Scott F.

I was in the Mediterranean for long stretches as well. I ate at McDonald's, pizza roles and enough beer/liquor to float a boat. That is much Mediterranean Diet as I know.

....and some of us just stumbled upon it by happen chance. I didn't know carnivore form keto from animal based to anything. My sone walked up on the porch and I noticed he had lost some weight. He said he was on the carnivore diet and was only eating meats and water. I jumped in head first. I was learning/listening to reason well after the benefits started. And the funniest part is that I had no idea of any of the benefits other than weight loss. The good Lord looks after fools and drunks and since I don't drink............you can figure out the rest. Scott

Over 50 we are anabolic resistant and our protein synthesis is not what it once was, and at the same time we need more protein now than we did in our younger years. Most everyone agrees with that but then what to do for each of those things depends on which video you happen to choose/click. The influencers are plentiful and all over the fitness/health map. It could be a male vs. female thing? It could be what you are eating, and not so much the timing of the meals but the timing between the meals or probably a ton of other things. LOL My meals vary. I'm working today and I went to the gym this morning at 4:30AM (add resistance training to one of the variables listed above). I had a 30 gram of protein drink that has 1g of sugar with 10 grams of creatine mixed in the bottle on the way to the gym. I lifted for an hour or so and then after getting the shift started, I ate what was about a 14oz ribeye. Three hours later I am now eating what was maybe 6 or 7 chicken breast filets. (maybe 12-14 ounces but guessing). So yes, the sugar helps me eat more protein. When I was strict carnivore-no sugar, if I ate the ribeye this morning, I would not want anything again til mid-afternoon tomorrow, and sometimes even longer. Another angle is I went cold turkey and although I ate the crappiest of a sugar filled diet prior to, I had no cravings when I switched. I consider myself extremely lucky. If I had issues in the past with cravings and maybe even addictions to sugar, I would not tempt fate with these drinks. For the past several months I have traded the use of sugar to attain protein. What has also happened is that I have gained 21 pounds since December. I am lifting heavier now, and I do use creatine regularly so there is some muscle mass and water retention within that 21 pounds but cinching my belt says there is some fat gain as well. I'm still -80 pounds overall so the 21 is not the end of the world. Sugar is not a good thing, but I guess I am using it as a tool, or maybe even a necessary evil, to get to a protein target. At some point I will ditch the drinks and see where I land with just meats, salt and water. Scott

Sugar is very powerful, more so than most know/will admit. Heroin, Cocaine, Fentanyl and methamphetamine are all illegal. Sugar is not. One of these five substances kill more people per year than the other four combined. Take a wild guess as to which one? I went cold turkey carnivore and ditched all my sugar habits. (I am sure the Pepsi and Little Debbie Snack Cake corporations seen a decline in sales when I stopped.) I lost a bunch of weight, felt better but actually thought I lost weight too fast, maybe even a little too much. I simply did not want to eat while on carnivore. I went from eating trash four-five-sic times per day to eating once per day and sometimes once every other day. I tried hitting a protein target of 200 grams and found it nearly impossible for me to eat that much n a day. I was so impressed with people eating 2+ pounds of meat in a day. I could barely do a pound, if that most days. I resorted to protein shakes and in a pinch, I tried the Shamrock protein drink in either 30g or 50g containers. (protein) For how it tastes (like drinking melted ice cream) the sugar content was relatively small. I would split a 50g bottle into thirds which ends up with 11 grams of sugar over the course of a day. Maybe 2 or 3 times per week. I had found red meat to be completely satiating and I was never hungry. After a week or two with the drinks I found that 33 grams of sugar over the course of a week out powered the satiation of red meats. I was actually hungry again and could then eat two times per day. My appetite now moves up and down depending on if I use a protein drink with sugar. I fast once per month for 72-96 hours and the week after I don't use the protein drinks. Even coming off the fast the hunger is minimal to none. The following week when I chase the protein target, somewhere between 15-20 grams of sugar over a couple three days stirs the hunger signal, at that point I can eat. Sugar is one of the more powerful substances on the planet. Scott

Welcome. I am just starting a 'return to carnivore' myself. I lost around 95 pounds in less than a year. Along the way I stayed strict carnivore but experimented with fat content and protein content. I have gained 21lbs since early December die to hitting a 200g per day protein target. I added protein shakes and the occasion pre-made protein drinks. I also drink milk, in spurts, but somewhat regularly. Milk is a 'stall device' for me. When my weight was falling really fast it didn't take much at all to stall the loss. This week I completed a 72 hour fast and am returning to what has worked the best for me. I am eating fatty red meats til I am full and then eating again when I am hungry. This works out to one meal per day on most days. Some days it might be two and then sometimes it is actually every other day. Sort of letting my body dictate when and how much I eat. I'm going to ditch the drinks and such as they contain sugar, some, not a lot, but enough to trigger hunger (which was needed to hit 200g of protein) Good luck. It is much more important to find what works for you rather than to try to make someone else's plan work on you. Scott

Welcome. This community is really good with sharing ideas and experiences. Most have similar experiences. I lost a bunch of weight really fast and people noticed. When I told them how I was looked at like I was some sort of crazy person. You do what? You just eat meat? It soon goes from intrigue to them becoming a medical doctor informing me of all the pitfalls of eating just meats. I too was happy to tell people about carnivore and all the positives I experienced. I thought most would want to know but most 'become doctors' in a blink and tell me all the bad things that happen to people who are only eating just fatty meats. I am a big fan of coupling carnivore with fasting and resistance training. If you think people look at you strange for eating carnivore, try telling them you have not eaten for three-four-five days. They think I belong in the crazy hospital. LOL Good luck. Welcome to the community. Share your experiences. (I am also a big fan of other people's stories. For me a person's personal story is far more impactful than a bunch of studies) Good luck. Scott

If all I had was sardines I could fast for weeks, maybe even months. LOL Just not a fan. I have tried, even as of late, per the Primal Gal it is the best thing going. Just can't eat them. Scott

Welcome back. Scott

I have shifted a lot of my reading/video watching to the subject of longevity. I have become a big fan of Dr. Vonda Wright. I think bone health is often overlooked as people strive to lose weight, get healthy and live longer. Really interesting material. Especially for the crowd that is north of fifty. Scott

I'm on my monthly fast. I usually aim for 72 hours but sometimes life gets in the way, and it gets shortened but on occasion I have stretched them to 96. I'm about 50 hours deep on the latest. I went cold turkey from a dumpster diet to strict carnivore in May '24. I have made a number of adjustments, some good and some not so good, trying to dial in carnivore to fit me, or better said, to dial in me on carnivore. So far, I have only had positives. I consider myself really lucky. As I dial my approach I think I am going to land on Carnivore+Fasting+Resistance Training. My approach with carnivore will be pretty much the same. When convenient I do use a pre-made protein drink and it has 7-11 grams of sugar. It is not ideal but if there is a silver lining, it spikes my hunger so I can get in more protein. Hitting the protein target has really helped with the resistance training. I'm not absolutely killing it in the gym but I am putting in some good work. I'm gaining some muscle and the overall strength has increased. One of my new sayings I like came from a guy's T-shirt in the gym and it said, "The plates don't lie". I am actually increasing the plates on a somewhat regular basis. I'm off prednisone and Neurontin/Gabapentin since June of '24 with just the carnivore and since I started fasting regularly my immune numbers/blood work has returned to what the world considers normal. I'm babbling on as a lot of this is our conversations at work the last two nights. We have a number of people here on the weight loss shots and I am amazed at the number of people who are not changing their lifestyle. Most seem OK with the shot being a lifelong answer. Some have been using the shots like a yo-yo diet. Part of me wants to say it is hard for me to understand but I think maybe prior to May '24 I would have had a different perspective. Not sure. Hope everyone has a Happy Easter and finds the egg they are in search of. Scott

Of all the foods I would ever split, I don't think the hotdog would rank anywhere near the top, or even be considered at all. The 2nd and 3rd bullet points would almost make sense if it were like "week 1-follow bullet points #2 and #3" and then week 2-phase them out". I went cold turkey when I switched to carnivore. I have read that it is easier with a gradual change. I would like to think that is part of the plan but the pessimist in me says if they get you to cut it in half you will go back to 'full service' within a few weeks. This will keep the poison flowing in one direction and the profits flowing in another. Scott

Stop Eating This for Breakfast Every Day ⚠️🚫

great post. Scott

Lots of variables. The inability to process fats would off-set the carnivore approach. I do infusions as well as my IgG numbers were off the charts at one time. I have NMO-SD which has required Rituxamab infusions which last about five to six hours. Carnivore has worked well for my auto-immune issues but at the same time I have no issues with fats. Hope there is someone out there that give better information. Hope you find your plan. Scott

Best of luck. Not that I consider myself all that motivational but the carnivore diet has done wonders for me. I dove in head-first with no forethought or plans. I made some mistakes the first month or so, but the weight peeled off at an amazing rate, around 30-31 pounds in 31-32 days. (lots of water but a lot of fat as well). I went carnivore strictly as the 'latest weight loss hack' and was blown away at the weight loss. I have an autoimmune disease called NMO-SD which just about the same as MS but it attacks the eyes/optic nerves. I had been on pain and inflammation medicine for six years 2018 to 2024. I watched a video about MS patients healing to the point they no longer needed medicine while on the carnivore. I called "BS" on the MS claims. LOL After six weeks of strict carnivore I was in full doubt about its health effects for MS/NMO-SD patients and realized I had went well over a week without my medicine. I called that a coincidence, maybe even anecdotal at first. Then another week and then another week. Now just about two years later I have been medicine free and no longer use the prednisone nor the gabapentin/Neurontin. I am not the sharpest knife in the drawer because it took me several more weeks to buy into the healing effects of carnivore all the while the results were punching me right in the face. I'm quite the believer now. Good luck. Keep pushing. Scott