May 31, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

1:15PM
Taco meat, chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream, salsa
Diet Coke with lime

3:30PM
Low-carb cheesecake (cream cheese, Xylitol, eggs), strawberries, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

8:45PM
1 chicken breast with Colby Jack cheese and mayo
Low-carb cheesecake (cream cheese, Xylitol, eggs), strawberries, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

NOTE: The minister of music at our church was recently blessed with his third child--a SURPRISE! Him and his wife moved to our area a little over a year ago and she found out she was pregnant within a few months of his calling to be our music leader. In their upper 30s, it took them TOTALLY by surprise. But what a blessing that new little addition to their family is and today we honored and showered them with gifts to help that munchkin get the care it needs to grow into a beautiful woman someday. After church this morning, the members of the choir all gathered together at a restaurant down the road.

We went out to a local Mexican restaurant called Bronco's and this ain't no Taco Bell. They serve the real stuff--which can be good and bad if you are livin' la vida low-carb. Rice is out. Refried beans are out. Nacho chips are out (even though they bring you a big basket full of them and place them right in front of you on the table). But you CAN have your selection of meats, cheese, and veggies along with some sour cream and guacamole if that floats your boat. So I got the taco salad made with beef and chicken, lettuce, tomato, cheese, sour cream and salsa. I asked for it without that carbohydrate-loaded bowl they serve it in, but they still served it to me anyway. Obviously I ate around it.

After watching our minister of music and his wife and two other kids open the gifts we had for them, it was already 3:00 in the afternoon. By the time we got home, I wanted something sweet to eat since I refused the cake and churros they were serving as dessert at the Mexican restaurant. My choir friends know not to even ask if I want something like that because they already know the answer--yes, my reputation precedes me! And that's a VERY good thing. I got my hands on this really fabulous low-carb cheesecake sweetened with Xylitol and threw some of those fresh strawberries we got from the farmer's market last week on top with some whipped cream. Delicious! It was a fantastic day to be livin' la vida low-carb!

May 30, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

1:45PM
2 chicken breasts with Colby Jack cheese and Ranch dressing
CarbSmart vanilla ice cream with fresh locally grown strawberries, Truvia, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

8:45PM
1 1/4 pound beef hamburger meat with American cheese, bacon, pickle, mayo and BBQ sauce
Broccoli with butter
Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: I woke up today and I wasn't very hungry at all. Some days are like that and I don't believe in any hard and fast rules about eating just because it's that particular time of day to do so. Too many people fall into a routine that they MUST eat something between 8:00-9:00AM everyday because that's the time designated for the first meal of the day. But if I don't feel like eating breakfast, then why do it? And so I didn't today.

When the nudging in my stomach started indicating my need to eat, then I decided to have some lunch. I was running around all morning running errands at the farmer's market where I picked up some grass-fed ground beef, the Christian bookstore to get some DVDs and books, Sam's Club for some stuff for the house, and other activities to keep me occupied. When you're running around like a chicken with its head cut off, you're not thinking about food too much either. Staying busy and getting into your routine can take your mind off of food until your body starts SCREAMING it needs nourishment. Thankfully I don't get to that point too often since I stay quite satiated with the fat and protein I consume on my healthy low-carb lifestyle.

For supper tonight I had a LOT of hamburger meat. Perhaps I was a little more hungry than I realized when I started eating, but I ate over a pound of meat--LOVED IT! There's nothing more fulfilling, delicious and nutritious than a well-cooked (medium is my favorite!) slice of meat with some bacon, cheese, and other fixins to make it PERFECT! It was a great way to end my day of livin' la vida low-carb!

May 29, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

11:45AM
2 chicken breasts with cheddar cheese, Ranch dressing, and tomatoes
CarbSmart vanilla ice cream with fresh locally grown strawberries, Truvia, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

6:15PM
Spinach leaves with cheese, eggs, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
7-ounce sirloin steak with mashed cauliflower, green beans, and butter
Diet Coke with lime

9:15PM
Low-carb cheesecake (cream cheese, Xylitol, eggs), strawberries, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

NOTE: In 2000, Christine and I moved away from the Hampton Roads area of Virginia to live in South Carolina and we left a really great church full of friends and people who loved us. Those were the people who saw us fall in love, get married in 1995, and start our life together as a family and they will always be our friends no matter how far away they live from us. Recently I found one of our Virginia Beach friends on Facebook and she said she lived just down the road from us about 45 minutes away. AWESOME! Her new husband works in Spartanburg where we live, so she said we really should meet for dinner sometime--tonight was that night!

It's funny how some people who you haven't seen in nearly ten years you can start chatting with them and it's like no time has passed at all. It's obvious that it has, but the laughing and sharing that happens between good friends is timeless. Christine and I were so thrilled to hook up with this long lost friend and we've committed to staying in touch and meeting for dinner often now that we live so close to each other. After speaking with her, we were made aware of another reason why we should stay in touch--HER DIABETES.

Somehow the conversation of health came up during dinner and we found out our friend has Type 2 diabetes. I asked her what she is doing to control it and she said she takes three prescription medications along with 1 unit of insulin daily. Because of what I know about blood sugar, insulin, and the carbohydrate connection, I decided to ask my friend what her fasting blood glucose number was. When she said 350, I just about fell out of my seat. My follow-up question was about her A1C number, and it was in the double digits. EEEEK!

Obviously she's getting a lot of carbs in her diet, but I wanted to know for sure. She had lobster ravioli during dinner--not exactly the perfect choice for someone with diabetes. But she did have a diet soda to drink with her meal, so it's not a complete carb-fest. When I inquired about what her typical diet looks like, here's what she said (brace yourself!):

BREAKFAST--a bowl of cereal with 2% milk
LUNCH--some crackers and/or granola bar
SUPPER--a bowl of cereal with 2% milk

This is NOT a joke! She REALLY eats this way as a Type 2 diabetic. Her husband was very interested in what I had to say and I spent about an hour explaining the way carbohydrate acts in the body to raise blood sugar levels which stimulates insulin and the whole kit and kaboodle. When I said her diet looks like it is about 90% carbohydrate, 5% protein, and 5% fat, she looked kind of stunned by it. In her mind, she thought her choices were pretty healthy and yet they're the reason she's taking so many drugs and insulin to try to control her diabetes. I'm SO glad we were able to speak with her and share the truth about what is best for getting this disease eradicated from her life.

I urged them to pick up a copy of Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution and follow it EXACTLY! I said with confidence that she could probably come off of at least 1-2 of those medications and the insulin within 4-6 weeks if she got serious about restricting her carbohydrate intake. She thinks she lacks the willpower and motivation to do it, but I know it is possible if she would simply give it a try. And her husband was thrilled to hear she could still eat full-fat meats, cream, cheese, and other foods that didn't fit on a typical "diet." The message of replacing the carbs with dietary fat sunk in for him and he's gonna do this with her since heart disease runs in his family (several siblings have died or suffered cardiovascular problems). You gotta love it when you know you are making a difference in the lives of people you know who stand to benefit from livin' la vida low-carb.

It is my hope they take this to heart and REALLY do it for the sake of their health. Both of them are approaching 50 and it's a PERFECT time to start eating a healthy low-carb lifestyle so they will be around for each other for many years to come. Maybe this meeting with an old friend could be the start of a major turnaround in her health that could save her years of agony and frustration wondering why she was dealt this hand of fate. We're gonna change what was thought to be inevitable into some truly incredible!

May 28, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:45AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, sugar-free maple praline syrup, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

4:45PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

8:15PM
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, strawberries, Truvia, whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

NOTE: When we went to the Whole Foods store the other day, Christine and I saw some big beautiful strawberries at the on-site farmer's market in the parking lot. It's funny how excited I get seeing fresh strawberries now because I used to think they were disgusting prior to my low-carb lifestyle. I don't know if it was the texture or the taste that I used to abhor, but now these are just about the only low-carb fruit (along with blueberries) that I'll proudly put inside my mouth anytime. Sprinkle a little Truvia and whipped cream on top and/or mix in with some low-carb ice cream for an outstanding low-carb treat.

May 27, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:45AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, sugar-free maple praline syrup, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

4:00PM
2 grilled chicken breasts with cheddar cheese, mayo, mustard and tomatoes
Green bean chips
Diet Coke with Splenda

8:15PM
Meatloaf, green beans cooked in hamhock, mixed veggies with butter
Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: Dangit, I hate to find a food that seems like a good addition to my healthy low-carb lifestyle--and then it disappoints! So goes those green bean chips I got from The Fresh Market earlier this week. While green beans are an excellent vegetable choice for people who are livin' la vida low-carb, apparently the vacuum-frying concentrates the natural sugars so much so that a 28-gram serving size has 20g carbohydrate. EEEK! Guess I won't be getting these things anymore--man, I knew it was too good to be true. And who would have thought green beans would be a culprit? Oh well, you live and learn.

My thumb was still sore today, but I think it's gonna be okay. A little puffed up and a few patches of bruising, but not too bad. As I was typing on my keyboard today, it was like type-type-type-OWW!-type-type-type-OWW! Oh the joys of volleyball injuries. Oh, by the way, remember last year when I was dealing with symptoms of apparent reactive hypoglycemia? My blood sugar was dropping even after a low-carb meal while my insulin was measured going up during a glucose tolerance test. I was having dizzy spells during workouts and all the signs of low blood sugar.

I took Metformin upon the advice of a low-carb expert physician who saw it work wonders in his patients starting in November through early February. I've been off of that four about four months and I'm happy to report that there are no signs of any hypoglycemia anymore. I checked my fasting blood sugar yesterday when I woke up and it was 96, a little higher than I expected but still below 100. After my breakfast, I checked it again right after eating (102), 15 minutes after eating (109), an hour after eating (101), and two hours after eating (98). That's a far different result than I was getting before. I'm still not seeing a typical curve up and then back down to baseline, but my blood sugar isn't going below baseline now like it did this time last year.

I'll keep checking my blood sugar from time to time to see what's going on. I'm not sure if that fasting BG number of 96 was just an anomaly or what, so we'll see if it's lower the next time I check. Just wanted to update you on this!

May 26, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, sugar-free maple praline syrup, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

4:30PM
Local farm raw goat's milk



5:00PM
2 grilled chicken breasts with cheddar cheese, mayo, locally grown Romaine lettuce and tomatoes
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, sugar-free maple praline syrup, whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda

7:00PM
140-minute recreational volleyball



9:30PM
Green bean chips

NOTE: Whew, what a day! This afternoon, Christine and I drove back down the road to Greenville, SC to pick up that raw cow's milk at Whole Foods which we thought was closed down because GPS took us to the wrong place...oh nevermind, it's a long story. The point is we made it to the store today and on Tuesday afternoons there is a local "farmer's market" in the parking lot featuring locally grown and farmed foods. We picked up some more local eggs since my local supplier from my church is on vacation this week and didn't tell me. Paid about twice as much for the eggs, but worth every penny!

One of the vendors was gushing over her raw goat's milk and said she had little sample bottles to try for a $1. So I shelled out a couple of bucks for Christine and I to try. I don't know if it was because the milk wasn't ice cold or if I just didn't like the taste of it, but that stuff was NASTY! She really wanted me to come back next week and let her know how much I enjoyed it. Uhhhh, I don't think you wanna know, lady. *smile*

We did find some fabulous strawberries in a big bucket which Christine especially is gonna love chowing down on this week. Strawberries are okay to me, but they gotta have some whipped cream and/or chocolate on them to taste REALLY good. After leaving the "farmer's market" section in the parking lot, we went inside Whole Foods to get the raw milk. We looked and looked for the stuff and finally asked an employee where it was located. He said the shipment is scheduled to come in on Wednesday, but call ahead of time to make sure since the Memorial Day holiday may have thrown off when they come. Man, another trip to Greenville...oh well, this raw cow's milk BETTER be good as much running around I'm doing trying to get it!

Tonight I played volleyball again and everything was going well until I jumped to spike the ball and my thumb popped so loud everyone could hear it. It hurt like the dickens, too! After we finished that game out, I wrapped it up in some tape to stabilize it and kept playing. I did pretty well with the tape on the thumb, but it swelled up and probably will bruise over (it's still quite sore right now as I'm typing this). But, if you're gonna play, then my motto is play hard. Volleyball let's me do that with all the running, jumping, strategizing, and more that happens...BRING IT!

When I got home from volleyball, I wanted something to eat, so I decided to try those green bean chips I bought yesterday at the Fresh Market. I'd never heard of this before, but it looked interesting. They had okra and some mixed veggie chips, but the green beans was intriguing since it's an explicitly low-carb vegetable. As you can see from the photo above, they look just like green beans. But when you bite into them, they're all salty and crunchy like chips...except they're HEALTHY! And, oh my goodness, this is one of the most incredible-tasting low-carb crunch foods I've ever had! The subtle sweetness that is found in fresh green beans is accentuated in this version and just a bit of sea salt brings out all the intense flavors. WOW! I think I've found a new snack to enjoy that's incredible and livin' la vida low-carb friendly!

May 25, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:45AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, and sugar-free maple praline syrup
Diet Coke with Splenda

1:45PM
Beef hamburger patty with American cheese, pickle, and mayo with mashed cauliflower and butter
Diet Coke with lime

4:00PM
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, unsweetened 100% cacao, heavy cream, Truvia, whipped cream

7:30PM
2-hour recreational volleyball

9:45PM
2 grilled chicken breasts with cheddar cheese and mayo
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream,sugar-free maple praline syrup, whipped cream

NOTE: It was Memorial Day and Christine and I decided to take a road trip down I-85 about 25 miles to Greenville, SC to pay a visit to our local Whole Foods store. We heard they sell locally-farmed raw milk there and were excited about getting some. The only problem is the GPS sent us to an empty building and we thought the store had been shut down. It turns out our GPS gave us bad directions, so we'll be going back to Greenville tomorrow for the raw milk.

Instead, we went to the Fresh Market on the east side of our hometown of Spartanburg, SC and I really hate this store. Everything is so oriented towards low-fat, low-calorie, organic eating that a low-carber has hardly anything good to eat here. They didn't have raw milk and said it's illegal to sell it in stores (it's NOT in South Carolina). They didn't have the low-carb shirataki noodles or really anything to speak of. We did find one pretty neat product called green bean chips which are green beans that have been freeze-dried and turned into a crunchy snack. I can't wait to try these. They also had okra and mixed veggie chips this way, too. We may be back for this if it's good.

Made some French toast with the Julian Bakery bread today--WOW! Turned out fabulous with the eggs, butter, cinnamon, cream, and Truvia along with that sugar-free syrup. Delicious! I had all the fuel my body needed to energize my volleyball playing tonight and felt absolutely fantastic. We split up the teams to pit the "old" versus the "young" and I was smack down the middle. Ended up playing with the teenagers and 20-somethings for a couple of games until another young guy showed up and I became the youngest of the "old" people. LOL! I play like I'm 15 out on that court, though!

May 24, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter and cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

1:00PM
Eggs, sausage, bacon, American cheese, mixed veggies with butter
Diet Coke with lime
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, Sugar-Free Hershey's chocolate syrup, Truvia, whipped cream

8:45PM
Grilled chicken salad with lettuce, bacon, Ranch dressing, cheddar cheese, locally grown broccoli
Diet Coke with Splenda
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, Sugar-Free Hershey's chocolate syrup, heavy whipping cream, Truvia, whipped cream

NOTE: There's a common misconception about people who are deemed "healthy" that I'm sure has crossed your mind at some point. The body weight and image of someone is factored more than anything else into that adjective that describes someone as being in the best health they can possibly be. But this is such a shortsighted and oftentimes inaccurate way to measure the health of an individual.

At the ASBP/Nutrition & Metabolism conference Christine and I attended in Charleston, SC last month, we heard a truly groundbreaking lecture from low-carb physician Dr. Mary C. Vernon entitled "Metabolically-Obese Thin Patients." She described the scenario where a thin person will come in with symptoms of diabetes or other health problems and wonder why they're not "healthy." Well, on the outside they may "look" like the picture of health, but inside they are just as unhealthy as most obese people. This was a fantastic subject for us to address in our latest YouTube video:



Found out today my local farm eggs supplier is out of town for a week (and he didn't tell me!), so I'll be trying to get some from another farm when I go out to get the grass-fed beef and raw milk sometime this week. Little by little, we're making the changes that will continue to make my menus even healthier and healthier. THANKS for reading!

May 23, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:15AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, Romaine lettuce, mayo, and 4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

9:00AM
4-hour youth soccer refereeing
Diet Coke with Splenda

2:30PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

9:30PM
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, Sugar-Free Hershey's chocolate syrup, whipped cream

NOTE: Today was the final week of the Upward youth soccer league that I help referee. I enjoy helping out with this ministry outreach from my church because it gives me some good exercise, I help share the love of Christ with some eager and enthusiastic kids, and it's one more way I can give back for all the blessings that have happened in my life over the past few years. Giving of your time is one of the most invaluable commodities of our day and it's my privilege and honor to do so whenever possible.

When I got there this morning, the sky looked quite menacing. They cancelled the games last week because the fields were too wet to play on and today looked like we might get rained out. Sure enough, after the first of four games, here came the sprinkles. That really wasn't too bad and actually pretty refreshing considering the sun usually baked the back of our necks pretty good. But then during the third game, a huge two-minute gulley-washer downpour hit and the kids went wild. The game was still going on and they all just stopped playing. I told them to keep playing and the rain would stop...eventually it did.

This visual with the kids reminded me that we're all in this game of health no matter what life throws our way. Like the kids did on the soccer field, sometimes we go through storms when the scale won't budge or we messed up with our diet and think it's time to quit. But those downpours are only temporary and the best thing to do is to keep your head in the game while staying focused on the basics. Yes, it can and will be challenging at times when the rain is falling hard on you, but when it clears up you'll be better and stronger for it. NEVER EVER GIVE UP no matter how wet you get in the process.

May 22, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:30AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, Romaine lettuce, tomato, mayo, and 4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

5:00PM
2 chicken breasts cooked in butter, bacon, cheddar cheese, and Ranch dressing
Coke Zero

8:15PM
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, heavy whipping cream, Sugar-Free Hershey's chocolate syrup, whipped cream

NOTE: I finally found a somewhat local grass-fed beef supplier just up the road from me about 25 miles. After e-mailing the owner of the farm this week, she told me they sell Devon grass-fed beef. I'm not very familiar with this, but I like the fact it is grass-fed and local. I'm gonna make sure the cuts of beef I choose will be the fattiest possible for the most nutrient density. Some people think getting the extra lean versions of these meats is best, but you miss out on a lot of the healthy nutrition that comes from consuming the saturated fat in naturally-raised cattle like this. We'll be taking the trip up the road sometime next week. I can't wait and will be bringing my video camera with me to shoot a YouTube video if the owner will allow us.

In addition to the grass-fed beef, I've been really wanting to find a good local supplier of raw milk and dairy products. They're hard to come by in my area, but again I found a farm that sells it in South Carolina (where it's legal to sell raw dairy) about 20 miles from my house. I've heard a lot of people describe the taste and texture of raw milk as similar to a creamy vanilla milkshake. COOL! And the health benefits of drinking this stuff are incredible. Here's a YouTube video I found about the benefits of drinking raw milk:



I hope to start adding these delicious and healthy foods to my menus soon. :)

May 21, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:15AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, Romaine lettuce, tomato, mayo, and 4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

2:45PM
2 chicken breasts cooked in butter, bacon, cheddar cheese, and Ranch dressing
Diet Coke with Splenda

8:45PM
7 ounce sirloin steak, mashed cauliflower with butter, green beans with butter
Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: If my menus look familiar, they are. As I've said before, some people like to have variety in their diet by making something different to eat every single day. But not me. I've always been a creature of habit and enjoy eating the same foods (especially when they are good!) over and over again for a period of time.

This "routine" way of eating is probably why all those sausage and egg biscuits from McDonalds and Double Gulps from 7-11 had such a stranglehold on me for so many years prior to 2004. No doubt I got into the habit of eating that junk and became accustomed to it in the process. I don't have to wonder how I ever ballooned up to over 400 pounds!

But now that I'm eating a healthy low-carb lifestyle, this idea of getting into a "routine" is actually beneficial. When you choose foods that are nutritious and delicious for your healthy low-carb eating plan and consume those often, then you know you are doing something good for your body. Too many people think they have to change it up or they'll get bored with their diet. Not me. Give me a good idea for a meal and I could eat it for days on end and LOVE IT!

Plus, allowing the habit of eating good foods you are familiar with keeps you from straying away from the progress you have made on your low-carb lifestyle. Some people can use the boredom excuse to give themselves permission to eat something they know they really shouldn't. But they did it all in the name of changing things up. How messed up is that?

For me, I'll stick with what I'm doing and stay in the routine that helped me lose 180 pounds in 2004 and continue on a healthy path ever since!

May 20, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:15AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, Romaine lettuce, tomato, mayo, and 4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda

5:00PM
2 chicken breasts cooked in butter, bacon, cheddar cheese, and Ranch dressing
Diet Coke with Splenda

NOTE: I've got a new favorite breakfast and I've had it for a couple of days now. It starts with two slices of that amazing low-carb bread from Julian Bakery, followed by some Duke's mayonnaise, then several bacon slices, two big leaves of that fresh locally-grown Romaine lettuce, two big slices of juicy tomatoes, country-scrambled local farm eggs cooked in lots of butter with cheddar cheese melted on top. Now THAT is what I call a breakfast and the best part is I'm not hungry for HOURS after eating that. It's a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb way to start my day and it allows me to be more productive in my work when I don't have to stop and worry about eating in the middle of the day just because it's "lunch" time.

If you're not hungry because your body got all the nutrition it needed in the morning, then why eat? This sounds elementary, but too many people think they have to have three meals a day plus snacks in between. Where is it written that you must eat this way? Yes, the American culture has hammered this notion of "three square meals a day" into our heads, but what does that mean? The fact is many people HAVE to eat that much daily because all the carbohydrates they are consuming are driving their insulin levels sky-high which makes their bodies SCREAM for more food in the form of hunger pangs--and the vicious carb cycle has got you by the throat. That's what is so wonderful about livin' la vida low-carb because you eliminate that blood sugar rollercoaster ride and you stop obsessing over food. We're not constantly looking for our next sugar "fix."

May 19, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:30AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, Romaine lettuce, tomato, mayo, and 4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with cheddar cheese
Coke Zero



5:45PM
2 chicken breasts cooked in butter, bacon, cheddar cheese, and Ranch dressing

7:00PM
120-minute recreational volleyball

9:15PM
Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate cake (almond flour, erythritol, organic cocoa, organic whey protein, coconut flour, Truvia, coconut milk, butter, coconut oil, eggs, sugar-free vanilla extract) with strawberries and whipped cream

NOTE: One of the things that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle over the debate regarding livin' la vida low-carb is that it just plain makes you healthy. Sure, everyone focuses on the weight loss benefits that come from eating a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet, but there are some truly remarkable changes that happen in your health when you apply this nutritional approach to your own life. Some things you can guarantee will happen if you are doing low-carb correctly is your HDL will go well above 50, your triglycerides will dip below 100, and the size of your LDL particles will be the large, fluffy, protective kind that keep you safe from a cardiovascular event from happening. Christine and I did our latest YouTube video on this subject:



Another thing I've noticed about my health over the past year is this--I hardly ever get sick at all. Sure, there's the occasional sniffle or cough maybe once or twice a year, but never enough to require me to go see a doctor. Why? Because of all the healthy low-carb foods I am putting in my body now. When I was guzzling down gallons of sugary soda and whole boxes of Little Debbie snack cakes prior to 2004, my body was having a daily battle with all that garbage to keep these foreign substances from hurting me. It's a miracle I didn't do more damage than I did, but thankfully I am arguably in the best health and fitness of my entire life. Choosing to eat low-carb was a huge blessing in my life that I'm going to reap the benefits from for many more years and decades to come.

Someone in the comments section asked if I'm hungry eating the foods that are on my current menus. Are you kidding me? My problem is finding a time to eat since the fat and protein I consume with very little carbohydrates is keeping me very satisfied throughout the day. I like that because it gives me time to do other things that need to get done--and my breakneck schedule could use a little extra time here and there for me to catch up with all the work I do to spread the message of low-carb living.

Finally, while you may not agree with my low-carb food choices because they don't match your definition of what you consider "healthy," the fact of the matter is this is how I eat on a daily basis. If you don't want to read about what I actually eat on my low-carb diet, then don't read this blog. That's a pretty simple solution that will save you any unnecessary frustration over how I'm doing it all "wrong."

To that end, I never tell people to eat the same things I do nor do I require them in any way to duplicate my menus lest they be told they're not eating the right way. I'm not so narrow-minded and arrogant to think that everybody needs to eat my way and I believe this would be a good strategy for others to embrace as a basic philosophy as well. We all have our individual needs, desires, and differences that make us unique in how we live our lives. Jimmy Moore has his way and you have yours.

If you find something useful about what you read here, then that's fantastic and I appreciate the opportunity to help! But if you don't, then perhaps it's time you move on to someplace else where you'll feel more validated in your own healthy lifestyle decisions. There will always be areas of disagreement within low-carb circles and I am not opposed to that kind of civil conversation ensuing. However, disagreeing with my dietary choices does not give anyone permission to be disagreeable, condescending, and copping a superiority complex. That ain't happening here now or ever because I have too much good work that needs to be accomplished without wasting time on such childish antics.

Let me just say a hearty THANK YOU to everyone who comes here legitimately to learn about what I eat on my low-carb lifestyle and to receive encouragement in your own low-carb journey to better health. My promise to you is that I'll keep sharing openly and honestly with you on a daily basis just as I have for the pat 2 1/2 years. Keep up the great work in your effort to lose weight and improve your health and keep on livin' la vida low-carb!

May 18, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese on locally raised romaine lettuce leaves
Coke Zero

12:00PM
30-minute walk



5:45PM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with bacon, lettuce, tomato and mayo

7:30PM
90-minute recreational volleyball



9:30PM
Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate cake (almond flour, erythritol, organic cocoa, organic whey protein, coconut flour, Truvia, coconut milk, butter, coconut oil, eggs, sugar-free vanilla extract) with strawberries and whipped cream

NOTE: Well, the car trouble we had yesterday was due to the fuel pump going out on our Hyundai Sonata. The guy at the service desk said he's never heard of the fuel pump going out--EVER--in one of these vehicles, much less one with less than 45,000 miles on it. I guess he hasn't heard about our luck with cars. :) Should be ready to pick up by tomorrow.

Had some delicious low-carb meals today and someone asked a good question the other day--why don't I eat three solid meals at specific times along with snacks? And the answer is simple...my body doesn't need to eat that often to be satisfied. When you eat a high-fat, moderate-protein, low-carb diet, hunger subsides and you stay full longer than you would if you were stuffing your face with carbohydrates. That's why all these low-fat experts out there encourage eating every 2-3 hours because they KNOW all the carbs you are eating on their diet plan are making you hungry. Not me. I'm livin' la vida low-carb and LOVING every minute of it without EVER being hungry.

May 17, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

7:00AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese on locally raised romaine lettuce leaves
Coke Zero

1:45PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

2:30PM
30-minute walk

10:00PM
Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate cake (almond flour, erythritol, organic cocoa, organic whey protein, coconut flour, Truvia, coconut milk, butter, coconut oil, eggs, sugar-free vanilla extract)

NOTE: I was awake bright and early today around 5:00AM because I couldn't get back to sleep after going to the bathroom. That happens sometimes and I'll just be laying there in bed thinking of all that I have to get done. After about an hour of that, I decided to get on up and get some work done on the computer before heading to church. Decided to have my usual eggs breakfast on that locally-grown romaine lettuce I picked up at the farmer's market yesterday this morning...WOW!

Everything was going along great today driving to church and back home without a hitch. Then when we tried to go out to Sam's Club this afternoon to pick up some more ink cartridges for Christine's printer, our new Hyundai Sonata we bought back in March to replace that lemon Buick LeSabre we purchased went dead on us. Thankfully we didn't get out of our driveway before it happened, but I'll have to hassle with the dealer about this on Monday morning. It should still be under warranty, although it's a pain in the rear! I'll check with my South Carolina Auto Insurance to see if I'm going to have any problems.

I decided to make a delicious and nutritious low-carb treat this evening with that wonderful chocolate cake. It was amazing and created from the best of ingredients. I like baking things like this because it reminds you that livin' la vida low-carb is about using real food ingredients to come up with mouthwatering and fulfilling recipes that can rival ANY garbage that is presented as "food" by most people these days. You gotta love this lifestyle! I DO!

May 16, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
Coke Zero

3:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

9:00PM
So Delicious unsweetened coconut milk with sugar-free Hershey's syrup and Truvia

NOTE: This morning I received a telephone call from the organizer of the Upward soccer league I referee games for on Saturday mornings and he informed me the games had been cancelled because of the rain. I was a little bummed since I enjoy doing this and getting in some excellent outside exercise, but I had another GREAT idea in mind for today.

For about a year, I've been looking for a local farmer's market in my area where I can purchase fresh, locally-grown vegetables, grass-fed meats, and other healthy food choices chock full of nutrition. The more I hear about all the industrialized, genetically-modified concoctions that are being passed off as "food" in America these days, you can't help but turn to these local outlets for REAL food. Unfortunately, the closest one to me was about 75 miles away.

Earlier in the week, I was driving to the post office a saw a billboard for a new farmer's market...in my hometown of Spartanburg, SC! WOO HOO! I went to the web site--HubCityFM.org--and checked 'em out. Outstanding! I was so excited to go to this local farmer's market that is only open on Saturday mornings from 8am-12pm (usually while I'm refereeing those soccer games) to check out all they had available. However, when I arrived I was a little surprised to only see 8 tables of vendors. Half of those only sold inedible plants, two of them sold strawberries only, another sold scented candles only, and the last one had an array of fresh veggies.

Of course, I gravitated to the veggie table first and grabbed me up some fresh broccoli and big leaves of romaine lettuce that will be perfect to use as a "wrap" for meals. I think I'll try this with my eggs tomorrow morning. Then I moved over to one of the strawberry vendors and asked the obvious question..."what makes your strawberries better than theirs?" pointing to the other strawberry vendor across from them. These two teenage boys said theirs was sweeter and that we'd be coming back for more next week. Nice sales pitch, kid, I'll take the small size and try 'em out! Christine adores strawberries, so this will be a nice treat for her. And I may sneak in a few in my menus this coming up week.

On the way out, I stopped by the table where the organizers set up and asked about grass-fed beef. The representative there told me there is one such vendor who they expected to show up and that I should try back again next week. Maybe I can squeeze it in before the refereeing starts next week because I need a good source of grass-fed meats. I asked about grass-fed dairy like butter and cheese and she said they only specialize in the meats. Bummer. But at least it's a start and LOCAL! I'm not giving up my search for more local farmers to buy from because I do believe that's the best way to get healthy nutrition from your food without worrying about what else is in it. I'll be sharing my menus with these foods and others (like the local farm hen eggs I consume so much) coming up this week.

May 15, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:15AM
Lo-Carb Monster energy drink

11:30AM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti

3:45PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

8:00PM
So Delicious Sugar-Free Fudge bar
2 Tbs Naturally More peanut butter with a little honey

NOTE: There was some confusion about my commentary on yesterday's menu regarding the cheesecake I consumed during a midnight outing with a friend of mine. I was not saying that this is an acceptable choice for people who are in the weight loss stage of livin' la vida low-carb. Put in that situation where there were no low-carb options available, then it's best to do without or prepare ahead of time by eating beforehand. I chose instead to have the best of the bad options which was the cheesecake. While this isn't exactly "on plan" for low-carb living, it is certainly better than the carrot cake, chocolate sundae, and banana split they had on the menu to order. I'm pleased with my choice and was right back on plan today. I guess you could consider it a conscious splurge with the intent to return to my regular low-carb eating afterwards.

Today was a lighter food day than normal, although I'm not sure what happened to make it that way. Some days are like that and you just roll with the punches of what your body tells you.

May 14, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:15AM
Lo-Carb Monster energy drink

1:15PM
T-bone steak, grilled shrimp, two eggs, mixed veggies with butter
Diet Coke with lime

4:45PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti with whipped cream

8:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

12:15AM
Slice of cheesecake with pineapples and whipped cream

NOTE: A friend of mine was coming back late tonight from a trip down to Atlanta and asked on his Facebook page if anybody wanted to join him for a late meal around midnight. Christine and I like being adventurous from time to time, so what the heck?! By the time he called around 11:45PM to arrange where to meet, I was pretty tired and not real hungry.

But the place we were going to didn't have a "low-carb" dessert option. So I chose the next best thing...CHEESECAKE! Yes, it had sugar in it with a graham cracker crust, but it had plenty of fat as well. And I ate it with some pineapple--the ONLY fruit option they had available that didn't have gobs of syrup mixed in with it.

It was pretty delicious and a great on-the-fly choice for getting a little something to eat while spending time chatting with my friend. It wasn't an ideal choice, but it was what I chose. Live with your choices and then move on to the next day.

May 13, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
Lo-Carb Monster energy drink



12:15PM
Eggs, sausage, bacon, cheese, ham, mixed veggies, green beans and butter
Diet Coke with lime

3:45PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti with heavy cream, sugar-free Hershey's syrup, and whipped cream

8:30PM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti with sugar-free Hershey's syrup and whipped cream

NOTE: Lately my e-mail inbox has been a little more full with people asking all sorts of questions about the healthy low-carb lifestyle and that's a good thing. A VERY GOOD THING! But it has taken up a lot of my time since I've committed to answering everyone who decides to send me an e-mail. And the thing about these particular e-mails as of late is they are usually very in-depth and requiring more than a line or two answer. I'm certainly not complaining because this is what I have chosen to do and I embrace the opportunity to share the knowledge I have gathered over the years livin' la vida low-carb--AND I LOVE IT!

So some days I'm not able to update this menus blog until late in the day and my blog has also slowed down just a bit. That's okay, though, because I aim to provide quality content like my latest post about acai berry juice and the health benefits of drinking it. And I'm in the final stages of finishing up my second book due out later this year as well, so life is busy in a fantastic way. THANK YOU for being a part of the LLVLC family!

May 12, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon



6:45PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread
Butter and Colby Jack cheese

7:00PM
100-minute recreational volleyball

9:15PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti with heavy cream, sugar-free Hershey's syrup, and whipped cream

NOTE: Thank you to everyone who expressed care and concern about Christine yesterday. She went to the doctor and was told the stress from her recent herniated disc surgery in her neck may have led to some stomach ulcers. They have her on anti-nausea medicine now and doing MUCH better. We appreciate your prayerful support!

I was shopping around in my local grocery store today and REALLY wanted some chocolate syrup that didn't have sugar in it, maltitol-free and tastes great. Well, two out of three ain't bad. I picked up the Hershey's sugar-free chocolate syrup and they've definitely improved it somewhat. It is sweetened with erythritol instead of maltitol (GOOD!), was thicker than it used to be (GOOD AGAIN!), and claimed to taste better than before--NOPE. It's okay, but the wang is still pretty nasty. Mixed with something else like cream, it's not as bad. But it's nothing like the sugary original.

May 11, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:15AM
2 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread
Butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Dr. Pepper

4:45PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

7:30PM
90-minute recreational volleyball

9:15PM
So Delicious Sugar-Free Chocolate Covered Coconut Milk Vanilla bar
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti

NOTE: I drink a LOT of water! I mean a TON of it. Some people have asked why I don't drink water and I assure them I'm drinking plenty of it throughout the day. Especially as we move into the hotter months of the year, it is critical to make sure you are hydrating yourself properly. Of course, you don't need to force liquid down your throat, but so many bodily functions work better when you keep water flowing into your body (and, by design, flushing you out). Yes, you can certainly get liquids from the other beverages you drink like diet soda, but water is a mainstay for anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb.

Today Christine started having some pain in her stomach like she has developed some ulcers or something. Of course, she's been taking medications as part of her recovery from herniated disc surgery in her neck the past month and has one more month to go in that neck brace. But when she called her primary care physician for an appointment tomorrow, he said the medicine should not be affecting her like that. She's thrown up a couple of times over the past week and has had excruciating pain in her stomach like she's making too much acid or something. Hopefully we'll figure this thing out for her at the doctor's office tomorrow. Pray for her because she's getting inundated with health issues right now and she's easily discouraged.

Today was a good day with my menus and exercise plan. I love Mondays because it's the start of a new week and getting back into the nitty gritty of life. No matter what has happened prior, Mondays are a great day to start fresh and get off on the right foot. If you feel like you've failed on your low-carb lifestyle, then try starting over again on Monday and sticking with it. Never underestimate the power of beginning anew. YOU CAN DO THIS!!!

May 10, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:00AM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drinks

12:00PM
Prime rib steak cutlets with avocado, eggs, cheese, sour cream, pico de gallo, mixed veggies with butter
Diet Coke with lime
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti

9:15PM
2 slices meatloaf with a little ketchup, tomato slices, lettuce, cheese, Ranch dressing
Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: What a strange day! Today was the first Mother's Day Christine and I have been back at church in about three years. With our battle fighting infertility since getting married in 1995 and culminating with our failed 2007 IVF/ICSI cycle, the thought of going to a worship service honoring and celebrating motherhood has been a bit much for Christine to bear. She broke down crying on a Father's Day a few years back when all the fathers in the church were asked to come to the altar for prayer and I was left sitting virtually alone in the choir as the only fatherless one with a single guy. Every year since on Mother's and Father's Day, we just spent time together doing something fun and skipped church those days.

This year, though, I wanted to see if we could talk to the pastor ahead of time about remembering people like Christine who have been unable to have kids or those who have lost children or mothers for whatever reason. He was gracious enough to hear our concerns and he ended up cutting out a portion of his sermon to address this head-on. Christine and I were so glad to be back in church on Mother's Day again because we are committed to singing in our choir and staying faithful to the ministry He has for us in our local church. God's grace covers us even through the pain of being childless.

When we got home from church, I had planned on getting some work done with my blog today--but when the power went out around 3:00pm for no apparent reason (the sun was shining bright and no storms in sight!), there went that idea. After several hours of silence and the house starting to warm up without the A/C, we got out of the house to go to the cheap-o theater to watch that silly Kevin James movie Paul Blartt: Mall Cop. What an idiotic film, but that was expected. If you haven't seen it, then you didn't miss much...but the way they hyped up his hypoglycemia and claiming he needed to "just eat sugar" to control it was so far off base from reality. Nice way to blow a couple of hours, though, and our power was back on when we got home. Lots to catch up with on Monday now, but it was a better Mother's Day than in years past.

May 9, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:30AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Dr. Pepper

9:00AM
4-hour youth soccer refereeing
2 Lo-Carb Monster Energy drinks



2:00PM
Eggs with beef, pico de gallo, nacho cheese, cheddar cheese, and sour cream on top
So Delicious Sugar-Free Chocolate-Covered Iced Coconut Milk bar
Diet Coke with lime



7:45PM
4 slices of Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread
4 slices of Colby Jack cheese
Butter and mayo

NOTE: Dude, it was scorching hot this morning with that youth soccer league I help referee. YIKES! The sun was scorching everything in sight and I was drinking GOBS of water along with a couple of those low-carb energy drinks I like. After several hours in the heat, I am drained beyond anything and have to refuel my body. Today I decided to do my own take on nachos except instead of chips I used eggs. My photo of this dish for some reason didn't turn out, but it was DELICIOUS! After an afternoon of catching up on our DVR watching, Christine wanted some grilled cheese sandwiches with the low-carb bread from Julian Bakery, so I happily obliged. And they were magnificent! What an incredible day of livin' la vida low-carb!

May 8, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink



12:00PM
Grilled chicken cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and mayo
Green beans with butter
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
Diet Dr. Pepper

10:00PM
3 eggs with cheese, bacon, sausage, mixed veggies with butter
Diet Coke with lime
So Delicious Sugar-Free Chocolate-Covered Iced Coconut Milk bar

NOTE: My wife Christine is probably one of the biggest Star Trek fans you'll ever meet. She's got all the gizmos and gadgets from the popular sci-fi franchise and she even dons her own Star Trek costume at Halloween. In fact, her parents bought her a plaque with all the signatures of the original cast of the television series that is worth about $10,000 today. So when she heard about the new Star Trek movie prequel coming out this week late last year, I knew where we'd be going.



As a non-Trekkie fan, I was pretty impressed by the movie's special effects and story line. J.J. Abrams is good at his craft, so I didn't have any doubt the movie would entertain. And Leonard Nimoy as old future Spock was absolutely SENSATIONAL and makes this movie worth going to see when you get a chance.

My menus today were REALLY good, especially those green beans with the chicken at lunch. They were frozen, but tasted like they were fresh out of the garden. I haven't eaten canned veggies in years because the quality is so inferior.

May 7, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

10:15AM
4 eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink

3:45PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

10:00PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
Diet Dr. Pepper

NOTE: I took Christine to go see the new Star Trek movie tonight since she's a sci-fi fan and a half! I've never really gotten into Star Trek, although The Next Generation was pretty cool at times. It was a great visual movie and I highly recommend it for anyone wanting an entertaining two hours. Leonard Nimoy as "old" future Spock was stunning!

Anyway, before we got to the theater, I told my wife Christine that we wouldn't be getting any overpriced popcorn or snacks to munch on during the movie. She thinks you have to have these things in order to enjoy a good movie, but we're slowly getting her to move into a more low-carb direction with her food choices. Why do we have to mindlessly be eating on something while we're engaged something as mundane as watching a movie? Can we not find enjoyment in the movie itself that we have to be stuffing our mouths with carbohydrate-laden calories that most people won't even remember they've consumed?

I've been going to the movie theater for over five years without getting a snack from the sugar shack bars that are camped out in movie theaters. And then to charge $5 for a box of Milk Duds is a ripoff. Man, I must be in the wrong business. Nah, I like what I do and wouldn't trade it for the world.

May 6, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:30AM
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink



12:45PM
2 grilled chicken cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese, mayo and avocado
Diet Dr. Pepper

8:15PM
13-ounce T-bone steak, grilled shrimp, 2 eggs, mixed veggies (green beans, broccoli, squash, and red peppers) with butter
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: Yesterday I promised I would tell you more about the CiaoCarb sugar-free almond mini biscotti in my menus this week. Here's a YouTube video Christine and I did about this new low-carb product that recently came out from our friends at CarbSmart:



It's nice to have options like this to turn to when you want it. I certainly don't see anything wrong with choosing something made with real foods like almonds, eggs, and butter, for example. If choosing to eat something like this keeps you away from the Ding Dongs, pastries, cakes, and other high-carbage foods that plagued your weight and health for years, then it is TOTALLY worth it. Don't let anyone attempt to convince you otherwise. Other than the extreme purists, nobody is gonna argue that this is WORSE for you than the sugary, floury, nasty stuff most people are stuffing their mouths with these days.

Okay, I gotta confess--avocado is beginning to grow on me. I got some more fresh ones today and added it to my butter-cooked chicken breasts to add some extra fat to my lunch. It was a delicious combination along with the Colby Jack cheese and mayonnaise, although my wife Christine still can't bring herself to eat it because of the texture. That really doesn't bother me when it is mixed in with other foods, but I can understand how it grosses her out a bit. We'll get her there someday.

I've been trying to eat more steak in my diet, but I haven't been able to start eating grass-fed beef steaks yet. I'm working on it because I know it is better for me than the grain-fed lot that you get at your local supermarket or Wal-Mart. There are some excellent companies that offer delicious and nutritious grass-fed beef and I'm saving up my money to buy a whole boatload of meats soon. Making small changes in your diet like this can have such a meaningful positive impact on your health down the road...you should consider it, too.

May 5, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
Prime rib steak cutlets, eggs with cheese, onions, green peppers, avocado, pico de gallo, mixed veggies (broccoli, squash, red peppers, and green beans) with butter
Diet Coke with lime

6:00PM
6-ounce sirloin steak
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
Diet Dr. Pepper

7:00PM
15-minute shooting basketball (we didn't have enough players show up for volleyball)
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink

9:00PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti
So Delicious sugar-free coconut milk fudge bar

NOTE: To describe my schedule as of late as "busy" would be an understatement. I like to continually work on new projects, but sometimes I tend to bite off more than I can chew. With all the things I'm working on to promote the healthy low-carb message, it can get to be a little overwhelming sometimes. But I take everything in stride and do what I can do when I can do it. From recording my podcast interviews (which I'm currently booked up through the Fall with) to recording new YouTube videos, writing blog posts, and doing all the little things that make what I do work, it's a handful. But I LOVE IT!

I went to buy a new volleyball today at the local sports superstore and the following was on display at the checkout:



It was York Peppermint Patties promoted as a perfect gift for mom on Mother's Day this Sunday because it has "70% less fat." YIPPEE SKIPPY! I'll be glad when one of these days a label like that will be laughed at...can't come soon enough! The volleyball on Tuesday nights over the past few weeks has been lacking in players, so I'm missing that extra night of competitive exercise. I'm still working on getting in more interval training into my routine this month and will be doing more of that later in the week. In the meantime, I'm enjoying the foods I'm eating and I look forward to telling you more about that new low-carb biscotti I'm eating on my menus now--more on that tomorrow! SEE YA!

May 4, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter
Diet Dr. Pepper

11:15AM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti

3:00PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon

7:30PM
90-minute recreational volleyball

9:45PM
Ciao Carb sugar-free almond mini biscotti

NOTE: Monday, Monday! What do you say about the beginning of a new week? It's always the perfect day to start anew if you feel like you've messed up on your low-carb lifestyle...although you can do it on ANY day of the week, Monday seems to feel natural for recommitting yourself to living healthy. I'm enjoying my low-carb lifestyle and it should be enjoyable. I don't know why some people feel like they have to eat a "boring" low-carb diet or "suffer" eating foods they don't desire when they are livin' la vida low-carb. I sure don't! I'm eating delicious low-carb, high-fat foods that give me adequate protein and 100% enjoyment in my daily menus. If someone had told me years ago that I could eat this good while keeping my weight and health in stellar shape, then I don't think I would have ever gotten to weigh 400 pounds on the brink of health disaster! Thank God for low-carb coming along in my life and changing it forever for the better! It can happen for YOU, too!

By the way, if you've ever gotten discouraged by a lack of success on low-carb, then this video is for you:

May 3, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:15AM
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink

11:00AM
Prime rib steak cutlets, scrambled eggs with cheese, grilled green peppers and onions, mixed veggies (squash, red peppers, broccoli, and green beans) with butter, Diet Coke with lime

3:00PM
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink

6:30PM
Bacon, sausage links, scrambled eggs with cheese, grilled green peppers and onions, mixed veggies (squash, red peppers, broccoli, and green beans) with butter, Diet Coke with lime

NOTE: The adult choir didn't have to sing in church this morning since the youth were singing, so Christine and I decided to go to the early Sunday School class and then the 9:15AM service so we could get home early. I had an afternoon makeup podcast interview with Dr. Malcolm Kendrick who wrote The Great Cholesterol Con because the power to his home was cut last Tuesday when our interview was originally scheduled. It was an amazing interview that I can't wait to share with you on June 18, 2009. I had high hopes of writing some more on my new book today, but the Sunday afternoon sleepy bug hit me and I took it easy watching some golf on television. Looking forward to the new week coming up!

May 2, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

8:30AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter
Diet Dr. Pepper

9:00AM
4-hour youth soccer refereeing
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink

1:45PM
13-ounce T-bone steak, scrambled eggs with cheese, 5 grilled shrimp, mixed veggies (squash, red peppers, broccoli, and green beans) with butter, Diet Coke with lime

8:00PM
2 beef steak burgers with Colby Jack cheese, mustard and mayo
Broccoli and cauliflower with garlic powder and butter
Diet Dr. Pepper

NOTE: What did I get myself into volunteering to solo referee FOUR HOURS of youth soccer games every Saturday morning? LOL! Oh well, it's great exercise. As the only ref on the field, I have to constantly run so I am in position to make the call when the ball goes out of bounds, making sure the kids don't touch the ball with their hands, checking to see if they are pushing each other, and (my favorite thing--NOT!) chasing the ball when a shot on goal goes behind the net. Let's just say after four hours of doing all that, my body has been thoroughly exercised for the weekend.

Interestingly enough, today I was talking with one of the parents of the kids during halftime of the game and she knew about my low-carb weight loss success. Her husband, it turns out, has been eating low-carb and couldn't figure out why he wasn't losing weight. After just a few short moments of speaking him, it was obvious why his weight stalled out after losing about 30 pounds--he was cutting his fat and calories. I explained how when you start livin' la vida low-carb, you cut out the carbohydrates from your diet, but then you replace them with fat, even saturated fat. It was like a light bulb came on in his head and now he understands he was doing it wrong. I told him to find me on the soccer field next week if he had trouble finding my "funny sounding" web sites. The message IS getting out there!

May 1, 2009 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
Lo-Carb Monster Energy drink



1:00PM
13-ounce T-bone steak, scrambled eggs with cheese, 5 grilled shrimp, mixed veggies (squash, red peppers, broccoli, and green beans) with butter, Diet Coke with lime

4:15PM
15-minute uphill treadmill sprint intervals



8:00PM
Grace Island Cheese Crisps Parmesan and Italian Herb
Walnuts with cinnamon, Truvia, butter and whipped cream

NOTE: One of the things I am going to be focused on especially during the month of May is making sure I am doing consistent short bursts of exercise every single week. When I hurt my left knee in November 2008, I tried to come back too early to my routine and I think it set me back. Now that I've allowed the knee to fully heal, I'm ready to jump back into doing interval and resistance training on a regular basis as well as my volleyball, spin, and maybe a yoga class or two. Today I went to the gym and got in some really intense uphill treadmill sprint intervals where I went all out running for about a minute with a 30-second rest between repetitions. It sounds easy, but after about three you are feeling like you want to give up. That 15 minutes feels like an eternity, but it's an incredible workout.

I wasn't really that hungry this evening, so I grabbed some of those Grace Island Cheese Crisps that are basically baked cheese...what could be a better natural low-carb snack than that? I also got some omega-3 rich walnuts and sprinkled cinnamon and the stevia-based Truvia on top with some butter and microwaved it. Adding a bit of whipped cream on top made this a delightfully healthy snack to enjoy. And I did! :)

My friend J.P/Harry suggested that I begin measuring my body fat percentage since I have a scale that does that. While I'm skeptical about the accuracy of such readings on these home scales, I'm definitely not opposed to using them and sharing my readings along with my waist size and weight at the beginning of each month. As I noted yesterday, my current weight is 246 and my waist size is 46. After measuring my body fat percentage today, it read 31.5. I'll be tracking that and record an update on it at the beginning of June. THANKS so much for reading my menus blog!