Jimmy has been struggling with his weight his entire life. At just nine years old, Jimmy weighed 140 pounds. At the time, he was a wrestler, and because of his weight was forced to wrestle against eighth graders. Jimmy says he has had a severe carbohydrate addiction. He tried everything to lose weight, even at a young age. He would attend exercise classes with his mom and attempt multiple diets. Nothing seemed to work or be sustainable.
Just over four months ago, Jimmy went to the emergency room with what he found out was an infection. Jimmy was in feeble health, and the emergency room doctors told him that if he had not made it to the hospital when he did, he would have been facing amputations or death. The doctor also asked him how long he had known he had diabetes, to which Jimmy responded, “about 10 seconds.” Jimmy says he knew his health was extremely poor but ignored the signs. His AIC the day he went into the emergency room was 12.1, and his blood sugar was over 600.
Jimmy had emergency surgery while at the hospital. He said when he woke up in the hospital room, the nurses gave him IVs of insulin. He was also informed he would be put on the hospital’s diabetic protocol diet. However, he was surprised to find that the first meal the hospital brought him had forty-five carbs and included foods such as french toast and fruit. He says the nurses and doctor argued with him after he only ate the meat on the tray.
After he left the hospital, Jimmy tried a diet a friend developed that involved eating five to six small meals daily. He followed this diet for six weeks but felt it wasn’t sustainable. Jimmy is a pastor, and though he has made a career out of changing lives, he felt like he couldn’t change his own. Jimmy says, “God has always wanted me to be healthy.”
Jimmy first learned about the carnivore lifestyle from his friend Kathy. Kathy not only lost eighty pounds eating this way, but also saved herself from having her gallbladder removed. Jimmy says the diet initially seemed “too extreme for him.” He couldn’t wrap his mind around not eating vegetables. However, he felt he needed to give it at least a try.
Jimmy has a sobriety calendar on his phone, a trick he’s picked up from being a pastor. Jimmy has been a carnivore follower for ninety-five days. In just over three months, Jimmy has lowered his AIC to 6.5 and has lost fifty-four pounds. Jimmy says at 330 pounds; he is at the lowest weight he has ever been as an adult. He is also now off all insulin and is taking just Metformin, though he hopes to be off all medications within a year.
Jimmy is thankful to his friend Kathy for showing him this way of life. He says he has also dived deep into learning from Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Paul Saladino, and Kelly Hogan. He even says he has been incorporating intermittent fasting because of what he has learned from Dr. Jason Fung.
Jimmy’s advice for anyone wanting to start this lifestyle is to give it 30 days. He says it has changed his life. He knows his carnivore lifestyle is still somewhat in its infancy, but he is excited to see where this way of life takes him.
