Interview with Cynthia
1) Introduce Yourself.
My name is Cynthia, I’m in my early 50s and I’m an Executive Assistant for a science and technology company in Pennsylvania. I’ve been Carnivore since January 5, 2020.
2) How did you eat before Carnivore.
Growing up my family ate the Standard American Diet (SAD) and in my late teens and 20’s I briefly tried a Low Fat Diet, but I really hated it. I ate Low Carb for many years because it was the only diet that I could maintain for more than a week, without feeling hangry. I switched to the Ketogenic Diet a few years ago and then, this past January, I decided to give Carnivore a try.
3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.
I mainly started Carnivore for weight-loss purposes. After a death in the family, when I was 29, I initially lost some weight but as grief set in I began comfort eating and gained quite a bit of weight over a short period of time. During my 30’s, I was obese and extremely addicted to processed foods, fast foods and sweets. Low fat diets were torture for me, when had I tried them. So, when I found Low Carb I was very happy for quite a while, until my weight stalled. As an adult I’ve always questioned the mainstream diet recommendations because they were clearly more about big business, the food industry and the government making money, than about health. I don’t remember if I first came across information about the Carnivore Diet on Facebook or on YouTube but the more I researched it, the more sense it made to me. I had been doing a lot of Fasting, along with my Ketogenic Lifestyle, and I thought that trying Carnivore could help me lose the last of my lingering extra weight, and also cut down on the Fasting while still receiving the healing effects of a “fasting-mimicking diet”. I was also hoping that Carnivore would help me stop craving the Keto treats and dark chocolate.
4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.
When I started in January, I approached it as a 30 day trial. During my first week or two, I came across info on Carnivore 75 Hard and decided to extend it to 75 days. Then at the 75 day mark, I extended it to 90 days. By the 90th day, I was sure this was the best way of eating for me and my lifestyle. When I first began, I ate a big variety of meats, poultry, seafood and dairy. It took me a while to get used to not having any “sides” with my protein. I was basically using chicken or seafood as side dishes with either beef or pork as the main course. These days I still eat a variety, but it’s almost always based around Beef, and I don’t have dairy very often (except butter). Some of my favorite foods are Ribeye and Porterhouse Steaks, Beef Short Ribs, Hamburgers topped with Kerrygold butter and crispy Chicken Thighs. I eat eggs quite a bit, but not every single day, and I occasionally include beef liver and chicken livers. I usually have my lunch around 2 pm and my dinner around 8:30 pm. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with adding more Beef Suet or Beef Fat Trimmings every couple of days.
5) What benefits have you seen since starting the Carnivore Diet.
Within the first month, I noticed that all of my regular aches and pains had disappeared, my mood stabilized and I had great energy. It took several months before the cravings went away. Now, every once in a while, I’ll think of something that I used to eat all the time and I think “I’d like to have that”, but I don’t actually crave it. Now it’s just a passing thought. I no longer have any bloating or gas and my painful indigestion has all but disappeared. Also, my dental cleanings are much quicker and less painful than they used to be.
I have a couple of skin conditions, that usually flare up in the summer, and they didn’t occur at all this year. The first is a mild case of Hidradenitis Suppurativa, and I usually have a few painful weeks when it’s very hot and humid outside, but I didn’t have any this year. The second is Sun Poisoning (aka Polymorphous light eruption), which I’ve had since I was 8 or 9 years old, and I’ve had outbreaks every single summer. I have always limited my direct sunlight exposure to no more that 30 mins, to minimize my reactions. This summer I noticed that the usual reactions, on the back of my hands, were not occurring like they had every other year before. I decided to test it. So, every sunny weekend, I spent a little more time in direct sunlight to see if my skin would react. It did not. My longest test was when I spent 4 hours, in direct sunlight on the beach, and the only thing that happened was I got a bit of a tan. No rash, no itchiness, no discomfort. It seems that Carnivore has put my skin conditions into remission. I was floored and ecstatic! Oh, and I haven’t had the hiccups at all this year. I don’t know for sure if that is because of Carnivore or not but…it could be.
I did lose some weight, but the inches lost and the change in my body composition were more noticeable. The scale is the least helpful tool when it comes to gauging your progress on the Carnivore Diet. Since January, I have gone from wearing a size XL to a Medium, or a size 14 to a size 10 in US sizes. I also love the fact that I don’t have any true cravings anymore and that I don’t think about food all day, from the time I wake up to the time I go to sleep, the way I used to on the SAD, Low Fat and even Low Carb diets.
6) What negatives have you found with the Carnivore Diet.
Oy, the grease all over the stovetop and air-fryer! The amount of splatter and clean-up from searing my steaks is definitely a negative. LOL!
Similar to some folks, I also had the transitional intestinal distress, for about a week upon starting the Carnivore Diet. I chose to do a Water Fast for a few days and when I slowly added food back in (started with Bone Broth for a day or two) I no longer needed to run to the bathroom (thank goodness).
Eating out can be a challenge, and a bit pricey, especially when a restaurant refuses to give a discount for ordering a protein without all of the salads, side dishes, vegetables and breads. A $12.00 burger patty with one slice of cheese is just outrageous!
7) Do you exercise on the Carnivore Diet, if so how do you find it and what do you do.
I don’t do much exercise outside of the occasional walks and periodic use of my dumbbells. I know that I should really “workout” to be healthy but I just don’t love working out. I also have Osteoarthritis in my hips and I was hoping that Carnivore would help reduce that pain but it hasn’t. Unfortunately, that makes it more difficult to walk long distances like I used to.
8) What piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in trying this diet, but hasn’t taken the leap yet.
Do your research before starting. Utilize all the resources that you can (e.g., Google, YouTube Videos, Carnivore Facebook Groups, Instagram Influencers, Podcasts, etc.). Give yourself at least 30 days to try it and pay attention to how you feel prior to starting Carnivore, during and at the end of your 30 days. Meal prep at the beginning so that you always have something that you like to eat ready in your fridge (burgers, bacon, steak, chicken, eggs, etc.). Only eat when you’re hungry and eat until you’re satisfied each time that you do eat. Pay attention to how your body, your mind, and your mood feels, and possibly reacts, to the different things that you eat.
9) Do you think Carnivore will ever be accepted as a mainstream diet.
That would be great, but I don’t think it will ever be accepted as mainstream, unfortunately. There just isn’t enough money to be made in the Carnivore Diet for Government and Big Business to support it. Plus, since the mainstream media reports on what the Government, and/or Big Business, tells them to….they probably won’t share the anecdotal evidence, the real-world testimonials or the obvious health benefits of Carnivore.
10) Anything you would like to add, and where can people follow you.
Honestly, except for the Osteoarthritis hip pain (due to age), I haven’t felt this good since I was in my 20’s. Anybody interested can follow me on my Instagram – @cyns_joy. I share photos and the occasional video of my Carnivore journey. Good luck to all who decide take on this great adventure. It is worth it!
Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.
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Carnivore Fit Expanded edition – my eBook and Paperback looking at why meat is good for you, why plants are bad, and how to exercise on zero carbs.
Low Content Books – Carnivore & Keto inspired Journals, Notebooks, Diaries, and Planners.
Media
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- Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
- Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.
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