Scott F.

Pretty much the same boat. I dropped 95lbs and it was a sickly/puny look. Mostly for an autoimmune disease but sarcopenia as well I lift three to four times per week. A couple to three times per week I walk around 3.5 miles. One day just walking, one day with a 40lb weight vest and the third day I try to get into 125 or so push-ups along the way. My problem is that I struggle to eat the amount of protein needed for muscles gain. Depending on the source it can range from 0.7 to 1.5 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass. I'm guessing I need to be around 200 grams of protein per day. I have struggled to eat that much in a day. I added protein powder to get in a few extra grams, and it helped. I ran out once and substituted a store-bought protein shake. It had 11-12 grams of sugar and after I drank a 1/3 of the bottle within an hour, I was hungry. I used that hunger to eat another steak or another source of protein. I gained about 9-10lbs over a month. I am sure it was mostly fat and water weight, but I did see significant gains in the gym. As the young folks say, "the plates don't lie". Maybe a little of that weight was lean muscle mass but the gains in the gym were significant, especially for a 56 year old guy that went the last 30 years without any sort of cardio nor resistance training (and ate the very bottom of the dumpster diet to boot). I have hovered around the 80-90lb lost mark for the last several months. There is some weight left to lose but it is not as big a concern for me as of late. Scott

I think they have their place. I have seen and experienced their shortcomings as well. I also think a lot of us wouldn't still be kicking if it were not for them (and maybe some that are not here because of them). I think the biggest problem is that we learned as well as we were taught to hold the profession in the highest regard. And at one time it was a true calling for the people who practiced medicine. The days of house calls and trading out services for home repairs or meals or food supplies is long gone. When I was a kid in the town over form us was a doctor who say up his practice in his house. It was the scariest examination room I have ever seen. He had every book ever printed by man stacked up all over the room. So much so I always thought he would die from the pending avalanche. The stacks were always leaning and as a kid, I swear they were swaying. He charged $2 per visit. As he was giving me a physical to play youth football, he said he didn't understand why young men would bruise their brains on purpose. While examining he noticed I had athlete's foot pretty bad on one foot. My mom explained the family doctor had prescribed this and that but it kept coming back. She had tried different detergents, different socks, and as any good mother would do, ensured his I was bathing. LOL He told he to go home take the prescriptions and toss them int he garbage. Fill a foot tub with water just as hot as I could stand it and then add two cups of white vinegar. Within a day it was healing, and withing a week it was gone and maybe one case since (but I knew the fix). As a twelve year old I remember him telling my mom that if it were not for the doctors the pharmacists would starve to death. I had zero understanding of how money can sway the noblest of professions. Our health now plays second, and even third fiddle to Big Pharma and Big Food. They use money in order to use doctors to send us astray. The key to their successes has been using the messenger that we were taught to trust the most. It was a beautiful plan and wildly successful. Scott

I am sure if I ate some bread or pasta or sweet cakes, I would turn into a fiend all over again. 11-12 grams of sugar over a couple days made me hungry. It feels like hunger but could possibly be a craving. Sugar requesting more sugar? I don't know. When I first quit drinking, I had no issues being around others that were drinking or even going to bars/clubs. Then one night we were in a bar and as the waitress walked by there were long neck bottle of Budweiser on her tray. It would have been an excellent commercial. As she walked by, I could not only see the beads of condensation running down the bottle but I could just about read the label from distance. LOL It was calling me. I had to leave or I would have took a header right off the side of the 'proverbial wagon'. This 11-12 grams of sugar over a couple days has shown me that sugar had a hold on me and maybe it still does (even though I made the switch with relative ease/no cravings). Scott

I am on my second stint of the lion diet. The first time I genuinely felt better. I have an autoimmune disease (NMO/SD) which is similar to MS. The "all-red meat" diet in the 50's was used with a lot of success for MS patients. This second stint I am not so sure I feel anything different after a month or so. I had bloodwork done just before switching from carnivore to the Lion version and I will have more at the end of September. Maybe I see the needle move in some of my results then but right now, sort of feels the same as regular carnivore. @Bob I can't speak to the kidneys and protein with any real experience, but this is what I am thinking on more of a general basis and it goes to previous conversations/threads on wading thru the medical research that is now readily available. Is protein bad for the kidneys? I think not so much if you have healthy kidneys to start with and you have a diet and a lifestyle that promotes the positive use of proteins. I think the same with cholesterol. Is LDL and higher cholesterol a bad thing? I think probably not, if on a diet somewhere between keto and carnivore (and maybe closer to carnivore) If we just eat a load of crap, and amongst that load is a lot of protein, I am sure that is taxing on the kidneys. Since red meat and a high fat diet is absolutely taboo to the majority of the world, especially the medical professions, The first conclusion is that it is the protein (red meat) that is damaging the kidneys. Which, just like LDL and heart disease, could be technically true. If we eat a diet that keeps us close to the ketosis mark and even pushes us into the lower ends of ketosis on a regular basis, we become fat adaptive. We are using the fat, and it is not laying around in stores. Higher fat in the blood stream can be expected but it is moving to be used vs. being stored. Same with the kidneys and the proteins. The kidney is fine with protein until it has to work thru a ton of 'crap' before the proteins get there and if dehydrated, it is another ball game altogether. But like LDL, proteins (meat/fats) are the easiest culprit to sell. I think also that is why the health issues that get fixed with carnivore is such a broad spectrum. Sometimes I even forget the health is coming from what we are not eating much more so than the fats/proteins that we are eating. If I fill my gas tank with half gas and half water, I am going to have all kinds of problems. If I drain the tank and fill it up with just gas most would think the gas fixed the problems when in reality, not adding water is the true fix. (dumbed it way down-but that is how my brain works) Babbling at work waiting for the day to get rolling. Scott

They will get smarter in one sense but will fade in the ability to think critically. I try not to knock on the kids today, as they are our future, but here are my pet peeve examples. Few true car guys left at the auto parts stores. If it does not pop out on the computer, it is obvious that part does not exist. The other day I watched a kid struggle with a parts catalog trying to cross reference one brand gasket for another. It was a real struggle. He stepped back, pulled his phone out, let Google/ChatGPT do the magic, got the answer and entered that in his computer. Fortunately, and unfortunately at the same time, he will be able to that faster next time but if he does not have his phone he is as lost as last year's easter egg. Still has no idea how to use the cross-reference catalog. Part of life is struggling. People learn from struggling, learn to work thru and work out all kinds of situations. This is what builds their foundation as they go thru life. With a solid foundation you can only fall so far, which makes getting back up a tad bit easier. With AI and such so many of those simple foundation building experiences will never be had. My god son sounds as intelligent as any 16 year old out there. He knows the answer to most anything you can ask him. He knows cars and engines like he grew up in the fifties building those first hot rods. Thru the internet, he knows it all. When I ask for a wrench or to actually use a hammer to drive a nail, he struggles. He knows the answer in words but can't answer with actions. But this is the direction the world is travelling. Seems scary to me, but I'm an old 56, and a not so tech savvy 56 at that. Scott

Agree with BillyGoat. I found mixing my own is botch cheaper and easier, plus I can use it as a 'table salt'. It took a few months to work itself out but now I only salt my food, and that is not every time. If the salt does not taste good or appealing at that time I am guessing I have enough. As mentioned, if I know tomorrow is going to be a hot day with a heavy workload outside, I do pre-hydrate with a 'salt' solution. Great topic as it is useful information from the beginning stages of carnivore up to and after the 'adjustments'. Scott

It can be really weird what happens to the body based on the foods we choose to eat. I came out of the service with the innate ability to turn fifteen minutes into a power nap that felt like several hours long. I rolled out the military into various forms of 12 hour rotating shift work. My ability to power nap was always a go to if I could fifteen minutes (anywhere, any conditions, any amounts of noise-just get still, concentrate and go out like a light) When I took the Supervisor's job in 2015 that all changed. I have nights since where I have done my damn-est to get in ten or fifteen minutes and can't force myself to sleep. Some say it is because I gave up my hourly-paid rotating shift worker membership card when I moved to a salary position. I don't know what happened but I sure do miss that ability. Carnivore for 15+ months and it has had no effects to my lack of ability to nap. Babbling. Bob mentioned carnivore and skin tags and in my brain I could not see any correlation. I have always had them under my arms and even had to have one removed once as it turned and started growing inward to for a pilonidal cyst. I had been on carnivore about a year and looked in the mirror to see the ones under my arm were gone. I had them just about my entire life not eating carnivore and after a year of eating carnivore they are gone. I have looked for information to explain the correlation/correction of carnivore but have not found any. Maybe the biggest lesson I have learned about going carnivore is that we are all individuals and there is nothing cookie-cutter when it comes to us as individuals on carnivore. Scott

Mostly for other reasons. I have an autoimmune disease called Neuromyelitis Optica Spectrum Disorder which is basically the same as MS, just with different treatments. The fasts help reset the autoimmune system. it switches you into autophagy which helps clean the body of older cells, it gets you into ketosis where the glucose has been depleted and the body burns fats/ketones. From the human growth hormone production goes up by four or five times the normal amounts and then stem cells increase which can help heal. I find huge amounts of energy the second/third day into the fast and that energy lasts til a day or two afterwards. I try to fast three days one month and then a 4-5 day fast the following month. I am no expert but I think the best connection/benefit with carnivore is that I am already fat adapted. My glucose levels are relatively low so I get into ketosis a little quicker and the ketone levels start increasing early on. Again, not an expert by any means, but I think the carnivore community gets to the benefits of fasting quicker so the first 12-16 hours the body does not have to deplete glycogen as the glucose/sugar levels are not what they would be for someone who eats sugars/carbs as a regular part of their diet. Since carnivore (May of '24) I stopped all medicines for pain and inflammation. No more prednisone and Neurontin. My bloodwork suggests this will be my last six hour infusion. Carnivore has did me wonders and fasting give the health change a boost/kick in the pants. LOL Scott

I'm a big fan of slated pork as well as fatback and such. I also salt the other foods I eat as well. I missed on the electrolytes early on, simply knowing better, but not doing better. I tried some salt/electrolyte additives but couldn't find one that tasted good enough to consistently buy. I then started to make my own electrolyte mixes at home with some really cheap salts/potassium from the grocery store. From there adding them to water no longer tasted all that good so I used my electrolyte mix as a "table salt" of sorts. If I know I'm going to be outside in the hot working I will add some extra salt, most of the time the day before, but at least that morning. On average all I am getting is what I am adding or from one of the salted pork selections. 90% is thru food, either salted or me salting it. That drops a bit when I do my 4 or 5 day water fasts. I take salt under the tongue followed by water. Scott

I can't decide if it sparked a sugar craving and I replaced it with steak or whether it simply made my hungry. Not sure. Regardless, it sparked appetite and I have not had that in a while. I never had like sugar cravings or withdrawals or any issue starting carnivore 'cold turkey' off the other foods. I guess looking back I didn't give sugar its just due. It is indeed a powerful substance. Scott

The food pyramid has to be the most successful scams in the history of the world. Most of us, if not all, were indoctrinated with so many falsehoods about the way we should eat. My son lost 14-15 pounds in a couple weeks and I gave carnivore a try as the next diet hack. What was appealing to me was eating beef and bacon "as much as I want". That was quite the sales pitch. Imagine, "eat all you want and still lose weight", not exactly a hard sell. I stumbled upon the 'side effects' of carnivore. No pain, no inflammation, off medicine I had been on for years, immune system bloodwork rebounding to normal levels, a sustainable energy throughout the day, and waking up ready to go as soon as open my eyes. (one drawback to waking up ready to go is like right now. I woke up at 3:15AM, felt good, felt like I had slept 'long enough' and I won't be able to go back to sleep. So this morning I will get an early start on the day and when this happens, I feel it later in the day but not to the point of crashing out tired.) Geezy, is your son eating carnivore? Mine has been on carnivore three, nay four times in the last year or so. It lasts for thirty days or so for him. He sees all the benefits, but he and his wife eat out a lot and it can be done but it does have its share of difficulties. My wife gave it a couple three tries, a couple two week stints and then one for thirty. She lost some weight each time, but she likes the vegetables and the variety in her diet. I have mentioned it before, but I think carnivore fits me really well because I was such a boring eater anyway. I don't need variety or spices or sauces or rubs or anything that alters the taste of meats. Forever I was a salt and pepper only, and salt and pepper on everything. As of late I don't care for pepper all that much, so I am a 'meat and salt' guy. I could eat the same thing every day without issue. Scott

Maybe I am cheating a bit, not sure. I use the air fryer. I cut the fat/suet into one inch cubes and put them in the air fryer. The fat renders out nicely and it leaves the crispies in the basket. The fat renders out nicely, the 'fat crispies' taste amazing. The only drawback is that I have found no matter how much I make the 'fat crispies' get gone the same day. I need to figure out how to hide them from myself so I can get a couple days of eating them. We used beef tallow to baste pork ribs with a few months ago and they turned out rather well. Rendering fat for that alone is worth the time....and then there are those crispies all over again. LOL Scott

I'm a huge fan of 'personal health experiments'. At least with these I feel like I am not basing my decisions and conclusions based on someone else's experiences. Other than me being in control I don't see a lo of difference between me doing a 'personal health experiment' and a doctor 'practicing medicine'. Neither one of us know the end result. LOL I have been on all red meat for a month or so now and last night was the time I ate anything other than red meat during that time. Sometimes it is hard to define 'I feel better' or even harder to define 'I feel better'. It is not like I have crazy energy on red meat but I do feel like I am getting more done during the same amount of time as a regular carnivore. I have a 1950 Chevrolet truck in the shop and just bought a 1969 Chevrolet. My overtime has slowed a bit and I have several days the past few weeks working in the shop. Just me, the trucks, the chickens and the dogs all creating 'noise' at the same time. Maybe it is carnivore, might even be the red meat or maybe this much time in the shop listening to the 'music we make' I could be eating corn flakes and cabbage and feel the same. LOL I am super happy with my current path and I am not a 'rock the boat' kind of guy with my health/the way I feel. Looking into the glycine. Thanks for the heads up. Scott

3 Reasons to Consider Creatine on Carnivore and Animal-Based Diets Creatine is now NON-NEGOTIABLE. If You’ve Never Taken 20g of Creatine, Watch THIS Immediately Creatine may be the most studied performance enhancer ever. Some recent studies show it may not be the performance enhancer it was once thought but the doors for brain health and mental cognizance are wide open. There is some debate within the carnivore community that we get enough by the meats we eat. Probably true for some but I ate more meat prior to carnivore than I do now. Carnivore and the satiety of meat, especially red meat, has killed my appetite so I use creatine pretty much regularly. Scott

I use creatine daily. Forever it was a muscle building supplement but recent studies have shown it serves a far greater purpose for mental/brain health. The water weight is true but not all that meaningful. If I am a pro bodybuilder with a body fat percentage with a bodyfat count in the single digits the amount of water retained is impactful but for the average every day guy, not so much. Timing is not as important as once thought. I do two doses daily to get to 10-15 grams. Scott