Scott F.

After 18-20 months on carnivore and primarily on red meat with some chicken, pork and fish, I showed low folate last December during bloodwork for an eye exam. I have not been really good about the folate medicine and it showed again in May. I just put my stuff together to start on Monday. I have not seen nor felt any of the negatives while working out. Actually, I have ramped up my workouts as of late without any issues. Maybe the only thing I have noticed is that I am not sleeping all that well for the last few months. I can go right to sleep at my normal bed time, sleep three or four and sometimes five hours and then wide awake, which is 1-2-3 in the morning depending on when I go to bed. I also have had some late in the day energy level drops that I hadn't experienced but haven't attributed it to anything other than the irregular sleep. Reading this I may need to take it more seriously. I really didn't expect a folate issue. Thanks for the information. Scott

I have done 7 and felt like I could have continued. I have been reading a lot about the advantages and disadvantages of going past the 96 hour mark. Sometimes the answer is in 'which one you believe the most' as it feels like it is a split amongst the 'experts'. Scott

I will have to check it out. For me it is not so much finding variety as I can eat the same thing everyday with zero issues. A taco meal like this will allow for my wife and I to eat 'together and eating the same thing' as she strives for variety and 'colors' on her plate. Nice work. Scott

I have done it a number of times now and I am still amazed. I mean, pretty much all of us were programmed from an early age we had to eat three times per day and the food fueled our bodies, etc. etc. 3-4 days in and I have a ton of energy and zero hunger. Still leaves going, HUH? at times. This last five I actually came off of it without getting really loose. I felt like I tried every combination but it was all the same. As of late I just sort of gave up on 'breaking the fast the right way'. I just ate some bacon and eggs, which I had tried before, but this time all went as normal. Maybe it took me ever how many to adapt, not sure. Congrats on the 86. Nice work. Scott

Nice work. I probably fast a bit too much, I'm guessing anyway. I usually land somewhere between 72 and 96 hours. I have read around 96 hours starts some points of diminishing returns. But then others say not so much. The autophagy and ketosis and human growth hormones and stem cells are all fine and good, and dropping a few pounds is good too, but mostly now I do it because of the way it makes me feel. From 24 hours on, (did one 7 day fast) I really feel good. I have energy, I am not hungry and everything about it feels positive. The 'feel good' is the biggest reason I do a couple a month. Good luck with yours. I need to check out the APP because I am just wining mine. LOL Scott

Three hamburger patties and two eggs for breakfast. Normally, I do not eat this early in the morning but was sort of hungry. On the way home this morning the neighbor up the road had cows in the highway and across the road. I woke them up and helped keep them on the right side of the road while trying to get the cars/trucks to slow down. Maybe it was being that close to really fresh red meat that triggered some hunger. Not sure. LOL Scott

Agreed. I feel like if I got better with a shift in diet I would like to think so could a lot of people. What I think would help, similar in thought to what you posted, is doctors being a bit more open minded. I get pills and potions can help correct a situation in a hurry and a lot of times that is the best practice. But I wish there was the next step to see what could be done for an alternate means of healing/staying healthy. Good luck on your continued progress. Scott

Best of luck with your upcoming tests. Yes, it is sad a large part of the medical community, and most in general, think pills and potions are the way to go. (And with that said, in 2018 without pills and potions I probably would not be here today, so I am all for the use of medicines to start the healing process. I'm just not a fan of lifelong prescriptions.) Good luck with your testing. Scott

Congrats. End of the day is your health and happiness. Probably a thousand routes to get there with getting there being the goal. Scott

Welcome. Bob is definitely the go-to guy for kidney related conversations here on the board. But speaking in general, and I mean way general, I would wait for actual testing to come up with a diagnosis. A lot of kidney issues can be corrected. As far as having doctors that work with us while on carnivore seem to be few and far between. My primary care provider pushes statins as he is an advocate for their use. I pass. And on the flip side my Neurologist is a big fan of my choices. He says he is not ready to prescribe carnivore but at the same time he wished his other patients would have a conversation with me, even making some of the same decisions I make. Good luck. And again, welcome. Scott

Congrats. Nice work. Keep it going. Scott

My weight fluctuates as well. I'm the first one to say a person should not look at the scale every day to see those fluctuations, but I am also the first one to look at the scale every day. Every third day or so I do a 'three day average' and consider that my weight. it sort of adjusts for the fluctuations. When I was dropping weight really fast I could see my weight go up a pound but at the same time I had to cinch my belt up a notch. And then it would settle in on my 'new three day average;. Good luck and congrats on your progresses. Scott

I will have to disagree but I'm OK with you keeping your membership card. Maybe a probationary period for the flaw but no reason we can't still be friends. LOL But we stumbled onto a guy right down the road who makes the best homemade sausage I have ever eaten. Just down the road and we never knew. Last year we probably bought 40lbs over three times he made it. I can eat it every day. Scott

That's a good starter and congrats for the doing the 40 hours. I am now reading on how many extended fasts I can do before I reach the 'diminishing returns' plateau. As of late I have been fasting when working nights. I do two nightshift rotations per month which is one 72-hour fast and one that is around 96 hours. I feel pretty good doing two and sort of been just 'rolling with two'. Scott

Even on carnivore it can have several factors. The elimination part is the biggest factor. A lot of the things you are no longer eating were a big part of your fuel source. When stopped those a switched to carnivore your primary fuel switched from sugars and carbs to fats. At any one given moment it stands to reason there will be more fat in your blood stream as fat is moving. Not really a medical term but moving fat is not as big as issue as stored fat. If you are eating a higher fat moderate protein approach to carnivore then again, the fat goes up and initially the cholesterol follows. At least that is how mine did. In the first 12-18 months I was on a cycle where I would get a HAZMAT/work physical every six months and bloodwork for my autoimmune issues every six months. Fortunately they staggered so I was getting a lipid panel every three months. The first three or four were sort of all over the place, up and down, and didn't seem to be following any pattern. Maybe around 12-15 months my triglycerides and LDL dropped and my HDL went up. (I also went thru a stretch trying to eat enough for 200 grams of protein in a day. The first part I went lean meat and sort of not the carnivore way as it was higher in protein than fat. My cholesterol followed the pattern of how I was eating. When I adjusted for the fat content my most recent test showed my HDL dropped a few points and my LDL and triglycerides made a slight increase. Also a couple times my lipid panel was the after fasting 72+ hours and that test had higher triglycerides that I normally see but once I was back eating they eased down. Like Geezy said, it is probably not the best idea to do lipid panels early on, unless if there is a medical condition that warrants it, because the first stages of carnivore will have numbers all over the place. Good luck. Scott