Like most, prior to carnivore I ate a dumpster diet. And within that dumpster diet I could eat five-gallon buckets at the time. And then do it again and again.

After starting carnivore and gradually ending up on one meal per day (OMAD) I have found I can't eat at that volume anymore. I'm totally impressed with the amounts I hear others can eat. In the past I could eat a big steak, half my wife's steak with a loaded potato, several glasses of sweet tea and then dessert. Follow that with a snack before I went to bed. Now it is just about all I can do to eat the large steak. And with that one steak I am good for at least 24 hours. No hunger whatsoever.

Recently in an attempt to hit a protein target I started with protein powder and then an occasional pre-mixed protein drink. The pre-mixed drink got 50 grams within the day, but it had 11 grams of sugar and carbs (but I forget how many). Soon after putting two and two together I found within an hour of drinking the protein/sugar infused drink I was actually hungry. I tried to offset it with drinking water to proof it was hunger and indeed, it was hunger. So, I ate. I repeated it a few days/week later and it was the same. In the past three to four weeks the only thing that has changed is the addition of 11 grams of sugar maybe twice per week. My appetite has increased drastically to the point I have gained 12 pounds this month.

The intent was to get improvements in the gym and the last month or so I have seen a lot of progress, both in the mirror and counting plates.

Since carnivore is more of an elimination diet than it is a fats/protein diet I am starting to wonder about the 'meat is satiating' references.

Before carnivore I could eat twice as much meat with all the other stuff and since eliminating sugar one big steak is my limit. As I have re-introduced some sugar/carbs my appetite has drastically increased.

Which one is carrying the biggest stick? Is it the satiating meat or the triggers from sugars/carbs. My "individual/just me" experiment indicates sugar/carbs are more powerful to in the body, and maybe the mind than fats and proteins.

Scott

Meat is definitely more satiating than carbohydrates, especially if its nutrient-dense and higher in fat. I believe you're experiencing a few things... protein shakes are fist of all liquid (obviously), so you're not chewing. Digestion starts in the mouth, so it's being digested a lot faster because it's liquid (same with the wine you mentioned). Protein shakes are also very lean protein sources that will leave your body seeking more fat, and by extension, more food. It hijacks your body's satiety signal. Same can be said for the aforementioned potato and dessert... the body is looking for nutrients that you're not giving it... it will ask for more. But a big fatty steak is just what it wants almost exclusively... so when you eat that only, the body responds and turns off the hunger signal.

My advice? If your goal is the be able to gain weight, dairy is a great way to do that. Protein shakes might be okay, but I would stay away from what you're using now and use a high-quality grass-fed whey or beef isolate (Equip). I had weight loss surgery and when I get to the point I can't get any more nutrition in, but need more for a specific goal, I will leverage the protein powder.

Honestly though, just add more fat to your diet and that will give you more caloric-value from your food.

Hope this all made sense!

Thanks for the advice bit i think you missed the point.

I went strict carnivore 14 months ago, lost 95lbs over that span and at the same time lost most of my appetite. I gravitated to one meal per day. I tried to eat more fat and more protein but I am gorging myself to do so. I am comfortably full at one 14-16oz. steak. I am not one that eat 2-3lbs in a day. One steak and I am good for 24+hours.

I used whey isolate protein powder from Bulk Supplements. it is a mid-tier product balancing the ingredients and the cost. I ran out of powder and used a store-bought protein drink from Sharmrock Farms. I had eaten my steak earlier and within an hour of the protein drink I was hungry again. That is not longer normal for me.

I experimented again a few days later and the result was the same. Without the protein drink one steak holds me for 24 hours or more. With the protein drink (and the accompanying sugar) I am hungry an hour or so afterwards and then again later that day.

For me sugar/carbs are triggering hunger that requires more fat and protein than I would normally eat.

My question, maybe somewhat rhetorical, is the affirmation that the carnivore diet is an elimination diet. What we are not eating carries far more value than what we are eating.

Sugar/carbs trigger hunger and the more we eat, the more we want, and then the more we eat. The health issues decline from there.

It is not that I don't understand how the liquid protein works or eating the whole foods or what is suppose to be more satiating. My point was that the carnivore diet is an elimination diet and even a small amount of carbs and sugar can trump the satiating meats (fats/proteins) we eat.

Now if I were able to eat two and three pounds of fats/meats per day like a lot of people can I would not have stumbled upon this little nugget of information as I would have not experimented/subsidized with protein, powder or drunk. But since going carnivore I simply can't eat like I use to, nor like others. Anything more than 14-16oz and I have to force the food down.

Thank you for the input. Your post and information were spot on just a tad off the target I was discussing. But spot on otherwise.

Thanks.

Scott

I'm still a fan of dairy and drink some milk which puts a stall on any weight loss I experienced.

If I were trying to gain weight dairy would be an excellent option for me. Gaining lean muscle mass is different and the milk would sort of offset that. Maybe one of the lactose free brands like Fair Life would work and maybe even use that to mix the protein powder.

But even the milk (lactose) didn't spur my appetite like the 11 grams of sugar in the protein drink.

Again, spot on information.

Thanks.

Scott

Yes, the carbs trigger future hunger. I think red meat is the best food for satiety.

Agree. Red meat is as satiating as it gets. Even on a diet of straight red meat the addition of sugar and carbs trumps that satiation. At least I have found that is how it works for me. As for carnivore this may be some affirmation and some addiction.

2 hours ago, Scott F. said:

Thanks for the advice bit i think you missed the point.

I went strict carnivore 14 months ago, lost 95lbs over that span and at the same time lost most of my appetite. I gravitated to one meal per day. I tried to eat more fat and more protein but I am gorging myself to do so. I am comfortably full at one 14-16oz. steak. I am not one that eat 2-3lbs in a day. One steak and I am good for 24+hours.

I used whey isolate protein powder from Bulk Supplements. it is a mid-tier product balancing the ingredients and the cost. I ran out of powder and used a store-bought protein drink from Sharmrock Farms. I had eaten my steak earlier and within an hour of the protein drink I was hungry again. That is not longer normal for me.

I experimented again a few days later and the result was the same. Without the protein drink one steak holds me for 24 hours or more. With the protein drink (and the accompanying sugar) I am hungry an hour or so afterwards and then again later that day.

For me sugar/carbs are triggering hunger that requires more fat and protein than I would normally eat.

My question, maybe somewhat rhetorical, is the affirmation that the carnivore diet is an elimination diet. What we are not eating carries far more value than what we are eating.

Sugar/carbs trigger hunger and the more we eat, the more we want, and then the more we eat. The health issues decline from there.

It is not that I don't understand how the liquid protein works or eating the whole foods or what is suppose to be more satiating. My point was that the carnivore diet is an elimination diet and even a small amount of carbs and sugar can trump the satiating meats (fats/proteins) we eat.

Now if I were able to eat two and three pounds of fats/meats per day like a lot of people can I would not have stumbled upon this little nugget of information as I would have not experimented/subsidized with protein, powder or drunk. But since going carnivore I simply can't eat like I use to, nor like others. Anything more than 14-16oz and I have to force the food down.

Thank you for the input. Your post and information were spot on just a tad off the target I was discussing. But spot on otherwise.

Thanks.

Scott

I do believe I misunderstood. I honestly wouldn't be too overly concerned about only eating OMAD most days. You might find adding a snack of just pure fat will help increase calories without the stimulus from the carbohydrate. What you're experiencing does make sense and seems to be a good hack for someone that have difficulty with food volume. I too share that experience and have a high fat coffee in the morning with a beef isolate to help me. Liquid meals are digested so much faster, so it's easier to add volume that way.

Edited 23 hours ago23 hr by Katlyn Gommerman

Yep. Carnivore has surprised me in a lot of ways.

I hardly eat in comparison to others and then with a handful of sugar and carbs it is like I found an appetite.

Now, I may have a clearer picture of how I came out of the military around 190-200 and found myself north of 320 years later.

I'm not much on calories in and calories out but as of late I can see where ounces in and ounces out can be a thing. LOL

Another pleasant surprise form carnivore. LOL

Scott

The sugar is putting you into a dopamine roller coaster ride. It raises your blood sugar and when it drops off it wants another “hit” so it turns on the hunger hormone Ghrelin.

Eating fat is satiating because it suppresses that hormone.

When I first started eating carnivore I couldn’t eat as much as I do now. I only eat when I’m hungry and like you, a pound of meat was about all I could stuff in but when I lost nearly all my fat is when my appetite increased. The reason is when we are fat adapted we only use fat for fuel but when we use up all of our body fat the body starts crying for more fuel than what your body can provide so it turns on the appetite.

I try to eat 1.5 - 2 pounds a day but there are some days I still only want about a pound.

There are five stages of carnivore

The decision

Adaptation

Healing

Ravenous

Maintenance

Yep. It is odd that it takes a very little bit of sugar to trigger the hunger response. The drink has 11 grams of sugar only drink about half at the time. Within that hour I am hungry.

I have been using the extra appetite to get in more fatty red meat.

The sugar is minimal, the weight gain is not all that bad and the returns in the gym have been quite evident. I am not sure how long I will give this a go. It is working out right now.

The sugar can be a powerful thing to deal with and it only takes a minimal amount.

Scott

10 hours ago, Scott F. said:

It is working out right now.

And that’s all that matters. This is your journey and you have done a great job of listening to your body and making the adjustments it needs.