Several years back, I wrote a proposal for a book about long-term low carb success. Sadly, no publisher picked up the proposal -- this was at the height of "low carb is dead" -- so the project died a-borning.

In the process of writing the proposal, however, I put out the word for people to let me know about their long-term low carb success, or lack thereof, and what they felt the contributing factors were. Two things rose above all else as the make-or-break influences on low carb success.

In the Ancel Keys thread, Sandy Lee writes:

I just can't understand why the powers that be can't restudy, re-view and re-evaluate such nonsense!! Why won't main stream just turn around and say YES the obesity problem is due to SUGARS and such useless carbs Period!.

Granted, there is now a push to get rid of corn syrups in everything and a push toward more fiber/whole grains and no trans fats, all great steps, but just rip that old band aid off and face up to the Whole Truth??? NOW

Calling all low carbers anywhere in driving distance of Bloomington, Indiana! Jimmy and Christine Moore will be in the area the weekend of August 7th, and we've decided to hold a low carb meet-and-greet at my home. Low carb blogger Amy Dungan is coming, too!

We'll be sampling Zevia and Blue Sky Free, we'll have snacks from CarbSmart, we'll be recording for my up-coming radio show, and just generally having a good time. Saturday, August 7th, from 1-4.

So That Nice Boy I Married and I went to the county fair yesterday evening, and had a very nice time. We saw all the lovely beasts -- horses and goats and sheep and cows and bunnies, and lots and lots of chickens. We want more chickens! We were looking at all the pretty breeds and trying to decide what sorts we'd like to add to the flock next year.

This weekend I posted a link to an article by a Dr. Duane Graveline, regarding the possibility that statins, particularly Lipitor, might cause ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) or something virtually indistinguishable from it.

That Nice Boy I Married and I are going to the county fair this afternoon. As you are no doubt aware, county fairs are Festivals Of Bad Food: Funnel cakes, elephant ears, deep fried Snickers bars, soft-serve ice cream, caramel corn, cotton candy, soda, lemonade and "shake-em-ups" by the tanker-full. Even many of the things that started out with some nutritional value, like pork tenderloin, get dipped in batter, fried in questionable oils, and slapped on a big white-flour bun.

A truly terrifying account by a doctor about his personal experience with Lipitor, and his informed medical opinion about what it has done to him. You have to read this.

Two reprint articles up at Carb Smart, one about convenience foods, and one about pork rinds. Recipes in both!

Okay, I'm totally hooked on making my own sugar-free chocolate. I admit I still think Valor 70% Dark Sugar Free is the best sugar-free chocolate I've ever had, and Guylian's Sugar Free Dark is nearly as amazing. But my homemade sugar-free chocolate has some advantages, not the least of which is: It is fart-free.

A long, cool drink isn’t just one of the pleasures of summer, it’s a necessity! But the average American takes in a frightening amount of sugar in beverages. There’s nearly 1/4 cup of sugar in a 12 ounce can of soda, and even more, albeit natural, sugar in many fruit juices.

My computer ate my blog post. I was a good four or five paragraphs in, hit "save," and instead my computer just... ate it. It's gone. I have to start over. And it's 8:34 pm; I'm not going to be able to rewrite the article I was planning by time to go to bed.

I'll pull out a back article and post it, and start over tomorrow.

Does the name Ancel Keys mean anything to you?

My local paper ran a story today about how unemployment is higher in our county than it's been since 1990. On paper, the economy is improving, but most of us are still broke. Times are tough all over, and I pretty commonly get asked "How can I afford to eat low carb?" Part of the answer, of course, is eat chicken leg-and-thigh quarters, chuck steak, hamburger, pork steaks, eggs, cabbage, block cheese, and other reliably cheap but low carb and nutritious food. (Also that food that makes you tired, fat, sick and hungry wouldn't be cheap if they were giving it away.) We do all this.

I got an unsubscribe request from the blog digest today, accompanied by this pithy critique: You use way too much commercial junk in your recipes. Yuk!

I'm only human; I toyed briefly with the idea of sending back an email saying "Sorry you don't find the blog worth what you pay for it." But then I thought, "Hmmm. Do I use too much commercial junk?"

T. Colin Campbell's book The China Study has been widely touted as the ultimate proof that animal foods are bad and plant foods are good. I have remained unconcerned, but if the foofooraw about The China Study has given you pause at all about your low carb, animal food-heavy diet, you need to read this long but truly wonderful critique by Denise Minger.