Tom Naughton talks with me about healthy low-carb living
From time to time, I’m asked by my fellow low-carb and health bloggers and podcasters if they could interview me about the work I’m doing with my various “Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb” projects. I consider it the highest form of respect and admiration when a peer recognizes the impact of your contributions towards the subject you are most passionate about. Here are a few that have happened over the past couple of years, including with Laura Dolson from the About.com Low-Carb Diets web site, Atkins Nutritionals, Mark Sisson from “Mark’s Daily Apple,” Connie Bennett from the “Stop Sugar Shock” podcast and Dr. Jonny Bowden.
I have another one to share with you today from my friend Tom Naughton who you might know better as the creator of the hilariously funny and informative new documentary film about the healthy benefits of low-carb eating called FAT HEAD. He recently took me up on my suggestion that he start blogging and he’s a real natural at it with his comedic background (not that his background is funny and all, but that he makes a living making people laugh–oh nevermind!).
Tom asked if he could interview me for his new blog site and I was happy to do so. The man certainly knows how to ask some outstanding questions and he got me to share about what it was like weighing over 400 pounds, what I did to try to lose weight before low-carb, why I didn’t become as enthusiastic about low-fat diets after losing triple digits on that method in 1999, how low-carb was different than the other diets I had tried in the past, and much, much more! Today he posted Part 1 of the interview.
Here’s just a little taste of Part 1 of Tom’s interview with me:
Jimmy’s blog is about to celebrate its fourth anniversary. Think about how much work that is: four years of almost-daily writing, bi-weekly podcasting, and video production. Now think about all the people who’ve benefitted. Just recently, the composer for Fat Head emailed me that a Livin’ La Vida Low-Carb podcast show helped him realize he was suffering from vitamin D deficiency. He added some vitamin D to his daily supplements, and now the aches and pains that were bothering him so much are gone.
I’m not going to write about Jimmy’s amazing journey from being a morbidly obese man to a happy, healthy blogger who has inspired so many others to follow his lead, because I’d rather you hear it from Jimmy himself. I asked a lot of questions for the interview, so I’m going to post it in two parts. Today, most of the questions are about Jimmy’s battles trying to lose weight — and how he finally succeeded. Tomorrow, we’ll focus more on his career as a top blogger.
Just over five years ago, you weighed more than 400 pounds. What was your quality of life back in those days? How did you feel in your day-to-day activities?
Thanks, Tom! Those are questions I’ve been asked about often since my Atkins low-carb weight loss success in 2004, and I shudder when I think about what my life was like before I started livin’ la vida low-carb. Quality of life? Survival. And it was LITERALLY trying to make it from day to day without ripping another pair of overpriced Big & Tall store pants, wheezing from breathing problems, worrying about my high cholesterol and high blood pressure making me keel over with a heart attack any day now, feeling like everybody was staring at me because I’m “the fat guy,” and genuinely wondering why I ever got to be in this situation that seemed to be so permanent.
I’m sure many people who are or have been morbidly obese in their lifetime can relate to the helpless, hopeless feeling of being trapped inside of your own body with no way out. It was miserable — although I always tried to keep a happy face to conceal the deep-seated pain I was feeling.
I don’t know any fat people who haven’t tried to lose weight, and I’m sure you did too. What kind of diets did you try, and what kind of results did you get?
CLICK HERE to read Part 1 of the interview in its entirety.
In Part 2, Tom will get into some really interesting subjects like how I transitioned my blog from a fun hobby into a career path, where the idea for a podcast show came from, what a typical day in the life looks like for me, what the best and worst parts of my job are, and the enormous impact my work is having on the lives of real people. I answered all of his questions as honestly as I possibly could and some of them might just surprise you. Go check it out at Tom Naughton’s FAT HEAD blog! I appreciate the opportunity to share more about what I do on behalf of healthy low-carb living.
4-14-09 UPDATE: Tom has posted Part 2 today. ENJOY!
