Interview with Aaron

1) Introduce Yourself.

Hi, my name is Aaron. I’m just over 6 months on the carnivore diet. I’m using the carnivore diet to try to heal multiple autoimmune diseases. I had given up on life before starting carnivore. Nothing has ever worked for me before now and I really had no hope of ever getting better.

2) How did you eat before Carnivore.

Just previous to trying the carnivore diet, I spent a year on the AIP. (Autoimmune Protocol Diet). I was eating a lot of meat and vegetables on this diet; and coconut products. The meat was mostly chicken. I had never eaten much beef in my life until now. I really only had a few steaks in my life before carnivore. Before the AIP, I ate a combination of foods. I didn’t eat fast food. I never drank soda. I thought it was a healthy diet, but my health continued to fade.

3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.

This diet was a last resort. When I first heard of the carnivore diet, I thought it was crazy and definitely not healthy. But, my health had completely failed, and I decided to commit suicide. I was basically bedridden for 3 months and was going to have to quit my job.

After much soul searching and consideration; my competitive fire and love for my family kicked in and I decided to try this diet. What did I have to lose? Nothing. Quite frankly, I was going to give it 30 days and see if anything happened. If I felt some improvement, then I would continue on. If not, I thought I could always commit suicide then. After 30 days, I didn’t feel much better; but some subtle things began to happen and my curiosity kept me around.

4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.

I’m about as strict as it gets in my approach to the carnivore diet. I eat only meat and consume water. No eggs. No dairy. No coffee. No salt. Salt makes autoimmune symptoms worse and swells my body. I eat almost predominately beef. I usually buy a slab of ribeyes every week, and that is mostly my food. I do add organs in a few times a week. I eat beef and calf liver, chicken gizzards and hearts, and chicken livers. At the start, I ate some chicken, salmon, shrimp and sardines. I’m not against eating these now, but beef is much more satiating.

5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.

I have Sjogren’s Syndrome and maybe Lupus. (It’s complicated to diagnose autoimmune diseases, and they are basically all the same anyway). My symptoms have all gotten better, but I still have a lot of improvement to make. I’ve been sick for most of my life, and it will take a lot of patience and discipline to get completely healthy. With Sjogren’s Syndrome, you obviously have very dry eyes, mouth, nose, and everything else. Sweat glands are affected, and sometimes blocked. My mouth feels a lot healthier now. I used to have to use dry-mouth mouthwash constantly all day. I would use gum or lozenges to keep my mouth comfortable. When broadcasting, I always had 3 or 4 pieces of gum and a lozenge in at all times. Now, I use mouthwash maybe twice a day and do not chew gum at all. I have not had a lozenge in over 4 months. I even broadcasted a baseball game in late May with absolutely nothing in my mouth. I never thought that would be possible, even for 10 minutes. I was floored by it. I sat in the press box all by myself after the 3-hour game and felt like crying. Nobody will know how much that meant to me. My life is definitely changing, and by eating just meat? It still sounds crazy to me. Seriously.

I now sweat much more than I used to, and I think it’s another sign of increased health. Feeling it trickling down my face is a fantastic feeling.

I have completely stopped my thyroid medication. I had taken it for a year and half because my thyroid was sluggish. I was on a pretty large dose, and the hormone made me feel warmer and better. After a few months of carnivore, I started having heart palpitations. I recognized immediately this was a sign of too much hormone. I cut my dosage, and then evaluated. I continued to have heart palpitations until my dosage was down to a very small amount. So, I decided to continue taking the small dose. About a month went by, and I realized my resting heart rate was over 100! I didn’t even realize it. I stopped the thyroid medication and eventually my heart rate was in the 60’s or low 70’s. I’ve been off the med for over a month, and my thyroid appears to be okay.

For years and years, I have been on Plaquenil for my autoimmune diseases. It’s just a general medication that I was told I had to take for the rest of my life. It can have serious side effects, especially with the eyes. I am currently trying to completely get off it. At the time of this writing, I haven’t taken it in over 3 weeks and plan to continue without it.  If I can get off Plaquenil, it will be truly incredible and such a huge hurdle in my healing. It’s astonishing.

My goal is to eventually get off all medications and have my disease be in total remission. Only time will tell!

6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.

The only negative I can think of is the difficulty of eating this way, while traveling. I’m very strict, and have not eaten any restaurant food yet. I just don’t trust it, and want to get as healthy as I can before trying that. I realize a lot of people pick up burger patties from fast food places or a steak, but I am not eating anything that other people prepare. So, I have to figure out how to survive when away from home. Right now, I simply fast and continue to drink water. But, I have road trips for my next broadcast season that will last a week. What will I do? I’m not sure. I may need some favors from fellow carnivores to bring me some steak while I’m in a strange city. This community is so friendly and helpful. I may actually do that. A lot of people also talk about the negativity of this diet socially. I can see how that is possible, but it doesn’t affect me too much. If I go out with people to eat, I just sit there and drink water. I don’t really care. I don’t feel awkward about it. Being sick feels much worse than sitting in a restaurant and drinking only water.

Dating is also a bit different. I tend to do more active things now, rather than going to dinner or out to a bar.

7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.

Exercise has been another bright spot on carnivore. I go to the gym 3 or 4 times a week, take long walks, play tennis and just generally remain active. Due to lifting, my right elbow had been very sore for about 2 years in a row. It really affected my bench press and just ached all the time. About 3 or 4 months into the carnivore diet, my elbow was pain free! I don’t previously have any chronic pain at all, and that is truly remarkable for an active person with multiple autoimmune diseases. My energy is better than before, and my sleep is getting better. I’ve had a debilitating sleep disorder for many years.

8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.

Ask yourself, “What do I have to lose?” Will eating only meat make anything worse? Are you sick enough that you want your life to change and are willing to try something new to do it?

I would advise someone to be very disciplined at the start. I would eat only beef and drink water. I would not use coffee. I don’t think coffee is carnivore. I would not eat eggs or dairy. Once you get acclimated to the diet, you can add some things back in and cater it toward your lifestyle. But a basic and disciplined start is very necessary to see if this will help you. Commit to it 100 percent. Be patient. It takes time to improve. Don’t compare yourself to others. Your health deserves it!

9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.

I don’t really know, and I don’t think it has to be. Mainstream diets today aren’t healthy and who cares if the mainstream community agrees with it? I couldn’t possibly care less what other people think of my diet. I am fighting for my life, and I’ll do whatever I damn well please to continue that fight. I think sharing stories and talking to people will help others and spread the word. That part is excellent and very helpful. If people are smart enough and open-minded enough, they will realize something very positive is happening in the carnivore community. But, I don’t really care what doctors think or the media thinks. If anyone wants to ask me anything, I will always be honest with them about it.

I also have to say much current doctor is very open minded about the carnivore diet. He is interested in my updates and says he may start to recommend the carnivore diet to other autoimmune patients after he sees what happens to me.

10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow your journey.

People can follow my journey on Instagram, at CarnivoreBroadcaster.

(Carnivore Broadcaster) (@carnivorebroadcaster) • Instagram photos and videos

I am always willing to answer questions anyone may have. I know what it’s like to suffer and I don’t want others to feel that way. It’s debilitating. I understand what it’s like to want to die, and just know that things CAN change. I am proof of that. I also want people to know that I’m still very much a work in progress. I have bad days still. I have doubts still. Will I ever completely get my health back? Will I finally be healthy enough to eventually get married and have kids? All of my dreams had been shattered by my terrible health, and I am trying to put it all back together. I want my life back, and I won’t stop until I have it! I have a long way to go, but my life is changing. I want to share as much as I can and be as honest as I can. 

I also want to personally thank Mikhaila Peterson, Shawn Baker and Tristan Haggard. They, among others, were instrumental in convincing me to try the carnivore diet. I would be dead today, if it were not for carnivore. That is just the truth. I wish them and everyone else the best of luck. Keep sharing your stories and helping. You are changing lives.

And thank you to Steven for asking me to be a part of his blog. I love reading all of the stories and the spreading of hope on here. We are changing the world, one story at a time. Keep up the great work! Love you all.

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