I have been on carnivore 18 days. I love eating this way. I have no cravings which is like a miracle. BUT I can’t believe how a I feel so weak and unable to do what I used to do- meaning- I go up three steps and feel like it is such an effort on the third one, I walk and feel like I am barely going to make it. I don’t eat organ meat so was looking at supplements- but 6 caps per day? My hemoglobin is high at 14.?  Think it will pass?

@Mosey, welcome aboard! Let me start by saying that I am sorry this post spent 22 hours in the queue waiting for approval. For some reason, I wasn't notified. I should probably give another member super powers to approve posts.

On 7/2/2024 at 6:38 PM, Mosey said:

BUT I can’t believe how a I feel so weak and unable to do what I used to do- meaning- I go up three steps and feel like it is such an effort on the third one, I walk and feel like I am barely going to make it.

So there could be a couple things at play here. Can you give an example of your daily food intake? Are you trim and lean or do you have some weight to lose? Knowing this might be helpful in giving suggestions that pertains to you personally. 

On 7/2/2024 at 6:38 PM, Mosey said:

I don’t eat organ meat so was looking at supplements- but 6 caps per day?

Yeah, that was the serving size when I was taking "Ancestral Supplements" Beef Organ Complex. Of course, you can also choose to take 1,2,3, or 4 capsules instead of all 6. Alternatively, you can buy some liver (or other organs), dice it up and freeze it, and then take it like a pill with some water. 

On 7/2/2024 at 6:38 PM, Mosey said:

My hemoglobin is high at 14.?  Think it will pass?

Isn't that in the normal range (g/dl)? Mine is always between 14.2 and 14.5 and it's always flagged as normal.

1) I am considered ‘obese’ by my own scale- so, yeah, wt to lose. Thought I was following the key beginner points- plenty of meat, fat, water and electrolytes. Typical day intake- two or 3 eggs with butter, coffee with heavy cream, 1/3 lb ground beef (grass finished) with cheese, prime rib steak, pork rinds for a snack or cheese. 64 oz of water with one of 4 brands of electrolytes at 1/4 strength, plus maybe 16 oz additional fluid (sparkling or reg water). Sometimes less or not till later in the day. I try to just be aware-not make myself eat unless the day ahead dictates I better eat now cause I won’t be able to later.
 

2) Really? That small of an amount will do anything?

3) Hemoglobin for me is usually 11-12, men run higher at 14ish. I donated blood recently and found it was 14.

2 hours ago, Mosey said:

Typical day intake- two or 3 eggs with butter, coffee with heavy cream, 1/3 lb ground beef (grass finished) with cheese, prime rib steak, pork rinds for a snack or cheese.

Try logging everything for a while -> Calories, Fat, and Protein. Yes, we often hear "calories don't matter" and while that is true, it can still serve to gauge just how much you are eating, and whether you are undereating. Fat and Protein ratios are what is important here. At a minimum, you should aim to have at least 1g of fat for every 1g of protein you consume. A 1:1 protein to fat consumption results in 30/70 protein calories to fat calories. Some people like to push their fat up to 80% of daily calories.

Some people find that when they nix the coffee they do much better. Others still enjoy their coffee just fine.

At only 18 days in, I do think you could still be adjusting. Some people take weeks before they return to the level of gym activity they were able to do before carnivore. Let's do some logging and check the results. If you are eating too lean (which it doesn't sound like you are) or too little, then your body might slow down your metabolism and try to conserve energy, which you could be feeling. 

Looks like you are 11 pounds down in 3 weeks, which is fantastic.

3 hours ago, Mosey said:

Really? That small of an amount will do anything?

It would be better than nothing. If you take 1 pill, you are getting 1/6th of the nutrients in what the manufacturer considers a "serving". Two pills would be 1/3 of a serving, three pills would be 50% of a serving, etc. Any amount you take will contain vitamins and nutrients, beyond what you would be getting if you didn't take it at all.

3 hours ago, Mosey said:

Hemoglobin for me is usually 11-12, men run higher at 14ish. I donated blood recently and found it was 14.

From what I understand, men should be 13 or higher, and women 12 or higher. Anything in the 14.x range would be great for both sexes. 

B12 and Iron help with increasing hemoglobin levels. So if you're new high of 14 is after a few weeks as a carnivore, this would make sense.

Bob is absolutely correct on all points but I would emphasize the importance of being patient.
As he mentioned, you have not been eating this way for very long so your body is still going through an adaptive stage of transitioning over from using glucose for diet to fat or ketones for fuel. It can be a rough time and can take as long as four months or more depending on the person.
I see people all the time coming to this way of eating without understanding how this actually works on our body’s metabolism and how it works on each individual.
Because we are all different it can affect us all differently so what works for me may not work for you. Therefore you must adjust it to what your body needs.
From what you say you are eating it sounds like you have a great foundation from which to build but before making a bunch of changes or trying tricks I would advise that you give it more time with just what you’re doing now and see if things improve.
At least go a minimum of 90 days or even 120 before making any decisions.


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I hit a lull in energy around the second week (maybe 55 days in now). As said before, there are any number of things that factor, from past eating habits/lifestyle all the way to final adjustment/change in lifestyle. Everyone is different.

I would suggest adjusting your electrolytes. I didn't read the directions and just jumped right in the carnivore fire. I tried some of the pre-made packets such as LMNT. I'm sure they worked but I didn't like the taste. I ended up making a homemade 'electrolyte mix' (youtube/google) and it made my drinks taste way salty. I then switched to using that same mix as my "salt" when seasoning my food. 

A couple days after I started adding the 'salt' my energy level picked up and since has been exceeding prior to starting the diet. I was on the 'trash and dumpster diet' for a long time. Since it is only 55 or so days, I am still calling in the carnivore diet and at some point, it will morph into a lifestyle. The process takes time, and I would also suggest 'just give it some time' as my results are not necessarily your results and vice-versa. 

Good luck.

Scott