12:15PM
1 1/4 pounds grass-fed ground beef formed into hamburger patties with bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
Coke Zero
8:15PM
Pork tenderloin with Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
Vanilla CarbSmart ice cream with fresh blueberries, whipped cream, and Truvia
NOTE: Hey guys and welcome back to my menus blog today! I'm so happy to have you here checking out my low-carb menus and I look forward to sharing with you another thought-provoking commentary about healthy low-carb living.
Let's take a look at what I had to eat and drink today--grass-fed beef, bacon, Colby Jack cheese, mayonnaise, pork tenderloin, Coke Zero, water, CarbSmart ice cream, blueberries, whipped cream, and Truvia. As you can see, the overwhelming majority of calories in my diet today as it is everyday is good fat and protein-based low-carb foods. Looking at the percentage of the total number of calories consumed that come from good wholesome real foods, they DOMINATE my menus every single day.
Some have argued that including things like diet soda, low-carb ice cream, and even bacon and mayo into your diet somehow negates all the good things you are doing when you eat low-carb. But why? The thing that makes a diet so successful for someone is to assimilate better and healthier nutritional choices into their lifestyle. The goal isn't necessarily 100% perfection in every single menu of every single day for the rest of your life. Even the most ardent of nutritional purists out there cannot honestly say they eat perfectly all the time. It's just not happening and anyone who says otherwise is lying.
So where's the cutoff point between perfection and being totally carefree with your low-carb diet? It's certainly a subjective gray area based on who's perspective you are listening to. There is one camp that says you should never eat any of the "low-carb products" in your diet EVER while the another camp contends you can eat just about whatever "low-carb products" you want in any quantity you want. These are the two extremes that are usually exploited by the media when they attempt to describe low-carb as a means for discrediting it. Here's an except from this June 2006 blog post I wrote about this subject where I describe these two polar-opposite positions:
1. NO “LOW-CARB” PRODUCTS ALLOWED
People who are on this extreme end are extremely serious about livin’ la vida low-carb and believe everything they put in their mouths should be only organic, whole foods that don’t need any packaging whatsoever. They’ve lost their weight “naturally” without the use of anything labeled “low-carb” and highly discourage other low-carbers from picking up these “Frankenfoods.” They have kissed the days of packaged foods goodbye forever.
2. ALL “LOW-CARB” PRODUCTS ALLOWED
People who are on this extreme end are wayfarer low-carbers who are gullible enough to buy virtually ANYTHING that blares the words “low-carb” on the packaging whether that claim is accurate or not. They love to find a “low-carb” version of just about anything and everything so they can eat like they always have and call it “low-carb.” Then these people get mad at their low-carb diet months down the road when they haven’t lost any weight despite the fact they have been eating all of these “low-carb” products.
I hope you take the time to read that entire article I wrote in defense of the use of certain low-carb products for people who need a little more than just meat, eggs, cheese, and a few low-carb veggies every single day. My philosophy is to eat the highest quality healthy whole foods as much as possible in your low-carb lifestyle with strategic use of the low-carb products as a means for rounding out your personal tastes and enjoyment in your diet. Some people can follow a diet as mundane as meat and water all day everyday for the rest of their lives. But the vast majority of us couldn't and wouldn't want to live that way forever.
Plus, I think we need a reality check here--while there are subtle nuances that those of us within the low-carb community can debate about how to eat low-carb the "best" way, in the real world there are hundreds of millions of people out there living their lives everyday who are still oblivious to the dangers of stuffing their faces with carbs, carbs, and more carbs all with the blessing of the so-called health "experts" and they're left scratching their heads wondering why in the world they're so fat and sick. This sobering news is heartbreaking to watch unfold right before our very eyes day after day after day.
Just go to any grocery store and watch what people are putting into their shopping carts. Rice, pasta, white bread, flour, along with sugar, sugar, and more sugar! It's disgusting to see how much our society has been brainwashed about the negative health implications of carbohydrates that people don't even care--or even worse, they don't know that they are supposed to care about their carb consumption. That's probably the biggest travesty of all because people just haven't been properly informed about what the best way to eat for weight and health management is. It's one of the reasons I work so passionately on behalf of this critical topic every single day because there's a world that desperately needs to hear the positive message of livin' la vida low-carb.
Today I had the privilege of interviewing a famous Hollywood television star for an upcoming podcast episode in September and she's a full-fledged supporter of low-carb living through and through. It was so refreshing to hear this highly successful TV star bragging about how low-carb living has changed her life for the better over the past ten years by keeping her weight and health in check. When I asked her why more celebrities don't promote that they eat low-carb since it is so commonplace in Hollywood, she said they do it all the time in popular entertainment magazines describing their menus with foods like fish, egg, non-starchy veggies, cheese, etc. But she added that they're not labeling it "low-carb" since there's such a negative stigma to using that term.
To me, that's just too bad. From a PR standpoint, low-carb is severely ostracized right now because people have been scared into thinking it is just some passing fad diet that came and went rather than looking at it as the long-term, lifestyle change that so many of us know that it is for controlling weight, managing blood sugar and insulin levels, lowering blood pressure, improving cholesterol and so much more. What could be more normal and natural than consuming real foods like you get to enjoy while livin' la vida low-carb with the addition of a sugar-free, low-carb food here and there within the context of your daily diet?
People who eat a carbohydrate-restricted diet are LIGHT YEARS ahead of the game from what most of the population is doing. Who really cares if someone chooses to have a sugar-free, low-carb bar, chocolate, or ice cream within the context of their menus when 95% of people are stuffing their faces willingly with gobs and gobs of sugar and foods that turn to sugar in the body without a care in the world what that is doing to them. Even those people who aren't suffering from a weight problem as a result of consuming all that sugary junk can still fall prey to the health implications that elevated blood sugar and insulin levels inevitably produce. This is the message we need to be sending out to the world--just get on the low-carb bandwagon.
Convincing the masses of that is much too important than any one individual low-carber's menu choices.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
June 29, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:00AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
4:00PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:30PM
150-minute competitive volleyball
10:30PM
Vanilla CarbSmart ice cream with fresh blueberries, whipped cream, and Xylitol
Coke Zero
NOTE: What an amazing debate that has ensued over the past few days regarding this issue of weight vs. health and I highly encourage you to go back and read the posts and all the comments at the end here, here, and here. One of my regular readers at both my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog as well as here at my menus blog wanted to share about how yesterday's commentary touched her in a special way for obvious reasons that will become apparent when you read what she wrote to me in an e-mail:
Oh Jimmy...that was an absolutely fantastic menus blog post you wrote yesterday. I cannot describe what I am feeling, but to say we as humans are always so quick to judge...and it just shouldn't be like that. Thanks. I think this blog is worth exploring a little more and perhaps expanding on it.
About 2 months ago, I start in all earnestness to get back on total low-carb and to quit playing around with other "versions." I was having hypoglycemic symptoms, insulin resistance symptoms, thyroid symptoms, etc etc. I was lethargic, depressed, dry mouthed, shaky...my joints ached ALL of the time; brain fog; heart palpitations; mood swings; insomnia; and on and on and on it goes.
A low-carb expert I consulted with advised me to dump the scale and only use a tape measure. She said she only weighs herself 3 or 4 times a year. She talked to me about supplements, etc. I was taking almost everything that she mentioned. The only changes I had to make were the dumping the scale, no nuts at all, no fruit at all, and no hard cheese.
About this same time, we had a stopped up sink. The next morning I thought my sister had dropper her mascara in the sink and not wiped it out becuase there were black splotches all over the bottom of the sink. We had the plumber come out and he said that the sink AND the drains were full of black mold, but it wasn't coming from the plumbing, it was from the air conditioning. This is a BRAND NEW two-story house in a new subdivision, so that was the LAST thing we would think about.
They called the air conditioning repairman in. After he investigated it, he came downstairs and said that was the worst case of mold he had seen in a long time. Mold was covering the outside of the unit in the attic. It was in the drain pans and pipes and even in the insulation. Of course it was in the air ducts pumping the toxin into our bedrooms every day. He was EPA-certified and it cost a bundle for them to come in and scrub the house clean of all the mold.
They cleaned it on a Thursday and by that Saturday, ALL of those symptoms I was experiencing were gone. I don't know if I have lost any "pounds" because of it (since I'm not weighing myself on the scale), but I'm not bloated feeling and I am wearing a shirt that I couldn't wear one week ago. It was such a relief to realize that I WAS NOT A FAILURE on the diet because there were extenuating circumstances.
Your post was VERY timely for me because I am re-thinking a LOT of things concerning my "diet" the past couple of years. One of the MAJOR issues I am looking at is the environment I was in when I was successful vs. the environment when I seemed to be failing at it. It is making more and more sense.
It just goes to show you that we really need to stop focusing so much attention on weight and get behind the real roots causes of how the weight got on there in the first place. Sure, overeating and a slothful lifestyle contribute to this heavily in a lot of people, so getting the diet right is essential. But if you're eating a healthy low-carb lifestyle and getting your exercise in like you are supposed to and STILL not losing weight, then it is worth taking a look at and considering the role of environmental causes of the lack of weight loss or even weight gain.
Blaming someone who is eating well and healthy is not productive in any sense of the word. If someone has just given up on their diet and sits around all day on the couch eating bon-bons and Ding-Dongs morning, noon, and night, then there's plenty that can be said to that person about how their dietary decisions are ruining their weight and health. But to that person who is following everything like they are supposed to, doing the things that have worked for them in the past to bring about weight loss and improved health, and yet they're struggling to produce weight loss despite having spectacular health, what right does anyone have to cast judgment on that person's noble attempt to pursue the best weight and health possible?
At the end of the day, each of us as individuals must figure out what we need to do to bring about the best health we can possibly have. For some, that will coincide with a spectacularly skinny body frame that will warrant lots of oooos and aahhhs. But for the majority of us, we are livin' la vida low-carb and enjoying spectacular health that's even better than most of our friends while carrying around a few extra pounds. And that's okay as long as you are continuing to pursue healthy eating habits--namely consuming an outstanding low-carb nutritional approach. If you're doing that and your health is intact, then what's the big deal about maybe carrying around weight that would classify you as overweight or obese by the flawed BMI standards?
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
4:00PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:30PM
150-minute competitive volleyball
10:30PM
Vanilla CarbSmart ice cream with fresh blueberries, whipped cream, and Xylitol
Coke Zero
NOTE: What an amazing debate that has ensued over the past few days regarding this issue of weight vs. health and I highly encourage you to go back and read the posts and all the comments at the end here, here, and here. One of my regular readers at both my "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb" blog as well as here at my menus blog wanted to share about how yesterday's commentary touched her in a special way for obvious reasons that will become apparent when you read what she wrote to me in an e-mail:
Oh Jimmy...that was an absolutely fantastic menus blog post you wrote yesterday. I cannot describe what I am feeling, but to say we as humans are always so quick to judge...and it just shouldn't be like that. Thanks. I think this blog is worth exploring a little more and perhaps expanding on it.
About 2 months ago, I start in all earnestness to get back on total low-carb and to quit playing around with other "versions." I was having hypoglycemic symptoms, insulin resistance symptoms, thyroid symptoms, etc etc. I was lethargic, depressed, dry mouthed, shaky...my joints ached ALL of the time; brain fog; heart palpitations; mood swings; insomnia; and on and on and on it goes.
A low-carb expert I consulted with advised me to dump the scale and only use a tape measure. She said she only weighs herself 3 or 4 times a year. She talked to me about supplements, etc. I was taking almost everything that she mentioned. The only changes I had to make were the dumping the scale, no nuts at all, no fruit at all, and no hard cheese.
About this same time, we had a stopped up sink. The next morning I thought my sister had dropper her mascara in the sink and not wiped it out becuase there were black splotches all over the bottom of the sink. We had the plumber come out and he said that the sink AND the drains were full of black mold, but it wasn't coming from the plumbing, it was from the air conditioning. This is a BRAND NEW two-story house in a new subdivision, so that was the LAST thing we would think about.
They called the air conditioning repairman in. After he investigated it, he came downstairs and said that was the worst case of mold he had seen in a long time. Mold was covering the outside of the unit in the attic. It was in the drain pans and pipes and even in the insulation. Of course it was in the air ducts pumping the toxin into our bedrooms every day. He was EPA-certified and it cost a bundle for them to come in and scrub the house clean of all the mold.
They cleaned it on a Thursday and by that Saturday, ALL of those symptoms I was experiencing were gone. I don't know if I have lost any "pounds" because of it (since I'm not weighing myself on the scale), but I'm not bloated feeling and I am wearing a shirt that I couldn't wear one week ago. It was such a relief to realize that I WAS NOT A FAILURE on the diet because there were extenuating circumstances.
Your post was VERY timely for me because I am re-thinking a LOT of things concerning my "diet" the past couple of years. One of the MAJOR issues I am looking at is the environment I was in when I was successful vs. the environment when I seemed to be failing at it. It is making more and more sense.
It just goes to show you that we really need to stop focusing so much attention on weight and get behind the real roots causes of how the weight got on there in the first place. Sure, overeating and a slothful lifestyle contribute to this heavily in a lot of people, so getting the diet right is essential. But if you're eating a healthy low-carb lifestyle and getting your exercise in like you are supposed to and STILL not losing weight, then it is worth taking a look at and considering the role of environmental causes of the lack of weight loss or even weight gain.
Blaming someone who is eating well and healthy is not productive in any sense of the word. If someone has just given up on their diet and sits around all day on the couch eating bon-bons and Ding-Dongs morning, noon, and night, then there's plenty that can be said to that person about how their dietary decisions are ruining their weight and health. But to that person who is following everything like they are supposed to, doing the things that have worked for them in the past to bring about weight loss and improved health, and yet they're struggling to produce weight loss despite having spectacular health, what right does anyone have to cast judgment on that person's noble attempt to pursue the best weight and health possible?
At the end of the day, each of us as individuals must figure out what we need to do to bring about the best health we can possibly have. For some, that will coincide with a spectacularly skinny body frame that will warrant lots of oooos and aahhhs. But for the majority of us, we are livin' la vida low-carb and enjoying spectacular health that's even better than most of our friends while carrying around a few extra pounds. And that's okay as long as you are continuing to pursue healthy eating habits--namely consuming an outstanding low-carb nutritional approach. If you're doing that and your health is intact, then what's the big deal about maybe carrying around weight that would classify you as overweight or obese by the flawed BMI standards?
Sunday, June 28, 2009
June 28, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
8:00AM
1 ounce cashews
Coke Zero
1:30PM
2 cups salad greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
2 baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with lime
8:45PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Coke Zero
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pop
Fresh blueberries with heavy cream and SweetFiber (inulin and lo han)
NOTE: I've thoroughly enjoyed discussing this issue of weight vs. health over the past few days because this subject as it relates to livin' la vida low-carb is a critical one to pay attention to if we are going to communicate the message of carbohydrate-restriction to those who need it the most. That includes not just the overweight and obese, but also diabetics, people with high blood pressure, those who have low HDL and elevated triglycerides, cancer patients, people with neurological diseases like Alzheimer's known as Type 3 diabetes, and so much more!
With all the attention placed on labeling people as "obese" according to their BMI, yet another key element has yet to be brought up that directly relates to this subject. Bodily abnormalities can happen to anyone at any time and there are three prominent members of the low-carb community who have been dealing with such issues that directly impacted their weight in a negative way the past few years. I think it's worth examining these examples so people can see that weight is tied to a whole lot more than just diet and exercise.
EXAMPLE #1: REGINA WILSHIRE
Regina Wilshire with Gary Taubes in November 2008
Anyone who has been involved in the low-carb community for more than a few years will know all about Regina Wilshire from the "Weight of the Evidence" blog. Well-known and renowned for her ability to interpret scientific research studies and translate them into English for us mere mortals to understand, Regina is a great friend and fellow champion of reducing carbohydrate consumption as a means for disease prevention. However, she has dealt with a rather bizarre set of circumstances that left her with a string of mysterious symptoms which included what she describes as a "weight gain without drastic change to eating habits" from November 2008 - March 2009. In other words, she didn't do anything different in her low-carb diet during that period and yet her weight still went up. It wasn't until after pouring over tons of research online that she came across the culprit--CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING! Regina is now in the midst of making the necessary changes to her home in order to lower the toxic carbon monoxide levels in her body back down to a safe level where she can enjoy her healthy low-carb lifestyle again. Are we gonna blame Regina because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
EXAMPLE #2: DANA CARPENDER
Dana Carpender and husband Eric on the LC cruise in January 2009
America's lovable low-carb recipe goddess and bestselling author Dana Carpender is a name that needs no introduction. Her series of low-carb cookbooks are some of the best resources for low-carb dieters and diabetics looking for a way to spice up their menus. She really is a one-of-a-kind character who you just have to meet in person to truly experience (she'll be joining us on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to the Bahamas in March 2010). Since losing 40 pounds eating low-carb in 1995-96, Dana has seen her fair share of circumstances that made her weight maintenance a lot more challenging than normal--a painful car accident in 2000 that left her unable to exercise for two years, her discovery that she inherited her mom's hypothyroidism, and in 2008 the discovery of a mysterious fibroid she says "makes me look like I'm 5 months pregnant." She's contemplating and debating if and when to have the surgery to remove that fibroid, but it explains why Dana's stomach may appear to be fat when the rest of her body is perfectly apportioned. Are we gonna blame Dana because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
EXAMPLE #3: LORA RUFFNER
Lora Ruffner when I met her for lunch in Greenville, SC in May 2007
Finally, another one of the giants in the low-carb movement over the past decade has got to be Lora Ruffner from Low-Carb Luxury magazine. This online publication was THE go-to place for many years and provide encouragement, education, and inspiration for anyone who was livin' la vida low-carb. But then in February 2007, they just stopped publishing without any apparent reason. Fans of the site were left scratching their heads wondering what in the world happened to Low-Carb Luxury. After I started blogging about it, Lora Ruffner herself contacted me to explain what was going on--she was dealing with "some pretty major health concerns" at the time that she told me about when I met her in person in South Carolina. We were supposed to do a podcast interview to talk about it when something else pretty major in her life happened that has left Lora in seclusion for the past two years. That said, the issue Lora was dealing with had to do with a mysterious tumor that was pushing up against her pancreas and constantly secreting insulin into her body. At one point, all she ate for an entire year was chicken and pickles and she was STILL gaining weight. Finally a doctor figured out what was going on with Lora's body and they carefully removed the tumor from her body--and she began losing weight. Are we gonna blame Lora because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
Each of these three examples of high-profile low-carbers should give everyone who is nitpicking, name-calling, and throwing out superfluous accusations about low-carbers who don't fit their mold of perfection pause to think about what is being said. There are a lot more factors at work in this discussion than diet and exercise alone, so judging someone solely on what their weight happens to be at any given moment when they are consuming a healthy low-carb diet is pompous and condescending. Who is gonna stand up and tell Regina Wilshire, Dana Carpender, and Lora Ruffner that they are obese and unhealthy because of their low-carb lifestyle? Despite these mysterious issues that led to weight gains while eating low-carb, all of these three amazing women have spectacular lipid panels, blood pressure, and other key cardiovascular health markers. Are we now negating those things simply because their weight just happens to be higher than what the body mass index (BMI) says they should be?
As always, I look forward to your comments.
1 ounce cashews
Coke Zero
1:30PM
2 cups salad greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
2 baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with lime
8:45PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Coke Zero
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pop
Fresh blueberries with heavy cream and SweetFiber (inulin and lo han)
NOTE: I've thoroughly enjoyed discussing this issue of weight vs. health over the past few days because this subject as it relates to livin' la vida low-carb is a critical one to pay attention to if we are going to communicate the message of carbohydrate-restriction to those who need it the most. That includes not just the overweight and obese, but also diabetics, people with high blood pressure, those who have low HDL and elevated triglycerides, cancer patients, people with neurological diseases like Alzheimer's known as Type 3 diabetes, and so much more!
With all the attention placed on labeling people as "obese" according to their BMI, yet another key element has yet to be brought up that directly relates to this subject. Bodily abnormalities can happen to anyone at any time and there are three prominent members of the low-carb community who have been dealing with such issues that directly impacted their weight in a negative way the past few years. I think it's worth examining these examples so people can see that weight is tied to a whole lot more than just diet and exercise.
EXAMPLE #1: REGINA WILSHIRE
Regina Wilshire with Gary Taubes in November 2008
Anyone who has been involved in the low-carb community for more than a few years will know all about Regina Wilshire from the "Weight of the Evidence" blog. Well-known and renowned for her ability to interpret scientific research studies and translate them into English for us mere mortals to understand, Regina is a great friend and fellow champion of reducing carbohydrate consumption as a means for disease prevention. However, she has dealt with a rather bizarre set of circumstances that left her with a string of mysterious symptoms which included what she describes as a "weight gain without drastic change to eating habits" from November 2008 - March 2009. In other words, she didn't do anything different in her low-carb diet during that period and yet her weight still went up. It wasn't until after pouring over tons of research online that she came across the culprit--CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING! Regina is now in the midst of making the necessary changes to her home in order to lower the toxic carbon monoxide levels in her body back down to a safe level where she can enjoy her healthy low-carb lifestyle again. Are we gonna blame Regina because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
EXAMPLE #2: DANA CARPENDER
Dana Carpender and husband Eric on the LC cruise in January 2009
America's lovable low-carb recipe goddess and bestselling author Dana Carpender is a name that needs no introduction. Her series of low-carb cookbooks are some of the best resources for low-carb dieters and diabetics looking for a way to spice up their menus. She really is a one-of-a-kind character who you just have to meet in person to truly experience (she'll be joining us on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to the Bahamas in March 2010). Since losing 40 pounds eating low-carb in 1995-96, Dana has seen her fair share of circumstances that made her weight maintenance a lot more challenging than normal--a painful car accident in 2000 that left her unable to exercise for two years, her discovery that she inherited her mom's hypothyroidism, and in 2008 the discovery of a mysterious fibroid she says "makes me look like I'm 5 months pregnant." She's contemplating and debating if and when to have the surgery to remove that fibroid, but it explains why Dana's stomach may appear to be fat when the rest of her body is perfectly apportioned. Are we gonna blame Dana because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
EXAMPLE #3: LORA RUFFNER
Lora Ruffner when I met her for lunch in Greenville, SC in May 2007
Finally, another one of the giants in the low-carb movement over the past decade has got to be Lora Ruffner from Low-Carb Luxury magazine. This online publication was THE go-to place for many years and provide encouragement, education, and inspiration for anyone who was livin' la vida low-carb. But then in February 2007, they just stopped publishing without any apparent reason. Fans of the site were left scratching their heads wondering what in the world happened to Low-Carb Luxury. After I started blogging about it, Lora Ruffner herself contacted me to explain what was going on--she was dealing with "some pretty major health concerns" at the time that she told me about when I met her in person in South Carolina. We were supposed to do a podcast interview to talk about it when something else pretty major in her life happened that has left Lora in seclusion for the past two years. That said, the issue Lora was dealing with had to do with a mysterious tumor that was pushing up against her pancreas and constantly secreting insulin into her body. At one point, all she ate for an entire year was chicken and pickles and she was STILL gaining weight. Finally a doctor figured out what was going on with Lora's body and they carefully removed the tumor from her body--and she began losing weight. Are we gonna blame Lora because she may have become "obese" as a result of this?
Each of these three examples of high-profile low-carbers should give everyone who is nitpicking, name-calling, and throwing out superfluous accusations about low-carbers who don't fit their mold of perfection pause to think about what is being said. There are a lot more factors at work in this discussion than diet and exercise alone, so judging someone solely on what their weight happens to be at any given moment when they are consuming a healthy low-carb diet is pompous and condescending. Who is gonna stand up and tell Regina Wilshire, Dana Carpender, and Lora Ruffner that they are obese and unhealthy because of their low-carb lifestyle? Despite these mysterious issues that led to weight gains while eating low-carb, all of these three amazing women have spectacular lipid panels, blood pressure, and other key cardiovascular health markers. Are we now negating those things simply because their weight just happens to be higher than what the body mass index (BMI) says they should be?
As always, I look forward to your comments.
Saturday, June 27, 2009
June 27, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
9:15AM
1 1/4 pounds grass-fed ground beef formed into hamburger patties with bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
Coke Zero
7:30PM
Dreamfields spaghetti with Dinapoli Classico tomato and basil sauce with Colby Jack and Parmesan cheese
Coke Zero
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
NOTE: In yesterday's commentary on my menu's blog, I asked the simple question "Is it better to have excellent health markers with a few extra pounds on your body or is being thin the ultimate goal?" and it elicited some outstanding responses that were well-thought out and reasonable. Go check out the comments at the end of that post and here are a few from my Facebook page where I also linked to this topic:
"I think it's best to be in good health and feel good about yourself...if that means weighing mroe then your "supposed to" weight, so be it. You can be thin and be REALLY unhealthy. What's the point of that?"
"I think it's all relative. I am in much better health than I was 140 lbs ago even though I'm still considered obese. I feel pretty good about myself too!"
"I'll take both but, if it's either or - there is no doubt I'll take health with a few extra pounds."
"Food is a tasty tool that gives us the energy we need to do what we are called to do. If you enjoy your meals and feel well and can bless your friends and family and accomplish good things with your time on earth, then your diet is most likely good enough. It gets the job done, right? JMHO, but I think all diet camps attract some perfectionists who can't resist criticizing people who have the audacity to choose their own breakfasts! LOL. The LC diet doctors have given us some simple, generous plans with nothing narrow or restrictive about them. I think that's one of the reasons that the published LC plans are so effective for so many people. If your diet is tasty and you feel well and healthy, that's good enough, and IMHO there's a lot to be said for good enough. There's nothing wrong with enjoying your meals and avoiding those zillion plus rules that otrher people think are proven by their own experiences. I love reading your menus for inspriation, Jimmy! Keep 'em coming!"
"Good health, of course! No question and no option."
"You first have to define excellent health. I, as a pharmacist, define excellent health as good BP, HR, cholesterol, weight, etc. All the above at levels which the person is not at risk for heart attack, diabetes, stroke, or other health problems. Usually this means that person is not obese, because obesity is a risk factor in all the above. It is not always about being thin. I have many friends that have high BP or diabetes because of their genes. Some people just get bad genes, whether it's the diabetes gene, obesity gene, or high cholesterol gene. I have high cholesterol and I am normal size. My grandfather died at age 65 after 2 heart attacks. It's just in my genes. In other words, just because you are thin, doesn't mean you are healthy."
"I think a few extra pounds is ok, as long as its not causing health problems."
Feel free to continue to weigh in on this subject. I really feel this gets to the heart of why I and so many others are livin' la vida low-carb. Sure, there are those who eat this way as a means for looking good and there's nothing wrong with that. But you're missing out on the REAL benefit of low-carb living and that's undeniable health improvements that cannot be achieved by any other means. This is oftentimes forgotten within the context of diet debates because people seem to gravitate solely to the weight loss benefits while all but ignoring the changes in health.
Another X-factor regarding looking at weight alone to determine if someone is healthy or not is it neglects the genetic predisposition that so many of us who have struggled with weight our entire lives have to deal with. My entire family has been huge for most of our lives and obesity's complications took the life of my brother Kevin last year at the age of 41. Sure, we can do our part to slow the progress of the related complications that result from those genes, but they exist for a lot of people. This doesn't mean those people should just give up on doing something about their weight.
But first and foremost, they need to find a plan that will put their health in the best possible position it can be and that's exactly what low-carb has done for me. Does my BMI still show me as "obese" according to that narrow definition of the term? Yep! Am I worried about it at all? Nope. Simply labeling someone that way doesn't mean a hill of beans without taking into account other factors related to that person's health. If the HDL is low, triglycerides are high, blood pressure is off the charts, small LDL particles are abundant, blood sugar is elevated, and so many other risk factors are in play along with being defined as "obese," then you have problems. Otherwise, what is the issue?
I'm sure we'll get a few more people commenting on this subject and it's a good conversation to have. Bring it on!
1 1/4 pounds grass-fed ground beef formed into hamburger patties with bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
Coke Zero
7:30PM
Dreamfields spaghetti with Dinapoli Classico tomato and basil sauce with Colby Jack and Parmesan cheese
Coke Zero
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
NOTE: In yesterday's commentary on my menu's blog, I asked the simple question "Is it better to have excellent health markers with a few extra pounds on your body or is being thin the ultimate goal?" and it elicited some outstanding responses that were well-thought out and reasonable. Go check out the comments at the end of that post and here are a few from my Facebook page where I also linked to this topic:
"I think it's best to be in good health and feel good about yourself...if that means weighing mroe then your "supposed to" weight, so be it. You can be thin and be REALLY unhealthy. What's the point of that?"
"I think it's all relative. I am in much better health than I was 140 lbs ago even though I'm still considered obese. I feel pretty good about myself too!"
"I'll take both but, if it's either or - there is no doubt I'll take health with a few extra pounds."
"Food is a tasty tool that gives us the energy we need to do what we are called to do. If you enjoy your meals and feel well and can bless your friends and family and accomplish good things with your time on earth, then your diet is most likely good enough. It gets the job done, right? JMHO, but I think all diet camps attract some perfectionists who can't resist criticizing people who have the audacity to choose their own breakfasts! LOL. The LC diet doctors have given us some simple, generous plans with nothing narrow or restrictive about them. I think that's one of the reasons that the published LC plans are so effective for so many people. If your diet is tasty and you feel well and healthy, that's good enough, and IMHO there's a lot to be said for good enough. There's nothing wrong with enjoying your meals and avoiding those zillion plus rules that otrher people think are proven by their own experiences. I love reading your menus for inspriation, Jimmy! Keep 'em coming!"
"Good health, of course! No question and no option."
"You first have to define excellent health. I, as a pharmacist, define excellent health as good BP, HR, cholesterol, weight, etc. All the above at levels which the person is not at risk for heart attack, diabetes, stroke, or other health problems. Usually this means that person is not obese, because obesity is a risk factor in all the above. It is not always about being thin. I have many friends that have high BP or diabetes because of their genes. Some people just get bad genes, whether it's the diabetes gene, obesity gene, or high cholesterol gene. I have high cholesterol and I am normal size. My grandfather died at age 65 after 2 heart attacks. It's just in my genes. In other words, just because you are thin, doesn't mean you are healthy."
"I think a few extra pounds is ok, as long as its not causing health problems."
Feel free to continue to weigh in on this subject. I really feel this gets to the heart of why I and so many others are livin' la vida low-carb. Sure, there are those who eat this way as a means for looking good and there's nothing wrong with that. But you're missing out on the REAL benefit of low-carb living and that's undeniable health improvements that cannot be achieved by any other means. This is oftentimes forgotten within the context of diet debates because people seem to gravitate solely to the weight loss benefits while all but ignoring the changes in health.
Another X-factor regarding looking at weight alone to determine if someone is healthy or not is it neglects the genetic predisposition that so many of us who have struggled with weight our entire lives have to deal with. My entire family has been huge for most of our lives and obesity's complications took the life of my brother Kevin last year at the age of 41. Sure, we can do our part to slow the progress of the related complications that result from those genes, but they exist for a lot of people. This doesn't mean those people should just give up on doing something about their weight.
But first and foremost, they need to find a plan that will put their health in the best possible position it can be and that's exactly what low-carb has done for me. Does my BMI still show me as "obese" according to that narrow definition of the term? Yep! Am I worried about it at all? Nope. Simply labeling someone that way doesn't mean a hill of beans without taking into account other factors related to that person's health. If the HDL is low, triglycerides are high, blood pressure is off the charts, small LDL particles are abundant, blood sugar is elevated, and so many other risk factors are in play along with being defined as "obese," then you have problems. Otherwise, what is the issue?
I'm sure we'll get a few more people commenting on this subject and it's a good conversation to have. Bring it on!
Friday, June 26, 2009
June 26, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
1:30PM
1 cup salad greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
2 baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, and cheddar cheese
Diet Coke with lime
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
8:00PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
2 Carb One garlic toast topped with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
NOTE: You know, it's a good thing I wasn't blogging in the midst of my 180-pound weight loss success in 2004 because the mixed messages that you receive on a daily basis online are stark. Here are just a few of the suggestions people have made about the way I should be eating in just the past couple days here at my menus blog:
"eat more often"
"eat less often"
"you're eating too much food"
"you're not eating enough food"
"eat less 'sweet' in your diet"
"cut out the diet sodas"
"keep losing weight because you're still obese"
"eat only real whole foods all the time"
"use alternative sweeteners"
"avoid any and all sweeteners"
"your eating is dysfunctional"
"go Paleo with your way of eating"
"get off low-carb and eat raw vegetarian instead"
"you must stick with all of your resolutions"
"your lab reports of excellent health are irrelevant"
"you have psychological issues with the way you eat"
"you're an example, so you should eat better than you do"
WHEW! Could you imagine being a newbie low-carber and getting bombarded by such perplexing comments coming at you from all angles? I don't know if I ever would have been successful at losing that 180 pounds if I tried to listen to what everybody was saying five years ago. Thankfully I've been doing this as a lifestyle long enough that I already know what works for me and I'm doing it. While I appreciate the suggestions from people, most of them are not going to change the way I live my life because I'm doing just fine for me. Others may not feel my particular diet is right for them and that's okay too. That's why this is a journey to find what will work for YOU...and then DO IT!
An interesting topic of debate that has emerged this week centers around the following subject: Is it better to have excellent health markers with a few extra pounds on your body or is being thin the ultimate goal?
It's a great question to bounce around for discussion and I'm sure people will have varying opinions about what they believe. I have long held the notion that weight loss is merely a side effect of a quality nutritional approach and that the first and foremost reason for healthy low-carb eating is to prevent disease and preserve health. Livin' la vida low-carb has kept me very healthy compared to the way I ate prior to my 2004 transformation.
Here's what my healthy low-carb menus have done for me since January 1, 2004: I very rarely get sick with colds anymore, I'm more active playing competitive sports at 37 than I was in my teens and 20s, my HDL cholesterol has been well above 50 for the past five years, my triglycerides have remained below 100 over that same time period, my 2008 NMR Lipoprofile test of the dangerous, small, dense LDL particle size showed results of less than 2% in my body, I came completely off of cholesterol-lowering statins, blood pressure medicine, and breathing prescriptions, and I've kept off 83% of my original weight loss for the past five years and counting! Not too shabby results for a diet that so many people have bemoaned, eh?
Of course, then there's the argument that even those few extra pounds can add years to your life according to a new study out of Canada just this week. This research, which reaffirms a 2005 JAMA study, actually shows that people who are slightly overweight really do live longer than normal weight people. Well, shazam! Imagine that. Could it be all those people who obsess over getting skinny are actually doing MORE harm to their health trying to look a certain way which causes them to die sooner than those of us who might be slightly overweight? Sure seems that way.
Plus, let's not forget all the metabolically-obese thin people who are walking around out there right now. Yes, they are skinny, but their HDL is woefully low, their triglycerides are in the high triple-digits, their blood pressure is off the charts, the LDL cholesterol is mostly the small, dense, dangerous kind, and they're on their way to a heart attack, stroke, or death despite the fact they look "healthy" on the outside. Simply labeling someone thin as being at optimal health is actually doing those people a disservice. The only way to know if they are truly healthy or not is to run blood tests on the key cardiovascular markers to see. The same goes for the overweight and obese.
Aesthetically, we all would like to be thin and show off six-pack abs walking shirtless or in a bikini on the beach. But that's not the reality for the vast majority of people who are not already genetically predisposed for that. I'm not saying you should strive for that if looking good is the reason for your existence. But the longer I've been following low-carb, the more I've become convinced it is MUCH better to be eating this way for the sake of your health and longevity and to stop obsessing over weight. If you're eating well and enjoying the low-carb choices you are putting in your mouth while experiencing stellar health, then why change anything? It doesn't make logical sense to try to force the issue.
Okay, I've opened up a huge can of worms here and look forward to your responses. THANKS for reading!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
June 25, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
11:45AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
6:30PM
Pork tenderloin with 2 Carb One garlic toast topped with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
7:15PM
60-minute 3-on-3 basketball (my team won two out of the three games)
9:00PM
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
NOTE: I checked my fasting blood glucose this morning at 10:15AM and it was 95. That's a little lower than where it has been lately and that's okay. As long as it is under 100, I'm pleased with that. The reason I went ahead and drew blood to test my blood sugar today is because of another blood test kit I bought to measure my A1C levels.
The ReliOn A1c Test can be purchased at Wal-Mart for just $9. Most doctor's offices charge $75-$100 to run this test, but nine bucks is all it costs and you get a complete set of instructions about drawing your blood, mailing it in, and getting your results either e-mailed back within a week or mailed to you within two weeks. I'm anxious to see what my A1c level is now since it came in at 5.0 about a year ago which low-carb diabetes care legend Dr. Richard Bernstein told me in my podcast interview with him earlier this week is on the borderline for pre-diabetes. An A1c under 5.0 is ideal because it means your average blood glucose is consistently under 100. I'll share my results when they are e-mailed to me next week.
Today was a GREAT day for my low-carb menus. I was very interested in trying that pork tenderloin after seeing it in the store last week. WOW, what a tender and delicious cut of meat. This will DEFINITELY show up in my menus again in the future. Add to that those delicious One Carb breads that are from the same company that makes the Carb One muffins that are highly recommended by Dr. Bernstein for diabetics to consume. Slap some butter and cheese on them and they're wonderful!
After I played some basketball, I was hot and wanted to cool off fast. Somebody had told me about those sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops recently, so I stopped by Sam's Club to get some. Holy cow, these things are AMAZING! The orange flavor tastes just like a Dreamsicle used to. There's just 1g net carbs per ice pop and a refreshing treat for your healthy low-carb lifestyle.
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
6:30PM
Pork tenderloin with 2 Carb One garlic toast topped with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
7:15PM
60-minute 3-on-3 basketball (my team won two out of the three games)
9:00PM
Sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops
NOTE: I checked my fasting blood glucose this morning at 10:15AM and it was 95. That's a little lower than where it has been lately and that's okay. As long as it is under 100, I'm pleased with that. The reason I went ahead and drew blood to test my blood sugar today is because of another blood test kit I bought to measure my A1C levels.
The ReliOn A1c Test can be purchased at Wal-Mart for just $9. Most doctor's offices charge $75-$100 to run this test, but nine bucks is all it costs and you get a complete set of instructions about drawing your blood, mailing it in, and getting your results either e-mailed back within a week or mailed to you within two weeks. I'm anxious to see what my A1c level is now since it came in at 5.0 about a year ago which low-carb diabetes care legend Dr. Richard Bernstein told me in my podcast interview with him earlier this week is on the borderline for pre-diabetes. An A1c under 5.0 is ideal because it means your average blood glucose is consistently under 100. I'll share my results when they are e-mailed to me next week.
Today was a GREAT day for my low-carb menus. I was very interested in trying that pork tenderloin after seeing it in the store last week. WOW, what a tender and delicious cut of meat. This will DEFINITELY show up in my menus again in the future. Add to that those delicious One Carb breads that are from the same company that makes the Carb One muffins that are highly recommended by Dr. Bernstein for diabetics to consume. Slap some butter and cheese on them and they're wonderful!
After I played some basketball, I was hot and wanted to cool off fast. Somebody had told me about those sugar-free Philly Swirl ice pops recently, so I stopped by Sam's Club to get some. Holy cow, these things are AMAZING! The orange flavor tastes just like a Dreamsicle used to. There's just 1g net carbs per ice pop and a refreshing treat for your healthy low-carb lifestyle.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
June 24, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
12:15PM
3 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:15PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Somebody posted their comments yesterday about what they'd be interested in seeing me do with my menus. I get a lot of unsolicited advice from people about how they think I should be eating, but this one sounded good enough:
I would love you to try to eat 3 meals a day and kick the sodas for a month...and see if this kick started your metabolism...
This isn't an unreasonable suggestion by any means, although I think forcing the issue by moving to three meals a day would require me to eat less food at each meal so that I'll be hungry enough to consume three meals daily. As for the diet sodas, I've documented my attempts to give them up in the past and I just don't see why it is such a big deal. I drank lots of diet sodas (mostly Splenda-sweetened ones) during my 180-pound weight loss in 2004 and continue to consume them today as part of my healthy low-carb lifestyle. I don't understand why they're so "bad" when they keep me away from truly horrendous sugary sodas and junk food.
I'm not sure why my metabolism needs to be "kick started," but I appreciate the idea. I'll ponder it.
3 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with bacon, Colby Jack cheese, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:15PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Somebody posted their comments yesterday about what they'd be interested in seeing me do with my menus. I get a lot of unsolicited advice from people about how they think I should be eating, but this one sounded good enough:
I would love you to try to eat 3 meals a day and kick the sodas for a month...and see if this kick started your metabolism...
This isn't an unreasonable suggestion by any means, although I think forcing the issue by moving to three meals a day would require me to eat less food at each meal so that I'll be hungry enough to consume three meals daily. As for the diet sodas, I've documented my attempts to give them up in the past and I just don't see why it is such a big deal. I drank lots of diet sodas (mostly Splenda-sweetened ones) during my 180-pound weight loss in 2004 and continue to consume them today as part of my healthy low-carb lifestyle. I don't understand why they're so "bad" when they keep me away from truly horrendous sugary sodas and junk food.
I'm not sure why my metabolism needs to be "kick started," but I appreciate the idea. I'll ponder it.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
June 23, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
1:15PM
1 cup greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
Baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce and cheddar cheese
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Diet Coke with lime
7:00PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:00PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with low-carb chocolate sauce (3 blocks of unsweetened 100% cacao, butter, heavy whipping cream, and Xylitol)
NOTE: Isn't it strange after you get back home from a trip that knocks you out of your "normal" rhythm of life how difficult it is to get back into it again? The same is true with what you eat. Today I just wasn't feeling hungry at all until early afternoon and it just works out that way sometimes. It's not a bad thing necessarily to go without eating a meal that most people call breakfast prior to noon, but it's sorta looked at as odd in our three-meals-two-snacks-per-day society. If more people simply ate as a response to hunger rather than because of what the time is on the clock, then perhaps we wouldn't have an obesity problem anymore.
1 cup greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
Baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce and cheddar cheese
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Diet Coke with lime
7:00PM
Beef meatballs with provolone cheese and tomato sauce
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:00PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with low-carb chocolate sauce (3 blocks of unsweetened 100% cacao, butter, heavy whipping cream, and Xylitol)
NOTE: Isn't it strange after you get back home from a trip that knocks you out of your "normal" rhythm of life how difficult it is to get back into it again? The same is true with what you eat. Today I just wasn't feeling hungry at all until early afternoon and it just works out that way sometimes. It's not a bad thing necessarily to go without eating a meal that most people call breakfast prior to noon, but it's sorta looked at as odd in our three-meals-two-snacks-per-day society. If more people simply ate as a response to hunger rather than because of what the time is on the clock, then perhaps we wouldn't have an obesity problem anymore.
Monday, June 22, 2009
June 22, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:15AM
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
4:30PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:30PM
140-minute recreational volleyball
NOTE: Coming back from even a few days away from my computer is always an adventure because the e-mails just pile one right on top of the other. Today I had well over 500 of them staring me in the face and I spent most of the day trudging through them one-by-one to personally answer all of the enthusiastic inquiries from people excited to learn more about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. I consider it a privilege and an honor to come into contact with so many wonderful people in the low-carb community and doing just a small part to contribute to the progress towards their weight and health goals. THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of your low-carb successes and I sincerely appreciate the chance to interact with you each day.
4 local farm free-range eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
4:30PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:30PM
140-minute recreational volleyball
NOTE: Coming back from even a few days away from my computer is always an adventure because the e-mails just pile one right on top of the other. Today I had well over 500 of them staring me in the face and I spent most of the day trudging through them one-by-one to personally answer all of the enthusiastic inquiries from people excited to learn more about the healthy low-carb lifestyle. I consider it a privilege and an honor to come into contact with so many wonderful people in the low-carb community and doing just a small part to contribute to the progress towards their weight and health goals. THANK YOU for allowing me to be a part of your low-carb successes and I sincerely appreciate the chance to interact with you each day.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
June 21, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
9:45AM
Hardee's low-carb breakfast bowl
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:00PM
2 Marshmallow Mudslide Atkins bar
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
Dreamfields spaghetti with Dinapoli Classico tomato and basil sauce with Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Got up bright and early today to head back home to South Carolina after a quickie trip to Pensacola, Florida to see my sister and mom while attending my 20-year high school reunion. It was a little surreal not seeing my brother Kevin or hearing his big hearty laugh one more time. This was the first trip back since he passed away from heart disease and morbid obesity in October 2008. I still miss him so much and all the emotions and thoughts of my brother came flooding back being home again.
Our trip back home went well and I'm appreciative to a restaurant chain like Hardee's for offering low-carb menu items for us to enjoy while traveling on the road. Otherwise, you're just stuck with a whole lotta nothin'! I stopped at so many convenience stores looking for an Atkins bar or something along the way and 90% of them didn't even have sugar-free candy. That's pretty pathetic! But you do what you can and NEVER settle for garbage just because there's nothing available. You move on to the next store until you find what you need. That's what commitment to this permanent and healthy lifestyle change is all about.
When we got home, I was pretty hungry and decided to make something I haven't had in a long time--Dreamfields low-carb pasta. I recently interviewed the president of Dreamfields Foods and look forward to sharing that on my podcast show coming up in August. It's good to be home again!
Hardee's low-carb breakfast bowl
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:00PM
2 Marshmallow Mudslide Atkins bar
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
Dreamfields spaghetti with Dinapoli Classico tomato and basil sauce with Parmesan cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Got up bright and early today to head back home to South Carolina after a quickie trip to Pensacola, Florida to see my sister and mom while attending my 20-year high school reunion. It was a little surreal not seeing my brother Kevin or hearing his big hearty laugh one more time. This was the first trip back since he passed away from heart disease and morbid obesity in October 2008. I still miss him so much and all the emotions and thoughts of my brother came flooding back being home again.
Our trip back home went well and I'm appreciative to a restaurant chain like Hardee's for offering low-carb menu items for us to enjoy while traveling on the road. Otherwise, you're just stuck with a whole lotta nothin'! I stopped at so many convenience stores looking for an Atkins bar or something along the way and 90% of them didn't even have sugar-free candy. That's pretty pathetic! But you do what you can and NEVER settle for garbage just because there's nothing available. You move on to the next store until you find what you need. That's what commitment to this permanent and healthy lifestyle change is all about.
When we got home, I was pretty hungry and decided to make something I haven't had in a long time--Dreamfields low-carb pasta. I recently interviewed the president of Dreamfields Foods and look forward to sharing that on my podcast show coming up in August. It's good to be home again!
Saturday, June 20, 2009
June 20, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
7:45AM
Marshmallow Mudslide Atkins bar
11:15AM
Baked chicken, meatballs, cheesy crab meat, broccoli and cheese
Diet Coke with lemon
7:45PM
10 ounces prime rib steak with horseradish sauce, 3 crab cakes
Diet Pepsi with lime
9:00PM
Dana Carpender's low-carb carrot cake with cream cheese icing recipe and one scoop of vanilla CarbSmart ice cream
NOTE: It was reunion day and I was excited to meet up with old friends from my high school days two decades ago today. But first I spent some time with my mom and stepdad who took us out to a Chinese buffet place for lunch. I like going to these kinds of places since you can pick and choose what you want. Of course, there's plenty of stuff to avoid at these kinds of places, but you can make better choices if you are deliberate about doing so like I was with my meal selection today.
Me and my mom Judiann
Tonight at the reunion, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more to eat from the heavy hors d'oeuvres than steak and crab cakes...but you make do with what you can. For $75 a person, that was hardly worth it. But seeing people for the first time in nearly a quarter century was really neat. Everywhere you turn, you see somebody who you think you don't know but then it all comes rushing back. Although I moved away during my sophomore year in high school, I grew up in elementary school and middle school with a lot of these people. It was pretty awesome reuniting with them even for just a night.
It was very hot and we ended up leaving relatively early at around 9:30PM. We wanted to cool off and get to bed at a reasonable hour since we have a long drive ahead of us on Sunday back home to South Carolina. All in all, a GREAT day!
Marshmallow Mudslide Atkins bar
11:15AM
Baked chicken, meatballs, cheesy crab meat, broccoli and cheese
Diet Coke with lemon
7:45PM
10 ounces prime rib steak with horseradish sauce, 3 crab cakes
Diet Pepsi with lime
9:00PM
Dana Carpender's low-carb carrot cake with cream cheese icing recipe and one scoop of vanilla CarbSmart ice cream
NOTE: It was reunion day and I was excited to meet up with old friends from my high school days two decades ago today. But first I spent some time with my mom and stepdad who took us out to a Chinese buffet place for lunch. I like going to these kinds of places since you can pick and choose what you want. Of course, there's plenty of stuff to avoid at these kinds of places, but you can make better choices if you are deliberate about doing so like I was with my meal selection today.
Me and my mom Judiann
Tonight at the reunion, I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more to eat from the heavy hors d'oeuvres than steak and crab cakes...but you make do with what you can. For $75 a person, that was hardly worth it. But seeing people for the first time in nearly a quarter century was really neat. Everywhere you turn, you see somebody who you think you don't know but then it all comes rushing back. Although I moved away during my sophomore year in high school, I grew up in elementary school and middle school with a lot of these people. It was pretty awesome reuniting with them even for just a night.
It was very hot and we ended up leaving relatively early at around 9:30PM. We wanted to cool off and get to bed at a reasonable hour since we have a long drive ahead of us on Sunday back home to South Carolina. All in all, a GREAT day!
Friday, June 19, 2009
June 19, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
12:30PM
Hardee's Low-Carb Thickburger w/o ketchup
Diet Rite
5:15PM
Small bag of chicharrones
Diet Rite
7:30PM
Baked chicken, zucchini with onion powder and sour cream, deviled eggs
Diet Rite
9:00PM
Dana Carpender's low-carb carrot cake with cream cheese icing recipe
NOTE: It was a travel day today with me and Christine driving down I-85 through South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama to get to Pensacola, Florida for my 20-year high school reunion this weekend. It's a nice drive from my hometown of Spartanburg because it's just about all interstate and the sun was shining bright today. The only slowdown was driving through Atlanta, but you kinda expect that in a major city like that. The rest of the trip was smooth riding and that low-carb burger from Hardee's really hit the spot (although the lady tried to sell me on the combo and I asked what low-carb sides they had to offer--she said, "we have French fries, onion rings, curly fries..." Not sure what else she said since I was stunned she would try to sell potatoes to someone on a low-carb diet!).
Speaking of low-carb, guess who has done VERY well livin' la vida low-carb this past year--my sister Beverly (that cutie pie in the photo above!). She's lost 50 pounds after reading my book and getting inspired by the recipes in Dana Carpender's cookbooks. In fact, she made that gorgeous low-carb carrot cake for dessert after a wonderful low-carb supper that was out of this world from Dana's bestselling classic 500 Low-Carb Recipes cookbook. I'm so proud of my little sis who has struggled with her weight just like mom, me and Kevin have for most of our lives. It was neat seeing her so excited about low-carb living.
And the REALLY neat thing about her success is that she has used creative recipes, consumed diet soda, eaten Atkins bars and other low-carb products. For people who say these things are not at all beneficial to someone who is overweight and unhealthy, Beverly's example is proof positive there is GREAT success to be had using these products rather than continuing to consume the same high-carb foods that packed on the pounds and was robbing what was left of her health. She is MUCH better off today than she was just one year ago and I applaud her efforts to make this happen in her life. We might not have gotten the message through to my brother Kevin before it took his life in 2008, but by golly my sister Beverly is well on her way to livin' la vida low-carb for life!
Interestingly, Beverly went to see her doctor recently about her weight loss success and to have her health numbers run. I'm anxious to see how much her HDL cholesterol has gone up (a good thing!) and her triglycerides come down (another VERY good thing). Her doctor was less than enthusiastic when Bev told her she did it on a low-carb diet. This medical professional scolded her for being on such a "dangerous fad diet" and that she fully expects Beverly's cholesterol to be through the roof that will require a statin drug to bring down. With all due respect, this physician is a bona fide IDIOT! I told Beverly to ignore this doctor's ranting about low-carb and to pay attention to the HDL and triglycerides. I'm trying to get her to have the NMR Lipoprofile test run to see the particle size of her LDL to see if she's on the right track...and I think she is based on all she's doing. Did I mention how proud I am of my sister? :)
It was a long day of driving, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's 20-year high school reunion seeing people I haven't seen since I had to move away in the middle of my sophomore year. Most of these people I grew up with since elementary school, so it should be fun.
Hardee's Low-Carb Thickburger w/o ketchup
Diet Rite
5:15PM
Small bag of chicharrones
Diet Rite
7:30PM
Baked chicken, zucchini with onion powder and sour cream, deviled eggs
Diet Rite
9:00PM
Dana Carpender's low-carb carrot cake with cream cheese icing recipe
NOTE: It was a travel day today with me and Christine driving down I-85 through South Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama to get to Pensacola, Florida for my 20-year high school reunion this weekend. It's a nice drive from my hometown of Spartanburg because it's just about all interstate and the sun was shining bright today. The only slowdown was driving through Atlanta, but you kinda expect that in a major city like that. The rest of the trip was smooth riding and that low-carb burger from Hardee's really hit the spot (although the lady tried to sell me on the combo and I asked what low-carb sides they had to offer--she said, "we have French fries, onion rings, curly fries..." Not sure what else she said since I was stunned she would try to sell potatoes to someone on a low-carb diet!).
Speaking of low-carb, guess who has done VERY well livin' la vida low-carb this past year--my sister Beverly (that cutie pie in the photo above!). She's lost 50 pounds after reading my book and getting inspired by the recipes in Dana Carpender's cookbooks. In fact, she made that gorgeous low-carb carrot cake for dessert after a wonderful low-carb supper that was out of this world from Dana's bestselling classic 500 Low-Carb Recipes cookbook. I'm so proud of my little sis who has struggled with her weight just like mom, me and Kevin have for most of our lives. It was neat seeing her so excited about low-carb living.
And the REALLY neat thing about her success is that she has used creative recipes, consumed diet soda, eaten Atkins bars and other low-carb products. For people who say these things are not at all beneficial to someone who is overweight and unhealthy, Beverly's example is proof positive there is GREAT success to be had using these products rather than continuing to consume the same high-carb foods that packed on the pounds and was robbing what was left of her health. She is MUCH better off today than she was just one year ago and I applaud her efforts to make this happen in her life. We might not have gotten the message through to my brother Kevin before it took his life in 2008, but by golly my sister Beverly is well on her way to livin' la vida low-carb for life!
Interestingly, Beverly went to see her doctor recently about her weight loss success and to have her health numbers run. I'm anxious to see how much her HDL cholesterol has gone up (a good thing!) and her triglycerides come down (another VERY good thing). Her doctor was less than enthusiastic when Bev told her she did it on a low-carb diet. This medical professional scolded her for being on such a "dangerous fad diet" and that she fully expects Beverly's cholesterol to be through the roof that will require a statin drug to bring down. With all due respect, this physician is a bona fide IDIOT! I told Beverly to ignore this doctor's ranting about low-carb and to pay attention to the HDL and triglycerides. I'm trying to get her to have the NMR Lipoprofile test run to see the particle size of her LDL to see if she's on the right track...and I think she is based on all she's doing. Did I mention how proud I am of my sister? :)
It was a long day of driving, but I'm looking forward to tomorrow's 20-year high school reunion seeing people I haven't seen since I had to move away in the middle of my sophomore year. Most of these people I grew up with since elementary school, so it should be fun.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
June 18, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
1:00PM
2 cups greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
Baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce and cheese
Baked pepperoni, onions, and green peppers with tomato sauce and cheese
Diet Coke with lime
10:15PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack and bacon
Coke Zero
NOTE: I'll be attending my 20-year high school reunion in Florida this weekend, so my menus blog will not be updated until I return home and resume working again on Monday. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!
2 cups greens with tomato and Ranch dressing
Baked bacon cheeseburger with tomato sauce and cheese
Baked pepperoni, onions, and green peppers with tomato sauce and cheese
Diet Coke with lime
10:15PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack and bacon
Coke Zero
NOTE: I'll be attending my 20-year high school reunion in Florida this weekend, so my menus blog will not be updated until I return home and resume working again on Monday. HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND EVERYONE!!!
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
June 17, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
1:00PM
1 pound baked BBQ chicken, fried egg stir fry
Diet Coke with lemon
9:45PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter, bacon, and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
NOTE: I received the following e-mail from one of my menus blog readers today:
I just wanted to let you know why I won't be commenting on your menus blog anymore. There is a snarly, little pit bull named Didirina who has decided to kill any kind of productive conversation in her overwhelming compulsion to defend your every breath.
A little background on me. I am a 54-year old grandmother of two who is healthy and active but has metabolic syndrome and about 20 pounds to lose. I lost 50 pounds in 2007 on a low calorie diet. I went to Hawaii on vacation and gained 7 pounds in 7 days. I realized that the only thing that was different in my diet was the carbs that I added. Thus I began my search for a low-carb diet. I came across your site right away as you are plastered all over the Internet as the low-carb go to person. I realize now that you have worked very hard to get your name out there on the search engines. I have no problem with that. Business is business and more power to you.
I was so excited when I found your site. At that time you were promoting Satiatrim and I bought 3 cases using the code word "Jimmy." Not only that but I talked my receptionist at work into ordering as well. I still have about half of a case of that stuff in my fridge as we speak. I also clicked the link to order True Lime and True Lemon. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I am exactly the type of reader that you need and want to be profitable.
You wrote about a low-carb meetup in Cary, NC and I signed up since I live in Cary. This is where I met you and Christine and Charles and Adele and Dr. Eric Westman. I made and appointment to see Dr. Westman and it took me a long time to get in but I finally did. I followed with great interest your concerns with your "mysterious" weight gain and the path that you took to try and solve it. You got Dr. Westman's plan which was basically Atkins Induction and nothing happened for you. I followed it for months and nothing. You went on Metformin and had some success. I am still on Metformin and nothing.
For a while I followed Charles' blog because I thought he might be on to something but after a while I came to realize that zero-carb was not for me and became disillusioned. His leading female poster over there is 5'10" and weighs 118 pounds. That is anorexia. So I am not one of those zero-carb fanatics. I am just trying to find my way. Now Dr. Westman has me trying Dr. Jeff Volek's TNT Diet plan because I may be lacking in muscle mass which is needed to kick start my metabolism. I have about 20 pounds to lose and am about 26 BMI. I went and bought the protein powder to drink in the morning--$45.00 for 20 days. Yikes!! I am getting ready to go on vacation but when I get back I am going to focus on that plan and see what happens.
I must admit that I was shocked to see photos of Dana Carpenter on your site. I have bought every low-carb cookbook that she has written and when I saw her photo and realized that she was obese I was just floored. Seriously. The same for Laura Dolson, the About.com Low-Carb Diets guide, not to mention Dr. Mary Vernon. For goodness sake, Jimmy, they are all obese. And not to be disrespectful, Jimmy, but you are obese according to BMI, too. So where does this leave me. If the foremost low-carb leaders in America are all obese, what chance do I have??
So yes, I am here trying to learn. Trying to learn what the heck is going wrong. Where is the problem? What is is that is standing between these low-carb leaders and a normal weight. Does this Atkins thing really work? Does it only work to a certain point? Does it only work for men?? Why are these folks obese? What does this mean to me? So for Didirina to say I am not here to learn is just ridiculous. That is exactly what I am trying to do. Figure out what the heck is going on.
She has run away a lot of intelligent posters (Chris comes to mind) who asked hard, intelligent questions by her boring and repetitive attempts to defend you. Many days you will have zero comments on your menus and it is because we already know that Didirina will rear her ugly head with the same old same old. I personally have had it and won't post again because she is such an annoying pain in the you-know-what.
I was more than happy to respond to this reader's concerns with the following:
THANKS so much for writing! I'm sorry you feel like you can't comment on my menus blog anymore, but I welcome any and all comments. Didirina is expressing her opinions pretty vocally just as others with differing viewpoints have shared theirs. It's all a part of what makes the wide open world of blogging so beautiful.
I'd like to correct one point you made--what I do isn't just a business to me. Yes, I make my living blogging, podcasting, YouTubing, and all the other things that I do online, but my primary mission is to help people find hope and encouragement in achieving their weight and health goals. The fact that I receive financial compensation along the way doing this to help take care of my family is simply an added bonus. I genuinely love and care about everyone who comes across my work.
Anyone who has ever e-mailed me knows they will receive a personal response back in a timely manner and I do not charge a single dime for that. Neither do I require any money from people to read my blogs, listen to my twice-weekly podcasts, or watch my YouTube videos--it's all 100% FREE. If this was only just a business," then I should fire myself for not taking more advantage of money-making opportunities. But my heart is for people who find themselves in the same situation I was in prior to 2004 and doing whatever I can to get them to a place where they are pleased with their weight and health.
I'm happy you found my site and I know you have benefitted and added to the conversations especially at my menus blog. I'm sorry you are still struggling even after seeing Dr. Westman, but I do know there is a plan that's gonna work for you. Hopefully the TNT Diet fits the bill for you and I wish you nothing but the best of success in all that you do to get healthy.
On the issue of all those people you mention as "obese," I can't speak for any of the others. But I can speak for Jimmy Moore. Yes, according to the BMI scale I fall into that category and I've blogged about this before. But really, so what? Would I like to weigh less than I do right now? Sure. However, what is the point of forcing the weight loss issue if you have all of your health in outstanding order? Weight is not the be-all, end-all that we have been led to believe. Livin' la vida low-carb is MORE about making your health better than you ever thought possible and weight loss is a nice side effect of that. Even with my slight gain in 2008, I still have kept over 150 pounds off for over five years and counting. That means I'm doing something right!
Plus, you really cannot underestimate the power that low-carb has to significantly raise HDL "good" cholesterol to well above 50, dramatically lower triglycerides to below 100, increase the LDL particle size to the large, fluffy, protective kind while all but eliminating most of the small, dense, and dangerous LDL, maintain steady blood sugar control, lower blood pressure, and so many more health benefits that come from this wonderful way of eating. A lot of thin people are walking around out there who are what Dr. Vernon describes as "metabolically-obese." Being skinny does not guarantee health and I would argue I'm healthier than about 90% of the population right now because of my low-carb dietary choices.
As for the notion that you don't want to learn, I agree with you that is not true. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken the time to write me this long and thoughtful e-mail today and I sincerely appreciate the chance to respond back. I hope you can figure out what is wrong and get it fixed so you can experience the joy that comes from attaining success.
I'll repeat it again--anyone and everyone is entitled to share their own opinions about my menus here. Hard questions and even the proper kind of criticism has never been discouraged. Personal attacks against me by people who hate me for whatever their reasons will NOT be tolerated. There's just nothing productive that comes out of such comments. Yet, talk about the ACTIONS taken and debate those in an intelligent manner and I'm all for seeing that happen all day everyday.
I'm happy you wrote to me today and I do wish you nothing but GREAT success on your healthy low-carb lifestyle! NEVER GIVE UP, my friend, NEVER GIVE UP! You are welcome to comment here ANYTIME!
Comments anyone?
1 pound baked BBQ chicken, fried egg stir fry
Diet Coke with lemon
9:45PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter, bacon, and Colby Jack cheese
Coke Zero
NOTE: I received the following e-mail from one of my menus blog readers today:
I just wanted to let you know why I won't be commenting on your menus blog anymore. There is a snarly, little pit bull named Didirina who has decided to kill any kind of productive conversation in her overwhelming compulsion to defend your every breath.
A little background on me. I am a 54-year old grandmother of two who is healthy and active but has metabolic syndrome and about 20 pounds to lose. I lost 50 pounds in 2007 on a low calorie diet. I went to Hawaii on vacation and gained 7 pounds in 7 days. I realized that the only thing that was different in my diet was the carbs that I added. Thus I began my search for a low-carb diet. I came across your site right away as you are plastered all over the Internet as the low-carb go to person. I realize now that you have worked very hard to get your name out there on the search engines. I have no problem with that. Business is business and more power to you.
I was so excited when I found your site. At that time you were promoting Satiatrim and I bought 3 cases using the code word "Jimmy." Not only that but I talked my receptionist at work into ordering as well. I still have about half of a case of that stuff in my fridge as we speak. I also clicked the link to order True Lime and True Lemon. I guess the point I am trying to make is that I am exactly the type of reader that you need and want to be profitable.
You wrote about a low-carb meetup in Cary, NC and I signed up since I live in Cary. This is where I met you and Christine and Charles and Adele and Dr. Eric Westman. I made and appointment to see Dr. Westman and it took me a long time to get in but I finally did. I followed with great interest your concerns with your "mysterious" weight gain and the path that you took to try and solve it. You got Dr. Westman's plan which was basically Atkins Induction and nothing happened for you. I followed it for months and nothing. You went on Metformin and had some success. I am still on Metformin and nothing.
For a while I followed Charles' blog because I thought he might be on to something but after a while I came to realize that zero-carb was not for me and became disillusioned. His leading female poster over there is 5'10" and weighs 118 pounds. That is anorexia. So I am not one of those zero-carb fanatics. I am just trying to find my way. Now Dr. Westman has me trying Dr. Jeff Volek's TNT Diet plan because I may be lacking in muscle mass which is needed to kick start my metabolism. I have about 20 pounds to lose and am about 26 BMI. I went and bought the protein powder to drink in the morning--$45.00 for 20 days. Yikes!! I am getting ready to go on vacation but when I get back I am going to focus on that plan and see what happens.
I must admit that I was shocked to see photos of Dana Carpenter on your site. I have bought every low-carb cookbook that she has written and when I saw her photo and realized that she was obese I was just floored. Seriously. The same for Laura Dolson, the About.com Low-Carb Diets guide, not to mention Dr. Mary Vernon. For goodness sake, Jimmy, they are all obese. And not to be disrespectful, Jimmy, but you are obese according to BMI, too. So where does this leave me. If the foremost low-carb leaders in America are all obese, what chance do I have??
So yes, I am here trying to learn. Trying to learn what the heck is going wrong. Where is the problem? What is is that is standing between these low-carb leaders and a normal weight. Does this Atkins thing really work? Does it only work to a certain point? Does it only work for men?? Why are these folks obese? What does this mean to me? So for Didirina to say I am not here to learn is just ridiculous. That is exactly what I am trying to do. Figure out what the heck is going on.
She has run away a lot of intelligent posters (Chris comes to mind) who asked hard, intelligent questions by her boring and repetitive attempts to defend you. Many days you will have zero comments on your menus and it is because we already know that Didirina will rear her ugly head with the same old same old. I personally have had it and won't post again because she is such an annoying pain in the you-know-what.
I was more than happy to respond to this reader's concerns with the following:
THANKS so much for writing! I'm sorry you feel like you can't comment on my menus blog anymore, but I welcome any and all comments. Didirina is expressing her opinions pretty vocally just as others with differing viewpoints have shared theirs. It's all a part of what makes the wide open world of blogging so beautiful.
I'd like to correct one point you made--what I do isn't just a business to me. Yes, I make my living blogging, podcasting, YouTubing, and all the other things that I do online, but my primary mission is to help people find hope and encouragement in achieving their weight and health goals. The fact that I receive financial compensation along the way doing this to help take care of my family is simply an added bonus. I genuinely love and care about everyone who comes across my work.
Anyone who has ever e-mailed me knows they will receive a personal response back in a timely manner and I do not charge a single dime for that. Neither do I require any money from people to read my blogs, listen to my twice-weekly podcasts, or watch my YouTube videos--it's all 100% FREE. If this was only just a business," then I should fire myself for not taking more advantage of money-making opportunities. But my heart is for people who find themselves in the same situation I was in prior to 2004 and doing whatever I can to get them to a place where they are pleased with their weight and health.
I'm happy you found my site and I know you have benefitted and added to the conversations especially at my menus blog. I'm sorry you are still struggling even after seeing Dr. Westman, but I do know there is a plan that's gonna work for you. Hopefully the TNT Diet fits the bill for you and I wish you nothing but the best of success in all that you do to get healthy.
On the issue of all those people you mention as "obese," I can't speak for any of the others. But I can speak for Jimmy Moore. Yes, according to the BMI scale I fall into that category and I've blogged about this before. But really, so what? Would I like to weigh less than I do right now? Sure. However, what is the point of forcing the weight loss issue if you have all of your health in outstanding order? Weight is not the be-all, end-all that we have been led to believe. Livin' la vida low-carb is MORE about making your health better than you ever thought possible and weight loss is a nice side effect of that. Even with my slight gain in 2008, I still have kept over 150 pounds off for over five years and counting. That means I'm doing something right!
Plus, you really cannot underestimate the power that low-carb has to significantly raise HDL "good" cholesterol to well above 50, dramatically lower triglycerides to below 100, increase the LDL particle size to the large, fluffy, protective kind while all but eliminating most of the small, dense, and dangerous LDL, maintain steady blood sugar control, lower blood pressure, and so many more health benefits that come from this wonderful way of eating. A lot of thin people are walking around out there who are what Dr. Vernon describes as "metabolically-obese." Being skinny does not guarantee health and I would argue I'm healthier than about 90% of the population right now because of my low-carb dietary choices.
As for the notion that you don't want to learn, I agree with you that is not true. Otherwise you wouldn't have taken the time to write me this long and thoughtful e-mail today and I sincerely appreciate the chance to respond back. I hope you can figure out what is wrong and get it fixed so you can experience the joy that comes from attaining success.
I'll repeat it again--anyone and everyone is entitled to share their own opinions about my menus here. Hard questions and even the proper kind of criticism has never been discouraged. Personal attacks against me by people who hate me for whatever their reasons will NOT be tolerated. There's just nothing productive that comes out of such comments. Yet, talk about the ACTIONS taken and debate those in an intelligent manner and I'm all for seeing that happen all day everyday.
I'm happy you wrote to me today and I do wish you nothing but GREAT success on your healthy low-carb lifestyle! NEVER GIVE UP, my friend, NEVER GIVE UP! You are welcome to comment here ANYTIME!
Comments anyone?
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
June 16, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
9:15AM
12-ounce glass of raw milk
12:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:00PM
120-minute recreational volleyball
9:15PM
Cheesy grass-fed beef stroganoff (1/4 pound of grass-fed beef, 1/2 Tbs sour cream, 1/2 Tbs Ranch dressing, 1/3 ounce Colby Jack cheese, 1/3 ounce cheddar cheese, 1/3 ounce Velveeta cheese)
Coke Zero Cherry
Quick and easy True Lemon cheesecake
NOTE: I finished up the rest of that stroganoff tonight after my volleyball workout. There was just a little bit left, so I had some more of my fast cheesecake recipe. LOVE IT!
12-ounce glass of raw milk
12:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, ham, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:00PM
120-minute recreational volleyball
9:15PM
Cheesy grass-fed beef stroganoff (1/4 pound of grass-fed beef, 1/2 Tbs sour cream, 1/2 Tbs Ranch dressing, 1/3 ounce Colby Jack cheese, 1/3 ounce cheddar cheese, 1/3 ounce Velveeta cheese)
Coke Zero Cherry
Quick and easy True Lemon cheesecake
NOTE: I finished up the rest of that stroganoff tonight after my volleyball workout. There was just a little bit left, so I had some more of my fast cheesecake recipe. LOVE IT!
Monday, June 15, 2009
June 15, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
11:00AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
Cheesy grass-fed beef stroganoff (3/4 pounds of grass-fed beef, 2 Tbs sour cream, 1 Tbs Ranch dressing, 1 ounce Colby Jack cheese, 1 ounce cheddar cheese, 1 ounce Velveeta cheese)
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
7:30PM
100-minute recreational volleyball
10:15PM
Quick and easy True Lime cheesecake
NOTE: Weight stalls and even gains can happen to anyone at anytime. I've dealt with them off and on ever since losing 180 pounds in 2004 and they're no fun at all to deal with. While not every issue like this is easy to work through, there are some common culprit areas that may be preventing you from losing weight that Christine and I highlighted in this YouTube video:
When I went to play volleyball tonight, my stomach was hurting a little. The sour cream I used in that stroganoff meal I made may have been the culprit, but whatever it was I just didn't feel well at all playing. I hate that because I play all out when I'm on the volleyball court and anything less than my best is not even worth doing. When I jumped to block shots, I seemed to be off slightly in my timing and one of the balls hit me hard in the midsection. And only half of my serves made it over the net tonight, so I was DEFINITELY not feeling well. I ended up leaving early and came home to relax before bedtime. I should feel better by tomorrow night when we play volleyball at my church. My competitive juices should be flowing!
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with bacon and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
Cheesy grass-fed beef stroganoff (3/4 pounds of grass-fed beef, 2 Tbs sour cream, 1 Tbs Ranch dressing, 1 ounce Colby Jack cheese, 1 ounce cheddar cheese, 1 ounce Velveeta cheese)
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
7:30PM
100-minute recreational volleyball
10:15PM
Quick and easy True Lime cheesecake
NOTE: Weight stalls and even gains can happen to anyone at anytime. I've dealt with them off and on ever since losing 180 pounds in 2004 and they're no fun at all to deal with. While not every issue like this is easy to work through, there are some common culprit areas that may be preventing you from losing weight that Christine and I highlighted in this YouTube video:
When I went to play volleyball tonight, my stomach was hurting a little. The sour cream I used in that stroganoff meal I made may have been the culprit, but whatever it was I just didn't feel well at all playing. I hate that because I play all out when I'm on the volleyball court and anything less than my best is not even worth doing. When I jumped to block shots, I seemed to be off slightly in my timing and one of the balls hit me hard in the midsection. And only half of my serves made it over the net tonight, so I was DEFINITELY not feeling well. I ended up leaving early and came home to relax before bedtime. I should feel better by tomorrow night when we play volleyball at my church. My competitive juices should be flowing!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
June 14, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
8:00AM
12-ounce glass of raw milk
11:45AM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack, bacon, and mayo
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
3:45PM
Quick and easy True Lime cheesecake
7:45PM
2 slices low-carb bread with butter, bacon, and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate peanut butter crunch (3 blocks of unsweetened 100% cacao, butter, Xylitol, Splenda, marcona almonds, 1 Tbs Naturally More peanut butter)
NOTE: We're excited to have so many people signing up to join us on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to the Bahamas happening in March 2010. We've had such a fabulous time the past couple of years, but this next one is going to be even more spectacular thanks to special low-carb guests like Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. William Davis, Dr. James E. Carlson, Jackie Eberstein, Karly Pitman, Fred Hahn, Dana Carpender, Connie Bennett, Laura Dolson, Andrew DiMino, Cameo "The Spiky Haired Girl" Watkins, and, of course, me and Christine. If you'd REALLY like to come on this cruise with us but don't think you can afford it, then you should consider entering our FREE CRUISE GIVEAWAY contest that we announced over the weekend:
I ate a little more today than I have been and even added back a couple of old favorites like cheesecake and chocolate today. There's certainly nothing wrong with this as long as you keep the ingredients sugar-free and watch your carb counts. All the ingredients I used in both of those recipes are excellent additions to any healthy low-carb lifestyle, including heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, almonds, and more! I like to experiment in the kitchen from time to time and today just happened to be one of those times.
I'm getting excited for the end of this coming up week because I'll be driving down to Florida to attend my 20-year high school reunion. It's hard to believe it's been that long since high school, but in other ways it seems like an eternity ago. I had to move away in between my sophomore year in high school, so I didn't technically graduate from there. But I grew up with these people and it will be neat to see them in person nearly a quarter century later! We'll be leaving out early on Friday morning, so no menus updates from Friday through Sunday. I'll get to them when I return next week.
12-ounce glass of raw milk
11:45AM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack, bacon, and mayo
Diet Dr. Pepper Cherry
3:45PM
Quick and easy True Lime cheesecake
7:45PM
2 slices low-carb bread with butter, bacon, and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
Sugar-free, low-carb chocolate peanut butter crunch (3 blocks of unsweetened 100% cacao, butter, Xylitol, Splenda, marcona almonds, 1 Tbs Naturally More peanut butter)
NOTE: We're excited to have so many people signing up to join us on The 3rd Annual Low-Carb Cruise to the Bahamas happening in March 2010. We've had such a fabulous time the past couple of years, but this next one is going to be even more spectacular thanks to special low-carb guests like Drs. Mike and Mary Dan Eades, Dr. Eric Westman, Dr. William Davis, Dr. James E. Carlson, Jackie Eberstein, Karly Pitman, Fred Hahn, Dana Carpender, Connie Bennett, Laura Dolson, Andrew DiMino, Cameo "The Spiky Haired Girl" Watkins, and, of course, me and Christine. If you'd REALLY like to come on this cruise with us but don't think you can afford it, then you should consider entering our FREE CRUISE GIVEAWAY contest that we announced over the weekend:
I ate a little more today than I have been and even added back a couple of old favorites like cheesecake and chocolate today. There's certainly nothing wrong with this as long as you keep the ingredients sugar-free and watch your carb counts. All the ingredients I used in both of those recipes are excellent additions to any healthy low-carb lifestyle, including heavy cream, butter, cream cheese, almonds, and more! I like to experiment in the kitchen from time to time and today just happened to be one of those times.
I'm getting excited for the end of this coming up week because I'll be driving down to Florida to attend my 20-year high school reunion. It's hard to believe it's been that long since high school, but in other ways it seems like an eternity ago. I had to move away in between my sophomore year in high school, so I didn't technically graduate from there. But I grew up with these people and it will be neat to see them in person nearly a quarter century later! We'll be leaving out early on Friday morning, so no menus updates from Friday through Sunday. I'll get to them when I return next week.
Saturday, June 13, 2009
June 13, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:00AM
12-ounce glass of raw milk
12:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack and cheddar cheese, bacon, and mayo
Coke Zero
8:45PM
3 half-pound hamburger patties with American cheese, bacon, and 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
Broccoli with butter
Diet Coke with lime
NOTE: I played around with my blood sugar again today just out of curiosity after those interesting results I had last night and my fasting blood glucose at 9:00AM today was 98. It looks like the "Dawn Phenomenon" may be in full force with me although I am not diabetic, but it could be the "Somogyi Effect" instead. I may have to try that 2:00AM wake-up call to test my blood sugar overnight to see sometime.
At 5:15PM today, my blood sugar reading after a few hours of fasting following my lunch meal was at 81--EXTREMELY GOOD! Other than my morning anomalies in my blood sugar readings, I'm encouraged by what I see happening with my blood glucose management right now. My friend J.P. asked what I attribute these outstanding results to and I have to give kudos to my continued excellent low-carb lifestyle and the positive impact that Metformin played. Keeping carbs in check is essential for preventing any blood sugar disorder, but some people need a little help that a drug like this can offer even in a short amount of time.
After 10 weeks of taking this in late 2008/early 2009, I came off of it and have seen my hypoglycemia go completely away. When I interviewed the great Dr. Richard Bernstein recently, he said Metformin is the one drug he HIGHLY recommends for anyone dealing with hypoglycemia and/or pre-diabetes. Consider it as an option in your blood sugar control plan.
A funny story happened today when I went to the farmer's market to get some more fresh grass-fed beef from a local provider. I was getting six pounds of the ground beef and paying for it when a woman and her husband walked up asking about the meats. She first started asking about the chicken products they offer and she looked them over for a few minutes.
Then she asked the following question: "Is your ground beef lean?" My ears kinda perked up because I knew from experience eating this stuff for the past few weeks that is is ANYTHING but low in fat. The young kid who was helping her said, "Ask this guy (pointing to me) because he buys it every week!" I'm sure he didn't want me to answer this way, but my response was, "No ma'am, this ground beef isn't lean. It's VERY fatty and that's just the way I like it!"
Now, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did, but I can only imagine what this woman was thinking inside of her head after I said it--"Man, all that fat he's eating is gonna clog his arteries and give him a heart attack while making him obese." I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to say something to her about low-fat diets, but I bit my tongue because the farmer's market was neither the time nor place to have such a conversation. And her husband looked none too pleased about my comment either. LOL! Oh well, I couldn't resist telling the TRUTH.
12-ounce glass of raw milk
12:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack and cheddar cheese, bacon, and mayo
Coke Zero
8:45PM
3 half-pound hamburger patties with American cheese, bacon, and 1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
Broccoli with butter
Diet Coke with lime
NOTE: I played around with my blood sugar again today just out of curiosity after those interesting results I had last night and my fasting blood glucose at 9:00AM today was 98. It looks like the "Dawn Phenomenon" may be in full force with me although I am not diabetic, but it could be the "Somogyi Effect" instead. I may have to try that 2:00AM wake-up call to test my blood sugar overnight to see sometime.
At 5:15PM today, my blood sugar reading after a few hours of fasting following my lunch meal was at 81--EXTREMELY GOOD! Other than my morning anomalies in my blood sugar readings, I'm encouraged by what I see happening with my blood glucose management right now. My friend J.P. asked what I attribute these outstanding results to and I have to give kudos to my continued excellent low-carb lifestyle and the positive impact that Metformin played. Keeping carbs in check is essential for preventing any blood sugar disorder, but some people need a little help that a drug like this can offer even in a short amount of time.
After 10 weeks of taking this in late 2008/early 2009, I came off of it and have seen my hypoglycemia go completely away. When I interviewed the great Dr. Richard Bernstein recently, he said Metformin is the one drug he HIGHLY recommends for anyone dealing with hypoglycemia and/or pre-diabetes. Consider it as an option in your blood sugar control plan.
A funny story happened today when I went to the farmer's market to get some more fresh grass-fed beef from a local provider. I was getting six pounds of the ground beef and paying for it when a woman and her husband walked up asking about the meats. She first started asking about the chicken products they offer and she looked them over for a few minutes.
Then she asked the following question: "Is your ground beef lean?" My ears kinda perked up because I knew from experience eating this stuff for the past few weeks that is is ANYTHING but low in fat. The young kid who was helping her said, "Ask this guy (pointing to me) because he buys it every week!" I'm sure he didn't want me to answer this way, but my response was, "No ma'am, this ground beef isn't lean. It's VERY fatty and that's just the way I like it!"
Now, I didn't mean for that to come out the way it did, but I can only imagine what this woman was thinking inside of her head after I said it--"Man, all that fat he's eating is gonna clog his arteries and give him a heart attack while making him obese." I REALLY REALLY REALLY wanted to say something to her about low-fat diets, but I bit my tongue because the farmer's market was neither the time nor place to have such a conversation. And her husband looked none too pleased about my comment either. LOL! Oh well, I couldn't resist telling the TRUTH.
Friday, June 12, 2009
June 12, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:45AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with bacon and cheddar cheese
Coke Zero
8:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with cheddar cheese, bacon, and mayo
Coke Zero
NOTE: Okay, I decided to do some experimenting with my blood glucose monitor again today. You'll recall I tested my blood sugar a couple of weeks ago after eating a meal to see if I was still dealing with that reactive hypoglycemia that hit me last year. Well, this morning I checked my blood sugar and it registered at 102. I've heard from Dr. Mary C. Vernon and other low-carb experts that some people experience a higher reading in the morning, but I forget exactly why. Please feel free to remind me if you know the answer and I'll work on getting Dr. Vernon back on my podcast show to talk about this phenomena.
So I ate my favorite eggs with cheese and bacon breakfast and one hour later my blood sugar was 98. Had I taken measurements at 15 minutes and 30 minutes, it very likely would have gone up a little before coming back down. Nevertheless, the blood sugar control was pretty good. But then I went for nearly ten hours without feeling hungry at all. By the time I got done with my work and looked at the clock, it was already past 8:00PM and I was curious what my blood sugar was before eating my next meal.
After fasting (unintentionally) throughout most of the day, my blood sugar came in at 68. That kinda freaked me out because I'd never seen a reading that low for me. I didn't feel bad or have any dizziness or any other symptoms of "low" blood sugar. But I was getting hungry which is why I cooked up my new favorite dinner meal--grass-fed beef burgers with bacon, cheddar and mayo! I LOVE this stuff! But I couldn't help but wonder what my blood sugar would do in response to that food. It shouldn't go down with a reading like 68, but I wanted to know for sure.
I took it again 30 minutes after eating and my blood sugar had risen to 81. I then took another reading at one hour to see where it was at and the blood sugar had fallen slightly to 78. At this point I thought my blood sugar response to the meal had already topped out where it was gonna be and was on the way back down. Boy was I wrong! When I checked it again at two hours, my blood sugar jumped up to 98--30 points above baseline. It wasn't an astronomical jump, but I was a little shocked to see such a "normal" blood sugar response in light of all I dealt with last year with my blood sugar dropping even after a low-carb meal.
Although I was already getting tired and ready for bed, I made myself stay up and take one more reading at three hours after eating and that one showed my blood sugar at 76--on the way back down again. It was fun watching the numbers bounce all over the place because my previous experience taking my blood sugar readings was frustrating to watch it stay the same or gone down. The fact that it's going up at all now shows my body is managing my blood sugar a lot more efficiently now--a sign that my healthy low-carb way of eating is doing what it's supposed to do.
And the greatest thing is I'm not dealing with fluctuations of hundreds of points like so many people who are eating gobs and gobs of carbohydrates in their diet are. Most people have NO clue (unless they are already diabetic) what their blood sugar or insulin levels are and quite frankly they don't care as long as they can eat what they want to. Getting others to realize blood sugar management is about much more than diabetes--SO MUCH MORE--is a crucial part of the work I am doing on behalf of low-carb living! To that end, I encourage you to pick up a blood glucose monitor from your local drugstore and test your blood sugar to see what's happening to YOU. Yes, the strips can be a little expensive, but the cost now is worth the preventative measures you are taking to be pro-active about your health. Feel free to report your experience with your blood sugar readings in the comments section below.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
June 11, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
2:45PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese, bacon, and mayo
Coke Zero
7:30PM
Raw broccoli with nacho cheese
Diet Dr. Pepper
NOTE: I went a long time today before my first meal. Was it by design? No. Am I trying to "starve" myself? Uh...not hardly. I just wasn't hungry at all this morning and so I didn't eat. This is a good lesson for anyone who is livin' la vida low-carb and thinks they HAVE to eat just because it's that time of the day. Why? If you're hungry, then eat. But if you're not, then don't. This whole notion of forcing yourself to consume food when you don't really need it may be part of the problem we have with obesity today.
That said, by the time mid-afternoon hit, I was starting to get hungry and happily cooked up some of those grass-fed beef hamburger patties. Man, I am in love with this stuff because it is the most incredible-tasting food I have consumed in a very long time. Fatty, juicy, hamburger steaks with bacon and cheese...ahhhhh, this is the life! Well, the low-carb life, that is. Too bad the low-fatties have to suffer with lean cuts of meats, turkey bacon, and low-fat/fat-free cheeses. YUCK! Not me baby! Give me fat, fat, and more fat along with a moderate amount of protein and very few carbs and you have a recipe for a deliciously healthy way of eating.
Tonight was the last night of Vacation Bible School (VBS) at my church and they didn't have the BBQ like they did last night. But I did see some raw broccoli and improvised. There were nacho chips and cheese in a crock pot, so I decided to put some of that nacho cheese on top of the broccoli. WOW, that was really good! And I only had a little because I was still pretty full from the hamburger steaks just a few hours earlier. It was enough to keep me satisfied and energized for the rest of VBS.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
June 10, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
11:15AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
7:00PM
1 pound of pork BBQ
Diet Dr. Pepper
NOTE: I've been helping out with Vacation Bible School (VBS) at my church this week and it's been a load of fun. Because I like to have fun and make crazy voices with my mouth, they assigned me to do puppets. It had been several years since I've done puppets and I forgot how much it hurts in your upper arm when you do a skit that's more than a couple of minutes long. OUCH! One of the teenage boys who was helping out said he was gonna get "buff" doing puppet shows. HA!
We did have some break time in between the puppet shows and a nice room with food and drink was set up for us volunteers to get refreshed. For the past several days, all they had was cookies, candy, cakes, chips...in other words CRAP! But today there was something a little different amongst that smorgasbord of nutritionally-bankrupt "food"--BBQ!!! Yep, somebody brought some pork BBQ sandwiches for us to enjoy tonight and ENJOY I did. It was funny watching the faces of some people as I marched over to the garbage can to dispose of the buns to leave just the meat. Even the children's director said, "No buns, huh?" I replied, "Nope. Too many wasted carbs."
At the end of the night, there were a few BBQ sandwiches left over and they asked if I wanted to take some home. ABSOLUTELY! Christine loves BBQ and it will make for a nice meal or two for her to eat (of course, she eats the bun--UGH!). I was talking with the associate pastor at the church who lost a lot of weight himself on an exercise diet and he asked if I was still eating low-carb. I said I was and that it would be my diet for life. Another woman chimed in, "So, you don't eat any carbs at all?" I went on to explain that there are carbohydrates in a lot of foods like eggs, cheese, non-starchy veggies, etc. It's nice to be able to educate curious people about what REAL livin' la vida low-carb is all about. They get too much of the negative aspects of it from the media and the so-called health "experts."
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
7:00PM
1 pound of pork BBQ
Diet Dr. Pepper
NOTE: I've been helping out with Vacation Bible School (VBS) at my church this week and it's been a load of fun. Because I like to have fun and make crazy voices with my mouth, they assigned me to do puppets. It had been several years since I've done puppets and I forgot how much it hurts in your upper arm when you do a skit that's more than a couple of minutes long. OUCH! One of the teenage boys who was helping out said he was gonna get "buff" doing puppet shows. HA!
We did have some break time in between the puppet shows and a nice room with food and drink was set up for us volunteers to get refreshed. For the past several days, all they had was cookies, candy, cakes, chips...in other words CRAP! But today there was something a little different amongst that smorgasbord of nutritionally-bankrupt "food"--BBQ!!! Yep, somebody brought some pork BBQ sandwiches for us to enjoy tonight and ENJOY I did. It was funny watching the faces of some people as I marched over to the garbage can to dispose of the buns to leave just the meat. Even the children's director said, "No buns, huh?" I replied, "Nope. Too many wasted carbs."
At the end of the night, there were a few BBQ sandwiches left over and they asked if I wanted to take some home. ABSOLUTELY! Christine loves BBQ and it will make for a nice meal or two for her to eat (of course, she eats the bun--UGH!). I was talking with the associate pastor at the church who lost a lot of weight himself on an exercise diet and he asked if I was still eating low-carb. I said I was and that it would be my diet for life. Another woman chimed in, "So, you don't eat any carbs at all?" I went on to explain that there are carbohydrates in a lot of foods like eggs, cheese, non-starchy veggies, etc. It's nice to be able to educate curious people about what REAL livin' la vida low-carb is all about. They get too much of the negative aspects of it from the media and the so-called health "experts."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
June 9, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
5:30AM
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Cherry Coke Zero
12:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
12-ounce glass of local raw milk
9:30PM
3 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Cherry Coke Zero
NOTE: Whether we realize it or not, our minds can have an immense negative impact on our weight, health and mortality. In fact, there is a little known but very real phenomena known as the "nocebo effect" where people's sincere fears about saturated fat and cholesterol is actually causing more harm to them than actually eating foods with those substances in them! This will blow your mind because it doesn't seem possible that a thought process like fat-phobia could actually be leading to more heart disease and death. Watch this YouTube video Christine and I did on the subject:
Well, FINALLY after several weeks of trying to get some raw milk to try from a local provider who sells it at Whole Foods, I got it today! The $8.50 price tag on a gallon just about made my mouth drop to the floor, but I was really interested in trying this because of people like Sally Fallon from The Weston A. Price Foundation (sharing a podcast interview with her on Thursday!) speaking so highly of this "real milk." One thing I found absolutely hilarious was they were selling a LOW-FAT version of raw milk with the full-fat kind. What the heck? Isn't one of the reasons you drink raw milk to get the healthy fats in it? This was just too funny to me! Fat-phobia lives on.
To make sure the taste was optimal, I poured some of the raw milk into a glass and then put in the freezer for about a half an hour. As soon as I started pouring it into the glass, I could tell this milk was different. It had a slight yellow tint and thicker than that bright white pasteurized and homogenized milk you usually get from your local grocery store. But the real verdict would be on the taste and texture and lemme tell you--this stuff is unlike any milk you've ever had before. It has a rich fatty texture close to egg nog (not quite as thick) and a slightly sweet taste that makes it pleasant. I poured a 12-ounce glass and probably should have only had 6-8 ounces because it was so filling. The best part was there were no ill gastric effects from drinking this milk like I used to get from conventional milk way back when I was drinking it.
Today I had local free-range eggs, local grass-fed beef, and local raw milk in my diet--outstanding additions to my menus that I think will reap HUGE dividends in my healthy lifestyle now and in the years to come. When you can begin adding things like this to your diet, you'll see just how wonderful they can be. I'd love to hear your experiences eating foods like these and feel free to share other nutritious additions you have made to your low-carb way of life!
4 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Cherry Coke Zero
12:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
5:45PM
12-ounce glass of local raw milk
9:30PM
3 slices of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt) with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Cherry Coke Zero
NOTE: Whether we realize it or not, our minds can have an immense negative impact on our weight, health and mortality. In fact, there is a little known but very real phenomena known as the "nocebo effect" where people's sincere fears about saturated fat and cholesterol is actually causing more harm to them than actually eating foods with those substances in them! This will blow your mind because it doesn't seem possible that a thought process like fat-phobia could actually be leading to more heart disease and death. Watch this YouTube video Christine and I did on the subject:
Well, FINALLY after several weeks of trying to get some raw milk to try from a local provider who sells it at Whole Foods, I got it today! The $8.50 price tag on a gallon just about made my mouth drop to the floor, but I was really interested in trying this because of people like Sally Fallon from The Weston A. Price Foundation (sharing a podcast interview with her on Thursday!) speaking so highly of this "real milk." One thing I found absolutely hilarious was they were selling a LOW-FAT version of raw milk with the full-fat kind. What the heck? Isn't one of the reasons you drink raw milk to get the healthy fats in it? This was just too funny to me! Fat-phobia lives on.
To make sure the taste was optimal, I poured some of the raw milk into a glass and then put in the freezer for about a half an hour. As soon as I started pouring it into the glass, I could tell this milk was different. It had a slight yellow tint and thicker than that bright white pasteurized and homogenized milk you usually get from your local grocery store. But the real verdict would be on the taste and texture and lemme tell you--this stuff is unlike any milk you've ever had before. It has a rich fatty texture close to egg nog (not quite as thick) and a slightly sweet taste that makes it pleasant. I poured a 12-ounce glass and probably should have only had 6-8 ounces because it was so filling. The best part was there were no ill gastric effects from drinking this milk like I used to get from conventional milk way back when I was drinking it.
Today I had local free-range eggs, local grass-fed beef, and local raw milk in my diet--outstanding additions to my menus that I think will reap HUGE dividends in my healthy lifestyle now and in the years to come. When you can begin adding things like this to your diet, you'll see just how wonderful they can be. I'd love to hear your experiences eating foods like these and feel free to share other nutritious additions you have made to your low-carb way of life!
Monday, June 8, 2009
June 8, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:00AM
5 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Cherry Coke Zero
4:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:00PM
2-hour recreational volleyball
NOTE: When you switch over to higher-quality food than you have been accustomed to eating, it's amazing how much of a difference there really is not just in the health properties but also in how they taste and make you feel. I remember when I first went on the Atkins diet in January 2004 how eating foods like steak, fresh vegetables, full-fat cheese and cream, and even the low-carb/sugar-free chocolates and products was such a far superior jump upward in terms of the quality of foods I had been consuming in the years prior to that like fast food, big plates of pasta, potato chips, doughnuts, sugary snack cakes, Coca-Cola--PURE CARBAGE! Just the thought of consuming foods like that now is quite repulsive.
I was reminded of how prevalent those junk foods are in our society today when I walked into my local grocery store to pick up a Chicken BLT salad for Christine (her favorite!) and there was a huge display at the front door for Little Debbie Snack Cakes on sale for 88 cents a box. Back in the day, I would load up my grocery basket with at least ten boxes of these, including the Swiss Miss Rolls, Oatmeal Cookies with cream, and Fudge Rounds. After refrigerating them to firm up the texture of the snack cakes, I'd pull 'em out one box at a time to eat the WHOLE box! Seeing that display just evoked all the emotions of how the pre-2004 Jimmy Moore used to eat so very poorly contrasted with my menus today--I'm eating better than I have in my entire life! You just can't fully comprehend what that's like until you live it yourself.
Today as I was eating the eggs for breakfast from a local farmer from my church and then some grass-fed beef in the afternoon from another local distributor, it struck me how much better these foods are than the kind you can buy at Wal-Mart or your local grocery store. There are some really compelling reasons for switching to these better food choices and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is either ignorant or ill-informed. Even if all you got from consuming these foods was more omega-3 fatty acids to help counterbalance the overabundance of omega-6s in your diet (and you do!), then you would be better off than 99% of the rest of the population.
Sure, local free-range eggs and grass-fed beef can tend to be a little more expensive than what you find in the grocery store. But the thing to remember is you always get what you paid for. Those 88-cent boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes are certainly more affordable than buying a head of cauliflower, broccoli, or spaghetti squash. And yet the negative impact those boxes of "rat poison" will wreak havoc on your weight and health makes the few pennies you save now on your food bill seem silly. Your body is worth the extra investment to get the good stuff it needs so you can live the long, happy, and healthy life that you DESERVE! Once you start eating these better quality foods, you'll never go back to those old foods again.
By the way, after I was finished doing puppets for the 3 and 4-year olds at VBS tonight (and they didn't listen very well today either!), I went to play volleyball for a couple of hours and that sore toe on my left foot did fine. I could pivot and run without any pain and the swelling finally subsided. It doesn't look like the toe is broken, but it certainly hurt like the dickens for several days. Although I was tentative about playing at first, it felt wonderful getting in some stress-relieving, fun exercise at the end of a fantastic day of healthy eating. Livin' la vida low-carb is one amazing way to live!
5 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Cherry Coke Zero
4:30PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburger patties with Colby Jack cheese, tomatoes, and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:00PM
2-hour recreational volleyball
NOTE: When you switch over to higher-quality food than you have been accustomed to eating, it's amazing how much of a difference there really is not just in the health properties but also in how they taste and make you feel. I remember when I first went on the Atkins diet in January 2004 how eating foods like steak, fresh vegetables, full-fat cheese and cream, and even the low-carb/sugar-free chocolates and products was such a far superior jump upward in terms of the quality of foods I had been consuming in the years prior to that like fast food, big plates of pasta, potato chips, doughnuts, sugary snack cakes, Coca-Cola--PURE CARBAGE! Just the thought of consuming foods like that now is quite repulsive.
I was reminded of how prevalent those junk foods are in our society today when I walked into my local grocery store to pick up a Chicken BLT salad for Christine (her favorite!) and there was a huge display at the front door for Little Debbie Snack Cakes on sale for 88 cents a box. Back in the day, I would load up my grocery basket with at least ten boxes of these, including the Swiss Miss Rolls, Oatmeal Cookies with cream, and Fudge Rounds. After refrigerating them to firm up the texture of the snack cakes, I'd pull 'em out one box at a time to eat the WHOLE box! Seeing that display just evoked all the emotions of how the pre-2004 Jimmy Moore used to eat so very poorly contrasted with my menus today--I'm eating better than I have in my entire life! You just can't fully comprehend what that's like until you live it yourself.
Today as I was eating the eggs for breakfast from a local farmer from my church and then some grass-fed beef in the afternoon from another local distributor, it struck me how much better these foods are than the kind you can buy at Wal-Mart or your local grocery store. There are some really compelling reasons for switching to these better food choices and anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is either ignorant or ill-informed. Even if all you got from consuming these foods was more omega-3 fatty acids to help counterbalance the overabundance of omega-6s in your diet (and you do!), then you would be better off than 99% of the rest of the population.
Sure, local free-range eggs and grass-fed beef can tend to be a little more expensive than what you find in the grocery store. But the thing to remember is you always get what you paid for. Those 88-cent boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes are certainly more affordable than buying a head of cauliflower, broccoli, or spaghetti squash. And yet the negative impact those boxes of "rat poison" will wreak havoc on your weight and health makes the few pennies you save now on your food bill seem silly. Your body is worth the extra investment to get the good stuff it needs so you can live the long, happy, and healthy life that you DESERVE! Once you start eating these better quality foods, you'll never go back to those old foods again.
By the way, after I was finished doing puppets for the 3 and 4-year olds at VBS tonight (and they didn't listen very well today either!), I went to play volleyball for a couple of hours and that sore toe on my left foot did fine. I could pivot and run without any pain and the swelling finally subsided. It doesn't look like the toe is broken, but it certainly hurt like the dickens for several days. Although I was tentative about playing at first, it felt wonderful getting in some stress-relieving, fun exercise at the end of a fantastic day of healthy eating. Livin' la vida low-carb is one amazing way to live!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
June 7, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
8:45AM
2 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
2:00PM
2 half-pound hamburger patties with bacon and American cheese
Broccoli with butter
Diet Coke with lemon
9:00PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: By request, here are some photos Christine took from the baby shower event we were able to help put together for a pregnant neighbor whose friend ditched on her at the last minute on Friday. I'd say the mommy-to-be was quite happy!
And Christine even caught me acting goofy...as usual! Check out the clothes hanger earring and rattle!
It was a great time had by all! We were indeed blessed to help this struggling young couple enjoy their new one on the way.
Busy busy day today with church in the morning and then the beginning of our annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) tonight. I was a part of the puppet team for the 3 and 4-year olds and we were so overrun with kids during our little puppet show that we couldn't hear each other at all during our dialog with the puppets. And we had the volume on the CD player up full blast for the songs and you still couldn't hear it above the mild roar of over 60 rambunctious little munchkins. It was a glorious site to behold! Hopefully for tomorrow night we can split them up into smaller groups so the message can be communicated better. Ahhhhh, VBS! There's nothing else like it.
After this long weekend of activities, I'm completely wore out! But a new week is upon us with even more to do! Make it AWESOME on your healthy low-carb lifestyle this week!
2 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
2:00PM
2 half-pound hamburger patties with bacon and American cheese
Broccoli with butter
Diet Coke with lemon
9:00PM
2 slices of Julian Bakery SmartCarb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: By request, here are some photos Christine took from the baby shower event we were able to help put together for a pregnant neighbor whose friend ditched on her at the last minute on Friday. I'd say the mommy-to-be was quite happy!
And Christine even caught me acting goofy...as usual! Check out the clothes hanger earring and rattle!
It was a great time had by all! We were indeed blessed to help this struggling young couple enjoy their new one on the way.
Busy busy day today with church in the morning and then the beginning of our annual Vacation Bible School (VBS) tonight. I was a part of the puppet team for the 3 and 4-year olds and we were so overrun with kids during our little puppet show that we couldn't hear each other at all during our dialog with the puppets. And we had the volume on the CD player up full blast for the songs and you still couldn't hear it above the mild roar of over 60 rambunctious little munchkins. It was a glorious site to behold! Hopefully for tomorrow night we can split them up into smaller groups so the message can be communicated better. Ahhhhh, VBS! There's nothing else like it.
After this long weekend of activities, I'm completely wore out! But a new week is upon us with even more to do! Make it AWESOME on your healthy low-carb lifestyle this week!
Saturday, June 6, 2009
June 6, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
11:15AM
2 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:30PM
Meatballs, deviled eggs, cheddar cheese, honeydew and cantaloupe
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:15PM
1 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: The baby shower for our pregnant friend who was all upset when she thought it was going to be cancelled the other day went superbly well! For throwing this thing together in about a day and a half, it was an AMAZING experience that she will likely not forget anytime soon. I'm so glad Christine and I were able to step in during her time of need to make this happen (she also found out her husband lost his job on the same day, so this was good timing for us to be able to help). Special thanks to those of you who donated towards this cause. We sincerely appreciate it!
Party food is always tricky when you are livin' la vida low-carb, but you can make it very friendly towards your lifestyle when you make the right choices. The meatballs, eggs, and cheese as well as the low-sugar fruits were the obvious choices and they also had some raw veggies I could have chosen as well. I enjoyed myself, didn't have to have any cake or brownies to enjoy myself at the party just the same. It's what I tell people often--you don't have to miss out on celebrating with your friends, but make better choices. And that's exactly what I did today.
2 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:30PM
Meatballs, deviled eggs, cheddar cheese, honeydew and cantaloupe
Diet Coke with Splenda
10:15PM
1 Cinnamon Carrot Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, cinnamon, carrots)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: The baby shower for our pregnant friend who was all upset when she thought it was going to be cancelled the other day went superbly well! For throwing this thing together in about a day and a half, it was an AMAZING experience that she will likely not forget anytime soon. I'm so glad Christine and I were able to step in during her time of need to make this happen (she also found out her husband lost his job on the same day, so this was good timing for us to be able to help). Special thanks to those of you who donated towards this cause. We sincerely appreciate it!
Party food is always tricky when you are livin' la vida low-carb, but you can make it very friendly towards your lifestyle when you make the right choices. The meatballs, eggs, and cheese as well as the low-sugar fruits were the obvious choices and they also had some raw veggies I could have chosen as well. I enjoyed myself, didn't have to have any cake or brownies to enjoy myself at the party just the same. It's what I tell people often--you don't have to miss out on celebrating with your friends, but make better choices. And that's exactly what I did today.
Friday, June 5, 2009
June 5, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:30AM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:30PM
Grass-fed beef stroganoff (grass-fed beef, sour cream, Ranch dressing powder, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic salt) with 1 slice of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt)
Diet Coke with Splenda
4:30PM
Whole rotisserie chicken
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
2 Chocolate Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Our neighbor's daughter is having a baby in a couple of months and her friend was supposed to give her a baby shower on Saturday. Unfortunately, when the daughter contacted her friend about it today, the girl told her she totally forgot and would be out of town for it. Obviously, she was devastated by this news because this is a special time in the life of a first-time mother-to-be. When Christine and I heard about this, we immediately jumped in and said we'd take care of getting all the food and arranging a place to have it so she could have her shower. WHEW, this is a lot of work...but it's gonna be so worth it for her.
This family is one we've been sharing the love of Christ to for several years now and they let us take their younger daughter with us to church on Sundays. We hope that doing things like this will show them their need for God in their lives and I'm blessed to know we can play a small part in helping out when they need us. If you'd like to make a donation towards the expenses of this, then we'd appreciate it if you clicked on the PayPal link to the right and donated anything. I'm so privileged to be able to give back just a small inkling of the blessings that Jesus has given me throughout my life. God bless you!
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter and Colby Jack cheese
Diet Coke with Splenda
1:30PM
Grass-fed beef stroganoff (grass-fed beef, sour cream, Ranch dressing powder, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic salt) with 1 slice of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt)
Diet Coke with Splenda
4:30PM
Whole rotisserie chicken
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
2 Chocolate Carb One Muffins (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Our neighbor's daughter is having a baby in a couple of months and her friend was supposed to give her a baby shower on Saturday. Unfortunately, when the daughter contacted her friend about it today, the girl told her she totally forgot and would be out of town for it. Obviously, she was devastated by this news because this is a special time in the life of a first-time mother-to-be. When Christine and I heard about this, we immediately jumped in and said we'd take care of getting all the food and arranging a place to have it so she could have her shower. WHEW, this is a lot of work...but it's gonna be so worth it for her.
This family is one we've been sharing the love of Christ to for several years now and they let us take their younger daughter with us to church on Sundays. We hope that doing things like this will show them their need for God in their lives and I'm blessed to know we can play a small part in helping out when they need us. If you'd like to make a donation towards the expenses of this, then we'd appreciate it if you clicked on the PayPal link to the right and donated anything. I'm so privileged to be able to give back just a small inkling of the blessings that Jesus has given me throughout my life. God bless you!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
June 4, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
10:00AM
3 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Diet Coke with Splenda
3:30PM
Grass-fed beef stroganoff (grass-fed beef, sour cream, Ranch dressing powder, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic salt) with 1 slice of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt)
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
Marcona almonds and Chocolate Carb One Muffin (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: I've REALLY been enjoying the grass-fed beef I've been eating this week and today I wanted to make something a little different that I haven't had in a very long time. Growing up we used to eat Hamburger Helper and Rice-A-Roni meals a lot and so I decided to put my own low-carb twist on an old favorite flavor today. Beef stroganoff is an INCREDIBLE meal and it was so super-simple to make into a low-carb delight. That stuff was so filling and delicious and there was even enough for leftovers tomorrow! WOO HOO!
Remember, I told you about stubbing my toe yesterday. Well, here's a photo of the damage I did:
EWWWW, I know! It is still swollen and heavily bruised. I think I probably fractured it somewhat, so I'll be taking it easy while it heals. THANKS to everyone who shared concerns about it.
3 local farm eggs cooked in butter with Colby Jack cheese and tomatoes
Diet Coke with Splenda
3:30PM
Grass-fed beef stroganoff (grass-fed beef, sour cream, Ranch dressing powder, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, garlic salt) with 1 slice of Carb One Garlic Bread (eggs, almond flour, flax seed, carrots, garlic, salt)
Diet Coke with Splenda
8:45PM
Marcona almonds and Chocolate Carb One Muffin (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: I've REALLY been enjoying the grass-fed beef I've been eating this week and today I wanted to make something a little different that I haven't had in a very long time. Growing up we used to eat Hamburger Helper and Rice-A-Roni meals a lot and so I decided to put my own low-carb twist on an old favorite flavor today. Beef stroganoff is an INCREDIBLE meal and it was so super-simple to make into a low-carb delight. That stuff was so filling and delicious and there was even enough for leftovers tomorrow! WOO HOO!
Remember, I told you about stubbing my toe yesterday. Well, here's a photo of the damage I did:
EWWWW, I know! It is still swollen and heavily bruised. I think I probably fractured it somewhat, so I'll be taking it easy while it heals. THANKS to everyone who shared concerns about it.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
June 3, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
1:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
8:30PM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, sugar-free maple praline syrup
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, no sugar added peach preserves, whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Tonight I was making my dinner meal after getting home from church choir practice and somehow I ended up stubbing the fourth toe on my left foot. OUCH! I haven't had that much pain in a long time--not even when I fractured the nevicular bone in my wrist six years ago. Dang that hurt like the dickens and I'm sure it's gonna be pretty bruised up by tomorrow. Christine says I need to watch where I'm going...uhhhh, thanks for the encouragement honey!
I sincerely appreciate all the feedback from you guys about my menus and I encourage you to keep looking for the low-carb way of eating that is right for you. Sure, there are strong opinions from those who think you should eat nothing artificial ever, nothing but meat all the time, nothing with a bar code on it, and other such viewpoints. But only YOU can decide what is the best course of action for your individual needs. Those needs aren't just physical either--they also hit on a deeper level psychologically that you can't just ignore. Finding that inner satisfaction with your healthy way of eating is an essential part of your success in attaining your weight and healthy goals.
No matter what anyone tells you, you CAN do this! Find your way and then MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
8:30PM
2 slices Julian Bakery Smart Carb bread with butter, local farm eggs, cinnamon, heavy cream, Truvia, sugar-free maple praline syrup
Vanilla Carbsmart ice cream, no sugar added peach preserves, whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: Tonight I was making my dinner meal after getting home from church choir practice and somehow I ended up stubbing the fourth toe on my left foot. OUCH! I haven't had that much pain in a long time--not even when I fractured the nevicular bone in my wrist six years ago. Dang that hurt like the dickens and I'm sure it's gonna be pretty bruised up by tomorrow. Christine says I need to watch where I'm going...uhhhh, thanks for the encouragement honey!
I sincerely appreciate all the feedback from you guys about my menus and I encourage you to keep looking for the low-carb way of eating that is right for you. Sure, there are strong opinions from those who think you should eat nothing artificial ever, nothing but meat all the time, nothing with a bar code on it, and other such viewpoints. But only YOU can decide what is the best course of action for your individual needs. Those needs aren't just physical either--they also hit on a deeper level psychologically that you can't just ignore. Finding that inner satisfaction with your healthy way of eating is an essential part of your success in attaining your weight and healthy goals.
No matter what anyone tells you, you CAN do this! Find your way and then MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
June 2, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
12:00PM
Chicken, meatballs with pineapple and BBQ sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
4:15PM
1 Chocolate Carb One Muffin (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
7:00PM
135-minute recreational volleyball
10:00PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburgers with butter, Colby Jack cheese and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: After four hours of volleyball playing on Monday night, I got in over two hours more playing time tonight. Although I was sore most of the day from the marathon play last night, it felt GREAT to get out there on the court and get my volleyball on--AGAIN! Whew! There's no greater rush than the exhilaration that comes from some fun physical activity that gives your body incredible exercise that you don't even notice until the next day. You gotta love it!
There's a lot of confusion over calories these days. A lot of people are still "stuck on stupid" when it comes to calories which is why Christine and I wanted to do a YouTube video about it. Although the so-called health "experts" want us to keep going lower and lower with our calories to create weight loss and improved health, the fact of the matter is calories are virtually irrelevant in the grand scheme of things related to nutrition. Watch our video about it here:
After my volleyball tonight, I had some of that grass-fed ground beef I purchased at the farmer's market on Saturday for the first time. WOW! The difference was measurably better and I didn't expect that. The color of the raw meat was a richer red color and the taste after grilling up a couple of burgers was spectacular. I remember one time watching somebody on The Food Network making burgers in a uniquely high-fat, low-carb way--they wrapped the meat around a block of butter! Yep, get yourself a chunk of butter and wrap the meat around it so the butter is in the middle. The result is a juicy and delicious way to enjoy your burger even more! And I did. I can't wait to have some more of that grass-fed goodness.
Special THANKS to everyone who commented about my weigh-in yesterday. Let me repeat that I never meant to give the impression that this slight weight gain over the past few months is insignificant because obviously it is VERY significant to me. I apologize if I miscommunicated that message. No, this is dead serious to me and I was simply stating in my previous commentary that I'm not gonna get all worked up about this to the point that I say the heck with low-carb. That's what most people do when the going gets rough.
That said, there are a multitude of reasons why weight gain can happen that may or may not be related to diet. I'm evaluating all of those things as we speak to rule out what could be causing the issues. I'm well aware of what the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins called for and I am blessed to have people he worked directly with and inspired at my disposal to assist with these issues I'm experiencing. As I've said before, I'm NOT giving up on this.
The question is how much weight do I need to lose to be at some semblance of a "goal?" What determines that "goal" number? I've seen ranges according to BMI as low as 170 pounds on my 6'3" frame and I don't think that's realistic. Obviously my current weight is higher than I'd prefer. If you split the difference between 248 and 170, then that's 204. Is that an ideal "goal" weight to strive for?
I can tell you after I lost my initial weight in 2004 of 180 pounds, I did strive to keep going lower and lower with my weight. At one point in 2006, I got down as low as 213...but I felt absolutely AWFUL! It was a sickening feeling getting my weight down to that level and with the added bone density in my legs especially along with the loose skin, I was probably the equivalent of a 190-pound person at that point. I didn't like the feeling and pushed my weight back up into the 220s again before I felt right again.
So, maybe my goal should be to get back into the 220s and just stay there. I'm content, active, and healthy with my low-carb lifestyle and that goal is not out of reach at all right now. Regardless of what happens, I'm certainly never giving up. You don't know me very well if you think that's gonna happen. But I can tell you that with each new day it's a learning experience that I participate in here and I'm happy to share it with you openly and honestly in all that I do.
Thanks so much for your care and concern. I really appreciate you reading and learning with me!
Chicken, meatballs with pineapple and BBQ sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
4:15PM
1 Chocolate Carb One Muffin (eggs, almond flour, flax seeds, Splenda, chocolate)
Diet Coke with Splenda
7:00PM
135-minute recreational volleyball
10:00PM
2 half-pound grass-fed beef hamburgers with butter, Colby Jack cheese and mayo
Diet Coke with Splenda
NOTE: After four hours of volleyball playing on Monday night, I got in over two hours more playing time tonight. Although I was sore most of the day from the marathon play last night, it felt GREAT to get out there on the court and get my volleyball on--AGAIN! Whew! There's no greater rush than the exhilaration that comes from some fun physical activity that gives your body incredible exercise that you don't even notice until the next day. You gotta love it!
There's a lot of confusion over calories these days. A lot of people are still "stuck on stupid" when it comes to calories which is why Christine and I wanted to do a YouTube video about it. Although the so-called health "experts" want us to keep going lower and lower with our calories to create weight loss and improved health, the fact of the matter is calories are virtually irrelevant in the grand scheme of things related to nutrition. Watch our video about it here:
After my volleyball tonight, I had some of that grass-fed ground beef I purchased at the farmer's market on Saturday for the first time. WOW! The difference was measurably better and I didn't expect that. The color of the raw meat was a richer red color and the taste after grilling up a couple of burgers was spectacular. I remember one time watching somebody on The Food Network making burgers in a uniquely high-fat, low-carb way--they wrapped the meat around a block of butter! Yep, get yourself a chunk of butter and wrap the meat around it so the butter is in the middle. The result is a juicy and delicious way to enjoy your burger even more! And I did. I can't wait to have some more of that grass-fed goodness.
Special THANKS to everyone who commented about my weigh-in yesterday. Let me repeat that I never meant to give the impression that this slight weight gain over the past few months is insignificant because obviously it is VERY significant to me. I apologize if I miscommunicated that message. No, this is dead serious to me and I was simply stating in my previous commentary that I'm not gonna get all worked up about this to the point that I say the heck with low-carb. That's what most people do when the going gets rough.
That said, there are a multitude of reasons why weight gain can happen that may or may not be related to diet. I'm evaluating all of those things as we speak to rule out what could be causing the issues. I'm well aware of what the late great Dr. Robert C. Atkins called for and I am blessed to have people he worked directly with and inspired at my disposal to assist with these issues I'm experiencing. As I've said before, I'm NOT giving up on this.
The question is how much weight do I need to lose to be at some semblance of a "goal?" What determines that "goal" number? I've seen ranges according to BMI as low as 170 pounds on my 6'3" frame and I don't think that's realistic. Obviously my current weight is higher than I'd prefer. If you split the difference between 248 and 170, then that's 204. Is that an ideal "goal" weight to strive for?
I can tell you after I lost my initial weight in 2004 of 180 pounds, I did strive to keep going lower and lower with my weight. At one point in 2006, I got down as low as 213...but I felt absolutely AWFUL! It was a sickening feeling getting my weight down to that level and with the added bone density in my legs especially along with the loose skin, I was probably the equivalent of a 190-pound person at that point. I didn't like the feeling and pushed my weight back up into the 220s again before I felt right again.
So, maybe my goal should be to get back into the 220s and just stay there. I'm content, active, and healthy with my low-carb lifestyle and that goal is not out of reach at all right now. Regardless of what happens, I'm certainly never giving up. You don't know me very well if you think that's gonna happen. But I can tell you that with each new day it's a learning experience that I participate in here and I'm happy to share it with you openly and honestly in all that I do.
Thanks so much for your care and concern. I really appreciate you reading and learning with me!
Monday, June 1, 2009
June 1, 2009 Low-Carb Menu
8:45AM
4 local farm eggs cooked with butter and Colby Jack cheese with tomato slices
Diet Coke with Splenda
2:15PM
Low-carb cheesecake (cream cheese, Xylitol, eggs), strawberries, and whipped cream
Diet Coke with Splenda
6:15PM
Pepperoni, sausage, bacon, hamburger meat, cheese, a little spaghetti sauce
Diet Coke with lemon
7:00PM
4-hour recreational volleyball
2 Diet Pepsis
NOTE: It's the end of another great month of livin' la vida low-carb and the beginning of another. So, as promised, here are my current weight, waist size, and body fat percentage numbers as compared with last month:
MAY 1: 246 pounds, 46-inch waist, body fat 31.5%
JUNE 1: 248 pounds, 46.5-inch waist, body fat 31.6%
Up slightly, but statistically no real change at all. I'm not discouraged by this although it'd be nice to see the scale, waist size and body fat numbers go down. They will as long as I continue on my healthy low-carb lifestyle. And the fantastic thing is I'm not substantially GAINING like I used to prior to my low-carb way of life. WOO HOO! Triple-digit weight loss kept off for over four years and counting. You can't beat that!
Today I did something pretty stupid. Okay, well I usually do a lot of stupid things, but today I played not one, not two, but FOUR hours of intense, competitive volleyball. I love this game because it is physically challenging with all the running and jumping while also mentally stimulating with strategy and ball placement. It's a great way to unwind from the stress of life and I enjoy my time on the court each week. But FOUR HOURS on the court absolutely wore me out. Both of my shoulders are achy and my whole body has that tingling feeling over it. It's a good feeling, but I could really use some Aleve right about now! :)
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