Today is the first day of January and is also the first day of World Carnivore Month. To that end, let's challenge ourselves to eat a carnivore diet for the entire month of January. The type of carnivore diet and the level of strictness you choose to do is entirely up to you. Examples of carnivore diets include the following...

1) The Lion Diet. A person eating the Lion Diet only consumes the flesh of ruminant animals, water, and salt.

2) The BBBE Diet. BBBE is an acronym for Beef, Butter, Bacon, and Eggs. 

3) The Carnivore Diet. This allows for the consumption of any and all animals and animal by-products, including dairy. 

In any of the above examples, the object of course is to not consume any plants as part of your diet. Of course, we're not going to micromanage hoe you prepare your food, so your use of seasonings is entirely your own personal choice.

IF your circumstances don't allow you to go full on carnivore in January, then you can participate in this topic by challenge yourself to do better, above and beyond what you have been doing. For example, if you have still been eating grains, seed oils, refined sugar, or drinking alcohol, challenge yourself to avoid these items and just eat a clean, single ingredient whole foods diet such as clean keto, ketovore, or animal based. 

We encourage you to check in daily, and share what you have eaten, perhaps a weigh-in if you're willing, and enjoy in some small talk.  Participants in this topic will be entered into a drawing for a prize at the end of the month.

20 minutes ago, Joanna said:

Thank you - I don't know how to reply to people who have replied to me. So thank you to both of you who responded to me. I've had trouble sleeping my whole life, so maybe it will get better after a while on Carnivore. I'm really liking eating this way and my blood sugar is always below 100 when I check. 

So far today I've had two medium boiled eggs, smoked salmon and a small amount of steak. It's 10:30 am. Yesterday I felt like I'd get sick if I ever had one bit of fat more. But today I had some and it was good!

As you adapt it should get better. Get through 30 days and then another 30 days and then another and after about 90 days you should be seeing some really good improvements. 
 

To respond to an individual like I did to you just look at the bottoM of the post you wish to respond to and a lite to the left of center you’ll see a button that says “quote”. Click on that and it’ll quote the whole post so that you can respond directly to it. 
If you just want to respond to a specific sentence you can highlight the sentence or word and a quote button should appear under it the sentence. You can then click on that button and do the same thing as quoting before and responding. 

48 minutes ago, Geezy said:

As you adapt it should get better. Get through 30 days and then another 30 days and then another and after about 90 days you should be seeing some really good improvements. 
 

To respond to an individual like I did to you just look at the bottoM of the post you wish to respond to and a lite to the left of center you’ll see a button that says “quote”. Click on that and it’ll quote the whole post so that you can respond directly to it. 
If you just want to respond to a specific sentence you can highlight the sentence or word and a quote button should appear under it the sentence. You can then click on that button and do the same thing as quoting before and responding. 

Thank you! I'm already seeing some good results - like even blood sugar and more even mood. And staying full for about six hours before I want to eat again...

On 1/6/2025 at 1:35 PM, Joanna said:

Thank you - I don't know how to reply to people who have replied to me. So thank you to both of you who responded to me. I've had trouble sleeping my whole life, so maybe it will get better after a while on Carnivore. I'm really liking eating this way and my blood sugar is always below 100 when I check. 

So far today I've had two medium boiled eggs, smoked salmon and a small amount of steak. It's 10:30 am. Yesterday I felt like I'd get sick if I ever had one bit of fat more. But today I had some and it was good!

Fat could just be part of the solution, but if you get enough fat, and you've always had problems with sleeping, they may be other issues at hand, perhaps, nothing to do with diet. 

 

On 1/6/2025 at 2:53 PM, Joanna said:

Thank you! I'm already seeing some good results - like even blood sugar and more even mood. And staying full for about six hours before I want to eat again...

 

 

On 1/6/2025 at 2:03 PM, Geezy said:

As you adapt it should get better. Get through 30 days and then another 30 days and then another and after about 90 days you should be seeing some really good improvements. 
 

To respond to an individual like I did to you just look at the bottoM of the post you wish to respond to and a lite to the left of center you’ll see a button that says “quote”. Click on that and it’ll quote the whole post so that you can respond directly to it. 
If you just want to respond to a specific sentence you can highlight the sentence or word and a quote button should appear under it the sentence. You can then click on that button and do the same thing as quoting before and responding. 

On point as always.

1 hour ago, Joanna said:

Thank you - I don't know how to reply to people who have replied to me. So thank you to both of you who responded to me. I've had trouble sleeping my whole life, so maybe it will get better after a while on Carnivore. I'm really liking eating this way and my blood sugar is always below 100 when I check. 

So far today I've had two medium boiled eggs, smoked salmon and a small amount of steak. It's 10:30 am. Yesterday I felt like I'd get sick if I ever had one bit of fat more. But today I had some and it was good!

i never had troubles sleeping, but since i started carnivore i couldn't close my eyes for more than 2/3 hours per night.  I read many solutions that for others worked which was supplementing some magnesium and eating something fat before sleep but i had no luck. At the end of the games i found what it works for me; i realized that if i eat no longer than 1/2 hours before sleeping, i sleep like a log, otherwise my body keeps me awake. with the diet there is no such thing as one size fits all, but maybe it works for you as well. I don't think it was related to the carnivore diet itself, but that it happened during the carnivore diet simply because eating only 1/2 meals a day, the meals were far away from my sleep time, while instead i was used to eat right before going to sleep.

3 hours ago, Nemo said:

i never had troubles sleeping, but since i started carnivore i couldn't close my eyes for more than 2/3 hours per night.  I read many solutions that for others worked which was supplementing some magnesium and eating something fat before sleep but i had no luck. At the end of the games i found what it works for me; i realized that if i eat no longer than 1/2 hours before sleeping, i sleep like a log, otherwise my body keeps me awake. with the diet there is no such thing as one size fits all, but maybe it works for you as well. I don't think it was related to the carnivore diet itself, but that it happened during the carnivore diet simply because eating only 1/2 meals a day, the meals were far away from my sleep time, while instead i was used to eat right before going to sleep.

Thank you, Nemo.

I started January 1st on the BBBE diet and so far, so good.  I was 209 when I started and I had my annual physical today and I was 205. I told my doctor about my diet and she said I shouldn’t do it longer than 2 months. She wants me back for cholesterol bloodwork in 3 months.  I’m doing it for 90 days, or more than likely longer. I’m expecting my numbers to be good, except for LDL which is already high and I’m on a statin.  

Hello again,

Firstly - big thank you for the quick and helpful responses, all were over and above!

In the past 2 days I have figured out my salt ratios for the most part, and today added Ghee for the first time (worked a treat).

The Bowels have moved too! 🙂 Someone mentioned Dark Chocolate as a fiber substitute - I had to resist, its a slippery slope and reckon a little treat could turn into a lot of treats pretty quick. I'm an all in or all out kinda guy.

My first round of home made Beef Bone Broth will be ready later today so that'll have to do!

Cheers and good luck to everyone

 

We're live on Zoom...

https://carnivoretalk.com/topic/1033-zoom-meeting-for-8pm-930pm-est-january-6th/

Attendance will count as an entry 😉

 

 

I really like this way of eating! I used to eat all day long. Now two or maybe three times a day and it's so delicious and satisfying! Today was chuck roast at 11:30 am. Then at around 5:30 pm burger stuffed with some goat cheese followed by two eggs cooked in chuck roast fat. 

Good day all, a few follow up questions.

Yesterday everything was going great - felt like I was on the trajectory to goodness, this morning I woke with a splitting headache which was persistent through the morning. I had a decent amount of salt rigtht up until bed (pinch of celtic salt under my tongue at the end of the day) - lots of water (even a bit in the night when I woke) but it laid me out. Any ideas?

Secondly this evening when I took my socks off I had swelling lines on my ankles - something I never have except after a flight... having just read about renal failure (and having something called a horseshoe kidney which makes it a little more of an issue) I found that a little disconcerting...

Ronnie

On 1/4/2025 at 8:11 PM, Ronnie said:

Hi - just found this forum today, but its day 5 for me -> Planning on 60 days.

Weight is not a focus for me, but instead keen on the health benefits around inflammation (I have a chronic sinus condition involving inflammation and polyps). Also interested to learn the impact of neuroinflammation to see if memory and general brain health could be improved.

Day 5 is a rough one - woke this morning with a headache and dehydration despite drinking a lot of water yesterday and a pint in the night.

 

Currently eating:

Breakfast - 3 or 4 eggs + slices of pastrami cooked in (Pastrami runs out in 2 day and not getting more) around 10:30

Lunch - Large Steak (ribeye usually) and afterwards I have a small cup of beef broth around 1pm

Dinner - Smaller steak around 5:30pm

 

Have noticed:

Serious cravings first 3 days (less now)

Sleeping later (8am instead of 6:30) and then back to bed shattered by 9pm

Night 4 (last night) - it felt like my tendons and joints were extra tight - some uncertainty on whether it is part of a beneficial detox/body change OR if I am missing something crucial and need to add in a supplement or change something up

Mood stabilization - noticing less strong emotional surges -> ie irritation or frustration is less with people, as is thrill or excitement

Also - biggest immediate concern is low occurrence of bowel movement - keen to sort that asap.

 

Quite the journey at the moment, appreciate any insight based on what I have shared!

Welcome and good luck as you move forward.

I am guessing most of what you are going thru is the healing and detox of sorts. Hydration and electrolytes are ultra important, always, but especially in the very beginning.

I started off eating similar to the plan you described. It didn't take long, and I felt like I was forcing myself to eat. Within a couple weeks I had dropped the afternoon meal and was eating breakfast and dinner. Soon after that I started eating only when I was hungry and that evolved into one meal a day, and sometimes slightly less than that. 

I was lucky as I didn't experience cravings or mood swings. Looking back I think it was my ignorance going in and maybe even plain dumb luck. I had just bought a 12 pack of Moutain Dew and a tub of ice cream. I finished those off as I started eating carnivore. Definitely not by intent, but I eased into the diet vs. going cold turkey on carbs and sugars. I also was never a big water drinker, so I used flavor packets the first couple months. They were advertised as carb and sugar free but sort of doubt it. I unknowingly eased into the diet although I said at the time "I dove right in".

I am thinking you are in 'the adjustment phase' and your body is signaling to you the abrupt change, basically a detox of sorts.

The stools vary. Looking back (I was heavy at 306) I can just about trend my stools. Constipation, followed by several days of loose to really loose then normal. From loose to normal I would drop weight which almost averaged a pound a day for a long time. Today is 8 months for me and that has been my pattern. I hit the scales at 220 yesterday. 

Good luck. Be patient. And this is not good advice, but it is what I would do, I would re-introduce some sugars or some carbs in small amounts and then wean myself to a better place. I'm really not into really feeling like crap and hoping for a better tomorrow. I think I would split the difference today and prep for a better tomorrow. Again, just me. I am sure the Carnivore Police just threw a penalty flag. LOL

Again, best of luck.

Scott

16 hours ago, Joanna said:

I really like this way of eating! I used to eat all day long. Now two or maybe three times a day and it's so delicious and satisfying! Today was chuck roast at 11:30 am. Then at around 5:30 pm burger stuffed with some goat cheese followed by two eggs cooked in chuck roast fat. 

It does simplify eating a whole lot. If it was you on Zoom last Monday, it was nice to meet you. 

 

5 hours ago, Scott F. said:

I am thinking you are in 'the adjustment phase' and your body is signaling to you the abrupt change, basically a detox of sorts.

I lot of these occurrences during the adjustment phase seem alarming. But we cannot forget, not merely as alarming as the condition we found ourselves in while eating the standard diet. We scrutinize everything during these changes, but forget we never did while eating the kind of diet that got us there in the first place.  

11 hours ago, Ronnie said:

this morning I woke with a splitting headache which was persistent through the morning.

Since this is only day 8, this could still be your body adjusting. If you continue to have persistent headaches day after day then we might want to check your blood pressure and revisit this issue. It was a string of headaches that led me to the doctor that diagnosed me with high blood pressure, but this was all before carnivore.

11 hours ago, Ronnie said:

and having something called a horseshoe kidney which makes it a little more of an issue

That's where your 2 kidneys actually fused together as one. Do you have that?

On 1/6/2025 at 6:39 PM, Outdoorstom said:

I started January 1st on the BBBE diet and so far, so good.  I was 209 when I started and I had my annual physical today and I was 205. I told my doctor about my diet and she said I shouldn’t do it longer than 2 months. She wants me back for cholesterol bloodwork in 3 months.  I’m doing it for 90 days, or more than likely longer. I’m expecting my numbers to be good, except for LDL which is already high and I’m on a statin.  

Tell your doctor to go pound sand. She is ignorant as most doctors are. You are in charge of your health, nobody else. 

46 minutes ago, Bob said:

Since this is only day 8, this could still be your body adjusting. If you continue to have persistent headaches day after day then we might want to check your blood pressure and revisit this issue. It was a string of headaches that led me to the doctor that diagnosed me with high blood pressure, but this was all before carnivore.

That's where your 2 kidneys actually fused together as one. Do you have that?

I do - confirmed by CT scan when having a pre-colonoscopy investigation

So far today: chuck roast and carnivore bread made with eggs, pork rinds and butter. Totally exhausted!

 

On 1/8/2025 at 8:16 AM, Orweller said:

It does simplify eating a whole lot. If it was you on Zoom last Monday, it was nice to meet you. 

 

I lot of these occurrences during the adjustment phase seem alarming. But we cannot forget, not merely as alarming as the condition we found ourselves in while eating the standard diet. We scrutinize everything during these changes, but forget we never did while eating the kind of diet that got us there in the first place.  

Yes, it was nice to meet you too.

17 hours ago, Ronnie said:

I do - confirmed by CT scan when having a pre-colonoscopy investigation

Siamese kidneys? Crikey. 

On 1/8/2025 at 8:16 AM, Orweller said:

If it was you on Zoom last Monday, it was nice to meet you. 

Yes it was.

And thanks for everyone who attended. This means a bonus entry goes to...

@Orweller @setsuko @mauricette @Marilda Tuomala @Qapla @Meathead and @Joanna

So far today: left over chuck roast and some ribeye - yum! Feeling good...

Jan 1 - 174.1 lbs
Jan 2 - 174.4 lbs
Jan 3 - 173.2 lbs
Jan 4 - 172.6 lbs
Jan 5 - 173.4
Jan 6 - 173.1
Jan 7 - 174.2
Jan 8 - 174.2
Jan 9 - 174.9

I've been eating late, lean (sirloins, seafood), and then going to bed on it. I need to stop that, lol 😄