
For years I struggled with binge eating after a bikini comp. Looking back, I realized I entered the bikini comp during an intense manic phase due to my bipolar disorder. Before the bikini comp I had no issues with binging, even when I was an undiagnosed as having bipolar disorder. The competition served as a trigger and from that point on (almost 10 years ago) I would start a cycle of binging and restricting.
During my binges I used the excuse of bulking…and the weight I got to was 138. As soon as I saw that weight I would restrict back to 122. Rinse and repeat. Even at 138 I never looked very heavy to others. Did not feel good or sexy at that weight…just looked “normal”. And I never wanted to be the “best friend of the sexy girl”. I wanted to be the “sexy one”. Lol. But the food addiction prevented that.
What did I eat during my food addiction? –
I was eating 4 to 5 containers of frosting a night, 2 dozen donuts for breakfast…etc..ppl thought it was funny bc I was tiny and could eat all of that..Except it was not funny. Noone would laugh at a heroin addict. Why did I stay tiny? Because I would overexercise for hours the next day by running for hours or biking from one end of Chicago to the other, or eating until I vomited. Eventually my manic phase would end and I would enter the depressive state and gain weight until I hit 138 lbs, I’d see the number. Rinse and repeat for over a decade.
And then 2017. The year that changed my life. Back when I thought my life was over. The man I loved left me. I attempted suicide and sent to a psych hospital. I was given a psych med (one of the most notorious weight gainers on the market with a BLACK BOX warning which stated that users may develop metabolic syndrome.) I was sure I wouldn’t. I was an athlete after all. But I was no snowflake. This med made me go from 122 to 155 in less than 3 months.
Overexercising no longer worked. Restricting didn’t work. I even stopped binging for a bit to become more healthy and decided to eat healthy whole grains and more veggies and fruits. Nothing worked. I was no longer suicidal but depressed about my weight. I binged again. Now my binges showed. My fasting glucose rose and now my weight rose to 165. I had never been that weight. Not even when I was pregnant. I stopped weighing. Enter Keto.
I lost weight in rapid succession by cutting out grains and sugars. I reached my “goal”. or what I thought was my goal. I went from 165 to 112 ….but still struggled with binging, even on keto. In Jan/ Feb I binged on keto sweets and fat bombs which led me to binging on the real deal. 2 boxes of cupcakes and a whole sheetcake. Soon I was 127. Not 165.. but 127. Sure it wasn’t as big as I used to be, but it was a sign I had to get my binging under control.
I did strict keto and got down to 119 lbs. I looked great, I figured this was my goal weight. No need to lose anymore weight or bodyfat, but I still struggled with cravings and the urge to binge. It was strong. And I knew it was a matter of time before I would give in. So I went carnivore.
I cut out all fruits and veggies, just meat, eggs and fish in hope I could conquer this demon once and for all.
My appetite reduced to the point I could now eat once a day. Sugar cravings left. Psoriasis which I had struggled with- GONE. My psych meds were reduced and then eliminated with the approval of my psychiatrist! Most importantly- no binge urges for sugary foods! Gone. GONE! GOne! And interesting enough.. I thought I had reached peak physique with keto. Not true.
Carnivore took me down a path I had never gone before with not much effort! I looked better 10 years after I did a bikini comp with less exercise and no feelings of deprivation! My weight and bodyfat went down again with carnivore. I have never been this lean in my life, even compared with keto. People think I compete! True, I do compete in strength sports- olympic lifting and kettlebell sport. But I do not compete in bikini or figure. Yet people think I do! I don’t have any ups or down and no bipolar episodes since carnivore. Meat truly does heal.


2 thoughts on “April improved her eating disorder on a carnivore diet”
Wow, incredible story, truly inspirational! A figure competition has had me up and down for the past five years. It’s time to reconcile this and make some changes myself. Thank you for sharing your story, it looks like you have the love of the fitness lifestyle minus the crap. Congratulations ????
Great success story–so inspirational! All the best to you, April..