Dr. David Ludwig warns of health dangers from consuming starchy carbs
I just love it when the research finally catches up to what we already know regarding the negative impact of carbohydrates on our health. Whether we are talking about brain diseases, diabetes, age-related macular degeneration, and even cancer, the body of evidence is growing and growing and growing. If it isn't already obvious by now, then someday soon it will be impossible to ignore the "weight of the evidence" as my fellow low-carb blogger Regina Wilshire would say.
Case in point is this blog post I wrote in April 2007 about a condition known as a "fatty liver" getting worse on a high-carb, low-fat diet. I cited several research studies in response to one of my readers who was worried her low-carb diet was going to cause this condition to get worse. I assured her it was the carbs, not the fat that makes this happen from the elevated insulin levels.
And, sure enough, the latest research proves that exact thing!
This BBC News story highlights a new study that concludes foods like potatoes, white flour and rice are the culprit behind a "fatty liver" because of their high-glycemic index.
Lead researcher Dr. David Ludwig, from the Boston, MA-based Children's Hospital and author of the book Ending The Food Fight (an OUTSTANDING book, by the way, about the importance of implementing a low-carb diet to help combat childhood obesity!), and his fellow researchers fed mice a varying diet consisting of either "rapidly absorbed carbohydrates" (RAC), a high-carb diet, or "slowly absorbed carbohydrates" (SAC), a low-carb diet, over a period of 25 weeks to see how it would impact the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
The results were not surprising--although total body weight remained statistically the same between both the RAC and the SAC groups, the amount of fat accumulated on the body, blood, and liver of the RAC group was TWICE as much as the SAC group. In other words, NAFLD developed on the high-carb diet consumed by the mice. WOW!
Dr. Ludwig said that as many as half of all overweight American children have already developed a "fatty liver" because of what he calls this "fast food/fake food world" we live in.
"This is a silent but dangerous epidemic," he contended. "Just as type 2 diabetes exploded into our consciousness in the 1990s, so we think fatty liver will in the coming decade."
If I've learned anything since I started livin' la vida low-carb four years ago, then it would have to be that carbohydrates lead to the production of insulin which then leads to the deterioration and destruction of so many bodily functions. It's such a shame that people have so marginalized low-carb diets that they don't even realize it's EXACTLY how we should be eating to live long and healthy lives.
Too often low-carb living is simply about weight loss for people. But there's so much more to livin' la vida low-carb than simple weight loss. It's about eating healthy and warding off diseases before they can even have a chance to impact your body. I'm not worried about "all that fat" because I'm not combining it with "all those carbs."
I don't know about you, but the idea of having a "fatty liver" just doesn't sound like something I want to have to deal with. And thanks to my healthy low-carb lifestyle, I won't EVER have to worry about it! :D
Now, if we can just get those darn health "experts" to agree...SOMEDAY!
You can e-mail Dr. David Ludwig to thank him for his research at david.ludwig@childrens.harvard.edu. And be sure to pick up a copy of his fantastic book Ending The Food Fight about feeding your children a delicious low-carb diet so they'll grow up to be fit and healthy adults.
Burton Brown has lost nearly 70 pounds on the healthy low-carb lifestyle
Nothing is more inspiring when you are trying to lose weight and get healthy on a low-carb diet than to witness someone who has done it themselves. That's why I have featured many low-carb weight loss success stories here at my blog and today I have another one for you.
It's the story of a man named Burton Brown who was so proud of the change livin' la vida low-carb has made in his life that he asked if he could share his story with YOU today here at my blog. Absolutely, I told him, because this may be exactly the message that someone needs to hear today to get started on the low-carb lifestyle for themselves.
ENJOY this special story from a special man whose life was forever change by low-carb.
WAISTING AWAY by Burton Brown
Some of what I will be writing today I have never verbally expressed to anyone. I share them now in order to inspire or help others that may have the same thoughts or feelings.
First, some background on me. I am 42 years old and am 6 foot 1 inch tall. I am the father of two beautiful daughters and I am the husband of one--yes I am in Utah, but have only one wonderful wife. :)
Weight issues and I are longtime acquaintances. As a kid, I wore size husky. In Jr. High I was a wrestler on the school team. I was on the low end of the Heavyweight division. So I was big even then. The biggest issue with wrestling in the Heavyweight division was that there was no maximum weight! So I had to wrestle some guys who outweighed me by maybe 100 pounds! After being squished a few too many times, I stopped wrestling after Jr. High.
I do not remember even trying to lose weight when I was still in school. I may have tried, but do not remember and was obviously not successful. I was simply a big guy.
At the ripe old age of 21, I was attending a tech school which was 5 days a week in the mornings. This left the afternoons and evenings available for work. At some point I decided to try and lose weight. I weighed 240 pounds, probably stretching my size 38 jeans to their breaking point, but I rationalized that a size 40 was simply too loose! Ha ha!
I had determined that I was going to lose weight and decided to eat only 1000 calories a day. That was my magic number. One summer day, I began riding my bike. I enjoyed riding the country roads of rural Idaho. Each ride turned out to be about 45 minutes and I was faithful that almost every weekday I was out riding.
With having to leave for school early in the morning, I would not eat breakfast since I wanted to sleep more than I wanted to eat. I arrived home from school around 1PM each day and back in days of the dinosaur cable television did not exist. So the only thing on TV was General Hospital or some other lame soap opera.
I would watch General Hospital while I ate lunch and then would hop on my bike around 2PM for a ride. I would get back, shower and head off to work until 9PM or so. It never crossed my mind to turn off the TV and not watch anything while I ate lunch. Did I mention I REALLY hated General Hospital? :D
For lunch each day I would have a very large salad. Lettuce, tomatoes and a can of tuna mixed in, with whatever dressing was available. I did not officially track calories, but my guess is that some days, I would have 800 and some days would be 1300 depending on what I put on the salad that day, averaging about 1000 calories a day. I usually worked full days on weekends, and learned to limit my calories in other ways.
Diet Coke stock went up based on the sales of soda to me. When working Saturdays, I could easily drink eight 16 oz glass bottles--yes they used glass back then to help protect the soda during dinosaur attacks and apparently plastic was not invented yet. In fact, I even have the UPC # memorized from the cans of Diet Coke--496580! Don't believe me, just check a can for yourself sometime--it's there!
Back in the days when I carried a briefcase, 496580 was my code to open it. Diet Coke was (and still is) my answer when I want a sweet fix.
After 3 months of this extreme diet and exercise, I had lost 60 pounds! Yes, I really did lose 60 pounds in 3 months! I weighed an incredible 180 pounds! One of my most vivid memories while at a "thin" 180 pounds is a comment made by a friend who had not seen me in a while. There were three of us headed to a movie and the subject of my weight came up and one of them says, "You look like a million bucks!" This was from a perpetually fit and thin friend (you know, the one all the girls swooned over--or at least that was my perception). He probably does not remember saying it, and I have not talked to him in years, but I was on cloud nine that someone noticed.
I still felt I should lose even more weight but that did not happen. The weather changed, and riding my bike was not as fun in the cold, and then "the holidays" came, and I began gaining the weight back. Soon enough--maybe 3 years later, I was back at 240 pounds again and thin was merely a memory. Years passed and life rolled on. As I got bigger and bigger, I also discovered the fashion secret called "relaxed fit."
As a Christian, I believed I would be a better witness if I was not overweight and saw myself fail time and time again when trying to lose weight. God wanted me thin, so why was He not helping me? This was an excuse the devil kept telling me to stop me from sharing my faith with others.
I was also shy. I am sure my weight did not help my shyness. I felt that everyone judged me based on the fact that I was overweight, even if they themselves were overweight, I felt totally inferior to those that were slim. Most likely people did not really care that I was overweight, and I was probably the only one concerned about it, but that was my mentality at the time. How can I share to a fit person that Christ is the answer! Look at how happy I am--but I was not happy at all...at least with myself.
My weight hovered around 235-240 for a very long time, and I only made half-hearted attempts to lose any weight. I began working a very sedentary job answering phones all day, never leaving my cube. I was a telephone computer support guy in a call center. After 3 years of working in this sedentary environment, my weight peaked at 307 pounds!
I changed jobs and my weight dropped somewhat to around 280. I remained at 280 for a while and then I met the woman that was to be my wife. Once engaged, I focused on losing weight for the wedding day. Using Atkins and Hydroxycut, I lost 30 pounds and got down to 250 pounds for my wedding day. Hydroxycut was later deemed unsafe, so they stopped selling it with ephedrine in it. I felt great, but knew I could lose more.
On the honeymoon, no restrictions in my diet were in place. And thereafter, I did not attempt to maintain the weight loss. I hoped the weight would not return but I was not doing anything to prevent it from coming back--AND SO IT DID!
Over the 5 years I have been married, I have yo-yo dieted to as low as 250 pounds, and usually hovered in the 280 pound range. Here are some of my failed motivations that I have attempted to use: High School reunion, my first daughter was born, and my second daughter was born.
By February 2007, I was bursting out of size 42 pants at a whopping 290 pounds. I had been asked to sing a solo at church. The suits I have were too small to fit, and I was very uncomfortable in most of my clothes. I was so frustrated with myself that I had allowed myself to balloon up to 290 pounds. So I decided not sing at church and felt so convicted that I needed to do something about my weight once and for all.
I prayed and turned my appetite over to God. It was painfully obvious that I could not do this without His help. I had achieved success using a low-carb diet plan in the past, so that was what I was going to do. With God's help I chose to follow the low-carb lifestyle.
It has now been eight months since I changed my eating lifestyle and I have lost a total of 70 pounds to get down to 220 pounds--my goal weight! I am in the process of reevaluating my weight to see if need to lose more. I also shaved my beard/goatee that my wife really likes. One of the rewards for reaching my first goal of 220 pounds will be allowing myself to grow the beard back. I HATE shaving, so this is a reward I look forward to!
I will be setting additional 10 pound goals as necessary and eventually arrive at my final weight that I plan on maintaining for the rest of my life. I have not "cheated" even once! Praise God! I have been tempted. We have had various levels of candy and other treats in the house as the holidays have come and gone. But after about 5 months, I have found that I am not really even tempted any more--at least by the stuff that used to tempt me. My temptations are the worst when I am tired, but God has seen me through all of them!
Now I did not actually "count" all the carbs that I eat, but I know by reading the labels and such that my net carbohydrate intake is low, probably 20-30 grams per day.
I have removed ALL XXL sized clothing from my closet and have begun buying a few XL sizes to wear until my final weight goal is achieved. It is such a great feeling to donate the clothes that are too large! It cannot be explained, but it just feels GREAT! Now my once too small suits are actually too large! I can live with that for now. Someday I may have them tailored to fit.
Overall, I feel fantastic! I have eaten at buffets and at other restaurants and NOT HAD A "CARB COMA" an hour afterwards. I weigh myself EVERY morning and am not discouraged if my weight fluctuates upward by a few pounds. I have overcome MANY "plateaus" and I am currently in one now that has lasted over 2 weeks! As they say--this too shall pass.
My exercise has been minimal. Several 30-minute walks per week is what my schedule seems to allow so far. I am sure I will be exercising more as time permits, but this weight loss has been achieved with MINIMAL exercise.
Here are just a few TIPS I like to share to encourage others: - PRAY for God's guidance and assistance. - Reward your success with NON-FOOD related items. - NEVER EVER, EVER, GIVE UP! - When you are tempted, have a low-carb treat of some kind.
I like Atkins bars, especially one that is very similar to a Snickers bar called Endulge. There are also some DELICIOUS low-carb ice cream treats that I love. With low carb treats, you get the sweet fix taken care of and there is no cheating involved. So maybe your total net carbs for the day are over 20 or even pushing 40 grams. But you KNOW that you have NOT cheated and therefore there is NO GUILT. And there is no rationalizing to yourself about eating more carbs since you already "cheated." The feeling of successfully overcoming temptation is so much better than the guilt we heap upon ourselves if we "cheat." Try it sometime.
Here are some surprisingly low-carb foods that helped me: - Strawberries - Raspberries - Sunflower seeds - Whipped Cream--the real stuff made with real cream
Finally, here are some low-carb restaurant menu items that helped me: - Taco salads (no chips and only eat the lettuce, meat, and salsa) - Sour cream, guacamole (Mmm!) - Steaks and other non-breaded and non-sauced meats of all sorts - Diet or unsweetened drinks - Cobb salads - Club salads - Low Carb tortillas--these probably have the highest carb count per serving of the things I eat, but these low-carb versions have only 4-7 net carbs per tortilla.
Man, what an inspiring story, Burton! THANK YOU for sharing that with me and my readers today and I'm so very proud of all you have accomplished. You have a beautiful family who is undoubtedly beaming that daddy has gotten his weight and health under control by livin' la vida low-carb. KEEP IT UP, my friend, and share your positive story of success with everyone you know. God bless you!
The next installment of our growing by leaps and bounds YouTube video series is now online and today you'll have a chance to WIN a really neat FREE prize just for watching and commenting on the video. WOO HOO! If you haven't heard about the videos my wife Christine and I are making on YouTube yet, it's a new series we have called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube." This is an extension of the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" family to help spread the positive message of the low-carb lifestyle even further.
In Episode 6 today, I thought it would be important to discuss how to eat out when you are on the low-carb lifestyle. A lot of low-carbers erroneously think that their life has to change dramatically to the point that they can't go to a restaurant anymore when they start eating this way. Oh contraire, my dear, and today's video will share how you can stay committed to livin' la vida low-carb AND go out to eat, too! WOO HOO!
See where Christine and I recommend you go and NOT go while low-carbing:
Some of the better restaurants to visit when you are livin' la vida low-carb include Denny's, Ruby Tuesday, Hardee's, Golden Corral, Captain D's, Cracker Barrel, and The Cheesecake Factory (although pretty much ANY restaurant you can make your own low-carb meal). But there are a few places you probably should avoid: Olive Garden, IHOP (puts pancake batter in their EGGS!), Applebee's (although you CAN find ONE low-carbish meal if you play around with it), KFC, and McDonald's, just to name a few.
Leave a comment for Episode 6 and you could WIN $20 in FREE GIFT CERTIFICATES for Captain D's restaurants which recently added a healthy choices menu for you to pick and choose the grilled meats and veggies that suit your healthy low-carb lifestyle! YEAH for that! Watch the video, give feedback, and tune in to the next video to see if you were a winner!
See all of our other YouTube videos and comment on them, too:
- Promo video--A half-minute promotion of the new video series - Episode 1--Introduction of Jimmy & Christine Moore - Episode 2--What kind of fruits can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 3--What kind of veggies can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 4--What does a low-carber do for something sweet? - Episode 5--Why is fat so healthy for you on the low-carb lifestyle?
Special thanks to everyone who has subscribed to our YouTube videos and we just keep growing and growing in viewers each time we record a new video. We've been trying to do about one a week (which is a minor miracle if you knew the crazy busy schedule I am on right now!), so we appreciate your positive comments. Keep the feedback coming and let us know if there is a specific topic you'd like for us to tackle. E-mail us anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
Kimkins cover girl: "I was wrong...Kimkins is not the way to lose weight"
It takes a very special person to publicly admit when they were wrong about something even after multiple warnings and concerns shared by those around them. And yet that is exactly what has happened this week when Kimkins Woman's World cover girl Christin delivered an impassioned video apology at her blog along with a detailed explanation of the health complications she and others have suffered since beginning the risky low-carb imposter diet scheme devised by a morbidly obese woman named Heidi Diaz.
I blogged about my concerns over the Kimkins fiasco that culminated earlier this week when this beautiful young woman had to be rushed to the emergency room because of some pain in her chest and heart complications. When you hear something like this happening that was brought on by such an extreme low-fat/low-calorie diet like Kimkins, it should make you angry. AND I AM ANGRY ABOUT IT!
To anyone who is still on the Kimkins diet, CHRISTIN has a message just for YOU:
Show your support for and encouragement to Christin by leaving a comment about this video at her "The Journey On" blog. What a brave woman she is and I am honored to know her as a friend. She has demonstrated nothing but grace, elegance, and dignity in the midst of what has become a complete and utter nightmare for so many of us in the low-carb community concerning this Kimkins debacle.
For the sake of those who cannot view the video, the following is a summary of the video, including direct quotes made by Christin regarding her experience following the Kimkins diet. Be prepared to be shocked and stunned as she shares quite openly about the negative impact this weight loss fraud has had and may continue to have on her health. Pray for her even now as she seeks to reverse the damage that has been done.
Christin before Kimkins when she weighed 250 pounds
Christin said she did this video so that others would "know exactly where I stand on this." She explained why most people choose to lose weight: to improve their health. Period! When you are 100+ pounds overweight, then you are not living healthy, she noted.
She chose the Kimkins program because she "wanted to lose weight quickly and I thought healthfully" because she "wanted more for my life." She wanted to "be there" for her family in the years to come. I think all of us who have ever gone on a weight loss plan can relate to that.
Christin today after losing 100 pounds
When she first began, the program was working great for her because "I was following the program exactly as written. I thought I was doing perfectly." But after losing 100 pounds in five months, Christin then conspicuously noticed there was not one single doctor who approved the Kimkins diet. That's when she started looking into who Heidi Diaz, aka Kimmer, really was and what she claimed to be.
Diaz had alleged in the marketing of Kimkins that she lost 198 pounds in 11 months on this Kimkins diet and was promoting it that way to anyone who would listen with supposed pictures to prove it. But it was this recent series of articles that included recent photographs of Diaz along with several other sites that made Christin become concerned and realize that those claims by Diaz were simply "not true."
"Heidi did not lose the weight, she did not follow this program that she claims is safe for anybody, even for diabetics," Christin said.
Then Christin turned in her video to the "risks" of being on the Kimkins diet that she discovered first-hand while following the program. She said she has real "concerns for everyone else that has attempted this program or will attempt this program."
That includes first and foremost hair loss. Christin admitted that her hair "started fall out in handfuls" and it "scared" her. She estimates she has lost as much as 60 percent of what used to be "thick, full hair" prior to her Kimkins experience.
"Now it's very thin," she exclaimed.
Another side effect was the loss of her menstrual cycle that she believes happened from "eating so few calories and my body was becoming malnourished." She said the hair loss and lack of periods are both tell-tale signs of anorexia, an eating disorder where victims literally starve themselves to be thin.
"I believe now the Kimkins diet program promotes a form of anorexia that I don't know if science has even attempted touch on this yet," Christin stated. "300 calories a day is not safe weight loss."
Any dietary change this drastic need to be closely monitored by a doctor just like those who undergo gastric bypass surgery do, she added.
When these symptoms began to show up, Christin went on the Kimkins forums to see if anyone else was losing their hair and female cycle like she was. "What's going on?" she pleaded to anyone who would listen to her concerns. And Christin said she "saw it come up multiple times" regarding these symptoms she was having in other people, too.
The excuse provided in response to this happening was that it was "perfectly normal and you're going through a shed. Your body is just losing estrogen." It was just too coincidental that "almost every other person who kept their calories under 1000 calories, probably more under 700 calories, has lost hair."
"I don't want to scare you," Christin said speaking directly to people who are still following Kimkins, "but I want to bring you into the reality that there is a better way to lose weight."
Christin asks "are you really doing this?" and urges people to take their diet plan to their doctor for him to examine it. "Take him your Fitday, take him exactly what you are eating, let him see your calorie counts," she said.
"I'm concerned about you," Christin pleaded.
Christin says she is sorry for supporting the "dangerous" Kimkins diet
When the time came for Christin to step into the spotlight back in June when the Woman's World magazine cover story opportunity came up, she said she was "put on a pedestal as the 'cover girl.' I was the model, I was the way to do it." But now she realizes how she was used as a pawn and seeks the mercy of those who trusted and looked up to her.
"I need to ask your forgiveness," she said. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. Kimkins is not the way to lose weight. Kimkins is dangerous...for your health, it's dangerous for your psyche."
But as much as Kimkins hurt Christin up until this point, none of it was as grave as what was happening to her without even realizing it. She had the symptoms of an eating disorder that she admits made her realize she "had a problem" when she was fearful of even consuming some salad out of fear that she'd stall in her weight loss.
"I did not get fat on salad and on healthy vegetables," Christin explained. "I got fat on sugar and white carbs."
Getting over the fear of eating was a very difficult mental test for Christin as she now obsessed over every little bite of food she was eating and how it would impact her on the scale. She revealed that she hasn't met anyone who has been on the Kimkins program who wasn't "literally scared" to add food back into their diet.
"What kind of a program is it that makes you scared? Weight loss is not about fear, weight loss is about excitement, it's about joy, it's about recapturing your life," Christin shared with a glimmer in her eyes. "It should be a fun journey, not a fearful one."
And yet fear was exactly what gripped Christin and it would not let go of her.
"If I wasn't losing everyday, then I began wondering what was wrong with me," Christin admitted. "Nothing was wrong with me. My body was screaming at me. It was putting the brakes on and telling me you're going about this the wrong way."
As a devout Christian, she knew that "God created us to eat healthy foods; vegetables and fruits, whole grains, and yes, even fat." Christin reiterated that she believes there is "validity to low-carb programs" like Atkins, Protein Power, and the like when they are done the correct way and not the Kimkins way.
"You will provide your body with all of the nutrients that it needs" when you follow low-carb by the book, Christin shared. "God did not create you to starve yourself."
Outlining the "many dangers within the Kimkins program," she said that it goes much deeper than just an eating disorder. She said that "something is going on within my body" and that it has been manifested in the form of "flutters" in her heart for the past month.
"Twinges, cramps, aches, all within my chest cavity right around the area of my heart," Christin expressed, sharing that it all came to a head on Monday when the "severe chest pains...stomach aches, and nausea" were so great she was admitted to the emergency room staying there until late at night.
The doctors examined her with many tests, including an EKG, blood work, chest x-rays, and they kept her at the hospital for several hours to monitor her condition. It's still unknown what caused the tremendous pain to come on Christin like it did on Monday night, but she was prescribed pain medications and was referred to a cardiologist for an immediate follow-up visit.
That visit to the cardiologist took place on Wednesday who shared several concerns for Christin. With a "more and more serious" look on his face after hearing Christin's story about her starvation-mode weight loss method compliments of the Kimkins diet, he told her flat out that "our bodies can suffer damage from eating that little."
After conducting more tests on her, including an EKG, an ECG, blood work, and "lots of listening with the stethoscope," the cardiologist said he was not concerned about what he called a "normal" low pulse rate of 45 (incidentally, mine is in the upper 40's since I lost nearly 200 pounds and Christin has experienced a heart rate in the low-to-mid 40's). Even still, she says she "might get a second opinion on" just to be sure about it.
But there were real concerns that the cardiologist had for Christin, including "possible damage to my heart nodes and valves from malnutrition." Because of that, he wants to have a sonogram of Christin's heart to confirm whether or not there is this damage since it was inconclusive from the initial examination. He's also concerned about some "esophageal spasms" that happen whenever there is a "rapid change in your dietary program and you lose a lot of weight."
"Things can change on your insides," Christin quoted the cardiologist as saying, "that it takes it a while to catch up."
She is now medication for this "distress" with the contractions surrounding her esophagus and trying to rest as her body goes through the healing process.
Speaking passionately and directly to those who still think the Kimkins diet is a safe and effective way to lose weight in a healthy manner, Christin had an extremely clear and articulate message for them.
"If I and my story can stop anyone else from having pain and having the fear that I did that I might have caused even further damage and by attempting to be for my family I hindered my longevity with them--I was scared to death. That ride to the hospital was one of the most fearful ones that I have ever had! My husband was scared at having to face the possibility of losing his wife and his helper and his love," she recalled from her haunting experience earlier this week.
When they got to the hospital, Christin said she and her husband "prayed together" while holding hands hoping for the best in God's hands. And that's something she wants to help others avoid if they will simply listen to what she has to say.
"If I can save any of you from having to go through that, then it is worth it," Christin concluded.
Speaking about her role as the Public Relations head of Kimkins last month and as the cover girl on the Woman's World magazine in June, Christin said she did it because she "thought [she] was helping" others as is her heart's desire.
"It has always been my desire to help people," she said. "And especially those that I feel a connection with, those who have struggled to lose weight their entire lives, those who have issues with obesity--something that I know all too well."
Christin said taking on those responsibilities felt like she was "doing my part to give hope, to give assurance, to sympathize and to empathize" with people who were facing the same struggles that she had trying to lose weight. She still has those feelings for people who want to beat their obesity which is why she is still blogging and participating in a low-carb forum again.
"My heart goes out to you because I know what it's like," Christin stated. "I know the euphoria of losing weight quickly, but I also know the risks and the dangers involved and I am begging with you now to please listen to your body like I've said so many times and do the right thing."
She added: "There is a right way and a wrong way to lose weight. And I am now convinced that starving yourself and utilizing the Kimkins program in that manner is not the right way."
Realizing there is still a need for a community for people who desire weight loss the healthy way, Christin said we should all "stand together and learn together" the "correct way to use a low-carb program to make each other healthy, to live a longer life for our loved ones and our families."
Christin said she'll be back to blogging again soon and appreciates the friendship and love that has been shown to her through this horrific experience.
"I love you and I'm here for you," she concluded.
Visit Christin and learn more about her continuing low-carb weight loss journey at her "The Journey On" blog as well as the "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum. And if you would like to contact Woman's World magazine to let them know about your concerns regarding the Kimkins program, their direct e-mail address is DearWW@aol.com. Perhaps if enough of us let them know about Christin and others who have suffered serious health consequences from being on Kimkins, then they may print a retraction.
You don't even want to know all the rather "interesting" (and that's a nice way of putting it) e-mails I receive from people about the things I write about here at my blog. While the overwhelming responses come from the mostly intelligent, insightful, and supportive members of my readership, sometimes you just have to put up with somebody who either has an ax to grind or is "out there."
In Episode 90 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," I share with you an e-mail that fits BOTH of those descriptions. The reader was responding to this blog post about the definition of the word "obese" and how technically I am still an obese man according to BMI standards. Read that post first so you can get the context of today's podcast.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 90 [10:21m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Can you say one fry short of a Happy Meal with this guy who e-mailed me? It's incredible how people can write something like that to a complete stranger and not even think twice about it. And then to try to insult me by calling me all those names, you can't help but laugh and shake your head at human nature. It keeps things interesting, that's for sure!
Low-carb sanity in an insane world is accessed by:
What do you think about this lunatic...er, I mean, reader who had some rather peculiar comments about obesity in modern times? Does he have a point or is he simply all wet? Let's see what YOU think and tell me what your reaction to him is!
We're coming up on my 100th podcast show in just a matter of weeks which I am extremely excited about! I'm working on making it a VERY SPECIAL PODCAST by celebrating with some FREE GIVEAWAYS from those who support the work I am doing. If you are a business owner and have something you would like to donate to this effort, then please e-mail me at livinlowcarbman@charter.net to discuss the details. I'm happy to give a plug for your products and company for being willing to provide these prizes, so please contact me if you are interested. THANKS!
What a week for conglomerated low-carb blogging with this and this post wrapping up some of the latest news and headlines in the world of low-carb living. Well, I'm still in busy mode and have so much to share with you, I barely know where to begin. So let's just have ourselves a good old-fashioned low-carb roundup! YEE HAW!
INSPIRED BY DIABETES WANTS YOUR CREATIVE SUBMISSIONS
There's a really neat contest sponsored by the diabetes awareness web site located at InspiredbyDiabetes.com. What they are looking for are submissions by people who have been touched by diabetes that shares their story through some form of artistic talent, including essays, poems, photographs, drawings, and musical composition. It's called the Creative Expression Competition and they are awarding a Grand Prize of a $5,000 contribution to the diabetes-related charity "Life of a Child" and a trip to the Inspired by Diabetes art exhibition. The deadline for entering is January 31, 2008, but don't delay in sharing YOUR diabetes story in this most unique way! You could even share how livin' la vida low-carb is keeping your disease in check--that'll wake 'em up, don't ya think? :D Winners will be announced in the Spring 2008.
DANA CARPENDER DISCUSSES EXERCISE WHILE ON A LOW-CARB DIET
If you exercise, then you need to eat your carbs right? Well, not so fast says low-carb expert Dana Carpender in her latest nationally syndicated column entitled "Keeping up your stamina while lowering your carbs". The bottom line is unless you are training for athletic competition (like this Olympic athlete who recently e-mailed me), then you DON'T need to "carb up" prior to exercise. Read what Dana has to say about people who are wanting to get in a little physical activity while on their low-carb lifestyle.
IS WONDER BREAD GOING OUT OF BUSINESS BECAUSE OF LOW-CARB DIETS?
THE MIGRAINEUR RAILS AGAINST THE ADA'S POOR ADVICE FOR DIABETICS
I think I've found a new favorite blog for you to check out: The Migraineur. I only recently discovered this AMAZING blog because of an awesome post chastising the American Diabetes Association (ADA) for being "no friend of the diabetic." WHOA! Why have I never heard of this blogger before?! WOW!!! I think the following quote from the blog post says it all:
"If you wanted to deliberately devise a diet that would cause a diabetic to die a slow, painful death, you couldn’t do better than the diet currently recommended by the ADA. The organization’s insistence on a high-carbohydrate diet, in the face of mounting evidence that diabetes is better managed by limiting carbohydrate consumption, would be laughable if it was not endangering the health and the very lives of the people it claims to advocate for."
IS THE FDA FORCING CHOCOLATE MAKERS TO USE VEGETABLE OIL, NOT COCOA BUTTER?
In one of the most bizarre food stories I've seen in a while, it appears the geniuses at the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) have put out a call to the major chocolate companies letting them know they need to replace the cocoa butter in their chocolate with vegetable oil. Have you heard about this? It's in response to some industry groups who are afraid of the saturated fat content in cocoa butter causing health problems as well as making it cheaper for the consumer. But THANK GOD at least ONE company has told the FDA where they can shove it: Mars, makers of Snickers and M&M's. This isn't about making better products, it's about reducing quality just to make things cheaper. That doesn't make it better and they had better not mess with my favorite sugar-free, low-carb chocolate bar made with cocoa butter!
900-POUND MAN NEEDS FORKLIFT, FIREFIGHTERS TO BE RESCUED FROM HOME
Have you seen the opening scene of the Adam Sandler movie I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry? There's a burning building and a frantic woman cries for someone to help save her baby who's still trapped in the apartment. When they reach the kid, it turns out this "baby" is a morbidly obese 700-pound man who is bedridden. The scene is pretty hilarious with the firefighters, played by Sandler and Kevin James, getting crushed under the weight of the man while trying to save him.
That scene flashed across my mind as I read this story about a group of firefighters in Lansing, Michigan who had to chop a hole in the side of a 900-pound man's house to rescue him after a nurse said he needed medical help as soon as possible. They even had to implore the use of a forklift to get the 33-year old man out. It turns out he has a rare condition called Prader-Willi Syndrome like the infamous obese 8-year old named Connor McCreadie does.
This story reminded me of the 500-pound truck driver who also had difficulty getting rescued by emergency workers because of his weight in July. It's so sad to hear the helplessness of people like this and it makes you wonder if these traumatic experiences make ANYTHING click inside their mind to finally get their weight and health under control. You have to wonder.
BARILLA PASTA COMPANY NO FRIEND OF THE LOW-CARB LIFESTYLE
Some people in the low-carb community have hailed the Barilla brand of whole wheat pasta as an excellent alternative to regular pasta for people on a low-carb diet. But have you seen this diatribe on the dangers of low-carb dieting posted right there on their web site? It's obvious to anyone with half a brain that their "concerns" are nothing more than the same old tired excuses that have been proven to be myths time and time again. For that reason alone, I would say AVOID Barilla and just stick with the good stuff--DREAMFIELDS!
Well, that's about it for now, but I still have lots more to share with you as I continue catching up to so much stuff to blog about this week. THANK YOU for your devoted readership of my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog and I look forward to your feedback on these stories. Come talk about them at my forum, too!
As much as I have tried to distance myself from the still growing controversy over the low-carb imposter diet known as Kimkins since my public apology for once supporting it nearly two months ago, new revelations that cannot be ignored keep bringing it back to the forefront and warrant further exposure here. THIS IS TOO IMPORTANT TO JUST IGNORE!
When the virtual face of Kimkins--Becky, Christin, and Deni--decided to distance themselves from the diet earlier this month, it was a tremendous blow to the reputation of Kimkins that promises "super-fast results" by restricting fat, calories, and carbs. These three beautiful women were the heart and soul of Kimkins and their departure has left the Kimkins web site with a very noticeable lack of love and concern that it had become known for (incidentally, all three of them are now at my forum providing support like they once did at Kimkins).
But then when it was discovered by a private investigator that the founder of this diet who calls herself Kimmer (her real name is Heidi Kimberly Diaz despite the fact she told me personally that Heidi was both her real name and her cousin on two different occasions) is a morbidly obese woman who never lost weight according to her son and ex-husband and has a very long history of being a scam artist, I could no longer remain silent.
If you are a member of the low-carb community, then this issue with Kimkins should be of grave concern to you. What started out as a seemingly innocent-looking diet that's "just another low-carb plan" (it isn't really, but that's how it is being portrayed) has turned into something really ugly that is now having a negative impact on the lives of real people. That's right--PEOPLE ARE GETTING HURT FROM BEING ON KIMKINS!
One such person it is having a direct impact on is the Woman's World cover girl Christin herself who lost 100 pounds in five months on the Kimkins diet. I don't know if you've heard about this yet or not, but she was admitted to the hospital last night with chest pains and has been referred to a cardiologist. Her pulse dipped into the upper 30's and that has the doctors worried for her heart health.
They have ordered Christin to rest today and she is on pain medication to help relieve the chest pains until she can see the cardiologist.
"They did all the tests for major cardiac issues and ruled them out," Christin wrote at my forum. "EKG, blood work, chest x-rays, all came back normal so that is good...please keep praying. I'm pretty sore today (in my heart), but feeling a bit better."
Add this to the other side effects Christin admitted she experienced while on Kimkins, including her hair falling out and missing her menstrual cycle for five months in a row and it is quite disconcerting to say the least. While it is unclear whether this chest pain issue is related to the Kimkins diet or not, it's certainly difficult to ignore.
Then you have Deni who lost 60 pounds in three months on Kimkins and she is now wondering where the "warning label" about this diet is at her blog this week after experiencing some rather odd side effects since being on the diet, too: extra periods, hair loss, dizzy spells, blurred vision, heart flutters, and intense cravings. All of this came in the pursuit of weight loss so she could live a healthier life for her family.
The irony of it all isn't lost on Deni.
"I said that one of the reasons why I wanted to lose weight was because I wanted to be here long enough to see my kids and future grand kids grow up," Deni wrote in her blog this week. "Now, it's possible that losing weight has lowered the chances of that actually happening."
More tests are being run on Deni to see if the damage that was done can be fixed. Please pray for Christin, Deni, and all the others who have received the grim news about the damage to their health that may have been caused by their participation in the Kimkins diet. What a travesty this would be if hundreds, even thousands more following the dictates of this scam diet plan were to have their health ruined, too!
Is it just mere coincidence that the two most prominent Kimkins weight loss success stories are now having to deal with this kind of thing? Why is something like this even allowed to exist when real people have DOCUMENTED proof that they have been damaged as a result of this low-carb imposter diet scheme cooked up by an extremely overweight woman named Heidi Diaz?
If anyone is considering going on the Kimkins diet, then let me warn you: PLEASE DON'T! There are better ways to shed the pounds that are a part of a happy and healthy low-carb lifestyle. You can find information and support for these plans at my new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum so you can shed the pounds in a healthy and safe manner. Eating at least 1200 calories a day with ample protein at each meal, limiting your carbohydrates from mostly non-starchy veggies (green leafy), and getting healthy amounts of fat will put you on the pathway to success in your low-carb lifestyle. YOU CAN DO IT!!!
As for Kimkins, please do your research by checking up on this growing list of web sites for detailed information about how this diet is nothing more than a ruthless money-making scheme that has been perpetrated on unsuspecting victims by someone who doesn't care a bit in the world about the weight and health of the people she comes into contact with.
Anyone who doubts this (especially those who are still supporting Heidi despite all the evidence inside Kimkins) should get introspective and take a long, hard look at all that has transpired over the past couple of months. If you do that, then there's no other choice for you but to distance yourself as much as possible from this shyster. It is for the best and you'll be so glad you did.
For those of you who were either employed by or were affiliates of Kimkins and are concerned this scam artist Heidi Diaz may try to use your Social Security number for her devious schemes, you may want to try LifeLock to protect yourself as I did. For less than $10 a month, they guarantee your credit and identity will be kept safe from evildoers (like Heidi) and you get a copy of your credit report twice a year along with that service. Additionally, they stop all those annoying credit card offers within a couple of months and alert you anytime someone tries to open a line of credit in your name using your private information. It's the best protective purchase I've made in a long time and it may be just what you need to protect yourself, too! Regardless, good luck to you and here's hoping your sensitive information was not compromised.
The moral of this story surrounding the Kimkins calamity is simple: be very careful about who and what you choose to associate yourself with. I learned my lesson as have many others who were sucked in by this. What began as merely a raw business deal has now turned into something much worse. It's without a doubt a really big danger for the health of those who are on this low-fat/low-calorie starvation diet.
How many more lives will need to be hurt before something is done to bring an end to this? If you want to get pro-active in stopping this dangerous dieting scheme before anyone else is harmed, then lodge a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Also, if you were a member of Kimkins and have been refused a refund, consider joining the class action lawsuit that has been filed against Heidi Diaz for fraud.
9-26-07 UPDATE: My friend Christin has posted a heart-wrenching video at her blog about all that has happened to her health since she began the Kimkins diet that EVERYONE needs to watch--especially those who are still at Kimkins. She addresses her recent heart concerns and warns others to be very wary of this imposter low-carb scam. I'm proud of you Christin!
Continuing with the theme I started yesterday of catching up on some much-needed blogging that I haven't had time to do lately, here are a few more items of interest for fans of livin' la vida low-carb!
READER SHARES HIS UNPLEASANT ENCOUNTER WITH MALTITOL
Ever since I first started warning people about the sugar alcohol maltitol found in so many sugar-free, low-carb products, there have been some wang dang doozy stories that are both hilarious and horrendous all at the same time. Remember "Farting" Fred and "Sharted" Sarah. Now we have "Maltitol Macaroon" Mike. ENJOY!
I have a maltitol story to share with you that I'll never forget. I was driving out of town one day and I happened by a health food store. So I stopped in to see what they had. There was a package of little macaroon cookies with all kinds of good numbers, low fat, low sugar, etc. What could be wrong with that? Especially since I LOVE macaroons.
So I bought a bag and headed off to my appointment, snacking on the little macaroons as I drove. Before you knew it, I had eaten the whole package. The next day, I found out the principal adverse effect of maltitol--tropical strength diarrhea. I figured I simply had a bad reaction because I ate too much, so later I tried two pieces of candy made with maltitol, and that also gave me diarrhea.
Take if from me, DON'T EVER EAT ANYTHING WITH MALTITOL IN IT.
GOOD ADVICE, Mike! That why I shared in this recent YouTube video that people should avoid it if they possibly can. It's just not worth the trouble (or pain), is it?
HOOD'S CALORIE COUNTDOWN LOW-CARB MILK BEING DISCONTINUED?
Low-carbers who want an excellent milk substitute have been pleased to use a product called Calorie Countdown from a company named Hood. The milk comes in chocolate (my personal FAVE!) and white and contains just 4g net carbs per serving. This product used to be called Carb Countdown and had the Atkins logo on it before they changed the name to appease the health-conscious consumer last year.
Well, it appears this lone low-carb milk may be on its way out, but I'm still trying to confirm that with Hood. However, one of my readers said she visited her local grocery store to pick up a carton and was told by the manager that Hood Calorie Countdown was being discontinued. If I hear back from Hood about this, then I'll let you know what they say. We may be back to using cream again for milk.
READER DROPS 74 POUNDS IN 2007 AFTER FINDING MY BLOG
You know, when I started this blog I had no idea the impact it was going to have on the lives of real people who were just like me nearly four years ago looking for a glimmer of hope in this weight loss journey. But they're out there watching, reading, learning, and changing their lives forever for the better! I never get tired of hearing stories of low-carb weight loss success like this:
Jimmy,
You've inspired me to lose over 70 pounds in 9 months! I woke up at 41 weighing 270+. I got the "wake-up" call while tying to keep up with my two grade school aged boys. I got on a bicycle and tried to keep up with my nine-year-old and six-year-old. They cleaned my clock! I was so winded I felt as though I'd just ran 10 miles.
I took a long look in the mirror and said to myself, "Man, you're one fat, out-of-shape piece of *^&%!". Well, I decided to do something about it. I did all the stuff the "experts" advise. I went on that dreadful low-fat, low-calorie diet and started to exercise. Well, I had some marginal success, but the hunger was unbearable.
One day I remembered how I used to get to weight during my high school wrestling days. The coach would tell us to avoid all the "White Stuff". He gave us permission to eat two pieces of fruit a day with all the meat, cheese, & garden veggies (excluding potatoes) we wanted, but bread, rice, corn, & sugar were "no nos."
I pulled out an old photo and saw just how lean I was (talkin' about a six-pack!). I contemplated going back on the diet, but was worried about the health risks. I was obviously brainwashed by what I was being told on TV and by my Doctor.
I then started doing a little research to find out how I could do the old diet without the problems. I then stumbled upon your "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog. You had it all laid out! I read the stuff you posted and checked out the studies for myself.
I got Dr. Atkins' book and started my journey. Since January I've went from about 272 pounds down to 198 pounds. I was wearing size 46" waist pants in January and now I'm wearing 34". I'm the thinnest I've been since I got out of the Army 19 years ago. My bodyfat level is now at 14% and I haven't felt this good in years!
Keep up the good work! I appreciate your efforts--way to go!
Man, I NEVER get tired of these kinds of stories. Feel free to share how this blog has motivated you in your low-carb journey by e-mailing me anytime at livinlowcarbman@charter.net.
NUTRITION ANSWERS WEB SITE GIVE CARB COUNTS, GLYCEMIC INDEX OF FOODS
There's a brand new tool that I'm thrilled to be able to share with you for people who are confused about how many carbohydrates are in various foods. Or perhaps you are following the low-glycemic index diet (GI) and want to know what the numbers are for the foods you are eating. Let me introduce you to Nutrition Answers which was created by an Australian Type 1 diabetic named Derek Miller. This program is still in beta, but I happen to think it is absolutely FANTASTIC! When you get to the web site, click on "Sample Questions" and you will see a list of invaluable links to give you the answers to the carb counts for your low-carb lifestyle. Use this tool early and often to stay on track with your healthy low-carb food choices.
ONCE YOU LOW-CARB FOR A WHILE, DO CARBS ACT CRAZY IN YOUR BODY?
I've heard all kinds of stories from people about what has happened to them since they started livin' la vida low-carb and most of the time it is good. There is an occasional strange symptom or two like what this person shared right after I started this blog. We're all different and not everything is tied to our low-carb diet. With that said, though, there may be a connection sometimes like in the case of this woman who wrote to me:
Hi, Jimmy –
I started the low-carb lifestyle this past summer, on July 4, and am happy to report that I’ve already lost 35 pounds and am down 3 or 4 dress sizes! And I feel absolutely great. In fact, I used to have heartburn fairly regularly on my old “normal American” diet, with the sugar and starches – and had to take a Zantac or Tums or two almost every night – but a week or so after starting low-carbing, the heartburn simply went away and never came back!
I never want to go off this way of eating. I was not pre-diabetic and there’s no history of diabetes in my family – but I had read Dr. Atkins’ books and Protein Power by the Drs. Eades and it all made good sense to me. And I’m so glad I tried it and have taken up the low-carb way of life!
But I have a question for you – on the very rare occasions when I have “slipped” in the past few months and eaten something high-carb (like a couple of mini-Milky Way bars…arrgh, pure sugar! Don’t ask me why I did it – I just did it once!) or some bread-y thing (once or twice, just to be “polite” when it was served) my body has had a bad reaction. Not long after eating the sugar and/or starch, I feel my heart start to pound, sometimes my head will start to ache, and I just overall feel quite bad.
My question is – is this the way I was feeling all the time before I started low-carbing, and I just never noticed it?? Or is my ability to handle carbs somehow weaker than it was? Or has my body just adjusted itself to the low-carb way of life, and now it’s just warning me not to go back? What exactly is that shaky, achy, lousy feeling I get when I, rarely, eat sugar or starch? Is that normal to have that happen?
At any rate, it is a truly effective deterrent. I don’t want to feel lousy again; therefore when I want something sweet, I stick to Splenda or maybe some sugar-free Jello or a few berries.
Thanks so much; love your blog!
It's always interesting to hear how people respond when they reintroduce carbs after they started livin' la vida low-carb. It's an great object lesson to remind us that we are making a LIFESTYLE CHANGE that is permanently altering the way we eat forever. That's something I attempted to convey in my response:
THANKS for writing and congrats on your success.
Think about sugar/carbs like you would crack cocaine. It is addictive and your body goes through withdrawals when you try to stop consuming it. When you get "clean" from the addiction and try to reintroduce it to your body, it is TOXIC and the body rejects it.
That's what happens with carbs after you have been livin' la vida low-carb for a while. Your body no longer relies on them and treats them as foreign entities when they are consumed. You've learned your lesson and won't be doing that again soon. :D
THANK YOU again for your e-mail!
Something tells me she'll be on strict low-carb for a while. As she should.
That's all the time I have for now, but I'm happy to be catching up on some much-needed blogging! More coming soon! In the meantime, Celebrate Gary Taubes Week!
9-26-07 UPDATE: After one of my readers was concerned the Hood Calorie Countdown low-carb milk was being discontinued, I contacted them to find out the scoop. According to a customer service representative, it's still available:
"We appreciate your interest in Calorie Countdown Dairy Beverages. In answer to your question, we have not discontinued these. If you are unable to locate a particular product, we suggest you speak with the store or dairy manager and ask if it can be ordered in."
So, if it's not on your grocer's shelf, ASK FOR IT!!! And be sure to let Hood know how much you appreciate their products that cater to your low-carb lifestyle by sharing your product experience.
It all started on July 7, 2002 for a man by the name of Gary Taubes, a talented and highly-respected science journalist for The New York Times who, whether intentionally or not, set off one of the most controversial diet and health discussions in American history when he wrote an 8,000-word column entitled "What if It's All Been a Big Fat Lie?" Whether he even realized at the time the enormous impact he would have on our culture, who knows? But he's about to do it all over again!
Ever since that explosive article rocked the world over five years ago by lending credence to the high-fat, low-carb nutritional approach with irrefutable facts, Taubes has been busy continuing the work he started in that brilliant piece. And some of his views have changed as new revelations have come to light in his pursuit of the truth as he revealed in my recent interview with him.
When I heard about a new book that would expand upon the thesis of that original New York Times article, I attempted to contact Taubes in April 2006 to ask him when the book would be available. There were high hopes he would release it in early 2007, but some crucial changes to the title and length of the book were in order (it originally was going to be an 800-page encyclopedia, but the editors at Knopf chopped it down to size).
I have dubbed this "Gary Taubes Week" here at my blog because I believe every single low-carb supporter, dietitian, doctor, health professional, journalist, and consumer should get their hands on a copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories because it is chock full of scientific truths that you won't hear about anywhere else. Although our dogmatic views on nutrition have guided us down this path to obesity and disease, Taubes brilliantly lays all the evidence on the table and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions while simultaneously challenging those in authority over health to open their eyes to the truth.
Taubes has done the phenomenal footwork over these past five years searching and searching through literally thousands upon thousands of pages of the scientific data to give us what so many low-carb antagonists have been asking for: PROOF! Well, here it is, folks, and it's time we help spread the message in a BIG WAY!
How can we do that? By pushing Good Calories, Bad Calories to #1 on Amazon.com and the exposure that will give to this book's message. It's already cracked the Top 200 the day before the release date and, with YOUR help, it'll be #1 on Tuesday when it goes on sale.
If you haven't already picked up this amazing new book with a wealth of wisdom on the efficacy of livin' la vida low-carb, then ORDER NOW and get SEVERAL copies to hand out to your doctor, nutritionist, family, and friends. This is THE most important health book to come out this century and I cannot recommend it enough. I've had a pre-pub copy of this book for the past month or so and have been dying to tell you about it! Let's just say you'll be pleasantly surprised.
If you order now, then you should receive your copy of Good Calories, Bad Calories by the end of the week. Be sure to post a review and share what you thought about the book at Amazon and other places as soon as you can absorb it all. It's 600 pages long--200 of which are references you can check for yourself--and will take some time to absorb. But let it sink into every crevice of your mind as you realize the bill of goods we have been sold about diet, weight loss, and health has been just about as wrong as wrong can be.
Yeah, we knew that already! ;) THANK YOU GARY TAUBES!!!
9-25-07 UPDATE: Wanna know why Gary Taubes is so brilliant and knows from whence he speaks regarding diet and health? Check out this New York Magazine column entitled "The Scientist and the Stairmaster: Why most of us believe that exercise makes us thinner—and why we're wrong." Taubes zings 'em again! GO GET 'EM GARY!
9-26-07 UPDATE: I just found out that Gary Taubes will be appearing on Connie Bennett's SUGAR SHOCK! radio show on Thursday as well as WUNC's People's Pharmacy radio show with Dr. Joe Graedon on Saturday. I've requested audio for the latter interview when it become available.
Are you like me and absolutely abhor those annoying weight loss infomercials that promise a beautiful thin and sexy body, but then they put that little caveat at the bottom of the screen in real teeny tiny print that states "Results Not Typical?" Yeah, there's a lot of TALK about losing weight, but obviously very few people know what to DO when it comes to shedding the pounds and getting health.
In Episode 89 of "The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore," I share with you the "secrets" that I implored to reach my ultimate weight loss goals. Yes, I went on the Atkins diet and it worked extremely well for me. But that's not what I'm referring to in this podcast today.
Click on the "LISTEN NOW" link below or download it to your iPod:
"The Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore" Episode 89 [10:42m]: LISTEN NOW | Download
Losing weight is as much about keeping yourself motivated and enthusiastic about the process on Day 100 and Day 200 as it was on Day 1 than anything else. One way to do that is to give yourself a reason to celebrate early and often during your weight loss experience. That's why I implemented the strategy for success that I shared in today's podcast. I have no doubt in my mind that is the reason I was so successful back in 2004 because it kept me focused on the task at hand.
Low-carb news and advice is at your beckoning call by:
Have you used this technique I talked about in this podcast today to help you in your low-carb weight loss journey? Or do you try to stick with the big picture alone to give you all the motivation you need to attain success? Share your comments here and reveal the strategies that have worked for YOU!
Do you need a strong system of support for you low-carb lifestyle? Then look no further than the growing-by-leaps-and-bounds "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum which is on the fast-track for hitting a HALF-MILLION PAGEVIEWS this week! Holy cow, that's a lotta eyeballs! Join in on this fun group of caring and loving adults and become a part of the fastest-growing low-carb forum site on the Internet today at LowCarbDiscussion.com. SEE YA THERE! ;)
WOW, I wish I had more time in the day lately to be blogging about the low-carb lifestyle, but it's just not happening. The explosive growth of my new "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb Discussion" forum (quickly approaching 1,000 members and a half million pageviews!) and my increasingly-popular video series with my wife Christine called "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" has taken up time I would normally dedicate to blogging.
I'm not complaining by any stretch of the imagination because I'm lovin' every minute of what I am doing, including my continued work on my podcast show, my "30-In-30" blog, my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog, writing my second book, and having the opportunity to start writing columns for a MAJOR health media outlet coming soon (more about that when I'm allowed to talk about it in detail).
Life is quite busy, but I wanted to get you caught up on a five items of interest that caught my attention lately that you should know about and chew on a while:
DANA CARPENDER COLUMN ON THE TRAVESTY OF SCHOOL LUNCHES
If you missed this month's nationally-syndicated "Cook Well, Eat Well" column from low-carb cooking goddess Dana Carpender, then you need to read it, print it out, and take it to your next PTA meeting at your child's school to share with the other parents what they can pack their little munchkin to eat for lunch instead. Dana details what parents can pack for their children to eat in her piece entitled "School lunches leave a lot to be desired for the taste buds." Giving alternatives to the nutritionally bankrupt foods like cereal, yogurt, and a roll for a meal (yep, that's the totality of this so-called "meal" that was served to students), this column is classic Dana Carpender and you won't want to miss it!
This week's newsletter featured an article by Jonny entitled "How to Fight Cravings -- and Win!" that will knock your socks off! He goes into the psychology of overeating beyond mere hunger and how you can stop that vicious cycle in its tracks. Or, as he says, you need to "short-circuit the chain" as he outlines in his audiobook "Change Your Body Change Your Life." He encourages you to WRITE DOWN your five biggest hunger triggers and to put a plan of action into place when those triggers begin to start happening. Check these out:
1. Brush your teeth. 2. Eat a pickle. Eating something completely different from what you’re craving tricks the brain and kills the craving. Try eating a hot pepper when you’re craving chocolate and you’ll instantly see what I mean. 3. Reward yourself with a relaxing activity you normally wouldn’t do. Try a warm bath or uninterrupted reading of your favorite magazines. 4. Go for a walk. The endorphins released will often balance the chemistry of a craving brain. 5. Write down what you’re feeling. Try “being” with that feeling for five minutes.
I'm sure there's more where that came from, but those tips for beating your cravings and resisting the urge to eat when you shouldn't will get you started off right.
NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST TRUMPETS ATKINS DIET FOR HEALTH
Imagine my surprise when I was doing some research recently and came across this newspaper column from my own home state of South Carolina called The State and discovered a very positive review of livin' la vida low-carb for those seeking to improve their health, especially diabetics. WOW!!! The writer Cindi Ross Scoppe said there are other ways like drugs and supplements to improve blood pressure, lower cholesterol, and stabilize blood sugars, but the best way is...
"There’s an easy-to-stick-to diet that also does a good job of lowering blood pressure and stabilizing if not reducing cholesterol: the low-carb Atkins diet."
You read that right! She named the much-vilified Atkins diet in this story about healthy living. Incredible! I was so pumped about seeing this by a writer just down the road from me that I e-mailed her to thank her for that positive coverage. She never wrote back, but I'm sure she is aware of the media bias that exists against this way of eating and is roundly ignoring it herself.
Scoppe makes some excellent observations about the low-carb lifestyle ("Many foods that drive up cholesterol — eggs, steak, cheese, bacon, butter, cream — are on the all-you-can-eat buffet. No one has figured out exactly why, but apparently the bad foods don’t hurt you if you’ve sworn off carbs.") and even questions some of the illogical thinking of so-called diabetes advocacy groups ("When I did the American Diabetes Association’s 'Rate your Plate' exercise, dragging an Atkins-perfect meal of chicken, broccoli, lettuce and tomatoes onto my plate, I got a scoldy message that said: 'You have too many vegetables and not enough carbohydrates. Try again.' Too many vegetables?"). This one is too juicy to pass up, so take some time to check it out and encourage Scoppe in her low-carb journey to better health!
STANFORD DIET STUDY AUTHOR SAYS LOW-CARB 'BETTER, SIMPLE'
In March this year, there was a rather eye-opening study released in the most prestigious medical journal in the United States--The Journal Of The American Medical Association--by Stanford University researcher Dr. Christopher Gardner comparing various diet plans against each other measuring weight loss and health. The conclusion? The Atkins diet was best among several other plans, including the low-fat Ornish diet and "balanced" Zone diet.
There was debate about this study in the weeks following its release as many low-carb advocates like me called for low-carb to be promoted alongside low-fat in dietary recommendations so that the public could have all the facts to make the best decision about their own health. No such luck on that one, but I was pleasantly surprised to see this Scientific American story that quotes Dr. Gardner saying something that blew me away. Keep in mind that he is a vegetarian and it makes this quote all the more profound.
“Maybe low carb is a better simple message to the public than low fat,” Gardner says. “We tell them low carb, and they get it. They cut out a couple of sodas or a couple of cookies, and that adds up.”
That's it, Dr. Gardner! You've hit the nail squarely on the head and with amazing precision, too! Cutting carbs is simple, yet so much easier to understand and enjoy than cutting fat. Can we get you to shout that message over and over again to get people to understand it at last? Of course, with well-meaning but DEAD WRONG people like National Weight Control Registry co-founder Dr. James Hill quoted in the story as saying "There’s no way you can do it [eat low-carb] forever,” it's gonna be an uphill battle!
LOOK OUT GUYS, THE DIET INDUSTRY IS GUNNING FOR YOU NEXT
We all know the target audience for most diet companies these days is women. With an overwhelming number of people joining groups like Weight Watchers and Curves, it's almost as if the weight loss industry forgot about the guys. Well, not anymore according to this Chicago Tribune column that found they're now gunning for the men. They cite Nutrisystem and their use of former NFL players like Dan Marino as evidence of a new trend. It's nice to see these efforts, but all the male folks need to do is go on low-carb and the weight comes pouring off! Maybe if Weight Watchers would come up with a low-carb version of their plan, they could pull more men into their system. Wouldn't be surprised at all if that's what happens REAL soon!
I've got a ton more to blog, but that's all the time I have for now. We'll hit some more later, but for now I need to get some rest and get reenergized for the upcoming week. THANK YOU for your devoted readership and keep on livin' la vida low-carb!
It's time yet again for another thrilled-packed episode of the hottest thing to hit YouTube...okay, maybe not. But my wife Christine and I would like to think we're having enough fun talking about low-carb living to justify making more and more "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" videos--and so we are.
In Episode 5 we got into the most controversial part of low-carb diets in the eyes of those so-called health and nutrition experts who think it is so dangerous and unhealthy. That's right, we talk about FAT--dum, dum, dummmmmmmmmm! And even SATURATED FAT! Double dum, dum dummmmmmmm!
But you know how I feel about fat and that it alone has nothing at all to do with making you fat or clogging your arteries. Instead it is the SUGAR and the carbohydrates you consume that TURN TO SUGAR in your body that is "gumming up" your arteries as my friend and Protein Power co-author Dr. Mike Eades would say.
If you're interested in more about this subject, check out these blog posts:
There's MUCH MUCH more where that came from, but it'll get you started off the right way in understanding why fat is indeed a part of a happy and healthy lifestyle. Read Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution and the upcoming Gary Taubes book Good Calories, Bad Calories for even more evidence in support for fat consumption.
Okay, enough of that, it's time to show you our latest video. ENJOY!
I LOVE my coconut oil (my favorite brand is Nutiva) and butter--both of which are recommended by Dr. Jonny Bowden as one of the 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth (EXCELLENT BOOK, by the way!). Hopefully people will understand that fat is not the big health threat that our fat-phobic society thinks it is. It's just not as long as you keep your carbohydrates reduced.
Leave a comment for Episode 5 and talk about how fat is an important part of your low-carb lifestyle experience. These videos on YouTube are being watched by people who have never been exposed to the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb before, so help me educate them on why this way of eating is so healthy for them.
See all of our other YouTube videos and comment on them, too:
- Promo video--A half-minute promotion of the new video series - Episode 1--Introduction of Jimmy & Christine Moore - Episode 2--What kind of fruits can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 3--What kind of veggies can you have on a low-carb diet? - Episode 4--What does a low-carber do for something sweet?
Please sign up and subscribe to our YouTube videos and tell your friends and family members about them. We have a great time sharing what this low-carb way of life is all about and have been encouraged by the overwhelmingly positive feedback we have been receiving about the series. Keep encouraging us and we'll keep pumping them out!
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