A year ago, Rob’s life was awful. He was close to 400 pounds. He couldn’t sleep horizontally or play with his kids. He ate processed foods—mac and cheese, spam, fast food, pasta, and seed oils—and he drank too much. His job was stressful. Early in 2020, his health plummeted. He and his wife thought he was going to die.
Rob started carnivore four years ago and lost 40 pounds in the first month. He began CrossFit and felt great for about three months. Then he had serious side effects he didn’t understand. He later learned that he was detoxing and had experienced oxalate dumping, which gave him incredibly painful joints. He describes his symptoms as “incapacitating.” He had to quit CrossFit and eventually the carnivore diet.
He got down on himself because he felt he’d failed. Rob figured he would remain obese. He began smoking again. He eventually developed pneumonia and jokes that pneumonia is an effective way to quit smoking. Because he had trouble breathing, he couldn’t work. It was at this time that COVID hit.
Rob recovered from pneumonia during the lockdown. He regained some strength and energy—he was able to mow the lawn in stages over three days, although one section of mowing wiped him out.
Inspired by his wife’s success with intermittent fasting, Rob also started fasting. A week later, he began keto. After three weeks on the keto diet, he spent the next three months transitioning to a carnivore diet.
Rob adopted an addiction-level perspective toward carbohydrates and sugar, which was very helpful. He realized he didn’t lack willpower—he was addicted to carbs and sugar.
It took Rob 90 days to break his carb addiction. He experienced agitation, “hanger,” and irritability as he weaned off carbs. He got rashes all over his torso and had weird joint issues. This time around, he was more aware of his symptoms of inflammation, detoxification, and oxalate dumping. And transitioning gradually from a keto diet to a carnivore diet helped Rob manage his symptoms.
The results of the carnivore diet astounded him.
Rob’s life improved in many ways. His skin tags disappeared, and his vision improved. He lost 10 inches off his waistline, which helped him start moving again—he can do stairs, play with his kids, and exercise. No longer crippled by joint pain, Rob now enjoys lifting weights. His arms are getting muscular, and he can recover from his workouts. “It feels so good,” he explains, to exercise and get strong. And he says he’s more fitness-oriented than he’s ever been. He even kayaks now.
Rob’s mental health improvements were more than he expected. Before, he was depressed. He simply couldn’t do anything, and as a result, he didn’t want to socialize. Within 3 months on carnivore, he wanted to do things and was happy. “I can think better, and my marriage is better,” Rob continues.
Rob grills every day. He eats one meal a day, having black coffee and water until dinner. He does love heavy cream and occasionally adds it to his coffee. At dinner, Rob enjoys a 16- or 18-ounce ribeye or Denver steak. He eats eggs and cheese sometimes, although he does better without dairy.
Rob felt ill, weak, and fat for most of his life. He attributes his carnivore lifestyle to his newfound well-being: “It saved my life.”
