Hi, my name is Travis. I am only like 3 weeks into this WOE, but the difference is pretty incredible. I will get into all the issues that this has helped, but first, some backstory.
Injury and PTSD
I was Air Force as part of a Combat Communications unit, and deployed (a few times). I will not go into a lot of details here, but came back injured. My back was in constant pain, my knees became inflamed, my body ached from my head to my toe. I had issues concentrating, couldn’t really reason well. The real issue was the PTSD, anxiety, and the depression. I was fighting an enemy that wasn’t there all the time, and going out in public caused issues that I nearly couldn’t deal with. So, I stayed inside a lot, which only made the depression worse.
For years, I hid in my apartment, never really went many places, and basically waited for my life to be over. But, sometimes time can be a good motivator, and I finally decided I was fed up with the way I was eating and how sick I felt, and decided I would take control.
Off the pills, onto veganism
At first they wanted to treat my problems with pills. Then the pills had side effects, so they gave me pills for the side effects, which led to more side effects. So, after a year or so on their pill program, I got off. I stopped taking all their pills, and just decided I would deal with my pain, depression, and PTSD.
So, for years, I hid in my apartment, never really went many places, and basically waited for my life to be over. But, sometimes time can be a good motivator, and I finally decided I was fed up with the way I was eating and how sick I felt, and decided I would take control.
I read about veganism, but didn’t like some of the messages they were espousing – we’ll just leave it at that. I didn’t particularly like veggies, but I moved to a more plant-based, whole foods diet (the SAD, in all it’s glory) and felt a tiny bit better. I had a little more energy, but nothing I would term incredible. I thought that if this is as good as it gets (the way the US government makes that diet sound, I thought it was), I might as well be completely unhealthy and eat what I want. I wasn’t ready to give up yet, however, and decided to jump onto Google and see if anyone had come up with something that would be better.
Then, keto
It wasn’t long before I found the keto diet. I was watching all these people doing keto professing how good it was eating bacon, butter, and some broccoli. It wasn’t long before I was researching nutrition, biochemical pathways, and how in the world a bacon cheeseburger could be good for you as long as it has no bun. Surprisingly, the science was solid. So, a couple months ago, I started it.
The first two weeks were some of the worst of my life. I was told about the keto flu, but I could barely get out of bed! Then, one day, I woke up at 4am with more energy than I had ever felt in my life. I cleaned the entire house. I drank my butter coffee. I danced around in my living room (only for a bit though – my back reminded me that I still have pain). Things were better, but over another month, I realized that it wasn’t perfect. I still had pains and aches, and my depression and PTSD were still just as strong (in fact, because of the extra energy, I was more hyper-vigilant). I was better, and thought that maybe this is as good as it gets. I could live with it if it was, but I did want more.
The rebels, Jordan and Shawn
I started to hear about this group of rebels who were cutting out the veggie side of things, and they weren’t tracking their macros, and they were eating only meat. Then, I saw Jordan Peterson on the Joe Rogan podcast talking about the carnivore diet. So, I googled it. Of course, Dr. Shawn Baker came up. So, I watched him on Joe Rogan. Then I started reading more nutrition science. I found out about all the anti-nutrients in plants. I found out that the vitamins and minerals in animal products are more bio-available to us. I read about the stories of people being healed by this, and became convinced.
No pain, no inflammation, nothing
I am 3 weeks into an all-beef diet. Sometimes I salt the meat. I haven’t had pain in my back for about a week. All inflammation is gone. My sleep has gone from good to absolutely amazing. I still set an alarm, but I wake up before it every morning (between 4:30AM and 5:00AM). I wake up and drink some water. I eat a steak every morning at about 6, and every morning I love it. I have a couple of burgers around 11, and am usually done for the day. If I get hungry at dinner, I eat some beef liver.
From ptsd to living
The biggest thing is the PTSD and depression is pretty much gone. I cannot say how much that has affected my life. I can go out in public now. I am looking to different careers I can have now. I had resigned myself to a life lived in an apartment, and suddenly I can have a career. I can take my 9 year old son to the park. Sometimes, I feel the need to look over my shoulder. I had half a day about a week and a half ago where I didn’t want to deal with anything. It’s not perfect yet. But, for the first time, I am hopeful that it could get better. I am also LIVING, instead of waiting to die.
The biggest thing is the PTSD and depression is pretty much gone. I cannot say how much that has affected my life. I can go out in public now.
Still progress to be made
I don’t have pictures, as I am still obese. I feel like I have lost weight, but as I don’t own a scale, I have no idea. Weight loss really wasn’t the goal, I just wanted to fix the problems I had. Maybe next year, I’ll come back and do a before and after. This is definitely a way of eating, and not just a diet.
Thank you to the entire carnivore community for giving me my life back! I have no idea what the future holds for me, but I now think that it’s good stuff. If you are on the fence, try it for a month. What do you have to lose?
