9 Week Update

Yes, as usual I’ve been a little slack in posting updates, OK more than a little.  But hopefully you’ll forgive me for my procrastination.  I’ll do better, just wait and see!

Yesterday marks 9 weeks that I’ve been recommitted to the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.  I restarted at 267 pounds and weighed in at 248 yesterday, so I’ve dropped 19 pounds in those nine weeks.  I’m very encouraged by those numbers since I’ve averaged a touch over 2 pounds a week.  I’ve been ‘cheat-free’ the entire nine weeks and as a matter of fact, that’s the only way I’ve ever been able to be successful at losing weight.  It’s an all or nothing approach for me, maybe you can do moderation and if you can, well more power to you.  The ‘Just One Taste’ mentality has always gotten me into trouble so I just choose to not go there at all.

And the longer I stay on plan, the more momentum I build that in turn increases my chance of successfully reaching my goal.  And, no, even then I realize I won’t be able to go back to eating the foods from my ‘Super-Carb’ days.  If you notice I use the term Low-Carb Nutritional Lifestyle quite often, because I realize that it is just that, a lifestyle.  And I’m daily trying to hammer that into my head.  Creating some new healthy habits.

One of the most encouraging things at this point is that the pain in my joints, especially my ankles, is probably 80% better than it was.  Maybe from the pounds gone and maybe from lessing swelling and fluid around the joints.  Not sure what has produced the good results but I’m pretty darn happy about it.  Now I can get out and begin walking some.  It’s my kind of exercise and it’s good for relaxing the mind as well.  If all goes well in the next few months I’d like to resume hiking once again.  I love heading to the mountains for a day on the trails and that has now become a goal for me.

Another encouraging event was being able to wear a suit yesterday that I hadn’t worn in over seven months!  That’s the kind of stuff that really builds momentum for future success.  My jeans are getting somewhat baggy so I’ve actually been out looking at some new jeans and cargo pants and will probably buy a new pair or two in the near future.  Anywho, I just wanted to give everyone a quick update and will write again as soon as possible.

There Really is Life Without Donuts

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

After 3 Weeks….

I said I felt like I needed 21 days of good clean LC induction to get me back on course.  Well, I’m happy to report that I’ve got that accomplishment behind me….and a little less behind!  I didn’t set any weight loss speed records but I’m happier than a pig in slop that my scale shows a 9 pound weight loss in those 21 days.  At least I ain’t in the gaining mode and my aching ankles have thanked me for that.  And I didn’t have to terrorize my Sunday-go-to-meeting-pants this morning in order to get in em’.  And my jeans have lost their attitude as well.

It’s a start….a darn good start!  It’s three weeks of momentum that I desperately needed to propel me into the success stream.  The sugar/carb cravings have pretty much subsided but the emotional temptations still try to rear their ugly head occasionally, but they’ll always be hiding in the most unlikely places.  That’s when I have to have a little chat with myself and remind myself why I’m doing this.  Not just to lose pounds, but to be able to wear clothes that fit and to get rid of joint pain and to improve my overall health.

What’s your tips for staying on plan?  How do you kick yourself in the pants and remind yourself why you’re doing this?

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

I’m Back! Hope You’re Still Here!

Time to dust off the old notepad, knock down the cob-webs and start blogging again.  I’ve had several faithful friends and followers of this blog send me some really nice messages wondering when I’m going to start writing about my low-carb journey again.  That’s been a real encouragement so here I am to bring y’all up to speed on what’s been going on with The Former Donut Junkie since I posted last August.

I’m thinking I may try to shorten my posts a bit.  Easier said than done, as I have a tendency to ramble at times.  OK, most times.  Seriously, I’m not a doctor, scientist, nutritionist or other dietary professional and don’t have much of an interest in writing about the technical aspects of the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.  I’ll leave that up to lots of other extremely knowledgeable bloggers to which I’ll link to occasionally when I find something that interests me and hopefully you.  My interest is to write about my day-to-day LC journey in a fun, casual, lighthearted way because that’s just how I am in the everyday real world.

So, thanks to all of you that are still following me and I will be filling you in on all the gory details soon.   I’m really trying hard to keep things short and informative.  Miracles still happen.

There Really is Life Without Donuts

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

Rewind — “Willpower Doesn’t Work! Strategy Does!”

Rewind — This is a post I wrote nearly two years ago and after going back and reading it again I felt like it needed to be shared once again.  It’s even more relevant to my situation today than it was at the time of the original post.  Let me know your thoughts on it and your ideas you use to implement successful strategies into the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.

Willpower Doesn’t Work!  Strategy Does!

First of all, eating low-carb means you don’t go around hungry all the time, unlike low-fat/low-cal.  Matter of fact, eating to fullness is one of the keys to success of low-carb in contrast to calorie counting and portion control with so many other diets.  I can say that, for me personally, the satiety factor was one of the most appealing points of the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.  The one thing that stuck in my mind was when a friend who had been extremely successful with his low-carb weight loss told me, “this is the first diet I’ve ever done that hasn’t left me going around hungry all the time.”

Willpower, as related to dieting, implies that it is the power of one’s will that is the force used to resist eating restricted food and/or super-sized portions.  Now most of us know just how strong our dieting will, or resolve, is until hunger is gnawing at your backbone and we are standing face-to-face with the forbidden fruit.  It’s when that double chocolate donut is staring us down that we become weak-kneed and our will power goes out the window.  I’ve experienced it dozens of times and so have you.  And I am weary of the advice of the skinny folks who always get preachy with their “you just need to use a little willpower” line.  Fact is, plain and simple, I don’t have any willpower when it comes to sugary, carb-laden treats.

So, what’s the answer?  How do we win?  If willpower doesn’t work, then what does?

Strategy, strategy, strategy!  Just like in real estate it’s location, location, location.  I can’t emphasize STRATEGY enough!  It can’t be said enough and most of all it can’t be practiced enough.  Strategy has helped me to win over many a donut.  And strategy will help you to win over the foods that tempt you the most.  So, what is this strategy thing Former Donut Junkie?  I’m glad you asked.

First of all, you already have a low-carb plan.  That plan is either Atkins, Protein Power, South Beach or some other flavor or variation of low-carb.  The plan is basically the science behind what makes low-carb work accompanied by a “list of legal foods”.  It’s imperative to know what foods are permissible if you are to succeed.  And most of us have the “list” memorized just like we memorized our multiplication tables in elementary school.  It’s not the “list” that’s the problem.  It’s the “how-to” stick to that “list” that throws most of us a curve.  Strategy is that “how-to”.  You have a plan, now you need a strategy to implement that plan.  Actually, we need several strategies.  Let’s talk about a few.

Search & Destroy! The first strategy is to search your house for ALL the foods that are not on your “list of legal foods” and destroy them.  Well, you could give them away.  But the Search & Destroy just sounds a bit more militant and that’s what it’s going to take to win.  At any rate, getting rid of ALL the tempting foods will remove them from your sight and you won’t need any willpower to resist them, cause they won’t be there to talk to ya!

Make a Grocery List! And stick to it!  Don’t go to the grocery store just to “look around”, especially when you initially start low-carbing.  In other words, you’re removing the temptation by not even looking at it.  And if you haven’t noticed, on low-carb you will rarely ever go down the “inner aisles” of your super-market.  You’ll be much healthier if you stick to the outer perimeter of the grocery store.  Vegetables, meat and dairy — whole, real foods!  Now isn’t that simple?  And it’ll keep you out of a lot of trouble too.

Plan Ahead! OK, this is a big one!  As a super-carber I was so used to just picking up whatever “food-like-substance” I wanted and shoving it down my throat — totally impulsive and emotional eating.  That will NOT work with low-carb.  You’ve got to PLAN!  What I mean is that you’ve got to decide not only what you’re going to eat today, but for the next few days, so you can buy it and have it on hand.  If it’s frozen, you need to lay it out to thaw.  You’re trying to prevent going to the kitchen and looking around for “something” you can eat.  Cook ahead of time.  Have it prepared or have it ready to prepare.  And you can even keep low-carb snacks on hand just in case you get caught in a situation where you need a little something to eat until you get your meal prepared.  You get the idea.

Don’t Party Hungry! We all worry about what will be served in social situations — especially parties and dinners.  Most of the time we have a pretty good idea if there will be enough low-carb food there to survive on.  If I have the slightest inkling that there won’t be, I just simply eat before I go.  I’d rather fill up on some good burgers or steak beforehand and not face the temptation of the sugary, carb-laden treats.  It’s amazing how repulsive cake can look if you’re full of good low-carb food.  And all the time, your friends will be going around wondering how you can have that kind of willpower.  Secretly, you’ll know it’s not willpower at all…it’s strategy!

Get Some Support! It’s unlikely that you’ll find a lot of folks in your world who will celebrate your new low-carb nutritional lifestyle.  What you will find is the world seems to be filled with naysayers.  What to do?  Join an online low-carb support forum.  I don’t know of any better than Jimmy Moore’s Livin’ La Vida Low Carb Discussion.  You’ll find it’s friendly atmosphere is only exceeded by all the helpful folks who will be more than happy to answer your questions, encourage and inspire you.  I can’t say enough about the importance of this strategy that I have previously blogged about.

Conclusion. OK, there’s five strategies to get you started.  There’s lots more that you can come up with on your own and I encourage you to do so.  You’ll find that the more strategies you have, the easier is the road to success.  Let me know in the comments below what strategies you use that have proven effective.  I look forward to hearing from you.

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

So, You Couldn’t Find Me In the Obituaries…

That’s because I’m still alive and kickin’.  For those of you who are still following me on your blog reader, I apologize that I’ve so neglected my bloggin’.  So, what’s the story you ask?  It’s been seven long months since I’ve posted an update, so I’ll try to bring you up to speed on what’s been going on in my low-carb world.  Actually, I’m gonna’ try to give you the Reader’s Digest version (I’m bad about being way too long winded at times….OK, most of the time).

I can sum up the last seven months in one word.  Struggle.  Not a struggle losing weight, but a struggle staying “on-plan”.  When I’m “on-plan” I can lose weight.  On July 1st of this year I just passed my 3 year low-carb anniversary.  The first two years I stayed “on-plan” really well, but the past year has been quite the challenge.  I can’t nail down any one particular cause, however, I feel like there have been several contributing factors.  Some of which I can change and some of which I may not be able to change.

I lost 65 pounds total doing low-carb in the first year and a half or so.  No, I haven’t gained it all back.  I have however put back on about 25 pounds of it.  And now I’m starting over, again!  I’m being totally open, transparent and honest here folks.  I’ve had multiple restarts over the past seven months.  The good news is I’ve not given up and I’m still trying to make low-carb a lifestyle.  As a matter of fact, I feel like my nutritional thinking has indeed improved since the low-carb knowledge I’ve gained always comes to mind with every food decision I make.  Even though I’ve made some poor eating decisions I still know low-carb works for me…when I work it!

Van Crouch once said, “You’re not finished when you’re defeated…you’re finished when you quit!”  I’ve thought of that so many times.  The good news is, I’ve not quit.  I’m getting back up and trying it again.  I cannot blame my temporary defeat on anyone but myself.  I hate the blame game.  I’m once again taking the information I’ve armed myself with over the past three years and reinforcing my determination to succeed at the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.

Why am I telling y’all all this?  Why am I spilling my guts about it to the world?  I feel like it helps me to write about it, but I feel like it helps some of y’all who are also struggling with staying “on-plan”.  I never want to portray myself as the poster child for low-carb weight loss.  We all need to realize we’re all human and all subject to the same weaknesses and temptations.  So, I’ll be telling you more and talking to you about the whole subject of “struggling”.  Like I said, I don’t want to wear you out with a long winded post.  Matter of fact, I think I would be better off writing shorter posts more often than trying to write a novel.  Feel free to leave your comments and I’ll write again soon.

There Really Is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

Starting Over: Week 1 Update

“The second day of a diet is always the easiest…because you’re off of it by then!”

Don’t we all know those words all too well?  Most of us who struggle with our weight have been on more diets than we can recount and lost enough pounds that we should be totally gone from the planet by now.  Well, the good news is that I whizzed past day two like it never existed when I restarted my low-carb nutritional lifestyle again.  So I thought I’d post an update after completing the first week.

What I’ve typically found is that if I can eat clean for three days straight it gives me the momentum to keep on going.  All us dieters have all have multiple starts and restarts and that’s not necessarily a bad thing and I’ll tell you why just a little later.  Some restarts lasted and some bit the dust so quick it was pathetic.  I’ve found that the times I’ve started or restarted a diet and been successful at it, I’ve had a really solid motivational factor behind it.  In July ’07  I got serious about the low-carb nutritional lifestyle because…I was tired of hurting!  I knew I needed to drop some pounds but that hadn’t been enough to motivate me.  It was when my feet and ankles hurt so bad I could hardly bear to walk that I said, “enough is enough”.  Pain can indeed be a great motivator!  So I stuck with low-carb until I dropped 60 pounds.

But as I stated in an earlier post the last six to nine months have been a struggle for me to stay on plan.  You know the drill.  You begin to allow a bite or two of things that aren’t really that bad, then you allow more and more off-plan foods until you begin to put a few pounds back on.  Recently I could feel the pain start to return to my feet and ankles so once again I decided enough was enough!  And so I cleaned up my act and started induction all over one more time.  I’ve had several false-starts in the last nine months but I feel really good about this one.

So, how am I doing with my first week behind me?  I’m glad you asked!  I had a very, very good first week back on plan.  I’ve eaten very clean.  Induction foods.  And I was handsomely rewarded for it when I stepped on the scale this past Sunday morning.  Down 6 pounds in the first seven days!  Now as everyone knows that rate of weight loss can’t be sustained for the long term, but it’s a great motivator to keep on the straight and narrow right on into week two.  That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it!

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

What’s Happened to The Former Donut Junkie?

Well, I know that’s a question many of you have been asking, so I thought “I’ve kept these poor folks in suspense long enough.”  OK….it’s really way too long!  I just realized it’s been nearly nine months since I’ve updated my blog.  That’s not a good thing for a blogger since most folks give up on ya’ after such an eternity of being MIA.  I know most of you are wondering if I’m still doing low-carb and even more of you are wondering if I’m still The Former Donut Junkie indeed.  Or have I returned to my old way of life, “fallen off the wagon” as some may say?  Uh…to be truthful there’s not an easy yes or no answer to those questions so I plan to take some time and tell ya’ what life has been like the past nine months or so.

No, I’m not hangin’ out at donut shops like I once did in my previous carb-overloaded life.  And I’m still working at the low-carb lifestyle which I believe so much in and worked so well for me.  So look for a post or two real soon with all the gory details.

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

Where In The World is The Former Donut Junkie?

I know that’s the question everyone is asking…and rightly so.  And, NO, I haven’t fallen off the wagon!  I’m still a low-carb fan-boy and loving it!  It’s just that life kinda derailed my blogging and forum posting for…WOW….over a month now!

Things got hectic during the Christmas holidays with my church and social calendar, so there went the last half of December.  Then we had an Artic Cold Wave move into the area and being in the plumbing business…well, you probably already know the rest of the story.  Folks who were ill prepared for single digit temperatures were calling every plumber in town to try to get their burst/broken pipes repaired and their water back on.  So, that’s kinda what’s happened the month of January.

Anywho, I’m planning to jump start the old Life Without Donuts blog once again and pump out some more LC news you can use.  And of course, it just wouldn’t be complete with some homespun humor, tall-tales, whoppers and other useless drivel.  All of us have some kind of gift ya’ know.  Not sure what mine really is….not even sure what I wanna be when I grow up.

And thanks to all of you fine folks who’ve written me as to my whereabouts and with those wonderful words of encouragement.

I’m now at 226 pounds, which brings me to 62 pounds lost since July 1, 2008.  That’s right, it’s taken me nearly nineteen months to get that far, but that’s OK.  It’s really helped me to turn LC into a lifestyle…the healthiest lifestyle I’ve ever experienced in my 55+ years on this planet.  Bacon Cheeseburgers….ah….it just don’t get any better than that!  Especially when you’re losing pounds eating ’em!

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

Overcoming The Deprivation Mindset — Part 4

LINKS: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

When It Comes to Food….Thinking Like a Child WILL Destroy You!

One of the core messages of The Thin Commandments Diet is the need to abandon childhood food thinking.

“Adult behavior is about making choices.  Only children think they can have it all.  And if they don’t, they are therefore deprived.”  ~~Dr. Stephen Gullo

As a child I was raised to have pretty much anything I wanted to eat, anytime I wanted it, and in any amount I wanted.  My mother was an excellent cook and even a better baker!  It wasn’t the fried chicken, meatloaf and green beans that me me fat.  It was the unrestricted access to the homemade cakes, pies, cookies, biscuits and cornbread that piled on the pounds.  My life as a child did not include any boundaries or limits when it came to food, so when I grew into an adult, I still had childish thinking concerning food.  I not only wanted it ALL, I expected it ALL, and I got it ALL!

I now realize just how childish it is to think that I can have unlimited access to ANY and ALL foods without destructive consequences.  I now look at foods that “don’t work for me” in a whole new light.  I still think about the five minutes of pleasure that a donut or other sugary, carb-laden treat can bring, but I also think about the years of problems that those five minutes can create!  Realizing the long-term consequences causes me to win out over the temporary pleasure almost every single time!

The fact is, almost all of those foods that “don’t work for me” are “trigger foods”.  Foods that start the craving cycle all over again.  They are the sugary, carb-laden treats that taste absolutely wonderful, but are essentially a non-nutrient.  As Dr. Atkins said, “The ‘just this one taste’ rationalization is indeed the ‘kiss of death’ to the success of this journey to healthy living!” So right there is reason number one to leave the stuff alone.  I, for one, remember the power of sugar-induced cravings and I ain’t going back there!  It’s easier for me to “Just Say NO” than to just have a taste!

Denial is NOT the cause of binging, in my opinion; it is rather the continual and repeated ‘tasting’ of trigger foods that is the cause of binging!  So the next time I pass up a donut, don’t try to convince me that I’m deprived, ’cause I’m gonna’ have to ask you, “deprived of what…uncontrollable cravings?” “I don’t think so!” After 50+ years, I think my adult brain is finally kicking in.

Cravings make us “Food Hostages”…then convince you that you are deprived without that food!  Refuse to be “hostages to a piece of food, taking orders from cravings and suffering froom a gnawing feeling that we’re missing out on something,” states Dr. Gullo.

Learn How to Talk Back to Yourself!

So, tell me again how a donut is a treat!  If it consistently triggers overeating and endless uncontrollable cravings, then it’s NOT a treat….it’s an enemy!  That’s when I begin to tell myself things like, “I don’t like it well enough to wear it…All they’ve ever done for me is made me fat…refuse to be held hostage by a Donut!” I am sooooo done with the deprivation mindset!  It has nearly killed me!

Now, I know I’m not the only one who talks to themselves.  Sometimes that’s the only way to have an intelligent conversation, so they say.  For real, you don’t have to do it out loud, but next time you find yourself faced with some forbidden food that’s screaming your name, think about the consequences, not the momentary pleasures…then tell yourself off!  Instead of telling yourself all the reasons you should eat it…tell yourself all the reasons you WON’T eat it!  Talk Back to Yourself!!!

Here’s a couple of examples.  “I’m missing out on the fun…What fun?  You had that junk for years and it didn’t make you happy, it only made you fat!”  “Everybody’s eating it…True or not, you’ve already had enough for three lifetimes, now Shut-Up!”  “What’s wrong with just one taste…It’s like an ex-smoker lighting up a cigarette, and besides, it’s the Kiss of Death to your success!”  “I’ve just gotta’ have it…Do you gotta’ have it bad enough to wear it?”  “It’s soooo hard resisting this stuff…Yeah, but being fat is harder!”

It may seem silly at first, but the more you say it, the more it will become a conditioned response, and the more convincing you will be to yourself.  Remember, you learned the deprivation mindset, now let’s learn the Winning Mindset!  Dr. Gullo even recommends making and listening to a tape or CD with positive messages that reinforce your successful weight control strategies.  You can also write some of these messages and strategies on Post-It-Notes and post them where you will see them often.

Why Should Anyone on Low-Carb Feel Deprived?

The low-carb nutritional lifestyle is just the best if you ask me!  It’s loaded with foods that are rich in flavor, extremely filling and very healthy.  It’s hard for me to feel deprived when I eat foods like steak, chicken, pork roast, pork chops, ham, sausage, bacon, eggs, broccoli, asparagus, spinach, Caesar salad, cheese, butter, real mayonnaise, heavy cream and fruit, just to name a few.  With food choices like that, I feel like those poor souls who are eating all that “carb-age” are the ones who are deprived!

I just can’t feel sorry for myself eating low-carb.  But I still know that I could end up in a tempting situation, so I’m trying my very best to prepare myself to be vigilant and always prepared to respond in a winning way.

I encourage all my fellow low-carb friends to, first of all, do everything you can to reinforce the positive benefits of low-carb in your own mind.  Secondly, stop thinking like a child when it comes to food!  And start making smart food choices like an adult — thinking about consequences and not just about a moment of pleasure.

By the way, this is the last in this series!  Aren’t you glad?

I Am Soooo Done With The Deprivation Mindset!  And I Hope You Are Too!

LINKS: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie

My Low-Carb Progress Update — November 2008 — With Pics

I’ve been writing all kinds of posts about my favorite low-carb subject…dealing with our emotional and thought life concerning our nutritional lifestyle choices.  I suddenly realized that I hadn’t posted an update of my progress for those of you who are curious to see if I’ve lost or gained weight, or just maintained.

I’ve now been commited to the low-carb nutritional lifestyle for a total of seventeen months [started July 2007].  I started out at my highest lifetime weight of 288, which is a lot for my 5′-8″ height.  As of today the scale is reading 228.  That’s a total of 60 pounds gone!  That’s a total of 45 dozen donuts GONE!  That sixty pounds was like carrying a large child around all the time.  And I can tell a big difference.

But the pounds gone are only part of the benefits I’ve realized from the low-carb nutritional lifestyle.  There are health benefits and then there are just some practical benefits and advantages that one doesn’t often think of.  So, I’ll try to give you the short list so I won’t bore you to death.

Health wise, indigestion, gas, bloating and acid reflux are now practically non-existent.  Maybe that’s TMI, but the fact is, low-carb is just the healthiest way of eating for the digestive system so far as I’m concerned.  My blood pressure is coming down as more pounds come off and I hope to be completely off BP meds one day.  And my feet and ankles no longer ache like they once did.  I can now walk as far as I want to without getting short of breath.  I sleep better at night.

But here’s my list of a few of the other benefits that I really never considered when I started my weight loss.

• I can now easily fit into a restaurant booth.  I hated the embarrassment and stares of disgust.
• I can get down in the floor and play with my grand kids.
• I can ride the rides at amusement parks without the embarrassment of not “fitting in the seat”.
• I no longer have to shop at the “Big & Tall Men’s Shop”.
• Donut shops no longer get most of my hard earned bucks.
• It’s much easier for me to do my job — I’m a plumber and plumbing is never in easy places to get to.

I’m not done yet!  Probably the biggest benefit that I’m enjoying, which took me totally by surprise, is the fact that my world no longer revolves around food!  To be totally honest, I never really believed this was possible.  I’d heard folks say they didn’t think about food that much, but I didn’t really believe them.  But recently it just hit me one day that my thought life no longer was consumed with the thought of food.  I was no longer planning my next meal or snack before I finished the one I was eating.  I was no longer planning my next binge.  Visions of donuts and other sugary carb-laden treats were no longer dancing around in my head.  I suddenly realized that I was indeed free from my sugar addiction…that it was indeed a real possiblity.  Folks, you gotta’ realize I had a decades long sugar addiction.  But the fact is I’m free from it and you can be too.

I’ll write more about the sugar and carb addiction later, but I just wanted you to know how happy I am with the low-carb nutritional lifestyle regardless of all the naysayers out there.  They got here just a little to late to convince me that it’s unhealthy or doesn’t work.  Here’s a couple of pics…a “Before” and a “During”.  I’ve still got a goal of losing another 40 pounds and I’m not setting a target date to reach that goal.  Losing at a little slower rate than I expected has actually worked as an advantage to help me turn low-carb into the lifestyle that it is.

July 2007

November 2008

OK, for those who are wondering about what I’m doing standing in front of a donut shop in my “During” pic, this was taken on my birthday.  Some of you might even recognize this as being in Gatlinburg, TN.  We were out with some friends and I just had to have a pic in front of this sign to post on my blog.  And, NO, I didn’t eat the donuts, but I did buy a couple of new coffee cups.

There Really is Life Without Donuts!

Ron, aka The Former Donut Junkie