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!

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show' Episode 99: Gastric Bypass Surgery Interview With Jimmy Moore's Mom

For the first time ever, you get to hear from my mother

What a treat I have to share with you today in Episode 99 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore." I recently had the opportunity to interview the woman who brought me into this world--my mom, Judiann Crumbley. She and my stepfather met us at the beautiful "Glimpse Of Heaven" cabin in the Smoky Mountains near Pigeon Forge, Tennessee last month and we had a very relaxing week together.

Mom sat down for a conversation with me about her gastric bypass surgery experience since she had the controversial procedure done in December 2003--just one month prior to me going on the Atkins diet. You'll notice my mother is very articulate and didn't mind sharing the good and the not-so-good about her weight loss journey over these past four years.

Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear today's podcast and hear the voice of Jimmy Moore's mom:

 "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 99 [17:59m]: LISTEN NOW | Download

Although my mother lost 100 pounds in a little more than a year after having the gastric bypass surgery, everything wasn't a bed of roses for her. She wasn't ready for the transition back to real food and began experiencing some rather painful realities along the way. It's a word to the wise for anyone even thinking about going through this process.

One interesting aspect of the interview is how she said the way carbohydrates impacted her in various ways. She was super-sensitive to sugar and just felt better eating less carbs and more protein. But, as has happened to many weight loss surgery people who get away from the basic tenets of their new lifestyle, you can even gain weight and my mother is no exception. Hear her talk about it and what she KNOWS she needs to do to get back on track again to lose those 10-15 pounds she has put back on.

Catch the #1 low-carb podcast show on the Internet anytime 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

Have you considered having gastric bypass or LAP-BAND surgery to help you shed the pounds? Did hearing my mother's story of struggles cause you to take pause and reconsider livin' la vida low-carb? Or perhaps you have already had the surgery and it reminded you of your own negative experiences. Give us your comments and share from what has happened to YOU.

I'm so excited about this coming up Thursday's podcast show because it is a rather unique and monumental occasion in the history of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore"--the 100th episode!!! As I previously stated, not many podcast shows last long enough to reach that milestone, but here we are on the verge of hitting the triple digits in shows! WOW, I never would have thought it would last this long. It's a testimony to YOUR FAITHFULNESS and DEDICATION to my mission--educating, encouraging, and and inspiring others to lose weight and get healthy. THANK YOU for all the support you have given me.

To reward you for all that you do, I will have a boatload of some outstanding giveaways, including LOTS of autographed low-carb books from some of your favorite authors, some exciting prizes from a few of my sponsors, and even an exclusive opportunity for some people to be the first to try my new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Bar" made with dark chocolate and real raspberry flavor (coming in December!). Tune in on Thursday for details about how YOU can win during my 100th podcast!!! :D

Now My Mom, Stepdad Going On Low-Carb

After losing 180 pounds in 2004 and blogging about this truly healthy lifestyle since April 2005, I have finally convinced two very special people in my life that they need to lose weight and improve their overall health by livin' la vida low-carb--my Mom and my stepdad.

Last summer my Mom told me she had started reading my blog to keep up with what her middle child was up to. Yes, I try to call her fairly often, but she said reading my blog was like she was talking directly with her son. That's the writing style I have always used regardless of the subject matter because people relate better with it than a series of stuffy boring column.

When I went to visit my mother for Thanksgiving, I noticed that she still had a dial-up connection to the Internet using an AOL browser. The connection was painstakingly slow and was part of the reason I didn't blog a bit while I was in Florida over that holiday weekend. Talk about frustrated blogging! UGH! No thank you!

Mom sent me an e-mail today from her new non-AOL e-mail address that indicated to me that she has a faster Internet connection speed to browse the web with. COOL! So, where's one of the first places she goes to--my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, of course! Hi Mom! I'm so glad she upgraded because it was the best thing I ever did ditching AOL after being with them for over a decade. Good riddance and welcome to the 21st Century!

In the e-mail from my mother, she said she has been scouring through just a few of the nearly 1,500 blog posts I have written over the past couple of years and has become convinced that both she and my stepdad Frank needed to start livin' la vida low-carb right away. Sweet!

"Frank and I are going to try the low-carb diet starting tomorrow. We are also going to do some walking to try to help with our health."

That's so outstanding, Mom! I'm proud of you for supporting Frank in this because I know how hard it can be to lose weight and keep it off permanently. My regular readers will recall that my mother had gastric bypass surgery one month before I started the Atkins diet three years ago and she looks fantastic now after losing over 100 pounds. But she hasn't been adhering to any strict dietary confines except for the built-in portion control that comes from her smaller stomach size.

It is pretty well-known that the optimum diet for anyone who has had weight loss surgery is low-carb, so I'm glad my Mom is going to give it a go, too. As for my stepdad, he is a part of the more than one in four Americans who are currently prediabetic, which is an impaired fasting glucose (IFG) that is a form of pre-diabetes where glucose levels are higher than normal but not considered high enough to be full-fledged diabetes yet. He has to check his blood sugar often and to his credit he does. He was pretty amazed by my outstanding blood sugar reading when he took it during our visit.

I assured Mom and Frank in a reply e-mail that they were making the right decision to start livin' la vida low-carb in light of the latest research on the positive effect that low-carb has on blood sugar and weight. Of course, if my own family needs support and encouragement (even my brother Kevin who is doing as well as he can right now considering his current state of health), I stand ready to help them just as much as the hundreds of people who e-mail me every single month. I believe it's my God-given purpose right now to do what I can to help other people find their weight loss miracle like I did and I'm happy to be there for anyone willing to make it happen for themselves.

Like every good Mom, she ended her e-mail to me with edification.

"I'm proud of you and what you have accomplished. Love, Mama"

Gee, thanks so much Mom! You taught me well about striving for being the best at whatever I do and I work very hard to maintain the highest level of excellence in all that I am doing. Anything less would be dishonoring your outstanding upbringing and I'll never let you down.

Wanna see what one of my readers e-mailed to me over the weekend? This is the kind of feedback that I usually get all the time and I NEVER get tired of reading it. Check this out:

"I have been reading your blog for some time now and listening to your podcast when I have time. I just wanted you to know that you have been a comfort and inspiration to me in the last few months. I have been really having a hard time sticking with the low-carb lifestyle and sometimes just reading your blog has been enough to make myself get back on track again.

I did lose about 20 pounds awhile back but the holidays derailed me. I am back and going strong this last week and have lost a few more pounds. Someone like you with the ability to stay the course gives all of us who are struggling a glimmer of hope. It also reassures me and provides me with the kind of determination I need that I can do it also.

I just wanted to let you know, especially after reading your blog today that there are people out here that you do help with your daily writing. Don't ever let anyone say anything to make you feel differently about what you do please."

And that right there is why I keep coming back here blogging every single day! Changing lives for the better makes it all worth it to me. See Mom, I turned out better than you and I ever thought I would growing up as a strong-willed child. Best wishes to you and Frank as you begin livin' la vida low-carb and please come back here often for education and encouragement about this healthy way of eating. I'll be here ready to help you anytime. I LOVE YOU!