Interview with Michaela

1) Introduce Yourself.

My name is Michaela Bileci. I am Scottish but managed to escape the rain and now live in Tuscany with my husband and daughter Ava. I home-school my daughter Ava who has Autism and Epilepsy and am in the process of building a website, which will serve as a support to other families who have children with Autism. I am also currently studying for a degree in Psychology, with the aim to specialise in neurological disorders such as Autism and ADD/ADHD.

2) How did you eat before Carnivore.

When my daughter was diagnosed with Autism, I completely changed both of our diets as we both tested positive for coeliac disease and had various food intolerances. I have eaten a gluten free/ dairy free diet for over ten years and in the past two years, focused on the Ketogenic Diet as a way to support my own health and also support my daughter who was on this diet for seizure control.

3) Why did you try Carnivore to begin with.

I have suffered with many health problems in my life such as asthma, depression, anxiety, coeliac disease, arthritis, psoriasis, chronic fatigue and hypothyroidism. Despite my best attempts at other dietary therapies (GFCF, BED, GAPS etc) and biomedical interventions, I was still on a pile of medications. If there was a treatment available, then I was first in line to try it. There’s nothing I haven’t “bio-hacked”!

This led me to keep searching for answers. I heard about the Carnivore Diet after listening to the Joe Rogan Podcast with Mikhaila Peterson. At that point in my life, I was in constant joint pain and was on high levels of corticosteroids every day trying to reduce painful inflammation and breathing difficulties related to my Asthma and past episodes of pneumonia. I would also have severe immunological reactions to random foods and some have resulted in hospitalisation for treatment. I really didn’t have anything to lose, yet had everything to gain.

4) How do you personally approach the Carnivore Diet.

I’m currently following the Level 1 Autoimmune Protocol from Craig and Maria Emmerich’s book “The Carnivore Cookbook”. I will be moving to Level 2 soon to see if that works for me. I obviously have to be a little stricter with the Carnivore diet than some people due to the severity of my Autoimmune problems. Most days, my meals are steak, salt and water based. I use beef tallow/suet if I want to add a little fat to my meals. I find steak agrees with my body more than ground beef. I only eat one meal or two meals daily, as I’m incorporating intermittent fasting into the Carnivore Diet too. IF happened quite naturally as I find myself more satiated after eating on the Carnivore Diet. As time goes on, I would like to introduce other things, but for now, this is my happy place health wise.

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

I’m off all of my medication and have lost 25 kilograms!

One by one, the need for each medication disappeared. The psoriasis plaques that were all over my body have cleared up and all the inflammation around my joints has disappeared. I don’t take inhalers, antihistamines or corticosteroids anymore and I naturally weaned off of escitalopram and clonazepam for depression and severe anxiety.

I recently ran another thyroid panel and all my levels are in the optimal range, which is a stark contrast to how it was before. I had gained 50 kilograms and have now lost half of that in 7 months of eating Carnivore.

However, I think the starkest contrast is in my energy levels. Before the Carnivore Diet, I could barely lift my head off of the pillow and now I’m able to walk, run and hike pain-free, which is just phenomenal. That’s the real blessing. Having the energy to play with my daughter and go on outings with my family- that’s priceless.

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

I haven’t really found there to be any negatives with the Carnivore Diet or eating this way because I have had such improvements in my state of health.

The only thing I would warn people with severe autoimmune conditions about, is that this is a very potent and therapeutic diet. I made the gargantuan mistake of thinking I was fine and all my health issues had disappeared and ate some gluten free, dairy free pizza. The next morning, I was taken by ambulance to the hospital and spent the week there because the immunological reaction was so severe. My father had to bring me out of hospital in a wheelchair because I couldn’t walk. It took a month of strict Carnivore to correct that mistake. I would caution people with Autoimmune Conditions that this is not something you can play around with. Commit and remain consistent if you have similar issues to me. That would be the only negative I would say that I have experienced.

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

Yes, I love to exercise and now spend a lot of time outdoors. Most days, I go for a jog and do a kettlebell workout. I also enjoy wild swimming, hiking and ballet. I wasn’t able to exercise for years due to pain and fatigue and now it’s a breath of fresh air. It’s such a joy to be able to go hiking or jogging pain-free.

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

I would suggest they read a bit first to help them understand what the diet is about and why removing plant toxins is useful. There are several ways to go about implementing the Carnivore Diet and I personally think it’s important to have that information at your disposal. I would recommend reading anything by Craig and Maria Emmerich, Dr. Shawn Baker or Dr. Paul Saladino. They all put out excellent material and you will find out which approach resonates with you and works for your body. Understand your reasons for wanting to do this diet and don’t become dogmatic. Listen to your body!

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

I hope so. My desire would be to see the Carnivore Diet accepted as a healing protocol, if nothing else. However, I do see that the tide is now turning, and many people are returning to ancestral dietary wisdom, turning their backs on the low-fat, sugar and grain propaganda of the past fifty years. Animal products are an extremely beneficial, not to mention crucial component of a healthy human diet.

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

I would encourage people who feel like this diet resonates with them to give it a try. Try it for at least a month, ideally three months and see how you feel. My guess is that you won’t look back.

I am in remission from asthma, anxiety, depression, psoriasis, arthritis, chronic fatigue and hypothyroidism. I gained 50 kilograms in a year when my thyroid function was underactive and within 7 months of the Carnivore Diet, I have optimal thyroid function and have lost a little over 25 kilograms so far. This Diet is a powerful, healing protocol that has given me my life back.

People can follow me and my carnivore journey on Instagram

@michaelabileci

…and if they’re interested in following our Autism/ Epilepsy/ Keto journey with my daughter Ava then they can follow us on Instagram @reimaginingautism_

Ketogenic Endurance – I hoped you enjoyed this post.

If you like what I am about, check out the below.

Amazon

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

The majority of my personal journey is documented on Instagram.
Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.
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”

Interview with Angela

1) Introduce Yourself.

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.
Carnivore Diet Success Stories Facebook group.
Carnivore Diet Success Stories Newsletter.
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 also sell a range of Journals, Diaries, Notebooks and Planners, again with Amazon Prime Delivery.
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”

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