[podcast]http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/wp-content/uploads/llvlcep12.mp3[/podcast]
It’s Day Three of this special week-long edition of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.” What an exciting string of podcast shows we have had so far and today’s episode continues that trend.
In Episode 12, Jimmy introduces us to someone who tried to do the low-carb lifestyle on her own with disappointing results. For anyone who is just starting off on the Atkins diet or has hit a wall in their low-carb life, take comfort in knowing Jimmy Moore will show you what you need to do to get out of your rut and on the road to success.
Specials thanks to our sponsors of this special edition of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” today: CarbSmart and OperationFitness.com.
LINKS MENTIONED IN EPISODE 12:
– Mike Torchia’s OperationFitness.com
– Jimmy Moore’s “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” book
– Related blog post: “Don’t Underestimate The Importance of Low-Carb Induction”
Did you miss something Jimmy said? Just click through to the transcript below!
TRANSCRIPT of episode 12:
It’s Episode 12 here at “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore” and the third podcast this week as we celebrate the year 2007 with a special week’s worth of shows. This has really been a lot of fun to do and I hope you have enjoyed listening and learning about the low-carb lifestyle this week with these practical podcasts to get your low-carb lifestyle off and running.
Have you had a chance to visit CarbSmart.com yet? If you are looking for foods that fit into your low-carb lifestyle, especially during the Induction phase, then this is the place for you. While the Induction phase is not the ONLY part of low carb as the media often tries to portray it, it is arguably the most important two weeks of the entire program. If you keep your carbs to 20g for just two weeks, then your body will enter the very safe and natural state of ketosis so that the stored fat inside your body will start being used as energy. It’s time to get Carb Smart by visiting CarbSmart.com today.
I’m happy to introduce you to a top-notch health advocate with three decades of experience named Mike Torchia. This Hollywood trainer has a dynamic web site located at OperationFitness.com. Mike provides FREE health and weight loss tips and is even willing to answer any of YOUR personal questions about nutrition and fitness. How cool is that? This is real advice from a man who felt the pain of being obese and anorexic as a child and overcame it. With Mike’s help, you can too! Contact Mike Torchia directly by visiting his web site at OperationFitness.com.
In Episode 12, I’d like to share with you the story of someone who attempted to start livin’ la vida low-carb on her own. Although she had heard lots of things about low-carb living and thought she knew what she needed to do to be successful on it, the truth is she didn’t know as much as she thought and it led to her falling flat on her face. I want to share her story with you so you don’t make the same mistake.
I became extremely concerned when I received an instant message from a woman who admittedly has a lot of weight to lose and claims she had been on the Atkins diet for two weeks. When I asked her how she was doing on it, she begrudgingly explained how she had lost 11 pounds the first week which was outstanding, but was shocked that she had then GAINED 1 1/2 pounds in her second week, allegedly while being on the Induction phase of low-carb which takes place for two weeks when you first start a program like the Atkins diet. My first question to her was, “Did you read Dr. Atkins New Diet Revolution book?” Her immediate response to me was, “Yeah, but I took it with a grain of salt because I know I have to portion control my food as well as restrict my calories and fat intake if I’m going to lose weight.” RED FLAG, RED FLAG!!!
UGH! One of the things that this poor woman and anyone who hopes to ever lose weight on a low-carb plan needs to realize is that you don’t have to count calories, fat grams or portions when you first begin livin’ la vida low-carb. I know this is very difficult to understand because of the many years of indoctrination we have been conditioned to believe as the gospel truth about a healthy diet. But you just don’t have to do any of that anymore, especially when you are first starting out trying to get your body into ketosis. There isn’t a single major low-carb program out there that requires you to portion control and eat low-fat/low-calorie during the first two weeks. It doesn’t exist!
This poor woman who contacted me was complaining that low-carb just wasn’t working because she was gaining weight and was constantly hungry. Despite her slight weight gain in week two of her plan, she had still lost a total of nearly 10 pounds in two weeks. If that’s a plan that’s “not working,” then I don’t know what a “working” weight loss plan would look like! My solution to her was simple and direct — “EAT MORE FOOD, especially fat and protein, and keep your total carbs to under 20g per day.” That’s it! This isn’t rocket science people. Restricting your food intake is only required by the failed low-fat/low-calorie approach to losing weight. That’s why they’re so scared of the low-carb lifestyle. It totally flies in the face of everything they’ve ever been taught about a healthy diet and they’ve been proselytizing it for generations.
Let me just give you a little word to the wise to look out for when you begin low-carb. If you are even the slightest bit hungry on your low-carb plan, then you probably aren’t eating enough food. The fat and protein that exists in the low-carb foods you eat satisfy your hunger and ward off the temptation to eat something you shouldn’t. Furthermore, you don’t even have to notice that you may be eating as many as 2500-3000 calories in a day because it just doesn’t matter when you are first starting your low-carb lifestyle. Can we get that message in our heads loud and clear?! It’s extremely important you look only at your carb intake during those first two weeks and not worry about anything else. Sure, calories do count in the long run, but the good news is you don’t have to count calories to begin seeing results almost instantaneously. Later down the road, some low-carbers see a benefit in watching their calorie intake, but don’t overburden yourself with this in the beginning. Get used to eating this way for a while and then start to tweak it once you get closer to reaching your goal weight.
Thankfully, the woman I was speaking to eventually got it after 20 minutes of chatting and she understood why she was doing low-carb completely wrong. I recommended she go back and read the Atkins book again taking it seriously this time and to do the plan correctly. This is something that frustrates me more than anything in my attempts to help people who are doing low-carb. Many of them will say, “I’m doing Atkins,” but they’ve never read his book. Others will say they’re doing a “modified low-carb” approach, which is fine as long as you know what you are doing. But most of us don’t and we need the guidance of those nutritionists and doctors who have done the research on low-carb already. Then all we have to do is follow what they have said and stick with that plan. I have said it many times, but education is the key when you are doing low-carb. People are going to challenge you about HOW you lost your weight and you must be armed with the answers why. Or, you could do like I did and tell them it really didn’t work for me because I “only” lost 180 pounds! Just kidding. If you ever get stuck and wonder why the scale is not moving, there are a lot of books available that can be invaluable resources for helping you do low-carb the right way. Whatever you do, though, don’t try to do this on your own! You will fail miserably every single time! The biggest mistake most people make is they underestimate the importance of the Induction phase. When you are starting off on the low-carb lifestyle, it is mandatory that you keep your carb counts to 20g or less to get your body into fat-burning mode. While most people focus on the amount of weight they can lose in those first two weeks, that’s not the main purpose of eating no more than 20 grams of carbs. Rather, it is to get your body into the fat burning stage of ketosis so you can begin the process of permanently losing weight. No matter how hard you try to do low-carb, if you do not get into ketosis then you are simply going to fail at it. Get some ketostrips to see whether you are in ketosis or not and check it daily to see how well you are doing in your efforts to reach ketosis. You may also notice a slight film on your tongue when you are in deep ketosis, another good sign that your body is burning fat.
Your body will go through some drastic changes that absolutely must be done so you can move forward with your ultimate goal of weight loss and restored health. It will likely be an unpleasant experience for a few days as your body purges itself of all those years of bad habits. But hang in there! Pretty soon you will start to feel a lot better as a result of enduring through a few days of anguish. If I could do it, then I know you can do it!
Remember, don’t worry about how much you are eating, just keep the carbohydrate total to around 20 grams per day during the first two weeks. As for water, you should drink, drink, and drink some more. I devoted an entire chapter to this subject in my book “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” because it is such a vital part of what made me successful in my weight loss and weight maintenance. Staying well-hydrated is just as important as eating 20 grams of carbs per day during Induction. If you are starting out on Induction this week or are in the midst of this extremely important phase of livin’ la vida low-carb, take heart! We’ve all been there at one point or another and most of us survived it without a hitch. Commit yourself to do whatever you have to do to get through these first two weeks no matter what and you will be well on your way to eventual low-carb weight loss success!
Tomorrow I am going to introduce you to a word you very likely have never heard of in your entire life, but it will clearly explain to you scientifically why the body is actually equipped to live without consuming any carbohydrates at all. I’ll give you a hint–it’s a 15-letter word that starts with the letter “g.” Tune in to Episode 13 to find out more about this amazing process that the body uses to make its own carbs.
That’s it for this episode of “The Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb Show with Jimmy Moore.” Please visit TheLivinLowCarbShow.com and share your feedback with us about the show or you can e-mail me your comments and questions about low-carb, weight loss, and health at livinlowcarbman@charter.net. I look forward to another exciting show tomorrow, so until then, keep on livin’ la vida low-carb!