I have seen videos and just can’t see how someone can do it. It interests me and I have been floating the idea around, but I just can’t see how I can only eat meat every day. I have seen testimonies and the ones by Jordan Peterson really influences me, he seems to be someone credible.

As for me I am a 68 year old diabetic (T2) and always worked out. The diabetic thing is genetic and some of the fittest in my family has it. The last few years spine issues has slowed me down and severely limited my activity. I have always been educated about diet, never drink nothing but water. I feel a bit ripped off here about how I tried to eat well and exercise only to end up where I’m at at 68.

That has brought me to a lot of curiosity of what a carnivore diet can do for me. Two big hurdles I have is one, what I have been taught about fat and meat all of my life. And secondly, how in the heck can I eat just meat, I just can’t get my mind around that. My third concern is all of the chemicals and drugs that are used in animals to keep them from being sick.

I am sure many newbies come here searching and my hopes are to get some information that I can believe knowing what I know. I know there a lot of video on the topic but forums have the ability to get a bit of back and forth conversations. I also know by other forums on other topics there are credible people and many that are not. Being new here puts me at a disadvantage for sure but I thought this would be a good place to start 😉.

 

 

Hello and welcome. Have you looked into Tim Noakes's story. He was also very fit and got diabetes. What are you eating like now? I

11 hours ago, tracker1 said:

Two big hurdles I have is one, what I have been taught about fat and meat all of my life.

Yes, this does require making your mind over, because meat and saturated fat has been demonized for so long, and continues to be. But think about it like this. Humans have been hunting and eating meat since time immemorial. Obesity and metabolic disease is only a recent post 1900 A.D. phenomenon. If you are of the mindset to eat only what would have been naturally available to you or your ancestors, meat is at the top of the list. Fruits and vegetables were seasonal, but hunting was done year round. 

11 hours ago, tracker1 said:

And secondly, how in the heck can I eat just meat, I just can’t get my mind around that.

I felt the same way. You get used to it. And now it is my preference. I rarely deviate from this way of eating. I might occasionally have a piece of fruit or a salad, but now that I have experienced majors benefits from carnivore, I pretty much desire to stay pretty true and faithful. I've sworn off refined sugar and grains for life, but I might deviate with some plant matter, especially in social occasions where I don't want to be *that guy* who is making things difficult, lol.

11 hours ago, tracker1 said:

My third concern is all of the chemicals and drugs that are used in animals to keep them from being sick.

Here in the USA, this isn't a concern. There are federal regulations that requires a wash-out period. If for some reason, an animal needs an antibiotic, just like we might when we get an infection, that animal cannot be slaughter for at least 2 weeks after treatment. This is to give the animal time for it's liver and kidneys to detoxify it from the antibiotic that was given it. It's the law. 

Welcome aboard Chuck! You should check out Duma's Meats 😉

Another reason people stick to it is the zero carb zen... it's not just a catchy title they made up because it sounds good. You start to feel a bit closer to walking on sunshine. Calm. Positive. Grateful even.

Bob pretty much covered it but I will add a few things.
Bob is absolutely correct about our meat supply. I raise livestock and I can tell you from experience that my cattle, sheep or goats cannot go to slaughter if they have had any medications in the last 30 days. I lost a first calf heifer and calf earlier this year due to a bad birthing. Not only did I lose both momma and baby, $$, but in trying to save the heifer we had pumped medication into her so I couldn’t even process her for food after I put her down. It was tough on so many levels.

We have all been brainwashed to believe what the medical community, science and media have told us about our health but it’s all been lies. Do some research and your eyes and mind will be opened. Start off with a couple of books (both available on audio), Lies My Doctor Told Me by Dr. Ken Berry and then check out The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholz.
One of the lies that has been told is that T2 diabetes is hereditary and irreversible. Well I’m not a diabetic and I can’t speak with any authority on this but there are many doctors in the carnivore community that will state emphatically that this is hogwash and there are thousands of T2 diabetics that have reversed their diabetes to the point of either reducing their medication or completely getting off of their medication and have normal numbers again. Are they cured? No, I don’t think so because if they went bad to eating the SAD again they’d go right back to being diabetic but they have controlled it naturally through proper nutrition.
Meat, especially ruminant meat, has all of the nutrients man needs for proper and optimal health and we, as well as hundreds of thousands of us, are proof. And of course so are our ancestors. The only thing we lack is a few minerals but you can’t get those from carbs either but you can supplement them if needed.
And it’s not boring to eat this way and it’s so simple. All you have to do is eat fatty meat until you are comfortably full or satiated. Eat only when truly hungry. Drink water and salt your food to taste. That’s it.
You can check out what the what we ate today thread and recipes thread and see we have a lot of variety in our foods of choice.
If you did nothing else but just eliminate all sugars and sweeteners from your diet as well as all grains, seeds, nuts, legumes, seed oils and highly processed foods and only ate fatty meat and whole natural vegetables you’d be miles ahead in improving your health and nutrition.
If you’re having a hard time wrapping your head around this way of eating then educate yourself on how to do it by watching videos by Dr’s Berry, Chaffee and Baker. Check out videos from influencers who have been in this lifestyle for years and even decades. Then educate yourself by reading or listening to those books I mentioned so you’ll know the real truths behind what and why we eat this way.
All of the exercise and physical fitness in the world will not heal you but nutrition will.
Healing and better health awaits you if you choose.
Good luck and good health to you and welcome to this forum. I hope you stick around and that we can help.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The easiest diet to keep. Don't let looks deceive you. You'll never be hungry and eat like a king. Tell me what other diet, ie. cutting calories, is less torturous. 

OP did not stay here.

I just talked about this with my wife today,again.  Cutting carbs would be such an easy thing for anyone to try, just for a few weeks. Many notice the cravings for sugar go away in that time, also the scale may show smaller numbers quickly. But people don´t believe.

 I have obese friends that I tried to talk about this 20 years ago, not preaching but using myself as an example. They listen,say "wow" - and eat more potatoes and candy. I rarely tell anyone about my diet any more,it´s just not worth it. "Great but fat makes you fat and cholesterol kills you!"

Those attitudes are just so deep. People who buy  "light low fat" -food are usually the biggest in supermarkets. And keep getting larger...

Okay sorry for the rant. I just can´t see why folks try other diets, some practically stop eating... why not even try low carb/carni/keto whatever carb restriction?

And eat like a King,I just did:

 

 

Edited January 14, 20251 yr by Carburetor
Add pic.

1 hour ago, Carburetor said:

OP did not stay here.

I just talked about this with my wife today,again.  Cutting carbs would be such an easy thing for anyone to try, just for a few weeks. Many notice the cravings for sugar go away in that time, also the scale may show smaller numbers quickly. But people don´t believe.

 I have obese friends that I tried to talk about this 20 years ago, not preaching but using myself as an example. They listen,say "wow" - and eat more potatoes and candy. I rarely tell anyone about my diet any more,it´s just not worth it. "Great but fat makes you fat and cholesterol kills you!"

Those attitudes are just so deep. People who buy  "light low fat" -food are usually the biggest in supermarkets. And keep getting larger...

Okay sorry for the rant. I just can´t see why folks try other diets, some practically stop eating... why not even try low carb/carni/keto whatever carb restriction?

And eat like a King,I just did:

 

 

Not a rant at all, just the truth. If given the option of health and life over sugar and death they will usually take the sugar every time. 
For many it takes a life changing desperation before they will succumb to the truth. That’s how it was for me. 
Just like any other type of addict we often have to hit rock bottom before we are willing to change. It’s a crying shame but it’s the truth. 

2 hours ago, Carburetor said:

OP did not stay here.

I just talked about this with my wife today,again.  Cutting carbs would be such an easy thing for anyone to try, just for a few weeks. Many notice the cravings for sugar go away in that time, also the scale may show smaller numbers quickly. But people don´t believe.

 I have obese friends that I tried to talk about this 20 years ago, not preaching but using myself as an example. They listen,say "wow" - and eat more potatoes and candy. I rarely tell anyone about my diet any more,it´s just not worth it. "Great but fat makes you fat and cholesterol kills you!"

Those attitudes are just so deep. People who buy  "light low fat" -food are usually the biggest in supermarkets. And keep getting larger...

Okay sorry for the rant. I just can´t see why folks try other diets, some practically stop eating... why not even try low carb/carni/keto whatever carb restriction?

And eat like a King,I just did:

 

 

I guess the OP had 68 years of programming to undo. Not saying this to be mean to OP. My parents are the same. My mother still refuses to eat more than 3 eggs a week due to cholesterol concerns. 

52 minutes ago, Geezy said:

Not a rant at all, just the truth. If given the option of health and life over sugar and death they will usually take the sugar every time. 
For many it takes a life changing desperation before they will succumb to the truth. That’s how it was for me. 
Just like any other type of addict we often have to hit rock bottom before we are willing to change. It’s a crying shame but it’s the truth. 

Exactly. Like they say, you're in a foxhole being shot at, that is when you start praying and believing. 

Some people need to face death before any changes are made. I'd say most of the people, as that is part of being human. 

4 hours ago, Carburetor said:

And eat like a King,I just did:

That pepper looks to be a bit spicy 😋

2 hours ago, Geezy said:

For many it takes a life changing desperation... we often have to hit rock bottom before we are willing to change.

That was me too. Prediabetes, CKD, Colitis, memory issues, brain fog, trouble breathing, etc. Finally I was like "I gotta make a change".

I could not get past the believing I can get all of my nutrients from meat and then there is fiber. My son did the carnivore diet for some time and has high cholesterol numbers I never heard of, I think that is dangerous.
What I ended up doing is low carb under (100 grams) and those carbs are a couple of fruits and a couple of low starch greens. I have eliminated all other sugars, starches, and anything that isn’t fat, protein, and the fiber I get from said carbs. I also take fiber supplements. The first two weeks was very hard, after 30 days it was hard but got easier. After 60 days I was committed, I feel so much better in ways I had never could have imagined. Now it’s easy to stay on track because now carbs are looked at as a threat to how I feel. I feel like I went back 15+ years on how I feel both body and mind. I still am a bit uncomfortable with my fat and protein intake, mostly my fat. I eat much less and am never hungry. It’s no carnivore but it is a huge change that requires more commitment than most probably don’t have. I thought I would try this before going carnivore but that’s still a possibility in the future. If I do it’s not a big leap from my current diet.

 

 

2 hours ago, tracker1 said:

I could not get past the believing I can get all of my nutrients from meat and then there is fiber. My son did the carnivore diet for some time and has high cholesterol numbers I never heard of, I think that is dangerous.
What I ended up doing is low carb under (100 grams) and those carbs are a couple of fruits and a couple of low starch greens. I have eliminated all other sugars, starches, and anything that isn’t fat, protein, and the fiber I get from said carbs. I also take fiber supplements. The first two weeks was very hard, after 30 days it was hard but got easier. After 60 days I was committed, I feel so much better in ways I had never could have imagined. Now it’s easy to stay on track because now carbs are looked at as a threat to how I feel. I feel like I went back 15+ years on how I feel both body and mind. I still am a bit uncomfortable with my fat and protein intake, mostly my fat. I eat much less and am never hungry. It’s no carnivore but it is a huge change that requires more commitment than most probably don’t have. I thought I would try this before going carnivore but that’s still a possibility in the future. If I do it’s not a big leap from my current diet.

 

 

Carnivore isn’t for everyone even though I believe it’s the best human diet but some can’t handle it and that’s fine. 
You are doing what’s best for you and you are doing it exactly right.
I often tell people that they don’t have to be as strict as I am. This is just my choice and what works best for me. I tell them that if they would just eliminate the sugars, seed oils, grains and below ground vegetables and just eat animal fats, animal protein, whole organic above ground vegetables m, salt and water they’d be miles ahead of most of the people in this world when it comes to health. 
Im glad you are doing so well. 
You may decide one day to go all the way and that’s great or maybe just reduce down to ketovore. 
As far as the cholesterol thing is concerned it’s nothing to worry about. Most of us have high cholesterol from eating carnivore. It’s because we are not using any glucose for fuel. Instead we are only using fat for fuel so it only stands to reason that there will be more fat running around our bloodstream to deliver that energy so we can function. It’s getting used up. 
There is no studies that have ever shown that high cholesterol causes any cardiovascular disease. In fact, every time they’ve tried to do a study to prove that it does the findings end up showing that those with the higher cholesterol live longer than those with lower cholesterol. 
Keep up the good work. 

10 hours ago, Bob said:

That pepper looks to be a bit spicy 😋

 

Oh man, yes, it is Naga Morich. Hot and sweeeet!  One pod as "side spice" like this lasts for a few meals indeed.

----------

I figured I might be hungry,felt a bit weak in town with wife in the morning. My OMAD sometimes goes to calorie def, without me really noticing.

 

Funny how quickly,actually instantly, a proper lunch like this fixes me. I'm strong and ready for anything again!

Gotta love good fats!

 

On 1/14/2025 at 8:57 PM, tracker1 said:

My son did the carnivore diet for some time and has high cholesterol numbers I never heard of, I think that is dangerous.

I always like to add that if he is actively losing weight, those numbers tend to spike as LDL is released from adipose tissue into the blood stream. After some time, especially after being weight-stable for a while, those numbers tend to come back down. The exception being those who are "Lean Mass Hyper Responders". Even then, LDL by itself is not harmful. The book "The Great Cholesterol Myth" is a fantastic read for a deep dive into this subject.

On 1/14/2025 at 8:57 PM, tracker1 said:

What I ended up doing is low carb under (100 grams) and those carbs are a couple of fruits and a couple of low starch greens. 

That is a fantastic strategy. A keto, ketovore, animal-based, and even paleo styled diets that are devoid of processed grains, refined sugars, and seed oils (as much as possible) still fall under the "Proper Human Diet" spectrum.

On 1/14/2025 at 8:57 PM, tracker1 said:

The first two weeks was very hard, after 30 days it was hard but got easier. After 60 days I was committed, I feel so much better in ways I had never could have imagined. Now it’s easy to stay on track because now carbs are looked at as a threat to how I feel. I feel like I went back 15+ years on how I feel both body and mind.

That is awesome. Keep doing what you are doing. 

47 minutes ago, Bob said:

I always like to add that if he is actively losing weight, those numbers tend to spike as LDL is released from adipose tissue into the blood stream. After some time, especially after being weight-stable for a while, those numbers tend to come back down. The exception being those who are "Lean Mass Hyper Responders". Even then, LDL by itself is not harmful. The book "The Great Cholesterol Myth" is a fantastic read for a deep dive into this subject.

That is a fantastic strategy. A keto, ketovore, animal-based, and even paleo styled diets that are devoid of processed grains, refined sugars, and seed oils (as much as possible) still fall under the "Proper Human Diet" spectrum.

That is awesome. Keep doing what you are doing. 

My son did drop a bit of weight and he always worked out. He lives out of state and when we visited him he also lost a bit of muscle mass. He was at 185# and now at 165#.

I have lost about 15# myself.

I have to wonder 🤔 what percentage of the feeling good off low carb diet comes from not taking in all of the processing chemicals used in cookies, chips, and all of the other processed carbs 🤮.

1 hour ago, tracker1 said:

I have to wonder 🤔 what percentage of the feeling good off low carb diet comes from not taking in all of the processing chemicals used in cookies, chips, and all of the other processed carbs 🤮.

That plays a role for sure. It is after all an elimination diet, first and foremost. But it also means that it is a healthier diet. The fact that we do not consume the chemicals, the high fructose corn syrup, the sugars, the fillers, the nuts and grains, the oxalates, the lectins, phyto-toxins, too many (from any source) carbohydrates, etc, etc. It's why a mere low carb diet already shows improvement such as lower blood sugar, etc. 

With regards to LDL. High LDL may be considered harmful IF one consumes lots of carbs. That is because the glycation damage from eating carbs cause that release of LDL. Blood tests are USELESS if they consider the "normal" range of carb consumers. And those carb consumers, we know, that most of them are unhealthy. So why look at numbers that DO NOT apply to one, as a person in ketosis and/or fat adapted. 

Chasing number on a blood tests is a futile endeavor as those "ranges" are based on an already unhealthy (carb consumer) population. 

Another feeling good factor most likely comes from less dopamine response from food, no mood swings and sugar crashes. 

1 hour ago, tracker1 said:

My son did drop a bit of weight and he always worked out. He lives out of state and when we visited him he also lost a bit of muscle mass. He was at 185# and now at 165#.

I have lost about 15# myself.

I think it may be so that his muscles just hold less water. I thought the same for me, but my strength is the same if not better. Good news on the weight loss, keep it up.

Keep it simple. 

What's your WHY??

Fat = energy 

Protein can spike your blood sugar if you eat too much. 

Keep in mind NO ONE ELSE especially government cares about your health like you. 

Lastly welcome home you're family.