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When Ozempic didn't work, I went on a diet doctors warn against... the results speak for themselvesBy LUKE ANDREWS SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 12:15 EDT, 22 April 2025 | Updated: 14:30 EDT, 22 April 2025 At 635lb and struggling to walk, Pete Brennan knew something needed to change. Showing people houses for his realtor job left him panting and with shooting pains through his knees and feet that would last hours. His wife had to assume all cooking and cleaning duties at home, leaving him feeling useless and worthless. Brennan, 39, nearly missed his own wedding, narrowly avoiding being ordered off the plane to Mexico because he was too large to fit into the single passenger seat. But the breaking point came when Brennan fell in the shower and was unable to stand up, having to ask his five-year-old son Nolan to help him. 'It just kind of made me realize that being selfish, and letting go of myself like I was, that really wasn't the right thing to do,' Brennan told the Daily Mail. The New Jersey native has now successfully shed more than half his body weight, or 352lbs, in two years while following a diet almost all doctors advise against. The 'carnivore diet' involves eating only meat products like steak, chicken, eggs, butter and fish. Brennan is pictured above around his heaviest at 635lbs with two clients. He works as a realtor helping to sell houses Peter 'Francis' Brennan, 39, has embarked on a mammoth weight loss to slash his weight from 635 to below 250lbs. He is currently at 283lbs, and is pictured above this month The high levels of fats and low carbohydrates puts the body into ketosis, a state where it burns bodyfat instead of carbohydrates for energy. Many doctors, including Brennan's, warn people not to use the diet saying that it can cause high levels of LDL or bad cholesterol. This can cause plaques to build-up in the arteries, restricting blood flow and raising the risk of complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and a heart attack — which he was already at risk of. Some, however, say it's a life changer, including podcaster Joe Rogan and controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson. Advocates say the carnivore diet allows them to lose weight rapidly and boost their energy levels, sleep and sexual performance. Brennan said he now consumes three meals a day, with each weighing six ounces and composed entirely of eggs mixed with sliced chicken and turkey sausages. He aims to get in about 130 to 170 grams of protein daily, well above the US National Dietary Guidelines recommendation of about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight — or 101 grams a day for Brennan, who weighs 283lbs. For snacks, he consumes peanuts and cottage cheese — which aren't strictly part of the carnivore diet but are used in the keto diet to keep burning fat for energy. He doesn't consume red meat amid concerns that it could cause colon cancer and type 2 diabetes. Brennan shown in the gym this month Brennan started on the carnivore diet in June 2024, after spending a year and four months on Wegovy — injecting himself once a week. He also had gastric sleeve surgery in June 2024, when the stomach is surgically reduced to limit the amount of food someone can consume. Surgeons were shocked operating on him, saying at the time that his stomach was three foot long — or about three times the average size for a person. The drugs caused him to lose 167lbs in a year and four months, which he used alongside a restrictive diet and exercise six times a week. But the diet and surgery is what really yielded the results, leading him to lose an extra 185lbs the following nine months. His current weight is now 283lbs, which at 5ft 11in still puts him in the obese category with a BMI above 30. When he started his weight loss, his BMI was 88 — putting him in the category of severely obese. He aims to get his weight below 250lbs before December — and then reach his goal of weighing between 200 and 225lbs. But despite the enormous success he has had, Brennan confessed he isn't feeling nearly as confident as he should — and its all down to the massive amount of loose skin hanging off his body. When someone puts on a large amount of weight, the skin stretches to accommodate the new size. It may then struggle to return to its original size if someone later loses the weight. In Brennan's case, his loose skin is 'everywhere' — hanging off his chest, stomach, back, legs, arms, neck and his face. It isn't clear how much it weighs. Peter is pictured above at the start of his weight loss journey. He has been posting his workouts online 'I don't feel as confident as I should be after doing what I've done,' he said, 'just because I know it is just hanging there'. 'It's not how a normal person should look, I look like I've melted. 'Like, if it wasn't there I would be wearing smaller size clothes, and my legs wouldn't be as hidden.' As well as getting in the way, the skin can also chafe against itself and clothing — causing him to develop painful rashes that take days to clear up. His health insurance covered the Wegovy and gastric sleeve surgery, but has declined to cover the skin removal, saying this is cosmetic. With the mammoth procedure needed, doctors have estimated it will cost $90,000 — which he is fundraising for online. He says he is also considering taking out a loan to cover the rest. He also had surgery to remove a hernia at his belly button, with a hernia being when part of the intestine, fat or fluid pushes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall and creates a visible bulge. Hernias may happen because of increased pressure in the abdomen, which may be caused by straining during bowel movements or obesity. He had had the hernia for ten to 15 years, but it had not previously been possible to treat it owing to his weight. Pete Brennan, 39, New Jersey, is pictured above at the start of his weight loss journey at 635lbs and today after getting his weight down to 283lbs. The structure in the middle of his stomach is a hernia, which he has now had removed Brennan is thrilled with his weight loss, but said his confidence has been hit by his loose skin Amid all the weight loss, Brennan said his life is transformed — with himself now able to help around the house and having a lot more energy. He also works out six times a week, focusing on a combination of cardio and weight-lifting, and said people no longer stare at him in the street, like they did when he was much larger. A number of people viewing his photos have said they don't want to lose weight because of the loose skin, but Brennan urged them to reconsider. He said: 'I would say you just need to put the excuse aside and think more long term about how beneficial it is going to be on your life and how much longer you are going to be able to live. 'And guess what, you can get rid of loose skin with surgery...' He added: 'Once you're past making excuses and are actually doing it, you will start to love it and start to love the new self you are turning into.' ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14511377/ozempic-failure-diet-carnivore-weight-loss.html?

There's a few explanations for this. The most common, and most sound in my opinion, is that when you've been on a proper human diet for some time, your red blood cells last/live longer. The a1c, in simple terms, measures the sugar that's bonded to your red blood cells, which on a standard American junk diet live 2-3 months. Therefore, the a1c is considered a "3-month snapshot", whereas a blood glucose test is a snapshot of that very moment the blood was drawn. The 2 numbers should be considered together, not in isolation. If your red blood cells are living longer now that you are getting proper nutrition, this provides more time for sugar to bond to them, which could raise your a1c number slightly. But this wouldn't necessarily equate to diabetes because, well, you are not eating carbs or sugar. It's very similar to my situation with creatinine. It goes up because I eat meat, but this does not equate to further kidney damage. Again, not according to keto/carnivore doctors, which is where I place my trust. Your LDL is around the same as mine, and I am not worried. I would especially not be worried if I had your trig and HDL numbers, as a better predictor of risk is the trig to HDL ratio, which ideally would be lower than 2. 69/77 = .9 This is beautiful. Mine is double and triple digits because of my high trigs. I'm much more likely to die of cardiac issues than you.

I agree with this. I still drink black tea. I am actually surprised I never had kidney stones. I would drink a pot of coffee per day, snack on almonds like most people snack on Cheetos, and eat spinach at both lunch and dinner. I could have been rename Mr. Oxylate, lol :D

Let's say that you normally ate 2500 calories a day, amd then all of a sudden you cut that down to 1500 calories a day. You see the weight just coming right off when you do that, but all of a sudden the weight loss stops and now you hit a plateau. You're not losing any weight but you're still eating 1500 calories a day. This is because your body went into conservation mode when it caught on to what you are doing. So what you can do is gradually increase your calories again. The next day eat 1550, then 1600, then 1650, then 1700, and so on until you work your way back up to 2000. Then stay there for a few days, and then take it back down to 1500 again. Now your body thinks there is more resources coming in. JOIN THIS CHANNEL TO GET ACCESS TO PERKS! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeAwaxsqfNEK4ZtfWX3Dz3g/join VISIT OUR FREE KETO/CARNIVORE COMMUNITY! https://www.CarnivoreTalk.com LET'S DO A VIDEO TOGETHER! Have YOU had success with a meat-based keto, ketovore, carnivore, carnivore-centric, or animal-based diet? Let's do a video together! Contact me using this form... https://carnivoretalk.com/contact/ HAVE YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED IN A FUTURE VIDEO: Click the link below to leave us a Voicemail, and we might feature your question on the next episode of Carnivore Talk. https://carnivoretalk.com/voicemail/ SEND SNAIL MAIL TO: Robert Angle Carnivore Talk PO Box 1367 Stow, OH 44224 DISCLAIMER: The Carnivore Talk website and its audio and video content are for general informational purposes only. The use of the information found within our content or from materials linked to from our content is at the user’s own risk. The content published by Carnivore Talk is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should seek the assistance of their health care professionals to obtain medical advice and to diagnose or treat any condition. I am NOT a doctor! #carnivore #carnivorediet #ketodiet #metabolism

I agree. Although I do weigh in every morning, my weight fluctuates considerably. I think a lot of it depends on how hydrated I am or how much I drank and am retaining - due to my kidney disease.

Special occasion 😉. I'll do the same thing on my wedding anniversary. About how much do you use? When I make ice cream, I typically use two cups of heavy cream, four egg yolks, pinch of salt and some vanilla extract. In the past I've used erythritol, stevia, or honey to sweeten it. I recently bought a big bag of allulose from Amazon, but when I used it in my tea I thought it gave me diarrhea. I'm a little scared to put it in the ice cream, lol.

I think the most I have seen from one day to the next is a 3-pound difference. I think my kidney disease comes into play here.

I'm still using a bluetooth enabled digital scale that I got 10+ years ago, and I don't even use it for anything but my weight. However, I will say that I am really fond of the reviews at The Wire Cutter... https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-smart-scales/ And from Tech Radar... https://www.techradar.com/best/best-smart-scales Tom's Guide... https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-smart-scales,review-3469.html and PCMag... https://www.pcmag.com/picks/the-best-smart-scales Funny thing is, they don't agree on what is #1, lol. But some brands, like Withings and Eufy are found on all 4 lists.

It's already started, lol. Just read the last 3 paragraphs again. This study from 'down under' will get quickly forgotten about. The Mainstream will fire back with their own pro-plant studies to contradict this study.

Possibly. As a general rule of thumb, don't eat unless you are hungry. Then when you do eat, eat until you are comfortably stuffed (NOT overly stuffed). Basically, comfortably full and satisfied. Don't snack in-between meals. You could technically do 3 meals a day to start, but most people find themselves happy with just the two meals because the fat and protein on the carnivore diet are so satiating. Intermittent fasting starts to come naturally. 3 eggs (210 cals) in the morning would not do it for me. I need like 7-10, lol (490-700 cals) + butter. This is true as well. For example, if I eat a lot of lean fish and lean chicken, I will get hungry more often and maybe even gain weight. Without sufficient fat, the body will convert that protein into glucose and I won't be using ketones. This is why I said to try and maybe consume a little more - so the body doesn't go into "conservation mode" because it's under the impression there is a famine or lack of resources. Intermittent fasting will allow time to metabolize what you consume. The occasional extended fast is good when you metabolism is running "high". But then eating low calorie or having a prolonged extended fast will put you back into "conservation mode". So a good routine is 2 meals a day within an 8 (max) eating window, and an occasional extended fast here and there. Some people actually eat one meal a day, but make it count by basically eating 3 meals in one setting (which isn't my thing, lol).

I, too, think your labs look very good. Your Trig:HDL ratio is fantastic, even though both values are higher than we normally see. Read this article as to why the Trig:HDL ratio is a better predictor of cardiovascular disease risk and why your numbers indicate very low risk... https://prevmedhealth.com/more-important-than-ldl-the-triglyceride-hdl-ratio/ From that article... By way of example, mine are usually around 700 mg/dL and have been as high as just under 3000 mg/dL. But I am also in a disease state. I would kill for your number, lol.

New research is bad news for vegans — even if you eat plant-based proteinStory by McKenzie Beard Hold the tofu. New research suggests that vegans may be more likely to suffer from nutritional deficiencies than their meat-eating counterparts. Worse still, scientists found that even vegans who hit their daily protein goals with plant-based sources often fall short on two essential amino acids, putting their health at risk. Plant-based diets are packed with produce, but some key nutrients may be missing. PaeGAG – stock.adobe.com In the US, an estimated 1% to 5% of the population follows a vegan diet, which eliminates all animal products, including meat, dairy and eggs. Over the years, researchers have found that following a plant-based diet can reduce the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, as well as help with weight management. In fact, one study found that eating a vegan diet can improve your health in just four weeks. But meat-eaters have long argued that animal products provide essential nutrients — particularly proteins, vitamins and minerals — that are tough to get in sufficient quantities from a plant-based diet. A new six-month study out of Australia might just support that claim. Meat is a rich source of protein and also provides essential nutrients such as iron, zinc and B vitamins. puhhha – stock.adobe.com Researchers tracked the diets of 240 adults, aged 30 to 75, ranging from strict vegans and dairy-eating vegetarians to good old-fashioned meat lovers. As expected, the plant-based group consumed far more vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts compared to their meat-eating counterparts, while also being more likely to avoid sugary drinks and junk food. Vegans and lacto-vegetarians also had higher intakes of fiber, folate, magnesium, vitamin E, iron and omega-6 fatty acids compared to meat eaters. However, the same groups were also deficient in several essential nutrients. Compared to meat-eaters, vegans and lacto-vegetarians consumed “significantly less” protein-rich foods. They also had lower levels of vitamin B12, iodine, niacin, riboflavin and omega-3 fatty acids. “[Plant-based diets], while higher in beneficial nutrients and wholefood groups than regular meat-eaters, may lead to nutritional inadequacies if not planned appropriately,” the study authors concluded. Researchers say plant-based eaters need to be extra mindful about getting all their essential nutrients. EdNurg – stock.adobe.com Think you’re getting enough protein on a plant-based diet? Don’t get too comfortable just yet. Researchers in New Zealand analyzed the diets of nearly 200 long-term vegan Kiwis and found that about three-fourths of them met the daily recommended protein intake from plant-based foods like tofu, lentils, legumes and meat alternatives. But here’s the twist: once digestion was factored in, only about half of the participants were getting enough of two essential amino acids — the building blocks of protein — called lysine and leucine. Leucine is key for making protein and growth hormones, and it plays a vital role in muscle growth and repair, wound healing and blood sugar regulation. Lysine, on the other hand, is crucial for hormone production, energy, and calcium and immune function. The problem for vegans, researchers explained, is that only a small fraction of the already low levels of these amino acids in plant foods is being absorbed by the body, while the rest is simply passed out. Meat alternatives pack protein, but not all of their amino acids are absorbed by the body. Sundry Photography – stock.adobe.com “Achieving high protein quality on a vegan diet requires more than just consuming enough protein,” the study authors wrote. “It also depends on the right balance and variety of plant foods to supply all the amino acids in the quantities that our body needs.” Prolonged deficiencies in lysine and leucine can disrupt protein balance, hinder muscle maintenance and affect other vital functions, the researchers warned. These risks could be even greater for vulnerable groups, like elderly vegans. The researchers are calling for further investigation into how vegans can boost their intake of leucine and lysine in a nutritionally balanced way. In the study, legumes and their seeds were found to be the top contributors to overall protein and lysine intake. However, some experts caution that the findings from the New Zealand study should be taken with a grain of salt. Professor Tom Sanders, a nutrition expert at King’s College London, pointed out a few limitations, such as the lack of an omnivore group for comparison. He also noted that the study didn’t account for the role of gut bacteria in lysine production and relied on self-reported data, which he said can be less reliable. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/new-research-is-bad-news-for-vegans-even-if-you-eat-plant-based-protein/ar-AA1DeUyd?

Those NSV 's are great. Cherish them. Sometimes when we hit these plateaus it's because the body is focused on healing instead of losing weight. On the other hand... That does sound like you are not eating a lot. You're coming in less than 1500 "calories" a day provided it's 80/20 ground beef and you're slurping up all the grease from your plate. Your body may be adjusting it's metabolic rate to counter the low caloric intake (we only mention "calories" here in the sense that it gives you a rough idea how much or how little you are eating). I'm not sure how active you are, or how much sleep you are getting, but here's some ideas worth trying... Increase your consumption. The 1lb of beef is a good meal but breakfast could be bigger if you are only eating 3 eggs. Don't eat and then go to sleep on it. Try to consolidate your eating into an 8-hour feeding window at most. Then fast the remaining 16+ hours. Throw in an extended fast here and there.