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Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Randy Peels Off A Pound A Week For Four Years On The Low-Carb Lifestyle
Randy's stunning 231-pound weight loss transformation
Nothing inspires someone to make a major change in their life like weight loss quite like seeing average, everyday people just like them accomplishing great success. It is why I like to feature low-carb weight loss success stories early and often here at my blog because sometimes you need a little motivation and inspiration as you begin this journey for yourself.
Today I have another such story to share with you and this is quite an amazing one indeed! It's about that guy at the top of this post named Randy. In late 2003, Randy weighed in at 410 pounds--the exact same weight that I was when I began my Atkins diet in January 2004. Randy started his low-carb lifestyle a couple months before I did and set out to lose the weight slow and steady.
As a heavy child, teenager, and then adult, Randy could always conceal his weight because of his height. I can relate since my 6'3" body frame prevented people from realizing my weight had climbed above 400 pounds. And yet reality is reality and Randy knew he needed to do something after a specific even triggered that the time had arrived for him to do something about his weight.
"I think the straw that broke the camel's back was a trip to Sea World in Florida, and I was too big to sit in the chair for a rollercoaster ride," Randy admitted. "They had a chair set up outside the ride for you to get in, and I couldn’t. How embarrassing! I did not realize how big I had gotten until then."
It's funny how when you are overweight you just lose track of where your weight is because for the most part you just don't care. There's a sense of inevitability that obesity will always be your lot in life and Randy felt that until this experience at Sea World jolted him back into reality again.
After just a few short months of livin' la vida low-carb, Randy had dipped below 400 pounds and was well on his way to produce a slow and steady decline in his weight over the next four years. Part of his weight problem had to do with a "serious problem with food" that was a result of several issues Randy needed to deal with.
"I would eat to solve boredom, pain, depression, and anger--every reason except for hunger," he stated.
Unfortunately, as has happened to many people who have ballooned up to morbid obesity, Randy didn't have any sense of what a normal serving of food was supposed to be.
"For a family of three we would have to order two large pizzas and breadsticks and going to the buffet required three trips to the buffet table whether I was full or not," he exclaimed. "Leftovers? What are leftovers? I would eat until there was nothing left!"
In addition to his out-of-control weight problem, Randy had another reason to start living the low-carb life--diabetes runs in his family!
"My granddad had it, my dad has it, and my older brother has it. I knew at my weight that I would be next if I continued down the same path," he revealed.
Now that he's taken the weight off, Randy says, "Thank the Lord I don’t have it and if I continue this healthy way of eating then hopefully I will never get it."
I know the feeling, Randy. My situation is very similar because my brother Kevin has diabetes that resulted from his obesity and I was well on my way to a similar path before my weight loss success. Praise God for giving us the strength to overcome this mountain in our lives and allowing us the opportunity to share with others how they too can beat the obesity monster once and for all. It's what motivates Randy as he lives his life as a lean man today.
"The biggest enjoyment I get out of losing this extra person that I used to carry around on my back is now being able to help others learn more about this healthy lifestyle change," Randy explains. "I love being a motivator and inspiration to others."
Weighing in at 179 pounds now--an eye-popping 231 pounds lighter than he was in late 2003!--Randy has his sights on hitting 175 for a nice round number. But he's so happy now with the turnaround in his weight and health that his life will never be the same again.
"This is such a wonderful way to live and feel that it is hard to explain and put into words," Randy remarked. "I have never been skinny in my life and even when I look in the mirror I still see a heavy person looking back at me despite the fact that others don’t see that person anymore."
Boy, can I relate. It's gotten better with time, but people just don't understand the years of psychological torture that has been inflicted on fat people by others and even within the mind of the person himself. There's a healing process that has to take place so you can accept the new person that you have become and nobody ever talks about that. Although the outward changes can happen quickly, it can take years--maybe decades--for some to fully realize the change that has happened to them internally.
Today, Randy realizes he had a "disease" of being addicted to food and livin' la vida low-carb cured him of that condition by giving him a "better handle" on dealing with it.
"There are times that it is hard and I still want to eat that large pizza by myself," Randy admitted. "But all I do is remember where I was and where I am now and I like the present much better than I like the past."
Well stated, Randy! Leave the past behind you and push forward to that bright future ahead of you full of such promise and hope. That will drive you to keep up the fantastic work you have done for the rest of your long and healthy life thanks to the low-carb lifestyle. And the good news is, Randy KNOWS this is something he can do "for the rest of my life."
To all the low-carb naysayers, Randy has a message for you.
"There are so many false ideas about the low-carb way that certain people think it is all just meat and cheese," he said. "These people are just so misguided because I now eat more veggies than I ever did when I was obese."
And eating this way has produced one heckuva story for Randy to tell his grandchildren someday.
"I have lost over 230 pounds in four years which is just a little over one pound a week," Randy recalled of his low-carb journey since 2003. "I believe that is a very healthy weight loss plan and lifestyle."
Healthy and effective! CONGRATULATIONS Randy and keep up the great work on your low-carb lifestyle. We are all so very proud of you for being yet another example of the lifechanging ability of this way of eating on the lives of real people who buck the trend and give it a chance to work for them. God bless you buddy and NEVER GIVE UP! :)
Phill Novak lost 192 pounds, but it was MORE than just exercise
Did you happen to catch this CNN story on the weight loss success of a man named Phill Novak earlier this month? Their headline boldly stated "Weighing nearly 400 pounds, man walks off half his weight," but that wasn't the whole story. Buried right smack dab in the middle of that write-up about Phill's weight loss that was also featured in a two-minute segment on CNN was the fact that Phill did it following a low-carb diet. Yep, he's livin' la vida low-carb and lovin' it, too!
That's why I'm pleased to share with you an interview with Phill Novak in Episode 111 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" to let him tell you about his homemade low-carb plan that led to his remarkable weight loss achievement. As you will hear during my interview with Phill, he was a little miffed they focused almost entirely on his exercise regimen while virtually ignoring how low-carb helped get him to where he is today--nearly 200 pounds lighter! Hear the rest of the story for yourself in today's podcast.
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 111 [21:30m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
It's always exciting to talk to people who have traveled down this pathway to better health like I did because you KNOW what they've been through to get to this point in their life. For Phill, he was pushing 40 years old at the time and knew that it was do or die for him if this obesity monster he had allowed to grow and grow was gonna get under control. And to his credit, the weight came off and he feels better than he ever has in his entire life. You can't help but love this guy because he exudes the confidence and enthusiasm of someone who will never be the same again.
Get as excited as Phill Novak in your low-carb lifestyle anytime by:
What did you think of Phill Novak's low-carb success story? Do you think CNN missed the real story by putting so much of the focus of their story on his exercise and almost none on his low-carb diet? Illuminate us with your feedback in the show notes section of Episode 111 and share any messages you have for Phill. He's an avid reader of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and would be thrilled to hear what others think about what he was able to accomplish!
Oh, you won't want to miss a special opportunity to win a FREE E-BOOK COPY of my book Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year just for leaving a comment in the show notes section at Episode 111. I have THREE of these to give away next Monday, so be sure to get your comment in this week. I'm working on two other books for 2008--a low-carb research book written in layman's terms as well as a follow-up to my long-term low-carb success. I'm actively pursuing a major publisher right now, so wish me luck!
The media missed the story, but Jo's here to set 'em straight!
If there's one thing we can always count on almost automatically from most media coverage of people who have lost weight on the low-carb lifestyle is they're just gonna get it wrong. The great Dr. Mike Eades blogged about this very subject just last week with a low-carb success story named Phill Novak appearing on CNN recently (they only gave a cursory mention to his diet and focused almost exclusively on his exercise--I interviewed Phill about his DIET for my podcast show on Monday). It's just a sad reality in mainstream media coverage these days that we have to come to terms with.
As a writer myself, I try to make sure the information I provide is as accurate as possible according to the research and knowledge I have about that subject. With that said, sometimes there is pertinent data missing from articles I have written and I respond accordingly. Such is the case with this December 2006 blog post about a low-carb weight loss success story named Jo Heeley. She lost a total of 84 pounds following a low-carb eating regimen and her story was featured in a popular British newspaper called The Sun.
Unfortunately, the author of that article (apparently no longer available online) took judicious liberty to make up and embellish the story to appear as if UK nutritionist Amanda Ursell had something to do with Jo's success. Well, in a word--WRONG! I recently heard from Jo Heeley herself and she said the column was fraught with so many "errors" it wasn't even funny.
Jo wasn't impressed by what The Sun editors did to her low-carb story.
"I find it quite frightening how these articles are literally changed to suit the point of view of whoever pays the money," Jo shared with me in an e-mail. "My issue is only a trivial one, but what inaccuracies are in 'big' news!!???"
That's true! But we'll leave that discussion for other blogs about media to discuss. For now, I wanted to hear THE TRUTH about the REAL Jo Heeley low-carb weight loss success story and she's been gracious enough to provide it for us here today. She actually began following the Atkins diet (BY THE BOOK!) in June 2003 about "half-heartedly" since she "didn't think it would work" and went on to hit her goal weight in February 2004. Now, she's been continuing to eat this way ever since because "I love it and it's so easy."
AMEN TO THAT, Jo! CONGRATULATIONS on your success and I'm very pleased and honored to provide your story in your own words with my readers today. Keep on shining bright as an ambassador for livin' la vida low-carb and inspiring people in the UK and around the world to follow in your footsteps to better health!
Here is Jo's story from Jo herself:
Several years ago I was bumbling along, weighing in at 210 pounds and growing. I loved my food and had a very sweet tooth. I would spend my days eating chocolate, cakes, biscuits, crisps and then have three big meals a day. At night I'd feel quite sick, laying in bed with heartburn, indigestion, wishing I hadn't been such a pig and vowing to start my diet tomorrow!!! But the next morning I'd be up eating all over again.
At the end of May 2003 my cousin came to stay with us for the weekend, he was raving on and on about the Atkins diet and had lost 28 pounds. I thought it sounded like total rubbish and had heard through the media that it was dangerous. But my cousin kept on and on and I have to say I couldn't believe what he was eating and still claimed he was losing weight! Anyway, before he left he brought me a copy of "Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution" and told me to try it--just for two weeks...I didn't read the book but just glanced at the "allowed" foods on the Induction page.
The first few days, I exchanged my usual high-carb foods with low-carb snacks. Every time I wanted chocolate or crisps I'd have a piece of cheese or meat. Meals would be roughly the same as I'd always had but without the fries, pasta, potatoes, etc.
On day 3 of Induction, I remember thinking I was coming down with flu or something because I felt "headachey" and miserable. I didn't give up on my low-carbing because by the end of the first week I felt absolutely great with more energy, my IBS had vanished, my aching joints had gone and I even FELT THINNER!!
Two weeks in and (I remember this vividly now) I was sitting in the garden enjoying the sun and I looked at my watch at 2:15pm when I suddenly I realized I hadn't eaten anything since breakfast! This was a MAJOR breakthrough for me because never before in my life had I ever forgotten to eat!
It was at that point I went and got the Atkins book out again and actually read it. I finally realized that everything about low-carb living I was experiencing was true just as Dr. Atkins wrote! I was indeed a major carboholic--totally addicted to them and without even realizing it. At this point, I knew I'd broken free from my addiction.
I lost 10 pounds in that first two weeks and after a while I realized the weight loss formed a pattern. I'd lose about 5 pounds over two weeks which would then be followed by two weeks where I didn't lose weight but I lost inches.
One day, I decided on a pursuing a target weight to reach for a specific goal. I'd never gotten far enough into a diet before to even think about that one!! I went for 140 pounds (10 stones for my fellow British) which seemed like a nice sensible weight for my height of 5'7" tall. As I got closer to it by November 2003, I started to wonder how to actually stop "dieting." I talked it over with another low-carber who just said "why stop?" Well, I was enjoying my food and I wasn't feeling deprived so I didn't stop. To this day I'm still eating close to Induction-level carbs (occasionally I may add a few low-carb bits and pieces--nuts in particular).
Jo Heeley got a tummy tuck and looks great after her weight loss
My weight actually got down to 126 pounds and then just stopped going down anymore! I'm absolutely fine with that! I'm so much happier today than I ever have been, I love going out with my family and friends, I love clothes shopping and I have so much more energy and confidence now. My life has been transformed completely because of the low-carb lifestyle.
The only regret I have about this experience is that I waited until I was 40 years old to do this and I blame the media and all the scare tactics they use in their stories to prevent people like me from learning the truth about this way of eating. When you think of the kind of rubbish people eat today, it amazes me that something as natural and unprocessed as the Atkins diet can be deemed "bad" for you!
Some mornings I wake up and just have to look in the mirror to make sure its all real. It really was so easy I never knew I was on a diet.
WOW, Jo, THANK YOU for sharing your story. You are a true inspiration to all of us who have realized the power of livin' la vida low-carb in our own lives and can relate to your remarkable story on so many levels. I appreciate you contacting me about getting your story straight and I apologize if my original blog post was demeaning to the work YOU very clearly did to make this happen.
NEVER STOP TELLING YOUR STORY and I'm delighted to have had the chance to share it here for my readers today.
Meet the lady that created the Jimmy Moore you know today
When looking back at the span of your life in hindsight, isn't it funny how you can point to some very clear, defining moments that shaped you into the person you have become? For good or bad, there are most certainly events and occurrences that happen in our lives that have forever molded us into the people we are today--especially from our childhood. Today I am going to share one such story with you from my own life to illustrate a point as it relates to your quest for weight loss and getting healthy.
In Episode 109 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" I bare my soul to you about an unforgettable encounter I had with my 8th grade advanced English teacher (no, that's not really her at the top of this post, but it's pretty darn close!) that forever changed my outlook on life and created this self-motivated monster of a man you know today. The challenge of proving to her that I was worthy of more than she was saying about me very likely gave me the drive to go on to be the success in weight loss and life that I enjoy in 2008. It was THE turning point in my life that quite literally made me into the man I was meant to be.
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 109 [17:09m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
When that old hag 8th grade English teacher outright told me that I'd "never be that good at English," it lit a fire within me to prove to her just how wrong she was. But not everyone responds that way to adversity. Unfortunately, some people react to criticism by crawling into a shell and accepting it as fact. NOT ME! Maybe I just needed the right circumstance to pull that out of me and boy did it ever!
Remain encouraged and inspired about your low-carb life by:
Have you ever been told you're not good enough to do something, including weight loss? How did you respond to your critics who say you CAN'T when you honestly believe you CAN? Do you let people like that get under your skin or do you suck it up and move forward with what you know is right for you anyway? Provide you feedback in the show notes section of Episode 109 and tell us YOUR opinion about all this. Are you an overcomer or do you let what other people say overcome you? I'm anxious to hear your thoughts!
One final thought: Don't forget to go vote for Dr. Mary C. Vernon to become "Diabetes Educator of the Year." As an ardent supporter of the healthy low-carb lifestyle (listen to my podcast interview with her in Episode 50), we need to put Dr. Vernon over the top for this prestigious distinction to provide mainstream recognition within the diabetes community for the cause of livin' la vida low-carb. You only have until next Friday, February 15, 2008 to cast your ballot, so DON'T DELAY and do this TODAY! Let's make sure that's Dr. Vernon they're applauding for her fabulous work with diabetes patients. THANK YOU for rallying behind this nomination and awarding Dr. Mary C. Vernon the "Diabetes Educator of the Year."
The 'Shared Human Experience' Makes Dieting A Community Event
I'm a big believer in the concept of the shared human experience. Sure, we all have our own differences that make us quite unique from one another. But it is those areas where our paths cross even in what may seem like subtle ways where we realize the commonality we have.
For people who desire weight loss and improvements to their health, this community experience with your fellow man is all the more pronounced. There's a certain pain that an overweight or obese person feels about themselves and the predicament they are in that a thin "normal" person would NEVER even come close to comprehending.
It's this lack of understanding of the emotional and psychological needs of someone who is fat and sick that continues to feed the very problem itself. Diet book after diet book has come out blaming your weight problem on...well YOU! And to a certain degree, that's true. But a lot of it has to do with what you've been "told" is good for you, not necessarily what IS good for you.
The confusion sets in and people just don't know what to do. Believe me, I understand that cat and mouse game because I played it for most of my adult life until I found the Atkins diet in 2004. That decision to begin eating that way and to keep on eating that way forever quite literally changed my life forever. I committed myself to it, but the most important difference from previous "diet" experiences is it was what worked for me.
You'll hear me saying this until I'm blue in the face for the rest of my life, but it is my mantra for how people can lose weight and get healthy: Find a plan that will work for you, read the book about that particular plan, follow that plan EXACTLY as prescribed by the author, and then keep doing that plan until you reach your goal and for the rest of your life. It is a strategy for success that works no matter what you decide to do in terms of your diet program.
Sometimes, though, there are those who need an extra special dose of inspiration to get them going. They seem to "know" what to do, but then they really don't. Career dieters, those who have been on every diet known to mankind in their life, can tell you everything there is to know about how to eat healthy. Or at least whatever that latest book has to say about it.
Take, for example, a conversation I was having with a man from my church choir yesterday during dinner. We're in Montgomery, Alabama singing at a church revival here with our pastor and they fed us Subway sandwiches. Naturally, I took the meat, cheese, and veggies off the bread and ate it with some mustard and mayonnaise. Keep in mind everyone knows I've lost a TON of weight and kept it off now since 2004.
This one fella who is one of the most likable guys you'd ever meet saw my "meaty" plate with the "fatty" condiment on the side and said, "You know all that meat and fat is unhealthy, boy." Of course, when the door of opportunity opens to share about livin' la vida low-carb is a positive way, I do it! :D
I politely explained that eating fat is indeed much healthier when you keep your carbs reduced and that it is all those carbs in those two sub sandwiches he just ate and the sugar/white flour in those two cookies he was about to eat that was indeed what was unhealthy. All he could see if FAT IS BAD, but he saw nothing wrong with the plethora of carbohydrates he was flooding his body with.
Indeed we have a major problem regarding healthy nutrition and it will not improve until people can be made to understand the underlying issues regarding their obesity, diabetes, sleeping problems, and a whole host of other health ailments. The only thing that registers is FAT IS BAD. It's the constant uphill battle we must counter with a gentle reminder of the truth from time to time.
In the spirit of our shared experience, let me reprint an e-mail I received from a dear reader who is one of the people like I described above as a lifelong dieter. She's read all the books and knows everything there is about losing weight. And yet she's 360 pounds and a Type 2 diabetic at the age of 38. She doesn't need education, but instead could use a healthy helping of inspiration.
Here's what she wrote:
Hello Jimmy,
I'm 38, a Type 2 diabetic (that I treat solely with insulin), and I weigh about 360 pounds. Thats because I've lost about 40 pounds the last year or so. I have read so many great things about your book that I think I've finally decided to order it. I've read my gamut of weight loss books Atkins, The Zone, Fit for Life, Lean for Life, Sugar Busters, Suzanne Sommers, various food addict books. You name it, I've read it and tried it.
I've had a weight problem all of my life, but never as out of control as it has become since my father died. I suffered from post traumatic shock finding him myself. He had passed away in the middle of the night from a massive stroke. I think I feed into the guilt of being there with him that night and not hearing him so I could do anything about it. I turned to food as my trusted crutch. I must have weighed in about 220 pounds then. That was 4 years ago now.
My world is small. I am a prisoner of my own making. I refuse to see friends because I have not accepted the fact that I have let myself become so obese. It has been years, and I'm lucky they're still seeking me out, but the thought of having to see them this way is brutal. Somewhere along the way my life split off on that day that I found my dad, and I've been in this dark place since.
I never imagined I would be prisoner to my food addictions. I live with my mother and I'm 38 years old. I keep saying, I'll start tomorrow, or I'll start Monday, or I keep waiting for that bolt of lightning from above to strike down on me and hit me solid into snapping out of my food spell.
I used to have such a passion for living. I still feel that inside, but I'm too ashamed to be seen in public. I've developed severe panic and anxiety attacks since too. I can't just go anywhere in public without the worry of finding a place to sit, or if I will fit. I can't go anywhere without the scrutinizing looks in general. I used to love going to the movies, but since I can't fit into regular seats or because of my knee problems I can't really walk much distance without feeling winded or injured.
When I think about what I weigh, and how much I have to lose it just seems hopeless. I do have my small moments of inspiration, but they are fleeting. I fall off the wagon and that's it. I forget about any progress made and go back into my constant mode of thinking about food, obsessing about my next meal.
The truth is, I can remember as far back as 12 years old when the mall in our small hometown had just opened. I remember making a Christmas list for my brother and I to go shopping for, but it wasn't without all of the food places we could catch in the mall first Chick-fil-a, Corny Dog you name it. It has been a life long addiction.
I didn't used to have this food addiction to this degree. At the time I had switched the addiction with something more lethal alcohol. I was only about 170 pounds when I turned 30, but I could fit into a pair of 501s, and I felt great about my body. I was an alcoholic on the weekends, but I was closer to my ideal weight. I traded one vice for another.
In 1994 I let my weight balloon up to 240, at the time that was my highest weight. I lived on my own so it was easy to stock my fridge with the foods I wanted. This was during all of the Susan Powter Low Fat craze going about then. I remember getting my first student loan check and going out and buying a mountain climber, a bench step, a weight bench and a scale. There was no question in my mind I was going to lose my weight. I cut out sodas, drank only water, got home from class and made two skinless, boneless Shake N Bake chicken breasts while I did my 30 minutes of bench step with my space suit on. I felt great. I was losing weight quick. Every time I took off my space suit after a cardio workout, I could just feel the fat melting away. The more I lost, the more focused I became.
At that point in time I had never read a diet book, or taken a nutrition class before in my life. I just used common sense. I got my weight down in less than a year to about 160 pounds. I kept my weight loss for about 8 years or so until I moved away from Austin. I stayed between 160 and 170 during that time.
It seems like the more I have read, the more conflicted I've become as to a solid approach on weight loss. One book can be completely contradictory to the next and it's confusing. The thing is I used to know how to lose weight when I wasn't a diabetic, when I could get on a bench step and do 30 minutes of aerobics after my night classes, but now I don't know. The more I know, the less I know.
Right now I'm looking more for inspiration. I have more lows than I do highs. I'm still coming out of the gates so to speak. For the most part the past year I've dropped a little weight by just cutting back, but God do I still have my downfalls. I know for certain since I am a diabetic that I need a low carb diet so I won't have the sugar spikes. I know I can't be completely low carb because my kidneys can't stay in ketosis for long because of my diabetes. I don't know how to live without the insulin and I can't seem to get a straight answer to this one simple question can I still lose weight on a low carb diet and still take inject my insulin? I've asked doctors, looked online, read book after book and I can't find that answer. It's discouraging, Jimmy, so discouraging.
This week I have been on-track. I wake up, have 2 eggs, two sausages for breakfast with about 32 ounces of water. I'm eating salads with Ranch dressing for lunch. I also have a question on Ranch dressing is it a low carb food I can indulge in and feel okay about? For dinner I've been pounding out a skinless, boneless chicken breast or two and roasting thick slices of cauliflower, or grilling egg plant or fresh mushrooms. I make ham rolls with cream cheese and will snack on pork rinds if Im hungry late at night. I feel better. I feel I'm still eating too much, but I am finding I'm eating these amounts to keep the hunger away. I make sugar free pudding and Jell-o. I have granola bars in case I want something more substantial, but those aren't too low carb.
I don't know Jimmy. There's my story and a sample of my diet. I try to keep my mom on it too, but she cheats a lot at work. My mom and I enable our food addictions. When were not on the same page, it's hard to do this. She's also a diabetic and will be 60 on January 3rd. We were allowing ourselves this past year, every Saturday night in fact, a dinner of fried chicken from Churchs. That was our bad meal for the week that we allowed ourselves. She's lost about 25 pounds or so, but our weight loss is hardly but a drop in the bucket.
It would be a dream for both of us to get healthy together. And as soon as I can afford to get your book I'm ordering it. I'm looking for inspiration, something to get me through the fight and struggle I have everyday.
As far as working out, I have a knee injury possibly a tear in my ligament. I broke my ankle about 6 months after my dad died and it still bothers me. I have a double-stack universal weight bench in my room, with a pec-dec, squat-rack, and cable rows it basically has everything. I just haven't used it. I haven't been able to sleep on a bed in over a year. I sleep on a recliner mostly because of my knee, and because I feel like I'm crushing my chest under the weight of my body when I sleep on my side. My mom is an RN and she tells me I have sleep apnea too.
I know. I'm a horrible mess.
What would be a God-send from you would be your opinion on my meal plan, maybe some helpful tips on snacking, how you stayed on track and how in the world do you get over the number you have to lose? Did you ever allow yourself any meals off? Or anything you feel that will help me at this point of desperation.
I do thank you Jimmy in advance for your time and taking the time to read this. God Bless You!
Did you see any parts of your own life in that reader's story? Boy, I sure did! It's funny how a complete stranger can know so much about how I feel. Those common experiences we dieters have been through makes that possible.
I was so honored by the fact that she shared freely from her heart that I sent her a complimentary copy of my e-book to hopefully be inspired to begin anew on the amazingly healthy low-carb journey and to REALLY DO IT this time. You hate to see people hurting and I've made it my personal mission to help people just like this get out of their funk and on the path to better health.
Here was my response back to her:
God bless you for pouring out your story to me so honestly and openly today. I'm sorry to hear about all that you have gone through in your life and I will be praying for you to overcome those struggles to rise triumphantly above them.
You have so many questions and concerns that it would be my pleasure to give you a complimentary copy of the e-book version of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: My Journey From Flabby Fat To Sensationally Skinny In One Year." It is attached to this e-mail and answers MANY of the questions you had for me.
Besides the granola bar, you diet right now looks great! And no your calories are not too high. In fact, you might consider adding MORE fat to your diet and keep those carbs to a minimum.
Regarding the insulin, consult with your doctor about that, but you should still take your insulin even while low-carbing until the diet controls that naturally. Your DOCTOR will be the best one to help you determine when you can stop taking insulin, if ever.
ENJOY my book and let me know if you have any questions.
She is but one face in a sea of them out there in the world living life the best they know how. But the breaking point is so close they're not sure they'll make it. That's why I am here throwing out a lifeline to people like this because they DESERVE a chance to be set free from their bondage to their weight and health problems.
Regardless of where you are in this shared human experience, it's good to know there are people who have gone before you and those who will come behind you as well. We all must stick together to educate, motivate, and inspire each other to achieve more than we ever thought possible. The mountain may indeed seem impossible to climb sometimes, but it IS conquerable.
The time is NOW to do it and to put aside all the excuses for why you have failed. You have NOT failed...you just haven't found the plan that works for you yet. Keep at it and NEVER GIVE UP!!! Your success story is just waiting to be told and I can't wait to hear it. You DESERVE this, so go MAKE IT HAPPEN!!!
Feel free to leave your comments about this concept of a "shared human experience" and any encouragement for people who are like this reader who e-mailed me. Of course, I'm always available via e-mail anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. It would be my privilege to hear from you and help you any way that I can. God bless you!
11-5-07 UPDATE: Here's someone with a common experience to my reader who wanted to share some experiential advice.
Jimmy:
Regarding the woman who's 38, a Type 2 diabetic who gets discouraged when she thinks about the seemingly insurmountable amount of weight she has to lose. I'm 47 and a historically sedentary Type 2. I need to lose about 150 pounds; my husband, closer to 200. When we decided to change to a low-carb lifestyle, we decided not to concentrate of what we had to lose, but what we had to gain from this 'journey,' as you call it. We decided to concentrate not on the big picture we see in the mirror everyday, but on the bigger, life-long picture the world outside can't always see, but we can feel: Lower blood sugar numbers; looser-fitting clothes; less joint and back pain; no more voracious, angry hunger spikes; more energy to get through the day; no more tearing through the pantry in a desperate search for the perfect food for the mood; a conscious feeling of better health and mental alertness; a better outlook on life and the future.
You can tell I'm new to this whole experience, kinda like being saved just yesterday and wanting the whole world to know about it. But whether you're the type of person who lives to eat or just eats to live, food is such a huge part of life. And diabetes can put an even bigger crimp into things if you let it get to you mentally. Unless your reader's doctor is telling her she can't do low-carb, I'd do as you suggested -- keep on with the plan she's adopted and the meds she's on, and let her doctor -- or better yet, her body -- tell her what she needs and doesn't need.
I'd also tell her to break it down into phases. Maybe not try to be the ideal low-carber and perfect exerciser all at once. Just get one of those down to a consistent plan (the food) and then start on the other (the exercise) a couple days, maybe a week after. And if she's living with someone who hasn't "gotten with the program," as they say, maybe your reader can become the meal planner. If that doesn't work, then she should concentrate on her meals and let her mother do her own thing. When we eat together, my husband and I may start with the same basic meal, but we tweak our portions to suit our personal preferences. So, when your reader and mom have chicken for dinner, Reader can concentrate on her serving of chicken and not worry about what Mom does with her portion.
Plus, as a perfectionist, which many addicts are, I've had to learn to forgive myself when I don't always get it right the first time. I'm in this for the rest of my life, so it's okay to stumble because everyday I learn something new. After all, I'm not Atkins or Eades. Plus, if I do stumble, I haven't blown another diet; I can make up for it by adjusting the next meal or exercise session. I've made a LIFESTYLE change that's got cumulative benefits. And, while it is a major life change, she'll find those benefits are phenomenal and worth every second of it.
Burton Brown has lost nearly 70 pounds on the healthy low-carb lifestyle
Nothing is more inspiring when you are trying to lose weight and get healthy on a low-carb diet than to witness someone who has done it themselves. That's why I have featured many low-carb weight loss success stories here at my blog and today I have another one for you.
It's the story of a man named Burton Brown who was so proud of the change livin' la vida low-carb has made in his life that he asked if he could share his story with YOU today here at my blog. Absolutely, I told him, because this may be exactly the message that someone needs to hear today to get started on the low-carb lifestyle for themselves.
ENJOY this special story from a special man whose life was forever change by low-carb.
WAISTING AWAY by Burton Brown
Some of what I will be writing today I have never verbally expressed to anyone. I share them now in order to inspire or help others that may have the same thoughts or feelings.
First, some background on me. I am 42 years old and am 6 foot 1 inch tall. I am the father of two beautiful daughters and I am the husband of one--yes I am in Utah, but have only one wonderful wife. :)
Weight issues and I are longtime acquaintances. As a kid, I wore size husky. In Jr. High I was a wrestler on the school team. I was on the low end of the Heavyweight division. So I was big even then. The biggest issue with wrestling in the Heavyweight division was that there was no maximum weight! So I had to wrestle some guys who outweighed me by maybe 100 pounds! After being squished a few too many times, I stopped wrestling after Jr. High.
I do not remember even trying to lose weight when I was still in school. I may have tried, but do not remember and was obviously not successful. I was simply a big guy.
At the ripe old age of 21, I was attending a tech school which was 5 days a week in the mornings. This left the afternoons and evenings available for work. At some point I decided to try and lose weight. I weighed 240 pounds, probably stretching my size 38 jeans to their breaking point, but I rationalized that a size 40 was simply too loose! Ha ha!
I had determined that I was going to lose weight and decided to eat only 1000 calories a day. That was my magic number. One summer day, I began riding my bike. I enjoyed riding the country roads of rural Idaho. Each ride turned out to be about 45 minutes and I was faithful that almost every weekday I was out riding.
With having to leave for school early in the morning, I would not eat breakfast since I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to eat. I arrived home from school around 1PM each day and back in days of the dinosaur cable television did not exist. So the only thing on TV was General Hospital or some other lame soap opera.
I would watch General Hospital while I ate lunch and then would hop on my bike around 2PM for a ride. I would get back, shower and head off to work until 9PM or so. It never crossed my mind to turn off the TV and not watch anything while I ate lunch. Did I mention I REALLY hated General Hospital? :D
For lunch each day I would have a very large salad. Lettuce, tomatoes and a can of tuna mixed in, with whatever dressing was available. I did not officially track calories, but my guess is that some days, I would have 800 and some days would be 1300 depending on what I put on the salad that day, averaging about 1000 calories a day. I usually worked full days on weekends, and learned to limit my calories in other ways.
Diet Coke stock went up based on the sales of soda to me. When working Saturdays, I could easily drink eight 16 oz glass bottles--yes they used glass back then to help protect the soda during dinosaur attacks and apparently plastic was not invented yet. In fact, I even have the UPC # memorized from the cans of Diet Coke--496580! Don't believe me, just check a can for yourself sometime--it's there!
Back in the days when I carried a briefcase, 496580 was my code to open it. Diet Coke was (and still is) my answer when I want a sweet fix.
After 3 months of this extreme diet and exercise, I had lost 60 pounds! Yes, I really did lose 60 pounds in 3 months! I weighed an incredible 180 pounds! One of my most vivid memories while at a "thin" 180 pounds is a comment made by a friend who had not seen me in a while. There were three of us headed to a movie and the subject of my weight came up and one of them says, "You look like a million bucks!" This was from a perpetually fit and thin friend (you know, the one all the girls swooned over--or at least that was my perception). He probably does not remember saying it, and I have not talked to him in years, but I was on cloud nine that someone noticed.
I still felt I should lose even more weight but that did not happen. The weather changed, and riding my bike was not as fun in the cold, and then "the holidays" came, and I began gaining the weight back. Soon enough--maybe 3 years later, I was back at 240 pounds again and thin was merely a memory. Years passed and life rolled on. As I got bigger and bigger, I also discovered the fashion secret called "relaxed fit."
As a Christian, I believed I would be a better witness if I was not overweight and saw myself fail time and time again when trying to lose weight. God wanted me thin, so why was He not helping me? This was an excuse the devil kept telling me to stop me from sharing my faith with others.
I was also shy. I am sure my weight did not help my shyness. I felt that everyone judged me based on the fact that I was overweight, even if they themselves were overweight, I felt totally inferior to those that were slim. Most likely people did not really care that I was overweight, and I was probably the only one concerned about it, but that was my mentality at the time. How can I share to a fit person that Christ is the answer! Look at how happy I am--but I was not happy at all...at least with myself.
My weight hovered around 235-240 for a very long time, and I only made half-hearted attempts to lose any weight. I began working a very sedentary job answering phones all day, never leaving my cube. I was a telephone computer support guy in a call center. After 3 years of working in this sedentary environment, my weight peaked at 307 pounds!
I changed jobs and my weight dropped somewhat to around 280. I remained at 280 for a while and then I met the woman that was to be my wife. Once engaged, I focused on losing weight for the wedding day. Using Atkins and Hydroxycut, I lost 30 pounds and got down to 250 pounds for my wedding day. Hydroxycut was later deemed unsafe, so they stopped selling it with ephedrine in it. I felt great, but knew I could lose more.
On the honeymoon, no restrictions in my diet were in place. And thereafter, I did not attempt to maintain the weight loss. I hoped the weight would not return but I was not doing anything to prevent it from coming back--AND SO IT DID!
Over the 5 years I have been married, I have yo-yo dieted to as low as 250 pounds, and usually hovered in the 280 pound range. Here are some of my failed motivations that I have attempted to use: High School reunion, my first daughter was born, and my second daughter was born.
By February 2007, I was bursting out of size 42 pants at a whopping 290 pounds. I had been asked to sing a solo at church. The suits I have were too small to fit, and I was very uncomfortable in most of my clothes. I was so frustrated with myself that I had allowed myself to balloon up to 290 pounds. So I decided not sing at church and felt so convicted that I needed to do something about my weight once and for all.
I prayed and turned my appetite over to God. It was painfully obvious that I could not do this without His help. I had achieved success using a low-carb diet plan in the past, so that was what I was going to do. With God's help I chose to follow the low-carb lifestyle.
It has now been eight months since I changed my eating lifestyle and I have lost a total of 70 pounds to get down to 220 pounds--my goal weight! I am in the process of reevaluating my weight to see if need to lose more. I also shaved my beard/goatee that my wife really likes. One of the rewards for reaching my first goal of 220 pounds will be allowing myself to grow the beard back. I HATE shaving, so this is a reward I look forward to!
I will be setting additional 10 pound goals as necessary and eventually arrive at my final weight that I plan on maintaining for the rest of my life. I have not "cheated" even once! Praise God! I have been tempted. We have had various levels of candy and other treats in the house as the holidays have come and gone. But after about 5 months, I have found that I am not really even tempted any more--at least by the stuff that used to tempt me. My temptations are the worst when I am tired, but God has seen me through all of them!
Now I did not actually "count" all the carbs that I eat, but I know by reading the labels and such that my net carbohydrate intake is low, probably 20-30 grams per day.
I have removed ALL XXL sized clothing from my closet and have begun buying a few XL sizes to wear until my final weight goal is achieved. It is such a great feeling to donate the clothes that are too large! It cannot be explained, but it just feels GREAT! Now my once too small suits are actually too large! I can live with that for now. Someday I may have them tailored to fit.
Overall, I feel fantastic! I have eaten at buffets and at other restaurants and NOT HAD A "CARB COMA" an hour afterwards. I weigh myself EVERY morning and am not discouraged if my weight fluctuates upward by a few pounds. I have overcome MANY "plateaus" and I am currently in one now that has lasted over 2 weeks! As they say--this too shall pass.
My exercise has been minimal. Several 30-minute walks per week is what my schedule seems to allow so far. I am sure I will be exercising more as time permits, but this weight loss has been achieved with MINIMAL exercise.
Here are just a few TIPS I like to share to encourage others: - PRAY for God's guidance and assistance. - Reward your success with NON-FOOD related items. - NEVER EVER, EVER, GIVE UP! - When you are tempted, have a low-carb treat of some kind.
I like Atkins bars, especially one that is very similar to a Snickers bar called Endulge. There are also some DELICIOUS low-carb ice cream treats that I love. With low carb treats, you get the sweet fix taken care of and there is no cheating involved. So maybe your total net carbs for the day are over 20 or even pushing 40 grams. But you KNOW that you have NOT cheated and therefore there is NO GUILT. And there is no rationalizing to yourself about eating more carbs since you already "cheated." The feeling of successfully overcoming temptation is so much better than the guilt we heap upon ourselves if we "cheat." Try it sometime.
Here are some surprisingly low-carb foods that helped me: - Strawberries - Raspberries - Sunflower seeds - Whipped Cream--the real stuff made with real cream
Finally, here are some low-carb restaurant menu items that helped me: - Taco salads (no chips and only eat the lettuce, meat, and salsa) - Sour cream, guacamole (Mmm!) - Steaks and other non-breaded and non-sauced meats of all sorts - Diet or unsweetened drinks - Cobb salads - Club salads - Low Carb tortillas--these probably have the highest carb count per serving of the things I eat, but these low-carb versions have only 4-7 net carbs per tortilla.
Man, what an inspiring story, Burton! THANK YOU for sharing that with me and my readers today and I'm so very proud of all you have accomplished. You have a beautiful family who is undoubtedly beaming that daddy has gotten his weight and health under control by livin' la vida low-carb. KEEP IT UP, my friend, and share your positive story of success with everyone you know. God bless you!
In Episode 85 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," we talk about the role that God can play in your weight loss efforts. Being a Christian is not a requirement for being successful on your low-carb plan, but it certainly doesn't hurt to have His support on your side through this battle.
Hear about how the Lord gets you through the emotional and physical ups and downs that come from going through this process by clicking on the "Play In Popup" link below or by downloading it to your iPod:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 85 [12:37m]: Play in Popup | Download
Weight loss is something that so many of us have tried desperately to achieve in our lives, mostly with futile results. What's been missing? Why haven't we triumphed over our obesity? While you can't overlook finding the right diet that will work for you (which has been low-carb for so many of us!), let's not forget the weight loss aide that's been there for us all along--God.
When you put your faith and trust in the Almighty Creator of the Universe, He promises to be there for you through every struggle, every heartache, and every pain you encounter. So why not give Him control and dominion over your desire to shed the pounds, too? It makes sense to do this, although many Christians are stubborn and try to do it on their own because they don't want to bother God with something small like this. But go ahead, I'm sure He doesn't mind. :)
Whether you are at a computer or on the go, get this podcast anytime by:
Have you found your relationship with God has helped you deal with losing weight better than if you didn't know Him? Or if you do not believe in God, then how are you able to deal with the struggles that come from attempting weight loss? Share your thoughts about it and let's hear how God has worked for you to overcome your obesity.
If you'd like to learn more about how God can become the cornerstone of your life, then simply call toll-free 888-NEED-HIM or go to 888NeedHim.com. If you ever have any questions about God or how He can help you lose weight, then I am more than happy to talk with you about it. Drop me an e-mail at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and I'll do my best to answer your questions.
'Excessive Carbs' The Culprit In Weight Gain, Finding Security Without The Blubber
As much as I hear from others who share with me how my low-carb weight loss success story has inspired them, I am continually amazed by some truly remarkable, breathtaking, and stunning transformations that have taken place in the lives of those who are a part of the reading audience of this blog. It is such an honor to know so many of you personally because you have been willing to share your life, your story, your success!
As inspiring as people say that I am to them, let me tell you what inspires me--hearing from people who finally understand why they are obese and how to overcome it naturally in a way that not only shed the pounds, but also makes them healthier than they ever thought possible! For many, that way is the low-carb lifestyle and I couldn't be prouder.
Weight loss is such a personal struggle for so many people and I know how painful it is to feel like you are stuck being fat forever. Believe me, I was there once myself. It's no fun at all and you feel trapped inside of a body you are unhappy with on so many levels. You just wanna be "normal" again and feel like you are a part of life rather than an outcast.
Low-carb living can instigate that change as you will see from this e-mail I received this week from a dear reader who wrote to me with her story. Originally from Bellingham, Washington back in the late 1940s/early 1950s, she now lives in the UK with her devoted husband.
Here's her awe-inspiring and uplifting story:
Hi Jimmy,
I'm a 59 year old woman and I've struggled all of my life with obesity. I can't remember EVER being thin; not even as a child. I had a 44" waistline at the age of eleven! I have lost weight in the past on low-fat diets (many times) but I have always packed it back on.
A few years ago I managed to get down to 152 lbs which was wonderful as I should weigh about 150 lbs, but then I quit smoking and I piled it right back on. I didn't really know anything about low-carb dieting then; if I had, things might have turned out differently.
Unfortunately I didn't, so my weight shot up to a record 260 lbs! I hadn't weighed myself for a long time so it was a shocking revelation when I finally stepped on the scales. I was horrified but didn't think I had any 'fight' left in me for another round of 'Beat the Fat Gene.'
I tried to settle for being a 'happy' fat person for a while but I couldn't. I felt ugly, out of control and very depressed. I started researching low-carb diets and nutrition in general. I decided to make a list of my favorite foods to see where I was going wrong; the result made it apparent that excessive carbs were behind my yo-yoing weight.
Having identified my 'enemy' at last, I was filled with new hope, and I embarked on a mission of discovery. I felt that somewhere underneath all of that fat was a person I'd never met; a person who didn't need to cloak herself in blubber in order to feel secure. I decided to set 'her' free.
I hadn't discovered your blog yet, and I felt that it would be easier to stay motivated if I had someone to 'talk to.' I began writing a book about my battle with obesity. I was bullied endlessly about my weight as a kid. I am 'letting go' of that pent up hurt and anger as I write; then that wound will be healed and I can move on.
Your blog has reinforced my strength and determination to succeed. You are a wonderful inspiration to me and to thousands like me. I've lost my first 15 lbs, and I love the low-carb lifestyle. I don't need my 'FAT COAT' anymore. Thank you so much for 'being there' and keep up the good work!
Isn't she just LOVELY?! WOW, what an absolutely, positively, rip-roaring ready to get up and make you wanna shout lifestyle change! WOO HOO! I'm so proud of her for making the right choice to get her life back in line. You can tell she has a heart of gold and is using her experiences to help others find what she has found.
I inquired with her about that book she is writing and she's promised to let me review it when she is finished. It sounds like she has quite a bit to say on the subject and I'll be very interested in reading it.
Here's how she came up with the idea for her book:
One morning early in July, I woke up with a 'mind-set' to purge myself of fat forever. I decided that I wanted to give myself a 60th birthday present by 'unwrapping' me, and I wanted to share my thoughts with others who might benefit along the way. I set May 3, 2008 as the date for reaching my 150 lb target. My kids are all coming over from the United States to help me celebrate, so it just seemed like a great motivator.
My book is a humorous and introspective exploration of my obesity problem. Part of it is a historical look at my childhood and the developmental years that were plagued by fat, but it is more to do with finding solutions.
When I started writing it, I wasn't sure which diet to follow or who to believe. The low-fat method is very slow and agonizingly boring, so I set out to unearth 'the cause' of my problem before deciding which way to go. In the meantime I went on a strict high-protein diet just to kick start weight loss.
I had intended to stay on it for two weeks but after 8 days I was feeling very tired and listless. I knew that it was decision time. When my research flagged up carbs in big red letters, I knew it was the way forward.
Prior to that I had steeled myself because I thought that I had a lot of suffering to do in order to lose weight. I'm relaxed and confident now. I'm finding that I really enjoy what I'm eating and it isn't like being on a diet at all.
And therein lies the beauty of livin' la vida low-carb. If we could make a theme song or bumper sticker with something like "livin' la vida low-carb isn't like being on a diet at all," then perhaps people would FINALLY realize this could be exactly what they've been looking for their entire lives. That's what it was for my reader and it could very well be for YOU, too!
There's still work left for this UK reader, but something tells me she's gonna do just fine. She has a game plan for staying on track to meet her May 2008 goal.
"I'll keep reading your blog and thinking positive thoughts," she said.
We'll check in again with this reader to track her progress and let you know when her book tentatively titled Two Rhinos will be coming out. Feel free to share any encouraging and positive thoughts for this reader in the comments section below. Her enthusiasm for livin' la vida low-carb is contagious, so let her know how much you appreciate her. :D
How about YOU? Do you have a special story about how the low-carb lifestyle has changed your life, too? If so, then feel free to share your experience with me anytime by writing to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I enjoy hearing from real people who have changed their lives for the better through the permanent and healthy low-carb way of life. I know you're out there, so let's get to inspiring others with YOUR story.
I received an amazing e-mail a few days ago which is making the rounds entitled "All About Attitude" that was extremely powerful as it relates to our perspective while losing weight. I don't usually publish such forwarded messages from my e-mail box, but this one was just too good not to.
Even if you have read this one before, I think you'll agree it is something all of us who are livin' la vida low-carb need to be reminded of from time to time because it's easy to lose your focus. What this will teach anyone is that ultimately YOU decide whether to stay positive or go negative in your reaction to your weight loss progress.
This one's a classic, so I encourage you to print it out as a reminder. Here's a brief excerpt from that story which will inspire you anew about living life:
John is the kind of guy you love to hate. He is always in a good mood and always has something positive to say. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!"
He was a natural motivator.
If an employee was having a bad day, John was there telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up and asked him, "I don't get it!
You can't be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
He replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, you have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood. I choose to be in a good mood."
Each time some thing bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life.
"Yeah, right, it's not that easy," I protested.
"Yes, it is," he said. "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood."
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life.
I reflected on what he said. Soon hereafter, I left the Tower Industry to start my own business. We lost touch, but I often thought about him when I made a choice about life instead of reacting to it.
Several years later, I heard that he was involved in a serious accident, falling some 60 feet from a communications tower.
Click here to see what happened to John after his accident and to discover 40 ways to reduce stress in your life and diet through simple yet effective changes.
When it comes to making the decision to start eating right and living healthy, it is a huge leap of faith that takes a great deal of courage and tenacity to go into unchartered territory. Especially those of us who have tried diet and after in the past with merely nominal or no success, this is a shaky proposition even for the most optimistic of people. I admire anyone who makes an effort at it because I've been there!
But we are our own worst enemy sometimes, aren't we?
If we as individuals think our diet is boring or too methodical, then those are merely excuses we use to rationalize getting out of our responsibility to do something about our weight and health problem before it is too late. How many of us have been guilty of doing that? I sure have...in the past.
Low-carb living has never been about being the "perfect diet" (although it's pretty darn close!). Instead, what I've learned is that this way of eating is always a work in progress that you will do for the rest of your long and healthy life. It's been nearly four years and counting for me and I expect it to continue for 10, 25, even 50+ more years that the good Lord keeps me here on Earth.
Despite this undisputed fact, some dieters just can't help trying to sabotage their own efforts (whether knowingly or otherwise) to shed the pounds as evidenced by the following e-mail I received from a reader this week who is new to low-carb and has allowed a silly little electronic device to beat her down and spit her out like some worthless piece of trash. How sad!
Here's what she wrote to me in that e-mail:
My husband and I have been on the low-carb diet for about two months now. He has lost 18 pounds so far and I have only lost 5 pounds.
I have to admit that about every five days or so I eat something that is not low-carb and I know that's silly because I'm only hurting my weight loss efforts.
It has been two weeks now and I have not cheated one time and yet I have only lost one little pound! I'm so very frustrated because I am committed to losing weight now. But it just seems like it won't come off.
I have even started going to the gym and doing cardio workouts to see if that would help me any. I was wondering since you had so much success with low-carb if you would have any suggestions for me.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read my e-mail.
Oh, if I had a dollar for every e-mail I received like this one, then I could afford to have that tummy tuck I need already! Find out what I think this person and anyone who feels the same way about their low-carb plan should do to get back on track again by clicking here.
Don't Let Anyone Try To 'Talk You Out Of' Your Low-Carb Lifestyle
One of the most difficult diets you could ever go on has got to be a low-carb diet. It's not because of the diet itself, but rather the reaction you will receive from others when they find out you are livin' la vida low-carb.
And yet the boo birds who oppose the low-carb life will kick and scream like a bratty little 2-year-old trying to discourage you from doing that diet that's right for you. I've never understood the fascination by the anti-low-carb crowd to be so brash and arrogant in their admonishment of those of us who have chosen to eat this way to manage our weight and health.
Maybe they are jealous of our success and are desperate to keep others from finding the answer to their obesity and health ailments. Sounds crazy, but who knows what these people are thinking. Or ARE they even thinking?! Got me?
All I know is livin' la vida low-carb works for me and has been for nearly four years. When I weighed in at 410 pounds in January 2004, I had high hopes that this would be the last diet I would ever go on. I'm not sure I was completely convinced at the time when I started, but losing 100 pounds in the first few months made a believer out of me! And I've never lost my zeal and passion for low-carb living ever since!
I got the best little e-mail the other day from a man who is 65 years old and on the Atkins diet. He lost 64 pounds in eighteen weeks back in 1999 and has been livin' la vida low-carb ever since. This man has a lot of simple, yet practical advice for anyone who is on the low-carb lifestyle for the long haul about how to transition from the "diet" to the "lifestyle."
Here's what he wrote in the e-mail:
Dear Jimmy,
I have learned many things about dieting. I read almost every diet book and tried most of them. I learned exactly what I wasn’t willing to tolerate the rest of my life!
The biggest secret for long term success is becoming an expert on the subject. The more you know about your diet, the more likely you are to succeed.
Learn to be a great cook, not just a good one. Learn so much about this lifestyle that no one will ever be able to talk you out of it. This is the best advice I can pass on to anyone serious about maintaining their health and appearance.
When I go to a restaurant I tell them exactly how my meals should be prepared! I do nearly all my own food preparation and have become a great cook!
When my wife can tell our friends that I like a “little fish with my butter” there can be no doubt that this is the “greatest diet” in the world! NEVER GIVE UP! YOU’RE WORTH IT!
WOW, that's totally awesome! I'd love to see this guy start his own blog and share his little nuggets of wisdom and truth about livin' la vida low-carb on a regular basis. Straightforward advice written in a no-nonsense, been-there-done-that style that makes you wanna listen to everything he has to say. Reminds me of somebody else I know. :D
Dana suggested we seek you out. Wow! I just couldn't believe my luck! You have the greatest site ever! I have listened to every one of your podcasts. They are wonderful! FAR TOO SHORT! They could never be long enough!
Do you think he's a little excited? LOL! Hey, I'm just happy to be able to share from my own low-carb experiences and I can tell from the reaction I received from this very kind man that he has been hoping to find others who believe just as he does. This incredible lifestyle change is the greatest thing that ever happened to him in his life just as it was for me. Neither of us will EVER be the same again.
Nobody will ever replace the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins, but this man thinks I will someday.
I have no doubt that you are going to do for low-carb what even "the great one" (Dr. Robert C. Atkins) was unable to fully accomplish. You will be having unbelievable success in the very near future with the "low carb movement." Of this I have no doubt! Keep up the great work and will be following your "GREAT WORDS OF WISDOM' from now on.
THANK YOU very much for those extremely generous remarks and I only hope to live up to the expectations that I have for myself in all that I do. In some ways, I have experienced much of the same level of backlash from the low-fat vegetarian groups that Dr. Atkins did when he was trumpeting low-carb when low-carb wasn't cool. But it is my duty to share the truth and let others decide what's right for them.
They attack me and others in the low-carb community because they know we have found a nutritional approach that is scientifically sound and backed by the evidence--and it's tearing them apart on the inside knowing we have the truth on our side! Someday soon we will see a major paradigm shift happen when the high-carb, low-fat diet gig will finally be up. No more low-fat letdown--it will be time for livin' la vida low-carb to shine instead!
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.
I see the same thing happen time and time again. Somebody FINALLY gets excited about wanting to lose weight and is rip-roaring ready to go with diet in hand and expectations galore! They buy some diet books, read up on the Internet, and go to Wal-mart to buy a brand new scale to get started right.
So they begin their own great adventure towards Thinville with all the best intentions, motivations, and desires to be added to the list of the cherished weight loss success stories only to find themselves quitting for good after only a few weeks or months.
What the heck just happened? Where'd that gung-ho spirit go?
Unfortunately, this is the ruthless cycle that millions of people put themselves through year after year and I think I know why it continues to happen more times than not. I have a working theory about this issue, but I think it applies. See if you agree.
When you begin on a weight loss program like low-carb, the prevailing thought is that the diet will automatically take care of shedding the pounds for you without any effort on your part. And, to the credit of this way of eating, it does indeed work REMARKABLY!
But...(and you knew there was one of those coming, didn't you?)
The thing I see most people forgetting to do when beginning a new journey to lose weight and get healthy is the whole experience of it all. Find out how soaking it all in and allowing the positives that happen all along the way make you successful by clicking here.
I want to share a personal story with you today from my life to illustrate an important point as it relates to your quest to lose weight and keep it off forever. I've never written about this before, but I think it will encourage anyone who has been told they can't do something.
Here's the story:
When I was in the 8th grade, I was finally getting serious about my studies. My 7th grade year was fabulous--I excelled academically like I had never done before scoring all A's and B's. I realized my potential at the time was good enough to get me to college someday, so I applied myself to every subject I enjoyed.
One of those subjects was English. Because of my accomplishments in the 7th grade, I was placed in an advanced English class in the 8th grade. It was further affirmation that I was on the right track in school and I excitedly embraced the challenge of the more difficult assignments. BRING IT ON! :D
At the end of the year, the teachers were required to make recommendations about which high school classes the students should be placed in. Imagine my horror when I saw I was placed in a regular English class--NOT in advanced English--for my freshman year in high school. I was devastated and steaming mad!
I confronted her about it and she said, "Jimmy, I just don't think you are gifted enough to be in an advanced English class in high school. You'll never be that good at English." I pleaded and begged, but she wouldn't budge from her opinion.
WHY? Who is this decrepit old lady telling me I don't belong in advanced English in high school? How dare she judge me and put me in a box like that. Did she conveniently forget I won the poetry contest in the whole school? ARGH!
But you know what? This only motivated me that much more to prove just how wrong she was if it was the last thing I do.
Find out what happened when I got to high school that proved that 8th grade teacher was wrong and how ignoring her negativity about my abilities taught me an invaluable life lesson that has helped me to this day by clicking here.
With all the debate over the Kimkins diet lately, I couldn't help but think about this subject of weight loss and diets more so than normal. While trying something new to help you lose weight is an admirable thing you can do to shed those stubborn pounds, it's those people who feel compelled and obsessed about trying all the latest and newest diets even when they have found success before.
People ask me all the time if I'm still eating a low-carb diet. In fact, one lady from my church recently wanted to know if I'm "still on that crazy diet." Well, I'm still livin' la vida low-carb if that's what you mean and happily so! It helped me lose weight and keep it off for good.
I'm a Mississippi girl who enjoys what you have to say about weight loss. I like the fact that you have tried all kinds of diets.
I didn't start having a weight problem until I had my last child twenty years ago. I did the Kimkins diet and lost 18 pounds and I am still a member. But I have had a hard time getting back on Kimkins.
So now I have been doing Weight Watchers and lost 7.5 pounds in a week and a half. My problem seems to be that I get bored with any diet after a few weeks. I'm also a big cook. I cook meals every night except Saturdays which my husband calls "Sandwich Day" (he likes it).
All the women in my family after around age 35 have huge stomachs. I am medium-boned have small arms and legs and 5 foot 3 inches tall. Right now I weigh 195 pounds after being as small as 115 and big as 235.
I do have high blood pressure and as of right now it is normal. I don't know what my problem is but it seems once I lose about 18-20 pounds on a diet I seem to fall off the wagon.
I commend you for all your hard work in losing your weight and your interesting blogs and web sites. You ARE helping so many people and I want to thank you!
What I wanted to ask you about "30-In-30." I assume you mean losing thirty pounds in thirty days. But but do you mean by choosing my own diet choice such as Atkins, Kimkins, South Beach or Weight Watchers?
I just want to be clear in what your saying. Please let me know. And again THANK YOU for being there for me!
Click here to read my reality-based response to this reader's rollercoaster ride on this diet and that diet. Find out what I think she needs to do to finally lose weight and keep it off for good!
David E. Smith lived a miserable existence at 630 pounds, but...
The three primary objectives of my blog are rather simple: to educate, encourage, and inspire those who are looking for a life-changing experience when it comes to their weight and health. So many of you have written to me over the past few years thankful that I have shared my story of triple-digit low-carb weight loss success and I'm truly humbled by the awesome responsibility that have been given to me.
But today I have what I contend is the most inspiring weight loss story I've ever seen in my life! Except for the unbelievable weight loss journey being undertaken right now by Manuel Uribe, formerly "The World's Heaviest Man" when he weighed in a 1235 pounds in January 2006 and who has shed well over 400 pounds on the low-carb Zone diet, the amount of weight loss produced by an Arizonian named David E. Smith is unprecedented.
Have you heard about this guy yet? He is like Jimmy Moore--TIMES TWO!
It may be difficult to fathom what 630 pounds looks like, but here it is:
Seeing David walking around with no shirt on when he was well over 600 pounds brings back a lot of painful memories for me. Although I was "only" 410 pounds at my highest weight, the body image he had was similar to mine along with the wack-wack-waddle-waddle sauntering about trying to catch your next breath. Seeing those images of himself on video are probably what prompted David to finally get serious about his weight and health for good.
What David has gone through since he finally got serious about losing all of that weight over the past few years runs so parallel to my own experiences following a massive weight loss. It's kinda eerie hearing him talk about his struggles because they almost exactly mirror some of the same thoughts, emotions, and issues that I have or am going through as well. I would be willing to bet these are common themes amongst all of us who have lost more than 100 pounds.
According to his Bodybuilding.com page, this 6'2" tall man has been overweight for his entire life and was "written off by everyone, even myself."
"All of a sudden I woke up it seemed from my despair and I realized feeling sorry about my life wasn't going to solve my problems," David recalled. "I decided to change my existence."
David had a lot of reasons for his obesity, not the least of which was being molested by a friend he trusted when he was only six years old. Then the constant teasing and ridicule from being a loner caused David to sink deeper into his pit of despair that led him to eat just to cover up the pain. This is something that happens under such a cloud of secrecy as People magazine's January cover girl Mary Smith (no relation to David) has shared about her weight issues.
So David sought assistance for his dismal situation and reached out to a local television program called "Good Morning Arizona" to help him do just that. They implored the services of a personal trainer and weight loss coach named Chris Powell who was eager to help David take on the biggest challenge of his life! And the GREAT NEWS is David overcame his demons and HE DID IT!!!
From blubbery to absolutely buff, David has changed his life forever!
Check out this video following David's amazing weight loss:
And then this updated video following some skin removal surgeries:
Is it just me or are these news people who interview those of us who have lost large amounts of weight just plain dopey?! That reporter in the second video who asked if David confronts obese kids on the street now that he's lost his weight could not possibly be serious! Yeah, kid, you're fat, I was, now I'm not, you should lose weight, too. See how well that works for ya!
Ever since I lost my weight, I have had a strong desire to help people who want to lose weight. But you can't compel people who aren't ready. Talking to kids or even adults for that matter and telling them they are fat does nothing for them. However, when they are ready, these kids and adults will know who they can come to for help because they're watching you. David will be thrilled to give it to them, too, as do I.
I'm happy that David used a personal trainer during his weight loss and I'm getting ready to do that myself since I'd like to make my body a little more muscular than it is now. My legs are very strong, but my arms and upper torso need to be "pumped up" like that picture of David at the top of this post. He's done a fantastic job!
Interestingly, Chris only had David exercise three days a week to "prove weight loss could be done without a lot of it." How about that? So, his diet became an important aspect of this journey. What exactly was the diet?
It's something developed by Chris Powell called the STAX Nutrition System. This program is neat because it stores all of your food for the day in a convenient little carrying case with stackable containers of all the proteins, carbs, veggies, and fat you need to consume with a handy little timer that let's you know when it's time to eat. COOL!
See if any of these acceptable STAX foods look familiar:
protein powder, salads, eggs, cheese, almonds, walnuts, blueberries, spinach, butter, polish sausage, olive oil, cream, and even Ezekiel low-carb bread
Hey, that looks like livin' la vida low-carb to me! A closer examination of the meal plan reveals it is a moderate-fat, high-protein, lower-carb plan designed to remove the junk out of your diet. It's portion-controlled, but you eat a lot of meals throughout the day. If it worked for David as well as it did, then obviously it can work for many others, too! Find that plan that will work for YOU!
Losing 400 pounds has a rather unique side effect to it
But, just as I have blogged about quite extensively following my nearly 200-pound weight loss, David has some rather icky looking "loose skin" that makes him feel uncomfortable about going shirtless in public. He even said that he can't feel skinny until all of the skin is removed.
Boy, I couldn't agree more! It's been three years since my initial weight loss on the Atkins diet and I am stuck looking at the drooping and disgusting blob of skin that hangs from my tummy and inner thighs every single day. It CAN be discouraging, not matter how many compliments you receive from people about how good you look. I love to swim, but I can't go shirtless without feeling fat. That's somewhat disappointing.
For the most part, though, I've been able to deal with it because my financial situation does not permit me to have the skin removal surgery like David had. Granted, his problem was MUCH worse than mine as you can see in that picture of him, but I'd like to get that tummy tuck and thigh tuck done myself someday to complete the new me. It would probably make me more excited about resistance training so I can see the results I am producing underneath all that skin. Someday...
Today, David radiates with confidence and is humbled by all the attention he has garnered following his weight loss. He's obviously a shy man who is just now coming out of his shell to take on life in a way he never thought possible. This former morbidly obese 600-pounder is now working at the gym that helped him get his life back and he will now begin helping people who were just like him take their life back, too.
Paying it forward, sharing not just his knowledge but also his invaluable life's experience to give others hope for a better tomorrow. What an incredible triumph of the human spirit that deserves all the recognition and accolades that come the way of David E. Smith. You are my hero, buddy, and I wish you all the best in your long-term weight management and newly radically-transformed life!
Check out David Smith's MySpace page and be looking for his as-yet-untitled book about his weight loss experience. This man is set to inspire so many people that it is NEVER too late to get started on your weight loss plan. He's living proof that it CAN be done...you just gotta DO IT!
