Anyone going back to Keto after having tried Carnivore and not having success with it?

(Adrian ) #1

Tried Carnivore for 2 months. Was previously on a high-carb, high plants & fiber, omnivore diet. It was a struggle. There are a lot of hypotheses to consider as to why I wasn’t successful. To get straight to the point, this week I decided to just do an animal-based Keto for 1-2 weeks. Within a day, I started feeling normal / decent again.

(Chris W) #2

Animal-based keto is a pretty broad description, which I would say has a lot of overlap with what most people would describe as a carnivore diet. Can you be more specific as to what you changed that helped you feel more normal?
For a lot of people trying carnivore that are feeling “off”, it can be a result of low-ish fat intake prior to the body becoming fully fat adapted. Becoming fully fat adapted can take more than 2 months.

(hottie turned hag) #3

I shall be soon doing this (back to keto after going “carnivore”).
I’ve been keto since Aug 2017; around 2-ish mos ago I eliminated cheese and veg to break a stall (it worked a treat) and with the exception of an embarrassing cheese binge last week, have been on just meat, eggs, fish and butter since.

At first it was fine, I did/do miss/crave cheese badly. Did/do not miss veg though I liked it a lot when I was eating it.

The past week I am getting over all this meat. Not enjoying it much. I feel great, am still shrinking and will stick with this until goal weight (110, am 116) but am so turned off the taste of all the steak, bacon and cold cuts (which I adore. I am just SICK of them) I am honestly considering going back to just cheese and veg when at goal.

(George) #4

I decided to cut out all plant foods, as well as dairy (just because) and eat only meat about 2 weeks ago. I like it so far, except that I’m not really having frequent BM’s, which is making me feel heavier. It’s kind of tough to gauge what, if any, effect it’s having on my weight loss (which is my priority) since I do weekly extended fasting, and it’ll be even tougher to distinguish if my meat feasting days benefited me in my weight loss since this week’s extended fast will be the longest I’ve done to date (96 hours is the goal). I don’t really miss cheese, but I do miss occasional veg, I guess just because I’m so accustomed to having some kind of side dish with meals instead of just a bunch of meat and eggs.

(Allie) #5

Less waste, less need.

(George) #6

I keep trying to remind myself of that. It’s just tough grasping the concept sometimes considering how much meat I’m eating. That’s another issue I’m having too, I think my protein intake is way too high. I try balancing it out by adding some melted butter on top or olive oil, but not sure it’s enough.

(Adrian ) #7

I was barely functioning most days, had severe brain-fog, and was underperforming at my job. I really could not have more patience

(hottie turned hag) #8

@JRS08 dude me too. My BMs are perfect (ew sorry, I cringe when I write about them) but maybe every 3 days or so since “carnivore”. Used to be daily like clockwork.
Quality counts more than frequency; infrequent BMs if stools are perfect, no straining/difficulty that betokens constipation, then no bigs.

I know it’s hard to wrap head around for sure :poop:

(Adrian ) #9

70%+ Carnivore, and I introduced some Keto foods.

  • Increased fat-intake by a bit (added avocados, dark chocolate, pistachios, coconut oil)
  • started taking MCT oil

I suspect that I wasn’t in Ketosis on Carnivore, even though my fat : protein ratio was between 60 - 40 and 63 - 35

(bulkbiker) #10

what meats are you eating?

(George) #11

Haha. I’m just not used to not going every morning. I just sit there, trying, and nothing.

I have enough meat left in the freezer to last me another 2 weeks or so, so I’ll keep this going at least till then. I just really want to get closer and closer to my goal weight.

I really miss avocados LOL.

(hottie turned hag) #12

@JRS08 Avocados…heckyeah.
Not to get all in your erm butt business but if you sit on bowl and “try” to go you shall do more harm than good. Straining is a no-no.

(George) #13

Mainly flank steaks (because of the affordability) and skin-on chicken thighs, both cooked in ghee, then evoo drizzled on top. Also an egg or 2 with every meal. Pork rinds (freshly made ones from a local hispanic market), I’ve also had a couple rib-eyes and salmon while on vacation this past weekend, and some pork ribs, no sauce.

(George) #14

I don’t really “try” lately. I would usually just sit and go like clockwork. I’ll give a push here and there (LOL), but when i realize nothing’s going to happen, I get up and go on with my day.

*edit - It’s weird because I feel like I have to go daily, I have a gassy sensation like something is brewing, but nope, nothin’! lol

(hottie turned hag) #15

@JRS08 LMAO

#noshameinyourketogame

#16

When I was a vegetarian I remember having a lot of BMs that were, ahem, hefty. After going meat heavy keto then basically carnivore I realized that large, regular BMs were my body’s way of saying “I don’t want this!!!” I also enjoy no longer having the constant veggie farts. :laughing: Now if I break wind it surprises me.

(George) #17

That makes sense. Mine were hefty pre-keto, but I ate a small to moderate amount of plant based foods. I guess the carby processed junk was a part of it too.

I still miss the regularity though. I guess I’ll get used to not starting off the day with good ol’ poop :slight_smile::poop::poop::poop:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #18

If you were eating around 2500 calories, that would be 166 g of fat and 250 g of protein, which is a lot of protein. I wonder if a higher fat percentage might have made you feel better.

(hottie turned hag) #19

@JRS08
“the moment arrived when George realized his relationship with poo had forever changed…it was bittersweet…”

“Meanwhile, @barefootbob had fully embraced his NewPoo and shared that wisdom with enthusiasm”.

(Chris W) #20

My 1st thought is that the symptoms you describe sound typical of adaptation, particularly if you were coming straight from a high-carb diet. I eased my way into carnivore through a progressive reduction of carbs, so my personal experience was that adaptation did not last that long. You may or may not have been consistently in ketosis and I’m not sure that is critical, but perhaps your electrolytes may have been a bit off? How was your salt intake on carnivore? I think a lot of people can adapt to low/no salt carnivore over time, but most describe salt as their friend during adaptation.

I think you made a great choice to switch it up a little and add in a few other foods that help you feel better. If you decide to make another run at carnivore, it may be a completely different experience easing back into it coming from a more ketogenic starting point.

On your original topic, I was full animal based carnivore for 2 years, with the exception of an occasional Cacao nib or small piece of 99%+ chocolate. Lately, I have been making deliberate efforts to keep the fat percentage higher and the protein more moderate at each meal. I am currently experimenting with bringing back avocado, olives and mushrooms in small quantities. So far, I find that I tolerate them well, unless I have too much in one sitting, or have them too frequently. Either of those bring back a hint of joint pain that I have enjoyed being free of during my carnivore journey. I also expect to experiment a bit with fermented plant foods like pickles and sauerkraut, but I expect I will stay 95%+ carnivore.