Hi from New Zealand

[Saxguy]

Just started my journey today with bacon and eggs for breakfast, with pot of herbal green tea. Normally it would be bacon egg and two slices of bread, coffee with sugar and maybe a chocolate biscuit...

I'm in my early 60's, have many health issues including inflammation, arthritis and carrying too much weight. Did lose weight a couple of years ago on keto, felt great, but then slipped back into carbs and all went down hill fast! That time however, I didn't have any help or "community" that I could draw on. I hope by joining a forum or two, and getting inspiration, I might stick to a carnivore diet long enough to make me feel so good that I dont want to feel like s--t again. 

Thanks.

 

 

 

[Geezy]

Welcome Saxguy, musician? 
We are glad you could join us and we are here to support you  any way we can. There is a wealth of knowledge and experience to draw from in this group. Lotta good folks around here. 
I know for me keto cannot work because it allows carbs to be a part of the diet and being a carb addict that just doesn’t work. Kinda like an alcoholic only drinking beer instead of whiskey. Just makes me want more. That may be why you struggled in the past. 
I hope you are able to stick with carnivore this time but to succeed you are going to have to want to succeed. Don’t focus on long term goals but just focus on getting through today and treat every day like that. Before you know it you’ll have 90 days behind you and discover you’ve kicked the addiction. 
You can do this brother, just remember, There is no food on earth that tastes as good as feeling healthy. 

[Laura]

Welcome, Saxguy!  This is a great place for help and support on your Carnivore journey 

[Scott F.]

Welcome. This has been a great place for me to read and learn and even bounce some of my experiences to the forum.

Best of luck moving forward. I'm 5+ months in and I'm on the 'only positives' side of carnivore. 

Again, welcome.

Scott

[Miranda]

Welcome! I think you found the right place, both health wise and here in this corner of the Internet. I just hopped back on the wagon myself and yesterday was my day 1 as well. We've got this! 

I think I never succeeded with keto because of the imitation food mentality that is promoted on that way of eating. I don't like foods that pretend to be other foods.  

Also this woe eliminates food as entertainment. When you are tempted to go down that road, think of all the better, non food related enrichment you get to partake in now! (I am saying this to both of us)

[Saxguy]

Thank you all for the good vibes...and yes Saxguy (muso). 

I honestly don't know if I will stick to carno forever, as I just love my food. Also, we live on a lifestyle block, and we grow veggies and have some wonderful fruit trees. Its spring here now and the trees are blooming, and we have already started our seedlings and young plants. I cant NOT continue with all of this as my wife isn't going carnivore with me, which will make it even harder, and our garden is supplementing our food supply as well as being a source of enjoyment knowing we are growing the best organic produce for ourselves. For me it will be like an alcoholic working in a distillery, with a "all you can drink for free" policy!

I cook for us both, and last night I cooked veggies and steak for my wife (she has a long drive home from her workplace), whilst I could only eat the steak. 

For the life of me I will try to get to a month and see how I feel about it all. I know when I did keto it was torture, but that was balanced by how great I felt. Cant have it all I guess.

 

[Scott F.]

Hopefully it works for you and whatever plan works best for you, is in turn, your plan. 

I watched a video with Dr, Berry and he advised to go carnivore for X amount of time til you feel like you have become fat adaptive, maybe a month or so. Then re-introduce the plant matter one thing at a time. If you do OK then move onto the next. If it makes you fell like crap remove that from your diet.

Carnivore is more of an elimination diet than anything. If you can use it to as tool to get where you are going, then so be it. 

I don't feel like this site is the Carnivore Police. 

Best of luck.

Scott

[Saxguy]

11 minutes ago, Scott F. said:

Hopefully it works for you and whatever plan works best for you, is in turn, your plan. 

I watched a video with Dr, Berry and he advised to go carnivore for X amount of time til you feel like you have become fat adaptive, maybe a month or so. Then re-introduce the plant matter one thing at a time. If you do OK then move onto the next. If it makes you fell like crap remove that from your diet.

Carnivore is more of an elimination diet than anything. If you can use it to as tool to get where you are going, then so be it. 

I don't feel like this site is the Carnivore Police. 

Best of luck.

Scott

That is my main goal. Eliminate pain, or the cause thereof. Losing weight will be a bonus, but not the main objective. 

Thanks

[Meathead]

Welcome aboard. 

As you, my wife isn't  carnivore but I am. 

I'm here like yourself to get to feeling better but also to be here for my wife. 

Food for thought,  we cannot moderate carbs, we're here not for ourselves but for those we love and care about. 

Whenever I get the urge to try Japanese mayo (usa made), I look at nutrition label and see added sugar and Natural Flavor.  That reminds me why I cannot give into PACKAGED FOODS. 

Keep strong and stay the path of good health. 

[Miranda]

My major motivation to avoid plant at the moment is the terrible farts that plants cause.

[Geezy]

6 hours ago, Saxguy said:

I honestly don't know if I will stick to carno forever, as I just love my food. Also, we live on a lifestyle block, and we grow veggies and have some wonderful fruit trees.

When I started carnivore I had a nice garden that I had been cultivating ever since I retired back in 2020. I started out just trying carni for 30 days to see what would happen. I saw enough improvement that I wanted to see what another 30 days would do. The improvements were so good after 60 days I just had to do 30 more days. After 90 days I knew that I would eat this way for the rest of my life. I saw no reason after that to keep up my garden. I’m not one to waste energy on something I’m not going to benefit from. 
Now I was and am a pretty strict carnivore but that’s just what I prefer. It’s simple and suits me well. 
My advice would be to at least go strict carnivore until you become fat adapted and heal. 
Then slowly add one vegetable back in at a time and see if it bothers you. If not then you can keep it but if it causes inflammation then it’s out. You may find that vegetables don’t affect you or you may find a particular one or two that aggravate you. 
Eating meat and whole food vegetables is not a bad way of eating if it doesn’t affect you and you really like veggies. I just wouldn’t eat any starchy ones.
It’s more important in my opinion to eliminate all sugars, grains, seed oils and highly processed foods. 
 

[Miranda]

I still tend our garden, because my husband enjoys the fresh things. I eat the zucchini and cucumber, with no problem,but I will admit the tomatoes cause joint pains. I won't grow high oxalates foods like chard any longer.

[Orweller]

Welcome.

I too had a garden. 

If one is to give carnivore a chance, at least give it 90 days. It may take that long to get fat adapted and see most of the benefits. I loved my food too, and thought how ridiculous that sounded. We are programmed to love food thinking somehow we are a "foodie" a life enjoyer sipping wine at the French riviera.... we're addicted to sugar, period. 

With such a paradigm shift, yes, then one can still decide to go Paleo, or Keto, or any variation you like. But first give it the time it deserves, and allow your view on what food really is (hint, it's fuel, that's it), and make a decision from there. Most likely, much of the pain -the thing we are willing to put us through for the "love" of food- may have subsided and give you an entirely new perspective on diet, etc. 

[Geezy]

[Bob]

Welcome aboard Kevin @Saxguy 

A lot of good advice above. Give the carnivore diet a good 30, 60, or 90 days. The more the merrier, especially for pain and inflammation and other chronic issues. Then reintroduce single ingredient whole foods. 

Dr. Berry's "Proper Human Diet" is a spectrum from 0 carb carnivore up to 100g of carbs/day single ingredient low carb vegetables. 

Dr. Saladino's "Animal-based Diet" is basically meat, fruit (including certain vegetables that are actually fruitage) and honey.

Personally, I think most people, after healing and achieving weight loss goals, can marry the two - that is, enjoy fruit as long as you stay under that 100 carbs/day.

But for reasons like Geoff @Geezy mentioned above, many people prefer to stay strict carnivore, or at least mostly carnivore (me) because that is where they feel their best.

[Saxguy]

On 10/19/2024 at 6:50 PM, Bob said:

Welcome aboard Kevin @Saxguy 

A lot of good advice above. Give the carnivore diet a good 30, 60, or 90 days. The more the merrier, especially for pain and inflammation and other chronic issues. Then reintroduce single ingredient whole foods. 

Dr. Berry's "Proper Human Diet" is a spectrum from 0 carb carnivore up to 100g of carbs/day single ingredient low carb vegetables. 

Dr. Saladino's "Animal-based Diet" is basically meat, fruit (including certain vegetables that are actually fruitage) and honey.

Personally, I think most people, after healing and achieving weight loss goals, can marry the two - that is, enjoy fruit as long as you stay under that 100 carbs/day.

But for reasons like Geoff @Geezy mentioned above, many people prefer to stay strict carnivore, or at least mostly carnivore (me) because that is where they feel their best.

Thank you for that. Im only a few days in, and doing okay to be honest. Went to a friends B'day last night. Watched my wife and our guests eating a huge platter, drinking cocktails/wine etc, followed by a stunning B'day chocolate mud cake etc.... I had a plate of lamb and sparkling water. I surprised everyone including myself at my willpower. Feeling great today. I know I will make 90 days. Might allow myself a Christmas dinner treat. Already lost weight, and friends commented on it. Unbelievable. Cant see myself going the rest of my life eating nothing but meat, but I really want to get to the bottom of ailments, and to see what its like feeling the best I can. The low carb option (eventually) sounds like a great compromise. 

[Scott F.]

Congrats on the progress. 

Scott

[Miranda]

That's a challenge for sure, you did great! I find that fasting during those things can sometimes make it easier for me, that way I am not comparing my food to theirs and finding it wanting.

Edited October 20 by Miranda

[Meathead]

Congratulations on trial by fire. 

I'm almost 5 months in and even stalled at 265 for over a month now. 

I've had too much healing to sacrifice it to cater to the masses for the holidays.  I profess my carnivorous ways and show I'm not ashamed.  I either eat before we go out and watch everyone poison themselves while I am steadfast or I take my own food to the occasion. 

I learned one chicken wing delicious as it was without breading caused inflammation for 3 days and I felt like crap. 

Wish you luck on your journey and we'll be here to support. 

[Miranda]

This seems like an okay place to put this.

I haven't had  chronic health diagnosis that involve debilitating pain or medication so sticking to Carnivore has been a challenge for me. My why is the future, my longevity, quality of life, and avoiding the things mentioned above. I turned 50 last year so I have had some previews of what's to come if I remain motionless and continue on the broad path. This morning as I was tempted to eat one of the expertly crafted bananas pancakes on the table in front of me, I tried to envision  them as farts and brain fog.