So I’m a chronic relapser on carbs and booze too. I can go 5-7 days on a strict carnivore diet and suddenly I throw it all away

booze

weed, gave me terrible munchies

Led to 2 double cheeseburgers

fries

Super sweet coconut pastries 

basically just completely overdoing it like a carb junky on a bender..

then after the next day hangover I go back on a restrictive diet like carnivore 

but I face relapses and when I relapse I just say forget this, and I go all out binge on carbs

i think the weed made me eat burgers, it made me super hungry for burgers!!

the weed was for the hangover from the boozy night before. It set off a chain reaction that led to burgers and fries and ultimately and bunch of pastries

Im not a very disciplined carni 

plus I am a type 1 diabetic so I truly can’t be eating extremely high carb anything 

and I shouldn’t be drinking booze either but it’s for the stress

Yeah that’s a bad cycle to be on.
You’ve got to get in the right frame of mind if you want to succeed. There’s no tricks or gimmicks to this. You’ve got to want it bad enough.
Most people I come across that turn to carnivore are at the end of their rope. They’ve hit rock bottom in their health and are desperate to change. That’s how I came into carnivore. Because of their why they are very motivated to change and succeed in this lifestyle.
It sounds like you lack motivation to change. You are addicted to carbs and that’s a tough drug to kick.
Try to immerse yourself into the carnivore lifestyle by watching videos from carnivore doctors and influencers to help inspire and motivate you to stay strong. Listen to podcasts that promote the carnivore lifestyle. Read books detailing how to do carnivore and other books related to carnivore that talk about how bad the SAD is and how bad plants are.
You’re going to have to strengthen your resolve to succeed. It’s all up to you. Maybe get rid of the pot and the booze if that’s your weak point.


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It's a perfectly, purely psychological reaction to change. Keep getting back up and learn every time a bit more. You did not throw anything away. If you've had 7 days of clean eating and then you fall off hard, you've still won 7 times. Normally you would've lost 8 times. Do not tell yourself you've thrown anything away. You've got that powerful thing called awareness of your actions. 

When fighting addiction, you are fighting your former personality, habits, etc. A powerful foe. Get back in the ring and work on those jabs. 

Do not worry yourself with motivation, that is but a fair-weather fan cheering for the winner. Focus on habits, the old grizzly coach in your corner no matter what. 

You are a product of what you consume, who and what you surround yourself with. Ultimately that is where the change will happen. 

It's not about motivation, nor about discipline. None of us are that super monk from the Burmese mountain tops. 
 

Habits. Surroundings. Change of personality, the hardest part (Ask Carl Jung, rather read Carl Jung). An honorable mention, focus. All those things can be achieved without feeling "motivated". Do you feel motivated to shower? to brush your teeth? No one does. They do because it is a healthy habit we are taught by our parents. 

9 hours ago, Geezy said:

Yeah that’s a bad cycle to be on.
You’ve got to get in the right frame of mind if you want to succeed. There’s no tricks or gimmicks to this. You’ve got to want it bad enough.
Most people I come across that turn to carnivore are at the end of their rope. They’ve hit rock bottom in their health and are desperate to change. That’s how I came into carnivore. Because of their why they are very motivated to change and succeed in this lifestyle.
It sounds like you lack motivation to change. You are addicted to carbs and that’s a tough drug to kick.
Try to immerse yourself into the carnivore lifestyle by watching videos from carnivore doctors and influencers to help inspire and motivate you to stay strong. Listen to podcasts that promote the carnivore lifestyle. Read books detailing how to do carnivore and other books related to carnivore that talk about how bad the SAD is and how bad plants are.
You’re going to have to strengthen your resolve to succeed. It’s all up to you. Maybe get rid of the pot and the booze if that’s your weak point.


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The hormonal warfare on your system by weed and alcohol makes sugar look like a girl scout. The influx of estrogen has equally devastating effects as sugar.  

11 hours ago, Idunno said:

So I’m a chronic relapser on carbs and booze too. I can go 5-7 days on a strict carnivore diet and suddenly I throw it all away

booze.......

That has been my cycle for years.  Sure, I had great success at times.  Two decades ago, I lost 65lbs on Adkins, only to return to carbs and Bourbon and shoot back up to 280lbs.  Then three times the past 8 years I have done Keto, was strict and lost a lot of weight... only to fall back off the wagon.

My problem was short-term goals.  Short-term being defined as something around 3-4 months.  I was strict and lost a ton of weight leading up to my daughters wedding.  I was strict and lost a ton of weight leading up to an Enduro Motorcycle Race.  I was strict and lost a ton of weight prior to my wedding anniversary and a trip to Europe.  Once those events happened, I was straight back to sugar, carbs and Bourbon.

I am only a few days in, but this time is different.  This year I turn 57 years old and I am highly motivated to straighten up and live a life the next 30 years of health and activity.  I am DONE with making awesome plans to go skiing or hiking or camping or over-landing or motorcycle riding..... only to get off work on Thursday afternoon and go straight to a bottle of Bourbon.  Then I wake up Friday morning with a massive hangover and from there my weekend is shot.  DONE WITH THAT!

Good series of posts. I think I have been basically lucky. I had no idea there were benefits to carnivore other than losing weight. Weight loss was the only reason I dove into carnivore. My son did carnivore a couple three weeks and lost 12-15 pounds. He described the eating, and it sounded easy for me. I thought my only issue would be sugar. I drank 4-5-6 20oz. Mountain Dews per day, two-plus Little Debbie cakes, hit the snack machines for candy bars while at work, and would eat lemon cheesecake by the pound, not by the slice. And it was nothing to have three or four glasses of Pepsi/sweet tea during dinner. I felt like going in I would struggle with sugar but would have no issues with plants/carbs. 

Most everyone's plan or route to success/failure is different. I think what helped me is, after reflection, I was not as cold turkey as I had originally thought. I said I only eat meats, salt and water. The first few months I used drink mixers as I have never been big on drinking just water. Even tho my drink packet said NO SUGAR there is sugar in there. At the same time, I had an occasional glass of milk. I was not as cold turkey on sugar as I thought so I basically weaned myself off sugar. First, I eased into drinking plain water and now that is all I drink. I still drink milk, but it is far less than ever, maybe a glass a week or sometimes every two weeks. 

I think I would concentrate on the 5-6-7 wins (like posted earlier) and figure out how Day 1 turns to Day 2, and then to Day 3. Then build upon those things. Maybe try to figure out what you could do to change Day 4-5 and 6 so you don't have the "crash" on Day 7. This approach may help you to limit the "crash" or maybe even eliminate it as an issue. And at the end of the day if you are strict for 6 days and then not so much for one, and then back to six days again, I would think that is much better than 3 and 3 and 5 and 2, etc.

As far as the booze and weed go, I have never smoked weed or did anything drug related. Until I got sick in 2018 I had 7 prescriptions from 1987 til 2018. (Again, been really lucky). As for the booze, the last two years I was in the service and the first 8-10 years after I drank enough Jim Beam/7-up/Budweiser in the bottle to float a battleship. I did not socially drink, I drank to fall down, and I stopped whenever and wherever I fell down.

I can't relate to the weed and not so much to the sugar and carb cravings, but I surely remember my "NEED" to hit the bottle. And looking back, with drinking came eating and I am sure the sugars helped jump start the next day. After a rough night there was nothing like a cold Mountain Dew and a Little Debbie cake to get me going. I think causation and correlation can go both ways with my drinking and my trash eating habits. Once I built those trash eating habits they remained long after I quit drinking. 

Habits are habits and addictions are addictions, and one common denominator is that each are different dependent upon the individual. 

Hopefully you can figure out your plan. I apologize for the length and the babbling. I'd look for the good things early in the week and try to implement them in the latter part of the week. The weed I don't know and the booze, you are going have to pick/find something that is more important to you than that. Little steps from there.

God luck.

Scott

 

59 minutes ago, Scott F. said:

As for the booze, the last two years I was in the service and the first 8-10 years after I drank enough Jim Beam/7-up/Budweiser in the bottle to float a battleship. I did not socially drink, I drank to fall down, and I stopped whenever and wherever I fell down.

I can relate to that. The first thing we did when we were off duty was to pop a top. 
That continued on into civilian life. Having kids and building a farm slowed me down quite a bit but it was carnivore that that changed my drinking most of all.  I can’t explain it but I just don’t have a desire to drink anymore even if people around me are drinking. 

Sorry to hear your plight.  I had drug addictions, key word had.   If you are working see if your work offers counseling.  If not find AA meetings and start sharing your story there. You have to learn to deal with whatever  "stress" etc. with a clear head and not cop out to weed and booze.  I don't mind saying this:  you are heading to a early grave friend. But you can decide to take control of life and not let life control you. I believe everyone has this strength.  Get to a AA meeting and share your story.  peace

I quit drinking pretty much cold turkey. We went out and I got plastered (as usual). on the way home a deer ran out in front of the car. It smashed up the fender and door. My wife asked me to get out and check, but I was unable. I looked over at the temperature gage, decided the radiator was good, asked her to ease it into drive. As it rolled, I didn't hear anything, so I said drive it to the house. When we got home the bent-up door would not open. I was too drunk to get out of the car and she had to climb over me to get out the passenger side. I slept all night in the car. If it ended here it would be another funny drunk story. But it didn't. During the night my son came down with a fever, up to 104-105. I was too drunk to offer any kind of help. My mother-in-law and father-in-law came from next door to get him to the hospital. When I woke up and found out how the night went there was no bigger piece of shit on the planet than me. (pardon the French)

I went months without a drop. Then one night we went out and the waitress was parading back and forth hauling ice cold long neck Budweiser beers. I told my wife we better leave now or I am headed for another train wreck. That was 23 years ago. 

I did however, ditch one addiction and keep the food/sugar habits. I'm only 9 months out of that one. Still a work in progress.

This thread hits home.

Scott

14 hours ago, Orweller said:

The hormonal warfare on your system by weed and alcohol makes sugar look like a girl scout. The influx of estrogen has equally devastating effects as sugar.  

I think you’re right. Pot is bad stuff for me. I used it as a hangover cure, and last time it gave me super munchies. it was something terrible 

doesn’t help I live in a major foodie neighborhood. but it’s a strange experience because I have Type 1 Diabetes. I generally avoid restaurants because it’s difficult to estimate insulin doses when going out so I tend to only eat at home

another thing to mention is that I kicked my coffee/caffeine addiction. I quit cold turkey 2 years ago. It’s tough to kick but I highly recommend doing it

doesn’t help I live in a neighborhood with cafes everywhere. Before quitting I used to cafe hop like the most notorious coffee addict there ever was

Edited February 17, 2025Feb 17 by Idunno

11 hours ago, Idunno said:

I think you’re right. Pot is bad stuff for me. I used it as a hangover cure, and last time it gave me super munchies. it was something terrible 

doesn’t help I live in a major foodie neighborhood. but it’s a strange experience because I have Type 1 Diabetes. I generally avoid restaurants because it’s difficult to estimate insulin doses when going out so I tend to only eat at home

another thing to mention is that I kicked my coffee/caffeine addiction. I quit cold turkey 2 years ago. It’s tough to kick but I highly recommend doing it

doesn’t help I live in a neighborhood with cafes everywhere. Before quitting I used to cafe hop like the most notorious coffee addict there ever was

It just goes to show that eating is culture. It goes to show, who and what you surround yourself with (willingly or unwillingly) decide eventually what you consume. And one is always late in finding out if such input was beneficial for one's health. To veer away from such influences requires hard change. No pretty way to frame this. At least, those were my findings in my own journey. I've found out also, by "giving" up such vices and behaviors, I've found that I'll be fine. I've never needed it. 

In my country of origin weed has always been legal, drinking was legal at 15, so was smoking. It was also an eating culture, being in proximity to France, Germany, strong eating cultures, wine and beer socially accepted and consumed, along with all the delicious foods it came with. So I can somewhat imagine the position your in, minus the diabetes; I've got my own struggles. But for me it was a hard stop, and forever. No 30 day challenge, or a new year new me, a cold stop. And it has taught me a lot about myself. 

Last night was my day 3 back on pure carnivore with no cheating 

last night I had HUGE craving for peanut butter and jelly. It was late and the grocery store was closed.

all I thought of last night was getting to the grocery and be there before the doors opened, to get a loaf of bread and the fixings 

oh I was also craving booze and I was planning my next visit to the booze store

but when I woke up my craving was gone. I went to the grocery store and just got shrimp, beef and butter

so I avoided relapsing 

keep meat snacks in the fridge. plan your work, work your plan.  good to read the above post.

Last night was my day 3 back on pure carnivore with no cheating 
last night I had HUGE craving for peanut butter and jelly. It was late and the grocery store was closed.
all I thought of last night was getting to the grocery and be there before the doors opened, to get a loaf of bread and the fixings 
oh I was also craving booze and I was planning my next visit to the booze store
but when I woke up my craving was gone. I went to the grocery store and just got shrimp, beef and butter
so I avoided relapsing 

Good job man. I aways keep some meats cooked up and in the fridge that I can grab for a quick fix if I need to. My favorite is to keep a pound of bacon cooked up. It’s handy to have in a pinch. Hard boiled eggs are good to have on hand. Hamburger patties cold with a smear of butter on it works good too.
Some people find that a pinch of salt under the tongue works for them or eating a little cold butter.
Keep up the good work.


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Well I am about 4 days strict carnivore but I am 2 nights of whiskey drinking 

yes I have the addict personality and it has to be everything or nothing…

a lot happens with carnivore diet

#1 my blood sugar stabilizes (I am a type 1 diabetic) and that releases a lot of built up inflammation which can be tiring

#2 carnivore makes me lose weight, which is desirable but it also leads to deeper sleep, and it requires naps

#3 keto flu, I think it’s hard to be strict on carnivore. If I journaled detailed enough, my guess is I’ve never made it past 1 full week without binging on carbs or booze or whatever. 

I’ve been trying to learn low carb eating for Months. As a Type 1 Diabetic I am POSITIVE this is more work than others. But the benefits are clear

i get major carb cravings STILL and I’ve been at this for long than I can admit 

Cheese is another addiction. I’ve been without cheese for a week but in grocery stores it’s like an evil monkey on my shoulder saying it’s no biggie, just get some blue cheese

and as a diabetic, cheese make digestion sluggish. It’s bad news. Plus I cannot just have a slice or two, I eat the whole block of cheese and then wake up with sky high blood sugars

I want to add that I literally removed coffee and tea from my diet over a year ago. This is basically one of the most taboo of topics even in 12 step meetings. It’s almost not allowed to talk about kicking caffeine.

caffeine addiction is super real and it takes months to withdrawal.

man you know what is I get bored of eating meats. I think that’s why I relapse. I just wanna eat a big juicy burger with Cajun fries you know? F this ribeye

look at what’s around

Try dating an Asian women if you don’t eat Rice and high carb sauces. I’m tired if explaining myself

good to be here

thanks for the support 

I hear talk about carnivores need a good strong WHY  as in why am I doing this?  

You have to keep plugging away. Look for the positives and build upon those. Try to correct some of the negatives. I doubt you can win the war until you start winning the battles.

Sometimes it does boil down to the whys. Why? did you try carnivore? Why? are the benefits not outweighing my addictions? From there, work on what you can.

I was on the bottle for a long period of time, so much so, that it dictated/played a role in most every part of my life. During that stretch it was more important to me than most everything else. I would say things were important to me, but my actions would speak otherwise. I said my son was the most important thing in the world to me until I was too drunk to be there when he needed me. I'm not one to preach, or stand up on the pedestal and talk down, but sometimes things are as simple as your personal decision making.

Keep plugging away. This is a good place to unload, ask questions, learn from another's experience and maybe get better.

Scott

You're still here. Still sharing. You obviously haven't given up yet. Fall and get up. As long as you get up, you haven't failed, you haven't thrown anything away. 

23 hours ago, Idunno said:

keto flu, I think it’s hard to be strict on carnivore.

Hang in there. The keto flu doesn’t last long. Once it’s over you’ll be feeling better and it’s easier to stick with this WOE. 

 

23 hours ago, Idunno said:

man you know what is I get bored of eating meats. I think that’s why I relapse. I just wanna eat a big juicy burger with Cajun fries you know? F this ribeye

Yeah that’s just the carb addiction talking to you. Once you are free of that then those other things just don’t look like food anymore. 
I can see a table full of chips, pies, cakes and breads and they have no more appeal than a table full of manure. 
 

Give it time man, you’ve got some demons to fight but you seem determined to do this and your motivation is strong. You got this. 

Yeah I keep relapsing. It’s more of an alcohol addiction thing, where I get a sort of anxiety feeling about once every 4 days that leads me to drink booze

At least I pick plain booze with no carbs? lol

my new strategy prioritizes getting more sleep and avoiding stress. There’s some discomfort/anxiety I need to work through without reaching for a bottle

but also, steak and eggs gets boring after a while. It gets tiresome and time consuming to cook food every day, then clean up 

but this winter I have made some amazing hot soups. Yeah I boil steaks in water to make beef broth and near the end I add eggs to make an egg drop broth soup. Then lastly I add plenty of butter

i do the same with shrimp. These hot clear broths with butter added are great

it still gets boring

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