Want to gain weight

[Lava99]

Hi all

I‘m new to carnivore (1 week in) and I have a question.

Most of the carnivores I read about have a weight loss goal. 

For me it is the opposite. Have a low BMI and want to gain weight (muscle of course ;)). 

I try carnivore for other health reasons (inflammation, lack of energy, skin issues).

Is it possible to gain weight (with training of course) on a carnivore diet?

I ask because I really struggle to get enough calories on this diet. 

Thanks for your advise

Carlo

[Bob]

Welcome Carlo!

Yes. You can gain muscle (but you will lose fat) on a carnivore diet in conjunction with lifting heavy things and working out. You can look to the examples of Dr Shawn Baker and Dr Anthony Chaffee. They both are strict carnivores and are built like a tank. However each of them probably consume 3 lb of fatty red meat each day.

Logic would dictate that the more you work out, the more hungry you will be, and the more food you will eat. 

[Lava99]

Thank you very much Bob. 

[Lava99]

For the interested, here an intermediate result:

Today, I measured my weight since start. I lost 2kg  (73kg -> 71kg).

Part of it may be because I got rid of all the fibers in my digestive tract. But part of it is „real“ weight loss which is visible im my face.

This means my BMI dropped from 20.9 to 20.3. For me this is way too low to feel good. My energy is dropping day by day. I know this feeling from earlier times when my weight was too low. May be it‘s too early, but the expected „carnivore energy boost“ has not yet materialized.

I try to eat us much as I can, but it seems to be much harder than expected.

I hope there will be a turnaround in the next week (weight-wise and energy-wise)

 

[Bob]

On 2/16/2024 at 9:47 AM, Bob said:

You can gain muscle (but you will lose fat)

 

3 hours ago, Lava99 said:

Today, I measured my weight since start. I lost 2kg 

Yes, this is expected.

3 hours ago, Lava99 said:

Part of it may be because I got rid of all the fibers in my digestive tract. But part of it is „real“ weight loss which is visible im my face.

Part of it can be water as well. Since you are not eating carbohydrates you retain less fluid than usual. Most initial weight loss is actually water weight. 

3 hours ago, Lava99 said:

may be it‘s too early, but the expected „carnivore energy boost“ has not yet materialized.

Based on your past posts, it would seem to me that you are 1.5 weeks in, and therefore still in an transition phase. You have to use up all your carbohydrate stores and become "fat adapted" so that your body starts burning fat/ketones for fuel. 

If you consume too much protein and too little fat then you end up converting protein to glucose for fuel. You want the body to adapt to using fat for fuel so the protein can be used for building and repairing muscle instead.

I would stay the course for now, and try to get at least that 1:1 ratio of fat to protein, or higher. 

[Lava99]

The time in my fist post was not an exact measure. To be more precise: Today I've been in the diet for exactly 2 weeks. But I guess it’s still the transition phase you mentioned. 

Is it normal to have a very dry mouth? I mean not only dry but also a very strange taste in the mouth - hard to describe. 

Thanks for your support. 

[Bob]

22 hours ago, Lava99 said:

Is it normal to have a very dry mouth? I mean not only dry but also a very strange taste in the mouth - hard to describe. 

The taste is "keto breath", which smells like nail polish remover, and it will go away as your body balances its ketone production. Ketones and their byproducts exit the body through urine, so drink more water to flush the excess ketones out, and maybe brush more often. This is temporary. I can remember mine having a metallic taste.

The dry mouth, barring other potential issues like exercise, tobacco, and prescription meds, simply means you need more water and possibly some electrolytes.