Scott F.

Sort of a funny but very real at the same time. I posted earlier about using the protein drinks for the extra protein and found that they also boosted my hunger quite a bit. I have used that extra appetite to get in some more fat and protein a couple times per week. Maybe turning what could be a negative into a positive. At first, I called it my affirmation that sugar can drive/signal hunger. I only used a little sugar but I think my body used it to signal for more which leads me to tonight's funny (very real but funny) I have not had cravings since I started (got lucky) and I stepped away from carbs and sugars with relative ease (and I ate them by the buckets to get to well over 300lbs). Never had a craving as I walked thru the aisles at the grocery stores, even at the end caps that are designed to grab your attention. Zero cravings. This afternoon it was over 100F when I got in the truck and night shift in the plant will not get below 100F til the early morning hours. I bought ice cream for my shift as a small gesture as they are performing well in this heat. I walked by the freezer earlier and I now totally confused, as: A: I have a sugar addiction I didn't see or realize, and the recent re-introduction has created this craving for that ice cream in the freezer, or... B: I am so cheap it is killing me to know I paid $60 for ice cream and not eating any of it. Things I ponder on night shift. Scott

The medical degree from the Youtube College of Medicine comes in handy. You can also get a doctorate from Google. In you spare time youtube can help put a starter on your car and change the heating element in your dryer. Youtube educational opportunities are endless. LOL Somedays I think back and wonder how we ever survived without the internet. Scott

Look forward to the recipe. Scott

Since you have chef in your name I will babble on with a funny from 30+ years ago. I live in the south and 'southern food' is a staple and in our area Soul Food crosses a lot of boundaries. I worked in a pharmaceutical company with its own cafeteria, and it was an awesome cafeteria. It was subsidized and anyone would be hard pressed to eat $2.00 worth of eggs/bacon/sausage/omelets to order. Great food. Greater prices. Lunches were a variety of fried foods from fish to chicken to grilled steaks/burgers and it was an awesome place to eat. So much so, night shift stayed after work to eat breakfast before they left. Super nice. When our headquarters from up north (Boston, Mass and Hartford, Connecticut) merged it brought the north to the south and our cafeteria became a clashing zone. The cafeteria staff was reduced and replaced with a professional chef and a few cooks/workers he chose. The menu shifted tremendously. One day we were standing in line and the menu for the day was chicken fettuccini, chicken Cacciatore, and chicken parmesan. One of my co-workers was from the mountains of NC and as country bumpkin as anyone ever. If Appalachia has a stereotype my buddy fit it to a T. He had a deep mountain accent and was a super guy to work with and work for. When the chef came out with his double-breasted suit, the hat and the completely professional look, mingling with us like he would at a five-star restaurant. He came up to "Joe" and said, "How are things? What will you be eating today? Joe said in a deep drawl from Appalachia, "I don't know, bo, but I do know there is only three ways to "F*&% up a good chicken, and damned if you don't know all three!". Joe meant it in gest, but our new chef was deeply offended. Joe landed in HR over it and he would say, "his preference of having his chicken fried or grilled" was the reason. Babbling. At work waiting for the night shift to get up to speed. My apologies for getting off the topic. Scott

Yep on Geezy's post and yep on yours. Your body will tell you soon enough. The first few pounds lost is usually water and with that water goes some electrolytes and minerals. It differs for everyone. I tried LMNY but didn't like the taste. I tried salt in my water and that didn't do the trick either. I went to youtube and found a "LMNT" type electrolyte home recipe and made my own. From there it evolved into using that pre-made drink mix as my 'table salt'. It is pink Himalayan salt, Keltic sea salt, a different sea slat brand and No Salt for the potassium. I poured pretty much equal amounts into bowl, put on the lid and shook it up. That bowl is now my salt for cooking or for salting. When I am fasting, I put a pinch under my tongue a few times per day and chase it with water. It is an evolving process for everyone. Your body will start dropping hints and if we don't pick up the body usually knocks over the head to get our attention. Scott

Yep. The carnivore is a way of eating and my way may not be your way. The object would be to dial it to what works best for you. I can honestly say I have nothing but positives for the last fourteen months. I did make a joke about a negative as I lost 95lbs and for some reason some of that was in my feet. At 300+ I bought a rather expensive pair of work boots and in time they were flopping around like clown shoes. Who loses weight/size in their feet? Couple the fact that I am cheap and hurt some sort of bad to spend near $200 on a pair of boots. And now they don't fit without inserts or two pair of socks, which is brutal when it is over 100F today. Good luck. Scott

Yep. Polar opposites in our house. My wife eats every kind and flavor of pickle there is out there. Me? Not so much. She does a baked chicken dish with a pickle brine of sorts so when I mentioned it with wings she was all about it. Post away. Scott

I have used mustard to fight off cramps and lots of people swear pickle juice works even better. I'd choose the cramps. Just saying. Scott

I do the same but use an air fryer. The 'leftovers' taste amazing and the rendered fat I use for cooking. You sort of lost me with pickles and sardines but now you are speaking my lingo. LOL The only problem I found with eating this fat, regardless of the amount, it tends to be a single serving. It is that good. Scott

That is pretty much your call. Most doctors will push the statins or other cholesterol type medicines. Mine will re-explain his point when I see him. My numbers are similar. My first blood test after six months on carnivore (strict-no carbs-no sugars) my LDL dropped from 187 to 152 and then three months later a slight bump up to 164. My panel did not include non-HDL nor Lipoprotein. I eat a lot of fat. I am pretty sure my fat to protein ratio is a bit high compared to most and in turn I expect my numbers to elevate some. At the same time the bloodwork is a snap-shot of one particular time and the numbers could vary either way the next day/next week. Based on how much weight I was losing (fat adapted) plus the amount of fats i was eating it would only be natural to have more cholesterol in my system at any given time. Tough call. I'm adamant about statins but I can see where medications may work for others. Scott

Welcome. Congrats on the switch. This is a good place to read and learn and share your experiences. I'm about 14 months in myself and have had some amazing 'health turnarounds' myself. I will check out the video as the night goes on. I'm paid to watch youtube videos related to carnivore and fasting as they relate to autoimmune disease. (Technically true and not true, as I am at work and watching videos to pass the time). Welcome. Scott

My wife says this sounds amazing as she is a big fan of pickles. Me, not so much. If ever there was a way to ruin a piece of chicken, pickles would be the way. LOL But we will be having (she) these within a few days. Thanks. LOL Scott

Congrats and welcome. This is a great place to read, learn and share your experiences. In a sense, there are no rules, just you. Once you figure out what works best for you and those become your rules. In a gist, stay hydrated which can include salts and electrolytes. From there it is more of an elimination diet. The positivity comes from as much what you will not be eating, from there, it is higher fats and moderate proteins. Getting your medical degree from the Youtube College of Medicine also helps. LOL Scott

I have been straight meats for the first 12-13 months of my 14-months on carnivore. last month I had BBQ chicken and the week before I ate a leftover steak that had steak sauce. I use salt liberally but hardly ever use pepper. I am sure the recipes will go over very well as variety/fighting the boredom of just meats is a big thing for a lot of people. The Carnivore Police might stop by to make sure you are following the "rules". LOL Welcome and look forward to something new. Scott

A pound of hamburger, three eggs and some cheddar cheese in there somewhere. A night shift quickie,

Advertising and marketing will make this the new health drink. Let's skip past the phosphoric acid that cuts the enamel off your teeth and get to the cane sugar that makes it "healthy". (I am just about sure when I stopped drinking Mountain Dew on May 8th of last year someone in the Pepsi corporate offices said, "we see a downward shift in sales in the southeastern region, what's going on?") I drank that many. Scott

Copied the following from Bon on another post (sugar diet thread)...... "This makes sense. Carbs can be utilized for energy almost immediately. This is why some people will be carnivore until it's time to hit the gym, and then they will load up on fruit or a sweet potato or something." I have not tried to time the protein drinks with the gym to see if I see if I can feel an increase in energy. Bob's comment clicked because there is a guy in the gym who does just that with sweet potatoes on Thursday nights before lifting heavy/high volume on Fridays. He is strict carnivore the other 6 days per week. I would imagine the protein drink could serve the same purpose. Sometimes it takes me some time to put 2 and 2 together. Scott

Yep. True. We were all spokes in the wheel. Scott

I was wondering as well. Scott

Yep. It is odd that it takes a very little bit of sugar to trigger the hunger response. The drink has 11 grams of sugar only drink about half at the time. Within that hour I am hungry. I have been using the extra appetite to get in more fatty red meat. The sugar is minimal, the weight gain is not all that bad and the returns in the gym have been quite evident. I am not sure how long I will give this a go. It is working out right now. The sugar can be a powerful thing to deal with and it only takes a minimal amount. Scott

Like most 'numbers' 125 may seem high to some and then others would do just about anything to see those numbers. I think 111 is the highest I have ever seen and that jump came after being on carnivore for a stretch. I think either Dr. berry or Dr. Chaffee (maybe both) has a video on the subject. Scott

Yep. Carnivore has surprised me in a lot of ways. I hardly eat in comparison to others and then with a handful of sugar and carbs it is like I found an appetite. Now, I may have a clearer picture of how I came out of the military around 190-200 and found myself north of 320 years later. I'm not much on calories in and calories out but as of late I can see where ounces in and ounces out can be a thing. LOL Another pleasant surprise form carnivore. LOL Scott

Agree. Red meat is as satiating as it gets. Even on a diet of straight red meat the addition of sugar and carbs trumps that satiation. At least I have found that is how it works for me. As for carnivore this may be some affirmation and some addiction.

The numbers posted here are pretty much normal and those numbers move throughout the day from the dawn effect to insulin spiking after meals/snacks. I never had a glucose level over 100 until carnivore. Once or twice I hit 110 to 111. Most days I'm in the mid to upper 80's and maybe the low 90's. When I am fasting, after the second day I have seen the mid 70's to low 80's for the remainder of the fast. I sort of know it is low when I get the slight metallic taste in my mouth and I have read that is a sign of getting deeper into ketosis. When I checked my ketone blood level was 3.4 (fairly deep into ketosis) I lost weight incredibly fast and most people thought I was sick again. I did look skinny on the neck and face and it didn't look like a healthy weight loss. I am sure there was some mean muscle mass loss but I don't think it was substantial. Water weight to start and then fat to follow. I started lifting to offset the potential for muscle mass loss in general, to off set sarcopenia, and to off-set the debilitating portion of my autoimmune disease. I landed on one meal per day (OMAD) and then increased the protein to try to build more muscle. I have gained muscle and strength over time. I'm having to be creative to get in enough protein (or at least the recommended amount of .7 to 1 gram per pound of lean body mass). Of all things carnivore, my biggest struggle is eating enough to gain muscle. I struggle with only eating a steak a day. Another 'everyone is unique' I suppose. Scott

I'm still a fan of dairy and drink some milk which puts a stall on any weight loss I experienced. If I were trying to gain weight dairy would be an excellent option for me. Gaining lean muscle mass is different and the milk would sort of offset that. Maybe one of the lactose free brands like Fair Life would work and maybe even use that to mix the protein powder. But even the milk (lactose) didn't spur my appetite like the 11 grams of sugar in the protein drink. Again, spot on information. Thanks. Scott