Jimmy points out that evaluating success on a diet goes beyond a number on a scale.
"I know people are enamored by weight loss, but that's perhaps the least interesting way to measure how well you are doing in your nutritional plan," he says. "Yes, I lost 180 pounds in 2004 on the Atkins diet, saving me from being a 400+ pound man on three prescription medications for high cholesterol, high blood pressure and breathing problems."
However, Jimmy notes, "coming off of all those drugs and permanently shifting my thinking on food forever has been the lasting impact of that experience. Nevermore will I look at sugar, grains, starch or fat in the same way ever again."
As a result of his weight loss, Jimmy feels empowered. "I know what those foods do to me when I eat them and that knowledge is incredible power that far too many people have lost control of in this day and age."
He also believes in paying it forward. "Helping educate people on what real food is perhaps for the first time in their entire lives is now my life's mission to help them avoid the morbid obesity and chronic disease that once plagued me and hundreds of millions more around the world today," Jimmy stated.
As part of that education, Jimmy emphasizes to others that they need to let go of their fear of fats. To those who translate low carb diets as food plans that are high in protein, he clarifies: "Actually, a well-formulated low-carb diet is never one that is high in protein. When you cut the carbohydrates, the macronutrient that you shift to is dietary fat. Protein in this context is relatively moderate."
To help others achieve their own low-carb success, Jimmy has co-authored a book to be released in August. Available for pre-order now, it's entitled "Keto Clarity: Your Definitive Guide to the Benefits of a Low-Carb, High-Fat Diet." His co-author is Dr. Eric Westman, who also contributed to "New Atkins for a New You: The Ultimate Diet for Shedding Weight and Feeling Great."
In "Keto Clarity," the duo explain how to find "your own personal carbohydrate tolerance level, your individual protein threshold, and then unlimited monounsaturated and saturated fats to satiety as the key to making this work for you well. There is no one set of fixed percentages or ratios that will work for everyone. You have to tinker and tweak it for you to make it right."
Jimmy has done his own tinkering with his diet and found that an 80% fat, 15% protein, and 5% carbohydrate diet provides him with "the results I desire in not just my weight control, but also in the health benefits of being in a state of ketosis, including hunger control, mood stability, improved memory, robust energy and so much more."
And if Jimmy has one message for those struggling to lose weight, it's this:
Be kind to yourself. I am so saddened by all the self-hate I see floating around out there on the Internet from people who think they have done something wrong because a machine fails to validate the choices they have made. Become your own validator, say POSITIVE things about yourself, bring people into your life who will uplifting you, not bring you down. There's enough ugliness in this world already and being hard on yourself just adds one more layer of "stuff" that you gotta overcome if you're ever going to be successful at getting your weight and health back in line again.For those who want additional reading recommendations, Jimmy recommends:
- Calories - "The Calorie Myth: How to Eat More, Exercise Less, Lose Weight, and Live Better" by Jonathan Bailor
- Dangers of Whole Grains - "Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth about Wheat, Carbs, and Sugar--Your Brain's Silent Killers" by Dr. David Perlmutter and "Wheat Belly: Lose the Wheat, Lose the Weight, and Find Your Path Back to Health" by Dr. William Davis
- Saturated Fat - "Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health" and "The Big Fat Surprise: Why Butter, Meat and Cheese Belong in a Healthy Diet" by Nina Teicholz
- Elimination Diets - "It Starts with Food: Discover the Whole30 and Change Your Life in Unexpected Ways" by Dallas and Melissa Hartwig
- Paleo - "Practical Paleo: A Customized Approach to Health and a Whole-Foods Lifestyle" by Diane Sanfilippo and The Paleo Solution by Robb Wolf
- Sugar - "The 21-Day Sugar Detox: Bust Sugar & Carb Cravings Naturally" by Diane Sanfilippo and "Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease" by Dr. Robert Lustig
- Living Low-Carb - "The Art And Science of Low Carbohydrate Living" by Dr. Stephen Phinney and Dr. Jeff Volek (Note: You can read my in-depth interview with Dr. Phinney on low carb high fat ketogenic diets by clicking here)
Comment: For a summary of Jimmy Moore's experiences, watch Jimmy Moore - Nutritional Ketosis. See also The Ketogenic Diet - An Overview