Scott F.

Sort of the same boat with my primary doctor. And it is sort of ironic. "I'm super happy with your positive results without medicine but I would still like you to try a statin on non-stating for cholesterol". My Neurologist is totally impressed with my results but not ready to use carnivore as a recommendation or a prescription for other patients similar to me. But he did say he wished a lot of his patients would contact me and try my path for their health. Maybe somewhat ironic too, the difference being he suggests I continue what I am doing. It is working and working well. Scott

WOW! on the 11 lbs in a week. I did 8 once but that included a fast as well but 11 is super impressive. I don't think there is any cookie-cutter advice on satiety and when someone will be hungry. We are different and our daily outputs are different. Hunger can come at just about anytime for anyone. What helped me during the early months was drinking water. If I felt the least bit hungry I would drink some water. Most of the time the hunger subsided with water. If the hunger persisted after the water I would eat. Those times varied and in time the hunger stretched to 24-30 hours. I didn't really snack after I started carnivore. Maybe the water counts? not sure. LOL. I would say a spoon of peanut butter is not going to be the end of the world as long as it does not trigger the cravings for more carbs/sugars. Almost like a gateway drug. I have read where people cook hamburger patties and leave them in the refrigerator for snacking purposes. Great progress. Good luck as you continue. Scott

I use Quest Diagnostics. As far as bloodwork I get tested every three months between work and my Neurologist. I see him every six months and work requires a physical every six months. For the longest they landed about three months apart. I would just ask the Neurologist to add the lipid panel and testosterone. When my immune system numbers started to improved, I wanted to see them more regularly, so I contacted Quest Diagnostics for my ImG and ImA numbers. It was pretty simple. We have two in a couple of WalMarts near me so access was easy enough. Good luck and continued successes. Scott

Activity level also plays a role. There is more fat in the blood at any given time but it is moving and being used for energy. Increase the activity with things as basic as walking and those numbers can adjust some but within the numbers there is a lot more efficiency of fat intake/fat used/fat stored. Scott

Me too, for the most part. I have adjusted my meal plan as my wife does not do carnivore so I eat a lot of chicken, pork and fish. I spent the last couple months overeating trying to hit protein targets. Since carnivore it is hard for me to eat a large meal. When I eat normal carnivore I eat every 24-36 hours and am simply not hungry in between. And when I do eat the amount is minimal in comparison to others. One 14-16oz ribeye and I am done. I am envious of those who eat 2+ pounds of meats at a sitting. Envious as well as impressed. Next week I will roll back into a month of red meat only for 30-40 days or so as this is old school medicine for my autoimmune disease that I think I no longer have. LOL Scott

I was not a fan of my son's pellet smoker when he first got it but it grew on me and now is sort of a got to for butts/roasts etc. Anything bigger it is the pig cooker and the fire barrel. I also will throw something extra on the grill when cooking to have for the following couple-three days. It helps me out a lot on the busy days between shift work and rushing home to feed all the animals in the dark. Scott

Solid plan. Scott

And you are spot on. I do the same. On the weeks/months when I am lifting more weight/more volume I do 6+ just about every day. When I am on my normal schedule it is 3 or so. About to do three in just a minute. My fast got broken up by a surprise dinner at work so I will regroup on that front, but that leads me to the egg carton this morning. Scott

I broke the dry fast at 48 hours. Legs starting to feel more normal. I had planned to go another 48 of water fasting but my shift surprised me with a steak dinner tonight. I had to break the fast with a nice sized T-Bone. Thankful for the group I have working with me. Scott

I have learned a ton since switching to carnivore. I probably have read more in the last year than in the previous 25 years (sad commentary, I know). Maybe the thing I have found most interesting is that we are all individuals. No two people respond the same to the same approach to eating. I had no idea carnivore had health benefits other than weight loss when I first started so after the pounds starting to fall everything else was like the bonus plan. I have been lucky enough (knocking on wood) as I have only seen the positives, and a lot of them, since switching. Maybe the only thing I considered a drawback was I paid $$$ for a pair of boots, dropped just about 100lbs and then the boots no longer fit. I was like, who loses weight in their feet? I'm cheap too, so it is now two pair of socks with those boots. But I have been amazed by the individuality when doing really similar things. Scott

Around 45-46 hours deep into my first dry fast. I am starting to feel it now in my legs. Feet a bit tingly and my thighs/quads feel rubbery/spongey. Thus far I haven't been hungry and really have not felt much different than a water fast. Urine has not really changed color, maybe a shade darker. I think I am going to drink water tonight at the 48 hour mark and then decide if I end it at 72 or 96 tomorrow. With the lifting and eating the extra protein I had gained from 211 to 222 over the last month or so. I lost about 7 1/2 pounds in 48 hours on this fast so far. Mostly water as I have been to the bathroom a lot, at least more than usual. Feeling the energy this time too just on somewhat wobbly legs, if that makes any sense at all. Still working on breaking the fast but I guess I will eventually get there. Big fan of the fast, even bigger fan of the fast being coupled with carnivore. Scott

One down a couple three to go. Welcome and good luck as you progress. Scott

I think it differs per the individual. I have an autoimmune disease, NMO/SD (at least I did) which is basically the same thing as Multiple Sclerosis. The end diagnosis and treatments are different but the initial symptoms coming from lesions on myelin are the same. After about six weeks of carnivore, I stopped taking both prednisone and Neurontin (Gabapentin). I really never seen it coming as I started carnivore as a weight loss hack, nothing more was expected. My IMg and IMa immune numbers were completely off the charts with one off the high end and the other off the low end. Meaning, part of my immune system was dormant and inactive when it needed to be responsive, and the other was attacking the myelin like a crazy person. Both good and bad, opening the myelin and exposing the nerves along my brain, my neck and my spine. Looking back those were some tough days. The carnivore part of the team helped with weight loss and day to day inflammation. Within six weeks I was pretty much pain free and have not taken any medicine since June '24. As time went on with carnivore my immune numbers made some slight improvements, and although I was happy with any improvement I was looking for the miracle cure/huge improvements. (I am sort of impatient). I did my first 72 hour fast and was shocked at how easy it turned out to be and was really amazed at the energy levels the last 24 hours as well as the next 48 after breaking the fast. I got one 72-hour fast and one 96-hour fast in during the three months between doing bloodwork. My numbers made a huge jump in that three-month span, so much so, one was actually back on the chart. It hadn't registered since 2018. Three months after that with a couple three fasts completed both numbers are now charterable and both are just about back to normal. Next month I am having the conversation with the Neurologist as I think I have had my last infusion. Maybe I get to this point with carnivore alone? Maybe it is a combination of the infusion, being carnivore and the monthly fasting. I really don't know for sure. I was not seeing improvements with carnivore and infusions like I have had with all three. I think it is the carnivore and fasting that is doing the trick, but time will tell. I try not to push fasting on anyone. no more so than I do with carnivore, but the combination is surely working for me. Pretty much leave it there. Scott

I started my first dry fast last night. I'm about 21 hours in and it feels pretty much like a water fast at this point. Maybe things change as I get past 24 hours. For my first time I am going to dry fast for 36 hours (or as close as I can get) and then water fast for the next 36 hours, maybe 48, as always will play it by ear. I have yet to feel hungry (which is sort of normal for me) but I was thinking not having water might make me feel like eating as I use the water in the other fasts to sort of ease the hunger. I am a big fan of combining the extended fasts along with being carnivore. Hoping I will feel like hitting the gym in the morning. Time will tell. Scott

My Neurologist is supportive of my carnivore lifestyle. He says he is not ready to prescribe it to his patients but he does wish some of his patients would do the things I am doing. I guess he is still on the fence, but he is open minded. He definitely does not downplay my results. My family doctor is happy with my results but he still recommends a stating or non-statin type of prescription to lower my cholesterol. But we agree to disagree on that part of my decision. I don't see me changing anything anytime soon. The combination of carnivore and fasting has me in a pretty good spot. I can't see rocking the boat. Scott

Copy. I joke that I was adopted. I'm the only one on my mom's side that has not had blood glucose issues. Several on my dad's side as well. I guess I dodged that as the genes were being passed out. Scott

How long have you been on the diet? It is great to keep up with your glucose daily as the carnivore diet will probably help drop the glucose as that comes with lowering insulin resistance. I'm no doctor, nor any kind of medical professional (most don't count my University of Google Medical degree nor my degree from the YouTube School of Medicine, LOL) but one has to keep a check on glucose when taking any kind of medicine to lower it. When a person turns that corner the combination of carnivore and the medicine could drive blood sugar too low and that can be just as much of a problem as being too high. For the first year or so I checked my blood sugar daily. I never had any issues with blood sugar when I was on the dumpster diet, actually I never went over 100 until being on the carnivore diet. I got to 111 but about the time I considered myself fat adapted and was probably insulin sensitive my blood sugar daily dropped into the 70's and low 80's. I also measure ketones when I am fasting. My next fast will be 72 hours with the first 36 being a dry fast and the last 36 will be a water fast. This will be my first attempt at a dry fast. Good luck. great that you are keeping track of your numbers. I'm a big fan of Beef, Bacon, Butter and Eggs. Scott

I'm that guy that walks up when the last good deal was just sold. LOL A buddy of mine just bought a chuck roll and instead of cutting up for the individual steaks, "Denver" and "Ribeye", he just sliced the chuck roll as it lay. He said he was happy with the way the steaks turned out. I'm thinking of giving that a run in the next month or so. This weekend was our first frost and the group killed hogs. I will stop by a get my 60-70lbs of sausage tomorrow. I never do the math on the sausage because I am almost sure I am losing money, LOL But it falls into the "it tastes amazing and I know where it came from" category. Enjoy babbling. LOL Scott

I have been reading quite a bit on energy and mental clarity/focus on carnivore. I am putting thoughts together and my 2+2 might equal 9 but here goes. When I was on the trash diet/dumpster diet I was eating some of everything. Not horribly bad per se at mealtime but the 6-8 Mountain Dews and three or four Little Debbie cakes per day were doing me no favors. And when eating like that the foods are competing for the work available from the digestive system. It is not very efficient as even if the tract/gut were to gain ground, before assimilation is anywhere near complete, I am eating again. A lot of the energy we use comes from the ATP which is supported by creatine. Creatine has been widely studied as a performance enhancer but as of late its brain and cognitive support is becoming more and more evident/apparent. When I got off the dumpster diet and went strict carnivore, I am thinking my gut was one, not being constantly over ran with food, and two there was not a lot of competition for the capabilities of the gut/tract. I feel like things became much more efficient and now the meat and fats are being assimilated at a much higher percentage. The natural source for creatine is red meat and other proteins. I wonder is there a connection between being on carnivore the fact I am assimilating meats at a much higher percentage thus getting more of the available creatine, at least more than I would with the meats competing for assimilation amongst the previous dumpster diet. I was eating the same meats before, maybe even more at times than now, but lost weight, got past inflammation, off-set and auto-immune disease and have more energy than I did before. I think all I really did was both change and target the workload of my gut. Is my 2+2 closer to four or 9? Scott

Sounds good. I was with you til the sauerkraut. LOL Not much on that. Scott

They already have reacted. In 2020 Harvard released a study that showed the overwhelming majority of the test subjects on a carnivore/really low carb diet showed benefits pretty much across the board, from weight loss being the obvious, to inflammation reduction, relief from various gut issues and others. The response triggered a ripple in the research community which brought back studies from the past that showed the benefits of a red meat diet and even further back to what is called now a proper human diet. Then in 2024 Harvard reversed its opinion on carnivore and the benefits of the lifestyle/way of eating. The difference between 2020 and 2024? A multi-billion dollar donation from the gate keepers. One it promotes his attempts at lab grown meats (Big Tech) and keeps the processed food industry as the primary source of nutrition for many (Big Food) which in turn keeps us all sick and unhealthy (Big Pharma). I'm not all into conspiracies and I don't think this is conspiracy in that sense. I think it is as simple as greed and the desire to control and have power. I have not contributed to the processed food industry in well over a year. I have not taken any medicine since June 2024. Odds are I have had my last infusion. Just me alone had clipped those groups for thousands (infusion is $57,000 twice per year. Processed and junk food was $425 a month multiplied by 12 is another ~$5000. If just me alone can remove over $100,000 from the BIG PICTURE equation, just imagine the impact of just the people on this forum. Then imagine the carnivore/keto community as a whole. The billions of dollars was an investment into our future, some profit and some get sick and the ones that act out are silenced thru marketing and mass media. It is a business model that has worked amazingly well since the 50's. Scott

If I were a world class athlete I think i could debate this a tad bit better. I am getting to the above average mark for the average 56 year old. Meat and fat will serve me just fine and provide all the energy I need, both for the day to day as well as my lifting/walking/working out. I have not, nor do I anticipate taking things to that level. However, since I have not gotten crazy-go-get'em energy from meats and fats I have developed a steady energy that lasts all day for me now. I don't see crazy bounce off the wall energy just showing up anytime soon. I am not saying fat can't be the answer but I am saying I see the theory and based on me, I can see where it could work. But also based on me I am not physically challenging the limitations of fat. I know one person who uses a couple sweet potatoes on Thursdays before he does what I consider a long a pretty much grueling workout on Fridays and the rest of the week strict carnivore. As soon as this topic popped a few weeks ago I have looked for him in the gym for some insight. Still a very interesting topic for me. Scott

I wouldn't change anything. It is a part of the story. "almost quit" can be translated any number of ways. Just like the post above on 'carbs and energy' if I read about it, then post "I think this could work" I might give it a try and then decide my current path is working. Well, then "I almost quit" carnivore. LOL Tons of people have started carnivore and a very high percentage have quit. My son started, then me, then my wife, then two guys at work. Me and one other guy at work are still carnivore. I'm strict and he occasionally indulges, maybe once or twice per month. Depending on how one defines carnivore in my group 80% of people who start end up quitting. Those percentages sort of indicate the other 20% has 'almost quit' at some point. LOL Scott

I have read it both ways, but I think that lands on the intensity and duration of the exercise more so than the different fuel sources. A person pushing themselves to their maximum effort every session could answer that question better than me as my exercising, lifting and walking is effective but let's just say 'I don't leave it all on the field every time out'. The paper and log analogy is spot on. The paper will always burn faster and possibly hotter for a brief moment and once the log is burning the steady burn and the hot coals remain constant unless a piece breaks off and there may be a spurt of burn/flame but nothing like the spike of the paper. If I were a super-duper athlete doing super-duper work, I can see the need for that spurt of energy to get thru the workout. What I see as being the true advantage of the scenario is that when the paper flames up and is gone the steadiness of the fire from the log remains constant. it is not like the fire dims or goes out without the continual adding of the paper. If that makes any sense at all. If at any point my workouts ramp to the point I am at an energy deficit I could see this as an option. The workouts and the loads are ever increasing but the "log" is holding me just fine right now. LOL Still a very interesting topic. Scott

True. I use them for protein supplementation/boost appetite (a tad bit of sugar) but nothing replaces a good steak. LOL Scott