I feel/fear it became some braindump but I just can’t do it better, sorry. And I am afraid it’s too personal and not very useful but maybe interesting for someone. I always like to read about other people’s experiences.
Yay, a topic for me 
I hang in carnivore topics but I probably never will do it longer term as I don’t feel I need it.
I did short carnivore trials. They were great! But I don’t want to do it long term at this point. Or ever, probably, I actually wanted to try it for 1-2 weeks and cure myself out of my peanut addiction and seeing 20g net carbs more, maybe?
It seems this thing is way more permanent for me but I definitely not do “true” carnivore on my best days (it happened on my proper trials only) and I am fine with it. But I didn’t reach my final destination yet, I am still trying out things, more or less fat, sometimes I run out of meat (maybe not completely but it’s bad enough) and I have a not too hard but very slow time to handle the fact I need extreme low-carb. I was a huge vegetable lover some months ago and I did vegetarian keto. But I ate too much and wanted to eat things I didn’t need (I rarely resist temptations so I ate them)… Well, I didn’t KNOW I don’t need them that time. I wanted to have a nutritious enough vegetarian keto diet. Almost completely lactose-free, too. It felt easy but nope, it wasn’t. Carnivore is easy. And simple. Even when dirty. Even with little meat.
I suspect I need extreme low-carb, almost no vegetables (I use some onions and whatnots for my meat but in very tiny amounts, it’s basically spice. but half a pickle or 2 thin slices of leek happens too, just not every day, I don’t need them but I like the taste, crunch, juiciness… so why not? it doesn’t harm me) and at least a little meat (I totally tried without when I run out of meat, I am a stubborn one and I didn’t want carby plants, nope. it didn’t end so well but it was interesting). Not carnivore, not even the relaxed version (it’s me, I do everything relaxed. or super strict for 2 days). But if I do extreme low-carb, I must add meat (no complains there) and I get very close to it. Unless I get “creative” and use my ridiculous amounts too. But I usually try to behave. Unless I have too little meat but if I keep my carbs very low, it still seems to work.
Since I swapped plants with meat (the rest stayed the same except I don’t eat sweets when I have enough meat, I actually have a huge common ground with my vegetarian keto. my most important item is still my beloved eggs), I don’t need my magnesium pills to avoid cramps.
Avoiding plants made my cooking for two more interesting. The two diets aren’t polar opposites but there are such meals. I need to be more creative but it’s not easy to make food for both of us.
I don’t know the number of meals yet, it varies and my diet does that too. I definitely eat way smaller meals on extreme low-carb in average. The average number of meals had to go up but I still eat way less now, even with 3 meals (it happens sometimes). My first meal is at 3pm or sometimes later just like before. Unlike before, I get a hard stop while eating, it’s very useful. I actually didn’t care about IF when I started, I ate proper amounts even if it wasn’t IF, it was a relief and freedom… Not like I ever forced IF, it’s natural to me and I break it sometimes without batting an eye but it has consequences: overeating. My weight stays the same either way but overeating isn’t healthy.
Now I want back my cute little eating window, it was comfortable and felt right. I am sure it will be fine when things calm down, it’s not far from that even now. But I like things clean.
I had no health problems even on high-carb so I just want to be able to eat less and have Perfect Satiation (and No Stupid Desires). That effect is amazing and it happens even if I dirty my carnivore pretty much. It’s just about net carbs for me, it seems this far.
Maybe because I couldn’t do it all the time (getting proper meat isn’t easy for me and I didn’t do it before. but it’s fine, I couldn’t eat much meat anyway yet), I never had problems (very slight nausea in the very first days but it was almost nothing and I got used to the fat without vegetables). Only benefits.
It’s possible 20g net carbs is low enough for me, I never was at that level for more than a very odd day ever. Maybe even more carbs are fine just without vegetables and nuts? I changed too many things, I don’t know.
Total carbs never mattered to me. I don’t want to eat fibers and erythritol very often, why would I need them, actually, I am just sure I can afford them if I want.
Did I mention I just want proper food if my carbs are very low? Usually. Even if I fancy something else, it’s because we have it in the house and I know it’s nice or something. It’s not a problem if I don’t eat it. Usually. I surely will have my moments longer term. I don’t want to give up my chocolate even if I don’t actually particularly desire it - but it’s still nice to have it. It’s some mental thing and I want this mental thing. It’s the same with alcohol, for example. It doesn’t mean I must have them in every week or month or more than 8g (it’s always fun for me to drink alcohol, the ridiculousness of my amounts never gets old :D).
So, my basic woe now, without tiny extra stuff: eggs (a lot), cheese (without limits and it means very little as I just don’t want them or just a little bit. I prefer the ones with 0.0 carb), very little dairy with lactose (I try to get off from heavy cream but sour cream is too useful sometimes. I had no lactose for years but I had my plants then and it’s easy to skip something not super important in the first 3-5 years but now I want to figure out my more permanent woe), some (not too much, not too little) meat (preferably very fatty pork but I want variety), very little rendered fat (almost only lard but if I have fatty enough meat, I use close to none).
I am okay with 1:1 fat:protein and with almost 2:1 as well but it wouldn’t be comfortable to do all the time. It’s okay as I don’t overdo protein anyway. I need carbs for that. (High protein feels just fine, by the way, at least short term but I eat less protein and less fat if I lower my carbs.)
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