Low-Carb Blogiversary Contest Celebrates 3 Million Pageviews In Three Years

Can you believe I'm coming up on three years of low-carb blogging?

It's already halfway through April and many of my regular readers might be wondering to themselves one question--Is Jimmy gonna have another big blogiversary giveaway contest this year like he has every single year since he started the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog? The answer is a resounding YES and I apologize it comes a little later than usual. Life has been very busy in a good way and I have been working diligently behind-the-scenes to compile some truly amazing prizes for you like I have in the past (see what I gave away in 2007 and 2006 for my first two blogiversary contests).

This third blogiversary coming up on Monday, April 21, 2008 is even more special this year because I not only celebrate three years of low-carb blogging, but also surpassing a major milestone in the history of my blog--3 MILLION PAGEVIEWS! It was just 6 months ago when we passed the 2 million pageview mark and the blog just keeps growing and growing despite all the claims in the media that low-carb is dead (ummm, somebody forgot to tell that to the 200,000 monthly readers who come here!). That's a whole lotta people who are being impacted with the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb and I am grateful for the opportunity to provide you with enough reasons to keep coming back here to read my blog day in and day out. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for all of your support and dedication to my mission here at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb."

To that end, I once again want to share some truly incredible prizes with you to let you know just how much you are appreciated. I could never repay each of you all that you are worth to me in my life, but a few of you will receive a golden opportunity to win some cool stuff thanks to the generosity of the businesses and individuals who have partnered up with me in this endeavor.

Today I am introducing the 3rd Annual Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blogiversary Giveaway Contest and you can start entering beginning RIGHT NOW. Like last year, I've got a boatload of prizes to tell you about and it's gonna take a few days to fit them all in. But I will get to them all so you can see what you have the potential of winning during this contest. Look for those prize posts to be coming over the next several days.

I'll be conducting the drawing for the prizes on April 27th and announce the winners on Monday, April 28, 2008. So, what do need to do to win? Last year's scavenger hunt was so popular that I decided to do that again with some new questions. :) Here are the easy instructions about how to enter YOUR name in this drawing (only one entry per household please):

1. Your full name/full mailing address (NO P.O. Boxes please!).

2. Which low-carb plan are you on and how long have you been on it?

3. The blogiversary scavenger hunt (answers easily found on my blog!):

a. Which low-carb doctor did I nominate for Diabetes Educator Of The Year in 2007?

b. In what city did the 2007 Eastern Regional American Society of Bariatric Physicians and Nutrition & Metabolism Society meeting take place?

c. What is the name of the world's fattest man who has lost over 500 pounds on a low-carb diet over the past two years?

d. Name the low-carb recipe I accidentally created after mixing a ChocoPerfection bar and coconut oil together and poured it on top of ice cream.

e. Who wrote and released the bestselling health book Good Calories, Bad Calories under a cloud of controversy in September 2007?

Like I said, all of the answers to these questions can be found at my blog from over the past year and I'll give you a hint--Google is your friend! :P E-mail your answers to me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Be sure to label the subject line "BLOGIVERSARY CONTEST" so I can easily identify it as an entry in my contest. NOTE: I MUST RECEIVE YOUR ENTRY NO LATER THAN 11:59PM EST ON APRIL 26, 2008 for you to be eligible to win a prize! Hurry and enter so you can have a chance to win the prizes I'll be sharing with you in the next few days.

For those of you who are concerned about sharing your name and contact information with me, I promise I will NEVER mention your full name, address or e-mail address to anyone or at my blog. It will only be used to mail your prize to you in the event you are chosen as a winner. Remember, please limit your entry to one person per household to give everyone a fair chance to win a prize and there will be plenty of prizes for everyone to have an EXCELLENT chance to win. Winners will be selected by random drawing on Sunday, April 27, 2008 and announced at my blog on Monday, April 28, 2008.

THANK YOU again for three glorious years of low-carb blogging bliss. It is such a pleasure waking up daily knowing that my blog is making a difference in the lives of real people like YOU who have been changed forever by the healthy low-carb lifestyle. If I haven't said it lately, I'm so proud of you guys for making the necessary changes in your life to improve your weight and health. KEEP AT IT!!!

And be sure to tell all your friends and family about the 3rd Annual Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blogiversary Giveaway Contest. This is gonna be fun because it's celebration time, baby! :D

Check out the list of prizes available for you to win:
- PRIZE PACKAGE #1
- PRIZE PACKAGE #2
- PRIZE PACKAGE #3
- PRIZE PACKAGE #4
- PRIZE PACKAGE #5

ENTRY DEADLINE EXTENDED: Because of the Blogger lockdown on my blog over the past week, I have decided to extend the deadline for entering my blogiversary contest to Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 11:59PM. The winners will be chosen at random on Friday, May 2nd and the winners will be announced at the blog soon thereafter. THANKS to everyone who has so enthusiastically entered and shared some amazing comments about how my blog has touched your life. THANK YOU guys! :)

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' Blog Quietly Eclipses 2 Million Pageviews

We're celebrating another major milestone for my blog today

Six months ago, I was thrilled beyond belief that my little "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog had hit a rather lofty goal of sorts when it reached the ONE-MILLION pageview mark. It was a proud day in the history of this mission to educate, encourage, and inspire others with the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle!

At the time, it was just under two years since I had created this blog to chronicle my low-carb journey from an excessively obese 410-pound man into the thin and healthy man I am today. It was a proud moment, but I was already looking ahead to even greater things to come when I wrote in that blog post that the second million would probably happen before the end of the year.

"The neat thing about exceeding a million pageviews to me is that the second million could very well happen by the end of 2007. While the media continues to bang the drumbeat that low-carb is a dead, passing fad, the number of people who are still flocking to this way of eating is still going strong."

Like a prophetic revelation of what was to come, that vision came true today, September 16, 2007 when this blog indeed hit the TWO-MILLION PAGEVIEW mark...IN JUST SIX MONTHS removed from the original million! WOW!

What a remarkable and break-neck year 2007 has been so far! It started in January when I had the highest traffic EVER at my blog, but then that record was surpassed in March, April, June, and again in July. Stunning! Absolutely mindboggling stuff to me since livin' la vida low-carb is supposed to be that dangerous fad diet thing from a few years back.

Obviously, the readers of this and the other OUTSTANDING low-carb blogs out there vehemently disagree with that description of the low-carb lifestyle and seek to learn more about what this way of eating is all about on a daily basis by coming here to read what I post. People are tired of being lied to about how to lose weight and get healthy which is why blogs like mine are increasingly attracting more and more people all the time!

The health and medical establishment had better take notice that their monotonous message has grown tiresome amongst those who have discovered there are better ways to battle such health issues like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension, cancer, Alzheimer's disease...need I go on? Let's face it--the low-fat diet has failed on virtually every account and the low-carb lifestyle has swooped in to fill that void for so many of us. And the science is now backing us up!

While I don't pretend to have all the answers, I do know what has worked to change my life forever for the better. It's livin' la vida low-carb, baby! And I'm gonna keep on sharing what's worked for me so that others can have the hope that they too can escape the pain of obesity and all that comes with that miserable state of existence. There is a better life awaiting those who are ready to make this their permanent and healthy lifestyle change.

So, what about the possibility of THREE MILLION pageviews, hmmmm? It took nearly two years for the first million and six more months for the second million. Is it really possible that by the time I reach my 3-year blogiversary in April 2008 that we'll hit this new traffic mark? As long as YOU keep coming here and invite your co-workers, friends, and family members to check us out, there's no doubt in my mind it can and WILL happen.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for your love and devotion towards the work I am doing here at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." I've branched off with a successful podcast show, a wildly popular new discussion forum, and an entertaining series of YouTube videos. It's all about impacting the culture and reminding people that there are alternatives to the same old low-fat, low-calorie, portion control diets they've been forced to endure for far too long. Nevermore, I say, nevermore!

WE KNOW BETTER and will keep sharing the truth as long as there are people here to listen. And from the looks of it, there are a bunch of ya! :D God bless you all and I look forward to seeing the next million come through here VERY SOON! Please feel free to contact me via e-mail ANYTIME by writing to livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

185,369 Hits For 'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' Blog In July 2007

If low-carb was supposed to be deader than a doorknob by now as the media would have us to believe, then somebody must have forgot to tell that to the thousands of visitors who come to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. The year 2007 has been one incredible ride so far with brand new all-time traffic records set in January, March, April, and June.

Now we can add July 2007 to that illustrious list.

After setting the new mark at 172,244 in June, I was not expecting to surpass that mark for a while. But July was one for the record books--AGAIN!--with another traffic increase:

185,369!!!

That's 13,000 MORE visitors than the previous record with nearly 6,000 daily visitors who are coming to my blog now. WOW!

This is all so exciting because it means real people are being reached with the message that livin' la vida low-carb is an effective way to manage your weight and improve your health. I am grateful to have the opportunity to share from my own personal experiences and research.

To provide some perspective on this new traffic record, let's look at July numbers over the past two years:

JULY 2005--7,335
JULY 2006--61,103

So basically the traffic has TRIPLED in this past year and nearly THIRTY-FOLD in two years. This gets me very excited about what July 2008 will be like. Again, it's all about reaching out to our culture and giving them the TRUTH about low-carb living!

My goal of hitting 2 million pageviews less than 9 months after reaching one million pageviews as of March 2007 is now very likely to happen by September since the total overall traffic now stands at 1.75 million pageviews since the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog began in April 2005. Something tells me we're on the verge of a HUGE breakthrough very soon (especially if a national media appearance happens...LOOK OUT!).

My mission from the very beginning here has always been about educating, encouraging and inspiring those who visit on a daily basis. Regardless of how many people are reading, that will always be why I keep doing what I do here. Did I mention I LOVE IT?! :D

As always, I'm available for questions or comments at livinlowcarbman@charter.net, so don't be afraid to contact me anytime. THANKS so much for your dedication and faithfulness to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog in July. Hope to see you around for many years to come!

Stay tuned for an announcement about an important new project I am working on to help spread the positive message of low-carb community...

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' Blog Reaches Yet Another Traffic Milestone In June 2007

It's not the 4th of July yet, but we're already celebrating!

This has been a banner year for traffic here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. So far I've had THREE brand new record traffic months in 2007:

- January 2007--116,486
- March 2007--126,002
- April 2007--137,218

In fact, I'm averaging WELL OVER 130,000 monthly visitors this year and now I have yet another all-time record high for traffic that happened in June 2007:

172,244!!!

That represents a 26 percent INCREASE over the previous top mark set just two months ago and is the fourth brand new traffic record in the first six months at my blog this year. The blog has grown by 33 percent since January and shows no signs of slowing down.

Just to give you some perspective on how quickly the blog is growing, the traffic last year in June 2006 was only 48,624--IT'S MORE THAN TRIPLED IN JUST ONE YEAR! INCREDIBLE! Absolutely, positively, mind-bogglingly INCREDIBLE!!!

After surpassing my first 1 million pageviews in less than two years, I should hit the 2 million mark BEFORE the end of this year as well. WOWsers! 8-O

I'm excited to know there are lots of brand new faces joining the conversation about the healthy low-carb lifestyle and I welcome your comments, questions, and any accolades you'd like to throw my way. :D

I try to say it often enough so you know how much I sincerely appreciate your love and support for what I am doing here on a daily basis. But THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart to the very depths of my soul, I cannot begin to adequately show you the gratitude I have for each and every one of you.

What a privilege to provide uplifting, encouraging, and inspiring information about livin' la vida low-carb to so many people I've never even met before. And yet we all have a common bond with our desire to use the amazingly healthy low-carb lifestyle to lose weight, get healthy, and change our lives for the better--FOR GOOD!

Here's to welcoming even more brand new people in the coming months who are desperately searching for the solution to their seemingly hopeless obesity and health problems. We've found the answer for us...are we willing to share it with others?

It would be the highest compliment you could ever give me to simply tell a friend or family member about my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. If everybody reading this right now simply told ONE person to check this place out, then we could be AVERAGING over a million pageviews a MONTH!

The only question now is WHEN that will happen, not if. God bless you for your continued dedication and appreciation for the work I am doing on behalf of livin' la vida low-carb.

We don't always agree on everything, but we stand together as one body to support the low-carb lifestyle because it saved our lives! That's a powerful reason to be involved in sharing the message with others so they can be radically changed, too!

Please feel free to e-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I LOVE hearing what's on your mind and I stand ready to help you in any way that I can. THANK YOU again for making June 2007 a record-breaking month to remember.

Massive Blogiversary Contest Lifts Low-Carb Blog To New All-Time Traffic Records

I enjoyed celebrating my two-year blogiversary so much in April which culminated with many of you winning some GREAT prizes that it's the proverbial icing on the cake that I also happened to set another new all-time high monthly traffic record.

The new record set in April 2007 was 137, 218!

Holy moley! That completely obliterates the previous record set in March 2007 of 126,002 pageviews and the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog just keeps growing and growing.

Seriously, I keep thinking the traffic has got to slow down at some point, but it just keeps chugging along. In fact, I also broke my all-time single day record on April 23, 2007 with an eye-popping 10,915 pageviews in that day alone! WHOA, where'd that come from?!

Sometimes the outreach of this blog simply astounds me and it reminds me of just how important the work I am doing here really is. I never take for granted the people who make this a regular part of their day because it is a responsibility I cherish and have invested my life into fully. Sure, I like to have fun, but the message of livin' la vida low-carb is too important to be flippant.

I can never tell you enough how grateful I am for your devoted readership, so I hope you never get tired of me thanking you for coming here. I'm just your average, ordinary guy who was able to through the power of the low-carb lifestyle transform himself into a lean, mean, hunka hunka burnin' love, baby! HA! That's me, warts and all.

There are some amazing changes set to happen at the blog very soon. You will notice a full upgrade to the look of the blog that I KNOW you are gonna LOVE, which includes an FAQ section for those burning questions so many of you have and so much more. I've even got a graphic artist working on the final touches of my very first logo for the blog that is out of this world! I LOVE IT and so will you!

Plus, my schedule is busy with a trip to Nashville, TN this weekend for a major low-carb research conference where I hope to interview several of the researchers for my podcast show. I recently finished an interview with a Korean television crew about my weight loss with an audience of 5 million people. Hey, people in Korea need to know about weight loss, too!

There is also a new weight loss documentary interested in interviewing me for their film meant to motivate and inspire people to accomplish great things. I'll tell you more about that project as the movie gets closer to release.

As always, I'll keep doing my thing blog, blog, blogging away trying to find new and unique topics that I think will interest you as it relates to livin' la vida low-carb. Keep on reading and telling others about what I'm doing here at my blog. I get e-mails from people all the time who said they found me from a family member, friend, co-worker, etc. who told them about "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb."

I consider that the highest compliment you could ever pay me. THANK YOU!

Record-Breaking 126,000 Hits For Diet Blog

I know it seems like I say this every month, but I had my all-time highest amount of blog traffic in March 2007. Following the more than 116,000 pageviews in January 2007, this past month at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog was even better--126,002!!!

Why did this spike in traffic which actually pushed me past the 1 million total pageviews mark a few weeks ago happen? I have a couple of theories.

First, there was the release of this Stanford study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association that found the Atkins diet was best among four popular diets. Naturally, people became curious about livin' la vida low-carb again and guess where their Google searches sent them? Yep, right here and at the various other web sites I write for, including CarbWire, CommonVoice, and LowCarbNewsline.

In fact, I had a record-breaking 7,947 pageviews on March 8, 2007 and around 35,000 pageviews that week alone which helped push my stats to all-time highs for the month. That week was a BIG one for virtually all of my fellow low-carb bloggers and retailers, too!

Second, I think the tide is seriously beginning to turn against the low-fat lie. People have gone from frustrated to upset and now they are just stark raving mad (probably from the lack of fat in their diet--LOL!) at the failure of that dietary approach to weight loss that they are for the first time in their life beginning to go around the government-indoctrination and mind-numbed robot advice from their doctor to do a little self-discovery about nutrition because there's got to be a better way.

Well, actually there is, and it's called livin' la vida low-carb! WELCOME!

I can't tell you how many brand new people write to me with question after question on a daily basis wanting to know how and why low-carb living works like it does. Yes, this is 2007 and people are curious about the Atkins/low-carb diet. Sweet!

It literally keeps me busy (in a good way) finding the answers and even sharing them with you at my blog from time to time. You would not believe your eyes at all the hundreds of pleas and cries for help from people who are fed up and just want somebody to understand and empathize with them. That's one reason I started this blog so that people could meet someone who used to be morbidly obese and was able to successfully overcome it. It can and WILL happen for the tens of thousands of people visiting each month!

Keep those e-mails coming because this is how we can learn together about this amazing way of eating. Write to me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I will try to answer you as soon as possible, but please understand it may take a few days sometimes since the traffic at my blog has gone bonkers (and I'm LOVIN' IT!). :)

Wanna hear something REALLY exciting? Check out what my blog's traffic numbers were like one year ago in March 2006: 46,009. That means my blog has seen a nearly 300% increase in traffic in just one year and at this point shows absolutely no signs of slowing down. At this current rate, my numbers for March 2008 will be close to 400,000...FOR THE MONTH! WHOA!

I know I must sound like a broken record when I say this, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart--THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! If you are reading this right now, then YOU are the reason this blog has become the success that it has. I want you to share in the glory because it wouldn't be the same without you visiting and even commenting on what I write about here.

Whatever reason you have for coming here, I'm just glad that you do. Keep telling your friends and family about my blog and let's see the blog hit 2 million total pageviews before the end of 2007 and that 400,000 traffic number in a month by this time next year. I expect it to happen as more and more good things about low-carb, especially from the research realm, are releasing in 2007 and beyond.

You'll want to keep reading the blog this week especially as I announce my second annual blogiversary contest featuring TONS of very nice prizes for your low-carb lifestyle, including this deluxe grill worth thousands of dollars and so much more! We've got so many prizes to share that I'll likely break it up over several days in several different posts to let you soak it all in. I promise you will LOVE them all and I welcome any company with a low-carb friendly product to donate. I already have nearly 100 prizes to give away, but the more the merrier! :)

Consider this my way of showing my gratitude to you for helping make the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog not just one of the best low-carb web sites on the Internet, but one of the best diet, health, and weight loss web sites! God bless you for allowing me this opportunity to share with you about my experiences losing nearly 200 pounds and now keeping it off for the past few years thanks to livin' la vida low-carb. What a joy and an honor it is to blog for you! You guys are AWESOME! :)

Atkins Diet Study Spikes Low-Carb Blog Traffic

What an amazing week this has been for those of us who are enthusiastic supporters of livin' la vida low-carb! Following the release of the now-infamous JAMA study providing good news about people who follow the Atkins/low-carb diet, the traffic at my blog has quite literally soared.

While I have the pleasure of seeing about 3,000-4,000 visitors come to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog every single day (THANK YOU!), the past two days alone has been off the charts--nearly 15,000!!! In fact, on Thursday I set a new all-time single-day record for me with 7,947 pageviews--IN ONE DAY! WOWee hot diggity dog!

The positive Atkins story along with my appearance on local television here in South Carolina has led to the more than doubling of my "normal" traffic. You won't hear me complaining about it because that's even more people who can be exposed to the positive message that I'm attempting to put out there.

With the increase in traffic has also come a simultaneous spike in e-mails from people looking for assistance with their weight loss questions. Again, I am not complaining about that at all and am LOVING it (except that I haven't slowed down a bit since Tuesday!). :)

Since you'll never hear these kind of stories in the mainstream media sources, how about I share with you what real people are writing to me regarding their experiences on the low-carb lifestyle straight from my e-mail box this week?

Read and enjoy!

Hi Jimmy, Thanks for your blog. I have been doing Induction for a week (although I did not do the exact right kind in that I ate a couple of low-carb tortillas which I won't do anymore) and I already have lost 5 pounds. My energy is also way up.

Shortly before I started, I was extremely tired all the time. I would get so sleepy in the afternoons that I would have to take a nap. Of course I wasn't losing any weight because I was asleep about 15 hours total a day! I started feeling better just the second day of my low-carb diet and now I don't nap anymore. I don't feel tired enough to!

I've been posting on a low-carb forum, but mostly reading a lot. It seems like every other post I read is about a "stall." Everyone is having stalls, whether they last a few weeks or six months! I have been on diets for the past nine years, but I have never stalled significantly.

Is this related to the low carb way of eating? Or can it happen on any diet? I'm very concerned because this wouldn't be very confidence-building. I also was wondering about the "one golden shot" theory regarding low-carb. Sounds like trying even one time after to lose more weight is extremely harder than the first time.

Let me know and thanks again.

Those improvements in your health in such a short period of time because of low-carb are remarkable! CONGRATULATIONS!!! As you continue down this new lifestyle change, remember it is always a work in progress. Don't let stalls concern you because they are a fact of life on ANY diet and shouldn't make you give up. And by all means don't for a moment think the "one golden shot" theory is valid because it's not.

Here's another e-mail from a regular reader who saw a shocking television program recently on the subject of obesity:

Hi Jimmy,

No sure if you saw the TLC program, "I eat 33,000 calories a day" that aired last night, March 7, 2007. It's not scheduled to air again, but it is worth seeing if it shows up again. There were 4 morbidly obese people talking about their weight and health struggles. It was a British production. One gentleman weighs over 700 pounds!

It was so very sad to watch, but makes me so glad to be livin' la vida low-carb and losing the weight as a benefit to this healthy way of eating.

By the way, I love your blog. I read your posts everyday and sometimes re-read them because they help get me through the tougher days.

WOW, I hadn't heard about that show on The Learning Channel, but it sounds interesting to say the least. I couldn't help but think about former 1200-pound man Manuel Uribe--except he is doing something about his weight now! It certainly makes you appreciate the miracle of the low-carb lifestyle, doesn't it? THANKS for your very kind compliments about my blog.

There were several e-mails from people wanting my help with their weight loss:

Hi Jimmy,

I am looking for someone to talk with and share my struggles of losing weight. I have tried it all and I can't seem to lose the weight. I need encouragement and suggestions, so that I can begin my journey of getting this weight off and keep it off. Please send me any suggestions that you have that will help me with this problem.

I was inspired by someone that saw your interview on Newschannel 7. I look forward to hearing back from you, so that I can start my journey of losing this weight and keeping it off. I truly need and want your help with this matter. I know my 1st step is to put as much energy in losing the weight that I put in 9-5 job, in which I focus on more sometimes than myself. Help!!!!!

And here's another from a truck driver who wants to shed the pounds:

Jimmy,

I am inspired by your story. I'm a desperate man facing having to go on higher doses of blood pressure medicine, diabetes medicine and cholesterol medicine if my numbers aren't down by May on my next doctor's appointment. I have tried the latest diet attempt of trying Pat Robertson's weight loss shakes but I get tired of making a shake consisting of expensive protein powders, fruit, and vinegar, etc. I need help.

I weigh about 380-385 pounds. I have some kind of body pain every day and I know it's my weight. I know how it feels to be trapped inside this oversized body and it doesn't feel good. I actually think I have gained weight since the doctor told me to lose it. She gave me one diet for blood pressure which is the DASH DIET, one for diabetes and one for cholesterol. It hurt me when my little girl asked me if I would feel good if I could run? It would feel good to walk without a struggle and what a struggle it is.

I'll be good for a little while and cheat again and I am back to square one. Fear sets in and says I can't do it. I'm afraid that I can't do it. Jesus help me get delivered! Can you give me some tools about some meal plans that are simple for someone who is a truck driver? My job is also on the line because I almost didn't pass my physical due to high blood pressure. Well, enough said. Please help me!

If I don't get help, I don't know what might become of my health and life.

These people are desperate and pouring out their heart to me for help. I've personally responded to each of these e-mails, but I wanted you to see what people are sharing. I received an e-mail from a woman right here in my hometown of Spartanburg, SC, so I called her earlier this week to surprise her with a personal conversation about what she wrote to me about. Here's what she wrote to me:

Hi Jimmy,

I work at the county health department in (of all places) the Nutrition Department. Four years ago I was able to lose 79 pounds on Atkins. In the past 3 years I have had four surgeries for various problems and just forgot about dieting. Of that 79 pounds, I have re-gained 40 back and I just can't seem to get motivated.

I am 54 and I want so bad to lose weight. I have two brothers and we all have been overweight all of our lives. Well, they both have had gastric bypass surgery and it's amazing to see them now. Me, I am a state employee and our insurance will not cover it. So I have no other choice but to lose it by dieting.

I was wondering if you have classes or if you speak anywhere about your weight loss. Do you have samples of menu's of the food that you consumed? When I really get into Atkins and get past that first week I truly enjoy the diet when the cravings for sweets go away. Do you have favorite menus and recipes? Do you buy any of the low-carb dinners, shakes or bars?

If you could help me I would really appreciate it. I am currently raising my 8 year old granddaughter, she needs me and I need to be here for her in the future. HELP!

She was such a sweet lady to talk to and I enjoyed our conversation. Before I hung up, I made sure she knew I was here for her to help her in any way that I can. I'd love to go around doing speaking engagements, but there is still such hostility to low-carb. Maybe that'll change at some point.

I have read your articles and do not disagree with you or the low-carb lifestyle whatsoever. I have done a very low-carb diet and lost four pant sizes in 2 months (I don't weigh myself so my clothes tell me) but that was the best I have ever done on a diet. Yet, I can't seem to get back on and stay back on it and I am acutally bigger than when I started. I want to so badly but i am sooooo weak. I even have very close friends who are doing low-carb right now and I just have no willpower to do it. I guess I need help, thanks for taking the time to read this.

This kind of defeatist attitude is poison for ANY weight loss plan, so try to be optimistic and expectant that livin' la vida low-carb will work and then WATCH OUT! You might find it is precisely what you need to do to lose weight and get healthy for life. Here's another experience from a low-carber trying to live this life:

I am not following any protocol or rules with my eating low-carb. I try to keep track of my eating by writing down my meals. But that is more of a way for me to keep myself in check. I'm writing down the ounces, fat grams, carb grams and calories. Just writing it down to kind of force myself to see it and take responsibility for putting it in my mouth.

So your probably thinking "what is she doing to eat low-carb?" Well, I don't eat any bread, rice, potatoes or pasta. I try to avoid tomato-based products because (I believe) they are high in carbs. Although I do occasionally have some ketchup. I try to avoid sugar.

I'm using artificial sugars in my green tea. If I really get the craving for something sweet I eat sugar-free popsicles, or Breyers CarbSmart ice cream bars, or I try to find sugar-free chocolate bars. I sometimes snack on unflavored pork rinds when the rest of the family are eating potato chips.

So what else DO I eat?

BREAKFAST
Well, I usually get really nasty cramps from eggs. But I know they are a good source of protein and (I think) some fat. So sometimes in the morning I will take two or three eggs and mix them up with milk and eat those. Maybe with some cheese melted on top, or a tablespoon or two of salsa on top, or a wee bit of ketchup.

Other mornings I will see what meat is left over from dinner and I may heat that up and eat it with some cheese. It is hard because I love bread and butter and almost every morning my daughter eats a slice of toast with butter melting on top. Mmmmmm!

LUNCH
Usually a salad with some ham, or chicken sliced on top of it. Maybe some cheese sprinkled on top, if I have some. When I have Ranch dressing I prefer that, or some Italian. Maybe a few pickle slices on top. Or I may heat up a hamburger pattie or chicken breast and melt some Swiss cheese on it.

SUPPER
Usually I have the same type of food for dinner that I eat at lunch time.

SNACKS
Well, sometimes I get hungry in the afternoon and may heat up another hamburger pattie or eat some slices of ham. Or I'll eat the pork rinds if that sounds good. Now, sometimes I add some veggies to dinner. I'm thinking that is okay because they are healthy carbs...right? And the same thing for fresh fruits. Fresh fruit is kind of expensive for our budget, but occasionally I add them to my diet. Oh and of course, I'm usually drinking water all day long too.

I'm sure that I've got this all messed up. But I'm trying to eat low-carb with what our household budget will allow me. I mean, I've also got to get the family what they usually eat, so I'm trying to make my meal choices and the cost as unobtrusive to our budget and their lives as possible. I don't even know if that statement makes sense, but hopefully you get what I'm trying to say.

Gawsh...I'm craving a cappuccino so bad right now. I could go pour some water into my coffee mug, but I don't think that is gonna quash my craving or fool my mouth. LOL! Well, I'm gonna try to stop bothering you. I can see that you have a lot going on with the blog and all the research you must be doing to keep people informed and up to date with everything.

Thanks for being there. It is so very appreciated.

Whew! I need a break after that e-mail...(pant, pant, panting!)...ahhhhh, okay! I feel better now. I told this precious person she really needs to get a book about low-carb and follow this way of eating the right way rather than trying to guess about what to do. Dr. Atkins made it VERY clear which fruits and veggies are good for you when you are following his plan. GET THE BOOK!

Here's an e-mail from a fellow blogger working to educate the public about low-carb:

Thanks and keep up the GREAT work! You are saving lives!

I am doing my best to keep up with you. We use our coaching skills to people who are either Type II diabetics and/or obese. We have been gratified with the results and the excitement of seeing people who were basically at death's door, come back to enjoy an energetic and full life.

It's hard to believe that, in the relative scheme of things, this low-carb miracle information is only shared by a very few of us. I am reading a fantastic book now by Dr. Kaisseir titled, "On The Take" and how the FDA and the pharmaceutical companies are in collusion to keep patients on drugs.

THANKS for sharing your work with me! I haven't heard about that book, but it certainly looks like something I'd absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE! Anything that exposes what is happening behind-the-scenes of the pharmaceutical industry is AWESOME. Now if we can just make a difference somehow, some way.

Here's a fan of my blog who is on the South Beach low-carb program:

Hi Jimmy,

I applaud your efforts and really appreciate your blog! I, too, have been on a low-carb: South Beach, for a year now and I have lost 50 pounds. I still have about 30 more to go, but I will do it! This time, I'm keeping it off for good! It will be a life-long change in diet and exercise. Thanks for your encouragement.

You are VERY welcome! Keep up the great work!

Here's a regular reader who was excited about sharing her success with me:

Hi, Jimmy!

I wanted to let you know that today, 1318 days after I started Atkins on July 27, 2003, I have reached my GOAL!!!

Thanks for your blog--it has given me things to think about, and God has used your upbeat attitude to keep me plugging along.

Now I have to figure out how to maintain on this way of life. They say that's harder than losing, so I'm very grateful that you and Livin' La Vida Low-Carb will still be there with me through thick and thin (pun intended)!

That's totally awesome and I'm so proud of you. Keep on keepin' on with your low-carb lifestyle and never go back to your old ways again. Finally, here's a new reader whose doctor put her on a low-carb diet. Can you believe that?! WHOA!

Dear Jimmy:

I just read your blog and found it extremely inspirational. I was "diagnosed" with non-alcoholic fatty liver syndrome in august, 2006. My doctor recommended the Atkins diet rather than medication in order for the liver to rejuvenate itself.

My blood work has tremendously improved and I feel better than I have in years. I gained about 100 pounds during my pregnancy with my daughter. She will be 11 in April, and I am sorry to say I still have a way to go to lose it. I found with Atkins I was losing at a safe pace (about 50 pounds since August), but I have really held steady for a few months. I have every book, cookbook, keep a journal and am very careful about carb counts. I am just stuck and could use some encouragement.

And as for a regular exercise routine...I have NO routine! I keep making excuses that I cannot fit that in (Have I answered my own question yet??). My husband is extremely supportive and has started following the Atkins plan since Christmas. He is feeling better and has always been very active. Any help you could give would really make a difference to me.

I congratulate you on your success, and thank you profusely for providing your e-mail address and welcoming my "frustration." I do believe this has been a positive experience. I have had much more energy and quite honestly, I have not had as many "hormonal" issues (at 44 they were coming fast!!!) which has really improved my mood as well. I know this is the answer for me, but the weight loss has not been there (I have not gained, either!). TMI??? Hope not! Thanks again, Jimmy....you are an inspiration!

It's funny how some people who write to me know the answer to their own questions even before they get finished writing their e-mail. LOL! It just goes to show you that we don't always have an information problem but more a support and practical application issue to resolve. Both are important and I'll keep doing what I'm doing to encourage, educate, and inspire those who need a taste of hope in their weight loss.

Is that you? Do you have a question or comment you'd like to share with me? E-mail me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. Again, THANK YOU to everyone who has visited over the past couple of days for the very first time as well as my faithful and devoted regular readers. You are all very special to me and make what I do worth every minute of it. SEE YA!

'Livin' La Vida Low-Carb' Blog Exceeds Traffic Milestone: 1 Million Pageviews!

"Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" is now a 1 million pageview blog

It took one year, 10 months, one week, and five days for it to happen...but now it's here. Today at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, I registered pageview #1,000,000 and counting. ONE MILLION PAGEVIEWS! Holy cow, that's a bunch of people!

What is most gratifying about this traffic milestone are all the hundreds of thousands of people who have been exposed to the positive message of hope, education, and inspiration on a daily basis that I attempt to share. It's not always easy in a world that would rather tear you down for supporting the low-carb lifestyle, but nothing worth accomplishing happens without a few bumps along the way.

The neat thing about exceeding a million pageviews to me is that the second million could very well happen by the end of 2007. While the media continues to bang the drumbeat that low-carb is a dead, passing fad, the number of people who are still flocking to this way of eating is still going strong.

Whenever I tell people how I lost my weight (on the Atkins diet), most of them respond with, "Oh, I thought that diet stopped working." Say what? The "diet" never stopped working for people...it was the people who stopped doing the Atkins diet and then erroneously said it failed them. Well duh!

I receive hundreds of e-mails a week from people asking questions and providing comments about their experiences on the low-carb lifestyle. Their constant enthusiasm and curiosity about livin' la vida low-carb motivate me to continue the work I am doing to encourage others and spread the knowledge through my blogs, web sites and podcast show. It's what I am supposed to be doing at this point in my life and I cherish it!

Most amazing about this 1 million pageviews milestone is the fact that I started it in April 2005 when the media and the anti-Atkins crowd were revved up ready to malign and destroy this outstanding dietary approach that has helped millions lose weight and get healthy.

I for one was disappointed to see all the people who used to support Atkins/low-carb scatter and hide. That's why I stepped forward to defend as a success story this lifechanging diet plan. If nobody else was gonna do it, then Jimmy Moore certainly will.

Now, here we are in 2007, STILL sharing the truth unabashedly, defending the honor of the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins, heralding the research and other scientific evidence that this nutritional approach has on weight and health, and constantly seeking to shift the conversation and debate in a direction that is inclusive, not exclusive of livin' la vida low-carb. We're making a difference and I'm happy to be a part of it.

I'd like to do something in the comments section of this post if you would be willing to participate. Could you provide the following information about your experience with the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog? Here's what I'd love to know:

1. Your name
2. When you started reading "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb"
3. How you found out about this blog
4. What you like best about the blog
5. Why you keep coming back to read

This should be fun and a fitting tribute to my 1,000,000th pageview today! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :)

January 2007 Brings The Most Traffic Ever!

The continuing success of this blog just keeps on amazing me as the months have gone by since I started the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog in April 2005.

When I hit 66,083 pageviews in August 2006, that was an all-time record at the time which was double the number of people visiting my blog just six months prior. The growth in traffic has been that way since the very beginning and hasn't let up.

Then, in September 2006, the momentum surged on when I fell just 422 pageviews shy of hitting 100,000 for the first time ever. That trend continued for the next few months until the new year brought a brand new crop of visitors to experience what livin' la vida low-carb can do for them.

Not surprisingly, I was able to break my all-time record for pageviews in January 2007...AGAIN! Boy did I ever--116,486! Shattering my old record by more than 16.5%, this new total is MORE THAN DOUBLE the pageviews I had just six months ago. Amazing and awesome don't even begin to describe my reaction to these numbers.

From the get go when I wanted to start my own low-carb weight loss blog after losing 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004, I had a vision that it would be possible to change the culture and enter the health conversation and debate with a fresh new perspective from the experience of someone who didn't just lose a few pounds on some quack fad diet. Nope, that's not what happened to Jimmy Moore!

Instead, my life has become radically transformed through my personal weight loss experience which not only made me skinnier, but also got my health in tip-top shape at a time when it was teetering on the brink of disaster.

You can't really understand what going through a journey like this and coming out triumphant on the other side feels like until you have walked a mile in my shoes. That's why I share my life--the good, the bad, and the ugly--and let my readers learn from what I have gone through. I am but one man, but there is plenty to say.

For the tens of millions of people who suffer from being overweight or obese in America and around the world right now, I have always wanted my blog to show them that it IS possible to dig out of the hole they have made for themselves from their poor dietary choices and lazy lifestyle. I was there just three years ago, so I know it can seem futile to even try. But it is not worth giving up now!

Although livin' la vida low-carb is still sorely misunderstood and maligned in 2007 (something I am constantly attempting to counter whenever I see it!), I will not and cannot stop spreading the good news that has happened to me. My life will never be the same again and it is my duty to share with others the miracle that God so graciously gave me with this weight loss.

Some may say, "Alright already, we've heard your story and it's great and all for you. But you can't expect real people to do the same thing with that low-carb thing. It's just not realistic!"

Well, why the heck not?! Sure livin' la vida low-carb goes against conventional wisdom which is why I think some of the most courageous people in the world that I know are people who go against the flow to become world changers. Low-carbers are among that swelling group of world changers willing to take the supposed risks to their health (which aren't true!) and then come out better in the end for it.

The constant increases in traffic at my blog tell me one thing: although the media and the so-called health "experts" want you to believe the low-fat diets are the ONLY way to go to lose weight and improve your health, people aren't buying into it anymore. They WANT to know the alternatives available to them and they're finding livin' la vida low-carb fits the bill.

If you are new to the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and have any specific questions or comments that you would like to share with me about this amazingly healthy lifestyle change, then please feel free to e-mail me (Jimmy Moore) anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net and I'm happy to write you back with a personal response.

From the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! It looks like I will be breaking 1 million pageviews by March 2007 and I owe it ALL to your commitment to the mission I am doing with my blog. Tens of thousands of lives are already being impacted month after month, but there are still so many more who could stand to be exposed to the uplifting, positive, and encouraging message of hope and inspiration that I try to deliver day in and day out.

Spread the word about "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" because the best really is yet to come. I'll keep doing my part to bring you top-notch news, reviews, tips, and commentary about the low-carb lifestyle. That's my neverending promise to you!

You are the greatest readers in the world! God bless you!

Low-Carb Blog Just 422 Pageviews From 100,000

September shattered the previous record visitors I had in August by 33%!

I'm not worthy, I'm not worthy!

I was checking out the traffic numbers this morning from September 2006 at my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and HOLY COW I could not believe what I saw--ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING MONTH!

After August 2006 garnered a then-all-time high of 66,083 pageviews, I had no idea that September 2006 would be even better--A LOT BETTER!

99,588 TOTAL PAGEVIEWS
52,640 BRAND NEW VISITORS
10,360 RETURN VISITORS

Every single one of these numbers were all-time highs in the 18-month history of my blog. I easily passed a half million pageviews at my blog since it started in April 2005 and am well on my way to breaking a staggering ONE MILLION PAGEVIEWS before my two-year anniversary at the end of next April. WOW WOW WOW! How can I THANK YOU enough for all the devoted support you continue to give to me?

THANK YOU INFINITY!

For all 10,000+ of you who keep coming back month after month after month to read what I am writing about the healthy low-carb lifestyle and other diet-related issues of the day, you are such a very special group of people to me. YOU are what makes all the many hours I spend at my blog so worth it day after day. It literally is like a second job to me writing as often as I do, but I would not trade it for anything right now because people's lives are being changed forever. That's the best part!

As for the 50,000+ brand new people to find my blog for the very first time last month, let me welcome you to my side of the blogosphere. As a former 400+ pound man who has lost nearly 200 pounds by following the low-carb lifestyle, it's hard for me to sit idly by while literally tens of millions of people feel hopeless and helpless and are suffering from a serious weight problem that needs to be brought under control. My mission as long as the good Lord gives me the energy and desire to continue doing it is to be a beacon of hope and encouragement to ANYONE who wants to lose weight.

While there are many ways to lose weight and there is not one way that works for everyone, the low-carb life is certainly one worth trying in earnest if everything else seems to fail to help you shed the pounds. That's what I did and the results have been nothing short of amazing for me. The same could happen for you, too.

Don't buy into the argument that "low-carb" is "just a fad" or that it is "dead." As you can see from the popularity of my blog, there are still a LOT of people looking for information about livin' la vida low-carb and I'm all too happy to give it to them, including the latest research, news and commentary that will ideally make you think.

After all, I don't pretend to have all the answers, but I know we can figure this nutrition thing out together by openly discussing the important issues to try to come to a consensus about what the truth really is. We're obviously not getting it from our government or so-called health "experts" now, are we?

I say all of that to say this: THANK YOU and God bless you all! I pray that each of you who have been touched by this blog in some way will know how much meaning and fulfillment you have given my life over these past couple of years. It's not always easy, but I know the work I am doing will continue to impact people long after you forget about who Jimmy Moore is.

Whether you agree with me on what I write about or not, that's not the point. The fact that you are engaged in educating yourself further about how to lose weight and get healthy is incredibly impressive to me. Unfortunately, most of our society today just doesn't care and that rips my heart in two. We need a weight loss revival to hit the United States and spread like wildfire around the world. Won't you be the catalyst to make that happen in your area?

No more temporary fixes to a permanent problem. We need to tell people about the low-carb answer to their obesity and share with them that there are millions of us who will stand side-by-side with them encouraging and educating them to become the success that they are destined to be! Are you ready to change the world? Then get out there and share the message of livin' la vida low-carb to everyone you know.

You might mention that you know this guy who's got an awesome low-carb support blog, too. :D As always, if you have any comments or questions for me, I am readily available at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

66,083 Pageviews In August--A New Record!

I just wanted to share with you the GOOD NEWS about what is happening behind-the-scenes at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. Since the day I began this web site with the simple goal to help educate and encourage people who need to lose weight and get healthy, the growth has been simply unbelieveable to me. That first month garnered a respectable 5,000 pageviews and the momentum has yet to slow down ever since.

Every month has literally gotten BIGGER and BIGGER with lots of brand new visitors who "find" this blog all the time. Amazing! In 2006 alone, the blog has reached several milestones for monthly pageviews, including 30,000 in February, 40,000 in May, 50,000 in June, and 60,000 in July. Actually, the exact number for July 2006 was 61,103 pageviews which was the all-time record at the time.

Well, that is, until now...

In August 2006, the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog made history (yet again!) with a total of 66,083 pageviews! That's over 2100 pageviews per day! WOWsers! This number includes close to 10,000 repeat readers and well over 40,000 brand new readers to my blog. WOW WOW WOW! Incredible!

I had no idea when I first started that this blog thing would become a place where people would want to come read and discuss issues of diet, nutrition and low-carb living from the perspective of a former 400-pound man who now only seeks to help others find the pathway to success like he did. But it has and I am very appreciative of your readership much more than I could ever tell you.

Now it's September 2006 and sometime this month I will easily surpass a HALF MILLION PAGEVIEWS since this blog began 18 months ago. That's 500,000 pageviews! Whoa! That sure is a lot of eyeballs! :D

Again, let me express my sincerest gratitude and THANKS to everyone who has helped make the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog the place to be for discussing the healthy low-carb lifestyle. I am honored you have chosen to be here.

To the literally tens of thousands of people who have been impacted by what I do here on a daily basis, God bless you and I certainly hope that something I have written here in the nearly 1200 posts over the past year and a half has touched you, motivated you, made you laugh, inspired you, or got you to begin thinking seriously about livin' la vida low-carb. Above everything else, that is what makes this all worth it in the end.

Keep on reading and telling everyone you know about the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. I promise to keep bringing you the best content possible that makes it worth your while to come back here day after day. You are the most devoted and faithful readers that a blog author could possibly ask for and I am humbled to have this opportunity to share just a small part of your life. Take care and, as always, keep on LIVIN' LA VIDA LOW-CARB!