I am Angela, 27-year-old, from Switzerland. I was diagnosed with coeliac disease, IBS, chronic migraines.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
I lived a pretty healthy and active life. I grew up as a daughter in a farmers family and was outdoor all the time with my brothers, doing sports, helping our parents or doing other fun things.
In my teens, I suffered from bulimia due to some comments from some people in my class at school about my body. It has to be said compared to my female schoolmates I looked a lot more like a woman than a girl/ kid because I started puberty pretty early. However, one day it just clicked that what I was doing was harmful, so I stopped and making myself sick is not something that I do anymore. As life moved on, my digestive issues started and after being diagnosed with coeliac disease. So I started to eat a grain and gluten-free diet with no lactose because they also diagnosed a secondary intolerance of lactose, but this has improved and mostly disappeared until now. Unfortunately, my digestive issues became worse, after following the diet my health still declined. I tried many diets over the years after that, numerous supplements and more than 2 years of being nourished through tubes. I then read about ketogenic diet and how it could improve digestive issues, migraines, and overall health. After a lot of research, I consulted with my doctor, and I tried it. I have to be really careful with what I try, because of my coeliac disease.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
After starting keto I noticed many benefits, unfortunately not gain weight like I hoped. My digestive issues still didn’t go away and I did a lot of experimenting. I noticed that my issues become worse after eating veggies. I noticed this because I would eat a lot more veggies at night, and this was well my digestive issues was the worst. So I researched into it because I thought fruit and vegetables were important. I told my doctor what I thought was happening. After doing some tests, he was supportive of me trying to cut fruit and veg for a while. Not only did I think Carnivore may help my extreme case, it just seemed logical in general.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I would say I am 99% animal-based foods. Mainly all kinds of red meats followed by seafood/fish, eggs fresh from the farm and also some dairy like butter, raw milk, heavy cream or cottage cheese (no aged or other cheese). Of course, I consume a lot of added fats since meat is really lean here in Switzerland. My doctor has recommended Calogen and Fresubin shots, however, these are not covered by my insurance.
The other 1% comes from a cup of cold brew or reishi coffee, morning tea, some MCT oil, MCT powder (to fatten up my liquids and made my caloric intake higher), and every once in a while a piece of dark choc 99% or diet soda as a treat.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
I look much more muscular and feel more energized since switching from keto. I am able to eat higher amounts of food and calories. I am pretty sick and suffer malnourishment because of malabsorption and many digestive issues as I explained before. I am still far away from becoming better and need to gain a lot of weight, what unfortunately hasn’t happened yet. Although I do have less pain, less cramping, diarrhea, better sleep. I believe this diet is the best one I have found so far and has had the most benefits. This is important, and my medical insurance is limited and I need to gain at least 20kg to be a healthy weight.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
Despite the benefits, I have not put the weight on I need too.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I have always enjoyed sports, however, I stopped doing these due to my health issues. I am also so desperate to gain weight, that I do not want to increase my calorific needs further. Somedays I find it difficult to walk or stand for more than 1 minute, so exercise is out of the question.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Just start and try it. Don’t overcomplicate things or wait until you have eaten all the rubbish you have left in the cupboards – just start. There is no perfect time to start, but you can ease yourself into it if you think that is for the best. Just be aware that your body will need to adapt and transition. If you are struggling, stick with it and things will improve. Just give it time.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Maybe sometime in the future but not yet. If people just started off by reducing sugars or carbs, that would be a start. I think the industry is starting to recognize this. Or even just start by stop demonizing red meat and fat. However the food industry has a strong plant-based bias, and they spend a lot of money on advertising, marketing and research. So there is a lot to get past.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
You find me on Instagram @vihreae.
I am enjoying the Carnivore Diet, and I hope long term it will bring the help I need. However, in the short term, I am anxious to improve my health as quickly as possible. If there is someone that thinks they can help, or provide a plan to do this. I am happy to chat.
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
I’m a 62-year-old woman from Sweden with a long history of varying diseases
– Men1 (multiple endocrine hyperplasia), colon cancer, high blood pressure, hyperthyroidism, and rosacea – but I refused to give up.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
The ketogenic diet with a lot of veggies and fat, a lot less protein.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
Since I still had cravings, overweight, high blood pressure and a lot of other symptoms I was willing to give it a try for my health.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I’m strict with one or two meals a day, mostly beef, some pork, and chicken but no eggs or dairy products (no butter).
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
My improvements started just after a couple of weeks, even though I did have some issues with the transition in the beginning.
The first thing I noticed was that my allergy to pollen completely disappeared, and after that everything has successively improved.
My blood pressure has gone from high to normal, my cravings are gone, I’m losing fat, my sleep is much better, I have no more leg cramps, I’m feeling more energetic and at the same time calmer, my stomach is now perfect, my skin, hair, and nails have improved. I’m getting more muscular, feeling younger and have more libido.
I still have some rosacea to get rid of, but with time I’m sure that will go away and everything else just continue to improve.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
Nothing.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
Yes, I do strength training 3 times a week, feels great.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Study and get the right facts before you start, join a group and give it at least 30 days.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
No, people would sadly rather be sick than give up sugar.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
It’s the best way to get healthy, strong and happy.
I’m on Instagram as @evabirath _health
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
I am a 50 year old husband to Ása Sif father to Elsa and Misty grandfather to Harpa Lind and expecting a grandson in April. I‘m also stepfather to Tryggvi and Erla. And we have two dogs, Kátur and Píla.
I am a Butcher and a Diet Cook by trade and work as a head chef of a small hospital kitchen.
I was born in the town of Húsavík in north Iceland but for the past 8 years, I have been living in Vestmannaeyjar…a small remote island just of the south coast of Iceland.
How did you eat before Carnivore
Before Carnivore I had been low carb for about 5 years and before that, I had been hungry for about 44 years.
Why did you try Carnivore to begin with
I was challenged to go vegan for the month of January 2017 but instead, I went “plant-free“ as I called it at the time. I did it for 25 days in January that year and then went back to low carb. I wanted to have my blood checked and see if this was OK. Obviously, I was afraid it wasn’t the best thing to do as we are constantly told meat isn’t good for us. Even if I didn’t actually believe meat was that bad, I had doubts about eating only meat. That was the time I started researching this diet and came across Dr. Shawn Baker. I took part in his Nequalsmany experiment that started on August 15th, 2017 and I have been carnivore since then.
How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
At first, I tried to eat as many different things as I could, like pork, beef, lamb, chicken and some fish. It only took me about 2 weeks to realize that red meat is king. So I mostly eat lamb and beef with salt. I drink water but also some coffee. I eat when I‘m hungry and until I‘m full: usually 2 meals per day. Usually, my first meal is around 9am and second around 7 pm. The only rule I follow about timing is that if I‘m not hungry at 9am I don‘t eat until noon and if I‘m not hungry at noon I will eat dinner at 7pm after my workout on that day.
What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
I have had many benefits. Luckily I wasn’t in bad health and actually thought I was in great health but still my health has improved dramatically. I lost some weight in the first few months. About 13 kg‘s. I have gained about 5 of those back as muscle. I also lost my joint pain that had been bothering me for some time. My sleep improved a lot and my mental health also. I have had depression issues throughout the years but now it doesn’t get to me. Not even at this time of the year in the long dark Icelandic winter days that used to be hard on me. My performance has improved at work, at home, and in the gym. I am also off medication for acid reflux and high blood pressure and my medication for ADD has been cut by half.
What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
Apart from people being uncomfortable inviting me to dinner at their homes. None.
Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I do exercise and always have. I train and teach karate 3 times a week. I also lift 1-2 times and recently I started to ride a bike but in the winter I do indoor rowing. Like I said before my performance has improved. I am lifting more weights and also my speed and sharpness have improved in karate.
What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Most of the time I tell people to just go for it. If you have trouble adjusting or don‘t want to go “all in” from the beginning I recommend starting by eating the first meal of the day as meat only and then a regular second meal for a few days. I know a lot of people who have started that way.
Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Yes, but it will take time. It‘s up to us, the people who are doing it. We have to spread the word. Other people deserve to know how good this can be for you. So many people are basically slaves to their diets. Always hungry and weak. But we are up against the industry of processed food and the drug industry. They probably don‘t want people to stop being hungry or sick. So it’s a huge task.
Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
My opinion is that the advice people are given about nutrition and health are made from money and to make money.
Find out for yourself what works for you and don‘t make your diet a religion.
My carnivore journey and thoughts are on Instagram: @austfjord, and I am also on twitter but mostly to observe @aevaraust
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
HI! My name is Tracy Minton, age 55, married for 7.5 years to Don Matesz. I’m an author and health & personal development coach, holding several certifications, including as a Holistic C.O.R.E. Counselor, and Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist, among others. I have a Masters in Oriental Medicine, however, I am currently no longer a state licensed acupuncturist. I focus instead on helping people overcome the obstacles that keep them stuck, and live more in alignment with their authentic, core desires.
How did you eat before Carnivore.
I grew up in the Midwest. My earliest days were a typical Midwestern meat and potatoes type of diet. We did have salads and vegetables; however, the quality was not great. We often consumed canned vegetables, which are pretty mushy and bad. If we did have rice or grain products, it was in a very refined form. Cold cereals, quick cooking grits or oatmeal, white bread, Minute Rice. I did love fruit, and I actually enjoyed plant foods since young. My mom was born in Belgium. She used to make me sandwiches with white bread, butter, and dark chocolate. It’s a French/Belgian thing! (Think Nutella, and chocolate croissants). While it was a treat, I had several times in my life where sugar addictions were a problem.
Later in life, I experimented with more vegan/vegetarian diets. I was very keen on getting adequate vegetables, long before anyone really cared for them. I would eat everybody’s parsley garnish when going out to eat as there was never enough ‘real’ vegetables for my tastes a couple decades ago. When I first tasted whole ‘natural’ foods, including the dryer, denser whole grain breads, brown rice, beans, sprouts, avocados, and fresher greens, I fell in love with their textures and tastes.
I have pretty much eaten a wide variety of foods most of my life, always including lots of greens and vegetables, fruit, nuts, whole grains mostly as a hearty porridge in the morning, and depending on what phase of my life, either eggs and other animal foods, or tofu, tempeh, and more beans. I also went through a period of several years where I focused on food combining, having big plates of salad and vegetables doused in olive oil with a 4 ounce or so lean cut of meat, like white turkey breast, ostrich burgers, chicken breast, buffalo, etc., with smaller amounts of lamb and beef.
Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
Don and I were fully whole-foods plant-based for five plus years prior to returning to a more Carnivorous diet. We consumed lots of brown rice, steel cut oats, sweet potatoes and winter squash, beans, greens, and a variety of other land and sea vegetables. We also had some fruit, nuts, seeds, sprouted breads, and nut and seed butters.
Don and I were having increasing frustration with our macrobiotic, higher protein plant-based diet, as we were not feeling satisfied, despite consuming a much more protein-focused diet than the vast majority of vegans and macrobiotic authors and counselors who mostly downplay the consumption of protein-rich foods. We had hoped our plant-based diet would resolve many issues, and initially, it did. However, over time, other deficiencies emerged, and certain conditions began to worsen. After five years of eating whole-foods, plant-based diet, we threw in the towel. I was feeling anemic, fatigued, ashen and pale, and having a difficult time getting motivated to go help clients, which caused me to feel bad, as I’m in health care, but was not feeling like a good role model for our allegedly healthy diet. My hair was also falling out, and quickly turning grey.
How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
We first began a low-carb diet in May, 2017. We steadily decreased carbs, and increased the fat and protein. We then heard about Shawn Baker’s Carnivore Tribe group that was to begin the following January. While I did join the FB group, and we were already eating minimal plants, we never officially went full strict carnivore. We continued to have some onion or tomato cooked into foods, and other nominal amounts of plant foods. Some of the people in the FB group seemed as dogmatic about avoiding all plants, as the vegans can be, which was to us a turn off. We didn’t feel that the change of eating how little plant foods we were eating would be significantly different, nor necessary, just to say we were doing it. We have extended periods of time where we are pretty much plant free, however, we believe in trusting yourself, rather than trying to eat according to anyone’s rules. Hence we eat a hypercarnivore diet with “plants optional”.
I currently am enjoying small amounts of fruit, especially seasonal berries, and/or half a peeled apple (with a pinch of salt) every few days. I enjoy having coffee most mornings, adding heavy cream, and even at times a half tablespoon of coconut oil. I avoided the coconut oil initially, but I find it helps me with focus, and being able to feel fine without eating for a while. We mostly eat two meals per day. Which could be chicken breast, a thin burger, bacon and eggs, or leftover chili or meatloaf. Second meal is often slow roasted beef, and grilled steaks on weekends. I have a little cheese, and small amounts of milk, heavy cream, and Kerrygold butter. Sometimes I have yogurt mixed w/ sour cream. Lately I’m enjoying Trader Joe’s Goat Cheese logs, rolled in dried blueberries or cranberries as a sort of dessert after my steak or roast. We also eat raw frozen and thawing liver a few times per week, and homemade bone broth. During the warmer months, I drink eggnog instead of cooking eggs ~ eggs blended w/ milk and possibly a little cream. I do enjoy small amounts of 100% dark chocolate most days. Like 5-10g tops. I would say it took me a bit to find my sweet spot of the right amount of protein and fat, and having some carbs here and there, mostly fruit, but second choice is tubers. I go with what I crave.
What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
I noticed first and foremost, like I became myself again. I started to feel more timid and moody while vegan. I can only say that in retrospect. It’s hard to describe how one feels when finally getting real nourishment, in the brain and body.
Other benefits:
Better muscular development
Change of body composition
Skin color and tone much improved, less greying of hair
Hair no longer falling out as it was prior to going carnivore
Sinus congestion and phlegm issues which plagued me while vegan are nearly non-existent
Less joint pain ~ I often had tendinitis issues that never resolved while still vegan
Way better moods, more upbeat, focused
I feel more in my ‘right alignment’
Have yet to get really sick as I was every winter while vegan
I can go for way longer between meals
My cravings are very simple ~ I very strongly will crave chicken breast, then I won’t; I really want bacon, or I don’t, I know I want eggs, or I have no interest ~ like that
The easiest way of eating, ever ~ meal prep is a breeze
What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
The negatives to me are less about the diet, more about dogma. People need to learn to trust themselves and their own direct experience over following rules. I don’t think everyone needs to completely avoid all plant foods, however, I do think there are many who will benefit from at least a 30-day abstinence. I also think it is important to make sure to get adequate calcium. We make eggshell calcium. I take 1 tsp. of the eggshell calcium, and 2 400mg tabs. of Mg, and sometimes Vitamin D3 and K2, plus a digestive enzyme. I used to be more of a minimalist. However, as much as I feel way better eating this way than eating only plant foods, I still have a few health issues I am working on, including improving my vision, and the health of my physical eyes, which often feel very strained. However, beyond that, I find this way of eating to be very simple and satisfying ~ providing I do include some dairy foods, and small amounts of plant foods. When I first was eating this way without dairy foods, I often felt dissatisfied, wanting something else, like a juicy fruit to balance or cleanse my palate. That could be just part of the transition from eating a produce-rich, entirely plant-based diet, to nearly plant-free. My tastes have definitely changed.
Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
Don and I do a strength/resistance + calisthenics routine 3 times per week. I have also done a little sprinting here and there. I can train while fasted, or after just having my coffee, and feel fine. It is so much easier to see good results while carnivore. Recovery time quick too.
What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
One month goes by fast. It’s the best way to determine which foods are helping you thrive, and which may not be. That being said, if you are having a really tough time with giving up all carbs, have some in small amounts. Consider them like condiments. Slowly wane off, or continue based on how you are feeling. Getting off all plant foods for a spell is like hitting a re-set button. Afterwards, you will be better able to trust what you crave. Make sure to get adequate sodium. Take a digestive enzyme w/ HCL if you have not consumed meat in a while. A little bitters prior to fattier meals may also help those who have been eating very low fat. Magnesium is deficient in most people’s diets, so get a general lower dose, and take one to two per day, increasing if needed for helping with constipation, backing off if stools are too loose.
Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
I think it will continue to grow in popularity among more free-thinking individuals. However, people are pretty attached to their notions of a ‘balanced diet’ and can’t even fathom giving up their whatever ~ regular consumption of salads, broccoli, smoothies, fruits, pastas, potatoes, desserts ~ you name it. People are pretty addicted to carbs in all its forms. The manufacturers of all the foods that fill the center aisles of grocery stores have powerful lobby groups, and deep pockets, so they will do what they need to hold their market share. Ultimately, results are what will turn the tide. I do believe the Carnivore Diet will help buck the beliefs that meat is bad. Hopefully Shawn Baker’s site will provide needed information and research to open the minds of more medical professionals, which then will help influence people who still put all their trust in authorities.
Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
Many people believe that ‘everybody is different,’ and some can thrive as a vegan. We are all the same species. How well we tolerate plant foods, and at what levels is what will vary person to person, depending on individual ancestry, and unique adaptations. We do require nutrients that can only be found in animal foods. So it is up to each person to determine their personal sweet spot of the macros, and the quantities and types of plant foods that can be enjoyed and well tolerated. Life is to be enjoyed, however, living in denial can lead to more chronic conditions if signs are ignored in order to follow an ideology. Mostly, I hope people will start to trust their own direct experience, think more independently, and do their own research.
I started a blog when I first went low-carb. It has morphed a bit, but some of the original posts are still up. I can now be found at: www.thehypercarnivore.com; www.thestrongspiritpath.com; www.strongspiritwoman.com; and Strong Spirit Woman on YouTube, and Instagram. I have a series of from plant-based to nearly plant-free videos up with several more before/after photos ~ especially through our plant-based years.
Videos of my journey:
Here is a little more background:
When I met Don, his ex-wife had been dealing with very tender, fibrocystic breasts. She ended up being diagnosed with breast cancer in the fall of 2010. We had all been eating a ‘paleo diet’ at that time. Don and his first wife wrote The Garden of Eating together, and had been following a produce-rich, paleo diet for 10 years. The primary difference for me was giving up all the grains and beans, while still eating plenty of greens and vegetables, berries, nuts, and some sweet potatoes and winter squash.
After about 7 or so months, I had become pretty chubby, reaching my lifetime heaviest. The weight mostly settled in my thighs, but also my lower belly. My constipation worsened, and at a couple points, was pretty bad. I had ongoing lower belly distention and bloating. Worse, I developed excruciatingly tender fibrocystic breasts, just as Don’s first wife, who had a fairly aggressive form of breast cancer.
Don was dealing with prostate symptoms. We had begun to watch several of the Gerson Institute documentaries brought to our attention by Don’s first wife who began juicing as one of her strategies and attempts to heal her cancer holistically. We then watched Forks Over Knives, Earthlings, and many other documentaries. We read books by all the plant-based doctors ~ Barnard, McDougall, Essylstyn, et al. We became convinced that if meat and saturated fat was bad, why eat any, so we stopped eating it. We went full plant based, attempting to make ourselves ‘heart attack proof’ or ‘cancer proof.’ Given that my symptoms totally cleared in three months, I thought we were on the right track. I began to be a real plant-based doctor groupie. I even completed T. Colin Campbell’s Plant-Based Nutrition Certification.
Initially, we seemed to feel great. I lost excess weight. As time went on, however, we experimented with Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s Eat to Live plan, and the high-raw, fruitarian plan, before returning to our more protein-rich, macrobiotic approach. The high raw, low protein and fat diet caused me to put more fat back on, and led to my having serious hypotensive dizzy spells where the lights would go out. I would feel myself about to drop, and put myself on the floor or have Don catch me. I had what felt like mini seizures for a minute or two, then could get back up. My blood sugar issues worsened, and no doubt had I tested, I would have been found to be pre-diabetic, at best.
By the end of our five year stint eating a plant-based diet, I was looking very pale, ashen, and prematurely aged looking. I was fatigued and often experienced poor focus, cloudy thinking, and poor retention of information, along with horrible allergies every spring. I was also getting sick each winter, prior to allergy season, causing me to feel pretty crappy the first few months of every year while vegan. Nothing seemed to help me with my ongoing sinus issues.
In my earlier years, prior to meeting Don, I had experimented with a variety of different diets, sometimes leaning more vegetarian, other times eating strict combining type diets of meat and vegetables, or starch and vegetables, but not starch and meat together.
Vegan to Carnivore Memory Lane Continues ~ My Message (footage shot when still doing Basic Macrobiotics Channel, but had already begun adding animal foods back into the diet, announcing it, then dealing w/ the barrage of ‘hate’ comments from vegans, who by the way never really gave us the time of day otherwise.
Ex Vegan Turns Carnivore From April 2017 Previous Channel + Final Message at the End – https://youtu.be/ECaBojDAfsM
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
Editors note : Between Miki submitting her Story and the time I published it. She has stopped doing strict Carnivore. She has transitioned to a meat based diet, where she has reintroduced FODMAP fruit and vegetables. Meat and Eggs are still the primary target of her meals. She believes she does better on leaner meats and some carbs, and feels more comfortable tracking her macros. I have nothing but respect for this, as it is important that you find what works for you. She is currently doing around 80g Carbs, 130g Protein and 100g Fat. If the whole world adopted a meat heavy diet with fresh fruit and veg, then it would likely be in a let better shape than it is now. I personally have no metabolic issues, so I don’t have to stick to strict Carnivore. I do it because it is something I enjoy, it is working and it is convenient for me currently. If I get the urge to have some fresh strawberries one day, I ll have them. It isn’t going to destroy my belief’s or digestion. I am thankful I have the choice, a lot of people end up on Carnivore as a last resort. Anyway I feel there is still a lot of useful information in this post, enjoy.
1) Introduce Yourself.
I am a bartender/personal trainer living in Las Vegas. I also compete in bikini.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
Before carnivore, I was a vegetarian. I believed that I would become fat and pudgy by eating meat. It was a really high carb diet.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
I reintroduced meat into my diet after feeling depleted during prep for my bikini competition. I was 10 weeks out with horrible acne, constant panic attacks and feeling mentally unstable all the time. I was craving meat!!! I ate a double-double at In-N-Out protein style and as a cheat meal and I could literally feel the blood pumping through my veins and a mood boost. From then on I ate a lot of red meat and eggs with brown rice and veggies while shredding weight for the show, then dumped the rice and veggies altogether the day after I competed and haven’t felt happier 🙂
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I personally approach the Carnivore Diet by eating what I want when I want it. If the cut of meat is too lean, add bacon grease, butter or ghee to it. A lot of people post their recipes on Instagram that I follow so I also get heavily influenced by them too.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
The benefits I’ve seen since starting the Carnivore Diet would be cleared skin. I’ve always had acne throughout my life to a point that my family members called me Pizza Face. Now that’s not a problem. I would also say that my stomach isn’t pudgy, my body is well balanced, and my energy level is amazing that I don’t need coffee but just drink it because I love the taste. No more anxiety or depression.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
The negatives on the Carnivore Diet, was for a few days I had diarrhea when I started.
Also when I compete again hopefully summer 2019, I’ll most likely be coaching myself because I can’t find a coach who has experience with 100% carnivore. Everyone is saying I need vegetables to digest….*laughs*
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
Yes, I exercise on the Carnivore Diet, I feel like I have so much energy I’m in the gym every day. I lift 5 times a week and with cardio 3 times a week currently.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Advice for someone who is interested in trying this diet is to trust the process. Also, one size doesn’t fit all. Find what’s best for you.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet. No. I want a documentary on Netflix that makes me believe otherwise.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
You can follow me on Instagram @girl_eats_meat
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
Hello, My name is Elainie. I currently live in the USA.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
I was a cyclical vegan my entire life, and had stints of being raw primal, raw paleo, paleo, AIP, Whole 30 and I tried every single raw vegan and vegan variation trying to make veganism work as I had grown up that way and went macrobiotic at age 12, became a macrobiotic teacher, married a senior macrobiotic teacher and so on.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
I tried a carnivore diet after hearing how it could help autoimmune issues, of which I have had for over 30 years. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I personally approach the carnivore diet by eating only animal food but with a wider variety than just say eating steak. I prefer to eat raw animal foods with a mix of eggs, raw dairy, meat and fish. I eat only grass fed and wild caught, the quality of food is of utmost importance to me.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
After 7 months and counting on a carnivore diet, I am off of thyroid hormones! I have personally never felt better.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
I personally have not experienced any negative effects.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I exercise daily, I am a certified yoga teacher, I was trained in classical ballet as well, I do yoga, ballet, kettlebells, cardio kickboxing, cycling. Every day.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
My advice would be to try it for 30 days, just stick to meat and water, from there you can venture out and see which animal foods your body prefers.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
I do think it is gaining momentum, but I am not sure if it will ever be accepted but sometimes one must go against current thinking and dogma. For myself it has been and continues to be a fantastic journey. I had so many health issues and at 52 years old I have never felt better.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
You can follow me on Instagram @thrivingcarnivorequeen
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
Howdy!! I’m Dave Marcus, a 52-year-old principal engineer, security researcher
and director of intelligence for McAfee’s Advanced Programs Group. I am a
lifelong powerlifter, hacker and family man.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
Prior to discovering carnivore, I had been eating a ketogenic diet for almost a
year and had excellent results. Prior to committing to keto, I had been following a
macro-based system and was having limited success. I had previously done well
eating a macro-based diet, but my lifting and gym performance always suffered,
and I was always hungry.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
Fascination mainly. I had been doing very well on strict keto but started reading
Meat Health and got involved in a few carnivore/keto groups on Facebook. I was
flat out fascinated by the health benefits that people were seeing from eating a
fully meat-based diet. The Magic Pill documentary also had a big impact on me, as to
how eating keto positively impacted diabetes, autism and metal health issues and I found
the idea of full carnivore to be equally compelling. I started asking myself
questions like, “do I need carbs at all?” and “how much healthier can I become?”
and even “how far can I take this?”.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
What works for me is a lot of red meat like burgers, brisket and steaks. I also eat
quite a bit of bacon. We have a Traeger pellet grill and do almost all of our
cooking at home. I prep and cook 90+% of all my weeks meals on the weekend
and it works very well. Very simple prep: just salt and a variety of spices from
Tacticalories. I like heat and spice with pretty much all my meals. Your success
will be all the more assured if you take control of your meals via meal prep.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
Leanness, strength and performance increases have always been my main
concerns and I have seen increases in all these areas. I am a powerlifter so the
weight on the bar means a lot to me but being over the age of 50, I wanted to be
way leaner as well. Carnivore has suited this perspective perfectly. I never had
food allergies or related dietary issues, but I have found I simply do not need
carbs to train or perform well.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
The only downside, if it could even be called that, is people thinking we who eat
this WOE are batshit crazy and then feeling the need to comment. I got the same
reactions when I fully committed to eating keto but quite frankly I am one of those
people who really does not care what people think. I have always been disciplined in my approach to eating and training. Seeking out like-minded groups has always been important, as well as to keep the haters at bay.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I am a lifelong powerlifter, I walk a lot as well as bike. The impact of
keto/carnivore has been nothing but positive for my lifting numbers and I have
seen no negative impact whatsoever on my biking either. As a matter of fact, I
tire and fatigue WAY less biking now than ever before. I am posting some of
my best times ever. I think carnivore suits a powerlifting training regime quite well
in particular.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Honestly evaluate why you are looking at the carnivore WOE and what your long-
term goals are. I wanted to get lean, be strong and fit. Keto/carnivore suited this
perfectly. I had and have no health issues, so I never had to look at carnivore or
even keto from that perspective but I was always very intrigued by the reversals in
long-term health issues that my fellow carnies have seen. If it works so well in
reversing long-term health issues, then it deserves serious consideration as a
lifestyle for any human who wants to live optimally. Get some goals, get a plan
and follow it without excuse.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Nope, but why should we even care. The great herd of the human mainstream
are influenced by wrong thinking, hashtags and echo chambers. I do not consider
carnivore to be my diet, I consider it part of how I live and the opinions of sheep
do not concern me.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
Switching first to keto and now to carnivore has benefited me greatly. I enjoy the
meals and the benefits, but I knew why I got into it in the first place. I had, and
have goals. Know yourself and why you are looking at this WOE. It is an
awesome WOE but the haters will find you. Mainstream doctors will not support
you, your family and friends may even try to sabotage you. Make sure you go in
with both eyes open and have support. There are some awesome Facebook
groups like Principia Carnivora, Carnivore Corner and Meatogenic Surfer and
they are populated by all sorts of people from all sorts of backgrounds who came
to carnivore for a variety of reason. You will find that your goals and issues are
not unique and that you are not alone. Instagram @davemarcus007
Now stop reading and go eat a steak.
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
My name is Kristel, I was born and raised in The Netherlands. I have always been into self development and ways to enhance my lifestyle. I love being active and creative. On my YouTube channel “Kasumikriss” I share most of the experiences I have in life. Currently sharing the switch I made from a vegan lifestyle to a carnivorous lifestyle.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
I was a vegan for 4 years before I went carnivore. I tried many vegan diets, and made sure to stay away from processed foods. Prior to my vegan diet I was also aware of staying away from the junk foods yet I had it more often.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
After being vegan for 4 years my health declined drastically. I was so desperate. I didn’t want to stop being vegan, because I thought it was the best thing to do. You could call me brainwashed! The doctor wasn’t helpful and I had no clue who to ask for help. I had tried so many things already.
In a popular podcast I heard the carnivore diet being mentioned. Then I started to read and hear more about it. At the same time I learned more about the negative effects of a vegan diet which I never looked into previously. Everything started to click and I found myself eating an egg and some grass fed butter one day. I couldn’t believe how good it made me feel! Slowly I kept taking out the plant foods and adding in meat, fish, dairy and eggs. I noticed many mental and physical health problems disappear. I decided to go fully carnivore.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I eat foods only from the animal kingdom. I have noticed if I center my diet around beef, I feel the best. I also make an effort to eat most of it raw. I only consume raw dairy for example.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
Reduction in anxiety, depression, sadness. Increase of motivation, energy and happiness. My hair grows again and doesn’t get damaged so quick. My hair and skin are moisturized again. As a vegan my hair was dry and brittle, just like my skin. I always struggled with acne, but that cleared up a lot. My joint pains reduced, my nails grow stronger and are harder, I have more color in my face, I can think better and clearer. I have no more bloating, pains and cramps. My digestive system works better. There are so many benefits I experienced. I was really lacking nutrients out of the animal kingdom.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
In the beginning I had a period of feeling fatigue, but that disappeared and after it I felt a lot better. When I tweak the diet in the way that suits me I have no negatives. For example reducing dairy makes me more energetic.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I do exercise. I go to the gym and work with my bodyweight and light weights. There is a huge difference in my body composition now compared to myself as a vegan. When I was a vegan I would train so hard with heavy weights and would make no progress. Now I train with lighter weights for a shorter amount of time, but my results are great! I lost fat and gained more muscle.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
You won’t ever know what it is like or how it feels if you don’t try. You have to experience something in order to know what works for you. Then you can be your own judge. Even if you think you are doing well and feeling fine. There is a possibility that you can even feel better!
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Not in the near future, because there is so much plant propaganda being spread in the mainstream.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
I am so happy to be eating tasty food again and to feel so much better than I did before. It gave me a lot of confidence. I share my journey on my YouTube channel Kasumikriss: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4_eaWIdkiW37Fg4Moi9Ag?
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
If you like what I am about, check out the below.
Carnivore Fit Expanded Edition: eBook/paperback book detailing how to adopt the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, and how to exercise on it.
I have a range of apparel on Amazon US/UK/DE, with Amazon Prime delivery.
I have a different range of Apparel and Accessories on Etsy. As a thank you for reading this article, you can use the Discount Code KETOGENICENDURANCE10 for 10% off on my Etsy Store.
I am an ambassador for the lifestyle brand Descended From Odin, have a look at their apparel and accessories: Click here and get 10% off with the code “ketogenicendurance”
I am 38, and I have been running this blog for 3 years. I am forging my own path into nutrition and exercise. I am not concerned about being an elite athlete, my time for that has passed. However, I also believe that as I approach my 40’s the alleged inevitable decline due to age is more mental than physical. I believe humans are extraordinary, we have powers of healing and athletic daring within us. Unfortunately, I believe the modern western diet and lifestyle is limiting this and is the root cause of the chronic diseases we are suffering. I believe if we feed the body in the correct manner, which logically has to be foods we evolved eating. Then we give the body the best chance to do what it does best, which is to thrive.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
Up until January 2016, I just ate a normal Standard Western Diet. In fact, I would say I was above average in how I ate. I enjoyed cooking. The wife and I would mainly cook from scratch. I loved pizza’s but I never regularly relied on them or ready meals for nutrition. I would always choose wholemeal pasta and bread, pretty close to the ridiculous food plates and pyramids actually.
However, the middle-aged spread was starting to rear its ugly head. It seemed like every year I had to eat less and drink less, to maintain the shape I was in. Anyway one day I weighed myself and I was 15 stone 2 pounds (212 pounds / 95.5kg). Also, 36-inch trousers were getting a little tight on me, and I was normally always a 34 (I now wear 32’s and actually require a belt for them too. I am probably close to a 30).
So I just said to myself, this is only going one way and I am not prepared to let that happen. I had already tried the Tim Ferris slow carb diet previously and had some success with it. So I instinctively knew reducing carbs was a way of manipulating weight, but was it sustainable?
I then experienced some synchronicity. I got it into my head that dementia ran in the family, and it freaked me out. So I started researching into how to prevent it. This led me to find out about the Ketogenic Diet, which has been proven to help brain health. It also happened to be low carb.
Perfect.
So I started the Ketogenic Diet in January 2016.
I found great success on the Ketogenic Diet, and I would recommend it to anyone. I easily lost weight and maintained the weight loss effortlessly. I enjoyed the food and was more than happy to eat Keto for the rest of my life.
I also found that needing carbs for exercise was a myth, as I trained successfully for my first Marathon and ran it in October 2017.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
Curiosity more than anything. I was very happy on Keto and saw it as a lifelong way of eating. Even though I was in a keto groove, I was always researching and listening to podcasts. The change was was down to a Shawn Baker podcast, but not the infamous Joe Rogan one. It was a couple months before that. It was the Corporate Warrior podcast, with the big man. I then searched for more podcasts. There weren’t many Shawn Baker ones at the time, but there were a few Amber O’Hearn ones. So I listened to them
Again synchronicity came into this because I stumbled across the podcasts just after I had finished my marathon. So I had a month of rest ahead of me, where I had nothing planned. So I had a bit of free time to experiment before I decided on what next to train for.
So the plan was to do 30 days of Carnivore, then back to Keto…… That was October 2017 and I have never gone back.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
I have been Carnivore since October 2017. I am not a strict beef and water guy. I follow what I call the Contemporary Carnivore Diet. I see this as a modern way to eat Ancient food. I do not have metabolic issues or diseases that I am managing. So I do not believe I have to follow a strict Zero Carb approach. However, I do so for the majority of the time because I believe that it is the best way to maintain a long healthspan. I believe healthspan to be more important than lifespan. Who wants to live to 100, if you spend the last 40 of them years jacked up on medication and shuffling around a nursing home. I will go out climbing a fell or kayaking a lake.
So what is the Contemporary Carnivore Diet, well I don’t cheat for broccoli that is for sure. I am strict Carnivore when I am at work and home. However, if I go out with friends for a meal, I will just eat what is on the menu. I will always pick a meal with a good portion of meat, but if it comes with some side veg and starch then I will eat them. Plus I will not turn down a dessert. So I will eat strict Carnivore for weeks on end, and will only deviate for social occasions. I have no desire to add an avocado to my daily meals, or dream of bananas, or have nightmares about giant Haribo’s chasing me down the street. I have lost all desire to eat fruit and vegetables. I only eat them because I refuse to pay for a meal out and be left hungry because I cannot afford to say I want 3 of your biggest steaks and nothing else.
I would say 80% of my meals are beef, mainly just cheap mince from the supermarket. 10% lamb and pork, mainly bacon. The remainder eggs, cheese, and milk.
I do drink coffee, which is a plant, and I do drink booze. Mainly red wine and whiskey. I am ditching coffee, cheese, and milk for World Carnivore Month (January 2019), as an experiment though.
When you think about what humans need, and I mean actually NEED aka what is essential to thrive. You have to think, what is our digestive system designed to digest and what food likely caused that design. Humans are actually pretty poor at digesting plants, and we are excellent at digesting meat. We are the best hunters on the planet and have been hunting or scavenging meat for over 2 million years. We have only been regularly eating plants for around 15,000 years worldwide, however, more like 2000 years here in the UK. 15,000 years is a drop in the ocean when considering evolution, very little changes in that space of time. So it makes ancestral sense to say we would still thrive on meat, and plants could be a problem in large doses. I have found this to be true, for myself anyway.
When you apply what I like to call the “ancestral sniff test”, everything becomes simpler. “You need heart-healthy wholegrains, you need this superfood powder from the jungle, or you need this amount of this nutrient for this chemical pathway”… well, what food in nature do they come in, and was that food available through the entire world for the last 2 million years? If not, then it is unlikely we need it ….. isn’t it!!!
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
The Carnivore Diet is ridiculous, it sounds too good to be true. Firstly it is stupidly easy to follow. You walk into a supermarket, go to the meat aisle, go to the eggs aisle, pay and walk out. So quick.
Then cooking the food, is quick and easy. If you buy a steak, you cook that and eat it. 5 minutes and done. I have always eaten steak, but I would also have had to cook a jacket potato or chips, steam some veg or whatever. This was the “normal” way to do things. Now I see that I was just filling up on food that was less nutritionally dense than the steak. I do not crave or miss any “normal” foods, this is because my body is thanking me for feeding it what it needs. Even when I go out for a meal, as I have mentioned. I will look for the meal that has the most beef in it, I will not order a pizza or lasagna just because I have the opportunity to eat them. This is one of the things that leads me to believe this diet is sustainable, the more meat I eat, the more I only want to eat meat. My body and mind are not seeking variation.
Keto was good for weight loss, but Carnivore is next level. It is incredible. I believe it is a human appropriate diet. As such when you eat in this way, you end up naturally and quickly dropping to whatever your natural weight is. The general consensus of this is the weight you were if you were a healthy 21 year old. I hover around 173 pounds (12 stone 5 pounds). This is 2 pounds heavier than when I was 21, however, I am carrying more muscle than I was then. If I factored that in, I would probably be the weight I was when I was 18.
The vanity side of Carnivore is very important. It seems like it is a silly thing to chase. However, vanity breeds confidence and confidence bleeds into the rest of your life. Life is too short to try and mix and match your clothes to try and hide your body shape. When you get out of the way of your own body, feed it the essential amino acids and fats it needs, the body responds extremely quickly, it is truly amazing.
The biggest thing that happened was 10 years worth of mild arthritis in my ankles disappeared in 2 weeks on Carnivore. That blew my mind. Keto didn’t have any impact on this. So my arthritis has something to do with the plants I was eating. That is undeniable.
Loads of other odd things have happened. For example, I didn’t have a cold, flu, virus or bug in the 3 years I have been Keto & Carnivore. This streak was only just broken. I had a very mild cold for 4 days which started on Christmas Eve. I didn’t feel bad or sick, I just had a combination of runny and blocked nose over that time. It was definitely a cold though.
My skin is great, I don’t need to use any moisturizers or anything like that. I have actually stopped using things like shower gel. I just wash in the shower with water in the morning, and I don’t even bother washing my face before bed. I do still sweat but it doesn’t smell like it used too, it is very mild. I can smell a sweaty t-shirt the next day from the laundry pile and it barely smells at all. I do still use deodorant and aftershave.
My digestion has improved on Keto over the SWD, and improved again on Carnivore over Keto. I fart less, have less bloating and my poops smell less. This all makes a mockery of the meat rots in your colon urban legend. Meat doesn’t even digest in the colon, another case of a silly myth probably started by PETA. You are also told you require Fiber for good digestion, this is another myth. Fiber is indigestible plant matter. This is only needed to push out other indigestible plant matter. If you don’t eat plants you don’t need Fiber to aid digestion, and you certainly don’t need it to help satiety and blood glucose control. If you like eating sawdust, go ahead but don’t kid yourself it’s a health food.
Probably the weirdest and hardest thing to experiment with was sun exposure. I have become more tolerant of the sun. I can stay much longer in the sun without cream, I do still go red but it takes much longer. Yet it doesn’t then hurt or get sore, and by the time I have woken up in the morning, I have turned brown. This is all without aftersun. It is hard to quantify this, however, I would say I can spend at least 4 times longer in the sun before getting the same redness. This makes evolutionary sense if you think about it. We have spent nearly all our evolution outdoors hunting. If we could only spend an hour in the sun at a time before burning. We would be pretty crap hunters. I researched into why this sun tolerance may be a thing. The best explanation is that I do not eat much Omega 6. Omega 6 is very high in the standard western diet, think Vegetable Seed Oils which are in almost all processed food. These are extremely easily oxidized by UV light aka the sun. So the less Omega 6 you have in your skin cells, the less oxidization there will be. Oxidization leads to the burning.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
I died of Scurvy, that was probably the biggest negative.
Seriously, dealing with the inane questions is probably the worst.
Them “Eee you are looking great and healthy, what are you doing?”
Me “I only eat meat”
Them: “That’s unhealthy”
Me: “Get out”
It is quite funny, because 9 times out of 10 it is someone in worse shape than me trying to point out all the flaws in my diet.
Seriously I do try to explain things the best I can. However, the truth is most people don’t listen because they are not ready too. They don’t want to believe that where they are, is down to them. They fear change. So they don’t want to believe what you are doing is working and is healthy. It is not because they are bad people. It is more that if getting healthy was as easy as just eating meat, then they would have no excuses not to do it. So they have to look for ways to convince themselves it cannot work, rather than thinking about how it might work for them.
There is no excuse for nutritional ignorance nowadays. We spend hours every day in front of a computer or phone. The internet is right there. All the information you ever need is available in seconds. Within 10 minutes you can find glaring holes in the food guidelines, and it doesn’t take long to realize they are more to do with who funds them rather than nutrition or science.
You only have one body, do not waste it by being ill-informed. Do your research. Your research may take you down a different path than me, and that’s OK. Most diets will work for most people if you can stick to them long-term (Note I don’t class Veganism as a diet, because even if you calculate it perfectly. You still need to take B12, K2 and DHA via supplements. So it can’t be a real diet because it relies on synthetic supplementation).
I am always learning, and I am not tied to Carnivore for life. I may find a better path. However, I believe it to be a significant net health benefit and something I can stick to long term. This will mean I will likely have less relative risk for all diseases. It doesn’t mean I will not die of a disease, we all go out at sometime and somehow. That said the theory and practice behind Carnivore suggests it helps fight the root causes of most diseases. After all, there is no point finding a diet that decreases your chances of heart disease, if it increases your risk of cancer. You need a diet, that is an all rounder in helping you be healthy. I believe Carnivore is the best all rounder, which sounds silly considering it is allegedly so restrictive.
In general, the only real drawback is social. There are very few places to eat out where you can get a decent portion of meat for a reasonable price. Also, my alcohol tolerance is much lower. I get drunk quicker and on fewer drinks. You also need to plan when you are out and about. If I forget my lunch, I cannot just go and grab a sandwich meal deal.
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
Firstly it is a complete myth that carbs are essential for anything, especially exercise. At my level anyway. I can run far, I can run quick and I can put on muscle. Obviously, you do need to allow a bit of time to become fat adapted.
Currently, I do three strength training gym sessions a week. Based around 5 sets of 5 reps, of compound lifts. Then 1 or 2 cardio sessions, which during this winter is 10 intervals of 100m sprints on the Concept2 indoor rower. This takes around 2 to 2 and a half hours a week. Then in the summer, I will train for a marathon. So I will do a running plan, as well as some weight lifting.
If you want to become an elite athlete in something, then you have to specialize and maybe incorporate carbs for performance boosts. However I am not attempting to become an elite athlete, so I do not need to add in carbs to do anything. I am chasing long-term health and carbs play no part in that.
I believe the human body is extraordinary and you should not limit yourself. I am a natural sprinter, but I easily trained for a marathon. I want to be able to do anything. I want to be able to wake up in the morning and if someone invites me to do something, I want to be physically capable to do it. Whether that is sprinting, marathons, weightlifting, mountain climbing, hiking, kayaking… basically anything. If you have to turn things down or limit your potential. That is a real shame.
Listen to your body and find exercises that you enjoy. Consistency is key. When I was on Keto, I had the urge to run long and slow. On Carnivore I have the urge to lift heavy stuff and sprint. If your diet is healthy, you will want to start to exercise. Your body loves to move.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Be brave, don’t let fear control you. If you are carrying extra pounds and you are not happy with yourself. Do something about it. The same applies if you have diabetes, hayfever, allergies, skins issues, anything really. Do not presume that all you can do is medicate and hope for the best. If Colitis is an inflammation disease of the colon, then limit the food you eat that digests in the colon and don’t just think you have it so there is nothing you can do about it. The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself, you just have to stop feeding it things that get in the way of it being able to do that. Just think about things, if you have had hayfever for all your life, and you have had cornflakes for breakfast for that entire time. Maybe swap that for bacon and eggs and see if anything improves. If your diet is causing chronic inflammation, then your body spends all its time dealing with that. This means external viruses and allergies etc may find a home. Eat food that your body is designed to digest, then it is less inflamed and then has more resources to deal with external threats.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
Unfortunately, the fact that I ask this question is a sign it will probably not. As it shows that we have got so far removed from what we should be eating, that it is a long way back.
From my research, it is pretty clear to me that we have thrived on fatty meat for millions of years. Eating plants, was a starvation protocol until we found a source of meat again. However, nowadays we are trying to thrive on the starvation protocol, and trying to prove meat is unhealthy. This is a real shame as you can see modern diseases like obesity, diabetes, dementia, autoimmune, allergies, heart disease, and cancer are skyrocketing. The mainstream is trying to blame meat for this. However, how can modern diseases be caused by ancient food? Instead look at what people have started to eat in the last 100 years. For example, more grains, more sugar, and more vegetable seed oils. That is where the blame lies. Remember the more a food is processed the more profit is to be made from it. There is very little profit to be made from a Carnivore Diet.
I do think the Ketogenic Diet has a real shot at becoming mainstream, as it includes fruit and veg. This fits into a narrative a lot of people are comfortable with. Plus there are ways to profit from it, like Keto cookies and protein bars.
Keto is also very effective, so the wisdom of the crowds will see the benefit in Keto. This will benefit the carnivore diet too, as a lot of people who do Keto end up trying or at least think about trying carnivore at some point. There is not much of a leap from Keto to Carnivore, whilst there is a giant leap from a mainstream diet to Carnivore.
If you look at the trends though, we are becoming more and more plant based. This will likely continue. The world will get sicker, and the mainstream will continue to deflect blame. They are struggling to prove the nutritional science behind this push. Access to studies and data is too readily available nowadays. So in 2019 you will see them try and push the environmental and moral issues. These are just as bogus, but it might give them another 10 years of deflection. We all know deep down though that burping cows are not the real problem. The burning of fossil fuels is the elephant in the room. How can I, who only eats British meat be a bigger environmental burden than someone who eats bananas which need to be flown over from South America.
I believe Carnivore is the base Human Diet, and the vast majority of people would do very well on it. However there are variances in that spectrum, but for the most part I think the following 3 rules would be a change for the better, for most people.
Rule 1 – do not eat anything invented in the last 150 years, or needs to be made in a factory.
Rule 2 – Treat anything created in the last 15,000 years with suspicion. Only eat it if you know for sure you can tolerate it, and only when in season. Even then you don’t have to eat it if you do not want too.
Rule 3 – Freely eat anything that was available all year round over 15,000 years ago. Basically meat, fish and eggs (although some people do have issue with eggs, so test that out too).
The younger or healthier you are the more you can likely tolerate things in rule 2, if you want.
The older or unhealthier you are then you would likely just be better off sticking to Rule 3.
Or think of it like your health is an elastic band. The harder and longer you pull at the elastic band with a poor diet the more likely it is to snap = disease. The longer and thicker your elastic band is the more wiggle room you have. Problem is you have very little idea what size elastic band you have.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.
On the Joe Rogan podcast #1212. David Goggins tells a little story. The jist is that imagine that at the end of your life, you are sat in front of God or whoever. They start reading out your accomplishments, you were a world record holder, you inspired millions, etc. You tell them that isn’t you, they have the wrong list. They say back to you, that’s what you could have done, that was your potential. Imagine how painful that would be.
It is never too late to do the best with what you have got. It is never too late to try. You can live in fear, tell yourself you don’t have time, or you can’t run or you can’t swim. It takes bravery, to say I would like to do this and I am going to do it.
Before I did my marathon I had an eye on doing an ultra eventually. However, after doing the marathon I said I would not be doing an ultra because I would not have time to do the necessary training. Really I just lost my bottle, the desire and will to do one. That is not the case now. If I get the urge to do an ultra in the future, I will find a way to find the time to do the training.
What often places fear into people is that they want an end to something. I want to lose 5 kg in 3 months, I will join the gym for a year. THERE IS NO END. That terrifies people. If you want to be healthy and fit for the rest of your life you have to eat right and exercise for THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. Carnivore would be pointless to me if I couldn’t see myself eating that way for the rest of my life. It would be nothing more than a band-aid otherwise. I love the thought of eating well and exercising until I die. When I am 80 I want to be able to walk in the gym and blow people’s minds by doing pull-ups, when I am 90 I want to be able to break the 100m master’s world record, when I am 100 I want to be able to do some ridiculous yoga pose.
Short term attitudes are pretty pointless, instead be consistent over decades and see what things you can achieve along the way.
Oh and enjoy it.
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
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