Hello everyone im new to the community and had some questions. I apologize if the topics have been covered so bear with me while I figure out how to navigate the sight as I've tried searching in the group for the topic.

I started the carnivore diet the very end of 2023 and stayed with it to the beginning of April 2024. I wanted to do it at least 2 months and see what happened. I lost 40lbs in that time frame and felt pretty good. I made it the duration of time I wanted to try it then proceed to eat "normal" again and through the course of a year put all the weight and then some back on. Here I am again 1 month into it and wish I never stopped in the first place but you live and learn. I recently got a blood ketone monitor and noticed my levels are never really that high. Ill check late morning and its 0.3 or 0.4 even though I've been up for hours and active. Check again late afternoon and the highest number I've seen is 1.0 I can do a 24hr fast no problem but typically do at least a 13 to 15hr fast consistently most days maybe 2 or 3 days tops ill have breakfast at a earlier time but im just not getting how Im not in ketosis when I consume 0 carbohydrates, sugars, and what i assume is a good fat to protein ratio, etc. Also how long till I stop having diarrhea. I figured I would be fat adapted by now but it doesn't seem that way. I can go from having a text book stool to a few hours later repeated trips to the bathroom and its basically water exiting my body. Is it the amount of fat im getting, is it grease from the food. Just looking for answers. Could it be seasoning like pepper? Or am I just not far along enough yet for this to stop. Thank you and im look forward to learning. What turned me on to this diet wasn't all the influencers or Dr's I seen online talking about it. it was the thousands of regular people commenting how it helped them so much.

10 hours ago, Capt Troy said:

There is no reason for your body to produce any larger quantity of ketones than what your tissues actually need. And once you become “fat-adapted” they need less and less because it is not being wasted.but im just not getting how Im not in ketosis when I consume 0 carbohydrates, sugars, and what i assume is a good fat to protein ratio, etc

If you are zero carb you are in ketosis. Just because your numbers aren’t high doesn’t indicate you aren’t in ketosis. When you become fat adapted your ketone levels can come down because your body has gotten so used to being in ketosis that it’s become efficient now at using the ketones and not wasting them. There is no reason for your body to produce any larger quantity of ketones than what your tissues actually need. And once you become “fat-adapted” they need less and less because it is not being wasted.

10 hours ago, Capt Troy said:

how long till I stop having diarrhea.

It can vary for everyone. It lasted 30 days for me. I’ve heard of some people only dealing with it for a couple of weeks and others a couple of months. I think the average is about one month.

10 hours ago, Capt Troy said:

Is it the amount of fat im getting, is it grease from the food. Just looking for answers. Could it be seasoning like pepper? Or am I just not far along enough yet for this to stop.

It’s hard to say exactly. You may just need more time but if it doesn’t clear up in the next couple of weeks then look at your fat ratio. I thrive on a 70/30 fat to protein ratio but some do better on 80/20 or 60/40. We are all individuals so what works for one may not work for you. You need to be your own N of 1 and experiment. Adjust your fat over a one or two week period and see if anything changes. The type of fat can make a difference in different people. Some find that liquid fat can run through them like crap through a goose and do better with solid fats.

Welcome to Carnivore Talk Troy. We are glad you joined us.

I have noticed that too much dairy seems to create problems in the bathroom for me. I haven't cut it out entirely but notice I spend less time in toilet the less I partake. Are you still drinking coffee? It can have a laxative effect on some people. When I get loose I take a couple citrical. It can help with oxalate dumping and bind things up.

Welcome. And welcome back to this way of eating.

Ketosis and ketones and the 'depth' at which you get into ketosis can have several variables.

I am a strict carnivore eater, but I do drink a glass of milk here and there. I only check my ketone levels when I am fasting and have only done it a few times on a normal non-fasting day. On a normal day I am also in the .7 to .9. After 48 hours of fasting, I was at 2.0 and at 72 hours I was at 3.4, which is fairly deep.

A daily of .7 or so is pretty good.

As complex as the body can be, it will take the easy route when it is available. Even if you are zero carb and zero sugars your body still needs sugar. When your fat content gets low or is not in the higher fat/moderate protein model your body will turn to the protein, use a process called gluconeogenesis, and convert that protein to sugar, which is a good thing.

The issue is that if it chooses the protein due to its abundance and the "absence" of fat (not enough fat) there will be excess sugars. Those excess sugars can off-set depth of ketosis.

If you are in ketosis at all your fat to protein ratio is close. If you fast to whereas your body fat is the only source of fuel, you will travel deeper into ketosis.

Deeper runs into ketosis requires a high fat/moderate protein diet going in, and then some longer fasts for whatever period works for you.

Good luck.

Scott

I also just remembered that if I drink a cold beverage too soon after a meal, it created disaster pants. I didn't put it together until I saw someone else mention it online. But yeah I can confirm an iced coffee or water after some ground beef or other fatty meat is a bad plan.

Professor Bart Kay - Fat consumption on a Carnivore Diet - YouTube

This is a pretty good video that touches on some of the topics in this thread.

Scott

Why You DON'T Want to Stay In Ketosis 24/7 | Prof. Bart Kay

Another one. This one is more what I was trying to say but after re-reading my post it sounds like I'm n ketosis all the time. I didn't go into enough detail.

This video does a much better job of explaining where I was headed.

Scott

On 5/27/2025 at 11:27 PM, Capt Troy said:

Also how long till I stop having diarrhea. I figured I would be fat adapted by now but it doesn't seem that way. I can go from having a text book stool to a few hours later repeated trips to the bathroom and its basically water exiting my body. Is it the amount of fat im getting, is it grease from the food. Just looking for answers. Could it be seasoning like pepper? Or am I just not far along enough yet for this to stop.

This is typically a symptom you deal with during the adaptation/transition period of 2 weeks to 2 months. Mine was closer to 2 months. I either didn't have to go for days (up to 9 days at one point) and then suddenly I could bend over and put out a house fire. Eventually everything returned to normal.

Some say macros could play a role. For some who were avoiding fat most of their lives, it takes time for the body to ramp up bile production and get that gall bladder functioning properly again.

2 hours ago, Bob said:

This is typically a symptom you deal with during the adaptation/transition period of 2 weeks to 2 months. Mine was closer to 2 months. I either didn't have to go for days (up to 9 days at one point) and then suddenly I could bend over and put out a house fire. Eventually everything returned to normal.

Some say macros could play a role. For some who were avoiding fat most of their lives, it takes time for the body to ramp up bile production and get that gall bladder functioning properly again.

It took me 3 to 4 weeks to adapt. I jumped right in the deep end and with no gallbladder. That's how I roll with most things in my life. That was 4 years ago and now my digestion is 99% perfect. Once or twice a year I'll have "one of those days" 🤣, But within 24 hours it's all back to normal. I think that is the reason a few people quit carnivore without giving it a chance, But once you are "fat adapted" it is SO worth it in the end!

As long as I'm feeding myself "I am a Carnivore for life!"

17 hours ago, Bob said:

I could bend over and put out a house fire

good word picture🤑.

5 hours ago, ketomonster said:

  22 hours ago, Bob said:

I could bend over and put out a house fire

"I could poop through a screen door" is another good one 🤣. Sorry, kind of early in the day for that but I just had to ad that one.

A carnivore's second most popular conversation after meats/fats is the end results of consuming meats/fats.

The color commentary is simply beautiful.

I like 'going for distance'.

Scott

I could s**t over a six rail fence.

Wow, this thread turned to s**t quick!

On 5/28/2025 at 1:26 PM, Miranda said:

I have noticed that too much dairy seems to create problems in the bathroom for me. I haven't cut it out entirely but notice I spend less time in toilet the less I partake. Are you still drinking coffee? It can have a laxative effect on some people. When I get loose I take a couple citrical. It can help with oxalate dumping and bind things up.

I have now also minimized dairy, well over a year into the diet. My skin just feels better.

On 5/30/2025 at 9:29 AM, Bob said:

Some say macros could play a role.

As well as magnesium levels, alledgely... Macros and electrolytes.

Also, metabolic rate and body fat percentage. Ah, the human body, so complex. It's like a Lexus, it can run forever, but repairs may be costly.

10 minutes ago, Orweller said:

As well as magnesium levels, alledgely... Macros and electrolytes.

Also, metabolic rate and body fat percentage. Ah, the human body, so complex. It's like a Lexus, it can run forever, but repairs may be costly.

For myself too much straight magnesium citrate in capsule form can cause a laxative effect, but if I mix the powder into my drinking water along with some potassium then it's okay. I have a 10-1 magnesium capsule that I take with no laxative effect but it doesn't help for leg cramps nearly as well. 100% agree about body complexity!

Thanks everyone for the input. Ill definitely check out the videos posted. I do occasionally have a coffee but its not a regular thing and it doesn't seem to be correlated to when "disasters strikes" lol I'll keep in mind the cold drinks and see if that affect me. Are there any good, free macro tracking apps that you guys use so I can dial in the fat to protein ratio. Also I was wondering about the LMNT salt packets. I know when I was a kid and I would eat a bunch of sunflower seeds all the salt would upset my stomach. So perhaps between the sodium and magnesium in the LMNT I fonder if that would be causing it as well or if I simply need to wait longer. As far as ketosis goes i was trying to find the ranges online and what i found said it should be at least 1.5 so when I was seeing low numbers I was confused. But I am already down 26lbs in about 4.5 weeks so I must be burning something lol. My weight can fluctuate at least 5lbs in a day just through water retention so I know some of its that but everything is moving in the right direction.

Great results. Congratulations.

For most the stool settles itself out as you adjust. It may take some tweaking to find out what works best for you.

I don't worry much about being in or out of ketosis except when I am doing a longer fast. A day to day 1.5 seems a little high/deep but maybe not. The few times I checked outside of the fast I was under 1.0 and after three days of fasting as deep as 3.4. I think my blood sugar that day was around 81 which gave me a GKI of around 23 or so. I am nowhere near that day to day.

My weight fluctuates as well. Celebrate the 26 pounds and keep moving forward.

Scott

13 hours ago, Capt Troy said:

Are there any good, free macro tracking apps that you guys use so I can dial in the fat to protein ratio

Carb Manager seems to be a popular one.

11 hours ago, Geezy said:

Carb Manager seems to be a popular one.

I second this. Carb Manager is perfect for low carb, keto, and carnivore diets. The other apps like MyFitnessPal and LoseIt are okay, but Carb Manager has built-in goals and settings for various carb-controlled diet plans.