Enjoying carnivore but getting frustrated with lack of results

(John) #1

Hi. I have been on Carnivore for over a month and also decided to adopt OMAD as well after 2 weeks.

I am slightly disappointed with my results so far, and wonder if I am doing something wrong or am being impatient.

My purpose for doing this was basically to feel better - weight lose is the added bonus (around 2kg so far).

I read that it would improve my moods, give me more energy, improve my libido, and also improve my skin. None of these things have improved to date. Am I doing something wrong, just being impatient, or do I have false expectations?

I eat between 5 and 6 each evening. No problems fasting as I am not really hungry. Generally I eat fatty steak, fatty beef patties, bacon and eggs, and occasionally a cheese and ham omelet. Basically I have dropped all carbs and especially sugar in my tea or coffee which was a prior weakness.

May it perhaps be that I am not eating enough? My meal is generally smaller than my evening meal was prior to making the switch to carnivore and OMAD?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

(Allie) #2

Sounds likely.

(John) #3

Thanks for taking the time to reply.
Is there a YouTube channel that covers Fasting and Carnivore specifically?
I have watched a ton of videos on both, but rarely find any about both together.
I was under the impression that:
The longer you fast the better the results.
And, if you are not hungry then you should refrain from eating until you are.
It gets very confusing for us who are new to it all.

(Allie) #4

Maybe this will help you?

(John) #5

Thanks so much. That is a big help and full of the info. I have been looking for.

(Gregory - You can teach an old dog new tricks.) #6

What was your way of eating before Carnivore?

(Robin) #7

Hello and welcome. A month (or 4) isn’t long enough for the full effects of keto or carnivore to kick in. Patience, grasshopper. :slightly_smiling_face: You’ll get there. For sure check your calories. A slight deficit is fine, but make sure you are eating enough. And agree about the scale… if you are in this for the long haul, you’ll learn that the scale is your least reliable indicator. (And your biggest frustration.) You can be in a “stall” while losing inches. Sounds like you got this!

#8

Yeah, it’s likely then…
I would track and see (I can’t guesstimate my food intake at all even after several years of tracking). If you can’t eat enough in one meal, have multiple meals. Even without hunger as we need enough food, whatever that means for you.

But it takes time anyway… Be more patient. And eat more if you eat too little!

It’s a very popular opinion and a horrible advice for some of us. People damaged their metabolism that way. I would feel horrible that way sometimes. If I need food, I need food but I don’t always feel hungry at the same time. And if I wait for hunger after a cute lunch, I may end up with eating at 2am, not good. I rather eat earlier for multiple reasons.

(John) #9

Hi. I usually skipped breakfast, and maybe had egg on toast or a ham sandwich at lunch time.
Then in the evening I would eat something like a wrap filled with spicy mince, a steak, or maybe some form of pasta dish.
My wife has always been adverse to vegetables and fruit so they rarely got a look in.

(John) #10

Thanks for the encouragement. I have noted the loss of a few centimeters off the love handles already, although that wasn’t the main goal. I just want to feel well!!
And rest assured, I am not a quiter. I will keep going with this - I truly believe it will work.

(John) #11

Thanks for your good advice.
I think perhaps I jumped into OMAD too quickly, and before my body could adapt to its new diet.
From now on, and based on all the advise and material you guys have kindly given me, I shall move to an 18/6 or 20/4 eating plan, unless I really do feel hungry, and then I will eat when I am hungry.

(Bob M) #12

Going from high(er) carb to carnivore is going to be tough. It’s tough enough to go keto, then to add no plants to that is even tougher. Possible.

It’s going to take a good 1-2 months, particularly if you’re exercising, to really transition.

(John) #13

Thank you. Patience has never been my strong suit, but I will try harder.

(Denise) #14

Welcome to the forum, I am still fairly new here, and been on Keto for 13 months. I cleaned out my cupboards and fridge to begin with, and only ate about 50 or less carbs which came from vegetables and an almond-flour bread I’d eat for a snack. I won’t go into the whole story, but I am 69, ate poorly most of my life, believed the “fat lies” and “carb lies” but being diagnosed with T2 diabetes scared heck out of me, so I grabbed onto Keto. I can’t remember how I came upon it to be honest.

I think it was about 1-2 months when I noticed an inch disappear, but the weight was coming off after 1-2 weeks. I was not doing any exercise except walking my pup. Things were slow to show up, and to feel the changes in my health. I’ve always considered how long I spent doing an unhealthy lifestyle and didn’t expect anything to happen fast. I was impatient as well though, and have made a few posts expressing my frustration.

I kept listening and learning from those that have gone before me though, and the results are tremendous to say the least.

I hope to see more of you, and this forum is the 2nd best thing that’s happened for me. The 1st was the diagnosis of T2. That may sound crazy, but I don’t think if that hadn’t happened, I’d be so successful with keto :wink:

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #15

You are being impatient. Even if you have been eating keto for a while, you still have to adapt to full-on carnivore, and that takes time.

BTW, most of the long-term carnivores recommend not fasting on carnivore; in fact, they tend to recommend three meals a day. If you start to gain weight initially, that is not a problem, since it resolves later on, once the body has adjusted. As one guy said, the answer to practically any problem a newcomer to carnivore might experience is to eat more meat.

(John) #16

Thanks for that. Yes, I will remain on this forum and listen and learn. And I will keep to the Carnivore diet as well.

Keep well.

(John) #17

Thanks. I will definitely try to eat more - and especially meat which is basically the main thing that I do eat anyway.

(Robin) #18

Consider just doing keto for now…. Let your body adjust as you go and the carnivore decision might be tolerated better then. Maybe. As in most things in life… You Do You.

(John) #19

Will do - you guys know better than me.
I will fry onions and bell peppers with my steaks, and add sour cream to make a sauce occasionally. Is that enough to start with? Plus it is almost avocado season here, so would also like to add that to my diet also.

(Robin) #20

Yep! :vulcan_salute:t2: