I would have given up long long ago! I have had some ups and downs, and not lost as much as I would have liked to, but the main thing is we can never give up! This is a life long journey, not a short trip around the park. *********** The most important thing I have learned over the past year is that I must watch the amount of my intake as well as what I eat. In brief, what Mike Eades asserts is that you can eat all the low-carb food you want and not gain weight. But to lose weight, you must eat only low-carb and create a caloric deficit as well. I can live with that as long as I get results.
So I'm at 226.4 today. My all-time high back in 2003 was 262. Never give up! *********** I have been on the Atkins diet since November 21, 2007 and in the first week I lost 23 pounds. Huge weight loss. Then after I have been losing weight. I have lost a whopping 97 pounds in 9 months. I couldn't be happier. I have three children and with each child the weight just kept piling on over the years. I wanted to look good in swimsuit to. I love the new look. I have read so any things on the Internet about how it is bad. But when I was on a fat-free diet I starved to death.
With this diet I get less and I do watch my fat intake. But no carbs for 3 weeks then I allow myself 12 carbs every three weeks, it has changed my whole life, as I'm sure it has changed yours. I feel so great when I get out of bed. And when i see people eating chocolate or whatever it does not bother me. People don't understand this diet, they think that people on this diet eat a tub of butter, that certainly is not the case. Once you are on it you tend to change eating habits and get better with the diet.
But this diet is for me finally there is a diet that is suited for me. And I don't miss any of the food I once ate. I have lost 8 pants sizes my husband can't keep his hands off me!! So I know that you are just glowing with your weight loss. It changes your life.
Thank you for your story. Glad to know there are more people that this diet has changed. *********** I am 58 years old and have used low carb eating over the years. I have always had success when eating this way, I always felt better etc. However unfortunately I listened to the experts and in my efforts to be healthy I went to a diet of high grain, granola, fruits, and low fat. My health progressively worsened, physicians told me to eat less – you know the routine.
At 56 I discovered that I had type 2 diabetes, my sugar was over 600, every vital reading was out of the norm. If it should have been high it was low and vice a versa. At a visit with my physician he sadly informed me that he could not give me any medicines, but insulin, due to my readings, but that somehow we had to get the sugar under control.
I chose not to go on insulin, but began a systematic diary of my sugar readings before and after meals, and after 2 weeks it was painfully obvious that sugar, starches, fruit juices, etc were the culprit. I began following a low carb way of eating and today my HbA1c is 5.0, all my other readings are now normal. Weight loss has also been a wonderful side effect that I have received also. *********** My doctor has been trying to push Lipitor, Crestor, etc. on me for the past 4 months, due to my "hereditary" cholesterol. (She doesn't look at my ratio, just my total cholesterol.) I'm never taking a statin! I'm going to prove to her that I can lower it on my own. I am Type 2 diabetic, following a very low-carb diet, exercising daily, my blood pressure is normal, my blood sugars are normal, and my lipid profile gets better and better every time I have lab work done. No statins for me! Ever! *********** Dear Jimmy,
I am a walking talking experiment for the effects of alcohol consumption while watching my weight. For the last two weeks I have omitted alcohol during the week days. I loved a few glasses of wine while cooking. I am a Pilates instructor. Very fit. I also incorporate 120 minutes of cardio each week and some weight training. I was feeling bloated at times as well as the last inch of fat covering my six pack wasn't moving. I went on the scale and to my astonishment I lost 2 pounds after two weeks. I am very careful about what I eat. My six pack is showing through nicely. It has made a difference. I kept wondering if it was in fact the alcohol, but I kept counting it in terms of my total calories for the day, and not aware of the fact that it stalls fat burning. Thanks for your site. *********** Dear Jimmy,
I emailed you about 5 weeks ago due to extreme weight loss frustration. I do have some good news. Since my first email to you when I gained the four lbs., I lost the four lbs. plus 2 more lbs. Prior to that I was up and down 2 lbs., the same, rotten 2 lbs. and I felt like I was trapped in a cage.
What I have done is to try out some stuff you recommended on your site as well as what I read from other people. First, I stick to 18/19 carbs per day, period. Second, I have really cut out dairy (read: cheese), although I still have some cream in my coffee :). I also have INCREASED my fat intake. I really think this is helping me a lot. I no longer feel guilty to add some mayo to a lettuce "sandwich" or butter to my veggies. I now eat macadamia nuts or deviled eggs for dessert instead of "low-carb" treats which I think mess me up. I try to stick with the same foods that I know work for me. If I add something and I gain or stall, I make a note of it & cut it out.
One "biggie" for me was going under 170 lbs. I had done it several months ago only to become very sad when I went over again. Happily, I am now down to 168. I am trying to be very, very careful. Amazing how that stupid scale can make or break your day!!!
Hope your success is continuing as well. Thank you for your kind words.
Got a low-carb weight loss or health improvement story to share with me? Send an e-mail to livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Let's show this world the awesome results we KNOW that livin' la vida low-carb can produce.
The Zone Diet will soon be featured in FIRST magazine
I got word from the people at the Zone Diet today that they are teaming up with the popular First magazine to do a story on people who have implemented the Zone strategies for weight loss. What they REALLY want to see are people who have been using fish oil supplements with GREAT success in improving both their weight and health. Here's your chance to have YOUR story heard in a well-known national publication!
Those of us who are livin' la vida low-carb recognize the importance of getting the proper balance of essential omega fatty acids to reduce inflammation and this is a subject that is near and dear to the heart of Zone creator Dr. Barry Sears (who by the way is coming out with a new book in September 2008 entitled Toxic Fat: When Good Fat Turns Bad). They want first-hand testimonials of women (sorry guys!) who have experienced an amazing turnaround in how they look because of the Zone diet and fish oil supplementation (like Zone spokesperson Sue Knorr who I recently featured at my podcast show).
Time is of the essence and this story is on a deadline, so get on this ASAP if you are genuinely interested in sharing what happened to you. Here are the requirements:
- You MUST be female - You MUST be willing to reveal before and after photos - Your story MUST include your testimony about the Zone diet/fish oil
If you fit all of this criteria and can send me your story quickly, then please e-mail this information to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I'll forward them to the people at the Zone diet and cross my fingers for you that yours will be chosen. GOOD LUCK TO YOU and remember--DON'T DELAY! Send your story in today.
There are two ends of the spectrum when people start talking about being on the "Atkins diet"--either they are simply cutting back on their carbohydrates and consuming whatever amounts of meat, cheese, eggs, and bacon they choose to eat or they are following the plan that was written and promoted by the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins in his various books, most notably Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution.
It's amazing how people can get away with describing both of these as the "Atkins diet" when only those people who have educated themselves about this way of eating in the latter group can honestly say that. Even worse, we've got people who try to debate the Atkins diet without ever seeing what Dr. Atkins wrote. Come on, that's just plain ignorant if you ask me. So I'm ready to help do something about this lack of understanding about the Atkins diet starting right here and right now.
In Episode 48 of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube," my lovely wife Christine and I share about an Atkins Diet Startup Kit that we are making exclusively available to anyone who wishes to learn more about this healthy and delicious low-carb nutritional approach. With all the mounds of misinformation and confusion that has been generated by those so-called health "experts" and the media about this wonderful dietary plan that helped me shed 180 pounds in 2004, why wouldn't you just want to learn more about what it's all about? That's precisely what this 6-item kit will do--EDUCATE!
Learn more about what's in the Atkins Diet Startup Kit in today's video:
Here's a recap of the materials included in this package:
- Why & How It Works video - Staying Slim & Health video - Atkins diet workbook - Atkins meal planner (recipes) - Atkins easy carb gram counter - Basic diet manual
These materials certainly do not replace what you get in Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution or any of his other books. But they do complement those books by putting the Atkins diet in clear and understandable language using a 3-part video explanation of the nutritional plan from Dr. Atkins himself, workbooks and information sheets to help you personalize your low-carb Atkins plan, and then practical information on carb counts, recipes, and other essential information to go on the REAL Atkins diet the right way. This is about a $100 value worth of materials that you can't purchase anywhere else and it's all yours for only $25 (plus FREE PRIORITY MAIL SHIPPING!).
Yes, you get the two videos, the big workbook, the recipe book, the carb gram counter book, and the basics guide to take when traveling all for the flat cost of $25. This includes your PRIORITY MAIL shipping, so you'll get it quickly when you place your order. Please contact me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and we'll work out arrangements to ship your materials. I want to get these materials about the Atkins diet into the hands of people who genuinely want to learn what this specific diet plan is all about. There are no more excuses for thinking the Atkins diet is just bacon-wrapped-butter-and-brie (maybe Dr. Dean Ornish should buy this kit--HE MIGHT LEARN SOMETHING!).
Give us your feedback on our videos by e-mailing livinlowcarbman@charter.net anytime. We appreciate hearing from you and will possibly use your show ideas in a future video. Watch our previous YouTube videos and join the ever-growing list of people who now subscribe to our YouTube videos. THANK YOU for your support of our video series on YouTube and we'll keep 'em coming!
The New England Journal Of Medicine is highly prestigious
While I was away on vacation in Florida seeing my brother recently, a well-publicized weight loss study comparing a low-carbohydrate, Mediterranean, and low-fat diet was released and published in the July 17, 2008 issue of The New England Journal Of Medicine. All the headlines were screaming how the Atkins diet is best and livin' la vida low-carb is champion of them all. It was in virtually every newspaper (including this Wall Street Journal story I was quoted in), local and national television news outlet, and all the health and weight loss blogs--A BIG STORY!
And because it put low-carb living in such a positive light as compared with the low-fat diet or the much-beloved Mediterranean diet, you would think I'd be a happy camper touting this study as the best thing to happen for low-carb in a long while. But as I stated after this other highly-publicized study out of Stanford published in Journal of the American Medical Association last March, I can't get too thrilled about yet another study that shows such insignificant weight loss on a low-carb diet after two years and doesn't really require the participants to adhere closely to anything resembling the Atkins weight loss diet. This puts me in the minority I'm sure, but I have to say this is one big reason why I was disappointed with the New England Journal study.
For those of you who missed this study, lead researcher Iris Shai, R.D., Ph.D. from the S. Daniel Abraham International Center for Health and Nutrition in Israel, put 322 "moderately obese subjects" on one of three specific diets for a two-year observation:
- LOW-CARB--Two months of 20g daily and slowly increase to 120g maximum for the duration of the study. Calorie-restriction was not required for this group. - MEDITERRANEAN--Calorie restriction of 1500 daily for females, 1800 daily for males consuming a diet with 35 percent fat from olive oil and nuts while consuming fish and poultry in place of higher-fat cuts of meat like pork and beef. - LOW-FAT--Calorie restriction of 1500 daily for females, 1800 daily for males consuming a diet with 30 percent of calories from fat as recommended by the American Heart Association (AHA)
Before I share the results, I have some comments. While 20g carbs is indeed the Induction phase of the Atkins diet, 120g is nowhere close to ANY phase of the Atkins diet. EVER! Why do they put people on a low-carb diet and then let 'em go to town eating carbs later? What's so freakin' hard about requiring them to stay at or under 50g a day? I just don't get that with these studies. I do like the fact there were no constraints on calories with the low-carb group and they just naturally kept their calories in check eating this way.
The Mediterranean diet group looked fine, but I was surprised to see the low-fat diet group to include so much fat. While the AHA may consider a 30 percent fat diet to be low (and it is relatively speaking), it doesn't come anywhere near the kind of low-fat diet that the infamous Dr. Dean Ornish said in my first interview with him suggesting obese and unhealthy people go on to lower their weight and improve their health. His plan is a 10 percent fat diet with upwards of 70-80 percent carbohydrates. That's not what they did with this study which is too bad since it supposedly shows the difference between low-fat and low-carb. We'll have more from Ornish is a moment.
First, let's take a look at the results of this less-than-spectacular study:
The LOW-CARB group lost the most amount of weight with 12.1 pounds followed by the MEDITERRANEAN group who lost 10.1 pounds and bringing up the tail was the LOW-FAT group who only shed 7.3 pounds (confirming the results of this long-term large study that found weight loss was insignificant on a reduced-fat diet). The researchers also observed what happened to HDL and triglycerides on these various nutritional approaches and the results were not at all shocking to those of us paying attention to our health--LOW-CARB saw a greater INCREASE in their HDL "good" cholesterol and a more significant DECREASE in their dangerous triglyceride levels making their ratio of HDL/total cholesterol much better than the other groups. Additionally, the A1C levels, an important marker in blood sugar health, as well as their C-reactive protein levels, a marker look at dangerous inflammation, both improved more with the LOW-CARB group.
Pretty good news, right? Well, it depends on who you ask. Let's see what Dr. Ornish thought about this study in this op-ed piece published in Newsweek magazine. It appears he had an issue with several things that may or may not have validity:
1. The study was funded by The Atkins Foundation, a non-profit organization led by Veronica Atkins that has donated millions of dollars to various researchers looking into low-carb diets and their effect on weight and health carrying on the legacy of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins.
This shouldn't disqualify the study altogether, but Ornish seems to think it does. So, are we to negate all the research conducted by you and your group on low-fat diets using the same logic, Dr. Ornish? You're better than this.
2. The LOW-FAT participants didn't eat a "low-fat" diet.
I agree, Dr. Ornish. But neither did the LOW-CARB group eat a genuinely "low-carb" diet beyond the first couple of months of the study. If we are ever gonna see a real comparison of low-fat and low-carb diets going head-to-head, then mandatory compliance is gonna have to be implemented. That's the only way to keep advocates on both sides from whining about the diet not being the actual diet every time one of these comparison studies is released.
3. The study is questionable because of calories difference.
Dr. Ornish claims the study lacks "quality" because the LOW-FAT group ate less calories but lost less weight. He says this calls into question the veracity of the data because it is "physiologically impossible" to eat less calories and lose less weight than the other groups. Ornish believes in the mistaken notion of calories in, calories out, so this is not surprising. How about that metabolic advantage at work? :D
4. The Atkins diet group ate "vegetarian sources of fat and protein" which isn't the Atkins diet with all the bacon and beef you can eat.
I'll agree that vegetarian fats and proteins are not preferred over animal fats on the Atkins diet, it's ludicrous to continue stating that the Atkins diet by the book doesn't include veggies. Anyone who has read the book and doesn't have an agenda like Dr. Ornish knows that you get two cups of green leafy veggies as well as one cup of non-starchy vegetables per day on the most restrictive Induction phase of the Atkins diet. Hello?! You make yourself look idiotic when you keep repeating the same lie over and over again, Dr. Ornish.
As for the actual sources of fat and protein in the LOW-CARB group, low-carb researcher Dr. Eric Westman from Duke University asked Dr. Shai to clarify what kind of foods were eaten by members of the low carb group. The notion that the researchers pushed a "vegetarian low-carb diet" on the participants is NOT what was done.
Here was Dr. Shai's response to Dr. Westman's inquiry:
This is kind of funny that some could think of a "vegetarian low-carb" diet. Is it a new suggested strategy? Could be interesting idea but this wasn't the case here. Our low-carb diet was based on Atkins, the participants read the book and the recipes were more or less comparable to what you know in the states.
Beef is the main red meat. What could be different? People here (in Israel) would not mix in the same meal meat and butter, a salad is considered a very rich one and not a lettuce based, and the main dressing is olive oil. As for beverages, same industry that makes money everywhere.
For example, a plate could include: fish or fried/not bread coated chicken/or red meet, broccoli and mushrooms coated with eggs, roasted eggplants, vegetable salad (peppers, cucumber, green leaves, not lettuce) with olive oil dressing. I understand that some of the low-fat people find it hard to believe that such a low-carb diet was tremendously favorable within 2 years in a well designed study, but these are the facts and the science of tomorrow, with the next long-term studies in the pipeline, may confirm or not these findings.
So, as you can see, the LOW-CARB did indeed follow more of an Atkins diet approach in terms of the specific foods they ate, not the mocking of a "vegetarian low-carb diet" as Dr. Ornish made fun of in his op-ed column.
5. HDL is only a risk factor among many to be looked at.
Oh, how convenient for you, Dr. Ornish. Yes, we know all about your "garbage trucks" analogy for HDL stating that you need more of them when you have more "junk" (LDL) to be removed. But the fact is eating a high-carb diet as Ornish suggests leads to LOWER HDL and HIGHER triglycerides, neither of which is healthy by any stretch of the imagination. And the very latest researcher is showing us that LDL and total cholesterol are not nearly as important as the HDL/triglycerides ratio that is becoming the new standard bearer for heart health. Dr. Ornish may dismiss these improvements with HDL and triglycerides by the LOW-CARB group as insignificant, but we know better.
At the end of his op-ed trying to dismiss this study as irrelevant in the grand scheme of things, Dr. Ornish states that it's time to "call a truce in the diet wars." That's something I've tried to do before noting all the areas of agreement between low-fat and low-carb, but the fact does remain we don't all agree on what is healthy, Dr. Ornish. To state so bluntly that "an optimal diet is one that is low in fat" shows just how entrenched you remain in your ideology without looking at the latest data (and I'm sure you STILL haven't read Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories because you're afraid to have your lifelong beliefs about health challenged with evidential facts!).
Okay, enough about what Ornish thinks of this study. Let's see what some other prominent and REAL health experts think about the New England Journal study:
"Call me crazy, but I can't help wondering if the low-carb group would had lost even more weight if they had eaten less than the 120 grams of carbs these folks ate, all the while keeping calories at a moderate, reduced amount and incorporating other lifestyle changes like exercise and stress reduction. Can you imagine? A more reasonable level of under 100 grams a day (or even less) might have made a lot of difference--that's a level that seems to work the best for people who have problems with sugar, insulin and carbohydrates in general."
"This study adds to the body of evidence that suggests that lower carb and carb-controlled eating has distinct merit and generally has the capacity to out-perform low-fat diets in the weight-loss stakes (and without any conscious restriction of food intake, either). The results of this study suggest that such a diet may be superior in terms of cardiovascular disease risk too."
DR. RICHARD FEINMAN
"The major significance of the NEJM paper is that it is confirmatory of much work that has gone before. It is really not, as portrayed in the media, revolutionary. Much prior work from the laboratories of Jeff Volek, Eric Westman, Steve Phinney, Jay Wortman, Mary Gannon and Frank Nuttal and others has shown that carbohydrates, beyond simple calories, have a role in controlling how fats are used or stored. Directly or indirectly through insulin, carbohydrates encourage the storage rather than burning of fat and lead to the organization of fat into the cholesterol-containing particles that have been associated with cardiovascular disease. At the same time, the NEJM paper also confirms the evolving picture of fat as playing a passive role and emphasizes that what was once thought to be an intuitive benefit for lowering fat has consistently not panned out. The new article is a key block in a scientific structure that has been put together by many previous investigators. If the NEJM paper finally catalyzes some recognition of the scientific principles of carbohydrate restriction it will be a very important contribution."
"For years, carbohydrate restriction and the low-carb folks, those of us who really spent our lives telling patients they could regain metabolic control and kind of being ostracized for it, we’re finally validated."
DR. JEFF VOLEK
"The findings from the recent NEJM study that showed a diet lower in carbohydrate outperformed a low fat diet confirms our previous work and that of many others. It is unique in that the intervention was 2 years and yet there was a very low subject attrition rate over such a long period of time. The low carbohydrate diet was only moderately restricted in carbohydrates (about 40% of calories). Based on our research, had the level of carbohydrate restriction been in the 10-15% range, the results would have been even more impressive. The results add to a growing body of work supporting the value of restricting carbohydrate as opposed to fat for superior weight management and metabolic health."
"These latest trials just happen to be the best data we have on the long-term effects of saturated fat in the diet, and the best data we have says that more saturated fat is better than less. It may be true that if we lowered saturated fat further — say to 7 % of all calories as the American Heart Association is now recommending — or total fat down to 10 percent, as Dean Ornish argues, or raised saturated fat to 20 percent of calories, as Keys did, that we’d see a different result, but that’s just another hypothesis. The trials haven’t been done to test it. It’s also hard to imagine why a small decrease in saturated fat would be deleterious, but a larger decrease would be beneficial.
It’s also true that I don’t think that LDL is a particularly meaningful predictor of heart disease risk, and I think total cholesterol is meaningless (based on the evidence that I recount in the book). But the point is that the AHA and the National Cholesterol Education Program and the authorities at the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute do think LDL is meaningful, and that’s the basis by which they have always recommended low-saturated-fat diets. They also think that total cholesterol/HDL is the single best predictor of heart disease risk, so by their assessment, more saturated fat is better than less. I think the best predictors of risk regarding cholesterol profiles are HDL and the size and density of the LDL particles themselves, and maybe measurements of a protein known as ApoB (the protein component of the LDL particle itself) — and the existing diet trials in those cases also suggest that saturated fats are at worst harmless and perhaps even beneficial.
Last point, the funding. It’s true that the study was financed by the Atkins Foundation, but to assume that the researchers went out and falsified their findings or twisted their observations to satisfy the source of funding is naive. Regrettably, the only institutions that will finance clinical trials, for the most part, are those that stand to gain from the results. That’s why the pharmaceutical industry finances drug trials. It would be nice if the government financed all these trials, but they don’t. So it’s up to the Atkins Foundation and any other organizations that might hold similar beliefs. In this case, the Atkins-funded diet trial observed the exact same results as similar NIH-funded diet trials."
Incidentally, Taubes says the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has spent $5 million for a large (300+ subjects, two-year-long) Atkins vs. AHA low-fat diet trial--the REAL THING! This is a larger and longer version of a pilot trial that observed results similar to the Israeli trial. This is the largest diet/weight loss trial the NIH has ever funded. The principal investigator is Gary Foster of Temple University, currently the president of the Obesity Society. In February 2007, Dr. Foster told Taubes the researchers had "completed the final 2 year assessments on most but not all" of their subjects. Currently the paper is "in the peer review process" and that's all we know at this point. Cross your fingers that this is the great elusive study that actually looks at low-carb vs. low-fat once and for all.
Coming as a shock to nobody, the AHA weighed in on this study expressing their concerns over the long-term weight and health impact of low-carb diets and saturated fat consumption and the lack of application to women since the majority of the study participants were men. Yadda yadda yadda...what do you expect from a group pushing two cartoon characters known as "The Bad Fat Brothers" named "Sat" and "Trans?" These people lost all dignity a long time ago.
I have long held the position that if low-carb is at least as effective as low-fat for weight loss and health, then both should be recommended alongside one another as healthy options for people to choose from. The American Diabetes Association recognized low-carb diets to diabetics for the first time beginning in January 2008 and the AHA, AMA, and other health groups should follow suit. The evidence is there if you'll simply open your eyes to it. We don't need another study, flawed or otherwise, to tell us that one way of eating that is working for so many people is livin' la vida low-carb. GIVE PEOPLE THE TRUTH and then let them choose. It's that easy.
Although I'm not particularly overjoyed by this latest study out of Israel, that doesn't mean I don't appreciate the way it helped carry on the conversation about low-carb living across mainstream America. My stepdad Frank, who only recently started on the Atkins diet to lose about 50 pounds along with my mother, was all excited when he saw the television news coverage about this study a couple of weeks back. If this excites people and gets them interested in learning more about the healthy low-carb lifestyle, then that's awesome! I can't wait to see that new NIH study Taubes was talking about, though. That one looks like the REAL DEAL.
You can e-mail Dr. Iris Shai about this study at irish@bgu.ac.il.
Atkins Nutritionals Wants YOUR Atkins Low-Carb Success Story
Atkins Nutritionals looking for low-carb testimonials
The Atkins Nutritionals web site is in the process of being updated right now and they are looking to add some Atkins weight loss success stories and testimonials to the new and improved site. If you've experienced weight loss, successful weight maintenance or improved health and energy from following the Atkins Nutritional Approach, then they'd love to hear from you. And there's a payoff for those of you who do--you'll win a special Atkins prize if your story is chosen.
What they are looking for is first-person stories about how the Atkins Nutritional Approach, Atkins products and the Atkins community have changed your life. Here are a few questions to consider as you write your story:
- When did you start following the Atkins approach, and over what period of time? - What inspired you to try the Atkins Diet™? - Are you still following the Atkins principles? Which phases, principles and aspects of the Atkins Nutritional Approach have proved to be the most practical, helpful and easiest to follow? - What Atkins products have helped you with your weight loss goals? We want to know if you used Atkins products, which ones you used, and your opinions about our products. - Did you succeed? What were your keys to success? Did you modify the Atkins plan to suit your own lifestyle and preferences? - What has changed in your life–for example, if you lost weight, have you maintained your weight loss and how have you benefited from following Atkins? - What obstacles did you have to deal with while following the Atkins Nutritional Approach, and how do you overcome them?
If you send pictures, these should also depict your personal experience–from before you started on the Atkins Nutritional Approach to your "after" picture, showing where you are now or when you finished your last Atkins phase.
You can e-mail your first-person success story to testimonials@atkins.com. Be sure to include your name, address, and the best way to contact you (phone and e-mail address). If you have an Atkins weight loss success story, then send clear digital .jpg before and after photos (be sure the pictures do not include other people). When you send in your story, keep in mind you will be contacted by Atkins Nutritionals if they are interested. It may take some time for them to go through the submissions, so be patient.
If your story is chosen, then they will send you a release form to sign. They will not use your story unless you send the signed release form back to them. They will not use anything you send them without your explicit permission and they will not use anything without a signed release form from you.
GOOD LUCK to everyone who shares their Atkins success story! :)
Is your low-carb diet relying too much on Ketostix?
One of the most interesting tools we have at our disposal when we start livin' la vida low-carb to let us know whether we are doing it right or not is a testing strip that measures ketone levels called Ketostix (there are other brand names for ketone sticks, but this one from Bayer is the most common). Basically, here's how it works: you can check your urine on this testing strip to see how many ketone bodies you are excreting out of your body. Ketones are present when you are in ketosis which is instigated when you keep your carbohydrates at a ketogenic level (usually under 50g carbs daily).
I recently asked a group of low-carb experts the following question--"Is Ketosis Necessary On A Low-Carb Diet?" That seems to be a "well duh" kind of question which is why we use things like Ketostix to see whether we are in ketosis or not. But where people seem to get most confused is with the color of the testing strip. If it's light pink, then I must be doing something wrong. My Ketostix need to be dark purple if I am experiencing "deep" ketosis, right? I get these kind of questions every single week and they miss the point of the testing strips.
In Episode 47 of "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube," Christine and I seek to better explain the purpose of Ketostix by telling you what they are for, what the various colors actually mean, why showing no ketones on these strips may not be a bad thing, and how you can virtually guarantee your body is in ketosis. I'm astonished by how many people are still so concerned about the results of their Ketostix, but hopefully this video will clear up some of the miscommunication.
Find out all you need to know about Ketostix in today's video:
Noted biochemistry professor Dr. Richard Feinman from SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, New York provided a very succinct explanation for how these Ketostix are supposed to work:
"There is a continuum of ketosis. In fact, one of the features of ketone bodies is that, unlike other fuels, glucose and fatty acids, they can be present in plasma over a wide range of concentrations. What is true is that Ketostix measure ketonuria (ketones in the urine) which may or may not give you an accurate view of plasma ketone bodies. If ketone bodies are used as fast as they are made, you may never see ketosis."
This should give those people who see pink or even beige on the ketone testing strips hope that they are indeed in ketosis even if the tests say otherwise. The bottom line you should remember is that Ketostix are merely a low-carb guide to provide proof that you are livin' la vida low-carb in a ketogenic state, but they're really not that necessary if you are keeping your carbohydrates significantly reduced below 50g daily. When you are doing that, then you WILL be in ketosis. Hopefully this clears up some of the confusion about why some people seek purple and others see pink or beige.
"The Biggest Loser" 4 contestant Isabeau Miller
Also in today's video, Christine and I share about our upcoming trip to Nashville, Tennessee to attend "Biggest Loser" 4 contestant Isabeau Miller's FitCamp. Since landing in the final four last Fall on the hit NBC-TV weight loss reality series, Isabeau Miller has taken her passion for her own personal weight loss journey and is now helping others who struggle with obesity like she once did before Jillian Michaels got a hold of her tail and whipped it into shape. Today she is a personal trainer and is giving me and several of my readers a chance to experience what it was like to be on "The Biggest Loser" over a special two-week period.
The first session of FitCamp in July just concluded and our session in August will commence on August 17th. We will be doing a daily video log of this experience and sharing it on YouTube as part of a FitCamp series of videos. Isabeau said she will not be allowed to be videotaped because of contractual obligations from her stint on "The Biggest Loser." But I'm gonna ask permission from the other people who will be there going through this experience with me to talk about how FitCamp is helping them. I am super-excited about this, especially in light of my recent 30-pound weight gain I've experienced. Perhaps this will get me back to where I need to be. I sure hope so. :)
We LOVE making videos for you and doing them on topics that YOU care about. Tell us your show ideas for future videos by e-mailing them to livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Check through all of our previous YouTube videos to make sure we haven't already tackled your favorite subject! While we were away last week, there was a sudden surge of people decided to subscribe to our YouTube videos and now we have well over 600 subscribers! WOW! Join in on the low-carb fun on YouTube and help us spread the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb to the masses!
One of the most fascinating things I have noticed since I began blogging about the healthy low-carb lifestyle back in 2005 is how amazingly diversified the low-carb community is about the "proper" way a low-carb diet should be done. The definition of "healthy low-carb living" varies depending on who you talk to. In fact, if we had a room full of 100 low-carbers I would bet you'd have at least 50 or more different versions of livin' la vida low-carb. And that's okay because individualization of the diet is what makes it work in the long-term.
Some people believe you should only eat whole foods all the time. And for the most part, that's a good philosophy to live by. In fact, if you look at my low-carb menus then you will see that's precisely what I eat the vast majority of the time. Of course, I also like to add in some chocolate and other treats from time to time to enhance my low-carb lifestyle. It's what helped me lose 180 pounds in 2004 and I've been doing it ever since.
However, with my recent 30-pound weight gain in 2008 that has pretty much sustained for the past six months, I've been looking at ways to bring that weight back down. I now know that I'm dealing with an erratic blood sugar issue that is tied to an unusual insulin response even after a low-carb meal. Frustrating doesn't even begin to explain this process, but I'm certainly not giving up.
After interviewing Dr. Keith Berkowitz in June (and I'll be having a follow-up interview with him coming the first week of August) about his "reactive hypoglycemia" theory, I decided to implement a strategy of eating more often with lots of small "meals" throughout the day and I saw some success. But then the weight started going up again and I cut back on my protein intake to slow down gluconeogenesis. Again, good progress, but then the weight came back up yet again. I even cut out all of my favorite low-carb products a couple of months back for two weeks--DIDN'T LOSE A SINGLE POUND! UGH!
So, imagine my discouragement to see the following recommendations for getting my weight to reduce from my low-carb doctor this week:
1--no low-carb "treats" or substitutes for otherwise high-carb food (although sugar-free Jello and other desserts such as we allow our patients would be okay in limited amounts) 2--foods should be chosen from those listed on the "No Sugar, No Starch" guide we give patients 3--adequate protein (as determined from lean body mass) should be consumed, but care should be taken not to exceed protein requirements 4--portion-control and calorie-restriction should be implemented, as determined by BMR
No "treats" at all are allowed right now for me, including my chocolate bar, low-carb wraps, bars, or anything. NONE! I'll skip the Jello thank you very much, but I'll make some cheesecake out of cream cheese, heavy cream, and other REAL foods. I'm well aware of what's good to eat that is non-sugary, non-starchy, so that won't be a problem. Getting that "adequate protein" is the tricky part for me right now, although I've done well with it as of late. Controlling portions and calories goes against everything I've ever done with livin' la vida low-carb, so that's gonna be hard.
But I'm game for it and starting today I'm doing all of this. I'm gonna go low-carb product-free as an experiment and see if it makes a difference in my weight. I feel fantastic right now health-wise, but the sustained weight hovering around 260 is getting old quick. Even my stepmom Faye said to me during my visit to Tennessee earlier this week, "Oh no, Jimmy, you're not gaining back all that weight again are you?" What a slap in the face when I'm busting my butt trying to figure out what's going on. I'll be blogging more about this soon.
In the meantime, you can track my progress on this new diet experiment to see what if any impact cutting out the low-carb products will have. Based on my previous experience, it's not gonna do anything to help with this issue I have now. I've eaten these things throughout my 180-pound weight loss and ever since, so why would it suddenly be impacting me now? I don't understand that logic at all.
Here we are, though. I'm doing it and you can see what I'm eating at my low-carb menus blog. I'll share how my weight is doing each day along with the meals I am eating. I'm not convinced this is the answer, but nothing else has worked yet--WHAT THE HECK! :)
Getting to know about chiropractic neurologist Dr. Peter Jo
If anyone can relate to the intense amount of negative feedback that people who support livin' la vida low-carb receive, then it has to be chiropractors. These outstanding professionals working in the field of alternative medicine have been mocked, ridiculed, and scorned by the traditional medical establishment. And yet anyone who has ever gone to see a chiropractor like I have been off and on ever since I was in a car accident in the 1990s will testify how AMAZING you feel after seeing one. Today I have a special two-part interview with a nutritionist and chiropractor from Bellevue, Washington.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 160:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 160 [21:50m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
I had only planned to go a total of 20 minutes with the interview, but Dr. Jo was so enthralling I kept him on for 45 minutes! You can access Part 2 of this interview with Dr. Peter Jo in Episode 161 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" by clicking on the links below. :)
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 161:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 161 [25:33m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Dr. Peter Jo is so well-versed in low-carb nutrition that I'm surprised I had never heard of him before now. I have no doubt there are more physicians out there just like him who espouse these same views--they just need to be given a platform like my podcast to be heard. One thing Dr. Jo brought up in the podcast was the relationship between the hormone insulin as well as the less-talked-about stress hormone cortisol on weight and health. I'd never quite heard anyone pinpoint BOTH of these before, so it was good to hear Dr. Jo talk about this. He provided some amazing and unique nutritional tips for controlling insulin and regulating cortisol, too. DON'T MISS THIS PODCAST!!!
Discover low-carb experts like Dr. Peter Jo anytime by:
What are your reactions to Dr. Peter Jo? Does what he said about healthy living make sense? I was thoroughly impressed by everything he had to say and I invite you to discuss your thoughts in the show notes section of Episode 160 for Part 1 and Episode 161 for Part 2. Visit Dr. Jo's web site at BellevueChiroNeuro.com and send him your appreciation for the positions he holds on healthy nutrition through his contact page. This was an extraordinary interview and I'm so glad to have been able to share it with you.
Don't miss next week's podcast shows because I'll be sharing interviews with two of the moderators at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum--Charles Washington is up first on Monday to discuss what it's like to eat a zero carb diet while running marathons (his Zero Carb thread is the most popular one at my forum!) followed on Thursday with Christin Sherburne who was the Kimkins diet cover girl in Woman's World magazine last June updating us on all the latest information regarding the class action lawsuit and actions being taken against Internet diet scam artist Heidi Diaz. Tune in! :)
God Watching: Seeing Kevin, Visiting Dad, And Driving 1300 Miles In A Busted Car
Christine's picture shows God was watching over us
Oh, it just feels so good to be home! This past week has been filled with all sorts of emotional ups and downs, but I am glad I was able to be away to be with my family. Thanks for indulging me in my longest absence from the blog since I started it. As you know, we drove 450 miles down to Pensacola, Florida to see my brother Kevin and most of the family I grew up with last Tuesday.
Our original plan was to stay until Tuesday this week, but a telephone call from my stepmother Faye last Thursday changed our plans. That day we learned my father was going to be going in for quintuple heart bypass surgery this week. So we took a detour on Sunday north to Bolivar, Tennessee before coming back home to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Tuesday night. It was quite a memorable week of events.
We had an awesome time seeing my brother Kevin who has been told he only has a few more months to live. In 1999, he suffered a series of heart attacks that basically killed 85% of his heart function. The doctors cut out the majority of his "dead" heart a few years back and he only has one artery functioning now. That artery is 95% blocked and stents don't do any good anymore. He's too high-risk for any surgery and he's pretty much given up on changing his diet at this point.
The thing that struck me about seeing Kevin was how "normal" he looks right now. Yes, he's a very large man weighing about 350 pounds. But he's out and about doing the things he loves the most--playing Texas Hold 'Em, bingo, flirting with the ladies, and singing at the local karaoke bar. We did a little bit of all of that together last week (sans the flirting for me since I already have my woman!). And yet he's on morphine and oxygen for comfort because he's easily out of breath and starts sweating profusely even in a well air-conditioned room. This is Kevin's life right now.
Despite my little "accident" earlier this year on the cruise to Mexico singing karaoke, I ventured back on the stage again to sing "You Are So Beautiful" and Roy Orbison's "You Got It" to my lovely bride Christine while Kevin sang some country music songs that I'd never heard of. It was a lot of fun, although not something I'm accustomed to doing around midnight on a Friday night. :) But I wanted to be there with and for Kevin. We made some great memories together.
We stayed with my beautiful sister Beverly for the week who was a very gracious host making us homemade meals, driving us around everywhere we wanted to go, and just being a good little sister. In fact, Kevin came and stayed with Beverly too during the week. Since we all grew up together as kids, it was pretty neat all being under the same roof again as family. That has been a rarity since we all became adults.
When we went over to mom's house for dinner to watch some Jeff Dunham DVDs together (HILARIOUS if you have never seen this funny ventriloquist--he's the "on a stick" comedian with Walter, Peanut, etc.--Kevin was laughing so hard I was worried about him, but it was great seeing him enjoying himself so much), I took a photo of a picture when all of us kids were young. Beverly was about 3, I was 5, and Kevin was 9 or so in this photo. Don't you just love looking at how dorky you are when you were a kid (no Christine, I don't STILL look dorky today!).
My mom and stepdad Frank surprised me while I was there--they said they started livin' la vida low-carb to lose about 50 pounds each. As you know from my podcast interview with my mom last Fall, mom has struggled keeping her weight off despite having gastric bypass surgery in December 2003. I was so tickled to hear how enthusiastic Frank was about the low-carb lifestyle and his eagerness to be doing it for his weight and health (he cited that study that came out last week because he saw it on the news touting low-carb over low-fat--ummm, I haven't heard of it! LOL!). And they've even got Beverly to join them on this. I suppose this situation with Kevin has caused them to get serious this time around. Here's hoping.
It was hard to say goodbye to my family in Florida on Sunday, but I had to be there for my dad and his surgery on Tuesday. We hit the road early that day to be in Bolivar, Tennessee before dark and met up with my half-brother Nathan, his wife Stephanie, and their new son Hunter. As you know, Nathan (or Nat as we called him growing up) was one of my inspirations for starting low-carb since he was so successful on it. Interestingly, he's not doing it now, but he knows it works for him when he does it. It was awesome seeing their new baby. I WANT ONE! :)
We also had a delightful visit with my Aunt Mary Jane while we were there. She told me about how much she enjoys reading my blog (HEY MARY JANE!) and feels like she's been talking with her nephew when she reads it. In fact, my computer illiterate dad finds out more about me through Aunt Mary Jane from the stuff she reads here at my blog and tells him about. That freaks out my old man out when she tells him some of the things I'm up to. He is so 19th Century!
Of course, the reason we went there was to see my dad in support of his heart surgery early on Tuesday morning. We had hoped to spend most of the day Monday with him, but my dear old dad had other plans to "tie up loose ends" and working all day. He has the kind of job where he is a Jack-of-all-trades (or a J.D.-of-all-trades as I call him--J.D. is his name!). And he was up bright and early at 6:00am Monday morning and worked until nearly 9:00pm the day before having his open heart surgery. That's my dad for ya.
We were up obscenely early on Tuesday morning--like 3:00am to get packed up, hit the road up to Jackson, Tennessee, and be there with dad before his surgery. On the way to the hospital, my check engine light started going crazy on me. I noticed when I pressed the gas the engine would struggle. Uh-oh, not NOW! More about that in a moment! Needless to say, we prayed without ceasing for that little Escort to keep going.
Imagine my surprise when less than an hour before he was going in to have his chest cut open here comes about 20 people to be there with my dad to pray and support him during the surgery. In addition to me, Christine, Nathan, and Faye, there was dad's older sister Mary Jane, dad's brother Paul, dad's younger sister Gaylon, and I do believe the entire Sunday School class from dad's church in Middleton, Tennessee as well as the pastor. What a blessing it must have been for dad to see all these people fawning over and sacrificing their time early in the morning just for him. He's not used to this kind of attention. But I know he appreciated it more than he'd ever admit.
That sunset from my dad's front porch is all he is gonna be working on for the next few months as he recovers and heals from the surgery. I had no idea they actually had to break his chest bone to get inside his heart. OUCH! That's gonna be the hardest part whenever dad will want to cough or sneeze (which he is prone to do with his allergies). Don't you know he'll be squeezing a pillow with him a lot? The really GREAT NEWS is he got through the surgery and is now up and alert with no complications. Praise God! THANK YOU so much for your prayers and happy thoughts.
Now, about our car. Our beat-up and nearly broken down 1998 white Ford Escort was literally on its last leg although we didn't know how close it was to dying on us as we traveled through the mountains of Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee on Tuesday--but we kept praying for God to just get us home. After driving 1300 miles in the span of a week to be with family in their time of need, we NEEDED that miracle to happen for us...and it did. The car ran perfectly until I went to the post office on Wednesday morning and that was all she wrote.
When the car started shaking violently and making a loud rickity-rackity noise, I knew it wasn't good. Turns out my timing belt broke and the valves were all shot to you know where. The expense to repair would have been about as much for another vehicle, so we decided to get a new car for us. That car in the picture above is our new 2002 Buick LeSabre with less than 50,000 miles on it--and it cost us less than $10,000. WOO HOO! I couldn't have been happier with that deal. We'll be making payments on it, but at least it's a car we can rely on as we travel around to various places with our business.
I am beyond tired right now and need to get some rest. But I will be back to full-time blogging again starting on Thursday and for the next few weeks until my trip to Nashville, Tennessee in mid-August for former "Biggest Loser" contestant Isabeau Miller's FitCamp where I'll be joining other "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog readers and people wanting to get into shape on a two-week journey to whip themselves into shape. I can't wait to provide daily video updates of this experience for you.
Plus, while we're in Nashville, I'd like to have a get-together meetup with the low-carbers in that area, so let me know if you're interested in coming. I don't have a specific date or time yet, but we're staying in the Franklin, Tennessee area on Murfreesboro Road. Drop me an e-mail if you think you can possibly come in late August at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Let me again say THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed and thought about us this past week and a half. It really means the world to me that so many people care and love us like family. I gotta tell you I've missed blogging, though, so I'll be back at it hot and heavy in very short order. SEE YA!
In Episode 159 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we get to hear from an extremely fired up, low-carb lovin', hunka-hunka burnin' beefy bodybuilder named Eric Morrison. He has been reading my blog for a while now and wanted to share about what he is using with clients to help them transform their bodies by reducing body fat, total weight, and getting muscular. After reading Dr. Jonny Bowden's Living The Low-Carb Life, the low-carb lifestyle made more sense than ever and put Eric on the life path he is now on.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 159:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 159 [34:28m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Eric Morrison, aka "The Body Transformer," started bodybuilding early in his life after being tired of his scrawny little body. He just read everything he could about doing it and then DID IT! The results have been phenomenal for him and it drove Eric to continue the education process. And about 10 years ago he came across all the compelling evidence for livin' la vida low-carb which went against everything he'd ever known about healthy weight loss and fitness. But what he read made sense and today he is professing the positive health benefits of this way of eating to everyone who'll listen.
Get tips and inspiration for your low-carb life anytime by:
How about that Eric Morrison? What did you think about what he had to say regarding weight loss and health? And how about his idea of a weekly "refeed" day, does that make any logical sense to anyone (I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one)? Talk about it in the show notes section of Episode 159. Visit his web site at IconsFitness.com.
Come back next week for a two-part interview with a low-carb chiropractor from Bellevue, Washington named Dr. Peter Jo who is one of the most refreshing new voices in the low-carb community to come along in a long time. I can't wait for you to hear from him. SEE YA!
My Dad Is Having Emergency Quintuple Heart Bypass Surgery Next Week
Hey everybody! Yes, Christine and I are still in Florida having a GREAT visit with my brother Kevin, sister Beverly and our mom this week on our vacation. We've had a good time together so far spending quality fun time with each other (mostly playing Texas Hold 'Em and we're planning going out for karaoke on Friday night) and I'm so glad we've been able to do this. Kevin looks and sounds great right now (although it's probably the morphine the hospice nurse has stocked him up on!), so it's like nothing is wrong with him. But we know his time could be coming up soon.
THANK YOU to everyone who has prayed for us during this time. Beverly said Kevin is down to just one functioning artery and when it becomes completely clogged, well...you know the rest. While our hearts and emotions about this are heavy, it's good to know we are able to be with Kevin in a joyful way during these potentially final days of his life. He's still the same ole big lug brother I grew up with and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I wasn't planning on being online much or at all during my visit to Florida this week, but I just got a telephone call from my stepmother Faye in Tennessee who said my dad is going in for an emergency QUINTUPLE heart bypass surgery next Tuesday. The doctor recently did a heart cath and said three of his arteries are over 90% blocked and the fourth one is 80% blocked. It's not a good situation at all, but they seem to think they can help him. He's had a couple of heart attacks before, so this isn't completely unprecedented. On top of what's happening Kevin, this is a bit much to take right now.
We're deciding whether we are gonna make that trip up to Tennessee and when because we want to be there for him. Our original plan was to drive back home to Spartanburg, South Carolina on Tuesday and we'll probably just go straight to Bolivar, Tennessee from Florida--likely on Sunday. His surgery will be taking place in Jackson, so we may just meet the family there on the day of the surgery on Tuesday. He's expected to be in ICU for several days although he told my stepmom he'd be out in a regular room the next day (YEAH RIGHT--that's my dad!).
I don't know how it's gonna happen with all that's going on right now, but I want to be there for my dad through this. He's only 59 years old which is too young to be dealing with this. But it's a solemn reminder that we just never know when our health is gonna kick us in the tail. Dad and Kevin have both made choices to be in the position they are in right now, but that doesn't make what they are going through any easier to deal with.
Right now, it's unfathomable to think about the worst case scenario of losing both my brother and my dad this year. But I'm hoping for the best in both situations right now and I know that God holds both of these men in my life in His Hands to do as He wills for them. Whatever that is, I'm just thankful for the opportunity to call J.D. my dad and Kevin my brother. They are two remarkable people that I had the privilege of growing up with and loving during my life.
THANKS so much for your prayers for Kevin and my father.
34 Low-Carb Diet & Health Blogs For You While I'm On Vacation In Florida
Don't mess with me right now, I'm totally wiped out!
That little fella in the picture above was in the airport last week in New York and seeing him all sprawled out cute like that in an uncomfortable position made me think about how I feel right about now with my breakneck schedule. WHEW! It's been busy lately and I'm looking forward to heading down to Florida on Tuesday to be with my brother Kevin (THANK YOU for all the prayers for his health!) and the rest of my family for a week. And I'm not gonna blog a bit while I'm gone--gee, imagine that, a REAL vacation! :D
So, as has become my custom when leaving on a long trip, I have a list of 34 new low-carb and health blogs to keep you occupied while I'm gone. You can see all of my other blog posts featuring low-carb blogs and more that I've written before by clicking here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
I don't usually like to list blogs without a few notes about my impression of the blogs, but I just ran out of time before my trip this time. But believe me--I've been to all these blogs and they are some of the most remarkable new low-carb diet and health blogs I have seen. Read a few of them each day and this should keep you busy while I'm gone.
Do you know about a low-carb blog I haven't highlighted at my low-carb links blog? E-mail me the URL at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. THANKS for spreading the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb to the masses! :D
Low-carb celebrity Dana Carpender gets us caught up on her life
Long before I ever even thought about going on the Atkins diet to lose weight in 2004, there was a woman who was championing the healthy low-carb lifestyle in a series of bestselling cookbooks. She tried the conventional high-carb, low-fat diet and it failed her, so that led her to livin' la vida low-carb--and the rest is history! Of course, I'm talking about the one, the only Dana Carpender.
In Episode 158 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," Dana lets us in on what is happening in her life right now. She's got a new companion cookbook coming out this Fall to go along with Rob Thompson's The Glycemic-Load Diet and is currently dealing with a bit of a health scare herself with a fibroid in her stomach that she says makes her "look like I'm 20 pounds heavier than I am." And you NEVER have to worry about Dana coming up with an opinion--she's got plenty of 'em to go around!
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear Episode 158:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 158 [39:03m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
We got Dana to open up in this podcast interview since she's so shy--NOT!!! One thing you'll never have trouble getting Dana Carpender to do is talk and she does it well. Hear her talk about the trials of the publishing world for a "low-carb" author, the dangers of low-calorie starvation diets like the Kimkins scam, diet soda, low-carb chocolate, and that recent "big breakfast" study that had all the media going crazy recently. It's never a dull moment with Dana around, so be sure to listen from start to finish.
Connect with low-carb celebrities like Dana Carpender anytime by:
What did you think about Dana Carpender? She has arguably had more influence on the way people view a low-carb lifestyle on the publishing and consumer side than anyone else ever has! I was privileged to speak with her and can't wait to have her join us on the 2009 low-carb cruse. Discuss today's show in the show notes section of Episode 158. And be sure to bookmark Dana Carpender's "Hold The Toast" web site and pre-order the The Glycemic-Load Diet Cookbook TODAY! :)
Coming up on Thursday we'll have fitness and nutrition expert Eric Morrison and then a special two-part podcast interview next week with low-carb chiropractor Dr. Peter Jo.
