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.
The book arrived yesterday and while the pork belly was cooking, I read maybe 1/2 to 3/4. It is an easy read, and I really like the formatting. Each page or so has a subject matter at the top and that area is discussed/expounded upon by the author. It is almost like reading from a forum where the thoughts, ideas or discussions can carry all over the place yet remain under a 'big umbrella'. (if that makes any sense at all).
Maybe it is just me, but sometimes I learn something I already thought I knew. I tried carnivore, I like it, and it has worked for me, then I morphed away from carnivore it in its intended form in pursuit of something I thought was bettering myself I went down the wrong path.
I ate high fat and moderate proteins to start. And experienced all kinds of successes with minimal to no setbacks. As of late I have increased my protein grams per day to hit as close to 200 grams per day as I can. It has been hard as I can no longer easily eat the amounts of food it takes to get to 200 grams of protein. (Huge benefit from carnivore). I am getting stronger just by counting plates at the gym and I can see and feel some growth in my arms (biceps/triceps) and the man-boobs are almost gone and I can feel muscle in the lower to mid pectorals. (I'm happy with that)
The kicker is that I have gained maybe 8-9 pounds over the last month or so. This an example of gluconeogenesis at its finest. In order to get to 200 grams on some days I eat an extra couple chicken breasts and on some days, I use a protein shake. On my read meats and the pork belly this week I am probably at a slightly higher fat to protein ratio than I need, which is good, but by the time I factor in the lean cuts of chicken breasts and the protein shake I am heavy on the protein and fall short on the fats. I didn't think I was missing by a ton but as I look at it, I'm off by quite a bit.
All that extra protein that is not being used to build and recover muscle is turned to sugar and not much different metabolically than eating another snack cake. Then couple that with the fact I'm working out in the morning, walking and then coming home and eating a 'post work out loading of protein' meal. I'm already in the 'dawn effect' with daily glucose numbers doing a spike and making even more glucose available to the body, which I am sure is going 'whoo-hoo" with the sugar rush.
I would like to think the 8-9lbs was actual lean muscle mass but that is not realistic, plus, I had to let my belt out one notch at work, so I know my belly muscles didn't grow that much.
Babbling on, but this very article/thought was in the book, and I was thinking, "this guy is talking directly to me". It is like I had all those facts running around in my brain but the actual learning from application was just outside my grasps. I have been doing the wrong thing for the right reasons so now I have to find the sweet spot somewhere in the middle.
Babbling, like I said, but it is a really good book, a great read and shipped to your door for $5. Can't beat it.
Scott