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Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Will You E-mail My Son About His Morbid Obesity?
A father is protective of his son even in adulthood
I get a lot of e-mails as you can imagine from people who have been reading the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog for years all the way down to those who have only just stumbled upon it for the first time this week. It's so exciting to see all the people who are interested in learning more about livin' la vida low-carb which is why I am here. If we can educate, encourage, and inspire millions more in their own personal journey with this way of eating, then the tremendous positive impact will be difficult to ignore for much longer.
Most people who write to me have questions they want answered for themselves or an immediate family member or friend about low-carb living. I'm always happy to acknowledged and respond to someone when they write to me because it is the least I can do for your taking time out of your schedule to contact me. Yes, I really do read and answer all of my e-mails and happily so. If it weren't for you, then I wouldn't have a reason to blog. I appreciate you guys!
However, I got a request this month from a well-meaning person who asks me to contact someone close to them about their weight problem. This seemed like an odd thing to me because here I am a complete stranger and these people want me to contact someone in their life to tell 'em they need to lose weight. As Dr. Phil would say, "how's that working for you?" It would pretty much defeat the purpose of trying to help someone who isn't ready to help themselves.
I do advocate that people should confront the obese (read the blog post so you don't misunderstand what I'm saying) about their weight, but in a caring, loving manner rather than the judgmental way that too often happens. Christine did this "nagging" about my obesity for years before she finally realized it doesn't work. Not until I was ready to make the decision on my own to shed the pounds was I EVER gonna make it happen in my life.
Thankfully that happened in 2004 when I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet, but it was ultimately MY decision and mine alone. Yes, the outside forces trying to get me to change my eating habits played a role in nudging me in that direction, but Jimmy Moore had to be the one to say enough is enough and DO IT! Unfortunately many fat people remain in deep denial about their obesity and simply refuse to change on their own or otherwise. This is precisely the situation my brother Kevin has put himself in over the past few years (although he's at least making an effort to lose weight again...for now).
Let me get back to that person who e-mailed me about his son for a moment. Sure, if someone is contacting me directly to help them with their low-carb weight loss efforts, then they are the ones who have reached out and I'm overjoyed to offer any kind of assistance I can to get them going in the right direction. It's why I spend upwards of 15 hours a day sometimes working on everything I am doing. And I wouldn't trade this job for anything else in the whole world!
But this desperate father asked me to write to his son who is morbidly obese despite doing everything he could think of with his diet. The son is now contemplating having gastric bypass surgery and this dear and loving father asked me one question: "Will you e-mail my son about his morbid obesity?" Man oh man oh man. I feel where the guy's coming from, but it just seems so bizarre to write to someone out of the blue.
Here's the impassioned plea from the father:
Hi Jimmy,
I'm so impressed with your blog. I sent it to my son. My son is 35 and weighs around 450 pounds and has been unable to lose any weight after a few years of trying every diet known to man I think. He is now considering surgery which I think of as an absolute LAST OPTION.
Anyhow, I'm here asking for a favor. Would you e-mail him? I think some contact with you might spur him forward. He is already having cholesterol issues.
His name is XXXXX and he lives in XXXXXX. His email address is: XXXXX@XXXXX.com. It would be marvelous and so very helpful if you made contact with him.
Thanks so much!
Now, my initial gut reaction to this was OF COURSE I'll write to him. I'm sure he'd love to hear from Jimmy Moore telling him about how he used to be morbidly obese and was able to beat it with the use of a low-carb nutritional approach. That'll be just what he needs to get his weight loss going again. But then...
Another part of me was screaming, "What are you doing? Are you CRAZY?! You can't write to this grown man about his weight when he hasn't solicited your advice!" Plus he doesn't know who Jimmy Moore is from Adam, so what good could possibly result from any communication I send to him? It was a brief internal struggle, but I made the decision to NOT contact the son.
Here's what I wrote back to that father:
THANKS so much for writing! I can certainly sense the pain you feel for your son going through this extremely traumatic time with his weight right now. The love you possess is one of care and concern for this boy turned man who still struggles with obesity which will in turn lead to more and more health problems for him in the future.
My wife Christine was concerned about all those exact same things for me too. In fact, she reminded me often that I was gonna make her a widow if I kept eating the way I did, getting bigger and bigger each year, with no end in sight. The more she nagged and talked about it, the more I refused the message she was so desperately trying to convey to me.
You wanna know why I decided to take back control of my weight and health in 2004? I wanted to do it for ME. Christine had already given up on trying to coerce me into doing it, so she just started supporting me no matter what. That reinforcement gave me the confidence to feel like I could do this on my own. After a series of events happened that shook me into reality, I started on this journey and have never looked back again!
Why do I share all of this with you? Because if I contact your son as a complete stranger out of the blue and he's not ready to hear the message yet, then it'll do absolutely no good. In fact, I have a brother named Kevin who is four years older than me and in the same predicament as your son--only worse. He is 40, but is already suffering from so many health issues...Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, he has a defibrilator in his heart, and so much more. And he's SEEN his own brother change his life, but he hasn't made the decision to do it himself.
This is ESSENTIAL for anyone who wants to be a success at weight loss. They have to come to the point where THEY want to do it or else they'll be doing it for someone else as a temporary thing. Once he takes ownership of this problem, then it's his to go after and it will be more meaningful and lasting when all is said and done. Nothing dad or Jimmy Moore can do could possibly replace that in his life and I wouldn't want to take that away from him.
So what do you do for your son right now? Obviously, keep on loving him as you already do, support and encourage him with what he does in his life, and do everything you can to create an environment in your relationship that fosters on open communication. Because when the time comes (and it will!), he will be begging for a way out of his 450-pound body and this is the time to confront him about his obesity in a way that tells him you want nothing but the best for him.
If he likes to read, I wrote a book about my weight loss of 180 pounds in one year after starting out at 410 pounds that may be uplifting to your son. I've been through all the pain of being that large, so maybe he'll see himself in my story. Feel free to forward on my contact information to him to have him initiate communication with me and I'm always happy to respond quickly to any questions he may have for me.
THANK YOU again for writing! You're a great dad and I only wish others had the kind of support you are so willingly giving to your son. He and I are the same age, so it hits home for me reading about your son. He has to want this like nothing else he's ever wanted before and it WILL happen. Keep me informed about what's happening with him and I'm here for you and him when he's ready. Take care!
I was a little concerned that might not be what the father wanted to hear, but I believe in my heart of hearts it was the right thing to do. In hindsight, I am so glad I responded that way and I am still waiting to hear from the son when he is good and ready to contact me. I'll be here for him when he does.
His dad understood it's his son decision in a follow-up e-mail:
I e-mailed my son and gave him your blog. I encouraged him to e-mail you and I hope he will, but now it's up to him.
I'm sure that was very difficult for him to type, but the reality of the situation is you can't force the issue with somebody who's not ready to lose weight and get back their health. Circumstances in life can hurry up the process like they did for me back in 2003 in the months leading up to my decision to start the Atkins diet on January 1, 2004. When I started that day after reading Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution with a plan in hand and a willingness to do whatever it took to make this a permanent lifestyle change, I was already well on my way to success.
The same CAN and WILL happen to this man's son and anyone else who decides the time is right to do this. It may happen today, it may happen tomorrow, or it may happen next year. But the encouraging thought I want to leave with anyone who has a close loved one who is not doing anything about their weight and health problems is to NEVER lose hope. There is an answer for everyone--they just have to figure out what works best for them.
If you're an overweight or obese person wanting to know how to overcome your weight problem once and for all, I've said it many times before but I'll say it again--find a proven plan of action that will work for you and that you'll enjoy, follow that plan exactly as prescribed by the author (aka READ THE BOOK!), and then keep doing that plan or some semblance thereof for the rest of your long and healthy life. No matter what others might say to you about the path you choose to take, this is YOUR life and YOU are in control of what happens next. Will you make good choices to radically improve your life or will you slide back into the old habits that led you down the path of destruction?
Ultimately, it is up to YOU! I'm here for you as a means of support and information about the healthy low-carb lifestyle, so don't hesitate to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. It is my distinct privilege and honor to offer up assistance and guidance to anyone who asks.
David Smith from 630 to 229--a 401-pound weight loss!
Sometimes all we need to get us going on our personal journey to better health is to be inspired and motivated by others who have already done it. It's why so many people are attracted to my 180-pound Atkins weight loss success story and I'm all-too-eager to share with anyone who will listen how livin' la vida low-carb has changed my life forever! In fact, I always LOVE sharing other weight loss success stories with you as well and have I got one for you today!
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod to hear today's podcast:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 108 [12:17m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Needless to say, David Smith was in pretty bad shape when he began his journey at 630 pounds. But thanks to the diet and exercise work of his personal trainer Chris Powell, David started a moderate exercise, lower-carb plan to shed those pounds off his body for good. If anyone thinks they're too big to start losing weight, then the turnaround that David has experienced in his life should prove to you that's dead wrong! Even the former "World's Heaviest Man" Manuel Uribe who started out at 1230 pounds has lost over 400 pounds and counting so far implementing the lower-carb Zone Diet strategies. You're NEVER too big and IT'S NEVER TOO LATE!
Stay inspired and motivated in your low-carb lifestyle by:
How about this 400-pound weight loss that David accomplished? Do hearing stories like this one get you fired up in your own weight loss journey? Has anyone been YOUR inspiration for losing the weight when you felt dejected and discouraged? We want to hear about it in the show notes section of Episode 108, so let's hear from YOU! Sometimes it only takes a small spark to light a fire within someone to FINALLY get serious about their weight. Let David E. Smith's weight loss success be that spark for you today!
Kimkins cover girl: "I was wrong...Kimkins is not the way to lose weight"
It takes a very special person to publicly admit when they were wrong about something even after multiple warnings and concerns shared by those around them. And yet that is exactly what has happened this week when Kimkins Woman's World cover girl Christin delivered an impassioned video apology at her blog along with a detailed explanation of the health complications she and others have suffered since beginning the risky low-carb imposter diet scheme devised by a morbidly obese woman named Heidi Diaz.
I blogged about my concerns over the Kimkins fiasco that culminated earlier this week when this beautiful young woman had to be rushed to the emergency room because of some pain in her chest and heart complications. When you hear something like this happening that was brought on by such an extreme low-fat/low-calorie diet like Kimkins, it should make you angry. AND I AM ANGRY ABOUT IT!
To anyone who is still on the Kimkins diet, CHRISTIN has a message just for YOU:
Show your support for and encouragement to Christin by leaving a comment about this video at her "The Journey On" blog. What a brave woman she is and I am honored to know her as a friend. She has demonstrated nothing but grace, elegance, and dignity in the midst of what has become a complete and utter nightmare for so many of us in the low-carb community concerning this Kimkins debacle.
For the sake of those who cannot view the video, the following is a summary of the video, including direct quotes made by Christin regarding her experience following the Kimkins diet. Be prepared to be shocked and stunned as she shares quite openly about the negative impact this weight loss fraud has had and may continue to have on her health. Pray for her even now as she seeks to reverse the damage that has been done.
Christin before Kimkins when she weighed 250 pounds
Christin said she did this video so that others would "know exactly where I stand on this." She explained why most people choose to lose weight: to improve their health. Period! When you are 100+ pounds overweight, then you are not living healthy, she noted.
She chose the Kimkins program because she "wanted to lose weight quickly and I thought healthfully" because she "wanted more for my life." She wanted to "be there" for her family in the years to come. I think all of us who have ever gone on a weight loss plan can relate to that.
Christin today after losing 100 pounds
When she first began, the program was working great for her because "I was following the program exactly as written. I thought I was doing perfectly." But after losing 100 pounds in five months, Christin then conspicuously noticed there was not one single doctor who approved the Kimkins diet. That's when she started looking into who Heidi Diaz, aka Kimmer, really was and what she claimed to be.
Diaz had alleged in the marketing of Kimkins that she lost 198 pounds in 11 months on this Kimkins diet and was promoting it that way to anyone who would listen with supposed pictures to prove it. But it was this recent series of articles that included recent photographs of Diaz along with several other sites that made Christin become concerned and realize that those claims by Diaz were simply "not true."
"Heidi did not lose the weight, she did not follow this program that she claims is safe for anybody, even for diabetics," Christin said.
Then Christin turned in her video to the "risks" of being on the Kimkins diet that she discovered first-hand while following the program. She said she has real "concerns for everyone else that has attempted this program or will attempt this program."
That includes first and foremost hair loss. Christin admitted that her hair "started fall out in handfuls" and it "scared" her. She estimates she has lost as much as 60 percent of what used to be "thick, full hair" prior to her Kimkins experience.
"Now it's very thin," she exclaimed.
Another side effect was the loss of her menstrual cycle that she believes happened from "eating so few calories and my body was becoming malnourished." She said the hair loss and lack of periods are both tell-tale signs of anorexia, an eating disorder where victims literally starve themselves to be thin.
"I believe now the Kimkins diet program promotes a form of anorexia that I don't know if science has even attempted touch on this yet," Christin stated. "300 calories a day is not safe weight loss."
Any dietary change this drastic need to be closely monitored by a doctor just like those who undergo gastric bypass surgery do, she added.
When these symptoms began to show up, Christin went on the Kimkins forums to see if anyone else was losing their hair and female cycle like she was. "What's going on?" she pleaded to anyone who would listen to her concerns. And Christin said she "saw it come up multiple times" regarding these symptoms she was having in other people, too.
The excuse provided in response to this happening was that it was "perfectly normal and you're going through a shed. Your body is just losing estrogen." It was just too coincidental that "almost every other person who kept their calories under 1000 calories, probably more under 700 calories, has lost hair."
"I don't want to scare you," Christin said speaking directly to people who are still following Kimkins, "but I want to bring you into the reality that there is a better way to lose weight."
Christin asks "are you really doing this?" and urges people to take their diet plan to their doctor for him to examine it. "Take him your Fitday, take him exactly what you are eating, let him see your calorie counts," she said.
"I'm concerned about you," Christin pleaded.
Christin says she is sorry for supporting the "dangerous" Kimkins diet
When the time came for Christin to step into the spotlight back in June when the Woman's World magazine cover story opportunity came up, she said she was "put on a pedestal as the 'cover girl.' I was the model, I was the way to do it." But now she realizes how she was used as a pawn and seeks the mercy of those who trusted and looked up to her.
"I need to ask your forgiveness," she said. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Kimkins is not the way to lose weight. Kimkins is dangerous...for your health, it's dangerous for your psyche."
But as much as Kimkins hurt Christin up until this point, none of it was as grave as what was happening to her without even realizing it. She had the symptoms of an eating disorder that she admits made her realize she "had a problem" when she was fearful of even consuming some salad out of fear that she'd stall in her weight loss.
"I did not get fat on salad and on healthy vegetables," Christin explained. "I got fat on sugar and white carbs."
Getting over the fear of eating was a very difficult mental test for Christin as she now obsessed over every little bite of food she was eating and how it would impact her on the scale. She revealed that she hasn't met anyone who has been on the Kimkins program who wasn't "literally scared" to add food back into their diet.
"What kind of a program is it that makes you scared? Weight loss is not about fear, weight loss is about excitement, it's about joy, it's about recapturing your life," Christin shared with a glimmer in her eyes. "It should be a fun journey, not a fearful one."
And yet fear was exactly what gripped Christin and it would not let go of her.
"If I wasn't losing everyday, then I began wondering what was wrong with me," Christin admitted. "Nothing was wrong with me. My body was screaming at me. It was putting the brakes on and telling me you're going about this the wrong way."
As a devout Christian, she knew that "God created us to eat healthy foods; vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and yes, even fat." Christin reiterated that she believes there is "validity to low-carb programs" like Atkins, Protein Power, and the like when they are done the correct way and not the Kimkins way.
"You will provide your body with all of the nutrients that it needs" when you follow low-carb by the book, Christin shared. "God did not create you to starve yourself."
Outlining the "many dangers within the Kimkins program," she said that it goes much deeper than just an eating disorder. She said that "something is going on within my body" and that it has been manifested in the form of "flutters" in her heart for the past month.
"Twinges, cramps, aches, all within my chest cavity right around the area of my heart," Christin expressed, sharing that it all came to a head on Monday when the "severe chest pains...stomach aches, and nausea" were so great she was admitted to the emergency room staying there until late at night.
The doctors examined her with many tests, including an EKG, blood work, chest x-rays, and they kept her at the hospital for several hours to monitor her condition. It's still unknown what caused the tremendous pain to come on Christin like it did on Monday night, but she was prescribed pain medications and was referred to a cardiologist for an immediate follow-up visit.
That visit to the cardiologist took place on Wednesday who shared several concerns for Christin. With a "more and more serious" look on his face after hearing Christin's story about her starvation-mode weight loss method compliments of the Kimkins diet, he told her flat out that "our bodies can suffer damage from eating that little."
After conducting more tests on her, including an EKG, an ECG, blood work, and "lots of listening with the stethoscope," the cardiologist said he was not concerned about what he called a "normal" low pulse rate of 45 (incidentally, mine is in the upper 40's since I lost nearly 200 pounds and Christin has experienced a heart rate in the low-to-mid 40's). Even still, she says she "might get a second opinion on" just to be sure about it.
But there were real concerns that the cardiologist had for Christin, including "possible damage to my heart nodes and valves from malnutrition." Because of that, he wants to have a sonogram of Christin's heart to confirm whether or not there is this damage since it was inconclusive from the initial examination. He's also concerned about some "esophageal spasms" that happen whenever there is a "rapid change in your dietary program and you lose a lot of weight."
"Things can change on your insides," Christin quoted the cardiologist as saying, "that it takes it a while to catch up."
She is now medication for this "distress" with the contractions surrounding her esophagus and trying to rest as her body goes through the healing process.
Speaking passionately and directly to those who still think the Kimkins diet is a safe and effective way to lose weight in a healthy manner, Christin had an extremely clear and articulate message for them.
"If I and my story can stop anyone else from having pain and having the fear that I did that I might have caused even further damage and by attempting to be for my family I hindered my longevity with them--I was scared to death. That ride to the hospital was one of the most fearful ones that I have ever had! My husband was scared at having to face the possibility of losing his wife and his helper and his love," she recalled from her haunting experience earlier this week.
When they got to the hospital, Christin said she and her husband "prayed together" while holding hands hoping for the best in God's hands. And that's something she wants to help others avoid if they will simply listen to what she has to say.
"If I can save any of you from having to go through that, then it is worth it," Christin concluded.
Speaking about her role as the Public Relations head of Kimkins last month and as the cover girl on the Woman's World magazine in June, Christin said she did it because she "thought [she] was helping" others as is her heart's desire.
"It has always been my desire to help people," she said. "And especially those that I feel a connection with, those who have struggled to lose weight their entire lives, those who have issues with obesity--something that I know all too well."
Christin said taking on those responsibilities felt like she was "doing my part to give hope, to give assurance, to sympathize and to empathize" with people who were facing the same struggles that she had trying to lose weight. She still has those feelings for people who want to beat their obesity which is why she is still blogging and participating in a low-carb forum again.
"My heart goes out to you because I know what it's like," Christin stated. "I know the euphoria of losing weight quickly, but I also know the risks and the dangers involved and I am begging with you now to please listen to your body like I've said so many times and do the right thing."
She added: "There is a right way and a wrong way to lose weight. And I am now convinced that starving yourself and utilizing the Kimkins program in that manner is not the right way."
Realizing there is still a need for a community for people who desire weight loss the healthy way, Christin said we should all "stand together and learn together" the "correct way to use a low-carb program to make each other healthy, to live a longer life for our loved ones and our families."
Christin said she'll be back to blogging again soon and appreciates the friendship and love that has been shown to her through this horrific experience.
"I love you and I'm here for you," she concluded.
Visit Christin and learn more about her continuing low-carb weight loss journey at her "The Journey On" blog as well as the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum. And if you would like to contact Woman's World magazine to let them know about your concerns regarding the Kimkins program, their direct e-mail address is DearWW@aol.com. Perhaps if enough of us let them know about Christin and others who have suffered serious health consequences from being on Kimkins, then they may print a retraction.
After a living nightmare, Martin Rike was finally rescued after 12 hours
This Washington Post column was difficult for me to read because it involves a 39-year old Minnesota man who weighs 500 pounds and the great lengths it took for medical personnel to help him when he thought he was having a heart attack earlier this week while tubing on the river.
In case you missed this story, here's what happened:
Martin Rike, a 500-pound truck driver, was inner tubing for the first time ever on the St. Croix River with some friends on Monday when he started having chest pains. His buddies called for paramedics who were dispatched to the scene and stabilized him around 8pm.
The problem was the medical crew couldn't hoist this morbidly obese man into the helicopter to get him to the nearest hospital. In other words, he was too fat for the equipment and much too heavy.
Upwards of 50 rescue team members assisted the medical crew with "creative" means for getting Rike to a place where he could be transported for medical attention. They used boats and canoes to float him down the river, but the water was too shallow and they couldn't move him.
They then put Rike inside of an aluminum boat to try to carry him to safety. But, again, his body weight was too much for the desperate rescuers to handle. Someone came up with the idea to tie three canoe together and place boards on top of them to use as a raft. Even this got stuck often, but worked well enough to reach an ambulance that was waiting for them downstream.
In all, it took 12 hours for Rike to reach the ambulance--at 8:00am the next morning!
Holy cow, can you believe this story?! It's a good thing he wasn't in real danger or this man may have died with rescuers at the cruel and helpless mercy of gravity. What a tragedy this story would have been had that happened.
Thank God Rike is doing okay now and only suffered from a few cold chills being in the water all night, a bit hungry, and very sleepy. He did have a bruised leg from all the moving around they did with his body. But the medical crew on the scene did not want him to move any more than he had to since they were treating him for a heart attack.
That's where Rike seems to be at the moment and it nearly killed him. As if this harrowing experience wasn't awful enough already, check out what his mother had to say about her son's current state of health.
Rike and his mother are both in deep denial about his weight and there are millions more just like them. If we are gonna break this cycle of obesity, then we need more tough love truth to be shared by doctors and even family members of people carrying around 100+ extra pounds. Confronting the obese is not judging them, but rather helping them before it is too late.
As a former 400-pounder, it gives me no great pleasure in saying these things. But the longer I have been involved in the diet and health arena, the more convinced I have become that we need substantive action to start NOW even if a few feelings get hurt along the way. In the end, they'll thank you for helping them get their life back.
Perhaps Rike might join his fellow Minnesota native Darrell Nelson and the "lawnmower diet" he started last year to shed the pounds. It certainly couldn't hurt as a great starting point!
If you are reading this right now and are overweight or obese, then I want you to put yourself in the same position that Martin Rike was in this week. Is that how you want to live your life? I applaud him for try to get out in public and spending time with his friends. But he put himself in harm's way. Would you handle the stress of not being able to get to the hospital because you weighed too much? I couldn't!
Why not let this story be the impetus and motivation for FINALLY getting serious about your weight problem? It's not going away anytime soon without some effort on your part. But it can be managed and overcome in a variety of ways. Might I suggest livin' la vida low-carb? :)
Find the plan that is right for you, follow that plan until you reach your goal, and then KEEP doing that plan for the rest of your life. That's your equation for success that will ease your worries of ever having to deal with a predicament like Martin experienced EVER in your life. YOU CAN DO IT!
Please feel free to e-mail me anytime if you need encouragement in your weight loss efforts at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
These are two very dear men in my life: Steve Dyar and Kevin Moore
This blog is as much about my life as it is about the low-carb lifestyle. I've never even tried to keep these two things separate because Jimmy Moore the normal guy is the exact same person as Jimmy Moore the man who lost almost 200 pounds on the Atkins diet. Anyone who tries to compartmentalize each aspect of their lives into different little boxes can never be completely themselves and I don't try to live my life that way. What you see is what you get, warts and all!
Because I write about my life within the context of the discussion of health, diet, and livin' la vida low-carb, there are some rather personal stories of real people who I have shared with you. I have asked you to pray for people who are going through intense and seemingly hopeless health complications and often I receive e-mails from readers wanting to hear an update on those dear loved ones in my life.
Do you remember when I told you about Steve Dyar just a few months ago? He's the former music minister at my church who listened to the call of God to go into full-time vocal ministry traveling the country with his beautiful and talented wife Susan a couple of years back.
Then in December 2006, Steve got just about the worst news anybody could ever hear in their life--CANCER! It was esophageal cancer and the doctors said they didn't have much hope for him beating it. But this mighty man of faith is putting his hope and trust in the Lord Almighty not just to help him through this calamity that has hit him, but to completely heal his body of the cancer that seeks to devour him.
The strength of this incredible man is such an inspiration to me and you can follow his journey through the chemotherapy treatments and the victories and trials along the way at his CaringBridge web site. Please sign his guestbook and let him know you are thinking and praying for him to truly overcome and rise victorious over this.
Last Sunday night a real miracle happened when this man who used to have such a booming voice before the cancer set in made a surprise appearance in our church choir's Easter musical by SINGING a powerful song called "You Were There." Our choir director and all of us in the choir had prayed he would feel well enough to do that song with us since the lyrics embody Steve's testimony.
Here are the lyrics to that incredible song:
Weary from the trials that it seemed I faced alone. Wondering why God left me here to struggle on my own. I thought of all the verses and the Scriptures I had read. How He promised to be with me, How He never would forsake me. So with all the faith within me, I cried out to God and said, "You were there for Moses; you were there for Joseph; you were there for David when he didn't have a prayer. You were there for Stephen so I believe in time I'll see That through it all, you were there for me."
Seeing this big man who has lost a considerable amount of weight (the hard way!) gracefully walking up on that stage, sharing briefly about what he has been going through since being diagnosed with cancer with a weakened speaking voice, and then singing this song custom-made just for him conjured up so much emotion that those of us in the choir almost couldn't sing our background parts on the song. But we made it through the tears to stand behind this very brave and couragous man.
Oh my gosh, hearing Steve's soaring baritone voice croon this anointed song about finding supernatural strength in the midst of a very bleak circumstance was enough to make Christians and non-Christians alike shout for joy at what God can and is continuing to do in this man's life.
In fact, after our first service at 4:00pm, a mom brought her daughter up to the front to speak with the pastor to let him know that Steve's song ministered to them since the little girl was recently diagnosed with a juvenile form of cancer a couple of weeks before. Now she KNOWS she can walk through this valley. To God be the glory!
Steve Dyar is by no means miraculously cured (YET!), but his unwavering belief that God can do it is an encouragment to all of us regardless of the situation we are going through. Continue to lift him up to the Great Physician because we are believing in a 100% healing of this man. It can happen and we'll rejoice in that miracle WHEN it comes.
The other dear man in my life going through tremendous odds in regards to his health is my brother Kevin Moore. You will recall I discussed in this blog post about how he has been through a series of heart attacks in 1999 and now weighs in at over 600 pounds! That's NOT a mistake--he really is THAT big.
His doctors aren't holding out much hope for Kevin because his morbid obesity is complicating and accelerating the rate that his body is shutting down. His life has been quite a whirlwind ride and he doesn't seem to care about getting his weight under control to save his health and quite possibly his life. You don't know how much that hurts me to see him going through all of this. It breaks my heart!
Kevin is my only brother and all of this just hits too close to home for me. That's why I was so glad to be able to see him at Christmas 2006, perhaps for the last time. I hope he sticks around until he's in his 40s, 50s, and beyond, but it doesn't look good.
As has been the case for the past several years since his early 30s when he suffered those nearly fatal heart attacks, Kevin has been in and out of the hospital with chest pains and other obesity-related issues with his heart. He's not even 40 years old yet (his 40th birthday is in August this year) and has had fluid build-up around the chest cavity drained more times than anybody else I've ever known in my life. His latest stint in the hospital was just a couple of weeks ago and now he's back home again living what passes for his life nowadays.
I love my brother and it hurts me to see him go through this preventable circumstance. What's done is done with his heart, but he could extend his life and improve the quality of the remaining days he has left if he would simply lose weight. He's seen my low-carb success and knows it can be done--he just has to want to do it. Up until this point, he hasn't.
Nothing I can do can make him do this. I just have to keep on loving him, encouraging him, and praying for him to do what's right for his health. Please remember Kevin and pray that he would FINALLY seek the truth and have the desire to save his life--before it's too late.
THANK YOU for all the wonderful e-mails of concern about both Steve and Kevin. These men are a big part of my life and I want God's will to be done in both of these situations regardless of what that may be. I firmly believe that God has the power to touch them physically and restore them to full health. Trusting Him to bring about His Will for them, I only ask that you join me in my prayers. God bless you and THANKS for your sincere and heartfelt interest.
His name is Connor McCreaddie and this 8-year old little boy ain't so little anymore--he already weighs as much as many full-grown adult men do. And now child protective services has issued a warning to his mother for Connor to lose weight or else they will take him away from her on grounds of neglect.
Nicola McKeown, Connor's mother who lives in Wallsend, North Tyneside in Great Britain, says she realizes Connor is four times the weight he should be for his age. To her credit, she has tried to help him lose weight through an unknown diet program since December when he weighed in at a whopping 218 pounds (that's almost what I weigh!).
Despite losing 21 pounds over the past couple of months, though, McKeown recently got an official letter representing child protective services, Connor's school principal, and the local health agency requesting her to appear before them to determine whether she is really doing enough to help Connor lose weight or not. If not, then they have already threatened to remove Connor from her care to give him the help he needs.
Let me just interject my comments about this here for a moment. While I agree Connor didn't balloon up to 200+ pounds instantly and overnight, I definitely wouldn't describe what McKeown has done as neglect. Maybe you can call it bad parenting or if you wanted to get extreme with it--child abuse--but definitely NOT neglect. If anything, it sounds like Connor has been getting TOO MUCH attention.
Actually, it sounds like he runs the household.
Although his mother has to help him get dressed and take him to the doctor a lot because of obesity-related health complications (has her pediatrician NEVER said a word to her about Connor's weight?!), she says Connor refuses to eat any fruits or vegetables and will only eat processed junk foods. Plus, she said Connor cries for food virtually every hour on the hour until he gets what he wants.
See, that right there is the crux of the problem. In her attempt to show love to her son, McKeown has actually been an enabler in Connor's weight problem by refusing to be the parent. A mother most of the time has to go against the will of her child to do what is best for him whether he understands that it's for his own good or not.
If Connor refuses to eat fruits and vegetables, then McKeown should refuse to serve anything but those foods. No, that's not being cruel to him, but rather it is showing him there is a right and wrong way to eat. Clearly, the junk food is not helping him at all, so removing those foods from his diet altogether will begin to m make a big difference. At some point he'll get hungry enough to even eat these foods McKeown thinks he'll never eat.
Unfortunately, I'm afraid that's not what McKeown will do for her son. Instead, she'd rather let him sit for hours upon hours in front of a computer screen playing games (why isn't he outside running around like most other 8-year olds?!) with an endless supply of all the garbage food his mother provides him, including curries, sausage sandwiches, biscuits, burgers, potato chips, and French fries. EWWWW! Wanna guess what most of those foods have in common? Can you say carbs, carbs, and more carbs?! UGH!
When a child like Connor is coddled too the extent that he is, then it can lead him to believe that he really is in charge and calls all the shots. From a nutritional standpoint, that is devastating because most kids don't have a clue what is good for them. All they want is food that tastes good no matter what it's made of because there are no consequences for doing so.
Usually the food most kids prefer is highly processed, carb-loaded, sugary junk foods--something his mother apparently is providing in great abundance. Caring parents who want their child to develop into strong, healthy, and fit adults will do whatever they can to provide the best nutritional options by setting the right example for them early enough in life so that child will make good choices for themselves in the future.
Wanna know what McKeown's excuse is for letting Connor's weight to get as high as it has? She believes she has not received enough help to know how to raise her kid properly. Ya know, that sorta begs the question--why did you have a child back in 1999 if you couldn't take care of him in the first place? Gasp! Nobody is supposed to ask that question, but I just did!
Needless to say, we can't turn back the clock now, but Connor does need some serious help. He is at risk at this moment for major health problems beginning at a much younger age than he should, not the least of which is the onset of diabetes, heart disease, and morbid obesity by the time he reaches his 20's which could end his life before he turns 30. That's some heavy stuff to think about, but it is Connor's reality right now.
Nobody is gonna argue that Connor should be left to continue down this path that his mother has chosen for him which for all intents and purposes is destroying his life if left unchanged. But what concerns me about this story is the not-so-veiled threat she has been given to make Connor lose weight or else they'll take himaway from her. What's up with that kind of intimidation and on what authority can they issue such a warning to McKeown?
The government, school, and anyone outside of McKeown's family doesn't have any business telling her what she needs to do about Connor's weight. This is a personal issue that needs to be hashed out by the family. From all accounts, Connor is not being physically (other than allowing his weight to explode) or emotionally (except by the teasing of his classmates in school) abused, so such a drastic measure as removing him from her care is irrational. What are they gonna do with him once he does lose the weight in the custody of the government, hmmm? Foster care? Adoption?
This is one of those unintended consequences of promoting the same old low-fat, low-calorie, portion control dietary recommendations that we've been forced to endure for generations by our government and health leaders. How many parents have tried to put their overweight or obese child on one of these diets only to have their child reject it because it wasn't the right diet for them? Too many to count, I'm sure!
You know, Connor would do very well if he started livin' la vida low-carb and I would venture to say he would not balk at the delicious choice of foods he could eat while bringing his weight back down into a healthier range. Scrumptuous and yummy cuts of meat, cheeses, low-glycemic fruits, non-starchy vegetables, eggs...the list goes on and on. McKeown could start feeding him that way immediately and see real results.
Unfortunately, she will likely never hear a word about the amazing low-carb way of eating from these people threatening to take Connor away from her. But it sounds like exactly what he needs to do to lose weight as soon as possible. I don't know what McKeown is doing to help Connor shed the pounds since before Christmas, but she should consider putting him on a program like Atkins, South Beach, or Protein Power.
What do you think about Connor's conundrum? Do you think the UK authorities have the right to threaten McKeown and take Connor away to a "fat farm" somewhere to get him back into shape again? Or do you agree with me that this is a personal matter that needs to be handled within Connor's family and it's nobody else's business to tell McKeown how to raise her child?
There should be lots of varying opinions about this, so don't be bashful! Let me know what you think!
3-1-07 UPDATE: Now here is a unique take on why Connor may be as obese as he is:
My daughter is a caretaker of several retarded adults and she works for an adult day service that provides daycare for adults in need. When I first read about little Connior McCreaddie, I immediately thought of the adults in her care who suffer from a syndrome called Prader-Willi. Patients with PWS cannot stop eating, her clients eat vast amounts of vegetables to satisfy this insatiable need and this is the only way to somewhat control their weight. Their entire focus daily is obtaining food and these patients need to be closely monitored.
Here is a press release about Connor that I found on the Prader-Willi web site. It seems others have had the same thought that I have! I do so hope they complete the hormone studies before they disrupt this family! Nonetheless, I KNOW that low-carb is the ONLY way to save this little boy in the meantime as these studies are being made.
By the way, I really enjoy your "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog!
THANKS for sharing about Prader-Willi. I hadn't heard of it before, but it could be what Connor is dealing with.
There's a brand new low-carb blog I'd like to introduce you to that literally just came online this week. But I already like the positive attitude of the anonymous author of the blog who goes by the name "OnlineChristian." The blog is called "Low Carb Lollygagging."
If you've ever used that word "lollygagging" before, then you wouldn't think of it being associated with the structured discipline and order that is needed to be livin' la vida low-carb. But for "OnlineChristian," it works for him (or her!) to describe a philosophy about life that I wish more people would embrace.
"I am serious about my low carb living, but I want to have fun and live a little and laugh a little while doing it," OnlineChristian writes at his blog. "Life can't be all serious anyhow, can it??!!"
You've gotta love somebody that can laugh at themselves and at life, even if that life has not necessarily turned out the way you wanted it to--especially if you are morbidly obese. That's exactly where "OnlineChristian" finds himself at this point in time once weighing in at over 400 pounds. But he's doing something about it now losing nearly 40 pounds on the Atkins diet since mid-October 2006 and "just loving it!!!" His goal is to reach the same weight he was in high school.
"Somewhere around there where I feel good, am healthy, and living life well," he admitted.
While all the so-called health experts out there are telling people they need to eat 1200-calories-a-day along with disgusting low-fat foods in miniscule portions, "OnlineChristian" thumbs his nose up at these suggestions and reveals the shocking truth about the calories he is eating on his low-carb plan.
"I am losing weight while sometimes eating 4000 and 4500 calories, though truth be told many days I am eating more like 2000 - 3500."
HA! Did you hear that loud sucking sound?! It was the collective gasp of dietitians and nutritionists reading my blog RIGHT NOW as they stare at the screen trying to pick their jaw up off the floor after reading how many calories "OnlineChristian" eats in a day.
Yep, he said he's eating between 2000-4500 calories daily AND STILL LOSING WEIGHT!!! He doesn't mention anything about exercise, so the whole "calorie deficit" mumbo jumbo we always hear bantered about is not the reason. It's the miracle of livin' la vida low-carb, baby!
Like me, "OnlineChristian" wanted to find a way to not only lose weight, but to ward off hunger while doing it. Too much "burning intense hunger" while on a low-calorie diet for two years in a row before Atkins left a mark on him that he won't soon forget. But this isn't the first time weight loss has been attempted.
"When I was in my thirties I lost 100 lbs and kept it off for over two years. I lost the first 50 lbs on a NutriSystem prepackaged food program, and lost the second 50 lbs doing pretty much the same thing but eating MAJOR RABBIT FOOD (salads from McDonalds and Burger King, etc) and low calorie TV dinners like those from Healthy Choice and similar," he explained.
But he was still too hungry and didn't lose any weight without "running 3-8 miles each day and weight training as well for an hour to two hours each day." That honest to goodness pain he felt from the hunger on a low-calorie diet left "OnlineChristian" dizzy, sick, and disheartened about living this way for the rest of his life. There's a reason why low-calorie diets aren't necessarily healthy.
"I toughed it out to lose the weight and meet my goals," he stated.
That sounds like me back in 1999 when I was doing the whole low-fat, low-calorie, portion control diet thing. I lost a total of 170 pounds in 10 months that year primarily on the sheer inner determination I had to succeed. But the gig was up and all those months of STARVING caught up to me which led to a HUGE weight gain in only a few months.
Something similar happened to "OnlineChristian" as he grew weary of the low-calorie diet, too. Pretty soon, every bit of weight he had lost was right back on his body and 400 pounds was his reality...AGAIN!
That's when the Atkins diet swooped in to save the day providing healthy foods that keep his hunger at bay while knocking down any cravings and ditching all the "rules" of calorie watching. His blood sugar was in very bad shape before livin' la vida low-carb "fluctuating up and down and getting shaky and jittery when I needed a sugar fix and tired and kinda sleepy headed when I ate." But today it is "rock steady" with a fasting blood glucose reading of 90.
"This is probably the most important benefit I am deriving from this way of eating," OnlineChristian declared.
Acknowledging his surprise at how well livin' la vida low-carb is working for him, "OnlineChristian" is just so THRILLED to have found something that FINALLY works for him.
"Low carb is really impressing me as a wonderful way of life," he wrote. "I am losing weight, my blood sugar problems have all disapeared, and I am not having acid problems at all, I am never hungry (I get to eat, be full and comfortable) and I am feeling great!!! I hope that more than a diet, I can maintain this as an ongoing way of eating and way of life."
With that kind of attitude about it, there's no doubt in my mind that you WILL succeed! GO FOR IT!!! Just don't ever give up on it and you can't help but triumph over your obesity!
"OnlineChristian" invites people to provide him feedback at this e-mail address.
I was honored to see a blog post from "OnlineChristian" about me called "The Ever Enthusiastic Jimmy Moore!" which included some very flattering remarks about the work I am doing to promote the low-carb lifestyle to the masses.
"Jimmy strikes me as a 'regular guy' (which is very refreshing) who has found this wonderful secret to weight loss and living and can hardly contain himself as he finds one new and exciting thing after another to share with his readers and listeners."
Yes, I am just your average, everyday fella who just happened to lose a bunch of weight. If I can help people with what I write about at my blog, then I'm gonna do it. And "OnlineChristian" understands clearly my mission for doing what I am doing at my blogs and podcast show.
"His positive attitude is absolutely contagious and he will help you get motivated to learn about and try this low carb lifestyle."
Gee, thanks so much, "OnlineChristian." What an interesting person you are and I look forward to reading many more outstanding posts at the "Low Carb Lollygagging" blog. You WILL be succesful at not just losing weight, but also keeping it off for good this time because the hunger issue is NOT a problem for you anymore. Stable blood sugar and your desire to reach the weight you were in high school will propel you to GREAT weight loss success!
YOU CAN DO IT! Please let me know if I can ever help you!
Kimkins Weight Loss Success Spotlight: Janine Shed 136 Pounds In 7 Months
The post that appeared here has been removed for not promoting the low-carb community in the professional manner I have come to expect from myself. THANK YOU!
Following my wild and wacky week where over 25,000 pageviews were registered at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, the forward momentum in the empassioned enthusiasm about the low-carb lifestyle hasn't slowed down a bit. WOO HOO!
While many of the visitors to my blog in the first week of January were long-time readers, I was pleased to see so many new people popping on here to find out what this low-carb diet thing is all about. If that's YOU, then WELCOME and stay a while. I don't bite...too hard! :)
I have a couple of thought-provoking e-mails about a couple of people who each weigh over 550 pounds to share with you from my inbox that will break your heart, but at the same time should be a solemn reminder of why we have chosen this way of eating to help us manage our weight and health.
Here's the first e-mail:
I just had to write you. I know you read that a lot, but still it is true. I found your site because of Dana Carpender. I don't get the chance to read it everyday or even every week, but I have to congratulate you on your success and let you know I will also be keeping your brother in my prayers.
I have to tell you I went on a low-carb diet about 3 years ago and lost 85 lbs in about 3 months. I know this seems like a lot but but I weighed in at 550 pounds so losing a lot very quickly isn't unusual. I joined Weight Watchers at one point and they were concerned about my quick weight loss on low-carb and wanted to modify the program for me. But, like all low-fat diets, I was hungry all the time no matter what I ate. I would wake up thinking about food and go to sleep still thinking about it. But once I got back on low-carb I would have found I often forgot to eat and had to make myself do it.
By the time I finally found out and read about low carb diets, including The South Beach Diet, Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution and of course Dana Carpenter's books, I was up to 550 and had become disabled with back problems due to my weight. I stayed with it and ate normal even when others in my family weren't until Thanksgiving came. I enjoyed my turkey dinner, but then I went back to it afterwards.
Somehow, though, I let myself be talked into giving up low-carb until after Christmas--that was two years ago. Well let's just say I have tried several times to get back on the low-carb lifestyle again but I have yet to succeed. So here it is January 2007 and two years have passed over which time I have gain nearly all of my weight back.
This year I am determined to get back on it and stay there. I can't stand not being able to walk, to go out, to even go to a store and buy stuff I need. I try not to think about it too much but I haven't been out of this house more than a dozen times in the last three years. So my goal this year is to lose enough weight to be able to get out of the house and maybe even go shopping.
You don't know how bad I want to feel better, healthier, and to help my mom live longer. My mom has been having some difficult health issues of her own this past year and I want her to live to be at least 99. Right now she's 71 years old and she is overweight weighing around 260 pounds with high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes.
I'm sorry this e-mail is all over the place, but part of what I have found is that between my weight, the diet sodas I drink, and being trapped inside of this house like a prisoner, I feel like I just can't focus. I hope this makes sense to you.
I love your blog and would love to read past blog posts if there is a way to do that. Also, if you have any suggestions or helpful hints about what I can do to lose weight, then I would love to hear from you. I haven't followed any low-carb program in particular, but simply tried to keep my carbs at around 50-80 grams daily and never going lower than 30. This has worked wonderfully for myself and my mother but wasn't enough carbs for my sister, so I think this time I will move the carb count up.
Sorry for the rambling, but I appreciate all your work and effort to keep everyone informed on how wonderful a low-carb diet can be for a lot of us out here. Thank you again!
Whew! That was SOME e-mail, wasn't it? It's a sad story that hopefully will have a happy ending for this person desperate to get her life back again. I'm so glad she found my blog last year when Dana Carpender advertised my blog in her Lowcarbezine! newsletter. If you have never even heard of Dana Carpender, she is the queen of livin' la vida low-carb with many bestselling low-carb cookbooks, including her latest release entitled the Every Calorie Counts Cookbook. I also invite you to read my engaging interview with her from last year where she opened up about the current state of low-carb in America.
While a lot of people like the support they get while on Weight Watchers, the fact is many people who fail to stay on the rigid low-fat, calorie-controlled diet they require have found a haven in livin' la vida low-carb. In fact, one of my faithful readers reported that they allowed him to speak at a recent Weight Watchers meeting and he captivated the attendees with his low-carb weight loss success which led to a thunderous round of applause when he was finished. I know they mean well with their program, but low-carb beats Weight Watchers in a head-to-head matchup every time!
At this point, it's been too long for you to ignore your weight problem as your health continues to be in decline. The best thing you can do is find a low-carb plan you feel like will work for you (not doing it on your own like this woman I talked about in one of my recent podcast shows), implement that plan exactly as the author wrote it, and then keep on doing it for the rest of your life.
But even before you do all of that, you need to RIGHT NOW make up your mind you want to SERIOUSLY do this. Weight loss experts have said that success must first begin in the mind before it can be manifested physically in your body. Stop living in fear of the unknown and the misery of settling for the life you've been dealt. Make today the first day of your brand new life. It CAN happen, but it's up to YOU!
Keep reading resources like Dana Carpender's web site and my blog as well as the many of low-carb resources that are available to you. By the way, accessing my older columns is really pretty easy. At the bottom right-hand side of this blog, I keep an archives section with all of my previous posts divided by the months since I started. With nearly 1,500 posts, that's a lot to go through but there are many encouraging and educating columns in there to give you hope and inspiration in this journey.
I'll go ahead and post the archives here for your convenience:
THANK YOU again for sending me an e-mail. I am always available to help you in any way that I can, so don't hesitate to e-mail me anytime! Next up is a woman who was shaken back into the reality of her own weight problem after seeing her cousin in North Carolina who has allowed his weight to climb to 560 pounds. She is a strong believer in God and is praying her faith along with her knowledge of livin' la vida low-carb will help him and her before it's too late.
Here's her e-mail:
Hi Jimmy,
I just wanted to say congratulations on your weight loss. I came across your blog and read your story today. You are truly an inspiration for alot of people including me. I just started the low-carb for the bazillionth time but this time I'm staying real focused and, of course, asking for help from God. I believe in the power of prayer and just recently got back from North Carolina visiting my cousin who was in the hospital. He was not getting enough oxygen so his lips were turning blue while in the ICU.
When I saw him he had a oxygen mask on and I was devistated. His weight had climbed to 560 pounds. This was really a wake-up call for me as I have struggled most all my life with weight problems. I guess it runs in the family, but I am trying to do something about it now. I have never been this determined.
We all had a prayer chain going for my cousin because the doctor told his mom that he only had a 50/50 chance of making it. So now I'm happy to say he's out of the hospital, and trying real hard to lose weight. His wanted to have gastric bypass surgery, but the doctors said they couldn't do it until he loses over a 100 pounds. But I have some reservations myself about that surgery.
I am going to keep on the low-carb lifestyle and see where it takes me this time. I just wanted some support from someone who's been there like yourself and I was so inspired by how much weight you lost. I hope I haven't bored you with my story. I'm just reaching out to chat rather than eat something I shouldn't. LOL! Well, it was nice talking to ya and hope to hear from you soon.
Another tear-jerker of an e-mail, eh? You know, my heart aches for people who are 400, 500, or even 1200 pounds like Manuel Uribe was not that long ago. I know the pain of weighing more than "normal" and the pain that comes from people staring at you like you're some space alien. It's no fun at all.
But livin' la vida low-carb can and will help. It certainly changed my life for the better and I'll never look back again. I hate to see your cousin contemplating gastric bypass since low-carb is the diet he'll be eating after surgery anyway. Why not just stick with the low-carb lifestyle to begin with rather than having your insides all cut up? This is something my mom, who had gastric bypass surgery in December 2003, has now started.
This reader was so excited about getting going on her low-carb lifestyle again that she responded back one more time:
Hey Jimmy,
Thanks for replying to me. It's so supportive to talk to other low-carbers on this long journey. But I know I will make it this time because I'm hyped up for this. I'm already feeling my clothes getting loose. Yeah! So, have you still maintained your weight loss? Thanks again for the reply.
I LOVE it when people get excited about livin' la vida low-carb. That excitement should NEVER die because it will propel you to great success. And YES, I have kept my weight off that I lost in 2004. I am trying to get below 200 pounds, one of five health-related goals I have set for myself in 2007. I am confident I will achieve all of them, but it won't be without a little effort on my part.
CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who has made the fateful decision to start livin' la vida low-carb in 2007. I encourage you to make this way of eating your New LIFE resolution and I guarantee you will never be the same again. YOU CAN DO THIS and I'm gonna be here to help you in any way that I can. Please don't hesitate to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I don't have all the answers, but I'll do my best to answer any questions you may have for me.
When you are a 400+ pound man who gets to the point in your life that you consider having weight loss surgery to finally get your weight and health under control, then you've reached what many consider the pinnacle of desperation. But the sad reality is that people who have struggled with being overweight or obese for much of their lives feel like they don't have any other choice to make, so they throw their hands up in the air and allow doctors to begin cutting away at their insides.
That's exactly what Erik Chopin thought before he decided to be a contestant on Season 3 of the hit NBC reality television show "The Biggest Loser." His decision and good fortune to be chosen to appear on the show representing the state of New York very well may have saved his life and health forever since he was just crowned the winner of that competition by losing an incredible 214 pounds, over half his body weight, while competing on the show.
"That's how hopeless I felt," Chopin told the AP. "I felt like I needed to go for the surgery but, really, I'm so glad I didn't."
Chopin said he would not have forgiven himself if he had allowed himself to so easily give up on trying to lose weight naturally at least one more time.
"I knew the whole time, I honestly knew, I was copping out, I was quitting," Chopin revealed regarding his desire to have the surgery.
"Now, there's no stopping me," Chopin proclaimed after winning $250,000 as the grand prize winner of the popular weight loss television series.
Over the past nine months or so on the infamous California ranch with a team of professional trainers and nutritionists, Chopin learned along with his fellow contestants what life could be like eating healthy perhaps for the first time in his life, making better choices regarding fitness and nutrition, and genuinely soaking up life for all it was meant to be.
You could say 2006 has been one big blur for this now 193-pounder.
"It's surreal. I'm on top of the world," Chopin told the AP. "It was such a long journey, probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But it's just so rewarding. I'm getting paid now for something I needed to do. You know, I needed to get healthy."
It's hard to describe for people what it is like after losing a lifechanging amount of weight like Chopin did. When I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004, it was the exact same thing for me. The pathway to weight loss and improved health was pretty difficult and seemed like a struggle that was never going to end while in the midst of the process of losing weight.
But when all was said and done, the undeniable feeling of accomplishment and what that meant for my life not only in the here and now but also for the future I had secured for myself simply overwhelmed me. You hear people all the time express how their lives were improved following weight loss, but you have no idea the extent of it until you actually do it yourself!
For Chopin, the turnaround in his health came none too soon as he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and other health ailments during his appearance on "The Biggest Loser." Not surprisingly, Bob Harper (a fan of my low-carb blog!) and the nutritional staff put him on a sugar-free, low-carb weight loss program to help him effectively control his diabetes and later become the super slim man with the incredible physique he displays today.
"Everything fits great and I'm comfortable and I need to stay right here," Chopin said.
Getting used to your new body is a fun experience indeed. If Chopin likes where his weight is right now at 193, then the real challenge is about to begin for him. When I got down to 230 pounds after weighing 410 at the beginning of 2004, I knew it was going to take everything within me to keep that scale from going back up. As it was, I lost another 10 pounds in 2005 to get down to 220 and life was going great as I prevented the usual letdown that most successful losers face in the year that follows.
But then 2006 rolled around and I allowed myself to slip back into some old habits before I started livin' la vida low-carb. I was still essentially doing the low-carb lifestyle, but I permitted myself a few too many indulgences which then showed up on the scale. When my weight reached 240 pounds over the summer, I knew I needed to do something about it and fast!
That's when I started my "30-In-30" Low-Carb Weight Loss Challenge on August 1, 2006 to lose 30 pounds in 30 weeks. We are now two-thirds of the way through that challenge and I have lost almost 25 pounds so far. Hundreds of others are following along in this challenge and losing weight themselves. It's exactly what I needed to get refocused on maintaining my weight.
This is something Chopin will undoubtedly deal with himself, especially with all the temptations that will befall him with his newfound celebrity and wealth. Plus, as the owner of the popular North Babylon, NY-based restaurant called Emma's Delicatessen, he will always be surrounded by food and the allure to nibble. Chopin didn't get to be 407 pounds without something tempting him! Don't you know all that food he served to his customers was his albatross. The good news is he can still enjoy the food he serves in his deli and stay on his low-carb plan as long as he stays away from the bread and potato chips! :)
At the end of the AP interview, Chopin makes an incredibly wise comment about how this weight loss he has experienced will forever alter the way he looks at an overweight or obese person he encounters.
"I see a big guy somewhere and in my mind I'm not critical of him," Chopin revealed. "I'm more like, 'I need to help this person.' I'd like to help them, because I know what it's like and how awful it feels to be obese. And I was morbidly obese."
Erik Chopin is not alone in his desire to help people who need to lose weight. It is something I have devoted myself fully to the past 2+ years since losing my weight and I intend to continue doing it through my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, on my podcast show, and any other method of communication I am privileged to use for getting the message out about the hope of a brighter tomorrow through weight loss.
Unless you've been as morbidly obese as both Erik and I have and then lost the weight, then you can't understand why we feel this way. It's as if you have a newfound mission in life to tell everyone you come into contact with about this remarkable gift you have been given so they too can experience the thrill and joy of finding the secret to permanent weight loss. How can you hold something like this inside of yourself? It's been nearly three years for me and I'm STILL fired up!
I sincerely hope Chopin uses the platform he has been given to begin educating and encouraging people who need to lose weight that it is possible to do it without the use of surgery, pills, and other such nonsense that people feel pressured into doing instead of seeking natural solutions. Whether you choose to limit your fat and calorie intake, increase your consumption of protein while lowering your carbohydrates, or WHATEVER other lifestyle change, making the choice that is right and works best for YOU and then doing it for the rest of your life will start you down the road to success.
CONGRATULATIONS again to Erik Chopin on being named "The Biggest Loser" of Season 3 and I wish him well in the coming year and beyond as he seeks to keep his weight off forever by continuing on his low-carb lifestyle just like the previous winners of "The Biggest Loser" have. It's a neverending battle, I tell people, but one worth fighting! I'm so proud of you, Erik! Keep fighting the good fight and NEVER EVER GIVE UP!
If you want to read more about "The Biggest Loser," including seeing some awesome before and after photos of the contestants from Season 1 and Season 2, reading an exclusive interview I conducted with personal trainer Bob Harper, finding out what happened to Jillian Michaels, and so much more, then please visit my post full of "The Biggest Loser" links.
November 7th episode of FOX's "House" featured 600-pound man
Did you catch the November 7th episode of the hit FOX drama "House" which features the brilliant acting of Hugh Laurie in the role of Dr. Gregory House? My wife Christine absolutely LOVES this show and never misses an episode on Tuesday nights. She told me about tonight's episode and said I should watch it with her after seeing the previews because it deals with an obese man who is admitted to the hospital with a mysterious disease that put him in a coma.
Of course, the first thing all the doctors do is try to figure out why the 600-pound man, in an intense gripping performance by actor Pruitt Taylor Vince, got to be so sick and they immediately looking for correlations to his massive weight problem. The doctors start conducting tests on the obese man to see what is wrong and run into problems that actually reminded me a lot of my brother Kevin, who coincidentally also weighs 600 pounds.
Like Kevin, the obese character on "House" had difficulty having an MRI conducted because the table weight limit is 450 pounds. They got his "seven-foot waist" in the machine while he was still in a coma, but then he woke up from it in the midst of the test. Not surprisingly, he breaks the table as the doctors attempt to calm him down.
When the man is brought back to his hospital room, he tells the doctors he is all better now and that they should let him go. But they attempted to convince him that being in a coma was serious and they wanted to find out the reason why he fell into that physical state in the first place. Stubbornly, the obese man attempts to leave the hospital only to collapse through the front glass window of the hospital lobby after losing his balance on his way out.
The reaction from the obese man about his deteriorating condition is that people have constantly judged him about his health throughout his life because of his weight even though he claims his health was fantastic prior to the coma. The doctors keep trying to look at all kinds of theories about his strange health complications that don't have anything to do with his weight. But the obese man took great offense to being tested for diabetes because he considered that another "fat" disease and threw a temper tantrum flinging sugar water all over the place.
During an altercation with the obese man, Dr. House finally figures out the real reason for the coma had to do with cancer which they all conclude had nothing to do with what one of the doctors described as a "suicidal" weight problem. More on why that conclusion was dead wrong in a moment.
I'm so glad I watched this show because it was fascinating on so many levels. I really enjoyed the way they attempted to show that it is possible for overweight and obese people to be relatively healthy despite their weight. There was a time in my life when I felt that way about my health, even though I weighed 410 pounds. But the eventual damage I was inflicting on myself was going to catch up to me sooner or later! Thankfully, I shed 200 pounds and never suffered those consequences.
But this obese character REALLY reminded me of Kevin who actually pretends to think he is healthy despite being on a handful of prescription medications and in and out of hospitals for the past six years with heart-related problems. Is it normal to walk around as a 600-pounder thinking everything is peachy keen? Why do people who allow themselves to get this big get so angry when people attempt to help them? Don't they realize they have a problem that needs to be fixed?
The whole healthy obese debate was on display front and center in this "House" episode and it reminded me of the popular "fat acceptance" movement that so many overweight people have embraced as a way to avoid directly confronting their weight problem. Trivializing obesity by calling it a medical illness or disease, as was mentioned in the show, is yet another scapegoat that prevents people from losing weight. While you may not have chosen to get fat, doing something about reversing that condition is the responsibility of the individual.
One scene from this "House" episode haunts me even now when I heard the obese character declaring that he dreams about, loves smelling, loves cooking, and, of course, loves eating food and that he thinks he can't really do anything about. Being this overly obsessed about food is as bad a problem as being addicted to and hooked on the worst drug you can think of. Sure, drugs will kill you faster, but food is such an unassuming way to dig yourself an early grave. One of the doctors told the obese man, "You don't see too many obese old people these days, do you?" And it's true!
Obese people need to understand that people aren't judging them when they offer to help with their weight problem. If they get angry at this, then that's a pride issue that needs to be dealt with. I know it can be difficult to admit you have a problem with your eating habits because I've been there. But there are very pleasurable ways to rise above the criticism and do something productive that will help you shed the pounds while vastly improving your health.
I cannot imagine living inside of a 600-pound body and not feeling the effects of that. Nevermind the fact that you can't buy clothes at a regular store, you can't fit in a restaurant booth, movie theater seat or behind the wheel of a car, your mobility is severely limited, or any of the other bazillion or so problems with being that big. The obese man said he'd rather enjoy eating his favorite food than to have to suffer running 26 miles a day. This totally misses the point.
Getting healthy is not an overnight thing just as getting morbidly obese doesn't happen in an instant. But the road to getting better does start with that first step in the right direction. Getting your mind set in the right direction, following a proven plan for success, and then executing that plan is what will make weight loss come for just about anyone. If people want it bad enough, then they will do whatever it takes to get there. Remaining obese should NEVER be a viable option if you truly care about the future of your health.
What an excellent subject matter for one of the hottest shows on television to tackle head-on! I'm glad I watched this episode of "House" and would like to hear your thoughts about it if you saw it, too. Even if you didn't, let's continue this debate in the comments section about where it is possible to be healthy as an obese person. Can a 600-pound man be truly healthy from head to toe with absolutely no negative consequences to his weight, hmmm? I say NO WAY! While he may not have any visible problems right now, I believe he's allowing major problems to be cultivated from within that will catch up to him in very short order.
Oh, one last thing about the way this "House" episode ended. When they break the news to the obese man at the end of the episode that he has an inoperable form of esophageal cancer which will lead to his death, they leave the viewers assuming the cancer had nothing to do with his weight or diet. But guess again! You will recall this recent study I highlighted which found eating a high-carb diet actually leads directly to cancer of the esophagus. So, in essence, it WAS his poor eating habits that led to his demise after all, even if it wasn't a direct result of his morbid obesity. Ironic huh?
Where do YOU stand? Healthy obese or eventual demise?
