Seeking advice on my Carnivore journey (7 days in)

(Dai Kon) #1

Hello everyone! Thank you for checking out my first post! A bit nervous.

I am a 40/M and started my carnivore journey a week ago coming from an omnivorous diet with a higher fat intake (50f/30p/20c). I frequently supplemented with Probiotics and work out 3 days a week.

One week in my carnivore diet has been an interesting ride. The first couple of days I was hit with nausea while at the gym. I read that low sodium could be the culprit and consuming salt helped tremendously. I’ve been drinking Salt-Sole (Made with Himalayan Salt) with water for years so I thought I was okay on sodium but this diet taught me I have to up my game. I’ve since ordered Re-lyte electrolyte mixes and put them in my water. I’ve quit taking probiotics to let my gut flora recalibrate to the new way of eating. I know it is TMI but my toilet experience has been a rollercoaster ride in more ways than one.

One surprise for me was how much I am getting in touch with eating food. Everything seems to taste much better. Who knew that a simple 80/20 ground beef with some salt and cheese can be so satisfying? I’ve also noticed that I am much calmer throughout the day while I used to get anxious and stressed.

I’ve felt great and noticed a decrease in body fat from looking into the mirror without any calorie restriction or changes to my workout. I’m not sure if this is a placebo effect but I’m feeling like my T levels are rising. Workouts feel stronger and I feel more confident. I’ve noticed myself being extra flirty with women.

So far I’ve been faced with a couple of challenges.

  • Buying Organ Meats. I’m a big fan of organ meats and seems to be a challenge buying them at stores. As a Japanese person, I miss the restaurants in Japan that specialize in organ meats. They call them ホルモン (Hormones) and go to Japanese-style BBQ places that serve only organ meats. Wish there was something similar to that here in the states. I have ordered Ancestral Supplements’ Grass Fed Beef Organs supplements and see how I feel about them. Does anyone have suggestions/tips on where to purchase organ meats? I’m dying for some liver, tripe, tongue, and other delicious portions of meat.

  • Sleeping and Urination. I have noticed that I get up multiple times during sleep hours to urinate. When I do, it’s quite the load of urination as well. It’s really odd that I don’t find myself urinating as much during the day versus during the nighttime. I’ve read some users stating that zero carb with only salt will be challenging with water retention. I will try to cut down on fluid intake during the nighttime hours. Any suggestion/advice/tips on this?

  • Toilet. My trips to the #2 have been rather insane. I’m feeling a little insecure about it but I will post it here anyway. The first couple of days I felt more constipated as if something was “stuck”. Got a bit bloated and gassy but I figured that’s my gut microbiome adjusting and getting rid of the “crap” (pun intended). Now a week into my diet, I’m noticing that my #2s have been more “gooey” and stick to the bottom of the toilet. The smell is rancid and gives me the gags. Is this normal? Has anyone else experienced this? I hope this is still the transition phase and level off soon.

Thank you to anyone that happens to read my post and any suggestions you may have. I am loving this diet and planning to continue it for a while longer.

D

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #2

Without insulin to inhibit excretion of sodium by the kidneys, they return to excreting sodium at the normal rate, so we do have to eat a bit more salt, especially at first.

Insufficient sodium can cause constipation; too much can cause the opposite. Fat can also contribute to loose stools and possibly even diarrhoea, in certain circumstances.

This is one of the big benefits carnivores experience.

Again, in the absence of excessive levels of insulin, things tend to revert to a new normal.

It may not be that your testosterone is actually any higher (though I wouldn’t rule that out, since testosterone is made from cholesterol). It is also possible that your body is using the testosterone you do have more efficiently. (There is evidence to show this is true where Vitamin C and the thyroid hormones are concerned, but I don’t believe any research has been done yet into testosterone on keto.)

A lot of carnivores don’t eat much organ meat, so do what works for you. Especially don’t overdo liver, because Vitamin A toxicity can be a problem.

You can get liver and tripe in many supermarkets, in the U.S., but your best bet is to look for an “ethnic” delicatessen or grocery, or a specialty butcher. A lot of the big supermarkets are switching to getting their meat from wholesale butchers, and this severely limits the consumer’s choices. If you can find anywhere that sells tongue, I’d like to know about it. It’s extremely hard to find. And beef brains were pretty much taken off the market in the U.S. after the prion scare a couple of decades ago.

I have found two things on keto: first, when my carb intake is low enough, I sleep through the night. Second, when my carb intake is low enough, my bladder capacity becomes enormous.

So give yourself much more time to adapt to carnivore. I suspect all this will settle down considerably over time. A week is not nearly long enough to make a judgement about what is or is not working.

This should go away if you are eating enough salt and getting enough fat.

Give yourself plenty of time to fully adapt to the new way of eating. My elimination is very different on keto from what it was before, and I imagine would be different still if I were to go strict carnivore.

The idea that we need fibre and that we should move our bowel at the same time every day was invented by laxative manufacturers. I am old enough to remember the time before the term “regularity” was even invented.

Give yourself at least three months of carnivore eating, preferably longer, before making up your mind whether eating this way is for you. It won’t be clear until you get through the adaptation phase, so give yourself plenty of time.

(Robin) #3

@PaulL has answered all the questions and it sounds like you are off and running. (No pun intended)

I don’t think you stated your reasons for going carnivore. Do you have any weight to lose, or just for general health?

One thing I have found after a year of carnivore is that my body must use 90% of what I eat. I poop very little and not often. I have heard “Less crap in, less crap out”.
True enough.

Glad to have you here.
Keep us in the loop.

(Little Miss Scare-All) #4

Me. It’s one of my favorite things on the planet. If I had to live off it, I could rather easily.

(Dai Kon) #5

I appreciate you taking your time to read and respond to my concern! I will definitely look in to doing it for longer than 3 months.

Today I had a strong craving for carbs. I didn’t cave in and had some salt to curb my cravings!

Thank you for this supporting community!

(Dai Kon) #6

Hi there Robin! Honestly? It was just on a whim and wanted to try something new. I’ve challenged myself to try different diets over the years and figured, “I’m turning 40, why not try something drastic?” Wonder if it’s my version of mid-life crisis! lol

Thank you again for ensuring me about the poop process. I hope I get used to it sometime soon!

(Dai Kon) #7

I will be making mine tomorrow thinking the same thing :slight_smile:

(Marianne) #8

Oh, you know it! If you like that, buy the 73/27 if you can - even better! We get it at BJs wholesale club. I don’t know if you have one of those where you are. It’s great for buying meat in bulk.

I don’t eat organ meat (I wish I liked it because it is so good for you), however, I wonder if you can get it at a local butcher shop if you request it specifically? I agree with you, it doesn’t seem to be readily available at the regular grocery store, except for maybe a tiny bit of liver. Americans generally don’t grow up eating any organ meat. I think that’s why.

I experienced similar to you with my bathroom habits. In the beginning, I never experienced diaharea or cramping but had very watery stools and an insistency to go when I needed to. This will normalize the longer you are on carnivore.

I’m so happy you love this way of eating. I do, too - and it’s so much easier than “cooking” a meal. We discovered grilling last year when our stove was out of commission for a month. Now, I rarely sear anything inside - it’s all cooked on the grill. Delicious. If you eat bacon, save the grease. We toss our chicken wings in it and use a tablespoon of it on any leaner cuts of meat.

Good luck on your journey!

(Marianne) #9

Yes!

#10

Once a week?

(Marianne) #11

More like twice.

(Dai Kon) #12

Hi! Thank you so much for your reply!

I haven’t seen any 73/27 Ground beef but I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for them! I love buying bulk. My vacuum sealer is always on standby for bulk shopping lol.

Absolutely simplified my “cooking”. Much easier as well since I want to get it close to rare as possible, cuts the cooking time of steaks to half haha.

Bacon tossed chicken sounds heavenly. Gotta go stock on some!

(Michael) #13

While I get some items from select butchers, the majority of my organ meats (and I eat beef heart almost daily) come from farms directly. I have 5 farms from which I regularly purchase organs, and 2 or 3 butchers as well. As Paul suggested, if you want harder to get items, you will probably find more luck in middle eastern/halal/ethnic meat shops. While I can easily get beef brains (illegal to sell in canada, but not all butchers follow Canadian regulations within Canada), tongues and cheeks are in high demand and can be harder to find. If you are lucky like me, I have had one place that would slaughter cows just to satisfy my organ/meat order. Another option you may find best, is to order a quarter or half cow directly from a farm. Often it is much cheaper by the pound, and normally you can get all the organs from the harvest if you pre-order with the quarter/half cow purchase.

P.S. The ground beef in my previous 1/4 cow was probably 50/50. It is VERY fatty since I asked them to not throw out any fat, but instead mix into the burger meat.