I’ve officially just finished 3 weeks on the Carnivore Diet. When I initially started this, I told myself that I’ll only do it for 3 weeks. But now… I just want to keep going.
I started the Carnivore Diet because of a podcast between Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson. It helped Jordan Peterson a lot and I wanted to try it out. I researched the diet and it seemed okay — I wouldn’t be lacking major nutrients, some people claim fibre isn’t needed and I was beyond intrigued about the weight loss benefit.
I had been trying to lose some stubborn fat for about 6 months at this point. I know this shouldn’t have been the major driver and I should really have been focusing on becoming healthier, but hey, I like both thin and healthy! ;)
I roped my husband into trying this diet with me for 3 weeks at the beginning of December. It was… arduous. The very first day we were very tired. However, that went away. What was harder was fighting with the desire to want to eat anyyyything else other than meat! Meat had become extremely boring.
We were eating chicken, ground beef, salmon, lamb and eggs. I had added liver for the vitamins, while my husband (not a fan of liver) added a multivitamin. We never stopped our Omega-3 and Vitamin D supplementation either.
Halfway through we added cheese and bacon. Then it became easier. However, at the end of the 3 weeks we were done and excited to start eating vegetables! Some benefits:
- We lost weight. I lost about 4 lbs, my husband 14lbs.
- Concentration had gone up
- My husband’s anxiety diminished.
We finished the 3 weeks pleased with the results. Then Christmas came and I surprised myself with the desire to stay away from sugar! The holiday season came and went and I only had fruit when everyone else was enjoying dessert. That was amazing.
As soon as we got back home, I jumped on the diet again. I told myself to go for 3 weeks again. I really wanted to lose more weight (and some of the weight I gained over Christmas). It’s been 3 weeks now and I feel so good, I want to keep going!
I wanted to make it a bit easier on myself this second time. So I allowed cheese from the beginning. I am eating ground beef, cheese (2 Mini Babybels max per day), eggs, lamb, chicken, liver, and homemade broth. Everything is organic/grass-fed. I haven’t cut out tea or the 35% cream. I also add lots of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce allowed on my meat. This makes it a slightly modified carnivore diet.
It’s been a LOT easier to do this by myself. I thought that seeing my husband eat vegetables and nuts around me would be tough, but desires for other food went away after the first week. I fell in love with the way the diet made me feel! Why I love this diet:
- My appetite is under control!? Sayyy wuut??? I am (was?)an avid snacker — even though I practice intermittent fasting, as soon as my eating window would start, I wouldn’t stop eating until shortly before going to bed. I have never been able to stop unless I employed huge mental will. This has been like this for almost a decade! Yet recently I don’t eat past 8 or 7 or even 6pm! I am full! I don’t crave anything! My cravings to constantly snack is going away! I still do snack on my egg-pancakes and little cheeses, but very little and only when I’m actually hungry.
- I am rarely hungry. This is just so awesome.
- I have no cravings for any other foods. I can easily watch my husband or others eat delicious foods, but I have absolutely no desire, no need, no craving for them. This is honestly a superpower in today’s world.
- Sleep has improved! I wake up refreshed before 7 am without an alarm. And then I start doing something sporty (yoga, cardio, or just cleaning). I fall asleep easier too. This diet has breathed new life into my days!
- Acne has disappeared! I did get some acne over the holidays, but it’s now gone. I’ve stopped using my acne cream (Benzoyl Peroxide) a week ago. I am currently testing to see if it comes back.
- Concentration has gone up! My brain is still quite scattered, but less!
- Memory has improved! I remember so many more things when talking, and terms that I hadn’t used in years!
- Also tied in, mental clarity is up. I can think so easily!
- My mood has improved! I feel happier and even my husband said I’m less moody! I assume this is tied in with the better sleep and also being able to handle difficult conversations with more mental clarity.
- And, last but not least, I LOST FAT!!! Woohoo! I am the tiniest I’ve been in years! And it was so easy! I don’t have a scale, but I can see it. I don’t think I’ve lost much muscle either; I’m an avid weight-lifter and, while my strength did drop initially, it’s picking up again.
Personally, I don’t think this diet is optimal for long term. However, it has shown me how much our feelings depend on our diets. I’ll do this for another week or so and then I’ll start slowly incorporating foods. I’ll add garlic and onions for a week. If I still feel good, then I’ll add broccoli for another week. Then if I still feel good, add in spinach. And keep going…
It wouldn’t be fair to not talk about the detriments. The only detriment is that my period starts a week early. I am on birth control, so I force my period to come on a certain day, but now it just comes a week early and stays for about 2 weeks. It’s light, but annoying. This happened in December too. Hopefully this fixes itself soon.
Though I am not this kind of person, other people might have a harder time going out with friends. I don’t like restaurants, I don’t drink, and I have an easy time telling people that I don’t eat that; someone recently tried to stuff a bar of chocolate in my face, but I sternly rejected until he stopped. Nevertheless, you might have a harder time with this.
The health benefits though… they are totally worth it!
