Category: medications

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Mark lost weight, improved his joint pain, hypertension and gained muscle on a carnivore diet

Hi, my name is Mark, aka The Carnivore Grandpa. I would like to start by thanking
meatrx.com for inviting me to share my story. Thank you for all you do.

I am 56 year old husband, father, and grandfather. Married to the love of my life for 36 yrs,
father of six wonderful children, and Grandfather of 12. They are all my whole world, and my
greatest movtivation for staying healthy. My wife and I live in Northern Ontario, in what I think is
one of the most beautiful places on earth.

I grew up on a farm and was physically active and fit when I was younger. I am 5’10, when I
graduated high school I was 155 pounds. Two years later I married my highschool sweetheart
and we began our life together. Graduated collage as a Registered Nurse. During my training
we had minimal teaching on nutrition other then to refer to the Canada food guide.

At the age of 24 I was advised by my doctor to change professions due to joint pain which he
believed was brought on by shiftwork. At this point I had gained alot of weight due to poor
eating habits. I felt miserable, tired, no energy, and achy joints. Ironically, I started more labour
intensive work and was able to lose some weight and began to feel better. As the years went by
and I got older and continued to eat whatever I wanted gaining and loosing weight sporadically,
in spite of this I remained in realitively good health, I thought….

At 35 I had reached my heaviest weight yet at 205 pounds. I put on the weight and could no
longer take it off. After a visit to my doctor I was told I had high cholesterol and needed to make
some changes. I was sent to a dietition who told me to cut back on red meat and fats but that I
could eat all the pasta and starches I wanted to fill me up. I was informed the I needed to
increase my fibre in the form of fruits and vegtables. I now know this was terrible advice.
However, it was what the dietition had been taught and the misinformation continues.
A few years later with my cholesterol levels increasing I was also diagnosed with high blood
pressure. At this time I was still eating from the food guide, but decided I should include some
weights to try and help get this under control. In spite of adding 20 to 30 mins of exercise a day
it did absaloutely nothing to change my health or my body composition. By this time I was also
experiencing increased achey joints and had also developed occasional gout. I was still
suffering from fatigue and fluctuating moods and energy levels. I was on a roller coaster. I now
know that at this point I was extremely metobolically unhealthy. It was a wake up call.
In 2017 my wife and I discover the ketogenic diet through Dr. Ken Berry. We jumped on the keto
train and have never looked back. I lost 45 pounds, most of my joint pain, and my energy
increased. My toes although still stiff did not ache from gout. I felt like a new man. I went to my
doctor for my annual check up and after taking my blook pressure she asked me what I had
been doing as my blood pressure had dropped substantially. I informed her I was on the
ketogenic way of life, and she was extremely supportive. I was sent for my bloodwork and my
lipid panels were much better. NO MEDICATIONS NEEDED! In hind sight I wish I had
consumed more protein as to prevent lean muscle loss on keto. I felt good but I felt I was a little
too thin, I felt I had lost to much lean muscle mass. I know there is some contradiction out there about this, I can only share from my own experience.

After a year on keto I began to become interested in what was called the carnivore way of
eating. I decided to try it for a month, seemed extreme but I was open and intrigued and not
afraid of a paradym shift. As I was only eating 20 carbs a day on keto, I thought removing those
last 20 and switch to meat and animal by products couldn’t hurt. After a month on carnivore I
noticed the rest of my joint pain and the stiffness in my toes disappeared. I also noticed that I
was putting on some muscle, and felt my body compasition was changing and become more
define without added exercise! I was motivated! I made the decision to continue for 6 months.
I again went in for a check up as we have been monitoring since starting keto every 6 months.
After taking my blood pressure my doctor asked me, okay what are you doing now. I hesitantly
explained my new way of eating as a carnivore. My doctor who was pleasently suprised and
happy to inform me my blood pressure was in the low normals. She then proceeded to grab a
lab requisition and enthusastically began checking off all the things she wanted my blood

tested. We were both thrilled to see the all my bloodwork came back excellent.
Due to my excellent lab work and how great I was feeling I decided to remain on carnivore as a
way of life. I have been on eating carnivore since May of 2018. During the first year of carnivore,
aside from my physical job as a builder/carpenter, I didnt do much extra exercise. In the last six
months I have begun to incorporate some dumbell weight training and I have seen some
fantastic results, unlike when I was eating all the food groups and had added exercise where I
saw no results.
To date; I have decided to up my exercise regine to see how far I can take this.
I want to encourage those who are reading my story, if a 56 year old Grandpa of 12 can do this
and see such wonderful results so can you. I highly recommend this way of eating, it has been
a game changer for me.

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Donna improved her headaches, skin, fitness and is off all prescription drugs thanks to a carnivore diet

I am 71 years old and have been carnivore for 2 years. I initially used it as an elimination diet to find triggers for my psoriasis and migraines. After 4 weeks of carnivore, both psoriasis and migraines disappeared. I have continued carnivore and am no longer on prescription meds. An added bonus is that I have become much stronger. I’m now
(1)doing 200 pushups in less than 20 minutes;
(2)have finally done a full pull-up;and
(3) am stronger in my yoga poses.
I am stronger at 71 than I’ve ever been…even the younger years. Many thanks to @shawnbaker1967.
Donna

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Rebekah improved her autoimmune issues, gained muscle, improved sleep and has better energy on a carnivore diet

Hello!
 
I wanted to share my success story thus far. My life has changed and improved drastically- and I wasn’t sure I was going to be alive less than a year ago. 
 

My name is Rebekah. I’ve always had a passion for health, nature, Fitness, and holistic nutrition / medicine. 

I was diagnosed with osteoporosis in 6th grade. In seventh grade, I ran into chronic pain. I was rushed to the emergency room with severe chest pains, and left with a diagnosis of costochondritis and degenerative disc. I was then diagnosed with OCD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, Narcolepsy, and a myriad of digestive issues such as gastroparesis, IBS, IBD, slow transit colon, Celiac and diverticulitis. I started regular Chiropractic treatments to address scoliosis and chronic pain. I went through multiple rounds of physical therapy, but symptoms continued to worsen. Shortly after graduating high school, I ran into chronic adrenal fatigue, crippling anxiety and pain so bad that I was bed bound. I had difficulty breathing, with frequent episodes of near- suffocation.

 

Desperate and afraid, I knew that I needed to dig deeper. I ventured to uncover the root of my issues, working with multiple functional medicine doctors, and embarked on a more strict/ personalized version of the ketogenic diet. I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease, colitis, Addisons, Hashimotos hypothyroid, CREST scleroderma, and a central nervous system disorder called Central Sensitization Syndrome (see youtube video by Dr. Sletten of Mayo Clinic). With Keto, various supplements, and support I was able to get off of Adderal, Clonazepam, and Ambien after being dependent on them for 13 years. I gained energy and focus, and reversed Hashimotos! My cystic acne also cleared completely. I was only just beginning to break free from the cage that I became burrowed into after years of quick “fixes” and excessive rounds of antibiotics ordered by traditional med doctors. I have continued to strip off the band-aids to uncover the sources and contributors to systemic disease that almost took my life, and more importantly my hope and joy.

After losing a severe amount of weight, I was diagnosed with chronic chlostridium difficule (C-Diff). I am resistant to all of the antibiotics, and have now had 3 fecal transplants. I was told that I should consider removing my colon, and that I needed a feeding tube. I refused and instead decided to commit to the one thing that I avoided trying for so long… Nothing brought relief or nourishment back into my body until I started the carnivore way of eating.

 

I have gained back 30 healthy pounds of mostly muscle, and have overcome almost all of my autoimmune issues. I have broken up deep layers of scar tissue that was taking over my body and limiting mobility; now there is new, strong, healthy muscle. My mood has never been more stable, and I am mentally resilient. No more swollen ankles or strange skin rashes/ hives. My energy is steady and dependable, and I’m sleeping the best I have in my entire life. I have gained so much freedom in this journey thus far and I am passionate and thrilled to help others overcome their battles, and reach their goals -beyond expectation!

 

I’m so grateful for all that you are doing. You are such a refreshing voice amongst the sea of noise out there. Thank you! 

 

Sincerely

Rebekah 

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Becky improved her digestion, hormones, cardiovascular health and relationship with food on a carnivore diet

Hi I’m Becky! I’m 38 and I started my weight loss journey in 2002-03.

After the birth of my first child, I was at my highest weight–over 200lbs. I was suppose to be a happy new mom, but I was anything but. I hated what I saw in the mirror and was depressed I allowed myself to get to that point. You know, eating for two and all. I attempted calorie restriction, but I was going through alot of stress (divorce) and instead found myself eating my feelings until they were numb. This started a vicious eating cycle and no doubt damaged my metabolism. I did managed to lose some weight, then I got pregnant with my second child in 2005 and remarried. In 2006, I joined Weight Watchers in hopes of reaching my goal weight. I didn’t feel comfortable in my body eating predominantly plant-based and lean protein that Weight Watchers encourages. But let’s face it, those food items were less points, and I could eat more.

I started to have some health issues–orthostatic hypotension, asthma, and heart issues. I had to see a cardiologist and pulmonologist and under went a stress test, echo, lung function test, etc. All the doctors wanted to treat the symptoms with medication instead of getting to the root cause of what was actually wrong.

Our town lost our local WW meeting place and out of frustration, I ended up going to more of a Standard American diet. My weight yo-yoed. I had my third child in 2008.  At my follow up, I had a subpar pap screening result. Because I had a strong family history of ovarian/uterine cancer, I ended up having an hysterectomy with BSO in 2011. This basically put me into surgical menopause. My hormones were out of balance, and my physician wanted me to do HRT but it made me sick. I had bad brain fog and headaches. And it definitely didn’t help weightloss efforts with all the inflammation and bloating. In 2015, I started doing the Trim Healthy Mama diet which was a struggle due to its complexity.  I found myself eating fatty meals along with carbs which was a no no. I ended up falling back into the Standard American diet again and the cycle continued.

In 2016 after doing some research, I stumbled across keto. I cut my carbs down to 20g, ate moderate protein, and high fat. I consumed fat bombs, steaks, chicken thighs, bulletproof coffee, full fat dairy, and salads with full fat dressings, etc. I lost weight, but I still had bloating, inflammation, and menopausal type symptoms. After a while, I started to notice how certain foods affected me. “Ketofied” junk food, fat bombs, and baked goods caused bloating, inflammation, and cravings. I stalled which caused more depression and frustration.

Out of desperation, I started to become even more proactive and continued to eliminate foods. In January 2019, I came across World Carnivore Month that Shawn Baker started. I honestly thought he was nuts eating just Ribeyes, but I figured what the heck. It’s just a month. In June, I had a genetic test done and found out I have health traits/variants for Type 2 diabetes as well as having a family history of diabetes and hypertension. After finding out this information, I knew I was on the right path with carnivore.

I’m currently still carnivore. Yes, I’ve had a few slips throughout the year but as time goes on, it becomes easier to recognize what nutrients my body needs. I still battle the mental struggles of carb and sugar addiction, but I have learned I need to be an abstainer. I knew I needed to change my relationship with food and now view it as nourishment instead of using it to fill an emotional void.

I seek my nourishment from animal based food thanks to Dr. Baker! I feel better than I have on any other diet I’ve tried, and I don’t foresee any change to my eating lifestyle. My 2019 focus was nutrition and healing.  I took a break from exercise in order to heal. I feel better than I’ve felt in years! With the healing of Carnivore, I’ve had a 30+lb weightloss. But an even bigger positive effect is my hormones are more balanced–no night sweats, mood swings, or hot flashes. My sleep is better and deeper than it has ever been. I have no issues with any of the previous asthma symptoms or any cardiac/heart issues.  And, I’m no longer taking any prescription medication.

Another huge benefit is FOOD FREEDOM! I don’t track, weigh, or log my food. I’m not tied to any book or app telling me when I can or can’t eat. I eat when I’m hungry, and I stop when I’m full.

My food based Carnivore focus has been sourcing local meat I can afford. I lean towards beef and lamb. Being from a hunting family, I consume venison including the heart. I don’t routinely eat  organs such as kidney and liver. We also raise chickens for farm fresh eggs.
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Larry improved his diabetes, congestive heart failure, and fatty liver on a carnivore diet

Hello,

I am a U. S. Army Veteran Sgt., GI Bill College graduate, and a retired aerospace engineer.

I had a heart attack and died while riding my bicycle 10 miles from my home. A truck drive broke several of my ribs reviving me. Two weeks later, I woke up in a commercial hospital staring at a blue wall. I was then transferred to the VA hospital where I got a triple bypass heart surgery done. My VA primary care doctor failed to notice any symptoms previous to my heart attack.. My type 2 diabetes got worse. I got a fatty liver, fatty pancreas, and stage 3 kidney disease. He had me on 14 drugs many which were statins, and he told me to eat a high carbohydrate, low fat diet, with lots of vegetables, and very little salt. I decided to eliminate salt completely from my diet, because it was so bad for my health. This resulted in muscle spasms and vomiting. Then I got congestive heart failure. My neighbors took me to their hospital emergency. The hospital removed 20 pounds of water from my legs.   My VA primary care continued the medications. I had brain fog so bad that someone thought I had alzheimer’s disease and took advantage of me. That is when I decided to take charge of my own health. I started searching the internet for answers. I found an 1863 weight loss diet by William Banting (LCHF). I finally put together a low carbohydrate/high fat diet of my own. I have since then transitioned to a ketogenic diet that resulted in me going through Sugar Addiction Withdrawal which gave me an itchy rash for 2 weeks. I am finally on a carnivore diet that I patterned after neurobiologist and clinical researcher, Dr. Zsófia Clemens recommendations. I am 4 pounds away from my high school football weight. I am walking, and lifting weighs again. In a recent appointment, Cardiology could not find anything wrong with me. This resulted in me giving 3 extemporaneous lectures. The last one included a professor from UCLA. I sent her a pdf file of my experiences and research. Meanwhile, I was able to convince my Primary Care to include a fasting insulin in my lab test. My Homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) is 0.50!

By the way, I am 81.

Best of regards, Larry

What do I eat in a day? Sgt. Roat, U. S. Army Veteran
GI Bill College graduate

What I eat is easy to describe. The difficult part is when I eat. The answer to that is “when the ghrelin hormone tells my hypothalamus I am hungry”. When we sleep we go into a state called autophagy (self-eating). This happens when we fast. Autophagy refers to a self-eating process in which our body digests damaged cells. It’s basically a cleaning out process that encourages the proliferation of new, healthy cells. Fasting also allows the body to burn off excess fat. Some people extend autophagy to 18 hours, and eat one meal a day in a 6 hour eating window. I recommend a 36 hour fast once a week, that will give your body enough time to produce sufficient β-hydroxybutyrate to fuel the brain, and clear up any cognitive issues.

What I try to achieve from my meals is low Insulin levels. To get to the diet that I am currently on. I eliminated all processed carbohydrates, sugars, fructose, no sweeteners -they cause Cephalic phase insulin release, starches, grains, fruit (exception -berries), and vegetable oils (exception -olive, coconut and avocado). That left animal fats, protein, and vegetable carbohydrates. I chose to eat one stick of unsalted butter (115 g), 106 grams of sardines in water, occasionally I eat 227 grams of 73/27 ground beef, and 5 very low carbohydrate vegetables (Spinach, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and avocado-100 grams each), one day total serving size 500 grams (total net carbohydrates 14g). Eat the vegetables first, fat next, and then the protein last to lessen any insulin spikes. You can eat this in 3 or 2 meals a day. Walk for 10 minutes after every meal! When I fast, I take Potassium citrate, Magnesium L-Threonate, Sodium chloride, Iodine in colloidal suspension, and zinc picolinate. I only need one meal a day ( I reduce the vegetables to 1/3), when I eat the hamburger patty. It leaves me that satiated! I find that very interesting. Not just for the satiety, but also because I have sustainable energy through out the day. Perhaps I should get a DNA test from 23 and Me. Diets are not one size fits all. We are similar, but we are not all the same. I suspect that my body is designed to eat primarily meat and fats (a carnivore diet, or zero carbohydrate diet).

The diet above has allowed me to drop all of my medications, and return me to a pre-diabetic state.
My advise in changing over to Fat as your main source of energy, is to do it gradually. This is a major change! Do not shock your system. In 1863, William Banting wrote a booklet called Letter on Corpulence, Addressed to the Public the first weight loss diet to actually work. It was a low carbohydrate- moderate protein- high fat diet (LCHF). I might add that many family doctors are now offering a high fat/low carbohydrate diet as an alternative treatment for pre-diabetes.Addendum:
Atorvastatin causes liver damage. It also aggravates type 2 diabetes maladies. I can not find any root cause to the formation of Plaque. It appears to be a process. There is thinning of the glycocalyx after an arterial juncture where there is turbulence. In fact, there are a myriad of mechanisms going on here. Endothelial Progenitor Cells are floating in the blood, so the possibility for repair is there. The body is well designed to take care of it’s self, if we allow it to do so. The dichotomy is that your body is smarter than you are.
Vitamin K2 MK-7 with D3 has been suggested for arterial plaque removal. I have found no real evidence of this. However, taking vitamin D3 along with C is a good idea.
Fructose: Over-consumption of Fructose is the root cause of Insulin Resistance. The liver can safely process about 20 grams of fructose a day. 1 in 3 people have Fructose malabsorption, and 1 in 3 people have Type 2 Diabetes. Insulin does not recognize Fructose as a sugar. Fructose carriers (GLUT5) found in the cells of the small intestines transports fructose to GLUT2 and it transports fructose to the liver where it can be metabolized. If the body does not have enough carriers, fructose can build up in the large intestine and cause gut issues (nausea, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, vomiting, and chronic fatigue). The liver converts fructose into fatty acids which are stored, and triglycerides which flood the blood stream. High triglycerides signals insulin resistance. Hereditary fructose intolerance is even more dire, because these people can die from consuming Fructose. Fructose can not be metabolized, because the body is missing the enzyme aldolase B. If Fructose is ingested, the enzymatic block at aldolase B causes an accumulation of fructose-1-phosphate. This repetitive phosphorylation depletes ATP. The results are hypoglycmia, liver damage and potential kidney failure.
Test for Fructose malabsorption/hereditary intolerance: Hydrogen Breath Test.
Test for Insulin Resistance: HOMA-IR (fasting insulin and fasting glucose), or 2-Hour Insulin Glucose Challenge Test.Industrial (vegetable) seed oils: Why would you want to ingest highly unstable polyunsaturated oils that cause oxidative stress? Use lard, real butter, tallow, olive, avocado, and coconut oil.

Diets that actually work 

Fructose malabsorption: FODMAP diet (substitute glucose for fructose). This is not a weight loss diet! 

Hereditary fructose intolerance:*Carnivore diet. 

Type 2 diabetes and weight loss: *Low carbohydrate High fat (LCHF) diet, and *Ketogenic diet. 

Extreme weight loss and excellent health: *Carnivore diet. 

Autoimmune disease, and type 1 diabetes. I refer you to neurobiologist and clinical researcher, Dr Zsófia Clemens.: **Strict Carnivore diet. 

Minerals: I take Potassium chloride, Magnesium L-Threonate, Sodium chloride, Iodine in colloidal suspension, and zinc picolinate, when I fast longer than 24 hours. 

*These diets are more difficult, because the changes are more drastic. Processed foods are designed to be addictive, so you are going to go through an Addiction Withdrawal Period (3 to 10 days). I went through Sugar Addiction Withdrawal and got an itchy rash that lasted for 2 weeks. ** Strict Carnivore diet: No dairy. Water, salt, meat & organ meats, and fat. Fat to protein (meat) ratio 35 grams of Fat to every 100 grams of Meat. 

+Note from Sgt. Roat: I am finally on a Carnivore diet that adheres to my personal body design. With a carnivore diet you eat fatty meat until you are full. For me that is one meal a day. There are no ratios or macros. I eat Calves Liver twice a week. I also had to eliminate all dairy. I take a supplement that contains freeze dried Beef Liver, Heart, Kidney, Pancreas, and Spleen. I supplement the minerals, when I fast for 24 hours. So what do I drink? Water, maginesium bicarbonate water, bone broth, organic coffee, and matcha green tea. Exercise is an important component of every diet. I walk at least 30 minutes every day. I also lift light weights at 8 to 10 reps per exercise at 3 sets each. Walk 10 minutes after every meal! This is from a randomized control study involving 3 groups of Type 2 Diabetic individuals and Metformin. Walking and Metformin got the same results. Save your money, and go for a walk! 

I want to address this question before it comes up. “You are not a medical doctor, what are your qualifications?” The answer to that is, if someone does something successfully, by virtue of doing it they then become qualified. Everything that I have suggested here has been researched, and I do not need a medical degree to do research. Quite frankly, I didn’t do this much research, when I was in college. Yes, it’s true, I have a degree. It is a shame that I must bear.

 

 

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Douglas improved his digestion and treated his ulcerative colitis on a carnivore diet

 

The carnivore diet saved my life, I was on the vegan train to try to heal my colitis that was putting such a stop to my life but after 6 months went keto then started making my plates meat and fermented vegetables. I found relief but it wasn’t like it is today. I went back listening to these idiots saying I need greens and didn’t feel right doing that. I made the decision to go 100% carnivore and I have never felt better. The colitis stopped me from living my life. I was literally withering away when I was sick. I was on 4 pills of Lialda, 40mg of prednisone, suppositories, and 6mp (the low does chemo). My life was an absolute wreak. doctors were telling me there was really nothing more they can do except surgery. Happy I made the connection earlier on my own but once I came across Shawn Baker on the Joe Rogan podcast I went full speed on the carnivore diet and loving it

I have never felt better, looked better, or felt stronger. Please feel free to use this testimonial to show the success of the carnivore diet for other people suffering from ulcerative colitis because this story is not anecdotal and I have the labs to prove it.

Below is my initial diagnosis:

Below are the colonoscopy and pathology reports after being a carnivore:

As you can see they gave me a clean bill of health and even reversed the initial diagnosis. Thank you everyone for the help to bring this way of eating to light. It saved me and will save others.

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Emma improved her digestion, mood/mental health, and skin on a carnivore diet

Thank you to everyone who has played a role in promoting awareness of the carnivore diet.

I’m now 42. For my entire life until several years ago, I suffered from crippling digestive issues that were completely fixed by a nearly carnivorous diet. I had constant gut pain; seriously evil diarrhea multiple times daily; socially disabling gas; and severe mental and emotional problems, which I believe were diet-related, as they all resolved with very-low-carb eating.

I had tried being vegetarian and vegan for some years, for ethical reasons. My husband went vegan, too (his choice, I swear). We lost our health — we had grey skin that bled easily, our nails cracked off, our hair fell out, and we were completely fatigued, with a strange feeling of heaviness in our limbs. People sometimes asked my husband if he had cancer. But the science said that we were getting all our micronutrient requirements, and blood tests showed that we weren’t deficient in anything our doctor considered important.

I gave up my stubborn ideology when I read David Gillespie’s “Big Fat Lies”, which explained that saturated fat and cholesterol are needed by every single cell for the integrity and strength of the cell wall and cell membrane. That single piece of information helped me understand how young and how manipulated the biological sciences are.

I am extremely grateful to the animals I consume. On carni, it struck me repeatedly how sacred the act of eating another living being can be. I hope that environmentally sound, healthful and humane farming methods become mainstream.

But what I would like to highlight here is how going from very-low-carb to carnivore helped me overcome a health crisis last year.

My husband and I got gastroenteritis after eating out. His case took a week to resolve, but a month later I was feeling worse and worse, with increasing stomach pain every time I ate. I cried in my doctor’s office, feeling desperate for help. She told me it was stress and prescribed me a proton-pump-inhibitor antacid, which I later discovered would worsen the acid-production cycle.

I tried carnivore instead. And I was better the next day.

I wasn’t fat, but over the next six months I lost 5kg (about 11 pounds), which took me down to weights I hadn’t seen since my teens. After the first month, I had so much energy! I have always gone to bed as early as I can, but on carni I was doing Tracy Anderson workouts at 10pm through sheer wired joy.

I’ve put all the weight back on after reintroducing dairy in an attempt to substitute it for alcohol (not successful!). I hope to cut both again soon. I come back here regularly for the inspiration to start again.

I’m incredibly grateful to meatheals.com for providing a platform for sharing people’s stories. Thanks to everyone who puts their experience out there.

PS: On carnivore I was rarely hungry, so it seemed a no-brainer to try intermittent fasting. I did so twice, each time for a fortnight, separated by a period of months. I had no trouble with the fasting aspect, but each time I seemed to trigger crushing, black depression that I hadn’t experienced for a decade, and which resolved as soon as I made myself eat more. I’d just like to put that out there for anyone who finds themselves on a downward mental spiral while experimenting with diet. Maybe it’s a female thing.

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Michael improved his mood/mental health, skin, vision, and weight loss, and treated his addiction, arthritis, chronic fatigue, and GERD on a carnivore diet

Hiking in September 2018 at 286 pounds – before starting the Carnivore Diet

I am 55, I’m 6-2 and 228 lbs. right now. Six months ago I was 283! I drive semi cross country for a living, big luxury truck with sleeper and all. Fridge, microwave, TV all that stuff. It’s very hard to eat right on the road. I’ve tried just eating grocery store food in the truck, but I still would overeat and rarely lost weight. Donuts and snackcakes and anything else. I used to go to Sheetz (gas station chain) and order like 8 loaded hot dogs with fries or chips and a half gallon of chocolate milk. I would literally eat myself sick but couldn’t stop! Acid reflux was always an issue, I would take Prilosec twice a day, Tums, Maalox whatever. Many of you know this all too well. I’ve known for years I’m grain sensitive but what can you do? They are very hard to avoid! I wore 2XL T shirts but they were getting tight.

264 pounds – January 2019

One day I was ready to buy a 3XL shirt, but I stopped myself. I said “No, this has to stop right now!” I refuse to get bigger. I stumbled onto Dr. William Davis video and then stumbled onto maybe Dr. Jason Fung or some keto video. I said “hey maybe I can try this”. I started a keto-ish diet on Nov. 25, 2018. It morphed into mostly carnivore, and mostly once a day eating. I didn’t plan that. Chicken and turkey weren’t filling me up, so beef it is now! I eat 2-3 lbs. of fatty ribeye daily now with maybe cheese and walnuts or pecans as snack. Black coffee and water only. I take several minerals, fish oils and a few multivitamins. I fry in animal fat or butter only. Not much fasting so far.

#MeatHeals

June 2019 – 228 Pounds – Still want to get down to 209
  • I’ve lost 55 lbs. in six months!
  • I feel better than ever.
  • My itchy dermatitis went away.
  • My chronic sudden crap attacks are gone.
  • My acid reflux(GERD) is gone
  • My arthritis is improved but not gone.
  • I swear my vision is slightly sharper, can’t be sure.
  • I sleep better.
  • The bloating and extreme fatigue are gone.
Michael weighed 199 back in 2001.

I do have some pancakes with syrup maybe twice a month. They are my weakness, but maybe one day I will stop that also. I am in control now of my life!

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Mr. V improved his cardiovascular health, mood/mental health, sex, and weight loss, and treated his addiction and respiratory issues on a carnivore diet

I want to share my story with people and hope it may be able to encourage and inspire someone who may be in a position where I used to be. So where do I begin? I am currently 41 years old and probably in the best shape of my life of my adult years. I grew up always having a love for food. Over the years that love became an addiction to food. I have always loved meat but I was born in the Mediterranean before I moved to the US as a kid. One thing we ate every day was bread. Being poor that’s the main thing we could afford with some veggies etc. That habit developed over my lifetime where I would indulge in carbs (mainly bread). Many times I could devour a whole loaf of fresh baked bread in one sitting. (french loaf). Why am I starting my transformational story from my early childhood? Because I would like to help others be able to find where the Root of your situation began.

So fast forward to more current years. In June 2016 I really felt bad and unhealthy. My weight ran up to 280lbs at 5’10 and 38 years old. I was also a heavy smoker with at least 2 packs a day. At nights I would wheeze just trying to breathe, and would wake up in the middle of the night with uncontrolled coughing until I could catch my breath. While many would be quick to say “oh my, you need to stop smoking,” they never really knew or understood the underlying problem of my high carb intake. Yes, I’m not going to say that smoking wasn’t part of the equation to my lack of ability to breathe, yet smoking alone was not the problem. I was obese according to the doctor’s model. I finally decided to put aside my macho side and made an appointment with a doctor about my current unhealthy condition. What finally made me make this decision? Was it the fact that I could barely breathe? Or the fact that I could barely sleep at night without choking in the middle of the night? Was it the frequent shits everyday, at least 3 times or more? No… what finally made me make that call for that doctor appointment is when I started feeling little shocks going on in my brain. Have you ever had static shock on your hands after you walked on carpet and touched something? Well imagine that happening inside your head and you get those shocks. That was my “wake up call”…. or so I thought.

So June 2016 I see my doctor and she recommended we do several blood tests so we can see where my levels were. July 2016 I went back in to go over those numbers. Main numbers that we discussed:

  • HbA1C was exactly 6.3, literally, on the Diabetic line.
  • My Triglycerides were 1253, keep in mind the normal should be < 150.
  • My HDL cholesterol was at a whopping 23
  • My LDL cholesterol was near 200.
  • My blood pressure 147/100.

I was put on 10mg lisinopril. Needless to say, this doctor’s visit made me think about where I was, and where did I want to go in the future? One thing I truly love and admire about my doctor is the fact that she was not quick to put me on medication. She consulted with me and said to cut down or eliminate my carbs, eat lean proteins and more fruits/vegs. ( I know she was only recommending what she was taught through mainstream) but she did mean well. So after getting that devastating truth, I was gung ho to get healthy. Yeah right…. Well, I would go see my doctor every 4 months and I would go through bloodwork and see little progress only to lose that progress the next visit.

So fast forward 2 years and we get to July 2018. I went to see my doctor again and go over my bloodwork numbers. All the work I had put in over the past 2 years with my yo-yo dieting has led to my key numbers going back up and in the wrong direction and my weight back up to 280. After seeing the disappointment in the doctor’s face, I got really emotional and very angry with myself because I felt her disappointment. I felt my energy shift that day due to that disappointment from my doctor and myself, and vowed to actually make a shift in my perspective and live, because if I didn’t, I would surely be dead in the near future of numerous complications.

So how did I follow through on this shift of perspective and life? One day I saw someone retweet something Dr. Baker had posted where he was promoting a #carnivorediet. I glanced and read it and was like WTF is this dude talking about. Surely that’s not healthy eating only meat. (hahaha) So I started reading through his tweets and started thinking to myself: “nothing else seems to be working why not give it a try?” I started the carnivore way of eating in August 2018, was strict carnivore for the first month and BOOM, I lost 15lbs. Hell yea! After the first month, I decided to go low carb / keto way of eating and started to learn about IF. I started walking during my first month to build stamina before I joined a gym and started exercising. I signed up for HIIT boot camp program at the gym and slowly started working on myself. The knowledge and education I gained on Twitter by following Dr. Baker, Dr. Wrigley, P.D. Mangan, Ted Naiman, Travis Statham and many others that are too many to list has been paramount in my transformational journey. I have just recently became more vocal on Twitter regarding this WoE and looking to share my story and help others any way I can.

My life before I began my transformation in August 2018 was non-existent. Most of my adulthood has been spent overweight and unable to have an active lifestyle. I was very sedentary and would eat like there was no tomorrow. I let my wife down as a husband, a lover, and a life partner. I let myself down because of my eating habits. My libido and testosterone were non-existent. My mental state was a wreck, I had anxiety, fear, lack of will for life, and lack of care for any endeavor/adventure. I felt like I had no penis or any balls and just went through life drifting along the waves. Thankfully in August 2018 everything changed.

Here I am today, June 1st 2019:

  • Went from 280lbs down to 217lbs for a total weight loss of 63lbs.
  • Did bloodwork mid April and HbA1C = 5.4
  • Triglycerides = 130
  • HDL cholesterol = 40
  • LDL cholesterol = 140
  • BP = 100/65
  • All my numbers are in normal range now.
  • My breathing has improved tremendously, I no longer wheeze, or get into uncontrolled cough spells, and I don’t wake up in the middle of the night with nonstop coughing (I still smoke just nowhere near as much).
  • My mental state is amazing, with anxiety and fear subsiding.
  • I am more vibrant and excited about life, goals, my future, and my commitment to my wife as a husband, lover and life partner.
  • My testosterone has gone up, my libido has increased tremendously, and my hormones have been rebalancing which is allowing me to gain control over myself.
  • I no longer get cravings, or lose willpower and indulge in crap foods.
  • I decide when I want to subject myself to crap food if I decide to.

All of these changes came as a result of following amazing Doctors on Twitter and many others in the carnivore/keto community.  Of course I had to get off my ASS and do the work, but boy let me tell you how well worth the decision to change my life and live is.  How important is it for you to get healthy?  Who stands to benefit from a healthy, vibrant, thriving you?  Ask yourself these questions and just know that you can change yourself for the better as I did.  I am very thankful for Dr. Baker since he was the first person to open my eyes and guided me along this transformation journey.  Thank you all for reading.

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Chris improved his diabetes and mental health with a carnivore diet

On Christmas day 2016 I was admitted to the hospital with an infection on my left arm. It turned out to be necrotizing faciitis, which required numerous debridement surgeries and skin grafts. I spent 7 weeks in the hospital and a year recovering. In my research on the condition, I discovered how much metabolic health contributes to this condition. I was nearly 300 pounds, and a type 2 diabetic. I wasn’t taking care of myself at all and felt miserable. Medications were ineffective and I was getting worse.

In April of 2018, I finally made the choice to make a change. I did a lot of research and found the ketogenic community. I dove right in. I quickly began losing weight while eating very low carb and incorporating intermittent fasting. I forced myself to eat some vegetables (traditional dogma pressured me to) but quickly found the carnivore community after seeing Dr Shawn Baker on the Joe Rogan podcast. Since then I’ve been on an all meat diet and felt better and better month over month. Today I am in the best shape of my life, am no longer diabetic and enjoy living and my family more than ever.

Starting date: April 7th 2018
Starting weight: 294 lbs
Current weight: 178 lbs

Conditions resolved:
* Type 2 diabetes
* High blood pressure
* Sleep apnea
* Allergies/hay fever
* Skin tags
* Low energy
* Frequent headaches
* Brain fog

Former medications: metformin, glyburide, atorvistatin, Lisinopril, gabapentin, Claritin and ibuprofen
Current medications: none

The picture on the left is Christmas morning 2016, staring at some Reece’s product I was about to devour just before heading to the hospital. On the right is me now, fueled by steak. Lots of steak.