Scott F.

Agree with all. When my weight was falling pretty fast, I could create my own stall with milk. It really didn't take a lot. If I did a glass three, maybe four times in a week the stall would be just about automatic. I would go off the milk and within three or four days I would ease back into another fall. It took me a couple three cycles of that to nail down milk as the trigger for the stall. I moved away from it for several months. When I shifted my eating to hit a protein target, I sort of picked it back up, just not as much. I may do one glass a week and sometimes one glass every two weeks. This morning I'm down 89lbs from the 306lbs I weighed ten months ago and have been as low as 92lbs a couple weeks ago. I'm happy with the weight loss thus far and probably could lose a few more. I'm eating like a garbage disposal to hit close to my protein intake and lifting weights, a bit heavy at times and a bit intense at others. I feel like I have worked myself to a spot where the weight is truly just a number (took almost the entire ten months on carnivore, LOL). If my belt moves in or out a tad, so be it. If a glass of milk here and there or not having a glass of milk here nor there, pushes the needle slightly in either direction, I'm good with that too. But I do agree with the posts that it really serves no purpose. It was built to grow babies. And to people just starting out on carnivore it can definitely play a huge roll in a weight loss stall, as well as people who have eaten this way for a while. (I almost guarantee it) Scott

Not sure. I will check. If that is so it may be better to go whole milk for both reasons. My wife does the 2% so I will more than likely stick tot hat but will check the sugar content out. Never thought about it before. Scott

I'm a big milk fan. I tried the lactose free milk and did not like it. I tried almond milk as well. I went several months into the carnivore diet and then semi-reintroduced milk. I drink maybe a glass per week, sometimes a glass every other week. I still use the 2%. If I am going to get the sugar I probably should switch to whole milk and get a few extra grams of fat since I'm drinking it anyway. But 2% is what my wife uses, so 2% it is. Scott

Stanford and St. Mary's are doing some of those studies around carnivore now. My neurologist talked about them when I 'surprised' her with being on the carnivore diet. I was about five months deep at the time. She is a fan but still has some questions. I'm her 'Guinee pig' for questions. She likes the approach as far as MS and NMO/SD are concerned. The diabetes research community is gradually buying in just not totally sold. It might even be considered a movement in time. LOL Scott

That is a huge improvement. Not often can we celebrate a 'downward spiral'. Nice work. I'm in the process of learning my glucose levels based on my day to day. I have always had relatively low blood sugar so it is not a huge health concern for me, but a large percentage of my family on my mom's side is Type I and II diabetics. For that reason alone I have always kept tabs on it somewhat regularly. Babbling on. Congrats on the progress and good luck as you spiral downward. LOL Scott

Be there in a few minutes. LOL Scott

I also believe in Big Brother and the sharing of algorithms..... I read the thread, commented and had a slight laugh. I changed screens to check my email and a meme/short video popped up about bacon. Go figure. "Bacon is a lot like women. They both smell good. They both taste good. And they both kill men slowly". We are all being watched and monitored. LOL Scott

No doubts. Smart move. Interested to see how your energy levels are after the break. My work week didn't change from times past. The four days on dayshift is affectionately referred to as 'hell week' for us rotators. The only part that really changed was fasting from the previous Tuesday night to Friday night. I broke it Friday night, had some stool issues Saturday morning and by Saturday night felt recharged, maybe even rejuvenated. I don't remember it being to this extent when I made it 71 hours and crashed. This one was especially energetic for me. So much so, I woke up at 3AM'ish on Thursday morning (went to be at 9PM) and felt fully charged and ready to go and went to the gym from a little before three til 5AM, then pulled the 12 hour shift which was especially hectic. I came home, fed animals, and still had what felt like gas in the tank. If I feel there is a direct link between the two, one leads to the other, then that has to be my plan going forward. Thanks for the reply. Scott

First it is bacon, and bacon does not even fall into a food group, like pork or beef or chicken, or even white meat or dark meat. It is bacon and holds a place far and above all other meats. I would try your dehydrated bacon, and I am sure it would spectacular. But at the same time, I like greasy done/almost done but not crispy bacon just as much. I don't own a dehydrator, but I do own a number of cast iron skillets, a couple three of them were making bacon before I was born, and I am 55. So, that form of cooking has most definitely stood the test of time. As far as ignorance, I believe ignorance is bliss. And like said, when it comes to bacon, odds are most any form is bliss. I think I am in a good spot. My Pops would always say he could make sandwiches with a piece of paste board/cardboard box between two slices of bread and if he added two or three strips of bacon most would ask for another. Again, in a class all by itself. If you are that passionate about your dehydrator to call names and make assumptions, I am impressed enough to buy one and bring back some actual data to the conversation. Til then, it is 'bacon by skillet' for me. Scott

I want to get the meter next time vs. the strips for ketones. I think it will give bit more information. This week is normally rough (dayshift is a constant go all the time). It's Friday night and I have had 'high energy' all week. I'm not sure if it is directly linked to the fast and the re-set I have read about. I'm reading now on the benefit differences between 48 and 72 hours or possibly going past 72 hours. If I have the same energy level next time and I feel the energy is a direct result from the fast it will become a more regular thing for me. Not prying, just curious, @Geezy "interested in whether you see an difference in energy levels after the 48 hour fast you mentioned". Sort of like another data point. Scott

First response is spot on. For most, they fade in time. Not as frequent and not as intense. Becoming fat adaptive is one of the best decisions I have ever made. And most pork doesn't carry enough fat ( I pick the cheaper/fattier cuts for the fat content alone, plus, I'm cheap) It takes some time to adjust and every person does so at different rates. I am not a fan of the word but it has ended up the best way to describe but you are in the first of detox from sugars and carbs. It will get better with time. Scott

Toward the end of the month but I am going to fast again next week when I am off work. I want to see how it affects me when I am up and about, working out, working in the shop, etc. etc. The other fasts I did at night. It is easy to stay busy and not eat at work then come home a sleep the day away. Looking back over the last one, it did go really easily. I just finished my 4-day work week (12-13 and one 14-hour shift). Normally this week beats me down quite a bit. My Saturday last week was OK but on Sunday I felt like I was more energetic all day. These four days I felt like I had energy throughout the shift and tonight after 50+ hours I still feel like I have gas in the tank. This morning I was in the gym at 4AM and lifted an hour or so before going to work. My best guess is ketosis and ketones factored in but I am not sure why I had energy all week. Even at other times on carnivore this week has been more than a handful. I might start doing the fasts a little more frequently but maybe not 72 hours. Scott

Congrats. It is the small things we should celebrate. Scott

Interesting video/interesting thread. I dove in head-first to lose weight. I had no idea there would be other benefits other than simply 'not eating crap'. I have not taken medicine since late May early June of last year. Some use carnivore as a cleanse/elimination diet and then start re-introducing sugars and carbs slowly. I am on the other side of the 'fear' in this video. I have not taken medicine for a life-long auto immune disease, and I don't know which particular plant or sugar, or which combination of the two triggers my issues. My 'fear' would be re-introducing something to induce that trigger and then maybe carnivore 'can't' fix it next time. Kind of a stretch, and maybe not even a fear, maybe even a newfound respect for the power of the plant (or the fat/meat-depending on perspective). Scott

I just eat salt. A few weekends ago I used some of my wife's BBQ sauce and it didn't taste as good as I remember. It has some sugar and I wonder if that what didn't taste the same. I just use salt now. For whatever reason flakes of pepper stick in my throat now and I cough like all get out if I use pepper. Crazy, and I know why that happens. All salt for me. Scott

I am not sure about all that thanks. The fast went well. It was easier than I expected. The wall I hit the first time probably centered around salts/electrolytes and maybe even some hydration. I made it a point this time and probably could have went another day. I read a lot about autophagy, the HGH effects and especially the thoughts on it re-booting the immune system. Most of what I have read is that it is a better idea for non-carnivore eaters as by design it should lower, help control insulin levels. Most carnivores after time no longer have insulin control/spikes as an issue. I am sort of good in that area anyway but the immune system/immunoglobulin numbers are off, improving, but still off. I will do another one in a few weeks. I am trying to find information on the benefits of going past 72 hours. Maybe "is the view worth the climb after 72 hours?" I will go from there. Scott

It is normal but everyone probably needs a different amount. What I need probably moves up and down based on my activity level or work schedule. I don't salt everything when I eat. I tried it in water, and it does not taste good to me and makes water harder to drink. Maybe the most consistent thing I do is to eat a pinch of salt or two in the mornings. I happen to like salt on eggs so I get another dose then. Most days I get enough and I am sure on some days I get too much. For me there is not any difference between just enough and too much. However, if I don't get enough the energy flattens a bit and I have some cramping issues at night. My best guess would be for you to try ti dial it up and down to suit you. I am not sure there is an X amount per person. Scott

He did make changes some time back. I think it mostly proofs the point we have to do what is right for us as individuals, first and foremost. If that plan works for him then so be it. If it needs to have another name created, then again, so be it. Maybe even a bigger hope is that the process created people who are thinking for themselves. I read a lot of his work and watched a number of his videos. I am sure there are a handful of people who will move off carnivore and 'adopt' his new way of eating just because 'he said so'. All the benefits from eating real foods are great but learning to think for yourself and not follow the norm just because it is the norm, that's much better. On a similar note, I met a guy who is 63 and was on the carnivore approach for four plus years. He is jacked and puts in 'young man' work in the gym, even at 63 years old. He progresses thru his workout heavier and heavier each week with a couple of rest days in between. His peak day is Friday morning and he puts in a lot of work on that day. He morphed his carnivore outside the envelope as he now eats two baked sweet potatoes smothered in butter on Thursday night. He says this plan works for him. Carnivore six days a week, a carnivore based high fat/moderate protein and then add the two potatoes once per week. I am not sure what he has named his approach but just by appearance, it is working for him. Again, I doubt there is anything that can be considered cookie cutter when eating this way. Scott

Welcome. And I am skeptic at heart myself. This is a great place to bounce ideas off the wall and read others' experiences. Scott

I agree with John on the 'common sense' thought process to the lean meat/less fat approach to "carnivore" and I actually tried it. It makes sense in theory but metabolically for me it didn't. I can't say whether it will work for anyone else but this my personal experience as I went down the same train of thought. Even prior to carnivore my blood sugar has always been relatively low. Upper 80's to low 90's and before carnivore the 'dawn phenomenon' might get me into the upper 90's but I never broke 100 until a couple months into carnivore. Even the first couple months into carnivore when I was eating the higher fat content the blood sugar remained relatively low. I made an adjustment to lessen my fat intake and use more lean meats. A couple three things happened. Weight loss: It basically stalled in comparison to the rate at which I was losing overall. The first month I lost 31 pounds in 30-31 days. The second month I lost 22lbs in a month. The first number probably carried some initial water weight, but the second month is still quite the accomplishment. The kicker is about 18-19 pounds was in the first three weeks of the month about the same time I made the switch to a lesser fat/leaner meat approach. From around 256 pounds til 246 took more than a month. It was a steady bounce around a certain weight for three-four-five days drop a couple then up and down over that 1–2-pound lesser number all over again. I was accustomed to the mongo numbers and was becoming somewhat disappointed with my progress, even though it was still good progress. Blood sugar: Soon after switching to lesser fat/leaner meat my blood sugar made a shift. I broke 100 to 105 for the first time in my life. Around that same time my morning number was 110 or more and my daily was around 100. Big picture? Not the end of the world but a shift up the same. On my mom's side of the family, I am about the only non-diabetic (mom, sister, grandmother, aunts and uncles and several cousins) so I have always tracked my blood glucose, so it does not sneak up on me, even when I ate the diet I did in the past. Any movement up is a concern for me. Energy: I didn't totally flatten out or crash. There was a difference but along the same time I started to walk more and increase the load at the gym. Those were topped off by it being the busy time at work and my 12-hour shifts were often 13 and picking up extra shifts became the norm. There were some other factors in play, but my energy level was not the same. Stools: I found I had no consistency on the low fat/leaner meat approach. I would go 5-6-7 days without going, followed by a somewhat difficult bout with constipation and that would be followed by several days of "looseness". Stools can be comical at times and my looseness force me to find several spots on my commute to work that I could whip over to the side of the road and prevent a bad situation. Followed by 5+ days without, then repeat the looseness. Nothing consistent. So, for me, here is what I concluded. My body is looking for an energy source and what I eat becomes the primary energy source. On the high fat kickoff to carnivore my body was ditching the glycogen/sugars and afterwards the first thing available was the fats I was eating. As I became fat adaptive it was the fat I was eating, and the next best thing was the fat I had been storing. The weight was peeling off. The proteins left over were used for muscle recovery/repair. I am sure at times the protein is used for energy, but the high fat eating led to fat being my primary energy source. Higher fat to protein also kept my blood sugar down, at least to the same lower numbers I had always experienced. My blood sugar shift came after ditching the fat and using leaner meats. The first thing in was lean protein and that became the 'new' source of energy. The protein source of energy sort of stalled the fat loss and thru the gluconeogenesis there was "excess" sugar in my system, maybe not excess but more than I had had in the past. The body looks for energy sources and will take the easiest and first available. Although the sugar has always been a concern I didn't make any changes. What forced me to increase the fat content back was the stools and their unpredictability. I stayed the course until I didn't make it to the bathroom in Sam's. Another day it was before I could get to the side of the road and the last time was in the parking lot at work. (Again comical, I thought I am the only person in the world that had to use the patch of decorative trees and bushes just inside the plant property. But, to my surprise as I was really loose there was a log on the ground, I would have been really happy to claim vs. my current situation). I re-added the fat content and sort of went back to the way I originally started. Higher fat content-moderate to high proteins with no carbs/no sugars. In took a week or so and my stool was more consistent. I didn't pay much attention but soon I realized the energy levels were up and then gym load and the workload were still relatively high. I attributed it to the fat content. Soon after that the weight started another fall again. Since then, I am a high fat (maybe higher fat than most) with moderate protein. As of late I have upped the protein intake to hit a muscle gaining levels in grams per pound, but I think my liking fat and the higher fat content may put me closer to what is considered desirable. Not real sure there. Good luck. Sorry for the length. But I had the exact same thought process as you and for me, it didn't pan out. I'm interested to see how it works for you. Wishing you the best in your search. Scott

4 eggs that were laid yesterday. Country style pork ribs from the country store down the road and hog jowls from just down the road. Fat content is a bit high today but it was pretty awesome. My son is cooking wings in the cabin tonight and as his grease got hot I dropped the rest of the jowls in and just had them for a late evening snack. Scott

Decreased appetite is somewhat normal. The biggest part is that the foods on carnivore are much more satiating. It is really easy to get full on a much lesser amount. Looking back I find it hard to believe the amounts I ate once upon a time. As of late, I have been trying to hit a protein amount for muscle growth and that amount of protein is more food that I really feel like eating. I have to force myself to finish at times. Scott

The 'boring' part and eating out is the reason my son has tried the diet a couple three different times. My wife the same. Long before carnivore I was a very boring eater. My Pops would say, "eat your supper because we have work to do tomorrow", or 'eat your breakfast that house is not going to build itself". From early on I associated food as the fuel to do work. I never seen it as an 'enjoyable' experience or "Let's go try the new restaurant". That part of eating never clicked in my brain. When we cook pigs, or shoulders or briskets over fire I enjoy the cooking more than the eating. I guess food has been more sustenance to me than enjoyment or part of having a good time. I could eat a bologna sandwich 6 days a week, and if I could swing a peanut butter and jell sandwich on Sunday, I thought I was golden. As I see my son and my wife make the attempts I can see how 'boring' can be a drawback. Scott

Yep. 91 pounds since last May. 91 pounds over the last 72 hours would a bigger whopper than any of my fishing or hunting stories. LOL I do root cause analysis a lot at work. I then try to apply some of that thought process into things at home. Yes. The 91 pound is a result of the carnivore WOE. To get deeper, first off, the decision to go carnivore was knee-jerk and maybe even haphazard. Zero research or prep, just dove right in. Maybe not the best way to make a decision. But at some point, I decided this is working for me, then no longer needing medicine, then the weight continued to fall, the energy levels are better than they have been in many years, and I decided I need to maintain the course. With some reflection, I decided long ago to be fat and basically unhealthy based on my choices. As of late I "think" I am making better decisions. I'd also like to the board/forum and the posters. Reading others' experiences as well as sharing my own have helped me a ton along the way. Thanks. Scott

I'm just 9 months in so I still don't refer to it as my lifestyle. Maybe I get there, maybe I don't. Time will tell. I'm sort of the odd man out as I did only come to carnivore as a weight loss approach. I did look at it as the next fad diet coming down the pipe. I also felt like it would be like any other diet that drops the weight, the life choices change and the weight comes right back, usually with a few extra of his friends (pounds). I had zero expectations for any other benefits than to drop a few pounds. If someone had told me before I started that eating meat, salt and water would take me off medicine I had been on/depended on for more than 6 years I would have reacted the same as most of the people we talk to about carnivore. "Yeah, right". People are most interested in the weight loss because that is what they can see and I re-enforced that with the 90+ pound weight loss over the last 9 months. But when I explain that it has taken me off medicine that was going to be lifelong, I sort of lose them. That gets me back to your original point. I tell them my story and what they do with that is up to them. Scott