(or at least stop losing it?). I started doing Keto for health reasons, not to lose weight. I have digestive issues including sudden diarrhea after eating, gas and bloating after eating. This started causing anxiety as I was afraid to be in a public place without access to a toilet. After a few months on Keto I lost way too much weight. I was checking my macros and appeared to be eating about 1700 to 2200 calories per day. But clearly I was not absorbing all these calories. I again started having problems with gas and diarrhea, especially after increasing my intake of veggies and nuts and fat. I just couldn’t figure out what I was reacting to. I’m toying with starting carnivore and have started eating this way, mostly. I don’t think my system is handling a lot of fat as even when digestion is stable, my poops float. After a couple of false starts with too much fat (diarrhea j I think I need to proceed more slowly with the extra fat. I am also having some suspicions about eggs and/dairy. I suppose leaving those out for a while makes sense. But I am worried about losing more weight! I am already getting concerned advise from well meaning friends who seemingly can eat everything and I resent the implications that I have an eating disorder. I love food. I am a skinny 70 year old woman and mostly healthy (no meds).
Can I gain weight on carnivore
Typically, the answer to how to gain weight on carnivore would be to add fattier meats, since fat is where the calories are. But if you’re having trouble with fats, that pretty much means you’d need to eat a lot of protein.
Heavy whipping cream would be another possibility, but if you’re having problems with dairy (and fats), that’s not a good answer either.
When I was diagnosed with IBS-D and having a lot of diarrhea several years ago, I found taking three psyllium husk capsules twice a day helped tremendously.
I found out one of my diarrhea triggers was olive oil. I would get abdominal cramps followed by diarrhea 30 to 90 minutes after having a stir fry using olive oil. But I’m fine when using butter.
Interesting about the olive oil. I was eating a lot of it on the Keto diet. Recently I have been adding cream and hoping dairy is not an issue but at this point I’m not sure. I think I will just start SLOWLY adding more and different types of fat as I progress. I always jump into any change with both feet but will try moderation.
Sounds like you did see what was causing you issues.
If you feel good doing carnivore, go for it. Eat all the meats, including things like liver and heart to get the most nutrition. @amber might have some good tips for you. She is an expert on carnivore nutrition, so I have sent up a signal for her to see your post here.
Welcome to the forums. I am also 70 and have a husband the same age who has had some IBS issues over the last few years, but the more he eats keto, the better he is getting. Rarely has a flair up now.
And those friends who eat anything? They probably have a meds. cabinet full of digestive aids, most everyone I know does.
Thanks for your reply. I’m not sure how I will do on carnivore but it’s worth a try. I have been reading and watching presentations on YouTube and feel reasonably informed. My plan is to go more slowly than my initial steps and eat smaller meals a little more frequently. Also add fat slowly and give my body time to adjust. I went shopping at a great middle eastern grocery and came home with goat shanks, goat heart (quite small),lamb ribs, beef and chicken. Saturday I pick up a pork shank, stewing hen and chicken hearts from a local farmer. Don’t know when I will get brave enough for liver but will probably start with chicken livers. I think I will wait a couple weeks before adding eggs and dairy, despite how much more variety they could add.
Yes my concerned “friends “ all have chronic issues of some sort and clearly don’t believe that what they eat has much if anything to do with their health. I suspect almost everyone eating carnivore also gets pushback from conventional eaters. Giving up sugar and sugar flour is bad enough! But vegetables! Blasphemy! 
Dont worry about adding fat and having to eat offal. As a 70 year old you need more protein than most, so just eat whatever meat you fancy. If you like fattier cuts then thats just perfect.
Hi @KathyBee,
If you ask a question about Carnivore - you’ll get lots of Carnivore answers.
But, you might want to check into SIBO, you sound like you have some of the symptoms and it is a higher risk if you are older. Of course, Carnivore may help but a recommendation on the site linked below is to cut out sugary food and drink. If you’ve already done that with Keto and you do have SIBO - then Carnivore may not help and you might have to take more drastic measures.
For non-medical interventions - stress management and fasting are discussed here:
https://kresserinstitute.com/how-stress-contributes-to-sibo/
Fasting adaptations (higher growth hormone) may help you avoid weight loss.
Carnivore for 30 days is probably worth a shot, because even on keto those plants do have carbs in them. The fiber itself can be an issue as well.
Thank you for a valuable suggestion. I certainly do have many features of SIBO, and the Chris Kreisler article was very informative. I just ordered some digestive enzymes. I have tried hcl in the past and found it useful but not so much this time. I became familiar with FODMAPS recently and found to my horror that in my search for more low carb veggies I had been ingesting quite a few of the easily fermentable kinds. Also had a small fruit binge with sweet cherries only to find out they are highly fermentable. I feel a piece of the puzzle has fallen into place. Sometimes I forget my body is getting old because I can still do a lot of my usual activities but it makes sense that it no longer is producing adequate amounts of digestive enzymes. Maybe hasn’t for quite some time. Not sure I will pursue medical treatment at this time. Also the psychological connection is worth pursuing as well.
I have a friend who really wanted to try carnivore for migraines, but couldn’t bring herself to try it because she is always struggling with underweight. Long story short: when she did try it, it helped her migraines and she gained a little weight. So, it’s definitely possible.
So how are things going? Are you still following carnivore and if so, what have you noticed?
Things are going better but still a work in progress. I ate basically carnivore with no dairy for another 3 weeks which gave me a break from gas and bloating. I discovered a recipe for mayonnaise (which I love) that gave me a way to get more fat in. I put mayo on everything. Started taking a probiotic Saccharomyces b. That seemed to be fairly effective. Because I wasn’t gaining weight I started adding a few cooked carrots with no problem. Then small amount of potatoes (waxy red kind). Ok as well and didn’t raise my glucose levels too high. I have slowly added in other food like winter squash, yogurt, cream, and paleo waffles (almond flour) but am holding off on the green veggies. I eat carbs in amounts that don’t raise my blood glucose over 120 or so. (I started the keto diet not to lose weight but because of insulin resistance and increased genetic risk for Alzheimer’s). Interestingly my fasting glucose is better than it ever was on regular keto. I do observe a 14 hour fasting window which I think helps with sleep and fasting glucose. Animal protein is the mainstay of all my meals but I feel I need more calories (that are actually assimilated) than I can get from carnivore alone. It’s a balancing act to eat enough fat and not too many carbs to stay in ketosis but not lose weight (and actually gain some back). Actually I was willing to cycle out of ketosis for a while but it doesn’t seem to happen, probably because of keeping carbs relatively low. During all this I have been sleeping well and have good energy.
You might want to read up on a very informed tx for SIBO using diet. Norm Robillard at https://digestivehealthinstitute.org/fast-tract-diet/ is the originator of this theory on fermentable carbs etc. I too have used Keto and carnivore to address digestive issues not weight. For weight gain on carnivore up the saturated fat and red meat, for keto up the nuts and dairy. Minimize fermentable carbs including sugar alcohols, fructose and lactose heavy dairy. Hard cheeses have minimal lactose, yogurt can be ok for some.
Yes, you can gain weight. Since going carnivore I’ve gained 1.5 pounds so far. I’m in maintenance so I hope I don’t keep gaining. Up the animal fats. 
Carnivore is eating that with time on plan will put you right where your body needs to be. You can’t say you need more calories etc. (calories are a useless issue).
Eat meat. Fatty meats. Those fatty meats, use that good fat in that meat. Don’t do ‘extra fat’ with fatty meats. You don’t need it.
Chicken thighs, fatty good meat, eat skin, no extra fat required.
With seafood, yea it is a lean/no fat type meat and you do need to add some extra fat…like shrimp with alfredo sauce. Lobster with butter. Skinless/boneless chicken breast wanted, pair it up with a fatty sauce or fry on stovetop in some butter. That pairs well together.
Your body will be fed well, it will take over your hunger signals and let you know what and when to eat and what is required.
One day you will be hungry truly and eat heavier, one day you wake up and your body says, nah, not that hungry and you will eat lighter. You just follow your hunger as needed.
Being older you do need protein to be your mainstay. My mom is 91 and around last year Dr told her to drink Ensure. The high protein one. Like 16g in a small bottle. She actually said this drink has helped her feel better. So this is working for her. Just a suggestion, nothing wrong with a protein drink etc. to get in more protein if needed.
I am happy to hear you are doing well and things are working good for you.