Starting carnivore again, diarrhea problems again

[Norm]

I tried carnivore a several months ago but had to stop because of diarrhea. I gained weight consistently, terrible brain fog and mood swings after I stopped. So here I am again four days in and diarrhea started on the second day. This condition is unacceptable because my work has me traveling a lot, so I took some aniidiarrheal on the third day for some relief. I realize I can’t rely on this and I’ve read on blogs that it could take several weeks or months for my body to adjust. What else can I do to help with this problem? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[Fangs]

what have you eaten? lets start there first.

post what foods you are eating and we can adjust it to help.

Yea when traveling I sure get that this adaption side effect would be intolerable!!

here is so veteran approach to their troubles I posted a while ago:
4. Solving GI Problems

Gastrointestinal (GI) issues are extremely common, especially if you are coming from a low fat diet.

Even though you are ready to dive all in, your gallbladder and pancreas might not be ready to handle the increased fat intake. When first starting you may have inadequate bile and lipase to digest the increased fat intake. This leads to diarrhea and all kinds of GI distress.

One solution: You can reduce how much fat you’re eating by choosing leaner cuts of meat. I DO NOT recommend this approach. This will simply prolong the adaptation period. Translation = you will suffer far longer than you need to.

Much Better Solution: Supplementing for 2-4 weeks

Supplement Solution:

Start with a simple lipase supplement taken a few minutes BEFORE meals.

It freed me from the toilet after spending two weeks married to it.

• Start with 1 tablet and if you still have some discomfort go to 2.
  • 6,000 lipase activity unites LU
    For most people, lipase alone does the trick. However, some people need to exogenous bile.

Ox bile, taken with meals, is your next step.

Your final step, if still having GI issues, especially, if they are GERD/acid reflux related is to help the stomach. Many people produce inadequate stomach acid to facilitate digestion and proper metabolic signaling. Yes. It’s low stomach acid that results in GERD, Heartburn, Acid Reflux.

A Betaine HCl supplement is the answer. Don’t take this with anti-inflammatories which could result in ulcers. It should automatically include pepsin in it, but worth checking just to make sure. Common dosage range between 3-5g/meal.

Supplements are a BRIDGING STRATEGY – NOT A LONG TERM NEED. The goal is to be off all of these after the first month. They let your body catch up.

Rendered Fat
For some people, the type of fat is what causes the GI distress.

If the previously mentioned supplements don’t help, then you may need to remove rendered fats.

Rendered fat is fat that is cooked out of meats and becomes liquid.

For example, if you don’t handle rendered fats well, drinking the liquid fat in the skillet after cooking is a recipe for disaster (pants).

You will likely notice that your bowel movement schedule changes. It’s very common to go less frequently. Much less frequently. Don’t worry you’re not constipated, and it’s normal. Volume also tends to decrease. Your body absorbs and uses meat very efficiently. Not a lot goes to waste.

[Bobt]

I don’t know your traveling schedule, but I have a job that requires it a couple of hours each morning with absolutely no option to stop. I just make sure that I do not eat before I go, especially on the morning portion of the route. I usually do OMAD during the work week, so I’m finished with all four hours of my driving before I eat. I know that’s probably not really what you are looking for, but it works for me.

[Fangs]

Me too, way back when adapting I did whatever it took like you…sometimes our lifestyles just suck to fit our adapting thru our body changes. Smart to make it work for you and not against ya Bobt. I get that.

[Norm]

Thanks for all the information Fangs. Because of my past experience with the same problem I started this time eating extremely clean. I eat about 1-1/2 pounds of red meat a day, flank steaks and ground beef. The only other things that I consume is a cup of coffee with just a touch of monk fruit sweetener, home made electrolyte mixture from Mikhaila Peterson and water, that’s it. I will have a drink or two of vodka and seltzer water later tonight. I work a terrible schedule and have trouble sleeping so I do use Nyquil on a regular basis. I know that’s a bad idea but I have to sleep or the consequences could be very bad.

[Fangs]

Yea Norm you are in that ‘take and eat a few things for survival’ of your lifestyle to make it work and needing to go super clean carnivore and hit thru adaption etc.

It isn’t a fun place to be ever. I get it all truly.

Hamburger. What ya buying?

for me personally, and a lot of carnivores do not do this…I buy super lean hamburger. The fat in hamburger never sets well with me in the guts. While the taste of fattier burger is delish, it works against me in the end.

So I now buy the, like 93% lean, like 7% fat hamburger. It makes a drier burger for sure but it sets so well on my tummy for me and I enjoy it so wondering what you do buy?

[Norm]

Thanks Bobt, I’m kind of doing the same thing. My last meal has been 29 hours ago only because I have more road time left and am afraid to eat.

[Norm]

Ground Chuck 90/10, it is dry and eating it cold out of a cooler is even worse. I have used Primal Kitchen ketchup as it has no sugar. What do you think about Mark Sisson’s products?

[Norm]

19 hours

[Norm]

And I’m now hungry hahaha

[Fangs]

ahhh yea I hate that afraid to eat cause us carnivores need to do just that and when it all works against you, we can’t win almost and it stinks!!!

Now the info I posted to you…the veteran says he doesn’t recommend eating leaner meats.

Now I am not a pill taker. I don’t supp anything. I am one of those anti-pill, supplement, even OTC stuff like anti-diarrhea and Tums or any of that stuff. I only do it thru I have no other choice type thing LOL

So for me, when I read what the veteran said how he handled it, my first thought would be I ain’t taking that crap supps for survival, I would gear toward leaner cuts of meat.

I would try something like eggs and chicken. I would gear at seafood definitely. Seafood is often forgotten but a ton of shrimp with a tiny bit of butter for sauteeing those delish shrimp is kinda how I would go at this.

I would rather take a longer time to adapt with less craps and fill up big time on a lot more leaner food intake then to take pills. (this is me personally, that I hate pills kinda gal LOL)

A big hunk of salmon and a very small burger patty as the ‘side’ dish to this meal.

So my thoughts are I would go this way thru it if I had to work and worry.

But it is a very personal way ya wanna roll and how you make it all fit in your life. It is a toughie for ya, I feel for you on all this truly. You have a way you wanna go but your travel just nails ya big time.

The craps can’t ever be taken lightly, I mean they nail ya big time when they want and they have no darn mercy. I knew I hated having it back then!!

[Fangs]

Mark’s supps and all. I don’t do anything. You can’t get me to take a pill other than I live on my sinus pills when I need them…LOL…other than that I would take a ‘supp for keto/lc/carnivore’ or anything like that cause that is just me LOL

[Norm]

I’m going to Sam’s Club today, great prices on shrimp and salmon. I will definitely start with those tomorrow and see what happens. Thanks so much for the help, I have to make this work. It’s the only thing that helps with my arthritis and cravings for junk food. I’ll keep you posted on any and all progress.

[Fangs]

Hey I got an idea.
Tell work you must have some personal time off, like a month, for medical reasons HAHA

yea yea I know that can’t go down, but it sure is wishful darn thinking right? heehee

So you are doing 90/10 burger. OK. Cool. I do even drier. I do 93/7 and I am longer term carnivore but that fatty in burger nails me, always did.

Also on your beef, you might, might wanna buy a few ‘filet mignon’ steaks. Expensive, darn right it is but in the end while it is super tender, the fat content is not even close to like a ribeye at all so…your beef you do buy and eat in smaller form as a combo…think surf and turf, heavier on the seafood/fish and some beef might work good also.

I think if you experiment a bit, find your better fat combo calculations for your body thru adapting time, you could experiment your way into a lot better situation.

And I get it. Your benefits from carnivore make you feel so darn good with helping arthritis and more…so you keep working on you best ya can! I am rooting right behind you Norm!!

[Norm]

Thanks again, I needed this conversation. I have to make this work and with your help alone with Bobt I just may have a chance.

[Fangs]

hey sounds like Bobt made it work, I made it work and so many of us darn carnivores when starting had to make it work. The bathroom thing can put a damper on life big time, oh yea we all get it

You work thru it as you need to work thru it and experiment, keep taking your D pills if needed a bit and just bob and weave thru adaption time best ya can!

and when you get your seafood and all you best post how you are doing cause we wanna know!! We want to know you are doing ok on carnivore and working thru some troubles, we carnivores won’t leave anyone hanging out there alone We got ya Norm!! Between your working on you and us saying, go at it and fix it up best ya can, and hold stong,…we got this between all of us

[Norm]

I will make this work I have no choice because nothing else has. I will keep you updated
Thanks your awesome!

[ReneeRC]

Norm, just wanted to say that I’m hoping for you to have good success with this. I was in the bathroom in the beginning too. No fun! One thing to be sure and watch is how much water you are drinking. For some of us, if we drink a lot (guzzling the stuff) of water that can end up sending us to the bathroom, especially if we drink a lot at mealtime.

[Norm]

Thanks Renee, funny you should say that I’m in Florida and spend much of my time outdoors for work and pleasure .I do drink lots of water and now more than ever make sure I have enough but not too much or salt or electrolytes. I think I do drink too much while I est so I need to back off a little. I’m really trying to make this work because nothing else has. Thanks for the advice, if there’s anything else you can think of please let me know. I’m really glad to have the help and support.

[Ketodaisy]

I was just getting ready to post this. I have been back on strict carnivore for almost a month now. Struggled with terrible digestion the last time and it immediately started again this time. I finally took the advice of no water directly before, during or after a meal and the digestion improved about 90%. I had about a week of relief and mostly normal digestion. Until I went to a restaurant 2 days ago and now it’s back to terrible. But I started doing a fast last week, that I’m going to try again today to see if it helps. I don’t know if the one last week was a contributor to the week of good digestion, but it’s worth a shot! Last week was I think 45 hours. Today I’m planning for 36.