Friday, December 14, 2012

The Calorie Talk Taboo

For a fair number of people, talking about calories is akin to blaming the victim; the implication of sloth and gluttony, being lazy or pigging out - blame heard without words spoken (or written).

This comes from, I believe, decades of a message from experts - that if the overweight and obese would just eat less and move more, they'd lose weight.  If only it were that simple!

A few years ago I wrote about this in Poor Math Skills Leading to Weight Gain and noted,

"We're repeatedly told that we suffer mindless eating habits, a toxic food environment, and a host of other influences which lead us to overeat; all of which can be overcome if we simply set our minds to choosing foods wisely, strictly rationing our intake with portion control methods, and sticking to recommended intakes of each food group to target particular ratios of calories from carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

When doing these things fails to produce long-term weight management, the individual is often the target of blame - they failed by failing to follow the recommendations. They failed to have adequate willpower to continue as directed. They failed to restrict calories sufficiently enough for the long-term to maintain weight effectively.

Rather than challenge the concept - consciously restricting food intake - we instead accept that such is normal and focus on the failure as an execution problem by the individual, often stated many different ways, but always boiling down to calories in exceeding calories out if the individual could only get it right then all would be well.

This makes weight loss and management a math problem.

In order to lose and maintain weight one must then be good at math in order to be able to constantly be vigilant in counting their calories in each day to keep consumption within target outputs.

So, maybe it isn't willpower, but poor math skills leading to long-term failure to maintain weight loss?

No, I don't really believe that...but, it does open the door to consider the idea that weight isn't simply a math problem that is easily solved by changing inputs and outputs of numbers; that in the long-term exerting will to restrict calories over desire to eat is not really all there is to successful weight management."


I wrapped up with "Weight is chemistry.  Chemistry thus influences obligate requirements for nutrients and energy, as well as our ability to exert our will over our desire."

Over the years, I've noted that while those who initially follow a low-carb diet do not need to count calories, calories do count - in context.  The context is physiology, the chemistry within our metabolism which is driven by our endocrine system.  It isn't simply a math problem to calculate input of calories and output of energy expenditure - it requires actual nutrients within the context of those calories because a calorie is not a calories in our body - a sugar calorie acts differently in our body than a fat calorie.  Context.

And while I've made it clear that blaming the victim is an unscientific approach to resolving obesity, it continues and those who gain or remain above desired weight feel it when calories come into the discussion about weight loss and maintenance; yet even with hurt feelings, calories remain in the proper scope of discussion for weight management.

If you look back at Forget the Cake, Let Them Eat Steak, I specifically included a rough estimate of just how few calories Jimmy Moore required to gain the six pounds he did earlier this year before starting his nutritional ketosis experiment - the equivalent of 1.5 tablespoon of butter. If you're a low-carber, you know that's something easy to miss day-to-day!

But truth be told, I'm not even convinced Jimmy's weight gains are simply too many calories!

Remember, I hold that calories in, calories out (CICO) matter in context.  


And I do think Jimmy's experience is a necessary exercise in discovering why he's gained weight while maintaining a carbohydrate restricted diet.  Often the examples we see with weight gain are clear - they've increased carbohydrate back to levels that again disrupt the endocrine system and create a milieu for fat storage and weight gain.  

That is not Jimmy's experience now or in the past - each of his gains and losses have been within the context of a controlled-carb diet. 

When Jimmy posted his latest update, he linked to my post and said "Was it the keto-adaptation or the calorie-cutting that has worked in producing the weight loss success I’ve seen? If you ask me, I say WHO CARES?!"

Well, I care - not only about Jimmy as a person and friend, but also for those within the low-carb community, who despite doing everything seemingly right, fail to lose weight or gain and will do anything - even something extreme - to lose the weight.

So then, what has been going on?  


What context might explain Jimmy's weight gains and losses? 

And more importantly, why are those important considerations for anyone ready to jump on board the nutritional ketosis bandwagon and do what Jimmy's doing?

If nothing else, Jimmy is a prolific blogger - he's got websites, podcasts, YouTube videos, a forum, twitter and facebook - and this leaves us with a lot of information to ponder about his weight maintenance, gains and losses.

Going back and looking at each period where Jimmy gained enough weight to motivate a weight loss attempt, we can see - clearly - he was in a calorie deficit.  And while it would be infinitely easier to simply chalk his gains and losses up to calories, I think, after reading back on dozens of his posts, it was more than that; and something I almost missed in my haste to write this post.

I've written a lot about how low-carb diets often work so well because they resolve underlying metabolic perturbations; endocrine issues like high insulin or hyperglycemia; they set-the-stage, so to speak, to enable to calorie restriction (often spontaneously) necessary for weight loss in a more 'righted' endocrine environment.


Since it is the endocrine system which largely controls our weight and hunger, it needs to function well for weight loss and maintenance. Yet, there are some endocrine issues which a diet alone cannot resolve - they are genetic - and Jimmy has, we've learned through his posts, hypogonadism.

Simply understood, that's where you, if male, have low testosterone, elevated LH and/or FSH, and often it leads to high serum ferritin (iron).  


Jimmy has shared with readers that he has this condition - and it's something, that after reading up on it last night, one cannot change with diet alone. Now this isn't an excuse - but a reason that helps explain why Jimmy's appetite is such that he's driven to eat more than he requires.  Those with hypogonadism are often insulin resistant, suffer abdominal obesity and gain weight easily.

It doesn't take long to look back at Jimmy's eating habits to realize he has a big appetite and eats a lot.  This isn't because he's lazy or a glutton, it's from within him, genetic, from his endocrine system working out of balance.

In the right context, calories come into play as a reasonable explanation of weight loss and gain, and before starting his nutritional ketosis experiment, Jimmy started on hormone replacement therapy - an estrogen agonist and testosterone cream is addressing the issues in his endocrine system that his diet does not address. 

He also added Glycosolve, a berberine supplement that helps with glycemic control.

He started routine blood donations to address his iron levels.

And he's recently re-introduced an exercise regime to build muscle, so yes, he's increased his level of activity too.

Jimmy has not simply changed his diet - he's changed the context of his endocrine system AND his diet.  


Whether or not he wants to recognize it or not, the diet part has led to the necessary reduction in calories which is explaining his weight loss; but the other changes are important factors, ones that I do think will make his weight management long-term easier this time.

He doesn't have a broken metabolism - but he has had unaddressed endocrine issues; those now being addressed should help him long-term because, as I've said, context with calories matters.

In an upcoming post I'll look at nutritional ketosis and hope to explain benefits, risks and whether one should consider it long-term or not.

90 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:21 AM

    Jimmy eats a lot, even now. Did you see his keto breakfast? That was something like 1,800 calories in one sitting, and he ate it all!

    I don't know why you're backtracking from the obvious here, Jimmy eats too much and needs to learn how to control his urges to eat more than he needs. He can't do it because he has said he doesn't want to have to control his portions, or restrict what he eats. He still doesn't want it bad enough to actually do what he needs to do. His weight loss hacks are just that, hacks, since he refuses to do what he needs to do long term to maintain his weight.

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    1. I am Primal10:50 AM

      Gawd, when I saw that plate of food, I was shocked he ate it all. That was a huge amount of food, and betrays Jimmy's insistence that he doesn't eat much. Yeah, he's eating less, not as often, but what is going to happen when he loses the weight but hasn't learned how to not pack away huge quantities of food?

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  2. Anonymous9:36 AM

    Anon, Jimmy usually only eats one meal a day.

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    1. Roger7:32 PM

      So then he really has decreased his calories, probably even more than the estimates here. That's good to know.

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    2. Jennifer12:05 PM

      Of course he's eating less now, he's paying attention. Whenever he tries to just eat, even if he keeps the carbs low, he gains because he eats too much. I don't know if it's magic thinking, but he seriously will not consider his calorie intake being an issue.

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  3. Anonymous9:57 AM

    So calories still matter?

    That's what I think your take home message is, but that getting your metabolism tuned to respond to the right calories is critical too.

    I do think Jimmy has eaten too much in the past and that every time he loses weight he has reduced calories. So in some ways it is calories in, calories out. His inability to keep the weight off, that's where I think you may be on to something with his hormones. I mean, we all pretty much agree that insulin levels are part of the problem, so why wouldn't other hormones be too?

    I really do hope Jimmy figures it out for the future. His brother died young and no one knows why. Maybe he also had genetic problems that no one figured out too?

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  4. I want to say welcome back! I am glad you're writing again and hope you'll bring back some sanity because Jimmy as "ambassador" of low-carb is just unbalanced. Not that he's not a nice guy, I'm sure he is, but geez louise, he takes everything to an extreme and then has legions running off the same cliff with him. I lost weight myself with low-carb and keeping it off isn't hard, it does take attention, but I don't count anything and manage to do it. If Jimmy had just stuck with Atkins, he would have been better off than he has been by doing anything and everything but Atkins since 2007. The number one rule of maintaining was to not let yourself ignore weight gain beyond 5 pounds, if you hit that, you go back and get it off and not let it continue to creep back up. Jimmy always waits until he's really gained instead of stopping the gain in its tracks. So I think that is a problem for him too.

    I do think you're right that his calories matter. He writes about how much he eats, his binges, and the quantity. I also saw how he ate at a conference years ago and it was shocking. He added at least a half cup of what looked like mayonnaise to his vegetables, and I'm sure it was because he really believes calories don't count if you keep carbs really low. But that totally defies logic! You can't just eat 5,000 calories and not use them, they go somewhere if they're not used, like body fat! But Jimmy doesn't want to hear that, so he keeps singing la-la-la with fingers in his ears, so he can ignore how much he overeats!



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    1. Anonymous2:52 PM

      Jimmy promotes he's the face of lowcarb, but really, he's the worst example of lowcarb out there. I know dozens of people who kept the weight off and eat less carbs, but they don't treat all carbs like poison. He did well when he lost weight the first time on lowcarb because he followed it and increased his carbs, now he's down to next to nothing for carbs, eating way low protein, and says the NK is the reasons? Oh boy, no Jimmy, the NK is making you anorectic, you have no appetite, so you're again lowering calories. What's his next option when he gains again, just fat?

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  5. marilynb10:21 AM

    "Learning" how to control urges to eat more than you need is way, way easier said than done for many people. You might know intellectually that you shouldn't eat as much but there are things in your body beyond your thought processes that insist you have to eat more. If Jimmy has found a way of eating that makes it possible for him to not eat more than he needs, I say stick with it as long as it works. Every overweight person with this problem needs to find that key and that is what his message is. He's just demonstrating that by recounting what his own key is. But it's good to consider everything else he's doing as well, like the testosterone treatments and supplements, because evidently that's part of his key, too, as it may be for others. Whether he believes it's the lower calories or not is really irrelevant.

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  6. Anonymous10:45 AM

    Ketosis isn't a new thing for Jimmy. Just because he's now measuring it in his blood doesn't mean he's not been in ketosis in the past. He has, often and especially when he's trying to lose weight. He says if he doesn't eat enough fat that he won't stay in ketosis which is utter bullshit. Calories factor into ketosis as much as carbohydrate restriction does and protein can. I swear I puked a little in my mouth last night when he posted about the dinner he went to, that he didn't eat, because it didn't have enough fat! Give me a break!

    I do give you credit for looking at his other hormones. They might be a factor, but ultimately it does come down to calories in and calories out. Maybe now that he's adding the hormones he lacks enough, he'll figure that out and eat within what he needs instead of just eating whatever whenever since that clearly doesn't work for him.

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  7. Jimmy lives in a world where calories don't count. Until he understands why they do, even fixing his hormones isn't going to work long-term for him because he eats too much. Too much food. Too much protein. Too much fat. What is really dangerous for him, if you ask me, is that he's now habituating a very high fat experience into his eating habits. Something that can lead to disaster as he modifies his diet for the longer term. We heard often, years ago, about how when you use heavy cream in your coffee and then continue that and add more carbs, you're doing yourself no favor for weight because you're eating too many calories and increased your carbs! Jimmy is habituating himself to adding fat to every last thing he eats, in massive quantity, which is not going to be a good idea if he ever wants to eat somewhat normal again. And here, normal is just plain old low-carb!

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  8. First, let me say how glad I am that you're back to blogging. I'm definitely appreciating your adding some really useful thoughts to the low-carb diet discussion.

    That said, one thing I hope you'll cover in your forthcoming post is the whole concept of "nutritional" ketosis. I am pretty much with a commenter on Jimmy's blog who finds fault with the term. My understanding is that what followers are simply doing is measuring blood levels of ketones (as opposed to urinary levels) to better manage staying in ketosis and that it's not a meaningfully different kind of ketosis (as the name applies).

    Maybe not a big deal, but would welcome your two cents!

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    1. I'm working on it - probably will have it ready early next week. My outline right now includes a bunch of stuff, including whether NK is different from ketosis as understood in basic low-carb diets like Atkins.

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    2. Anonymous11:54 AM

      I am so glad you're back too! Thank you for saying something about what Jimmy is doing, no one else seems to really want to put themselves in the cross-hairs of his webpire and rock the boat. He may want to ignore it, but he is eating LESS CALORIES! Shocking, he's losing weight!

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    3. Roger7:33 PM

      Of course he's losing weight, he's eating less and moving more. He just doesn't want to admit that. No can do. Calories do not count for him, it's everything else but calories.

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  9. Anonymous11:10 AM

    Did you look at his DEXA results? He has significant abdominal obesity, even with the weight he's lost, it's like 40 pounds of fat on his middle still amd all the pictures he's posted really show just how bad it is. i feel for him, I do, but he does need to lose a lot more before he'll get his gut off. If he can do that, and keep his weight in line, he'll be much better off. I think he is going to need to watch his calories in the future. As many have pointed out, every time he loses weight he has a calorie deficit. This really is a no brainer, but he ignores it again and again and again. I am glad he's doing the hormone stuff, if it helps, that's even better for him!

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  10. LowCarbLife11:23 AM

    I can say without any hesitation that I've kept my weight off because I eat less than I did when I was 350. At 5'5", that weight is equivalent to Jimmy's being 410 at 6'3" himself. Yes, I was morbidly obese too and it took every ounce of my resolve to stick to a low-carb diet to get down to 145 and a lot of learning to get how to stay there. I swear I was just like Jimmy in the belief that calories don't matter! I used to brag to anyone who wanted to know how I was losing weight that I was eating a lot of calories, because I was, like 2,800 a day when I was losing. That didn't last though because without lowering them again, after I lost a bunch of weight, I wasn't going to lose anymore until I did. That is what I did too! A funny thing happens along the way too, you realize you really do not need as much food! You weigh less, so why do you need to eat so much? It's usually a habit. I broke the habit.

    Jimmy talks about hunger. Hunger is natural. We're supposed to be hungry so we remember to eat! Jimmy hasn't learned how to use hunger, how to calm it with food, but not eat too much. He is so used to eating big portions and has said in the past that watching portion is like torture for him. He doesn't want to have to control his portions. But that is exactly what he is doing right now. He is only doing it because he's public and if he doesn't he's not going to show the world that he can do it. I hate his excuses that he has a broken metabolism. I am glad you pointed out that he doesn't because formerly obese people are not broken! We can, like anyone, keep the weight off or gain it back. It takes a commitment to get it though and get it about calories. sadly I don't think Jimmy is there yet. He'll lose the weight, but if he doesn't get his calories under control, he'll gain it back again.

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  11. Anonymous11:36 AM

    Thank you for elegantly looking at things other than insulin. I do think Jimmy has other issues, that his calories factor, but that it's not just calories. Something drives him to eat more, and maybe his low T was part of that?

    Do you know if Jimmy has ever been tested for Klinefelter Syndrome? This isn't criticism, but his features, height and hormone profile really do suggest that he may have it, and it would also explain his infertility issues. People with KS do suffer with a higher than normal level of hunger, that's why they're at a high risk for obesity and abdominal obesity.

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    1. I honestly do not know. I've seen it mentioned in comments elsewhere, so I think Jimmy is at least aware that some of his symptoms are part of Klinefelter Syndrome. Unless he's karyotyped, there is no way to know for sure one way or the other though. I do think, while expense, it is worth him doing if he wants to know.

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    2. Roger7:31 PM

      I once posted that he might have it, I don't know what he did with the information I posted though.

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  12. Anonymous11:41 AM

    Why don't you just leave him alone? Go about your life, keep your side of the street clean, and let Jimmy worry about Jimmy! I am so tired of people attacking him for doing what works for him. He isn't making anyone do this, he's doing it, so why does it matter to you? Get a life!

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  13. Anonymous11:46 AM

    As Jimmy just posted on his facebook, I've never understood why people are so fascinated by how someone else decides to eat. If they are healthy, look, feel and perform well, then why is there an issue? I dunno, it just seems it's nobody's business if good things are happening.

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    1. Lori Lowcarb12:15 PM

      Jimmy makes a big deal out of what he is doing, no matter how extreme. Need a reminder? Eggfest.

      Not only did a bunch of people jump on board that crazy, he now has people spending money on meters they don't need, to stay in ketosis. He makes a spectacle of himself and really wonders why people say something?

      We should look at what he's doing!

      He constantly harps on doing what works for you, but as time goes on, he is more and more militant and agressive with the low carb. Yeah, do what works for you as long as it's low carb! What hypocrisy!

      Jimmy is doing what Jimmy always does, gains weight, does the sheepish southern boy shucks, what happened and then goes back to low carb and eats less calories and loses weight. It's not a secret he reduces his calories. It's maddening that he absolutely ignores that fact!

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  14. Anonymous1:26 PM

    Of course calories matter. When did lowcarb go off the rails and start thinking they don't? Jimmy lives in a fantasy land if he thinks he can eat more calories than he uses and not gain weight. All he keeps saying now is that he's not hungry! Well, do you think you were hungry before? Yes you were, and you ate too many calories and gained weight.

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    1. Maggie7:16 PM

      Jimmy ignores the obvious. I don't know why he does that. I also don't like that he starts the "pity me" crap when he's called out on it.

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    2. He's doing the pity me crap on Facebook now, linking to here with what is obviously the intent to get us readers to come comment and criticize Regina. Sorry, no can do, Regina is pointing out his calories and yes, he's eating less. He absolutely wants to keep his head in the sand about calories and it will be his undoing again. I no longer feel sorry for him, he does this to himself!

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  15. Anonymous1:31 PM

    I don't think it's anybody's business what Jimmy does, how much he eats, what calories he eats, none of it effects you, so just stop. stop.

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    1. He is posting about his diet and hence should expect people to comment about it whether positively or negatively.

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  16. I can't believe anyone would stoop to bullying another over the food they choose to eat.

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  17. Richard4:33 PM

    To all the indignant Jimmy defenders: Comments like these are what happen when you so heavily censor your blog. Most of the critical voices here are people Jimmy has banned in his quest to create his little amen corner on the Web. He's long since abandoned the idea of healthy debate - unless he creates the controversy and sets the terms ('safe starches', anyone?). In the grand scheme of things he's the LAST person I'd feel sorry for - for anything.

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    1. If anyone is wondering, no I do not routinely censor comments. I do moderate however and I delete spam and only those comments which are unnecessarily cruel are filtered out and do not see the light of day here; thankfully comments like that haven't been made, so no, thus far no censoring has been done with comments.

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    2. Richard5:58 PM

      I think most people are clear that you don't censor unnecessarily; the same cannot be said for Jimmy, however. Many have been banned from commenting on his site for making respectful, tactful remarks - but also making points he could not effectively rebut. I personally have had comments altered (i.e., posted but with key elements missing, basically changing the context of my entire remark). And I'm sure I'm not the only one.

      At any rate, good to see some thoughtful pushback from within the LC community. Way overdue.

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    3. Anonymous7:12 PM

      Jimmy says he doesn't delete comments or alter them, but he does, a lot. I remember when the kimkins thing was going on and he got caught red-handed changing a comment from something calling him out and negative, to a positive one. It was disgusting. I stopped reading him after he banned me from commenting when I suggested he should drop the sugar free candy he was eating everyday.

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    4. Roger7:30 PM

      Maybe we need a place to post comments about our experience with Jimmy and his sites. I've been banned from comments too. He does not like being contradicted ever!

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    5. Anonymous7:45 PM

      He won't let me comment either. I didn't realize we have a banned camp forming here, I thought that stuff ended after Kimkins. I see it didn't. At least it's not just me!

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  18. Anonymous7:46 PM

    Oh, and I also think Jimmy has been eating way too many calories. Every time he's cut back, he loses, and it's always something other than the calories that he says helped him lose weight again. How do people not see that pattern repeating?

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    1. Anonymous9:25 AM

      I don't think he has a ton of long term followers. Many are new to low-carb and don't really know or see the history he's had with his weight. He also modifies his history, like he did in his talks in OZ. There he presented it as weight creep, not the ups and downs he's repeated over the years. So, it's a tainted message to anyone listening.

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  19. Anonymous8:41 PM

    I'm laughing my butt off!

    Someone on Jimmy's facebook wrote, "I think people are so fascinated because you have put your experiment out there on the net for all to see and so everyone will have thoughts about what your found. It's just some will be move verbal about there thoughts."

    Jimmy's reply was hysterical!

    "True. And vulgar." followed by a smiley emoticon.

    My word! Does he really think Regina's "vulgar"????

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  20. Anonymous12:08 AM

    It's about time someone started to talk again about the calories, even if lowcarb, because they count and matter!

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  21. I recall reading years ago in Protein Power Lifeplan that gaining weight on a low-carb diet, even with huge amounts of calories, was very difficult. That may be true, but that doesn't mean it's impossible and it doesn't mean that you can lose weight doing this. Jimmy is a large guy, so his calorie intake requirements are a lot larger than mine, so I can't speak to that. But I do know that being a smaller person it's very difficult for me to restrict calories enough to lose significant amounts of weight without a lot of dedication. Excercise is helpful, but as we know from Taubes' research, it also increases appetite quite a bit, so cancels out a lot of the good it does... At this point in my life I've resigned myself to being overweight, or at least not looking at the scale. My main goal is simply to be and feel healthy, which means getting enough activity to feel good and resiting binging and eating things I know are not healthy for me. I don't count every carb, but I do maintain a diet that is mostly low-carb, with an occasional splurge. The holidays are another matter of course! :) The other thing I've done is to remove dairy from my diet, which has helped in some ways. At least now I can't consume 2000 calories in a sitting simply from eating a large chunk of melted cheese, something I did on occasion before!

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  22. I recall reading years ago in Protein Power Lifeplan that gaining weight on a low-carb diet, even with huge amounts of calories, was very difficult. That may be true, but that doesn't mean it's impossible and it doesn't mean that you can lose weight doing this. Jimmy is a large guy, so his calorie intake requirements are a lot larger than mine, so I can't speak to that. But I do know that being a smaller person it's very difficult for me to restrict calories enough to lose significant amounts of weight without a lot of dedication. Excercise is helpful, but as we know from Taubes' research, it also increases appetite quite a bit, so cancels out a lot of the good it does... At this point in my life I've resigned myself to being overweight, or at least not looking at the scale. My main goal is simply to be and feel healthy, which means getting enough activity to feel good and resiting binging and eating things I know are not healthy for me. I don't count every carb, but I do maintain a diet that is mostly low-carb, with an occasional splurge. The holidays are another matter of course! :) The other thing I've done is to remove dairy from my diet, which has helped in some ways. At least now I can't consume 2000 calories in a sitting simply from eating a large chunk of melted cheese, something I did on occasion before!

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    1. Levi - I read the same thing. Eades is convinced that there is something called a "metabolic advantage" out of low carb. He has never demonstrated what this "metabolic advantage" is.

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  23. I gave up commenting on Jimmy's menu blog - which has now been deleted of course - when it became obvious that he was not interested in any advice despite what he was claiming.

    Of course calories matter.

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    1. Anonymous8:56 AM

      I find it so sad that Jimmy does all he can to ignore calories and pretend they do not matter. I was pretty shocked to see his menu blog disappeared. Why did he do that? Remove the history and you can control your future I guess. If they're not up to see, no one can point back at your calorie reductions and losses, nor can they point to your excess either. I just wish people would see through the good 'ole boy veneer.

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  24. To me the post above really seems like you threw Jimmy a bone. A really nice way to help him save face with a reasonable explanation of why his calorie intake is again down and easier for him, and why he might be able to really keep it off this time. Jimmy will have none of it though.

    He posted on Facebook a link to this and wrote "My low-carb blogging friend Regina Wilshire continues her pontificating about my nutritional keto
    sis n=1 experiment. It's good to see her blogging regularly again and I do appreciate her thoughts about my situation. However, I want to clarify a few things: I'm NOT taking testosterone anymore (haven't since March), I'm NOT actively cutting calories as part of my NK plan (although it's undoubtedly happening spontaneously in response to the satiety I've received from attaining proper ketone levels), I'm NOT eating lots of food and I'm NOT taking the berberine supplement right now (haven't since early November--so far so good on blood sugar control without it). Interesting theory about why I desire eating large meals that goes beyond being a glutton. Many of the comments at the end of this blog post are good for a laugh or two for their absurdity. I love all the assumptions that are made about me without anyone ever attempting to substantiate them as truth or not. You gotta love the Internet!"

    He is so far in his own box, he's not going to be able to get back out. I pity him.

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    1. You'll also notice on Facebook, that Jimmy is only posting these types of things on the pages he controls. He doesn't dare do it on pages like Fat Head's page because he'd get called out and couldn't control the replies there!

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    2. Anonymous8:41 AM

      I found the post here from his facebook page. At least he's starting to admit his calories are down (although it's undoubtedly happening spontaneously in response to the satiety I've received from attaining proper ketone levels). That's a start, right?

      Seriously, Jimmy eats a lot of food. His breakfast he posted during this experiment showed that. Even though he protests (I'm NOT eating lots of food) the quantity of food in that meal was very large, and he ate it all. But he did have the gumption to say he didn't because he left some fat on the plate?

      I do read Jimmy blogs and listen to his podcasts, but honestly, I can no longer appreciate his insights for diet because they're whacked.

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    3. Sandy Smith9:33 AM

      Way to go Jimmy! You can't really believe Regina is writing what she is to hurt you, do you? Gah! Your calories are lower again, you're losing weight again. How do you not see the connection?

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    4. LowCarbMe9:47 AM

      His facebook pages are hysterical, the sycophants are commenting about how Regina is jealous, envious, can't deal with him losing weight, she's bitter, and other stuff. Jimmy isn't saying anything, which I think really says a lot. Now to see if Evelyn posts a Regina v. Jimmy Drama post on her blog, that would be even more hysterical!

      And if Jimmy is reading the comments, he needs to know I got here from his facebook page too! I'm glad you're losing weight, really, I am. But seriously, how you can continue to ignore calories is incomprehensible. WHY? It's not a bad thing to see how calories are too high or too low, it helps to know!

      Delete
  25. Anonymous8:43 AM

    Please, please, please, when you do your post about NK, please talk about how Jimmy is NOT following it as it's written. Like everything else he's done in the past, he's doing this one half-cocked too. He is NOT following the protein recommendation correctly!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Anonymous8:50 AM

    So Jimmy stopped taking T? Big deal. Remember, he's lost without it before, he just can't maintain. Regina, I do appreciate you writing about this because if Jimmy had his way, he'd never see a challenge to what he's doing online. I think it is also helpful for many of us who do read his stuff to have an outside perspective since what he does is cut calories even if he's not counting them. I just wish he would wrap his head around that and embrace it because it is what I think he will need to understand to keep the weight off in the future. If he doesn't, he's going to gain it back and then what does he do?

    ReplyDelete
  27. Anonymous8:53 AM

    You're just bitter, uninformed and jealous of Jimmy's success.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:13 AM

      It sure looks that way.

      Delete
  28. Dear Jimmy,

    Thank you for posting this on facebook since I wasn't sure if Regina was going to keep writing and your link got me back.

    Thank you too for showing me with your facebook post that you'll stoop to anything to try to control your message, even throwing a friend under the bus. You've done nothing to counter the replies in your post with accuracy, you've left that Regina is jealous, bitter, uninformed, hateful and more.

    Buddy, you just lost me. Pointing out your calories and struggles, which you yourself make public, is not hating, it is not out of jealousy and I seriously doubt Regina is doing this to spite you. I for one am no longer going to follow you and your extremes. No one has to, all we really need to get a handle on is our diet and you stopped being a good example a long time ago. But some of us still read your blogs and listened to the podcast. I can't anymore. To do so is to agree with you, which I don't.

    Good luck and maybe you will keep the weight off this time. I doubt it.

    Mark

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous11:05 AM

    Jimmy is very public with his struggle, why do you have to rub salt in his wounds?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous11:11 AM

    Aww, poor Jimmy, he's had his phone on and you've not called him. Boo Hoo.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jennifer12:03 PM

      That's rich considering how many of us out here in the real world know what Regina has done for him and hs wife in the past, including getting him involved in conferences way back when. I don't even think he'd still have his webpire unless Regina helped out of the muck he got himself stuck in with Kimkins. Why she ever did that, I still scratch my head, but yeah, she's not his friend.

      I call bullshit!

      Delete
    2. Anonymous1:18 PM

      I know her in real life too and man, she's helped Jimmy way more than he ever deserved. I'm staying anon since I also know Jimmy too.

      His resistance to listen to anything about calories isn't new. He's always wanted to ignore it and just say it happens, so what. The thing is, ignoring it leaves him always vulnerable to weight gain since he doesn't want to actually look at what he eats, or ask himself if it's about right, or too much. I've seen him eat and he likes food. Nothing wrong with that, but it's an issue that he'll continue to lose the battle against if he won't look at his calories. Right now, I think, he's boxed in. Yes, he's in NK, but for how long? How long can you go with low protein and unnaturally high fat? What he's eating right now is very extreme, the ratios in his diet exist nowhere in our population, and yet he's going to keep on keeping on, with no look at the future to figure out how to transition and not gain weight again.

      Delete
    3. I don't know her in real life, but gawd, he's making a fool of himself now! Or is it again?

      Delete
  31. Anonymous12:11 PM

    The oh poor me from him lately is pretty annoying. Today he's really pushing it, look she's being mean, poor me, I don't know why she's doing this to me!

    As someone above said, you gave him a graceful way to save face and he just spit in yours. Why do you keep trying to help someone who does not want it?

    I know you Regina, why do you even help him? He is so messed up and not going to change. You know the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and surprised the result doesn't change. Jimmy gains and loses, gains and loses, and does it again. He is going to gain again because he won't accept calories play a part in his weight going up and down. You can't save him. You helped him way too many times in the past if you ask me and now he's spitting in your face, acting like you're not really a friend.

    If you ask me, he's setting you up to be pummeled with negative comments and to try to sway his followers to hate you without ever having a chance to actually read what you write or what you've written. That's too bad, but someone said on another post that Jimmy holds a grudge, I'm seeing on Facebook today that he does.

    ReplyDelete
  32. Melissa1:11 PM

    What's really sad is those commenting on FB have no idea what was even written here, they didn't even read it. You can tell because some of the replies are "well if she's one of those CICO people..." and "let her go on an all Mt. Dew diet and see what happens". It really proves people see, or bother to look, only at what fits their box. Because they didn't bother to even read here, they've totally missed that she said calories matter in context!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:20 AM

      I can tell by the comments here that most haven't been following Jimmy either. They're saying things like "Did you see how big Jimmy's breakfast was?" Yeah, it was his only meal of the day! Then people going on about Jimmy not acknowledging calories? Well he has. He says he's been eating fewer calories since being in NK.

      Delete
  33. I'm sorry, but I can't stop laughing.

    I saw the FB posts he made this morning and I'm still laughing at the comments. The funniest by far is that you're just jealous! OMG, that's funny!

    Jimmy may actually be getting angry, the tone of his post today was different. His replies were also vapid and lacking substance. The one that you hadn't called him was too funny! I don't know if you guys talk or not, but that was just so funny!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Anonymous1:59 PM

    If nothing else, Jimmy is getting people over here to read, at least some of us. I miss Regina writing, I always enjoyed her blog, so I'm glad she's coming back again!

    I think the number of comments here speak to the number of us who think Jimmy is on the wrong track yet again. Not so much because of how he's eating, but because he's not taking time to really understand how to eat. He always seems to use gimmicks that work short term, but don't stick. Maybe he'll get a clue now?

    I will say I enjoy Jimmy's podcasts, even with his obvious bias. But that's expected I guess. His blog, I don't keep up with it much anymore and haven't since the egg fiasco he did. He sometimes has some good links on facebook, but lately it's more the "look what they're doing to me" variety which is not really helping his case, but sounds more like whining if you ask me.

    ReplyDelete
  35. One Time at Banned Camp2:33 PM

    61 comments for this post; ZERO for the latest one over at Livin' La Vida Low Cred, er, Carb...

    That about sums up the current state of affairs, I think.

    ReplyDelete
  36. Anonymous3:40 PM

    66

    I've done low carb for years, and I've never thought I could eat whatever, no matter how many times I've heard it. I think Jimmy equates watching his calories with being forced to starve or something, it's irrational. After doing this WOE for as long as I have, it's second hat, I don't think about it, I just know what I can eat and when I indulge, I also know to watch things for a few days after that. It works out just fine and I've managed to stay within 5 pounds of my goal weight for a long time now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I completely agree with this. I'm an 11+ year successful low-carber and I think that it's crazy not to include calories in the discussion or dismiss them as irrelevant.

      Delete
  37. Mary G4:27 PM

    Add me too. I'm about done with JM, he simply refuses to consider anything obvious, like calories. I feel sorry for him, but today his snarky on facebook, I'm done.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Regina, I do not understand the following.

    "We're repeatedly told that we suffer mindless eating habits, a toxic food environment, and a host of other influences which lead us to overeat; all of which can be overcome if we simply set our minds to choosing foods wisely, strictly rationing our intake with portion control and sticking to recommended intakes of each food group to target particular ratios of calories from carbohydrates, proteins and fats.

    When doing these things fails to produce long-term weight management..."

    When does "doing these things" fail to produce long-term weight management?

    It's hard to Eat Less Move More (ELMM) day in day out year after year. I struggle. But when I do it, I lose or maintain weight.

    So I don't understand your point.

    Now, the larger point is the responsibility meme. You seem to resent the fact that yes, Virginia, it IS up to the individual to make rational life choices.

    Why? We're not children or mindless automatons. What is wrong with the idea that it's up to the individual (assuming the individual is an adult) to moderate portion size? We watch what comes out of our mouths, why not watch what goes in?

    The people whom you argue are painting us with the epithet "glutton" strike me as trying hard not to do exactly that, when they point out our obesogenic environment.

    I think that just perhaps one reason for the obesity epidemic here in the US is precisely that obesity is so tolerated. I have no personal experience of Japan, or France, but I have read that obesity isn't tolerated in either of those strikingly thin (by Western standards) societies.

    Perhaps if we held people responsible for their actions, and brought back shame, we might make a dent in this.

    ReplyDelete
  39. I think, given Jimmy's gain and loss history, it would have been wiser for him to just do it, then report what happened. Right now he's losing, but since he hasn't been able to maintain in the past, no one knows if this is just another up down for him, or if he'll actually figure out how to maintain. It's unfortunate that Jimmy has gone round and round the weight loss gain pole, but he just hasn't gotten it that calories are important to keeping the weight off. I don't know if he'll get it this time or not, but looking at his response to the calorie issue, I'd say he's still refusing to look at it as important.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous10:03 PM

    I knew this split in the community was coming when the Free The Animal blog guy went Potato and attacked the President of Low Carb (Jimmy),when he was traveling abroad!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:25 AM

      I think this all needs to happen. Jimmy is going off on tangents that will not benefit lowcarb long term. He's done it before with other things he swore were the answer to his problems. What's next for him? Just fat?

      Delete
  41. I think what's next for him is more years of wild weight fluctuations and bariatric surgery. I'm not a betting woman but the odds to me are more than even he goes for surgery by age 50.

    ReplyDelete
  42. If you had high blood glucose, even on a VLC diet, like Jimmy has, mightn't that "create a milieu for fat storage and weight gain"?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I would say it depends.

      We know, for instance, that those who eat a low-carb diet will often have a higher fasting blood glucose in the morning, but their A1C remains below 5.5, indicating that they're not suffering with chronic high blood glucose. The thinking is that the cause is the lower insulin levels overnight, thus prompting the homrone that's high at that point, glucagon, stimulating gluconeogeneis in the liver to make blood glucose rise. That in turn would raise blood glucose, along with insulin and decrease glucagon. A balancing act in homeostasis.

      We also know that consumption of protein stimulates insulin and that excess protein is made up of amino acids that are either classified as glucogenic or ketogenic, so the fate of any excess really depends on ones metabolic state - underfed, overfed, low blood sugar, etc. Back in August, I posted about the fate of excess protein (amino acids) here: http://weightoftheevidence.blogspot.com/2012/08/protein-is-essential-but-too-much-is.html

      Here is the text:

      Protein is a really neat macronutrient, not only does it provide us with essential amino acids, it also is used throughout the body to repair and build muscle, cells and tissue. Amino acids are critical to maintain our health, but they're not really a great energy source - when the body's energy sources are low, it begins to degrade proteins for use as an alternative energy source. Amino acids can be classified as glucogenic or ketogenic.

      Glucogenic amino acids can be degraded to pyruvate or an intermediate in the Krebs Cycle. They are named glucogenic because they can produce glucose under conditions of low glucose. This process is also known as gluconeogenesis, or the production of "new glucose." Amino acids form glucose through degradation to pyruvate or an intermediate in the Krebs Cycle. The intermediates can then be converted to oxaloacetate, the main precursor for gluconeogenesis. (glucogenic amino acids: alanine, cysteine, glycine, serine, threonine, tryptophan, asparagine, aspartate, phenylalanine, tyrosine, isoleucine, methionine, threonine, valine, arginine, glutamate, glutamine, histidine, and proline).

      In contrast, ketogenic amino acids can produce ketones when energy sources are low. Some of these amino acids are degraded directly to ketone bodies such as acetoacetate (leucine, lysine, phenylalanine, tryptophan, and tyrosine). The other ketogenic amino acids can be converted to acetyl CoA. Acetyl CoA has several different fates, one of which is the conversion to acetoacetate. Although not a preferential energy source, acetoacetate can be metabolized by the brain and muscle for energy when blood glucose is low and acetoacetate cannot be used in gluconeogenesis, since acetyl CoA cannot be converted directly to oxaloacetate.

      The above is what happens when you consume adequate protein each day. So, what happens if you consume too many calories and/or too much protein? Basically, when energy sources are high, both glucogenic and ketogenic amino acids are converted to fatty acids through the intermediate acetyl CoA. Other amino acids that are degraded to intermediates in the Krebs Cycle are siphoned off into the production of urea, a nitrogenous carboxyl compound that is filtered through the kidneys and secreted in the urine.

      Put another way, you now have fatty acids that can store as body fat.

      Delete
  43. Anonymous6:19 PM

    I think that Jimmy is deeply narcissistic and could hardly function at this point without inserting himself as the focal point. Somehow, he has succeeded in doing so, even at the expense of his dignity and health.

    I doubt that his legacy will be an inspiring one.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Anonymous10:00 PM

    Obviously lowcarb doesn't work the way Jimmy thinks it does, calories count and he's been eating more than he needed. Now he's lowered his calories and viola, he's losing weight again. Too bad he refuses to see it because for his longterm health he needs to better control his weight.

    ReplyDelete
  45. Anonymous8:39 AM

    Jimmy will change his habits for a short time, but he hasn't yet been able to do it for the longer period necessary to keep the weight off. He's always looking for that magic, something that will work without explanation where he doesn't have to do any work. But maintaining weight is work, it's not hard, but it's not like you can totally do whatever whenever you want. You need to pay attention because it's easy to have things creep up without you being really aware they are. Then you gain and you're surprised when you shouldn't be. One of his biggest problems is he waits too long to do something. Seriously, he goes months and months, gaining each month, and then he's up to 300+ and does something? Why didn't he do something before that? Didn't Dr. Atkins say not to allow a gain of more than 5 pounds? If you hit a 5 pound gain, you work to get it off again, and think about what happened that you gained?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous9:08 PM

      He does this because he is a compulsive eater.

      Atkins was 60 pounds overweight when he died.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous12:37 PM

      Atkins was 60 pounds overweight because he was in a coma from hitting his head on the ice and his organ failure caused the inflammatory water weight gain. Atkins didn't bloat from pork rinds. I'm sure he wished that was the case. He'd still be with us today.

      Delete
  46. LOL - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Moore_(author)

    At least Jimmy still has a sense of humor. :)

    ReplyDelete
  47. Anonymous9:34 PM

    Regina, you and Gil have been nothing BUT good friends to Jimmy for years. It's too bad that he conveniently forgets that fact when it's more beneficial to him to cry for sympathy. I long for the day when people see just what he is-- a businessman who puts money before friendship and common sense.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous4:10 PM

    Mike Howard wrote a good post on this too: http://www.coreconceptswellness.com/blog/the-sensible-middle-part-1-in-defence-of-calories

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:42 AM

      Great article! Thanks for sharing.

      Delete
  49. Anonymous1:36 AM

    This discussion reminds me of the science teacher who lost 27 pounds in two months eating nothing but Twinkies and a few veggies. He ate the equivalent of 1,800 calories a day in Hostess products and a smattering of canned vegetables. Not only did he lose the weight, but his doctors were stumped because his lab values dramatically improved, serving up a one-two punch on the concept of a "healthy" diet for weight loss. (I'm not sure what lab values would look like on a long-term diet of Hostess cupcakes, but that's a different story.)

    As a long-time LC person, I can safely say that I would be a huge failure on a "Twinkie" diet, not because it probably wouldn't work within the parameters of a lower calorie plan, but because I simply would be unable by virtue of my physiology and psychology to consume a limited amount of Twinkies in a day and would want to inhale an entire box -- which is why LC works so well for me.

    But I still have to tightly control what I eat even with low carb levels. It sounds like Moore is at the same place intellectually with CICO that many folks are at when they first start LC coming from low-fat: They just can't wrap their minds around eating fatty foods and butter and losing weight. It "doesn't register." It's "cognitive dissonance." Moore seems to have the same intellectual block about CICO.

    The low carb community needs to start addressing more directly the CICO connection. I still remember when Taubes' GCBC came out and people who criticized him on the CICO issue were hung out to dry.

    http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/twinkie.diet.professor/index.html

    ReplyDelete
  50. Anonymous12:30 PM

    Of course calories count. Just look at how Jimmy Moore eats and then it's easy to see why he gains. He doesn't keep track and lives in the fantasy that he's immune to the laws of physics if he eats lowcarb.

    ReplyDelete
  51. Anonymous5:26 PM

    Anyone who keeps losing and gaining and losing and gaining AND doesn't look at calories is an absolute fucking fool.

    ReplyDelete
  52. Nobody in these comments has mentioned satiety. I never eat too many calories because I don't think they matter. I eat too many calories when I'm hungry. What Jimmy is saying in part, if not in totality, is that in NK he is not hungry. If that makes him eat fewer calories naturally, it becomes merely a semantic argument whether it is calories or NK that is causing it.

    ReplyDelete