When Ozempic didn't work, I went on a diet doctors warn against... the results speak for themselves

By LUKE ANDREWS SENIOR HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: 12:15 EDT, 22 April 2025 | Updated: 14:30 EDT, 22 April 2025

At 635lb and struggling to walk, Pete Brennan knew something needed to change. 

Showing people houses for his realtor job left him panting and with shooting pains through his knees and feet that would last hours.

His wife had to assume all cooking and cleaning duties at home, leaving him feeling useless and worthless.

Brennan, 39, nearly missed his own wedding, narrowly avoiding being ordered off the plane to Mexico because he was too large to fit into the single passenger seat.

But the breaking point came when Brennan fell in the shower and was unable to stand up, having to ask his five-year-old son Nolan to help him.

'It just kind of made me realize that being selfish, and letting go of myself like I was, that really wasn't the right thing to do,' Brennan told the Daily Mail. 

The New Jersey native has now successfully shed more than half his body weight, or 352lbs, in two years while following a diet almost all doctors advise against. 

The 'carnivore diet' involves eating only meat products like steak, chicken, eggs, butter and fish. 

Brennan is pictured above around his heaviest at 635lbs with two clients. He works as a realtor helping to sell houses

Peter 'Francis' Brennan, 39, has embarked on a mammoth weight loss to slash his weight from 635 to below 250lbs. He is currently at 283lbs, and is pictured above this month

The high levels of fats and low carbohydrates puts the body into ketosis, a state where it burns bodyfat instead of carbohydrates for energy.

Many doctors, including Brennan's, warn people not to use the diet saying that it can cause high levels of LDL or bad cholesterol.

This can cause plaques to build-up in the arteries, restricting blood flow and raising the risk of complications like high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke and a heart attack — which he was already at risk of.

Some, however, say it's a life changer, including podcaster Joe Rogan and controversial psychologist Jordan Peterson.

Advocates say the carnivore diet allows them to lose weight rapidly and boost their energy levels, sleep and sexual performance.

Brennan said he now consumes three meals a day, with each weighing six ounces and composed entirely of eggs mixed with sliced chicken and turkey sausages.

He aims to get in about 130 to 170 grams of protein daily, well above the US National Dietary Guidelines recommendation of about 0.36 grams of protein per pound of body weight — or 101 grams a day for Brennan, who weighs 283lbs.  

For snacks, he consumes peanuts and cottage cheese — which aren't strictly part of the carnivore diet but are used in the keto diet to keep burning fat for energy.

He doesn't consume red meat amid concerns that it could cause colon cancer and type 2 diabetes.

Brennan shown in the gym this month

Brennan started on the carnivore diet in June 2024, after spending a year and four months on Wegovy — injecting himself once a week.

He also had gastric sleeve surgery in June 2024, when the stomach is surgically reduced to limit the amount of food someone can consume.

Surgeons were shocked operating on him, saying at the time that his stomach was three foot long — or about three times the average size for a person.

The drugs caused him to lose 167lbs in a year and four months, which he used alongside a restrictive diet and exercise six times a week.

But the diet and surgery is what really yielded the results, leading him to lose an extra 185lbs the following nine months.

His current weight is now 283lbs, which at 5ft 11in still puts him in the obese category with a BMI above 30. When he started his weight loss, his BMI was 88 — putting him in the category of severely obese.

He aims to get his weight below 250lbs before December — and then reach his goal of weighing between 200 and 225lbs.

But despite the enormous success he has had, Brennan confessed he isn't feeling nearly as confident as he should — and its all down to the massive amount of loose skin hanging off his body.

When someone puts on a large amount of weight, the skin stretches to accommodate the new size. It may then struggle to return to its original size if someone later loses the weight.

In Brennan's case, his loose skin is 'everywhere' — hanging off his chest, stomach, back, legs, arms, neck and his face. It isn't clear how much it weighs.

Peter is pictured above at the start of his weight loss journey. He has been posting his workouts online

'I don't feel as confident as I should be after doing what I've done,' he said, 'just because I know it is just hanging there'.

'It's not how a normal person should look, I look like I've melted.

'Like, if it wasn't there I would be wearing smaller size clothes, and my legs wouldn't be as hidden.'

As well as getting in the way, the skin can also chafe against itself and clothing — causing him to develop painful rashes that take days to clear up.

His health insurance covered the Wegovy and gastric sleeve surgery, but has declined to cover the skin removal, saying this is cosmetic.

With the mammoth procedure needed, doctors have estimated it will cost $90,000 — which he is fundraising for online. He says he is also considering taking out a loan to cover the rest.

He also had surgery to remove a hernia at his belly button, with a hernia being when part of the intestine, fat or fluid pushes through a weak spot in the abdominal wall and creates a visible bulge.

Hernias may happen because of increased pressure in the abdomen, which may be caused by straining during bowel movements or obesity.

He had had the hernia for ten to 15 years, but it had not previously been possible to treat it owing to his weight.

Pete Brennan, 39, New Jersey, is pictured above at the start of his weight loss journey at 635lbs and today after getting his weight down to 283lbs. The structure in the middle of his stomach is a hernia, which he has now had removed

Brennan is thrilled with his weight loss, but said his confidence has been hit by his loose skin

Amid all the weight loss, Brennan said his life is transformed — with himself now able to help around the house and having a lot more energy.

He also works out six times a week, focusing on a combination of cardio and weight-lifting, and said people no longer stare at him in the street, like they did when he was much larger.

A number of people viewing his photos have said they don't want to lose weight because of the loose skin, but Brennan urged them to reconsider.

He said: 'I would say you just need to put the excuse aside and think more long term about how beneficial it is going to be on your life and how much longer you are going to be able to live.

'And guess what, you can get rid of loose skin with surgery...'

He added: 'Once you're past making excuses and are actually doing it, you will start to love it and start to love the new self you are turning into.'

ARTICLE SOURCE: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-14511377/ozempic-failure-diet-carnivore-weight-loss.html?

Congrats to him and his journey.

I can see where the skin is an issue. A friend of mine had gastric by-pass surgery and although the weight is gone, the skin remains. It is an issue for her as well.

Last year there was a push within United Healthcare to cover skin removal as part of covering some of the by-pass surgeries.

I have read there is a difference between GLP-1 weight loss and natural weight loss (carnivore, etc, etc, ) as with GLP-1 there is a lot of muscle mass lost.

Hopefully this guy finds some resolution as he has put in the work and i would hope for him to get all the physical rewards as well as both the mental and emotional rewards as well.

Scott

Great story on the desire and will to lose the weight but the reporting of it sux. I hate it when they’ve always got to put ignorant misinformation in these articles. How about just focusing on the great achievement this man has done.