Wanting to Switch to Carnivore, Just a Couple of Questions

#1

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. I’ve been Keto since April. Started off solely due to the weight-loss aspirations, but kept to it because of all the other benefits it has given me (no hypertension, moods are stable due to blood sugars being stabilized, its helping my insulin resistance, etc.). I have already lost 65lbs+, though lately I’ve switched to mostly paying attention to my body fat percentage. 170lbs is the arbitrary weight I’ve chosen to aim for, but what I would like is to get my 35% BFP to 26%. I need a long-term plan to go about that, as I believe it would be unrealistic to expect to be able to accomplish that in a year, tho who knows. I’m thirty, moderately-active, I box to get some cardio in a couple times a week, tho I don’t do it for weight-loss purposes. I alternate between one or two meals a day depending on my fancy, so I’ve been disciplined to keeping my insulin levels as under control as I can since starting Keto. But now I’m interested in testing if I can handle Carnivore.

This whole time I’ve already been mostly animal-based with my eating. I cannot eat raw veggies (and some fruits) due to Oral Allergy Syndrome, haven’t been able to since I was a kid. I can eat them cooked, can even enjoy them, but they make me bloated and retain water. This tells me I probably just am not cut-out genetically to handle veggies, especially in any large quantities. So I’m ok with mostly giving those up. The hardest thing it will be for me to cut out are pecans, but that’s partly why I’ve considered going full Carnivore, as it’s the last major food that triggers me to graze, unless I keep a tight control on it.

I did have a couple questions, if someone can assist:

  1. For those who switched from Keto to Carnivore, did you ever have any issue with mass hunger returning? I like the control I have now, with only doing OMAD or 2MAD, and would like to keep that up. But I would like to know if returning hunger pangs is something I should watch out for.

  2. I’ve heard that Vitamin C isn’t something that most Carnivores have had to worry about. I plan to get it in liver, since I already eat liver. My question is then how often do you think it’s necessary to eat organ meat, for the vitamins, if only for peace of mind (I know some Carnivores don’t think it’s necessary at all). Once a week? Twice?

  3. I plan on continuing to drink coffee. What is the Carnivore stance on something like Stevia? Currently I only use half a packet for a 12oz cup a day. I do plan on trying to wean myself off of Coke Zero, which will be the hardest thing for me (as giving up regular pop was for starting Keto). Half a packet of Stevia in my coffeee shouldn’t throw me off terribly, right?

  4. It looks like Carnivores are fairly evenly split on the use of seasoning, but since I can’t live on salt-and-pepper alone, I plan on still using them (none with sugar). My inquiry then is when it comes to sauces. Can I use blue cheese dressing on my wings? Or even sugar-free ketchup? I already don’t use much of them, but I would like to know where they stand on the “allowed foods” spectrum. Has anyone noticed them upsetting their stomachs or anything the longer they’re on Carnivore?

  5. I’ve pretty much already switched to animal-based fats across the board, but wanted to be sure: no cooking with fruit oils on this diet, correct?

Thanks to anyone who has insight to help me!

(Brian) #2

Just my own opinion, which isn’t really worth a whole lot, but I’ll share…

I wouldn’t get too worried about being “pure” carnivore. It sounds like you are leaning in that direction. Keep leaning. No one says you have to go from vegan to carnivore in one day. (I know, you’re not vegan, but I’ve read posts about people who really do something that dramatic.) Don’t be too hard on yourself if at a meal you decide to have a veg that works OK for you. And you needn’t get terribly pumped up about having a strictly carnivore meal. Just roll with it. Lean in the direction you want to go and make small and consistent choices.

You’re coming from a good place to give carnivore a try. You’re mainly consuming animal products now. It’s a natural progression to go from a heavy animal product keto diet to a carnivore diet.

Also, unless there is something compelling about being full blown carnivore, lean till you get there and hang out as long as you feel like it’s a good choice. And if at some point you think you’d feel better picking up a little veg, give yourself permission to do it. Or cycle in and out.

Just about any diet you can think of, someone seems to do well and someone doesn’t do so well. That’s pretty normal.

Probably nothing all that helpful but figured I’d give you something to read while the “real” replies show up. LOL!!

Good luck!

(Elizabeth ) #3
(Chris) #4

  1. Nope. But everyone’s different.

  2. Not needed, but if you want to eat organs you can. I’ve gone a year and a half on muscle meat and eggs. Only ate liver twice. No scurv.

  3. Ditch the sweeteners. If nothing else they will make you crave sweets. IF you feel later on down the road that you can handle it, give it a few months and reintroduce if you want. Nobody’s holding a gun to your head. Better to allow yourself time to adapt, though. Others might also decry coffee. I saw no difference in my health between no coffee and daily coffee.

  4. Try without for a few months.

  5. No oils of any kind.

(Laurie) #5

If stevia is in a “packet,” it’s probably mixed with other sweeteners. What are the other ingredients in your packet of stevia? If you want to use stevia, check out the 100% kind. Examples:

HerbalSelectStevia NowStevia SteviaSpoon

#6

Usually it’s mixed with erythritol, which I haven’t had any negative reactions to. I do consciously try to avoid any mixtures that have maltodextrin in them.

#7

To answer your questions (after a year of carnivory):

1 I have had no greater hunger while carni than when on keto, but I feel much better on keto fat to protein macros while carni.

2 I take a small amount of naturally sourced vitamin C, but then I have malabsorption issues, and am not prepared to risk running up yet another deficiency. I ran the first 2 months of ZC without vit C and did get red gums. Wasn’t willing to carry on without checking whether C made a difference. The red gums disappeared within 2 days of taking the C. So now I take it daily.

A few months into carni I had some blood tests run. Severely deficient in magnesium and folate, low in B12 (I know, bizarre, right?) and low in D3. Turns out my guts aren’t absorbing them, and apparently I live in the dark :wink: So I supplement those too. I guess the people who manage without supplements have fully functioning guts.

Edited to add: I eat liver and organ meats 3-4 times a week. But not huge portions.

3 the taste of stevia is revolting to me. I sometimes have a single teasp of erythritol in a cup of coffee substitute (roast chicory) or cocoa. It has never given me cravings, hunger or digestive upset.

4 Seasonings. Yup. I use herbs, spices, garlic, salt and pepper.

5 No oils

I can’t believe it has been a year.

(Sondra Rose) #8

  1. The ONLY time I had an issue with cravings/massive hunger is when I eat anything sweet. Even erythritol.

  2. No worries about C. I eat liver for iron and K2, not for C, though there is definitely some in rare liver. I eat it twice a week, in the form of pate.

  3. See number one! Try heavy cream instead.

  4. I use carnivorous sauces with spices. Just nothing sweet tasting. Sour cream is an excellent vehicle for sauces.

  5. Correct!

(Nicole) #9

I’m mostly carnivore. I will have a bit of plants every few weeks, and may have some tomato on meat sauces once in a while.

1. For those who switched from Keto to Carnivore, did you ever have any issue with mass hunger returning? I like the control I have now, with only doing OMAD or 2MAD, and would like to keep that up. But I would like to know if returning hunger pangs is something I should watch out for.

I find that the fewer carbs that I eat, the less my hunger is.

2. I’ve heard that Vitamin C isn’t something that most Carnivores have had to worry about. I plan to get it in liver, since I already eat liver. My question is then how often do you think it’s necessary to eat organ meat, for the vitamins, if only for peace of mind (I know some Carnivores don’t think it’s necessary at all). Once a week? Twice?

I have vitamin C every few days. I doubt I need it, but I don’t eat much organ meat, and like my meats medium to medium-well, so I take some C once in a while.

  1. I plan on continuing to drink coffee. What is the Carnivore stance on something like Stevia? Currently I only use half a packet for a 12oz cup a day. I do plan on trying to wean myself off of Coke Zero, which will be the hardest thing for me (as giving up regular pop was for starting Keto). Half a packet of Stevia in my coffeee shouldn’t throw me off terribly, right?

I also have liquid stevia in my coffee. I avoid the powders because it has starchy or sugary fillers. It does not affect my BG or cause cravings for me.

4. It looks like Carnivores are fairly evenly split on the use of seasoning, but since I can’t live on salt-and-pepper alone, I plan on still using them (none with sugar). My inquiry then is when it comes to sauces. Can I use blue cheese dressing on my wings? Or even sugar-free ketchup? I already don’t use much of them, but I would like to know where they stand on the “allowed foods” spectrum. Has anyone noticed them upsetting their stomachs or anything the longer they’re on Carnivore?

I do sometimes. I don’t use it enough or in large enough of amounts to feel it affect my health or energy, so I figure I am okay with it.

  1. I’ve pretty much already switched to animal-based fats across the board, but wanted to be sure: no cooking with fruit oils on this diet, correct?

For true carnivores, yes. For someone like me, I don’t sweat fruit oils (olive, avocado) too much if I get some on occasion. I do try to avoid coconut now as it seems to affect my rosacea somehow.

(Cathrine Helle) #10
  • For those who switched from Keto to Carnivore, did you ever have any issue with mass hunger returning? I like the control I have now, with only doing OMAD or 2MAD, and would like to keep that up. But I would like to know if returning hunger pangs is something I should watch out for.

No, I’ve eaten roughly the same amount of food since starting carnivore (4-5 months ago now)

  • I’ve heard that Vitamin C isn’t something that most Carnivores have had to worry about. I plan to get it in liver, since I already eat liver. My question is then how often do you think it’s necessary to eat organ meat, for the vitamins, if only for peace of mind (I know some Carnivores don’t think it’s necessary at all). Once a week? Twice?

I don’t supplement. I eat liver every other week or so.

  • I plan on continuing to drink coffee. What is the Carnivore stance on something like Stevia? Currently I only use half a packet for a 12oz cup a day. I do plan on trying to wean myself off of Coke Zero, which will be the hardest thing for me (as giving up regular pop was for starting Keto). Half a packet of Stevia in my coffeee shouldn’t throw me off terribly, right?

I would ditch the sweetener if you can. Don’t have to go cold turkey though, I would get off the coke zero first and tackle the stevia once you feel ready :slight_smile:

  • It looks like Carnivores are fairly evenly split on the use of seasoning, but since I can’t live on salt-and-pepper alone, I plan on still using them (none with sugar). My inquiry then is when it comes to sauces. Can I use blue cheese dressing on my wings? Or even sugar-free ketchup? I already don’t use much of them, but I would like to know where they stand on the “allowed foods” spectrum. Has anyone noticed them upsetting their stomachs or anything the longer they’re on Carnivore?

I mostly just use salt and pepper. Sometimes thyme or tarragon. Very rarely will I have sauce, and only if the meat is really lean. I don’t eat dairy other than butter, so this naturally excludes most sauces. This is not because I want to be as pure as possible, it’s basically because I’ve got IBS and an autoimmune condition that are aggravated by certain foods.

  • I’ve pretty much already switched to animal-based fats across the board, but wanted to be sure: no cooking with fruit oils on this diet, correct?

Exactly :slight_smile:

(Chris) #11

Carnivore really points out how certain foods hijack satiety.

I season with anything I want, Ive never had a noticeable issue. My hobby is competitive BBQ and I thought that was going to be impossible to manage, but I was surprisingly able to tolerate the ultra sweet bbq tastings on the weekends. Although the last thing you want to eat after a weekend of bbq is bbq.

(Eric - The patient needs to be patient!) #12

When I smoke and pull 60 lbs of pork I don’t want to eat it. Not competitive, I just do BBQ for eats. But pulled pork takes so long I do several butts and vacuum seal up bags and freeze them for meals.

(Chris) #13

You had me a 60lbs of pork. :heart:

#14

Thanks, everyone, for the advice!