They say that everybody’s journey is different on the carnivore diet. So, today I’m writing about my journey to where I am after only 50+ days. I’ll cover three aspects of my journey:
- The benefits that I have experienced since starting the Carnivore Diet.
- The foods that I am eating on my Carnivore Diet.
- How my physical ability and endurance have changed since starting this Lifestyle.
Check out my accompanying YouTube Video here.
A Little Background First
But before I jump in let me give you some background on who I am, how I got started, and why I am doing the carnivore diet. First, I am a 57-year-old outdoorsy guy with a dad-bod and a history of blood clots and pulmonary embolisms. Yeah, it got pretty bad.
While it was bad, I truly believe that my high-carb and Diet Coke lifestyle was the cause. I gained lots of weight eating this way and got very unhealthy. So, after several years of worsening health, while trying to hike and backpack on the weekends, I knew I needed to make a drastic change.
That is when I half stumbled upon the Carnivore Diet. I had been following a Keto and Intermittent Fasting diet for a few months and getting some health improvements. My weight was decreasing but I was still craving sugar and Diet Coke. One day while YouTube surfing, I landed on Dr. Ken Berry’s channel and he wasn’t talking about Keto but Carnivore. It fascinated me how simple it seemed. So, I decided to give it a try…what did I have to lose.
How Much I Lost In Less than 2 Months
Looking back that was the best decision. I did the first 30 days without much difficulty (after the cravings stopped about 3 to 5 days in) and then went on a Mission Trip to Cancun to help build a home for a needy family. While I was there I didn’t follow the diet and was grateful to eat what was served me. When I returned, I got right back into the Carnivore way and have been on it for another 24 days or so.
That is where I am right now. I have a 54-day history of Carnivore Animal-Based Eating under my belt. And as of now, I have lost 21 pounds in that short period of time.
This brings me to the benefits that I have experienced since starting the Carnivore Diet.
What Benefits Have I Experienced?
As I stated above I lost 21 pounds in 54 days. But more noticeable is that I stopped snoring after only 3 to 5 days. This is a Godsend since I was having lots of trouble getting a restful night’s sleep. Other benefits include the following:
- My skin is clearing up
- Skin tags are shrinking
- More endurance on my hikes and walks
- Minimal to no edema in my lower legs
- Clothes are fitting better and I am down from a very tight 38 to 36-inch jeans
- I have NO cravings for Diet Coke, cookies, sugars, etc.
- I stopped going to Mcdonald’s, Dunkin Donuts, or convenience stores for my daily supply of sugar and Diet Coke
- My grocery bill is down by a lot. I am currently spending about $7.50/ day or $225/ month on food and seltzer water (this doesn’t include going out to restaurants once per week with family)
- I am able to put on my socks and shoes in standing. I was having to sit on the side of my bed and twist my leg up resting it on the bed to put on my socks.
- I am able to scratch my feet when laying in bed, so much easier to reach.
- Finally, I have more energy to clean the kitchen, start videos, walk daily, hiking better than before even though I am still very slow.
All of the benefits that I described above would not be possible without a change in diet. So, what foods am I eating on the Carnivore Diet?
What Foods Do I Eat On The Carnivore Diet?
Beef Choices
Fortunately, I have always liked eating meat so it doesn’t surprise me that my mainstay is steak. I predominately eat different steaks that I find on sale at the supermarket. I love finding them for $1.99 to $3.99 per pound. It helps my budget immensely.
Next up is hamburger. Again, not surprising that beef also takes the second spot on the list. However, I am not able to find as good of a deal on hamburger meat as it is often more expensive than my steak coming in at $3.99
The last of the good stuff is beef jerky. I have been making my own beef jerky from Eye of Rund. Making jerky in my air fryer is an awesome way to prep a pound at a time (yields about 1/2 pound of jerky) without all the added sugar, etc. And it is at a huge cost savings per pound.
Bacon, Eggs, and Butter
Ah, bacon. A Carnivore Diet is not complete with good old bacon and bacon grease. I love bacon, however, it doesn’t always suit me. I have gotten an upset stomach a couple times after a very greasy bacon escapade
Eggs. Yes, the glorious egg. Unlike all of the above, I don’t like to reheat them, especially if I have them scrambled so they don’t make for a good leftover lunch. But I will buy 3 dozen and hard boil one dozen to take with me to work for lunch.
Butter is the main fat that I use when cooking. It is just so easy and I haven’t gotten into rendering the fat from steak or bacon.
Seasonings and Spices
I am using salt to season and seasoning to taste. My choices include regular table salt with iodine, Himalayan Sea Salt, and Kosher Salt. I have these at my disposal so it is easy for me.
The spices that I use include crushed black pepper, Red Hot, and occasionally other spices from the cupboard. I use these sparingly and will reduce or eliminate them over time as they only provide value in taste but not nutritionally. Also, I believe that my hyperinsulinemia is bad enough that I need to stay as pure as possible to keep myself in ketosis.
Seafood Choices
Occasionally, I eat seafood such as salmon and shrimp. These are my go-to’s as I love the fattiness of salmon and the crunch and taste of shrimp sauteed in butter and salt.
Processed Meats and Cheese
Onto the “other” somewhat acceptable items. Processed meats and cheese. Because I have friends. Yup. We like to get together occasionally. I find that eating kielbasa, sausage, pepperoni, salami, and sliced cheeses fills me up without a big insulin reaction. I will reduce these items over time.
Salty and Fatty Snack
And finally, the only true snack on the list, pork rinds! A few days ago, I realized that I didn’t have any crunch in my diet. So, I went to the convenience store and got a bag of pork cracklins/ rinds. They were purely pork, pork skin, and salt. They satiated my need for something crunchy in a big way. Also, I then had half of the bag after a 10-mile hike.
This brings us to endurance and physical changes with the Carnivore Diet.
How Has My Endurance Or Physical Abilities Changed?
Let me start by telling you about my blood clots, pulmonary embolisms, and pulmonary infarct. On three different occasions, I developed clots in my legs which then embolized or traveled up to my lungs. This was a huge eye-opener and something that only ‘old people’ get. But in my late 40s and early 50s, it happened to me.
Why am I telling you this? Because I am unsure how much of my endurance is truly hampered by my blood clots. Meaning, I hike very slowly and get out of breath going up hills pretty easily.
With that said, I have a local hike that took me 1 hour and 2 minutes to complete in June, and by last week I completed that same trail in 55 minutes. Saving 7 minutes from bottom to top. And a recent hiking trip up Mount Garfield, I completed this in a fasted state for the first couple hours followed by carnivore eating for the rest of the way. While it was a fairly easy 4,000-footer, it was 10 miles long. After the hike, I was definitely tired but it wasn’t as big of a toll as my previous 4,000 footer in March…when I was 31 pounds heavier.
So, in regard to endurance, time will tell. As I lose weight, I will keep tabs on my cardiovascular system to make sure that I am improving.
So, Is It Working? Absolutely!
I am giving the Carnivore Diet 2-thumbs up! Yes, it is working and I am able to see that my gains are steady. I do have a long way to go with my weight loss but also know that every day that I stay on the Carnivore Diet is a step closer to great health.
Stay with me on this journey and start your own, dust off your bucket list and get crackin’.