Category: anxiety

Coming out of high school I had never considered what I was eating, and had never deliberately exercised. I wasn’t overweight, but I was soft. By the time I was 22, I was overweight, tired, lazy, probably depressed, at 6’ 235lbs. I tried a low carb and low fat diet, with lots of chicken and egg whites, which was popular at the time, and after some ups and downs I eventually got down to 165, which was leaner than my high school days. This is when I started lifting and experimenting with carbs again, and by about 24 years old I was 200 lbs of lean hard muscle and finding a lot of success with a sort of paleo diet— lots of avocado and nuts with my chicken breast and blueberries. By 26 all of the “good” eating habits were out the window, gym sessions were rare, and my weight was steadily increasing as my muscle was melting away. By 30 I was severely depressed, I couldn’t for the life of me get back into chicken/veggies, and especially couldn’t get myself into the gym. Every day I was looking at a big burger or a steak with an IPA for 20 minutes of enjoyment after a long hard day. I felt a little guilty about the beers and potatoes, but I felt really guilty about the steaks. That’s how brainwashed I was. I had vegan friends and family members influencing my thoughts but I wasn’t doing any reading. Steak was a guilty pleasure and I blamed it (and the beers to a lesser extent) for my decline— I even tried having plant based days and weeks here and there thinking it would help (it didn’t, it made me hungry and sad, even with a grain, a green, and a bean on every plate). That routine lasted about four years, until late 2019, when I hit a soft 230, then to avoid passing 235 and being at my “worst ever” I simply decided not to eat anything that comes with a side of guilt. That was my new diet plan, whatever was guilt free.

Being back on chicken and veggies for a month, with no alcohol or caffeine, I felt really good, and I dropped like 9 lbs. Usually a month was my breaking point for chicken and broccoli and I feared that I was going to cave soon, as I was craving a beer or a whole cake. A few months prior I met a woman who’d lost 80 lbs on carnivore, and I thought she was crazy, or lying. Curious, though, and worried my chicken and spinach diet was going to fizzle out, I researched carnivore and found Dr. Baker. After buying his book and reading half of it I switched from chicken/veggies to steaks and eggs. I thought I felt good on chicken with asparagus, but I felt REALLY good on carnivore.

Within a week I had dropped another 9 lbs or so. I didn’t feel hungry ever, my mood and energy were at a constant 90% or higher, just STABLE. After another week I started to notice my anxiety, while still there, was attached to real problems (like running late, etc) instead of just being constant and for no apparent reason. My appetite was super steady and consistent, I knew a steak and four eggs for breakfast would leave me SATISFIED for 8-10 hours. This made life easier, especially while traveling, or looking after my 10 month old daughter. It’s a lot easier to be a super busy business owner, a good husband, and a good father when you’re not worried about feeding yourself. I stopped obsessing about calories and macros. I stopped feeling guilty. I stopped craving alcohol, sweets, cheese (crazy, right?), or even bread. Bread was hard to give up for chicken and veggies but not hard at all for steaks.

I’ve been almost completely carnivore for seven weeks and they’ve been the most colorful and exciting seven weeks I can remember. Today I weigh just over 190 lbs and I still haven’t gotten back in the gym or taken two steps into a run— but now I’m actually craving it. I plan to get my fitness straightened out very soon and I imagine it’ll be a breeze with how much better I’ve been feeling. Right now a steak makes me feel like I have a pump, it’s pretty much euphoric.

When I was posting pictures of baked potatoes covered with bacon and cheese next to a Guinness, my friends would comment that it looked amazing. Now when I post a rib eye with a side of porterhouse they message me “concerned about my health.” This diet is insane, people think you’re nuts, but for every one “worried” acquaintance I have, I have a dozen who say I’m glowing. I don’t know if I’ll stick to this forever, but I do know I’m keeping it in my back pocket to fall back on in case I ever slip into horrible habits. This has been the EASIEST and most rewarding approach to my physical and mental wellness I’ve ever tried. Thank you, dr. Baker, the Petersons, and joe rogan for sharing about this crazy diet!

-Andrew