July 31, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:45PM
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

8:45PM
1/2 pound grassfed ground beef cooked in 2 Tbs coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

CALORIES: 1542
TOTAL CARBS: 18g
NET CARBS: 12g

NOTE: Christine and I have been back to making some videos for our "Livin' La Vida Low-Carb On YouTube" channel this week with a series we called "Health Claims Gone Wild!" Basically, we've gone into our local grocery stores, walked up and down the aisles looking for health claims on the front packaging of products that purport to be good for you but are anything but. The food companies are unapologetic for touting the so-called "benefits" of consuming their products while conveniently forgetting to tell the consumer that "healthy" food they are consuming is loaded with things like sugar, flour, and other detrimental carbohydrates. Watch these for yourself and see what you think! We've got a whole lot more of these to come, including a trip to Whole Foods at some point. That'll be interesting.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kc2hu_uvfeI


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0DOCNnrZW0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N19dRtp6kfo


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6WbsYWIWMA


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kInqBUpqHM0


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJsY2fPxZIA

July 30, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:00PM
1/2 pound grassfed ground beef cooked in 2 Tbs coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

7:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

CALORIES: 2126
TOTAL CARBS: 36g
NET CARBS: 27g

NOTE: Higher calories and carbs today...need those days sometimes.

July 29, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:00PM
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed ground beef cooked in 2 Tbs coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

CALORIES: 1542
TOTAL CARBS: 18g
NET CARBS: 12g

NOTE: I had a great day today and I suppose I'm getting excited about heading to Indiana next Friday for a week to spend some time with Christine's family. Time with family is always fun in its own unique way and I can't wait for it! Usually I wouldn't bring my computer with me, but I'll be doing a little bit of work while I'm there since the hotel we'll be staying in has WI-FI access. But I may or may not update the menus blog in real time. We'll see how it goes since there won't be much down time. I definitely will NOT be weighing myself since I'll be away from home the next two Fridays. My next weigh-in will be on August 20, 2010.

Speaking of weigh-in, I got on the scale this morning and was down to 265.8. I'm inching closer to that 260-265 range that I will be trying to maintain for the rest of 2010 as my friend Muata aka "Mr. Low Body Fat" has recommended I try doing. It's a good chance to put in strategies to keep my weight steady. If I lose below that level, then fine. But the goal will be to maintain for the remainder of the year and then tackle this thing with a new vigor come January 2011.

On the subject of success, did you hear about the celebrity endorsement of livin' la vida low-carb that happened this week? It's Price Is Right host Drew Carey and he's not backing down from talking about the negative impact carbs had on his weight and diabetes. This is fantastic news for livin' la vida low-carb, although I would have loved it if he didn't talk about eating egg whites and lean proteins. Nevertheless, this is GREAT news for people interested in weight loss and health. WOO HOO!

July 28, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:45PM
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

8:45PM
1/2 pound grassfed ground beef cooked in 2 Tbs coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

CALORIES: 1542
TOTAL CARBS: 18g
NET CARBS: 12g

NOTE: It's time to shift gears a bit with the focus of my menus blog. Having successfully removed diet soda as a predominant element in my diet, I will stop counting the number of days I haven't had one. That doesn't mean I've gone off the deep end and started drinking diet sodas again like there's no tomorrow. Just the thought of a NASTYtame-laden Diet Coke makes me want to gag now and that's a beautiful thing. It's been an incredible journey giving those things up and I'm proud of the progress I've seen in that regard knowing I can live without them in my life.

Beginning today, I will not only list for you the calories I consumed but also the total carbohydrates and net carbohydrates minus fiber. A new reader asked the other day why I listed calories and not carbs on my menus and I just automatically assumed people would realize my menus are very low in carbohydrates. But rather than assuming, we're gonna start explicitly listing them for you so you can see how low I go in carbs to make this lifestyle change work for me. Not everyone needs to go this low, but for Jimmy Moore it's a reality that I have to stay well under 30g carbs daily.

July 27, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

9:15AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese

1:30PM
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:45PM
1/2 pound grassfed ground beef cooked in 2 Tbs coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 2312
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 125 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Another day in low-carb paradise! :D

July 26, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

8:00AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter

1:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter
Sugar-free homemade fudge mint ice cream

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1712
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 124 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: I received a very sweet e-mail from one of my menus blog readers on Monday who was frustrated about her inability to shed the pounds just as I have been while eating a low-carb diet and her disillusionment about what she should be doing. But she noted one element of her own diet and mine that has not been altered in the least--DAIRY! She had one of those "eureka" moments where she thinks she might have found the solution to a perplexing problem.

When I responded to her, I noted that many of my previous podcast guests who espouse the Paleolithic way of eating like Dr. Kurt Harris and Dr. Loren Cordain especially recommend ditching the dairy. Honestly, I've been quite resistant to doing this for a long time because one of the things that makes livin' la vida low-carb work for me is the ability to enjoy foods I REALLY like--eggs, butter, cheese, heavy cream, and other dairy stuff included!

If I were to give these things up for a period of time as an experiment to see what would happen, I really don't know how I would eat other than my grass-fed beef, green leafy veggies, and...well, not much else. However, it may be worth a try to at least rule out that it's the dairy that's preventing me from fat loss at the moment. I didn't have any trouble with it in 2004 when I lost 180 pounds, though.

As I shared last week, my goal right now for the rest of 2010 is to stop "dieting" and just try to maintain my weight between 260-265 to try to bring some stability back into my body. Once that is accomplished, then we'll perhaps give this non-dairy experiment a go come January 2011. I'm not at all convinced that's the culprit for me, but I'm always game to keep trying to figure this out.

July 25, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

7:30AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter

1:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:30PM
45-minute grass mowing

8:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces yogurt-cultured raw cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 2442
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 123 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: It was a higher calorie day than normal today with the addition of eating breakfast before heading for church this morning. I don't actively count calories because I don't think the QUANTITY you consume is as relevant as the QUALITY of the calories when it comes to weight and health management. But it's still very interesting information to note as I continue this journey and so I share that information with my readers for informational purposes. If I happen to consume 1300 calories in a day, then that's all I wanted. Or if, like today, I go up over 2400 calories, again that's just what my body desired. Putting myself in a box and forcing myself to consume no more than X number of calories is dieting. I'm not doing that--I'm choosing to live my life, enjoy it and be healthy in the process. And I've got livin' la vida low-carb to thank for that!

July 24, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:30PM
1/3 pound hamburger patty with American cheese, pickle, tomato, mayo and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter
Sugar-free cinnamon ice cream

8:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1906
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 122 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Man, it's hotter than a firecracker outside which makes me not want to do anything outdoors. The grass is so brown it's not growing, so thank goodness it doesn't need mowing in this heat (of course, the weeds grow right up without a problem despite the sun baking everything and little to no rain). Am I the only one who finds it difficult to get in exercise when it's around 100 degrees outside? Even with my AC cranked down to 73 degrees, my house is still 84 degrees. Honestly, the last thing I want to do is INCREASE the heat in my body by lifting weights or engaging in some sort of cardiovascular exercise. How do YOU handle physical activity when the summer heat can be too much to bear? I welcome your feedback.

July 23, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:45PM
Almond vanilla low-carb protein bar

5:15PM
Salad with greens, cherry tomatoes, cheese, and Ranch dressing
8 ounces of prime rib steak with horseradish sauce
1 cup squash with 2 Tbs butter

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1233
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 121 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: One of my favorite cuts of steak has got to be a prime rib. And this one I had for supper today was so juicy and tender that I could cut it with my fork. YUMMY! With a little horseradish sauce on top, I'm in heaven for sure! Add in some fresh squash with some butter and a refreshing salad on a hot summer's day and this was a low-carb meal worth waiting for. I'm not deliberately giving up breakfast, but I haven't been hungry in the mornings. Perhaps I need to make myself eat breakfast rather than going until midday before I put something in my stomach. I'm evaluating all of that for myself right now to see what will work best for me.

July 22, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:00PM
1/3 pound hamburger patty with American cheese, pickle, tomato, mayo and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:00PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1671
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 120 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: After last week's weigh-in represented an uptick of over 7 pounds in a two-week period, I looked at my menus to see what the culprit might have been. As many of you know, I am super-sensitive to just about all carbohydrate I consume. In a perfect world, I'd be able to eat upwards of 75-100g carbs and let that be my low-carb lifestyle. But the reality is some people like me and probably many of you cannot do that and have to keep carbs to around 20-30g daily or you'll gain weight. It's just a fact of life for us and I've learned to accept it happily so. Although I'm bigger than I'd like to be at this moment, I'm still a LONG way away from 410 pounds.

Following last week's uptick in what the scale showed me weighing, I wanted to reign in the carbs, eat more fat, and get back to some of the basic habits I'd been doing to see the weight come off again. So I cut out a lot of the green leafy veggies (not that they're bad or anything, but I wanted to see how my body would react), added in some delicious coconut oil to my grassfed beef meals, and returned to eating my pastured eggs and raw cheeses and the like to see if that would make a difference. It did. I weighed in at 267.4 this week--a 3.4-pound loss from what I weighed one week ago. It's also about what I weighed one month ago, but I'm looking forward to seeing that number go down slightly more from there.

As I announced earlier this week, my friend Muata Kamdibe encouraged me to take a break from being in "weight loss mode" and to just try to maintain my weight between 260-265 for the rest of 2010. That's exactly what I'm gonna try to do. By this time next week I should be down in that range and from there I will attempt to stay below 265 pounds. If you average out my weight the past year, then I've done that, but it's never been consistent with ranges between 253-289. Stability will be the key and I look forward to the challenge.

By the way, if you'd like to see the local farm where I buy my fresh foods consumed here on my menus blog, here's a YouTube video series I did about Live Oak Farms in Woodruff, South Carolina:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti449choynw&hd=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOVlOfHuNEA&hd=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcQhHi3ec4A&hd=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IafhOjY2bAc&hd=1


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1T4IIVlPrg&hd=1

July 21, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

9:30AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter

3:00PM
Jumbo lump crab cake (no breading)
1/3 pound hamburger patty with American cheese, pickle, mayo and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:15PM
Small slice of watermelon

9:00PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 2136
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 119 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: During the summer months, my church gives the congregation Sunday and Wednesday nights off with no services since so many people have planned vacations and such. The adult choir which Christine and I are a part of still meets for practice each week, but on occasion we'll have a special service like we did tonight with singing, drama, and a brief message. The draw to get people to come out was an "ice cream social" afterwards. Grrrr! I understand how a hot summer day and ice cream go together, but there's got to be a better way to offer a cool treat without all the sugar in that ice cream. How many people who consumed that stuff are diabetic, obese, have PCOS or some other metabolic disorder, experience dyslipidemia or even blood sugar problems. And there they were stuffing their faces with the stuff! Thankfully they did have some ice cold watermelon available which I had a small slice of myself. It was the first time I've consume watermelon in a while and it was quite sweet. LOVED IT, though! Good stuff!

July 20, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

9:00AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter

1:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

7:30PM
Melted mozzarella and raw cheddar cheese (heated up in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes until crispy--YUMMY!)

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1792
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 118 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: I recently got in a big one gallon tub of organic coconut oil in the mail and I'm happy to be adding it into my diet right now. Of course, as hot as it is during the middle of summertime in mid-July, this stuff is as liquified as it can possibly be. Coconut oil has a low melting point of just 76 degrees, so it's pretty easy to just splash some into anything your eating or cooking. In a few months, though, that coconut oil is going to become more like a block of ice as the cold winter months make it a solid again. It's the beauty of a healthy saturated fat like coconut oil that it has these unique properties. I've been cooking my grassfed beef burgers in it the past couple of days and the taste is incredible. There's not an overwhelming flavor of coconut like you would expect--but I do get all those healthy added fats my body needs while livin' la vida low-carb. Saturated fat in coconut oil has been vilified by dietitians and their cohorts in the health press, but it is arguably one of the best superfoods you can be consuming. I plan on using it early and often. After all, I've got a gallon of this stuff to use!

July 19, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

9:30AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter

3:00PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef burger patty cooked in 2 Tbs organic coconut oil with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

8:00PM
1 beef frank with mozzarella cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1902
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 117 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Got back into my routine of eating eggs and grassfed beef again today after a brief hiatus. Sometimes I just like to take a break from the same old, same old that I like to consume and the past two weeks have given me that opportunity. Of course, there's something to be said about routine and how it can help keep you on the straight and narrow with your diet. I could literally eat this way all day everyday forever because it takes good and is nutritious. Maybe that's a good lesson learned that you don't need to have so much variety if what you are doing is fueling your body, tasting delicious, and giving you all the nutrition you'll ever need. And could it be that all those veggies I've been eating lately have been doing me more harm than good? Me thinks it's a possibility.

July 18, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

7:30AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grassfed butter and 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese

12:00PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

8:00PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 2043
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 116 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Today begins my newfound journey to get down to 260-265 and just maintain for the rest of 2010 as recommended by my friend and fellow triple-digit weight loss success story Muata Kamdibe. Can I stay within that 5-pound parameter or less? We're gonna find out.

July 17, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

4:30PM
Sugar-free fudge ripple ice cream

9:30PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1723
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 115 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: A buddy of mine who has himself been through the experience of losing a significant amount of weight just as I have made a suggestion to me about trying to get my weight back down to where it needs to be--STOP trying to lose and just try to maintain. Muata Kamdibe aka "Mr. Low Body Fat," who lost an incredible 120 pounds a few years back noted in the comments section that I've been actively pursuing weight loss for so long that maybe it's time to give it a break for a few months. And he speaks from personal experience on this subject.

There have been many times on my journey that I "dieted" for too long and didn't focus on maintenance. Almost every time I did this, my body would get to a point when it simply grew tired of my constant dieting.

Interesting...I never thought about it that way before, but it does make sense. At least the idea of changing things up a bit can't hurt. Muata noted that taking the burden off of losing and simply maintaining his current weight did him a great deal of good both "physically and psychologically." He recommended a 3-6 month break from trying to lose fat and that by doing so it will make "a world of difference."

Why not try getting back down to 260-265 range and simply maintain it? Focus on staying within that range; if you lose, fine, but all you care about is not going above 265 for a good 3 months or so.

I like that plan and certainly I'm not TRYING to go above that 265 mark. Muata believes my lack of any organized activity for exercise is probably hindering my progress and I'll agree with that. Part of the issue has been the heat and the other thing was my walking pneumonia. But I'm better from the latter and just need to suck it up for the former. I'm a pretty active guy anyway and enjoy getting in some physical activity. I just need to be more deliberate about it.

Muata says this plan will put me back on track in no time.

After three months, then get back to focusing on fat loss, and I'll think you'll be surprised at how your body responds!

I'll give it a whirl and see my friend! THANKS for the input!

July 16, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

9:15PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1463
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 114 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: I was finally able to get some video footage up from our trip to Washington, DC last week today, including this first one featuring reactions from people in the low-carb community who participated in or observed the testimonies provided before the USDA 2010 Dietary Guidelines Committee on July 8, 2010:



We also met up with Washington, DC personal trainer Josef Brandenburg for lunch and he got crab all over himself:



Funny guy! Christine and I did make it down to the Washington Monument while we were in the Mall area of DC:



And, of course, life would not have been complete without Christine going to the Natural History Smithsonian museum:



She had a ball! Guess we can check this one off the "bucket list" for her! :)

July 15, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

8:45PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1463
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 113 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: It's been a couple of weeks since my last weigh-in since I was in Washington, DC last week and you'll recall I was just coming off of being sick for a few weeks prior to that. I'm always intrigued by what happens to my weight when I'm away from home and this week was no exception. Although I weighed 263 pounds a couple of weeks ago when I weighed in, today I stepped on the scale and it showed 270.8 pounds. That's not exactly the direction I wanted to see happen, but I'll make adjustments to see if we can get the downward move to begin again. This is nothing to panic about unless it continues to rise at the same pace. I don't think it will, so it's not a biggie to sweat over. We'll get it going again!

July 14, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

8:45PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1463
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 112 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: I haven't been eating eggs this week and it's not for any special reason other than I just haven't felt like having them right now. After the egg-fest a few months back, some people thought I'd probably never eat eggs again. But I never get tired of them since they are nature's perfect food. Since returning from my trip to DC, I haven't wanted any and that's okay. They'll find their way back into my diet soon enough. Along with my grass-fed butter, raw cheeses, and grass-fed beef, too! Livin' la vida low-carb is flexible that way so you can have what you want and never feel like you're deprived. Nosiree baby!

July 13, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:45PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1413
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 111 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Christine and I got to visit the local farm where I get most of my food from today and it was an awesome experience seeing where the cows, chickens, and all the other animals that comprise what ultimately ends up on my daily menus. We shot about 45 minutes of raw footage which I'll be working on producing into about a 30-40 minute video series on YouTube coming soon. Of course, I picked up 10 more pounds of grass-fed beef while I was there, too! WOO HOO!

Still trying to climb out of the hole from being gone all last week, but I wouldn't have missed DC for the world. THANK YOU to everyone for your encouragement and support of my testimony last Thursday. This is only the beginning--the real work continues for the hearts and minds of the people who need the low-carb message now more than ever!

July 12, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

12:15PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:45PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1453
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 110 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: It was good to get back into the swing of things today following my trip to Washington, DC last week. In case you missed my post wrapping up the visit, check it out here. I forgot to tell you while I was visiting with my low-carb trainer friend Josef Brandenburg on Friday, he put me through a little basic routine to help with the rigors of sitting in front of a computer screen all day long. Here's a pic of him helping me touch my toes which I couldn't do when I started, but could easily do within a few minutes of his assistance:



I haven't been exercising much this summer because of the heat outside, but I hope to get going with that again soon because I LOVE how I feel when I do. In the meantime, trying to eat as well as I can and it's easier to do that when you're at home. The only other trip we have coming up is in early August when we visit Christine's grandparents in Indiana. They always eat very carb-y, but I manage to find stuff that works for me.

July 11, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

8:00AM
2 beef franks with sugar-free pickle relish and mustard

11:45AM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard

7:30PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1685
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 109 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Back in the saddle again, but not quite fully recuperated from the DC trip just yet. Went to church this morning and it was all we could do to have the energy to sing in the choir at both services. Of course, it didn't help that our cats drove us NUTS keeping us awake most of the night...they get excited when we come back home again after a trip. Oh well, should sleep good tonight--we hope!

July 10, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

8:30AM
3 hard-boiled eggs with cream cheese

2:30PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard

8:30PM
3 beef franks with mozzarella cheese, sugar-free relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: ????
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 108 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Home sweet home! After an awesome week in Washington, DC where I testified before the USDA about their 2010 Dietary Guidelines, it was good to be back in South Carolina again--and I'm feeling it from all that walking and running around in DC. Grrr. Gonna take me some time to get back to normal without the Jello legs. But it was worth every moment!

July 9, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
3 hard-boiled eggs with cream cheese



1:30PM
Wild Alaskan Salmon with tomatoes and mushrooms
Squash and zucchini with butter



7:30PM
Five Guys burger with cheese (no bun), mayo, mustard, pickle, tomato, grilled mushrooms
Frozen sugar-free vanilla custard

CALORIES CONSUMED: ????
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 107 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Now that the testifying before the USDA is finished, we slept in a little bit today and then had a fantastic time on our final full day in the DC area checking out other parts of the area, including the Washington Harbour area in Georgetown. It was quite a trek getting there with a shuttle from our hotel to Dulles, then another shuttle to the Rosalyn area of DC, then taking the Metro train to Foggy Bottom next to George Washington University and then walking about a mile to get there. WHEW! Man, I could NEVER live like this every single day...give me my house that's only about a mile away from most everything I need and I'm good. LOL!

While there, we met up with low-carb personal trainer Josef Brandenburgand his lovely bride for lunch at a place called Tony And Joe's where I got that succulent filet of salmon above. So delicious and I was wanting to get some fresh local seafood while in the area. Mission accomplished there.

After that amazing meal, Josef invited us to come back with him to see the gym he uses to train clients and for a quickie mini-workout routine. I was like, "Sure!" and had no idea what I was in store for. Of course, we still had to walk a mile back to the Metro so I didn't want him to wear me out. But he showed me a way to relax the muscles around my spine with a simple and cheap method. It was painful, but well worth it. Then as you see in the picture to the right, I tried to touch my toes and couldn't do it further than within 8 inches. But after doing about a 5-minute exercise I was touching my toes easily. GREAT STUFF! It was a good time meeting someone I've interviewed on my podcast and seeing what he does. If you need a good trainer and you live in the DC metro area, check out his official web site. ENJOY!

Since it was our last night in the area, we decided to try a restaurant chain someone in the area recommended since it started there. The place is called Five Guys and supposedly they have some amazing handmade burgers and homemade fries. Didn't care about the latter, but I'm always up for a good burger sans the bun. So I tried the bacon cheeseburger at nearly $6 without any sides and had high expectations it was gonna be good. It was not. I barely got 1/3 pound of meat and it was not at all what I expected it to be. Oh well, live and learn. Interestingly, on our way home at the Dulles airport, our terminal gate was right next door to a...YOU GUESSED IT...Five Guys. Uh, no, I'm not making that mistake again. LOL!

July 8, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

6:45AM
3 hard-boiled eggs with cream cheese

7:30PM
Garlic butter chicken wings with Ranch dressing
Double cheddar cheeseburger (no bun) with pickle, mustard and mayo
Zucchini and squash with butter
Frozen sugar-free vanilla custard

CALORIES CONSUMED: ????
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 106 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Today was testimony day at the USDA. I wasn't nervous at all and looked forward to this unique opportunity to not only represent myself, but the hundreds of thousands of people who read my blogs and listen to my podcast. It was a tall task to try to speak for so many individuals but we are all joined by a common bond--what the USDA has been telling us through their Dietary Guidelines has NOT worked and it's time for a change. I don't remember everything I said, but I do know I spoke passionately from my heart without any prepared notes. All of the other speakers were pretty much paid lobbyists from special interest groups reading prepared statements. And the low-carb message was WELL represented with about 20% of the 50 speakers extolling the virtues of restricting carbohydrate for health. WOO HOO! I'll have a full blog post on this soon, but it was an amazing time. And somebody upstairs has a sense of humor--guess who was sitting right next to me in the speaking order going AFTER my testimony? None other than Dr. Neal Barnard from the pro-vegan group Physicians Committee For Responsible Medicine (PCRM). TOO FUNNY!

July 7, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

7:00AM
3 hard-boiled eggs with cream cheese

12:00PM
Hamburger patty with bacon, cheddar cheese, grilled onions, and mayo
Side salad with Ranch dressing

7:30PM
Garlic butter chicken wings with Ranch dressing
Double cheeseburger (no bun) with pickle and mayo
Zucchini with butter
Frozen sugar-free vanilla custard

CALORIES CONSUMED: ????
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 105 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: The hotel we are staying in has a free breakfast and it's the typical continental fare--bagels, muffins, waffles, juice, low-fat milk, yadda yadda yadda. But off to the corner was something that brought a big smile to my face--BOILED EGGS! WOO HOO!!! I knew what I'd be eating for breakfast the rest of the week and some cream cheese with it gave me the extra fat to make it a satiating meal.

Today we had some free time and went to some of the Smithsonian museums to visit. With the temperature at 102 degrees in DC again today, that was a smart choice. We got hungry and had a hard time trying to find a restaurant nearby to eat and so I pulled out my iPhone's AroundMe app to assist. It showed there was a restaurant inside the Department of Justice, but an armed security guard said, "You can't go in there." But what about the restaurant? "You can't go in there." Okay, okay, I get it...not allowed. So where do we eat? He told us there was a Hard Rock Cafe about three blocks away, so we walked there and enjoyed a nice meal (while charging up the cell phones, too!).

By the time afternoon hit and the sweltering heat was bearing down, we knew it was time to get back to the hotel and rest for tomorrow's testimony before the USDA. We had a sweet lady named Bonnie fly in from Louisville, KY just to show her support for the low-carb message. She had dinner with Christine and me and it was a fantastic time to get to know her better. While we were staying at a hotel in nearby Herndon, Virginia, we found this awesome frozen custard place that advertised a low-carb version of their treat. I asked what made it different from ice cream and she said (NO LIE!), "It's got a whole lot more FAT in it!" YES! My kind of stuff. And it hit the spot on a hot summer day, too!

July 6, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:30PM
Hamburger patty with cheddar cheese, mayo, pickle and tomato
Squash and zucchini with butter

7:45PM
Alice Springs Chicken from Outback Steakhouse (no sauce)
Squash with butter
Side salad with Ranch dressing
Frozen sugar-free vanilla custard

CALORIES CONSUMED: ????
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 104 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: We flew into Dulles airport around midday on what was probably the hottest day of the year in the metropolitan Washington, DC area--102 degrees of scorching hot sun bearing down on us. We packed for hot weather knowing the entire northeastern United States was experiencing record-breaking temps left and right. Needless to say, we stayed inside most of the day. It was a pleasure, though, to meet up with some of my low-carb readers and listeners in the area who wanted to meet me and Christine and we had a great time together at Outback--check 'em all out:

July 5, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

11:45AM
2 beef franks and 3 eggs cooked in 2 Tbs butter with 3 ounces raw cheddar cheese

7:45PM
2 beef franks and 3 eggs cooked in 2 Tbs butter with 2 ounces mozzarella cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1610
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 103 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: Last day before our trip to DC. Worked like crazy to get everything done before we left and didn't have anything fancy in my meals today. We'll be eating out the entire trip, so there'll be plenty of time for different menu items in the coming days.

July 4, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

8:45AM
3 slices bacon, 2 sausage patties

11:45AM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1497
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 102 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY! My church has this annual thing they do on the 4th of July weekend since so many people are traveling called the "Red, White, And Blue" pancake breakfast where they serve pancakes with sugary syrup strawberries and blueberries with whipped cream (ergo, the red, white, and blue). I've obviously never enjoyed this tradition, but whaddyado? They did add in bacon and sausage the past couple of years and that's what I had today. They see me coming a mile away and know I won't touch pancakes with a ten foot pole. Everyone else they ask, "Do you want bacon or sausage?" I simply said, "YES!"

Had a pretty good lunch and didn't want or need to eat the rest of the day. I like the feeling of being satisfied and not hungry all the time. That's probably one of the biggest selling points about livin' la vida low-carb is the fact you aren't starving so much. You can eat a meal before noon and then not eat another bite for the rest of the day. REMARKABLE!

I'll be in Washington, DC this next week, so there will not be any new updates to the menus blog until I return on Saturday afternoon. But I'll keep track of my menus as I always do when I'm away and report what I ate when I come home. SEE YA!

July 3, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:00PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle, mayo, and mustard
Mashed cauliflower with butter

7:30PM
3 beef franks with 2 ounces of raw cheddar cheese, sugar-free pickle relish, and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1420
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 101 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: It was a good Saturday...tried to relax, get a little bit of work done on this holiday weekend since we're leaving for Washington, DC on Tuesday morning. Crafting in my head what I'll be saying before the USDA advisory committee about the new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Should be a fantastic day!

July 2, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

1:00PM
Spinach and greens salad with boiled eggs, bacon, cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, dried cranberries, and Ranch dressing
1/3 pound hamburger with American cheese, pickle and mayo
Mashed cauliflower with cheddar cheese and bacon

2:00PM
100-minute grass mowing

8:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef cooked in 2 Tbs butter with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1992
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 100 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: What a momentous day in the continuing story of my journey to better health the low-carb way! Today marks my all-important 100TH DAY WITHOUT A DIET SODA. Unless you've struggled with giving up something you think you can't live without, you don't know how amazing this feels. Honestly, I don't even remember now what was so alluring about the diet sodas and that's really quite sad. But I don't care. They're history now and my health can't help but be better as a result.

July 1, 2010 Low-Carb Menu

10:00AM
3 pastured eggs scrambled in 2 Tbs grass-fed butter

6:30PM
1/2 pound grassfed beef with 2 ounces raw cheddar cheese and mustard

CALORIES CONSUMED: 1232
DIET SODAS: 0 (ZERO!!!) 99 DAYS DIET SODA FREE!!!

NOTE: After realizing I'd gained 6.2 pounds during my 3-week stint with walking pneumonia last Friday, I was anxious to get back on track again with my menus and get the weight moving downward again. As I stated during last week's weigh-in, I was surprised I ONLY gained that little while ingesting so much cough syrup and medicine on a daily basis along with more carbs than I'd normally eat. But I was curious to see how quickly the weight would come off. Well, when I stepped on the scale this morning, it was a glorious sight--I weighed in at 263.0 for a loss of 3.6 pounds. WOO HOO! I'm back on track again with my diet and that's some truly GREAT news.