show me an LC guru who has lost over 100 pounds and gotten all the way to goal? Forget the PaNu guy, and Mark Sisson, and Peter and Stephan and the Eades. Although at least Dr. Mike was once 40 pounds overweight.

I don't think Jimmy knows how to lose weight now BTW. To me he illustrates very well why Atkins is not the way.

This is interesting. I have personally found that different things work at different points along this (very long) weight loss journey. Atkins worked, to a point. Very low-carb worked, to a point. Seems to me that 'what works' will change from time to time. Kinda maddening!

Yeah, like a woman I knew once (though I've since lost track of her) who had gone from 330 down to 160 on a LC diet, and had maintained the loss for about 6 years at the time I knew her.

But she said that she started her journey on the CAD plan. Went from 330 to 230 on that effortlessly, but then stalled and got nowhere for nearly a year or so. So then she switched to Atkins, and on Atkins she began to lose effortlessly again. But after a while she stalled there at just under 200 pounds or so. So then she had to switch things again - eventually had to give up gluten grains, etc. But it was not a linear journey, and Atkins probably can work for some people some of the time, just not all people all of the time.

I love some of the other blogs like Kurt Harris's PaNu blog - but as a "supersizer" myself I can relate more to Jimmy because he has walked the walk.

It would be a miracle if JM would could stay on a plan for more than a week to see if it would work. He rarely if ever gives any tweak more than a week before he is back to his preferred diet of low carb products, diet soda, etc.

I totally agree with Citruskiss. Someone who has not been morbidly obese will simply never understand. Jimmy needs to eat whole foods for sure though and not low carb products!

While I agree that the so-called 'frankenfoods' might be causing a bit of a problem (especially on a regular basis), remind me to NEVER EVER blog about low-carb, losing weight, failing, being human, struggling, being honest, telling it like it really is.

Nope - I have never tried any kind of fad-type LC "diet", and I can't let people know that I've wondered about food sensitivities, or that I think there's something wrong with my thyroid. That I screw up all the time. That it's taken me years to get anywhere. No, I just jumped on plan, did it all perfectly and lost umpteen pounds in mere weeks! Oh, and I didn't struggle at all, I didn't backtrack, and have to re-learn things repeatedly. No way, I just happened to 'get it' immediately. It was all flawless, and there were no roadblocks along the way, none at all. I knew, right off the bat, Just How it's Done.

We won't talk about trying "meat and eggs" or "PSMF" or "Kimkins". Never mind the Oil of Oregano supplements, the cinnamon capsules or trying to stomach coconut oil in one's coffee. Can't admit to weird concoctions in the microwave, involving cream cheese and Splenda. That I actually tried to make 'fries' out of zucchini. Upping carbs, lowering carbs. Upping fat, lowering fat. Being afraid of a few carrot shavings in a salad. Cutting up grape tomatoes into quarters, because they are 'too carby'.

There was no struggle to just go for a walk around the block. Nope, I went from doing zilch to cranking out 15 pushups. No problem-o. I somehow just instinctively knew that meat, fish, eggs, vegetables was the way to go, and there were no frankenfoods in between. I knew, all along, that one or two squares of very dark chocolate were a lot better than a Russell Stover "Net Carb" bar of some sort. That almond butter was better than peanut butter. The time I made cheese chips and dipped them into low-carb ketchup? That never happened.

I never had any doubts, and I didn't wonder or struggle with a single thing.

<end rant>

I wish more people were as open and loving as you Citruskiss. Seems there are so many people out there judging. And you are proof that one can be human AND get to a nice healthy weight!

Good rant Sara!!
I know that each and every thing you wrote here is totally tongue in cheek though. Others may not know this about you.

I just was writing about this very topic this morning in my journal:



Yeah, Jimmy needs to move away from the franken foods and be the best LC ambassador he can be...it is his next step, IMO. He does nobody any favors by going up and down the scale with his poor eating habits.
Yes, he's human...and not perfect...but he wants to earn his living from this way of eating...so why does he not get it?
I make poor choices a lot the time....but I do not allow them to derail my way of eating....I do not allow for more than a 3 lb gain before I put the brakes on. Seriously...I do that all the time.

But those old favorite foods that I once still craved, don't hold that much power over me any longer. I think that this can only come with time. I was not able to say this or even see it in my future when I started out 6 yrs ago. We do evolve with our food as we grow and heal as people.

That's just it though Judy - it's an evolution of sorts. Finding one's own 'best way', so to speak.

Of course it's possible to move away from these sorts of things, and we *do* eventually get there - but the thing is - I don't think it's a good idea to pick on someone who is in the process, so to speak.

Geeze, I'd die of embarrassment if there were all kinds of people nit-picking and criticizing my 'diet' (good thing I don't blog, eh?). One wrong move, and you're toast? Some kind of laughingstock?

I think this is really mean, to be honest.

Meanwhile, I'm actually kind of glad Jimmy isn't perfect, and that he's able to be honest about things. I like the fact that he can tell it like it really is for him.

That doesn't mean I'm not thinking how neat it would be to arrange some sort of 'intervention' though.

Yes, it would be kind of neat to have a Jimmy Intervention.
And yes, it is mean to pick his eating apart but he sets himself up for this by being "the voice" of low carb to many out there. He puts himself in the public's eye and when you do that, you are open to criticism.

How many times is he going to regain 40-50 lbs....and then try another form of low carb. He even went the Kimkins route at one point.

When is he just going to "get it"?

Hahaha! Nicely worded, Sara. Sounds like something I wrote recently about how when someone finds something that works for them, they go a little nuts. Like you find this tool that drove a nail and suddenly every problem in life looks like a nail, and you have a hammer!

Don't be so rough on us former fatties.....remember when I said that you don't have the body to be obese and so you can't understand....well same thing stands here.Jimmy was once 400 pounds and obesity runs in his family.Its a different story altogether then from a person who overeats and gets a belly.
I think Jimmy looks very healthy although heavy.But its been shown that being fat isn't a good indicator of health as all his tests have shown.

The foods he eats are not that bad.For example

CAROLYN'S 3-MINUTE FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon heavy cream
2 tablespoons cocoa
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon granular Splenda or equivalent liquid Splenda
1 teaspoon baking powder *
1 tablespoon butter, softened

Its all about the calories though IMO!!!

EDIT<<<just found this pots by Panu(Harris).....

Like most bloggers, I am giving you the core of my diet and it's about 95% of it. I am not a reality show, though, and the 5% that might not be so advisable, like eating a whole 70% lindt bar or some rancid canned cashews from walmart or some M and Ms from the gas station - well, I am not claiming to be perfect. I have noticed on VLC if you cheat with sugar you can really spike your blood glucose - will post about that in due course.

I didn't start this thread to "bash" Jimmy--please read my first post. It was started more as a Hmmmmmm.....statement.




I have to disagree with you on 2 points:

1. An occasional LC treat such as a 1 minute muffin/brownie, occasional Atkins bar or Russel Stover or whatever---who cares. The thing that stands out--if you peruse his menu just for the past 5 days that was posted, he had LC bagels twice and Dreamfields 3 times. Everyday, he had a food that is possibly sabotaging his weight loss, spiking his insulin, and causing cravings. Many of us have found that an OCCASIONAL treat allows us to stay on plan, keeps us from binging, and keeps us moving forward. Many people who are on maintenance can eat these items without issue. Jimmy is not in maintenance and is having issues with the 50 pounds that he has regained. Many who are in weight loss mode have found that these products on a regular basis spell disaster--weight gain, fluid retention, cravings, stalls. Every one is different, but you will find that people who have been on this awhile, most have found that whole unprocessed food serves better than the frankenfoods. Jimmy has been at this for awhile--he is to be commended on the sucess that he has had/has.
But when does the madness stop?

2. It's not always just about the calories--you must be a man For many of us because of hormones, gender (female), metabolism, past dieting history---it is not only the "calories", but also the composition of said calories--just ask every female on this site who is over the age of 45. I'm just sayn'.....

Quote:

The fact that he uses LC products doesn't bother me at all.If they work and allow one to stay committed for life then they are EXCELLENT

I have to agree with this totally. If LC products get you that much closer to where you need to be I say go for it. I am in no way a "purist" (Is that the PP power term?) As stated previously--I have Dreamfields, LC protein wafer bars, protein shakes, Russell Stovers, Atkins Bars in my closet for those times when I'm on the edge--I'm not embarrassed, nor do I apologise for it. What I have learned is that I cannot consume these things on a daily basis. I had to drastically cut back on the Dreamfilds, I found I was eating it 1-2X week with some negative symptoms--it took me some time to recognize it was the Dreamfields, but when I did I was truthful with myself that this was an issue--I haven't had Dreamfields in over 8 months.

It's apparent that these foods are not woring for JM--in light that his thyroid and other testing was normal.

Quote:

And yes, it is mean to pick his eating apart but he sets himself up for this by being "the voice" of low carb to many out there. He puts himself in the public's eye and when you do that, you are open to criticism. How many times is he going to regain 40-50 lbs....and then try another form of low carb. He even went the Kimkins route at one point. When is he just going to "get it"?

I'm kinda of the camp that if you put it out there on a blog, then it's fair game. If you put it out on a blog, you want people to read it. If you put it out on a blog then people are going to strat talking about it--good or bad. Otherwise why put it in a blog--if you wanted it private, you don't put it on the internet where 5 gazillion people will be reading it.

I unserstand that people are desparate. Luckily I missed the whole KK debacle (or thought it was just crazy), but people are desparate. This is what puzzels the heck of of me where JM is concerned--he knows that LC works in it's simplest form.

Quote:

Geeze, I'd die of embarrassment if there were all kinds of people nit-picking and criticizing my 'diet' (good thing I don't blog, eh?). One wrong move, and you're toast? Some kind of laughingstock? I think this is really mean, to be honest. Meanwhile, I'm actually kind of glad Jimmy isn't perfect, and that he's able to be honest about things. I like the fact that he can tell it like it really is for him. That doesn't mean I'm not thinking how neat it would be to arrange some sort of 'intervention' though.

Like I said above--when you put yourself on the internet where the world can read and comment about whatever your writing about, it makes you fair game.

Who needs perfection....if that's the name of the game then we've ALL lost. But there comes a time when the lightbulb should go off.

and frankly, what good would an intervention do unless the individual is ready to accept--JM doesn't seem to be ready



Progress not perfection.


Lisa


PS--My replies are in brown--I couldn't figure out how to get rid of the italics when I was pasting quotes.

One thing that separates Jimmy from a typical blogger is I'm pretty sure he makes his living that way.

I do feel for his struggle because I share it. As I'm getting older what used to work isn't working any longer. And it isn't because I'm abusing "franken" foods. I eat them very rarely. Right now I'm doing all meat and not losing an ounce. Clearly there are other factors at work for some of us.

I didn't get the impression that this thread was about 'bashing' at all...I can see the "hmmmm...." thing quite clearly.

I do agree with "When does the madness stop?" - well put. At some point, you have to go back to the drawing board, and get back to basics. Don't get me wrong, I tried all kinds of "things" along the way too, but very boring old basic low-carb (all whole foods) is the thing that actually works.

I do agree with much of what's been said in this thread, my little mini-rant was more about saying that I think most of us have been caught in these little traps from time to time.

Meanwhile, I think it would be very wise to go back to Atkins induction or whatever his preferred plan is, MINUS any and all sweeteners. No Splenda, no Diet Coke, no LC desserts, no bars. Absolutely none. I bet the weight would just fly off. Nothing that comes in a box or package for a 30-day period. No Dreamfields, no invented 'crackers'. No going over the limit for cheese or cream either.

It's *tough*, but it works (most of the time)