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.

I don’t have a scale, but I feel like I’m gaining weight. I don’t need to lose weight, but I don’t want to gain either. I find myself wanting to eat a lot. Maybe my body is starved for nutrient dense food, but I really don’t want to gain weight!

3 hours ago, Joanna said:

Maybe my body is starved for nutrient dense food

Yes, beef, eat it, lots of it. 

17 minutes ago, Orweller said:

Yes, beef, eat it, lots of it. 

Ok!

2 hours ago, Joanna said:

Ok!

Like you, I never started the carnivore for losing weight. I did end up losing "weight", probably liquid and a bit of fat. At a 135 lbs. I've eaten up to 2700 calories a day and I would not gain a pound. I think we are dealing with fluctuations that have nothing to do with calories. 

As for nutrient dense, beef yes. And then there's the difference between feeling heavy and bloated. So I would not panic. 

Getting toward the end of the Carnivore month. 

This last week I gained 4 pounds. I have been eating like a horse (or I feel that way) to get my daily protein up to the .7-1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight. There was a thread some months back on the use of protein shakes to boost protein intake. Not that I am all that smart. but at the time I commented I could see where hitting that protein mark would be hard for me. I was eating OMAD, not the least bit hungry, and since my wife was at the beach that week, I actually waited to eat on the next day. The weight was still falling off.

Fast forward and I am in the same boat. I could easily eat once a day and be perfectly content. I'm lifting more now trying to add some muscle, off-set natural muscle loss form age, and at the same time trying to off-set the issues of my auto-immune disease. Even with the extra effort in the gym I am still not all that hungry. 

This week I gained four pounds. I feel some bulk in my chest but nothing massive. I'm hoping some of the weight is muscle. Time will tell.

Hoping to plain off and be around this weight at the end of the month.

Scott

 

 

3 hours ago, Orweller said:

Like you, I never started the carnivore for losing weight.

My ketovore is drifting very close to carnivore ( three grams carbs per day lately ) but I´m thinking I might better lose some body fat with my tried and true ketovore first. Reasons being, I find it difficult to get enough fat in carni.I need fat, I don´t lose body fat with high protein macros. And eating carnivore OMAD , it is hard to get enough calories because I´m never hungry.

I finished my dinner against my will yesterday. Still only 1400 kcal and high protein so I ate 30 grams of butter. Day before I drank half a cup of olive oil for the same reason. More cals and fat.

I seem to get full,content,satiated with much too little when in OMAD, especially high protein OMAD. But I like how OMAD feels...

49 minutes ago, Scott F. said:

I could easily eat once a day and be perfectly content.

Edited January 22Jan 22 by Carburetor
Typos

28 minutes ago, Carburetor said:

Reasons being, I find it difficult to get enough fat in carni.I need fat, I don´t lose body fat with high protein macros.

70 percent fat out of all you eat? 80/20 ground beef and two scoops of sour cream with some shredded cheese. The cheese and sour cream can be used to tweak your desired ratio. Boring sometimes but works everytime, and is cheap. 

 

1 hour ago, Scott F. said:

I have been eating like a horse (or I feel that way) to get my daily protein up to the .7-1.0 grams per pound of bodyweight.

Per pound of ideal body weight, your goal weight. I'm sure you know, but just making sure. 

Yep. Turns out it is easier said than done. All I have to do is eat a steak and a few eggs and then maybe a chicken breast later in the day. 

If I eat that steak and eggs in the morning, on most days I feel like I am choking down the second meal to get to that protein target. 

It is crazy how little food I really need/want in comparison to the amounts I once ate. Crazy.

Scott

56 minutes ago, Orweller said:

Per pound of ideal body weight, your goal weight. I'm sure you know, but just making sure. 

0.7 to 1.0 my goal weigh would be 210 or so.

This morning I ate about 8oz of tri-tip steak (left over from the night before) and four eggs. That got me about halfway to the protein target.

At work tonight I brought hamburger patties. It was all I could do to eat two of them. I hit my target today but it takes effort to eat that much. 

Just crazy how satiating meats can be. Just a handful of months ago I could eat a 16oz ribeye, a loaded bake potato, half my wife's steak and no telling how many glasses of sweet tea and get the dessert to boot.

If I ate just when I am hungry that one meal (if eating the potatoes and sweet tea-just talking sheer volume in food) would not feed me for three to four days. 

Crazy.

Scott

12 hours ago, Joanna said:

I don’t have a scale, but I feel like I’m gaining weight. I don’t need to lose weight, but I don’t want to gain either. I find myself wanting to eat a lot. Maybe my body is starved for nutrient dense food, but I really don’t want to gain weight!

When you find yourself wanting to eat more it can be a sign that you not eating enough fat. Since you are now using fat for energy rather than glucose you need to keep that fuel going in. 
Try it both ways to see if one or the other helps. Do like Orweller says and up your protein for a week and see if there’s any change. If not the up you fat intake for a week and see if that helps. 

8 hours ago, Scott F. said:

Yep. Turns out it is easier said than done. All I have to do is eat a steak and a few eggs and then maybe a chicken breast later in the day. 

If I eat that steak and eggs in the morning, on most days I feel like I am choking down the second meal to get to that protein target. 

It is crazy how little food I really need/want in comparison to the amounts I once ate. Crazy.

Scott

And imagine ever saying these words before going carnivore? Help I am eating too little! That is an unthinkable statement when we eat carbs. I think it is perfectly fine to skip a meal here and there. So long as you don't feel weak, or tired. 

8 hours ago, Scott F. said:

0.7 to 1.0 my goal weigh would be 210 or so.

This morning I ate about 8oz of tri-tip steak (left over from the night before) and four eggs. That got me about halfway to the protein target.

At work tonight I brought hamburger patties. It was all I could do to eat two of them. I hit my target today but it takes effort to eat that much. 

Just crazy how satiating meats can be. Just a handful of months ago I could eat a 16oz ribeye, a loaded bake potato, half my wife's steak and no telling how many glasses of sweet tea and get the dessert to boot.

If I ate just when I am hungry that one meal (if eating the potatoes and sweet tea-just talking sheer volume in food) would not feed me for three to four days. 

Crazy.

Scott

Then put your goal at 200 lbs. If you're about 6ft you could have an ideal weight between 145 and 185. Re-consider how you view weight, as your body composition will be different, carrying a lot less water for instance. IF you're overweight, I would not stress about it too much until  you start to feel hungry, tired, or weak. Weight is a mere part of the equation, in fact it's a mere consequence. I would keep it simple, and worry when needed. 

10 hours ago, Orweller said:

70 percent fat out of all you eat? 80/20 ground beef and two scoops of sour cream with some shredded cheese. The cheese and sour cream can be used to tweak your desired ratio. Boring sometimes but works everytime, and is cheap. 

 

I´m jealous of your 80/20... it can have 70% fat. Highest fat content in any ground meat here in Finland is 23%. 10% beef is standard.

My carni would be totally dairy free to begin with.

Edited January 22Jan 22 by Carburetor
10 %

1 hour ago, Orweller said:

Then put your goal at 200 lbs. If you're about 6ft you could have an ideal weight between 145 and 185. Re-consider how you view weight, as your body composition will be different, carrying a lot less water for instance. IF you're overweight, I would not stress about it too much until  you start to feel hungry, tired, or weak. Weight is a mere part of the equation, in fact it's a mere consequence. I would keep it simple, and worry when needed. 

Agreed. I don't hit the target everyday. Some days it is simply a matter of I don't feel like eating again. It is not like the lifting and the protein is going to make me the next 55 year old Mr. Olympia but I am trying to stack some odds in my favor. 

I'm off medicine now, lost a bunch of weight and both are incredible things. I'm still absolutely amazed at the amount of food it takes now. Before I ate a lot and I enjoyed eating a lot. I can't imagine filling a plate today the way I did just 8 months ago. 

Scott

2 hours ago, Carburetor said:

Highest fat content in any ground meat here in Finland is 23%. 10% beef is standard.

😳that’s just criminal.

I always shoot for 70/30 whether I’m buying it in the store or making my own. 

9 hours ago, Scott F. said:

It is not like the lifting and the protein is going to make me the next 55 year old Mr. Olympia

To us, you will be. 

Thanks.

I'm trying. LOL

Scott

Still eating too much. Beef pancakes, liver, meatballs, sausage, eggs… when I’m being grandma I want to eat all the time. Plus my granddaughter wants to invent carnivore recipes all day long. 

On 1/22/2025 at 7:33 AM, Geezy said:

When you find yourself wanting to eat more it can be a sign that you not eating enough fat

If you feel ok with it, fat-coffee in the morning and another in the afternoon can help a lot. Yes it disturbs OMAD and fast a little but you can get butter/coconut oil added nicely. My add-ons are about 10 g each / cup. Today I had cream,too.

I have done this lately again while doing OMAD and my blood ketones were whopping 4,1 yesterday afternoon. Glucose was 4.9 mmol/L (90 mg/dL).