Carnivore Diet

[Sherman]

I did it for the month of April. To me the best thing about it was less inflammation in my joints, sleep quality improved drastically, and mental clarity was better. For anyone who says it isn't sustainable, they are completely wrong. It just takes a little prep/planning.

I'm 6'1 and went from 190lbs to 186 in one month. 17 to 13% body fat. Lost 4% body fat while adding 2.5lbs of muscle according to the inbody scans I did. I'm now eating probably 75-80% carnivore.

I have an endomorph body type. Haven’t weighed 190 since my sophomore year in high school. Last time I came back from Iraq I weighed 225 with a six pack. That was a long time ago. I envy you mesomorph and ectomorph guys.

 

[sacklunch]

Don't you love it when you post a topic and everybody just starts posting what they do, what they eat, what pack they have or what caliber they shoot.

While there are some exceptions, once you step back and realize the forums a place where most people simply talk about what they do/have and why and that they really have no actual interest in helping you out, you can then start to have fun with it.

On that note, have you tried paleo, bro? This guy at my crossfit gym told me about it after the wod (the workout of the day, thats what we call it at my box). It's all-natural and the way the caveman ate...don't you want to be like your ancestors? /s

Best of luck in the experiment, tagged in for your experience/thoughts after 100 days, any thoughts to doing before/after bloodwork too? Pics are great, but don't tell the full story.

 

[Antares]

Speaking as someone who's had some colorectal issues, I'd caution people against outright dismissing the value of dietary fiber.

 

[Sherman]

Don't you love it when you post a topic and everybody just starts posting what they do, what they eat, what pack they have or what caliber they shoot.

While there are some exceptions, once you step back and realize the forums a place where most people simply talk about what they do/have and why and that they really have no actual interest in helping you out, you can then start to have fun with it.

On that note, have you tried paleo, bro? This guy at my crossfit gym told me about it after the wod (the workout of the day, thats what we call it at my box). It's all-natural and the way the caveman ate...don't you want to be like your ancestors? /s (/s means sarcasm)

Best of luck in the experiment, tagged in for your experience/thoughts after 100 days, any thoughts to doing before/after bloodwork too? Pics are great, but don't tell the full story.

I get blood work done twice a year due to an adverse reaction to a vaccine I got before deploying. I am due for another round the 23rd of this month. Will keep you informed.

 

[Sccritterkiller]

I have done it few times...If you can get thru the 1st week it's not bad. Last time I did it I did add in some fruit before my workouts...I did get all the benefits that have been described, I just didn't have anything in my tank for the end of my workouts. I was fine for 15-20 mins but the 35-45min AMRAPS I would run out gas...fruit before my workout fixed that.
Every body is different gotta find what works for you. Good Luck!

 

[ztc92]

Great read about the fiber…

Do You Need Fiber on the Carnivore Diet?

You don't need fiber on the carnivore diet because it has absolutely no nutritional value. Based on available evidence, fiber intake has no health benefits and eliminating fiber has actually been found to be beneficial with secretion.

www.allthingscarnivore.com

And another on the vitamin issue…

Do You Need Supplements on the Carnivore Diet?

People who are new to the carnivore diet are often concerned that they don't get all the nutrients that their body needs from eating only meat and hence look for supplements to avoid nutrient deficiencies.

www.allthingscarnivore.com

Thanks for sharing this, I enjoyed reading through both. I was skeptical of these links given the webpage is titled “All Things Carnivore” but much to my surprise the author has done a very nice job of citing sources, many of which appear to be primary research via sources like pub med and NCBI.

With respect to micronutrients, I’m inclined to agree that if someone is consuming a variety of different animal meats and also includes bone broth and organ meat that probably does meet the basic micronutrient requirements.

The one challenge to the need for fiber I would offer is that humans appear to have co-evolved with the bacteria that make up the gut’s microbiome and there is a growing body of literature suggesting that fiber plays a key role in establishing healthy bacterial flora in the GI tract. Interestingly, eating highly processed foods has also been linked to less healthy gut flora. This research is still in its infancy but I find it fascinating as many of the key micronutrients we require can be synthesized by the bacteria in our gut. Vitamin K is the most classic example of this and it would be hard to meet our requirements for this vitamin without the help of our gut’s microbiome.

That said, perhaps on the carnivore diet the gut microbiome is less essential so that could be one argument in favor of needing minimal fiber on this diet. I’ll be keeping an eye on the thread to hopefully learn more and will read over the thread from the fitness section as well.

 

[CB4]

I have an endomorph body type. Haven’t weighed 190 since my sophomore year in high school. Last time I came back from Iraq I weighed 225 with a six pack. That was a long time ago. I envy you mesomorph and ectomorph guys.

Its all about understanding your body and what works for you. Sounds like carnivore is working so keep at it!

 

[ButterBean]

I did it for a month and lost 25 pounds but I was mean as the devil

 

[Sherman]

Exactly 3 weeks in and weighed 253 this morning. Down 21 pounds and feel great. Been having 3 boiled eggs with butter and 20oz of coffee with butter or heavy cream every morning. Lunch has been whatever was left over from dinner. Dinner has been either pork chops, chicken, bacon, or any sort of beef, usually with a couple eggs fried over medium and cheese. Sometimes it’s a combo between two or three meats. Going in for blood work in 10 days.

 

[Firemedic710]

Carnivore has literally saved my sons life! He was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis last summer. After trying the gi specialist’s course of treatment and 3 failed drugs 3 months of hell, my 5 yo was down to 37 lbs. Put him on beef and raw goats milk diet only. He went from 20 bowel movements a day to 5 blood free in the first week on the diet. Normal poops again by the end of the month. Fast forward to yesterday he’s grown two inches taller gained 11 pounds , doc reported he’s in full remission with no drugs. Doc is dumbfounded but still saids diet doesn’t matter with this disease and isn’t the least bit interested in exploring the correlation.

 

[Sherman]

Update: about 5 weeks in now, my weight has stalled at 247lbs since I’ve been hitting the gym, but I continue losing fat. I’ve been doing a full body hypertrophic specific training workout Mon-Weds-Fri and cardio & core on Tues & Thurs. My bloodwork got pushed to the end of June but my doctor took me off of my blood pressure meds and I am sitting at 120/63 off the meds. I went from tight fitting XXL shirts to loose fitting XL shirts, tight fitting size 38 pants to extremely loose fitting 36. Probably need to buy some 34’s soon. My belt is in the last hole (dropped 4 holes) and will have to punch some new holes in soon. Feeling great. High energy all day. Better sleep at night. Back pain has disappeared. Six pack is starting to make a comeback. All carb/sugar cravings have gone away. I eat 1.5-2 lbs of meat a day, 4-6 eggs, and some cheese. Buttered coffee in the mornings. Over a gallon of water each day. Every morning I take a men’s One-A-Day, NMN, vitamins A,D,K, and a B12 supplement. I have an extremely healthy stool every 2-3 days. No bloating. No lethargy.

 

[geriggs]

Carnivore you can eat dairy? If so that makes it more paletable for me


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[bdan68]

Carnivore you can eat dairy? If so that makes it more paletable for me


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It's an animal product, so sure. Cheese too. And heavy whipping cream, which I use in my coffee. Raw dairy is better than pasteurized. Milk isn't the best thing to consume due to high sugar content, but small amounts and be sure it's whole milk.

 

[Sherman]

I make an alfredo sauce with heavy cream, butter, and fresh grated Parmesan. There’s a recipe for egg noodles that’s only egg, water, and gelatin. I add shrimp or chicken or stew meat I cook in the crock pot. I’ve been doing this 2-3 times a week to mix things up a little.

 

[dtrkyman]

I did it for a month just for the hell of it, I'm a skinny guy but mostly wanted to get off the sugar!

Eggs for breakfast still, but all meat otherwise, whitetail quite a bit and then fatty steaks, I like a New York strip.

I felt great, zero issues in any way , I just got bored, I like food and my wife is a hell of a chef!

 

[*zap*]

Glad it is going good for you.

 

[insanelupus]

I wonder when folks go to carnivore if it's the carnivore diet itself or the elimination of the processed food they experience.

It would be interesting to see if folks that ate only whole foods (carbs, protein, and fat intake, single source, minimum processsed foods) that went to carnivore what those experiences would be.

 

[Sherman]

Anytime anyone eliminates processed foods it will have a positive impact on their health. My body does not process carbs or sugar well, which is why I went carnivore. People like my wife who have horrible reactions to all kinds of fruits and vegetables benefit from carnivore as an elimination diet. She is way more strict than I am (red meat, colima salt, & water). All of her auto-immune disorders, fibromyalgia, thyroid, and arthritis have disappeared. She tried introducing bananas and an avocados a few weeks ago and got horribly sick. Fruits and vegetables aren’t as good for you as you would think, especially today’s hybrid-genetically modified versions. Makes me wonder if people would have the reactions they are having to the same plants before all of the modification BS.

 

[Sherman]

…..and I wanted to go into ketosis. I chose carnivore over keto diet because it is much simpler and I don’t have to count macros.

 

[Smithb9841]

Update: about 5 weeks in now, my weight has stalled at 247lbs since I’ve been hitting the gym, but I continue losing fat. I’ve been doing a full body hypertrophic specific training workout Mon-Weds-Fri and cardio & core on Tues & Thurs. My bloodwork got pushed to the end of June but my doctor took me off of my blood pressure meds and I am sitting at 120/63 off the meds. I went from tight fitting XXL shirts to loose fitting XL shirts, tight fitting size 38 pants to extremely loose fitting 36. Probably need to buy some 34’s soon. My belt is in the last hole (dropped 4 holes) and will have to punch some new holes in soon. Feeling great. High energy all day. Better sleep at night. Back pain has disappeared. Six pack is starting to make a comeback. All carb/sugar cravings have gone away. I eat 1.5-2 lbs of meat a day, 4-6 eggs, and some cheese. Buttered coffee in the mornings. Over a gallon of water each day. Every morning I take a men’s One-A-Day, NMN, vitamins A,D,K, and a B12 supplement. I have an extremely healthy stool every 2-3 days. No bloating. No lethargy.

Congrats on the progress and sticking with it, there’s a lot of people who can sit on the sideline and criticize or call it a fad but most wouldn’t be able to stick to it like you are. Keep the updates coming, I need to quit making excuses and see how my body reacts to this.