Botond’s Weight Loss Journey: From Low-Carb to Carnivore
Botond has been morbidly obese for most of his life. He says he would try a diet for two to three weeks, lose willpower and find himself binging on cookies.
At the end of 2017, Botond was enjoying the Christmas holiday with his family and found his pants that fit before Christmas no longer fit after. And he even began to struggle to do simple tasks like tying his shoes. He knew “something had to change.”
The Pros and Cons of the Carnivore Diet
As Botond was researching, he began following the United Kingdom’s National Health Service’s (NHS) recommendations for a low-carbohydrate and low-calorie diet. From that diet, Botond transitioned to the ketogenic diet.
He lost thirty kilograms between the two diets, but he says he was still exhausted and hungry. He also began to gain weight back as soon as he deviated from the diet.
Botond also suffered from severe hay fever, high blood pressure, poor sleep, and tooth decay while on the ketogenic diet. One day in the spring of 2018, he was listening to the Joe Rogan podcast when he came across an interview with Dr. Shawn Baker. After reading Dr. Baker’s book, “The Carnivore Diet,” Botond decided to try the carnivore way of eating.
Botond’s Experience with Carnivore: Improved Sleep, Allergies, and Teeth
Botond says he loves how straightforward the carnivore lifestyle is. In the beginning, he did experience irregular bowel movements, but afterward, he began to learn his digestion would be different while on the carnivore diet.
As Botond continued the carnivore lifestyle, he found that his sleep and allergies improved, and he no longer felt hungry. Botond has also been getting regular bloodwork since he started the carnivore lifestyle and said all his numbers are standard, and his blood pressure is no longer considered high.
A surprising side effect of the carnivore lifestyle has been the effects on his teeth. Botond says if nothing else, you will save a lot of money at the dentist just by following the carnivore diet.
Tips for Starting a Carnivore Lifestyle
Today, Botond says he follows a day-on and day-off fasting schedule and practices the 80/20 rule regarding the carnivore diet. Eighty percent of what he eats is a strict carnivore lifestyle; twenty percent is not.
He says he eats many types of meat, especially steak, eggs, and organs. He also occasionally enjoys in-season fruit, though he’s found it to be a little too sweet for his pallet. And he also sometimes allows himself to enjoy alcohol.
Botond is now a MeatRx coach. He says his advice for anyone looking to start the carnivore diet is to “start cold turkey for at least one month.” He has found through friends and family members who have also tried the diet that it takes one month to see the results and become a believer.
He also says that the carnivore diet isn’t a ”diet” but a lifestyle, and “self-care is for life.” His other advice is to “fight the dogma prevalent in our culture.” He says we aren’t given the knowledge we need from the government and society to change.
Botond’s 80/20 Rule and Day-On, Day-Off Fasting Schedule
Botond is excited to help others find the carnivore lifestyle. He is thankful for the carnivore community and the many positive changes this way of eating has brought to his life.
