Were You A Winner In My 3rd Blogiversary Giveaway? Find Out NOW!

I'm announcing the WINNERS of my blogiversary contest!

I just celebrated the third anniversary of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog last month with an extensive list of 100 great prizes for you to win. It has become my annual tradition and I'm happy to oblige my wonderful readers who like to win stuff by giving as many of you as possible a good chance. And this year's contest was no different with a record-breaking number of entries from the United States, Canada and around the world.

Before I share who the winners were, I wanted to make a few comments about the people who entered. A total of 37 of the 50 states were represented with California leading the pack followed by Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, Washington, Tennessee, Michigan, South Carolina, Missouri, Minnesota, Ohio and Florida. I was surprised North Carolina wasn't better represented since I have a lot of readers in that state. And Virginia came out of nowhere with a boatload of entries unlike in years past. Also represented in the entries from overseas was Poland, the UK, Ireland, and Canada.

One interesting thing that came to light in the entries was my question about which plan you are following and for how long. This was totally fascinating to me since the people who entered represent a large cross-section of the thousands of people who read my blog each day. Wanna take a wild guess at which low-carb plan most people follow?

ATKINS ruled the roost with 63 percent of the people on it. But the second place low-carb plan was a shocker--MY OWN PLAN. It garnered 13 percent of the vote putting it ahead of South Beach (6 percent), Protein Power (5 percent), and Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Diet (3 percent). Other plans receiving votes included Somersize, Barry Groves, the TNT Diet, Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet, Weight Watcher's "core" plan, Mary Enig's Coconut Diet, and Dr. Mercola's No Grain Diet. Clearly, low-carb is not dead and there are a variety of plans to choose from based on these responses.

How about the length of time people have been following the low-carb lifestyle? This way of eating can't possibly be attracting new people with all the constant negativity from the media and health "experts" about it, can it? Well, according to these results, the answer is an unequivocal YES! A full 41 percent of the respondents have been on their chosen low-carb plan less than a year. This means people are STILL finding out the truth about low-carb living and are giving it a whirl. Over one-third (34 percent) have been low-carbing for 1-3 years and one-fourth are long-term low-carb veterans by livin' la vida low-carb for more than three years. These numbers don't lie--low-carb is here to stay!

I decided to do another trivia scavenger hunt challenge with this year's blogiversary since it went over so well last year. But I was surprised to see so many people get hung up on the following questions (I've provided a link to where you could find each of the correct answers):

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

ANSWER: Dr. Mary C. Vernon

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

ANSWER: Nashville

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?

ANSWER: Manuel Uribe

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.

ANSWER: "Magic Shell"

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

ANSWER: Gary Taubes

Although everyone got c. and e. right, the others gave some people trouble. The most often missed question was a. In their haste to find the answer, most people neglected to read the most important word in that question--NOMINATED! So to all of you who answered "Barbara Odom," I gotcha! Of course, I benevolently gave each of you a second chance and everyone got it right the second go around. The answer to b. was also a trick question because I just got back from the Western Regional ASBP conference in Phoenix, so the key word in that question was EASTERN. This one tripped up a fair share of people, although not as many as a. did. For d., I got a few answers like chocolate dipped strawberries, but most people got that one right.

These contests are always fun and I'm glad to see so many of you take advantage of participating. Okay, well THANKS so much for reading and we'll be seeing you around...what's that? What do you mean I haven't announced the winners...OH YEAH! That's what you've been waiting for, right? Duh, silly me. I'm happy to let you know EXACTLY who won what prize in the contest at my brand new and improved forum.

Just click on this thread link and all 100 winners are already listed there for you to see. While you are there, I'd love to have you sign up to join in on the conversation about livin' la vida low-carb with your fellow readers. It's a fun and loving place and this new format is incredible! I really think you'll enjoy the experience and hope you give it a chance sometime soon.

THANK YOU again to everyone who entered as well as all the generous prize sponsors who donated these so that you could win some neat stuff! Please allow 4-6 weeks for your prize to be shipped and CONGRATULATIONS to all my winners. Keep reading for your chance to win even more loot in the future. If I haven't said it to you lately, THANKS so much for your support of the work I am doing here at "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb." :) I appreciate you more than I could ever express. SEE YA!

Were You A Winner In My 100th Podcast Contest?

Did you enter my special contest celebrating the 100th episode of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore?" Do you wanna see if you were a winner? Click here to find out if YOU were a winner! GOOD LUCK!!!

I've Got My Two Winners In The American Lamb Giveaway Contest

Last week, I shared with you about my first experience eating lamb thanks to the good folks over at The American Lamb Board. They were kind enough to share their really nifty Summer Lamb Grill Kit which I enjoyed thoroughly!

As you know, they also gave me two of these kits to give away to a couple of lucky readers and I was swamped with so many responses to my trivia questions from my very smart readers that I hated there would only be two winners.

For the record, here are the correct answers:

What is the marketing slogan for the American Lamb Board?
American Lamb. From American Land.

Who is the American Lamb spokesperson?
Chef Tim Love

What government Cabinet office created the American Lamb Board?
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture

What are the five most popular cuts of lamb?
Leg, Loin, Shanks, Shoulder, and Rack

Just about everyone who entered got these right and THANK YOU to the masses of you who participated in this contest. All the entries with correct answers were placed in a pool to draw from and my wife Christine did the honors.

And the winners are...

DENNITA H. from Brady, TX and DEBORAH R. from Braintree, MA

WOO HOO! CONGRATULATIONS Dennita and Deborah. You two ladies will each be receiving an overnight package on Wednesday morning from the American Lamb Board with the following:

- 6-8 lb. prime cut boneless leg of American lamb
- Recipe cards with exclusive lamb recipes
- Fresh pre-packaged herbs needed for the recipes above
- American Lamb Board meat thermometer
- Set of (4) 12" stainless-steel skewers from Outset Inc.

See what you can look forward to grilling up! Can't you just taste it?! :D



Special THANKS to the American Lamb Board for their generous donations and on behalf of my readers I express my deepest gratitude to them for educating us about healthy American-made lamb.

Big 2nd Blogiversary Giveaway Contest Winners

When I decided to celebrate my two-year anniversary at my blog (which I commemorated on April 21st) throughout the month of April with a special giveaway contest, I had no idea that so many companies would be as incredibly generous as they were. WOW! Those prizes are absolutely amazing! I wish I could win some of these prizes! :D

Then, the response from so many of you to participate in my contest was overwhelming. Although a few people complained that the scavenger hunt questions were too hard (um, they could have been MUCH more difficult than they were), most people did swimmingly well with them without a hitch. Of course, my hints were helpful to those who struggled. These aren't cheap-o prizes, so you oughta have to work just a little bit to earn them, right?

One of the most interesting part of the contest was reading about which low-carb plan my readers who entered the blogiversary contest were following. There was one clear-cut winner by an overwhelming percentage--ATKINS!!!

Here was the breakdown:

Atkins--64%
My own low-carb plan--13%
Kimkins--9%
South Beach--7%
Protein Power--6%
Other--1%

The results of this unscientific survey may be shocking to the media and the so-called health "experts" who think nobody in their right mind is following the Atkins diet anymore. WRONG-O! The results speak for themselves--TWO-THIRDS of my readers are on that particular low-carb plan. Get that through your thick heads all you naysayers!

The other low-carb plans are good, too, but this just goes to show you why the antagonists continue to rail against the Atkins nutritional approach. It is still VERY popular and for good reason--IT WORKS! That's it, pure and simple.

Entries into my contest came from 47 of the 50 U.S. states and I even had one entry from Brampton, Ontario in Canada (and that person won a prize, too!). Predictably, California led the pack with the most entries because they are the largest state by far. But the states represented below them were a bit surprising as you can see for yourself:

1. California
2. Minnesota
3. Washington
4. Missouri
5. Michigan
6. Iowa
7. Texas
8. North Carolina

Even in my home state of South Carolina, I only had one entry from a dear lady in Greenville, SC (and she happened to win a prize, too!). THANK YOU to everyone who participated and I want you to know how much I appreciate your readership and involvement in what I am doing at my blog.

I'll let you know right now that everyone who entered the contest is gonna receive something in the mail from me soon. Even if you won one of the many outstanding prizes listed below, you will get this prize, too. It's the least I could do to reward you for taking time out of your busy schedule to look up the answers to my questions and submit your entry. The prize isn't anything fancy, but just a small way for me to show my appreciation to you.

I know what you're thinking...GET ON WITH IT ALREADY! Okay, okay, I know you want to know who won what, so let's do it by the list of prize bundles first and then the GRAND PRIZE winner of that amazing Vermont Castings grill will be announced at the end. Here goes (click on the prize bundle link to see a complete description of the prizes):

PRIZE BUNDLE #1

CHOCOPERFECTION--Janelle L. from Minnesota
CHOCOPERFECTION--Jennifer M. from Nevada
CHOCOPERFECTION--Vickie A. from California

EGGLAND'S BEST--Chuck D. from Iowa
EGGLAND'S BEST--Brenda S. from Michigan
EGGLAND'S BEST--Barbara M. from Vermont
EGGLAND'S BEST--Ryan N. from Alaska
EGGLAND'S BEST--Vickie E. from Utah

ALSOSALT--Michael W. from Tennessee

CARB WARS--Margaret N. from Oklahoma

KIMKINS--Tom O. from Minnesota

PRIZE BUNDLE #2

SUGAR SHOCK!--Nicole S. from Washington
SUGAR SHOCK!--Marshall R. from Washington
SUGAR SHOCK!--Kevin M. from Connecticut

DREAMFIELDS--Jennifer S. from Vermont

VIVA LOW-CARB GIFT CERTIFICATE--Francine D. from Ontario
VIVA LOW-CARB BREAD--Christina R. from Texas

STEVIVA--Janet L. from New Hampshire

OUT LADY OF WEIGHT LOSS--Cheryl S. from California

PRIZE BUNDLE #3

JIGSAW HEALTH--Joseph M. from Florida

OLIVADO AVOCADO OIL--Elizabeth K. from Illinois
OLIVADO OMEGA PLUS OIL--William B. from Missouri

KAREN RYSAVY/FIBERFIT--Pete C. from Michigan

DR. RICHARD BERNSTEIN--Jay K. from New Jersey

NEXGEN MUFFINS--Brandi H. from North Carolina

PRIZE BUNDLE #4

SMOKY MOUNTAIN CABIN TRIP--Rhea K. from North Carolina

"ULTIMATE CHEF" FROM DEL MONTE--Rick P. from North Dakota

DIABETES MINE--Samantha H. from the District of Columbia
DIABETES MINE--Sarah C. from Washington

BBQ QUEENS--Rita S. from South Carolina
BBQ QUEENS--Lisha A. from Indiana
BBQ QUEENS--Michelle S. from Nebraska
BBQ QUEENS--Melinda S. from Virginia
BBQ QUEENS--Marie S. from Minnesota

CARBSMART--George C. from New York

PRIZE BUNDLE #5

NANO O2 AIR PURIFIER--Lisa E. from Illinois

DIET DETECTIVE--Teresa F. from Maine

FUZE SLENDERIZE--Diane S. from Alabama
FUZE SLENDERIZE--Kay W. from Virginia
FUZE SLENDERIZE--Peggy O. from Alaska
FUZE SLENDERIZE--Benjamin B. from Massachusetts
FUZE SLENDERIZE--Dennita H. from Texas

ENLITENED KOSHER COOKING--Gayle O. from Oregon
ENLITENED KOSHER COOKING--Matthew H. from California
ENLITENED KOSHER COOKING--Tania G. from Louisiana

CAL-CARB CLICKER--Cindy P. from Colorado
CAL-CARB CLICKER--Guy J. from Washington
CAL-CARB CLICKER--Tom B. from Minnesota
CAL-CARB CLICKER--Pat C. from California
CAL-CARB CLICKER--Terry B. from Wisconsin

And the winner of the GRAND PRIZE Vermont Castings Deluxe Grill in the 2nd Annual "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" Blogiversary Giveaway Contest is:

AMY D. FROM MISSOURI

YEAH!!! WOO HOO!!! YIP YIP YIPPEE!!! (are you excited, Amy?!)

CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who won a prize in my contest. I will be contacting the companies over the next few days with the names and addresses of the winners so you can claim your prize. Please allow 4-6 weeks for your prize to be mailed to you. If you do not receive it by mid-June, then please contact me to let me know.

Enjoy your prizes and tell everyone you know to read the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog for more opportunities to win some really great stuff. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to everyone for making my 2nd blogiversary one to remember. SEE YA and have a great day!

Low-Carb Blogiversary Contest Prize Bundle #1

Ever since I announced my 2nd Annual Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blogiversary Giveaway Contest last night, my e-mail box has been cookin' up a storm! That's fantastic and I'm happy that so many people are signing up to win all of those fantastic prizes, including the GRAND PRIZE--that Vermont Castings Signature Series BBQ grill that's got everyone so excited!

There have been a few people who have struggled with the right answers, especially to that "must-have" low-carb book (hint: although I LOVE Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution, it's not the right answer). Look around my profile page as well as the right-hand side of the blog for most of the answers. I tried to make the scavenger hunt pretty easy, but not TOO easy since the prizes aren't chintzy! What other blog gives you a chance to win a deluxe grill and thousands of dollars worth of other prizes, hmm? :)

Like I promised, I will be sharing more of the prizes you can win in a series of blog posts. This is the first Blogiversary Contest Prize Bundle package that I'll share with you with many more to come (so keep checking back!). See if you'd like to win any of THESE wonderful prizes from the super sponsors who donated them for my anniversary giveaway, you have to enter to win. ENJOY!

Here are the prizes (if listed multiple times, that means multiple winners!):

ONE DOZEN DARK AND MILK CHOCOLATE CHOCOPERFECTION
ONE DOZEN DARK AND MILK CHOCOLATE CHOCOPERFECTION
ONE DOZEN DARK AND MILK CHOCOLATE CHOCOPERFECTION


Can I please win some sugar-free/low-carb ChocoPerfection bars?

Yep, three lucky readers will win an entire dozen of both the dark chocolate and milk chocolate flavors of what I describe as the best-tasting low-carb chocolate bars ever--CHOCOPERFECTION BARS!!! What more can I say about these completely sugar-free, but oh so delicious morsels of chocolatey goodness than to simply highly encourage you to never live without chocolate again even when you are livin' la vida low-carb. Loaded with healthy fiber, you'll be hooked just like I am! Go to ChocoPerfection.com.

EGGLAND'S BEST GOODIE GIFT BASKET
EGGLAND'S BEST GOODIE GIFT BASKET
EGGLAND'S BEST GOODIE GIFT BASKET
EGGLAND'S BEST GOODIE GIFT BASKET
EGGLAND'S BEST GOODIE GIFT BASKET


Every low-carber has got to love Eggland's Best eggs

We know from studies that eating eggs fills you up, so what better prize than a FREE egg basket?! America's favorite egg manufacturer Eggland's Best has donated not one, not two, but FIVE of these cute little baskets with all kinda stuff for you to enjoy. Each goodie gift basket contains: 1 "Complete Party Planner" cookbook by Annabel Karmel, 1 Plush Egg, 1 Apron, 1 Spatula, 1 Egg timer, and 4 Coupons for a Dozen Eggland's Best Eggs! WOW! What a great prize for someone who is livin' la vida low-carb! Please visit their new and improved web site at EgglandsBest.com.

ALSOSALT VARIETY PACK


Potassium-based seasoning for people who are salt-sensitive

Remember when I blogged about getting adequate potassium recently? Well, there's a wonderful product I reviewed last year called AlsoSalt that is completely salt-free and made with potassium. But unlike those "other" salt substitutes, this one tastes incredibly good. This prize package gives you 2 bottles of AlsoSalt original, 1 bottle of AlsoSalt butter, and 1 bottle of AlsoSalt garlic. Go to AlsoSalt.com to learn more about this unique product.

AUTOGRAPHED COPY OF CARB WARS: Sugar Is The New Fat


New low-carb cookbook from Judy Barnes Baker released April 1

How'd you like to win an autographed copy of Judy Barnes Baker's enticing new low-carb cookbook entitled CARB WARS: Sugar Is The New Fat? Judy was gracious enough to donate her brand new debut book release available RIGHT NOW at Amazon.com to one lucky reader! Find out more about the book by visiting the CARB WARS companion web site.

We have only just begun to scratch the surface on all the GREAT prizes I have to offer you in my 2nd Annual Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Blogiversary Giveaway Contest. But you gotta enter if you want to win a prize, so CLICK HERE to find out how! I'll have more prizes to share with you soon! :)

Here Are 'The Dan Ho Show' Contest Winners

Dan Ho knows how to make you happy--FREE BOOKS!

I was privileged to host a FREE BOOK GIVEAWAY contest at my blog earlier this week featuring the brand new release from Dan Ho in promotion of his television special on Discovery Health called "The Dan Ho Show." So many of you entered for your chance to win the book "Rescue From Domestic Perfection" and I was only able to give away 10 books.

Sorry to everyone who DIDN'T win, but here were the winners who were chosen along with the area of their life that they would like Dan Ho to help them improve and make more simple:

1. Kent from Iowa

"I wish my responsibility in dealing with my kids' functions and commitments were easier. I am spending Monday night bringing my boy to football, Tuesday is my eldest daughter choir practice, Wednesday. I teach Cadets (a Christian Boy Scout-like organization) for my boy, and my wife teaches my daughters GEMS lessons. On Saturday and Sunday, I spend my time preparing for and teaching Sunday school. On top of everything else, the school thinks we should have one hour extra per day to deal each of our four kids to help with their homework assignments. Trying to squeeze exercise in has forced me to resort to working out in the dark before work."

2. Audi from New Jersey

"I’d love to simplify my entertaining so that I can enjoy my friends more than just slaving for them the whole night and going to bed exhausted. Of course, true to Dan’s observations, it isn’t just one thing, cooking a nice meal, but it involves having the house clean enough and decorated right to set the mood that I want, and if it isn’t perfect, it wasn’t worth the effort."

3. Elizabeth from Illinois

"The area I would like to simplify the most is cooking. I am alone Sunday thru Thursday and have trouble cooking for just me--simple, easy cooking. I think I need more motivation because I would much rather pick up fast food."

4. Cynthia from Montana

"I wish there was an easier way to cook healthy!"

5. Nancy from Ohio

"I'm always feeling like I need a 'boost.' I've been on the South Beach diet since June and have lost 25 pounds, but I am starting to stray a bit. I had 3 cookies for supper, for example. A healthy lifestyle is important to me because I have diabetes and a heart problem. I would really like to read this book!"

6. Catherine from Georgia

"The area of my life I would like to make simpler is balancing home and work life. I never seem to have enough time to do the things I need to do at home because of my full-time job."

7. Kristie from Alabama

"I need to lose weight safely, consistently, and slowly. When I diet stringently, as soon as I eat normally again (bring in other foods), I gain weight. When I exercise at the gym, I gain. I do not know how to balance the dieting, exercise, and normal eating habits. I am over 50 and I need a sensible lifestyle, with regard to calorie intake. I need to lose a large amount of weight--and fast. Please help!"

8. Tina from Florida

"Currently home with a 1 month old, who's adjusting to life with me, my husband and our 19-month old. I'm just elated at having found Dan Ho, Discovery Health and all the positive, insightful and just plain helpful 'stuff' both online, on TV and would love to read the book.

Were I to seek guidance on which area of my life needs to be made simpler I would say just overall housework/work-work and my strength NOT being my organizational skills. This leaves me too tired to tackle the never-ending stacks of housework/duties. Were I able to feel more organized I could then really concentrate on my personal sense of spirituality (or lack of) and begin to feel healthier, internally. Thanks, hope that makes sense!"

9. Linda in Montana

"I watch Dan Ho's show on TV when I can. I like the healthy recipes he comes up with. One I would like is the corn on the cob with the cheese rub and the knot handles he did. I would love one of his cookbooks, the recipes I've seen on TV all look really good. As far as my life I guess the only one I can think of is I wish it was more simple to find a safe, easy, fun way to lose weight. Thank you!"

10. Sue from New Jersey

"I want to change my life as I have been on disability since last February with vertigo of unknown origin. Since the doctors disagree on the cause (migraine vs. nerve damage) I was wondering if there was any eating changes in my life that can make me better?"

CONGRATULATIONS to all of my winners! You should be receiving your book in the mail by next week sometime. Please let me know if you do not. I have also forwarded each of your comments to "The Dan Ho Show" for Dan and his producers to see. Who knows, one or more of these may be answered in an upcoming episode of his hit new show! THANKS again for entering and keep watching Discovery Health for more of "The Dan Ho Show!"