Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house? I’ll start out strong, maybe for two weeks, but then I give in and eat the junk food because it’s always there. I want to be disciplined, but it’s tough. Any advice?

6 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house? I’ll start out strong, maybe for two weeks, but then I give in and eat the junk food because it’s always there. I want to be disciplined, but it’s tough. Any advice?

Yes. It happened to me back in the 90’s when I did Adkins. My wife was 100% against me doing that diet. She was brainwashed like we all were but Dr. Adkins book just made so much sense to me that I was determined to try it.  She stayed mad at me for months. But after a year she began to understand. 
When I started carnivore back in 23 her mindset was totally different. She knew I did the research and trusted that I knew what I was doing. After a year and a half as a carnivore lodge is a firm believer and supports me 100% but she doesn’t do it with me. She will be meat centric but if she wants to eat a bag of Cheetos with her wine then she’s going to do it. Oh well, not much you can do about it. We have grandkids so when they come over there’s going to be all kinds of snacks and foods that I will never touch. When we have a bbq or a dinner party there’s going to be lots of food that I won’t eat. 
When we go on a trip or eat out it can be a challenge to eat properly but I manage to get it done. 
You see, even if your wife isn’t carnivore it doesn’t mean you won’t face challenges. They are always going to be there. 
From the beginning of my carnivore journey there has been cokes in the pantry, bread or tortillas on the counter, fruit in the crisper, candy in the gum ball machine and ice cream in the freezer. There was then and there is now. I have never cheated in the last 670 days. 
My advice? 
Check your why. Why are you doing this? What’s the most important thing to you? A fleeting moment of taste on the tongue or having good heath and feeling great for the rest of your life? 
I just made my choice and that’s why I’ve succeeded. I’ve even had people try and talk me into cheating “just this one time, it won’t hurt”. 
I am motivated to succeed. I refuse to fail. Once I start something I cannot be stopped. I am a carnivore warrior. 
Stay motivated by immersing yourself into the carnivore lifestyle and community. Watch videos from carnivore doctors and influencers. Listening to podcasts about carnivore. Pay attention to the success stories. Read books from those in the carnivore community. Continuously educating yourself on the ins and out of this lifestyle. Treat this as a lifestyle and not a diet. 
It all boils down to YOU and no one else. This is your journey, your path to travel alone. We can give you support but it’s still your quest. 
So what is your why? 

6 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house? I’ll start out strong, maybe for two weeks, but then I give in and eat the junk food because it’s always there. I want to be disciplined, but it’s tough. Any advice?

My first several months were just like that. Luckily, I didn't really have cravings. My wife is not against the plan and does not eat a ton of junk and crap, but she is a big fan of vegetables. 

She has tried carnivore a couple different times but it is not her cup of tea. She read an article about the cleansing and gut healing and she has been really strict carnivore the last two weeks. She lost 8lbs the first week and three the second. 

So right now, our house is almost free of non-carnivore food items. There are few stragglers of this and that in the cabinet but nothing to amount to anything. 

I think if I have had cravings in the beginning with my wife having other foods readily available in the house my first weeks/my first attempt would have been much more difficult. 

Scott

14 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house? I’ll start out strong, maybe for two weeks, but then I give in and eat the junk food because it’s always there. I want to be disciplined, but it’s tough. Any advice?

You could have a talk. Maybe discuss with her the location she keeps her "food". You obviously can't tell another adult what to eat, but you can make your needs clear. I am lucky that my wife always ate "healthy". You know, vegetables and fruits. But if she buys some chocolates, she keeps it in her office. 

When people fail within two weeks it's because of discipline and motivation. Motivation never stays around longer than that, and discipline soon makes its exit known as well. 

Instead add focus (make a list of rules, on paper). Create a system, routine. Make a blueprint. Track your progress, as in write down successful days, write down unsuccessful days. In days you'll find you can look back to something akin to a "bank statement" with regards to your eating habits. 

9 minutes ago, Orweller said:

You could have a talk. Maybe discuss with her the location she keeps her "food". You obviously can't tell another adult what to eat, but you can make your needs clear. I am lucky that my wife always ate "healthy". You know, vegetables and fruits. But if she buys some chocolates, she keeps it in her office. 

When people fail within two weeks it's because of discipline and motivation. Motivation never stays around longer than that, and discipline soon makes its exit known as well. 

Instead add focus (make a list of rules, on paper). Create a system, routine. Make a blueprint. Track your progress, as in write down successful days, write down unsuccessful days. In days you'll find you can look back to something akin to a "bank statement" with regards to your eating habits. 

Thank you! Those are all great points and very helpful.

I've had experience with addiction in other areas and have successfully overcome them by removing them completely from my life. But now, I’m in a situation where that’s not an option, and I have to develop more discipline—if that makes sense. It’s really tough.

It’s like living in a home where two people smoke cigarettes, but one person wants to quit. How much harder is it going to be for that person when cigarettes are still around? It can absolutely be done, but it makes the process much tougher. That’s what I’m wrestling with—trying to push myself to dig deep and grow more discipline.

I've also been thinking about logging everything I’m doing. I actually have a waist circumference tape—the kind used for sewing—that I can wrap around my waist, along with a scale. I think tracking those metrics over the coming weeks and months would be really encouraging. Should I do that daily or weekly? Weekly seems like the better approach, right?

 

 

17 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house?

Me. I started carnivore in early 2023 and my wife, for whatever reason, intentionally started bringing even more than the usual amount of junk food into the house. She would gloat while she stuffed her face and brag "I can eat anything I want" and make "mmmm.... yum....." noises as she pigged out in front of me. I simply responded "I also can eat anything I want. The difference is, I don't want any of that garbage."

My immediate need to rectify and reverse my health issues were more important. I made a vow to never eat grains or refined sugar ever again that I have for the most part kept (save for the annual anniversary meal or rare special occasion).

I lost 60 pounds and she started to gain. My blood work improved, and hers got worse. The doctor even got on her case about the sugar because she became prediabetic. She has since been part-time keto, part-time animal-based, and has taken off the weight and improved her labs. But she still goes on benders once in a while.

3 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Should I do that daily or weekly? Weekly seems like the better approach, right?

Depends. I weigh in daily. BUT, some people get real frustrated if they don't see day to day results and then tend to give up. If this should be your personality, then weekly stats measurements would be better for you.

Yeah, Bob, I'm in a very similar situation. I'm worried about my future health. I'll be turning 40 this year, and I'm right on the edge of being classified as obese. I'm highly motivated to make a change. My wife wants to be healthy too, but she's not ready to give up her eating habits. Believe me, I've tried many times, but she’s just not ready, and that's OK. Just an hour ago, my wife was sitting on the couch eating her Panda Express, and I was struggling with hunger signals and cravings. But I stayed motivated, so I got up, scrambled three eggs, drank a tall glass of water, and now that she's at work, my cravings are gone. It's a battle, but my hope and prayer are that she sees me getting healthier and it motivates her to want to be healthy as well.

When I started my health journey, I was keto. I would try and make dinners that the whole family would enjoy and not complain about. The wife was on board. The kids couldn't bear it and started making their own food or ordering out. They were raised on processed garbage. I tried to fight it, but "mom" would always cave in and play short-order cook and placate them with whatever they wanted.

When I went carnivore, my wife would eat the dinners I made - usually steak. But currently she's burned out and is boycotting steak, lol. I'm eating steak and shrimp, and she's eating DiGiorno pizza's. They also keep trying to get me to take them out to dinner more than usual lately too. 

.... "Oh, I have a great idea... let's go to .... " lol. 

23 hours ago, Beefbelly said:

Has anyone experienced trying to go carnivore while your spouse isn’t interested in eating healthy and continues to keep all the addictive junk food in the house? I’ll start out strong, maybe for two weeks, but then I give in and eat the junk food because it’s always there. I want to be disciplined, but it’s tough. Any advice?

Your situation would make it much harder on me.  But I guess a person just has to hit a wall to really make a go at Carnivore.  My wall was hit a month ago and thankfully the wife was hitting her own wall.  We decided to give it a go together, which has been very helpful.

I think it comes down to a person's motivations.  If you just want to loose a few pounds, I don't think I could do it with Doritos, Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, and an endless supply of Bourbon and Coke waiting for me with a stroll into the kitchen.  But my horrible Blood Sugar and Blood Pressure and constant hangovers and the thoughts of my mortality were so overwhelming, I made the change and a house full of crap food wouldn't affect me.   I had to decide if I was going to live a good life or continue killing myself.

So a non-participating wife would be harder, but I could still do it.....   Now, don't ask me how an abscessed tooth will affect me, because I failed with that occurrence.

Edited March 10Mar 10 by Mesa_John

On 3/9/2025 at 2:13 PM, Beefbelly said:

 Any advice?

stay clear of the kitchen and eat meat or fat or butter when tempted.  My wife is the same way.  And I have no cravings other than maybe milk.

On 3/10/2025 at 6:47 AM, Beefbelly said:

It’s like living in a home where two people smoke cigarettes, but one person wants to quit.

Been there done that. You are right. It’s tough but it can be done if you really want to succeed. 

 

On 3/10/2025 at 6:47 AM, Beefbelly said:

I've also been thinking about logging everything I’m doing. I actually have a waist circumference tape—the kind used for sewing—that I can wrap around my waist, along with a scale. I think tracking those metrics over the coming weeks and months would be really encouraging. Should I do that daily or weekly? Weekly seems like the better approach, right?

That’s an excellent idea. The tape is a better metric than the scale. I scale out every day just to track trends but I done rely on it for my progress. The tape is the true metric. You can stay at the same weight but still lose inches. 
while I was losing I only used the tape measure once a month. It showed more dramatic changes that way. I kept a journal daily as well and it really helped to keep track of what was happening in relation to what I was doing. 
 

 

On 3/10/2025 at 10:20 AM, Beefbelly said:

so I got up, scrambled three eggs, drank a tall glass of water, and now that she's at work, my cravings are gone. It's a battle, but my hope and prayer are that she sees me

PERFECT!  That’s how you do it. Improvise and overcome. 
You might also keep some meats cooked up and in the fridge so you can grab a quick bite if you need to suppress a craving. Bacon, sausage, hard boiled eggs, hamburger patties…all good choices. 

On 3/10/2025 at 7:47 AM, Beefbelly said:

I've also been thinking about logging everything I’m doing. I actually have a waist circumference tape—the kind used for sewing—that I can wrap around my waist, along with a scale. I think tracking those metrics over the coming weeks and months would be really encouraging. Should I do that daily or weekly? Weekly seems like the better approach, right?

Weekly is perfect. But see it as data, no more. The drive comes from having a system, a set of rules, that you promise to yourself. Track what works, toss out what doesn't. Even if it means sneaking in an oreo a day. Baby steps. Create the mindset first. Slowly eating meat becomes habitual. The addiction settles down. 

On my last Keto diet, I drove myself crazy watching the up and down with daily weigh in's.  When I moved to a weekly trip to the scales, it was much, much more motivational.