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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Days Away From LAP-BAND Surgery, Woman Decides To 'Stick To The Low Carb Way'

My three-pronged mission here at the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog is to educate, encourage, and inspire others as they venture down this journey to weight loss and better health. It is the heartbeat of everything I do here on a daily basis and I am gratified to know that real lives are being changed for the better because of it.

But today I have a very special e-mail from one of my readers that greatly inspired ME and I couldn't wait to share it with you. I'll warn you, the e-mail is quite long and detailed. But the end result should make anyone and everyone who is livin' la vida low-carb feel very proud of their chosen dietary lifestyle change.

Prepare to reignite the passion that fuels your low-carb lifestyle!

Hi Jimmy,

Here's my story and when you read it I know you will understand why I love your website. Congrats on the weight loss - I know I can do it too and reading your website encourages me.

I too had asthma from 6 months old until I was 28. My mom thought I looked unhealthy because I was skinny at 8 so the doctor gave her liquid vitamins with something in it to cause me to eat. Boy did I because I was a plump little gal and went through a real ugly stage. In 4th, 5th and 6th grades I was called names like Godzilla from boys. It made me feel terrible. I had a mom who was a constant dieter with weight watchers and every week I watched her start a diet on Monday only to break it by Friday with the talk of promising to start back on Monday to stick with it again. Week end and week out she was a consistent diet breaker. HMMMM...wonder where I learned this??

At the end of 6th grade they took me to an asthma specialist who ran tests. He then took me off all dairy products - no more chocolate milk, ice cream every night or cheese on everything. Over that summer I lost 30 lbs which is a lot for a 12 year old. I started junior high as a new person and people didn't recognize me. My height stopped growing and every person out grew me so I was no longer the tallest, largest Godzilla that I was called. I kept this weight off until I was 20 and was pregnant. Even after that I was only 20 lbs overweight and I eventually lost that down to 117 - my high school weight.

Then at age 28 I was prayed for healing of asthma at church and went off all my asthma meds - cold turkey!! The first week was the toughest but I kept praying and kept getting better. The asthma meds had always given me a fast heartbeat. Within the first year I gained about 30 lbs. The next year another 30 lbs. - it was like my metabolism was totally messed up and I couldn't stick to any kind of diet. It didn't help that I had a crummy marriage and was stressed out all the time. I started a business, became successful at time and owned it for 9 years. I got divorced in 1991. I had lost 50 lbs right before the divorce but then slowly gained it back over the next 2 years. It seemed like I could never get past this threshold of weight.

I bought Dr. Atkins book back in 1995 (heard it was revolutionary) but couldn't follow it because I had gone to a weight loss doctor and loss 50 lbs doing low-fat. With low carb I couldn't imagine a life without bread or pasta, smart ones or lean cuisine!! I closed my business in 1996 due to burn out. Then I loss the same 50 lbs 5 years later (in 1997) after a job related injury that changed my life. I was diagnosed with carpal tunnel, Thoracic outlet pain syndrome and Fibromyalgia. What this meant was constant chronic pain. I have been on disability ever since. In 1998 I got married to an wonderful man (moved from Dallas to Sacramento and yes we met on the internet) but he weighed 365+ which didn't help me stick to losing my last 35 lbs to reach goal. Unfortunately I packed it back on rather quickly and ballooned to 302 at my max.

Then in 2003 I discovered Atkins low carb from some friends and with the Internet's help I stuck to it. I did great and lost about 35 lbs. Then we went on a road trip vacation the low carbs flew out the window. So I have yo-yo'd from low carb to all carb ever since losing the same 35 lbs over and over again. I would have support from my husband and he would be the first to bail ship. It seemed like this man with a strong will power had none when it came to healthy eating. I became convinced that I couldn't do it alone although in my 20's to late 20's I weighed less than 135 and with every weight loss no one could rival my will power.

Since I am on Medicare (since I was 45) I read where they approved gastric bypass but I just didn't want my stomach detached. Granted I did want to get rid of the weight but when I found out about low carb and removed the sugar and carbs from my diet I found I had no hypoglycemia attacks and my energy level increased a great deal. Get off the low carb way I seem to fall into what I call a "death spiral abyss of no return" unable to get back on low carb for months ultimately gaining the weight back.

The first 4 months of 2007 started off bad - From Nov to March 1st I had two severe bladder infections, one resulting in a kidney infection. Then I had to have 3 molars surgically removed because of decay from Vicodin and other pain meds over the years. The pain from the dental work lasted 4 weeks. Then I got bronchitis that turned into pneumonia which took 6 weeks to completely get well. By this time I was sick of being sick - having every incident put me in bed with exhaustion translated from the Fibro. So I decided to check out lap band surgery and found that Medicare covered it. Knowing I didn't have the money for the co-pay and also knowing that I could qualify for Medi-Cal I decided to plan out my journey to weight loss heaven.

My plan was perfectly planned. I was approved with Medi-Cal and found a PCP. Before I went to the doctor I checked out the Medicare website for approved lap band physicians. I called every one of them. I chose a hospital bariatric clinic that I know is a great one. They told me their process to get an appointment. So with the referral I got a packet to fill out and mailed it back the next day. One requirement for the first time appointment was to have a chest x-ray and EKG from my primary. I also learned that they require 10% weight loss prior to surgery. So I went back to my PCP, had the tests done and was referred to another doctor for a weight loss management class. I went to the bariatric orientation and started the class about the same time. By the time I had my first appointment with the lap band doctor I had lost 18 lbs in just two weeks - ALL ON LOW CARB. So they counted this loss towards my 10%. I started out at 298. The doctor put my surgery date at March 10th for lap band.

When we attended the gastric bypass orientation night a plastic surgeon showed a scary slideshow of massive weight loss resulting in hanging skin. They said it didn't matter whether you exercise or not, you would have skin like that. He said insurance will only cover two of the surgeries. The gastric bypass doctor presented the surgery pro's and con's. After much thought for 2-3 days I came to a decision. I was also starting the weight management class. I didn't like some of the things I heard with the surgery but I am serious of getting the weight off. So I proposed to my husband that I will start a lifestyle change with low carb AGAIN using this class for accountability for a least 4 classes (then I was on my own). If I could go through all the holidays - Thanksgiving through January 1st sticking to low carb, exercising and LOSING weight - come January I think I will NOT have surgery. I set a weight loss goal of 60 lbs by March 1st. Now I needed a back-up plan. So I said I would go through the entire process at the lap band clinic - meaning appt.,classes, reviews, tests, etc. leading up to the surgery date. I am so serious about this time being the last time that I will go through with surgery if that is what it takes to get the weight off.

So I went through all the weight management classes and I started walking and then going to 24 hour fitness. It was slow at the beginning. It's been 7 weeks and I have lost 28 lbs. Likewise the doctor said I needed very few tests because I was so efficient with my preparation of test prior to my first visit. So I went through with the EGD and colonoscopy (yikes!) but sooner or later they would make me do that. It came out excellent and I knew it was a matter of time that the clinic would want to move the surgery date up. If they did, I knew for sure that I was completely covered with the insurance. It was cost me nothing out of pocket. Post weight loss I could probably get approval for the skin removal as well.

Then I signed up on the Yahoo groups lap band for my area and lapbandtalk.com and have been reading post after post of problems each person has and how they are learning to live with their lap band even 3 years post-surgery. Almost every person has this vomit type reflux and acid reflux - hate it! I would rather be sick than vomit! I heard of lap band's slipping from several people and they had to re-do the surgery. All this is the northern California area. I really didn't hear a lot of positive - only problems.

So after weeks of this I posted a questionairre survey for the lap banders. I got about 10 responses to all my questions. Then I shared that I was on the fence about having surgery. I was doing so well with low carb - 28lbs and increasing my exercising stamina was great. My 60 lb goal should be reached by January 1st which is only 4 months from the start. I searched for hours to find out weight loss results on the lap band surgery and the average for the one year mark was 50 lbs and the greatest weight loss in 6 months was 70 lbs with some weight gain the following 6 months. I keep remembering - surgery is only a tool - you will only lose if you exercise and change your eating habits. Duh! If I have to go through all that changing of habits anyway - why have the surgery?

Then on Thursday of this week the call came that I knew would come. The lap band clinic called to say they wanted to move my surgery date up. My tests were all in. I hadn't even had my appointment with the dietician but they were willing to look beyond that and move the surgery date up to November 8th. Pre-op would be Oct 31st and my dietician's appointment would be Nov. 2nd. WOW! Of course, when I hesitated to the office she told me they don't know how much longer he will be doing the lap band's and he may just decided to not do them anymore so I better get in while I can. Plus I would be well by Thanksgiving and losing weight through the holidays. Boy, the pressure was on. They did "pencil" me in for surgery and I don't know what I just didn't say no. So after talking it over with my husband, who by the way has lost 27 lbs!!!! - we decided to stick to the low carb way and wait to schedule the surgery after January 1st and then maybe not at all.

So here I am - I am fresh, energetic and will be reading all I can get my hands on. I don't have money to buy the books or CD's or cookbooks but I do have 3 low carb books and I have the internet. My true plan is that this time will be different and permanent. Each and every day I commit to God and myself to make the most of each day, to eat healthy and low carb and exercise in some way. My goal each week is to push my exercise to another level. With Fibro I had to start off slow and gradual - that's still the case but I can push it a little faster now.

Thanks for reading my book of a story. If your website and YOUR story had not inspired me you would have never heard from me. I will somehow make it through your entire site absorbing everything and enjoying the journey.

I'm just speechless. This is too incredible to put into words. Let's just say it makes me happy and proud to do what I do. I sent this dear reader a FREE copy of my book for putting a smile on my face with her story. Utterly amazing!

Share your comments, questions, and success stories with me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

Letting It All Hang Out On Loose Skin Debate

My blog post about continuing to deal with loose skin following my 190-pound low-carb weight loss has certainly lit a fire in many of you who have shared your heart about this subject in e-mails to me today. I appreciate the well wishes and messages of support for me as I contemplate having the skin removal surgery.

Many of the naysayers have made their point already, so let's see some reaction from others from my e-mail box today:

Dear Jimmy,

I've been reading and listening to your podcasts for a little while now, and the first thing that I wanted to say is, "Thanks!" It's so refreshing to hear some inspirational, educational, and edifying conversation about eating low-carb.

My main reason for writing is the issue of your loose skin, and particularly that rather rude email that you received about how everything would basically be cured if you just lost more weight. I've seen with my own eyes that weight-loss is not a cure-all for loose skin, no matter how skinny a person gets.

A few years ago, my mama had a gastric bypass. She became terribly ill, to the point where it was nearly fatal. She lost so much weight that she began to look downright skeletal, and her skin began breaking down to feed her body. My poor mama erupted in rashes all over, as her body was starving to death. It's hard to get much skinnier that she was, while still being alive.

Thankfully, my mama was able to get enough emergency treatment that she recovered...mostly. It's ironic that she began feeling depressed about not losing weight, and is now struggling to keep enough weight on to LIVE. Through all of that though, even getting down to such a dramatically unhealthy weight- she still has loose skin. While the skin on her legs was able to pull tight, she is still left with a lot of loose skin on her belly.

Truly, there is just so far that the elastic nature of skin will go before it looses it's ability to spring back. Some people have more elastin in their skin, and maybe that is why some people have more "luck" with loose skin than other people do.

Still, there isn't much that a person can do about this, and that is why I just felt compelled to write. Please don't let it get to you too much when folks focus so much on the remaining 20 lbs like it is a magic cure-all, instead of simply being supportive of the great things you have done in taking care of your body.

You HAVE done a great good for yourself, and in encouraging other people. Please try to always remember that- whether dressed in a suit, or with your shirt off. *grins*

Nah, people don't bother me when they share their opinions. I politely nod my head, thank them for sharing, and then move on with my life as I have already planned. That's not to say I can't be swayed, but I'm pretty firm in most of my beliefs and getting this loose skin issue resolved is one of them.

Here's another one addressing the obese question:

Jimmy,

You published an e-mail you got from a doctor's wife, who said that according to your BMI you are still obese, and in danger of terrible disease due to that.

While I agree that being overweight can contribute to many diseases, and is the cause of many diseases, I'm convinced that those of us who are living a low carb lifestyle, even though we have much weight to lose, are less likely to get those dire diseases and complications (i.e. diabetes and heart disease) because we are eating healthful foods, we have eliminated the junk that causes the health problems.

Doesn't it make more sense that it's the food we are currently eating that affects our health much more than the fat on our body? I'm not saying that being overweight is good; I'm just thinking that we don't need to be so afraid of these diseases as long as we stick to our way of eating, regardless of what we weigh at the moment.

The 300-pound man who is eating good quality protein, fresh vegetables, drinking lots of water is surely much healthier than his counterpart who weighs the same, but is eating fast food every day, skipping breakfast, drinking sugary sodas instead of water, etc.

Even though you have more to lose, you've taken control of your diet, you eat wholesome foods, you've gotten rid of the junk in your diet - so, you are bound to be much healthier than the person who is at his perfect weight eating doughnuts and Big Macs, wouldn't you say?

People are so bad about judging our health based on our weight, rather than looking at the entire picture. They assume that, because we are overweight, we are prediabetic, on the verge of a heart attack, and have clogged arteries, when, in fact, many of us are the healthiest that we have been in years. We've cleared up our acne, have fewer arthritis problems, our nails and hair are healthy, we have more energy! All thanks to our low carb eating habits.

Thanks for you blog. You are providing a great service for many who are new to this lifestyle, and helped those of us who have been committed to it for a long while to stick with it.

EXCELLENT points to ponder in this debate over how obesity is measured. Getting back to the loose skin issue, a reader named Kevin left a comment on my blog stating:

Jimmy, my personal (admittedly unprofessional) take on this is that you need to have the skin removed, and you should stop beating your body up by tring to lose more weight. You know that the extra weight is all that skin, don't make more of a mystery out of it than it is. For whatever reason, the fat under the skin won't come off by dietary means, so don't try to make it.

Meanwhile, your body cannot reach a proper metabolic balance with all that "mass" still hanging around - the body's "metabolic balance guage" is confused by it. That is my intuitive guess. It scares me to hear you talk about pushing your body to more weight loss, when you know that that's not really the problem. Just my humble opinion.

Your thoughts mirror mine exactly, Kevin. I appreciate your concern which is why I'm doing what I can to attain my dream of having it removed. Another reader had a similar sentiment to share with me on this touchy subject of loose skin:

Hey Jimmy!

I have been a low carber for about 8 years and, of course, am lovin' it! During each of my pregnancies, I gained 45 lbs., keeping in mind that I am 5 feet nothing, short waisted and started each pregnancy at about 105 lbs. My first son weighed 11 lbs and subsequently left me with a lot of loose skin.

Even when I lost all my pregnancy weight and got back down to 105 lbs, I still had loose skin. There was no way in this world that my skin would have ever shrunk back, even at my ideal weight. At one point I tried to get down to 95 lbs. and STILL had the loose skin. So no one can tell me that it will shrink back, because it just won't.

It might have gotten a little better, but it was still there. It has bothered me so much over the years that I saved my money and just recently had a tummy tuck. It has been a rough recovery, but I now have a nice flat tummy like before I got pregnant. I am so happy with the results. I would do it over in a heartbeat. Hang in there Jimmy and save your pennies!

I have heard many similar stories from people who have had a tummy tuck to deal with their loose skin. I WILL do it and try to keep at my weight loss attempts, too. All of this discussion would be for naught if I gained the weight back, so staying committed to my weight will insure that I'll be ready when the time comes to have the skin removed at last. I CAN'T WAIT!

THANKS to everyone for letting it all hang out on this loose skin after weight loss debate. Feel free to chime in with your comments by leaving them here at my blog or e-mailing me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.

1-23-07 UDPATE: Here's an extremely well-written response to the loose skin issue from someone who had gone through it personally.

I was killing some time at work today and I stumbled across your blog. I used to weigh approximately 250 pounds when I was in college. A year after I graduated, I had dropped to 135. It was a hell of an accomplishment, but I had the same exact problem you're facing. Loose skin.

I went to see the doctor about it, and I didn't really get a lot of answers. The simple truth is that the phenomenon of people losing this much weight is relatively new (because the phenomenon of people getting as ungodly fat as a lot of us still do is relatively new too). I got the standard "it may repair itself, it may not" answer that you can find all over the internet, and he suggested weight training as a way of improving my body image.

I bought myself a body fat monitoring scale and decided to get to work. The first weighing showed I was still in the high 20s body fat percentage wise. I have to admit, I was pretty shocked it was still that high, but apparently a lot of my weight loss had come from lean mass.

My workout regimen started with weight lifting -- I thought the quickest and easiest way to fill out the loose skin would be to bulk up. It was actually incredibly difficult to do psychologically. I taught myself that gaining weight was bad, when that was exactly what I had to do to improve my situation.

I started with a ten pound set of dumbells I bought at Walmart, and did a lot of research on the "right" exercises. It was pretty surprising how soon I started noticing results -- it was barely a month later that I had to buy a heavier set.

In the meantime, I had bought my first house (at age 23 -- not bad). The property quickly started appreciating in value, and once I qualified for a home equity loan, I started considering the "body lift" procedure. I had gone in for consultations, gotten a quote, and an assurance that at my young age, I'd look phenomenal after healing from the surgery.

Still, I'm very nervous about surgery of any type. I have a rather extreme phobia of needles, so I made a bargain with myself that I'd first make an all-out attempt to get rid of as much loose skin as possible through exercise, and only after I stopped seeing any kind of measurable result would I consider spending the $10,000 for the surgery.

I took the challenge seriously. I bought and assembled a home gym, got a weight bench, a diverse set of weights, started reading exercise machines and doing research. My weight went back up to 150, but my body fat percentage actually decreased into the low twenties, and eventually the high teens. The loose skin didn't disappear, but it had gotten noticably tighter. Seeing the results were just as addicting as the initial weight loss was.

Just last year, I moved north to Boston. When I got here, I joined a gym and stepped things up. My weight is now up to 160, and my bodyfat has slipped even further down. The thickness of the loose skin has decreased significantly. The most noticable change has been in my arms -- I once had that disgusting "old lady arm flap" problem, but now the skin has tightened there to the point where I can actually see the shape of the muscle underneath. They look phenomenal when I'm working out (which is when your fat starts dissolving into the bloodstream and muscle size is its biggest), which just makes me want to push harder. I'm far stronger than I ever was, which is terrific. And I can actually start seeing the outline of my abdominal muscles, which is incredibly thrilling.

I don't look perfect, but I still have hope. Three years after making that first visit to the plastic surgeon, my skin is still tightening by the day. My goal by the summer is to gain another 10 pounds of mass, finally hit that 10% body fat mark, and to reassess my progress then. I log in over an hour at the gym about five or six times a week.

My eating habits are getting pretty crazy now -- where I once had to limit what I ate, now I have to eat almost as much food as I did when I was fat. I haven't eliminated carbs completely from my diet, but I'm a lot more conscious about how badly some foods will spike my blood sugar levels. Mostly, it's high protein foods -- I can't gain muscle mass unless I have an uncomfortably agressive intake of protein (just one of the things I've learned about myself over the past few years).

I doubt I'll ever be able to completely rid myself of as much excess skin as I want, but I refuse to give up until I've proven to myself that I can't.

Good luck to you on whatever route you choose. I'll let you know how mine turns out.

Eenie meanie miney moe! Which way will I go? Workout like a fiend or go under the knife? Hmmm...

Post-Weight Loss Loose Skin Hanging Around

Two years after losing 180 pounds, my loose skin still haunts me

Speaking of Adro Sarnelli who won "The Biggest Loser Australia" last year, did you see this article about him and the struggle he has had dealing with all the excess, loose skin on his body following his 130-pound weight loss?

I previously blogged about his decision to have an abdominoplasty done, better known as a "tummy tuck." But now he wants to get rid of the rest of his hanging skin at an eye-popping cost of $20,000 plus recovery time off from work.

Here's why Adro decided to do this:

"It was just really disappointing to think that I lost [all that weight] and that I still had the same body that I had when I was fat," he said. "I'm actually left with a whole lot of extra skin which, in my own mind, it sort of leaves me unfinished. I have man boobs and that's something I really hate and would love to get rid of. I also have a really saggy apron area around my tummy."

So with the help of a plastic surgeon and many hours of body sculpting which includes not just a tummy tuck but also a buttock lift, a thigh lift, as well as skin removal from his chest, back, and arms, Adro will soon have a body that will LOOK like that fabulous weight loss success that he was in 2006. Everyone else has seen how good he looks, so now it's time for him to see it for himself.

The payoff was when he got to look at himself in the mirror for the first time after having "heaps" of his loose skin removed for good.

"I actually got to stand up and have a shower so I looked in the mirror and I was actually able to look down," Adro proudly exclaimed.

Now he says he feels "unreal" on the inside and out.

I couldn't be happier for Adro because I know EXACTLY how he feels. I'm right there in the same predicament, too. It's been over two years now since I lost the majority of my 190 pounds and my loose skin problem hasn't gotten any better as everyone claimed it would if you would "just give it some time." In fact, it looks like the problem has gotten even worse! MUCH WORSE!

Many of my new readers who have discovered my blog in the past few weeks have e-mailed me asking about whether I have loose skin and want to know what I am doing to handle it. In fact, here's one of those e-mails:

Dear Jimmy,

I thought I would send you an email regarding weight loss and the dreaded loose skin afterwards. After skin removal surgery, people seem to be very happy with the results. Have you had this surgery? Is loose skin really inevitable when you are very overweight? How do you limit loose skin? Does losing too fast encourage loose skin?

I'd love to know if you have ever written a blog about it. It's very discouraging losing all that weight only to be left with a whole lot of skin and where you have to stay covered up.

Well, as a matter of fact I HAVE blogged about this subject before--SEVERAL times actually. Here are a just a handful of those posts for you to check out:

- "Indiana Reporter Left Hanging After Weight Loss, Too"
- "Dealing With Excess, Loose Skin After Weight Loss"
- "Is There Loose Skin After Atkins Weight Loss?"

So many of you have e-mailed me with your support and well wishes that I can do something about my hanging, loose skin after reading about me blog about it and in the final chapter of my book. You have encouraged me to not get discouraged or ever give up on my dream of getting the skin removal surgery done and I haven't. I KNOW it's gonna happen one of these days.

Let me just say one thing that absolutely needs to be heard loud and clear to anyone who is overweight or obese and is worried about having loose skin afterwards. Don't let this issue stop you from making the best decision of your life to lose weight and get healthy. Sure, the loose skin can be an eyesore, but it's a whole heckuva lot better than the enormous pain of being fat. There's just no comparison!

I really don't know why this issue gets people so worked up about losing weight, but it does. Some of the most popular Google searches people who are desiring weight loss put into the search engine is "loose skin after weight loss" or "how do you firm up excess skin." I'm fascinated that people worry about such things when they should be focused on getting their physical health in order first.

At the same time, if I get one more person sending me this link to check out, then I think I'll have to run in front of an 18-wheeler on the interstate! Just for the record, I don't believe much of what this guy has to say, so don't bother telling me about it okay. With all due respect, I certainly acknowledge that there is a possibility that what I think is loose skin may be excess fat that I need to lose, but I don't care at this point. I just want the skin GONE!

I'm still eating low-carb since this has become my permanent way of life and my body fat percentage has continued to drop down from over half when I used to weigh 410 pounds. I've even made reducing my body fat one of my goals for 2007. Nevertheless, now that I'm 220 pounds, I want to LOOK like I am 220 pounds. The fact is I don't like what I see every single time I look in that mirror.

Wanna see what I'm talking about for yourself? I'll warn you, it's pretty disgusting to look at and you would probably think I was showing you a picture of a fat man's body. But, no, this is me.


Shirtless on the beach looking like THIS? Not a chance!

Can you see what I'm facing here? It's incredibly frustrating because as much as I want to truly celebrate my enormous weight loss success, I can't jump for joy when I still look and feel like I'm obese! I often joke with my wife Christine playfully jiggling my former 62-inch waist that has now shrunk down to a 38-inch waist in front of her like some circus freak show. But I don't feel sexy for her and I so much in my heart want to.

It's not just my stomach, though. Look at what's "hanging" from my inner thighs. EWWWW!


There's so much skin in my thighs that they get rubbed raw

When I asked my doctor to take a look at this loose skin issue in my stomach and inner thighs, he told me quite bluntly (which I appreciated!) that the elasticity is too far gone at this point to firm up and tighten from my very large weight loss. He wrote a letter to my insurance company, but they refused to pay for it. The only remedy at this point is to live with it or get the surgery done at my own expense.

Those are my ONLY choices at this point. For now, I'll just have to learn to live with it and move on with my life (which I have). But if ever there was a dream that you wished would come true for you, that's how I feel about getting this surgery. I'm hopeful it will happen to give me that "closure" Adro was talking about.

As for those questions my reader had about the loose skin issue, here's what I think about each one of them:

Have you had this surgery?

No, but I desperately want to.

Is loose skin really inevitable when you are very overweight?

I don't think it's necessarily inevitable just because you are overweight or obese. But if you are like me and the other yo-yo dieters who have gone up and down expanding and contracting the skin so many times, I do think there is a point of no return where it is impossible to expect the skin to be firm short of surgery.

How do you limit loose skin?

Don't get fat to begin with! LOL! I know, that's probably too late for most people, but it's true. That'll DEFINITELY keep it from happening, though.

Does losing too fast encourage loose skin?

Some people have the thought that losing slower will somehow keep the skin from getting loose. But Kimmer from the Kimkins diet, who had a tummy tuck and bosom lift following her 200-pound low-carb weight loss, said in her interview with me that stretch marks are emergency skin and no matter how fast or slow you lose, the "skin isn't going anywhere" and that "losing slowly is no advantage."

She added, "It's exactly like having a skin tight skirt, adding a 2" panel of fabric and expecting the extra fabric to disappear the next time you wash the skirt. Just ain't happening!" I agree with Kimmer because the skin has nowhere else to go but droop down. :(

So now it's January 2007, three years after I began the most lifechanging experience of my entire life. It's like writing an entire book from start to finish, but then not having it published. You have done all that work and maybe even shared it with those around you. But you won't feel right until it is finished and ready for the public to see.

That's how I feel about my loose skin. I've poured many days, weeks, and months into becoming who am I am today these past few years. I'm very proud of what I have been able to do and appreciate all the compliments and adoration that has been given to me. But it's time to send this book to be published and that means getting the excess skin removed.

It won't be today, probably not tomorrow either. But it will happen.

'Biggest Loser' Erik Chopin Wants To Help Obese

Erik Chopin's "hopeless" life now revitalized by "The Biggest Loser"

When you are a 400+ pound man who gets to the point in your life that you consider having weight loss surgery to finally get your weight and health under control, then you've reached what many consider the pinnacle of desperation. But the sad reality is that people who have struggled with being overweight or obese for much of their lives feel like they don't have any other choice to make, so they throw their hands up in the air and allow doctors to begin cutting away at their insides.

That's exactly what Erik Chopin thought before he decided to be a contestant on Season 3 of the hit NBC reality television show "The Biggest Loser." His decision and good fortune to be chosen to appear on the show representing the state of New York very well may have saved his life and health forever since he was just crowned the winner of that competition by losing an incredible 214 pounds, over half his body weight, while competing on the show.

In a telephone interview with the Associated Press on Friday, Chopin said he was so down on his luck before going on "The Biggest Loser" that he was willing to put himself through the agony of undergoing the risky and controversial LAP-BAND surgery to deal with his morbid obesity.

"That's how hopeless I felt," Chopin told the AP. "I felt like I needed to go for the surgery but, really, I'm so glad I didn't."

Chopin said he would not have forgiven himself if he had allowed himself to so easily give up on trying to lose weight naturally at least one more time.

"I knew the whole time, I honestly knew, I was copping out, I was quitting," Chopin revealed regarding his desire to have the surgery.

But all of that changed when "The Biggest Loser" came along.

"Now, there's no stopping me," Chopin proclaimed after winning $250,000 as the grand prize winner of the popular weight loss television series.

Over the past nine months or so on the infamous California ranch with a team of professional trainers and nutritionists, Chopin learned along with his fellow contestants what life could be like eating healthy perhaps for the first time in his life, making better choices regarding fitness and nutrition, and genuinely soaking up life for all it was meant to be.

You could say 2006 has been one big blur for this now 193-pounder.

"It's surreal. I'm on top of the world," Chopin told the AP. "It was such a long journey, probably the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. But it's just so rewarding. I'm getting paid now for something I needed to do. You know, I needed to get healthy."

It's hard to describe for people what it is like after losing a lifechanging amount of weight like Chopin did. When I lost 180 pounds on the Atkins diet in 2004, it was the exact same thing for me. The pathway to weight loss and improved health was pretty difficult and seemed like a struggle that was never going to end while in the midst of the process of losing weight.

But when all was said and done, the undeniable feeling of accomplishment and what that meant for my life not only in the here and now but also for the future I had secured for myself simply overwhelmed me. You hear people all the time express how their lives were improved following weight loss, but you have no idea the extent of it until you actually do it yourself!

For Chopin, the turnaround in his health came none too soon as he was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and other health ailments during his appearance on "The Biggest Loser." Not surprisingly, Bob Harper (a fan of my low-carb blog!) and the nutritional staff put him on a sugar-free, low-carb weight loss program to help him effectively control his diabetes and later become the super slim man with the incredible physique he displays today.

"Everything fits great and I'm comfortable and I need to stay right here," Chopin said.

Getting used to your new body is a fun experience indeed. If Chopin likes where his weight is right now at 193, then the real challenge is about to begin for him. When I got down to 230 pounds after weighing 410 at the beginning of 2004, I knew it was going to take everything within me to keep that scale from going back up. As it was, I lost another 10 pounds in 2005 to get down to 220 and life was going great as I prevented the usual letdown that most successful losers face in the year that follows.

But then 2006 rolled around and I allowed myself to slip back into some old habits before I started livin' la vida low-carb. I was still essentially doing the low-carb lifestyle, but I permitted myself a few too many indulgences which then showed up on the scale. When my weight reached 240 pounds over the summer, I knew I needed to do something about it and fast!

That's when I started my "30-In-30" Low-Carb Weight Loss Challenge on August 1, 2006 to lose 30 pounds in 30 weeks. We are now two-thirds of the way through that challenge and I have lost almost 25 pounds so far. Hundreds of others are following along in this challenge and losing weight themselves. It's exactly what I needed to get refocused on maintaining my weight.

This is something Chopin will undoubtedly deal with himself, especially with all the temptations that will befall him with his newfound celebrity and wealth. Plus, as the owner of the popular North Babylon, NY-based restaurant called Emma's Delicatessen, he will always be surrounded by food and the allure to nibble. Chopin didn't get to be 407 pounds without something tempting him! Don't you know all that food he served to his customers was his albatross. The good news is he can still enjoy the food he serves in his deli and stay on his low-carb plan as long as he stays away from the bread and potato chips! :)

At the end of the AP interview, Chopin makes an incredibly wise comment about how this weight loss he has experienced will forever alter the way he looks at an overweight or obese person he encounters.

"I see a big guy somewhere and in my mind I'm not critical of him," Chopin revealed. "I'm more like, 'I need to help this person.' I'd like to help them, because I know what it's like and how awful it feels to be obese. And I was morbidly obese."

Erik Chopin is not alone in his desire to help people who need to lose weight. It is something I have devoted myself fully to the past 2+ years since losing my weight and I intend to continue doing it through my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, on my podcast show, and any other method of communication I am privileged to use for getting the message out about the hope of a brighter tomorrow through weight loss.

Unless you've been as morbidly obese as both Erik and I have and then lost the weight, then you can't understand why we feel this way. It's as if you have a newfound mission in life to tell everyone you come into contact with about this remarkable gift you have been given so they too can experience the thrill and joy of finding the secret to permanent weight loss. How can you hold something like this inside of yourself? It's been nearly three years for me and I'm STILL fired up!

I sincerely hope Chopin uses the platform he has been given to begin educating and encouraging people who need to lose weight that it is possible to do it without the use of surgery, pills, and other such nonsense that people feel pressured into doing instead of seeking natural solutions. Whether you choose to limit your fat and calorie intake, increase your consumption of protein while lowering your carbohydrates, or WHATEVER other lifestyle change, making the choice that is right and works best for YOU and then doing it for the rest of your life will start you down the road to success.

CONGRATULATIONS again to Erik Chopin on being named "The Biggest Loser" of Season 3 and I wish him well in the coming year and beyond as he seeks to keep his weight off forever by continuing on his low-carb lifestyle just like the previous winners of "The Biggest Loser" have. It's a neverending battle, I tell people, but one worth fighting! I'm so proud of you, Erik! Keep fighting the good fight and NEVER EVER GIVE UP!



If you want to read more about "The Biggest Loser," including seeing some awesome before and after photos of the contestants from Season 1 and Season 2, reading an exclusive interview I conducted with personal trainer Bob Harper, finding out what happened to Jillian Michaels, and so much more, then please visit my post full of "The Biggest Loser" links.

'Biggest Loser' Gets Tummy Tuck, Making Weight Loss Documentary

The worldwide popularity of the hit NBC television show "The Biggest Loser" has indeed catapulted the show and its contestants into reality show superstardom! Just ask the winner of the Australian version of the show, Adro Sarnelli.




After being declared "The Biggest Loser" in Australia for the exciting debut season this year in that country, he went on a whirlwind media tour that had him running all across Australia nonstop for months! When I was finally about to interview him at my blog in late September, Adro was just wrapping up his appearances and on his way to having surgery to remove the excess, loose, excess skin he had on his body after shedding over 130 pounds to "bring closure" to his weight loss experience.

I asked Adro about that surgery and here's what he said:

"YES, I HAVE HEAPS OF EXCESS SKIN LEFT AFTER THE WEIGHT LOSS. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HOW FAST I LOST WEIGHT BECAUSE I WOULD HAVE IT NO MATTER WHAT BECAUSE I HAD IT ALL BEFORE I LOST WEIGHT AND WORSE NOW. I AM ACTUALLY GOING IN FOR SURGERY ON OCTOBER 3, 2006 TO HAVE MY FIRST OPERATION WHICH IS THE BODY LIFT. THEN I WILL GET MY ARMS, MAN BOOBS, AND THIGHS DONE ON NOVEMBER 14, 2006. MOST OF ALL, THESE SURGERIES ARE FOR ME TO HAVE CLOSURE ON THE WHOLE IDEA OF NOT BEING A FAT GUY ANYMORE."

I am so envious of Adro for having this done because I too want to have my jiggly skin taken care of as well. While some people claim that there is no such thing as loose skin, but rather bodaciously contend that it is excess fat that still needs to be lost, I am becoming more and more convinced that's a lie because my hanging skin problem is getting worse as I continue to lose weight. When I hit my goal of 199 in a few months, I will be doing a thorough post about this subject.

In fact, Adro believes this is such an important topic along with the whole weight loss, obesity, and getting fit theme that he is working on a new self-produced documentary film and he desperately wants to show it on television to help his fellow Australians overcome their objections to attempting weight loss. This is a passionate dream in this young man's heart right now and I think you and I can do something quite simple to help him out.

To that end, there is a brand new video featuring Adro Sarnelli on YouTube that I would like for you to go watch RIGHT NOW! Stop whatever you are doing (unless you are at work, of course!) and take a gander at this video. This is an important step in the process of helping Adro, so please do your part and watch the video.

It's less than 10 minutes long and features Adro with the cardboard cutout of himself before he started losing weight standing behind him as he talks about his recent surgery to take up the loose skin in his abdomen and chest, the upcoming surgery on his arms to take up the loose skin there (what's strange is my loose skin looks EXACTLY like his!), and a sneak peek at the documentary that is coming soon. In fact, watch the video all the way to the end to find out how you can see a special preview of the documentary.

Adro and his partner Ray Kelly are working hard to get as many views and comments about this video as they possibly can so they can have more leverage with television executives about showing the documentary when it is ready to be aired. This documentary could have the potential to help so many people, so won't you take just a few minutes of your time to check it out and leave a comment for Adro? THANK YOU!

CLICK HERE to show your support by watching the video at YouTube. I know Adro appreciates your help and sincerely wants to help others struggling with obesity to overcome it just as he did. THANK YOU again for your assistance and let's show this fellow low-carber that we do have strength in numbers to help make a difference in the country of Australia and beyond!