21 Life Lessons From Livin' La Vida Low-Carb: How The Healthy Low-Carb Lifestyle Changed Everything I Thought I Knew

Okay, so you should know that my review is biased.Like Jimmy, I have become obsessed with "Livin' La Vida Low Carb" to the point that my family has banned me from talking about carbohydrates, particularly at dinner.Also, Jimmy has personally been exceedingly generous to me as I have built out my own website on low carb diet science.So when I cracked open his book, I was rooting for him. I wanted a homerun.Verdict? He hit it out of the park. Beyond my inflated expectations. Here's why:1. Jimmy has walked the walk.On December 31, 2003, Jimmy weighed well over 400 pounds. As his 2004 New Year's resolution, he decided to try the Atkins diet and stick with it. One year later, he had dropped over 180 pounds. That's more than many people weigh! Since then, he has kept the weight off. In a world in which something like 95 percent of dieters fail long term, his success story stands out and demands attention. Obviously he's done something different.2. Jimmy talks the talk.Jimmy is not a doctor or a nutritionist, but he has educated himself brilliantly, and his scholarship is apparent on every page here.3. Great for newbies.Diet science can make for snoozy reading. But Jimmy has broken it down easy. His style mixes confessions, anecdotes, and research.4. Reinforcement for low-carb veterans.Are you a low-carb fanatic, like me? Jimmy's book will reinforce a lot of what you know AND turn you on to things you didn't know about low carb.5. A breezy read and a big reference.Look out, folks, the book is nearly 500 pages! At first glance, I was like, yikes, how am I ever going to finish this? But Jimmy is a graceful and cheerful host. This is both a page-turner and a handy reference. You need not consume it all at once.6. Jimmy is funny.Jimmy's take on the different fad diets out there had me laughing out loud. And his Southern-flavored gosh-gollyisms often make for withering retorts to critics.7. Lots of good science in here.For instance, Jimmy's Lesson #2 ("Most cholesterol tests by your doctor are virtually meaningless") is a great weapon if you ever get into a debate about cholesterol with a physician or neighbor.8. Debunks criticism of the low-carb diet at length.In Lesson #19 ("You can't always believe the negative studies on low carb"), Jimmy deconstructs a lot of nonsense out there, and he does so in a non-technical way.9. Jimmy is not selling any diet plan or program.There is no "angle" with Jimmy. He just wants to get good information to the public. Agree or disagree with him. Fine. But trust that he is sincere and transparent in his intent.10. Jimmy is a godfather of the online low-carb diet movement.Jimmy has interviewed practically all the top low-carb experts and even some of the biggest critics of the low-carb diet (e.g. Dr. Dean Ornish). His podcast is star-studded, and he's beloved by respected figures in the low-carb community.11. Original quotes and interviews from leaders in the field.Hot fresh quotes and original comments from the likes of Dr. Jonny Bowden, Dr. Richard Feinman, Dr. Jeff Volek, Dr. Mary C. Vernon, Gary Taubes, Dr. Nathan Eliason, and literally dozens more low carb luminaries.12. Jimmy is humble.This book is non-didactic. Sure, it explores the science and reality of low-carb living, about which Jimmy clearly has strong opinions. But Jimmy doesn't claim to have solved all the mysteries of diet and nutrition. His brand of humility is refreshing in a world where seemingly everyone claims to have the answers prepackaged and predigested.In my experience, prepackaged stuff is usually filled with high fructose corn syrup (literally or metaphorically).13. Presents research connecting dietary sugar/carb intake with practically every ailment under the sun.Dr. Peter Cleave's Saccharine Hypothesis -- that dietary sugar causes many of the chronic diseases of civilization -- is a powerful idea indeed. But most science journalists ignore it. For Heaven's sake, why??Jimmy does a fantastic job here presenting original research and quotes suggesting that many of the most pernicious killers of our time -- from brain cancer to Alzheimer's disease to Parkinson's disease -- appear to be caused by excess carb/sugar intake and may be prevented through smart changes in diet.14. Hilarious blow-by-blow accounts of Jimmy's battles with anti-low carb people.From angry vegans to internet hucksters to dubious low fat diet doctors, Jimmy has taken them all on. He recounts his best clashes with original quotes.15. Complementary resources online.As I mentioned above, Jimmy's blog and websites provide essentially full service solutions for anyone who wants to dive in deep with this low carb diet stuff.16. Personal help.Despite being a web celebrity who gets thousands of visitors a day to his sites, Jimmy is amazingly accessible. As he mentions on page 241: "I personally answer every email that comes my way." Wow! I can barely keep up with my own Facebook messages.17. Jimmy is an optimist.As he details in his last chapter, which is quite confessional, Jimmy has been through his fair share of struggles. But he has emerged from episodes that would have probably crushed other people, and his hopeful attitude pervades his book.18. Cool discussions on low carb arcana.Ever wonder whether it's better to go on a low carb or "zero" carb diet? Jimmy surveys a dozen low carb eminences about whether a zero carb diet is healthy or not. The debate will raise eyebrows. His book is packed with stuff like this, and that's why it makes a cool companion piece to your other low carb reading.19. Compelling arguments.Low carb diet results speak for themselves. If you've been on Atkins or a similar plan for a while, you know how great you feel when you're not spiking your insulin and blood sugar all the time.But just because the evidence is out there doesn't mean people are easily convinced. To the contrary! Jimmy does a great job here of essentially burying you with mountains of arguments, reports, analyses, and quotes. I cannot imagine that an objective, intelligent reader could get through this book and not be at least a little bit swayed.20. Jimmy's experience running his web empire is fascinating in and of itself.Don't care a stitch for the low-carb diet? Fine. Then read this to learn about Jimmy's tribulations with the Kimkins diet -- definitely an encounter from outer space.21. Higher quality than you expect from an independently-published book.For a non-physician independently publishing his own book on diet and nutrition, Jimmy did a remarkable job. Unique, high-quality science reporting and a personal story of triumph over adversity. What more do you need?

21 Life Lessons by Jimmy Moore is a very personal story describing how a "low carb lifestyle" can result not only in permanent, significant weight loss but also in living a longer, better healthier life.While there are many excellent books describing the benefits of "carb restriction," 21 Life Lessons is an intimate glimpse into the life of a "real person" who went from a 410 pound "walking time bomb" into a healthy-weight, very successful author, internet podcaster, and "low carb" blogger.In compelling fashion - and against major odds - Jimmy Moore highlights the ups and downs of his very contemporary, timely quest to overcome childhood abuse, social dislocation, food addiction, extreme obesity, and impending chronic disease - which together created a sick, fat man destined to die sooner than his time.The tipping point for Jimmy: Receiving Dr. Robert C. Atkins' New Diet Revolution as a Christmas gift in 2003 - and then he read it! As Jimmy emphasizes throughout his book, the media and the medical establishment bash Atkins, but few of the so called experts or media squires have actually read Atkins' book!Jimmy finished New Diet Revolution and on January 1, 2004, began his zero-carb two week induction into the Atkins' Diet. More than any other low carb lifestyle author, Jimmy gives much overdue credit to Dr. Robert Atkins for his pioneering effort to reduce disease by restoring America's traditional higher fat diet.Because Jimmy's 410 pound weary body was heavily addicted to sugar, January 1, 2004 was headache-filled - one of the worst days he could remember. But Jimmy persevered - he went carb cold turkey - and in just a few days began to experience fat-burning, high energy, and relief from decades of food addiction and depressive behavior.As you read 21 Life Lessons, the personal story deepens and reaches a poignant climax in Chapter 21 as Jimmy recounts the early death of Kevin Lee Moore, his "full blooded" beloved brother. Like a million other Americans today, Jimmy's brother Kevin had suffered terribly from carbohydrate-induced full spectrum Metabolic Syndrome: Obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, and heart failure.But the strength of 21 Life Lessons goes well beyond Jimmy's candor and willingness to share his mistakes, missteps, professional foibles, and painful family issues. The 472-page 21 Life Lessons includes a bevy of detailed, referenced clinical information to support and explain why and how a "carbohydrate restricted" lifestyle promotes not only permanent weight loss but also a longer, healthier life.Below are just a few examples of what you will learn reading 21 Life Lessons:* The metabolic advantages of a high fat - moderate protein - carb-restricted diet.* Why "Moderation" and "Balanced Diet" diet are deceptive, meaningless terms.* How excess easily-digested carbohydrates cause and accelerate chronic disease.* Why cutting calories and exercise (negative calorie balance) will not produce weight loss.* How ketosis - fat burning - is a safe, natural physiologically healthy process.* Why your doctors' cholesterol test is virtually meaningless.* Why LDL cannot be used as a separate measuring stick for heart disease.* Described as "rat poison," why sugar and high fructose corn syrup cannot be part of a healthy diet.* How the U.S. Dietary Guidelines are promoting diabetes and widespread childhood obesity.In Chapter 20, quoting personal trainer Fred Hahn, Jimmy Moore makes an impassioned case for addressing childhood obesity: "The longer we remain paralyzed on the issue of childhood obesity, the longer our children will suffer." This is an example of the generous use of quotations and referenced materials from other researchers and clinicians. Jimmy knows his stuff - he lost 180 pounds and kept it off - but he shares valuable, reliable clinical and scientific information from a wide variety of other sources.(When you complete 21 Life Lessons, you will value it as an important reference book as well.)Like Atkins' New Diet Revolution and Gary Taubes Good Calories Bad Calories, Jimmy Moore's 21 Life Lessons will become an American classic. Years from now - when the low fat Dietary Guidelines are seen for what they are - Nutritional Catastrophe - Jimmy Moore will be known for his courage and grace - and for the bright light he put forth highlighting the critically important long term benefits of "Livin La Vida Low Carb."