This is my first write-up on the forum, please go easy on me.
Some background: in January 2017 I just turned 30, I weighed 136lbs, BMI of 23, waist size 36" suffering from chronic episodes of low blood sugars and I just discovered my A1c was 5.6. I started looking for answers, I read from Gary Taubes and Dr. Robert Lustig but it was after reading Nina Teicholz Fat Surprise I abandon my SAD lifestyle and embraced Keto August 2017. Flash forward March 2018 I just finished reading books by Jason Fung and embraced IF. Pretty much I was doing IF & Keto up until December 2018. By then I got my A1c down to a comfortable 5.1, my waist size shrank to 29"; and my weight went down to 117lbs new BMI 20, on a constant ketosis high, no low blood sugars. I think I became addicted to that ketosis high and that was my problem.
I started Carnivore early December 2018 for 2 reasons: 1. I felt weak all the time, I think I took Keto and IF too far for my body type, I was peeing ketones out like crazy. I was struggling to regain weight even with the reintroduction of & healthier Carbs like sweet potatoes, and I still had a fear for lows. 2. I observed I always felt better after a high protein meal, like ribeye steak. I started reading the blog posts for MeatHeals.com and listening to Shawn Baker. I decided to take the plunge.
1st Month: December 6th I’m 117lbs and I switched to all animal diet, with the allowance of diary like lactose-free milk, cheese, butter and yogurt. My immediate observation:
- I experienced a “Carni Flu” but it was on a much smaller scale compared to Keto Flu. Maybe Keto acts a buffer to ease into Carnivore. I experienced headaches, upset tummy which led to loose stools (felt like my body was detoxing), brain fog, cramps, dizziness and some fatigue. Adding extra salt or doing electrolyte supplements didn’t seem to help, but most of the symptoms cleared up by day 3 of the diet, with the exception of brain fog which continued for almost a month.
- Despite Carni Flu I suddenly felt a surge of euphoria - I was no longer losing ketones. It was a glorious feeling. This feeling has tapered a little bit, the slight dip made me a little depressed (again probably part of the Carni Flu) but it has stabilized since and I feel good. It’s hard to describe, a feeling of constant contentment, I guess?
- Fantastic sleep. I’ve worked on improving my sleeping and have read from Satchin Panda, which has helped me a lot. BUT I could not believe on the quality of sleep I was getting just in the few days of this diet and which persists today. It’s hard to describe, it’s like 10minutes after laying my head on the pillow I’m out like a light. Unfortunately I will wake up feeling well rested at odd hours of the night like 3 or 4am, after like 5-6hrs of sleep. I am still working on trying to keep my body on a time clock to wake up around 5am.
- I cannot fast on this diet, and almost made myself sick doing so. I was able to quickly recover by eating more meat, but I learned a hard lesson that with my body type now I shouldn’t be fasting. So I followed Dr Baker’s advice to “Eat Meat Like it’s your job.”
- I feel like I need more water but also less water at the same time…it seems every time I drink water I am just peeing it out. This is was a big problem in the beginning but has kind of leveled off, although I am still figuring it out…
Month 2: early January I’m 120lbs and I decided to give up my lactose-free milk and yogurt because they were starting to make me feel bloated and giving me loose stools. I also had to reduce my caffeine intake to just a single cup in the morning which is a big step for me who was drinking 3-4cups daily, but it was starting to give me really concerning heart palpitations. Oddly, giving up the caffeine was not a challenge that I thought it would be, could it be because of my more stable mood? My other observations:
- It’s a miracle but almost everything in my outward appearance is getting better: my body looks fuller, less horribly skeletal after Keto & IF, my skin looks clearer (and I’m off my acne meds 3 weeks in, hoorah!) less pale and sick, and my teeth are so shockingly white it’s hard to believe after I had so much dental work (fillings, crowns, an implant in just the past 8yrs).
- I attempted to exercise but struggled with the constant hunger pangs that followed and also I didn’t care for the bulking appearance my body was taking on. I briefly shot up to 122lbs during this time, but I’m back at 120lbs. Despite the lack of exercise I can feel myself getting stronger, it’s hard to describe, it must be I gained more muscle. My waist has remained stable at 29".
- I feel just constantly relaxed…as if I just did yoga. In fact, during this time I gave up yoga, I just felt so good all the time it seemed unnecessary.
Month 3: it’s February and by the end of it I decided to cut out the cheese and switch the butter to ghee. I start feeling episodes of low energy, could it be an extension of Carni Flu? I can’t quite figure it out, everything else is improving. Electrolyte supplements just don’t help. I try Cod Liver Oil and got some benefits from that, but what really seemed to make a change is adding shellfish to my diet. I start doing Surf &Turfs every chance I get, which is a total 180 for me. 1 year I couldn’t stand the sight of seafood, now I got a freezer full of mussels and shrimp. Shellfish may be my “liver”. I tried adding liver, but I just can’t tolerate it for too long. Shellfish I can eat every day, which I do because it makes me feel better doing so.
I got a clean bill of health from my dentist who said my teeth look beautiful (first time a dentist has said this to me in 8years!). I am going to see my doctor in 2 days to get some lab work done, we shall see how that turns out.
No diet is perfect, not even a Carnivore Diet. For me the Carnivore Diet was an elimination diet, to eliminate everything to only allow for the protein, which I felt my body needed at the time to recover from my extreme Keto & IF and make up for my muscle loss. However I don’t plan to be a Carnivore for long term, in fact as the summer approaches I would like to experiment bringing fruit back into my diet to see if it will help me gain fat which I feel I am still missing. It’s hard to imagine I need fruit to gain fat, but this is what I am hoping for, so I shall see how it goes. That said, I am grateful for my Carnivore experience and have learned much about the healing power protein can provide, a lesson I won’t forget and one I wanted to share with you all. TY.