Gout

Real People, Real Results​

George C loses fat, builds muscle, and heals from gut disorders on a carnivore diet

After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in engineering, George’s job took him to China. For ten years he traveled all throughout Asia, and as he entered his thirties, he decided to leave the corporate world and go into business for himself. After a few entrepreneurial missteps, he founded several food and fitness companies, and has been successfully running them for the past 20 years. Always fascinated by health and wellness, he regularly went to the gym and followed a low fat/high protein diet for 15 years. Around the age of 46, however, his body started to fall apart. At that time, he was starting a new project in Beijing when he developed a cough that lasted for six months. He also noticed that his usual health routine was no longer working. “Even though I worked out, I wasn’t able to recover. I had all kinds of little issues, like skin lesions and intestinal disorders, and all these things—to me—didn’t feel right.”

When business came to a screeching halt at the end of 2019 due to Covid-19, George made the most of his extra time by doing a deep dive into nutrition. In his research, he came across Shawn Baker on YouTube, who he initially thought was a little bit crazy. Still, after reading his book and following him for a few years, the carnivore diet started to make sense.

After finally taking the plunge, George initially found that he had trouble eating a lot of meat in one sitting, so he gradually increased the amount over time. Now, he enjoys a dozen eggs for breakfast, as well as 2 ½ pounds of meat before the day is over. At 51 years old, the symptoms he was suffering from a few years ago are completely gone, and he currently is able to train in the gym every single day—something he was unable to do even in his twenties and thirties. This sits in stark contrast to the norm in China, where George says that (due to immense stress and lifestyle choices) businessmen have an average life expectancy of 50 years.

In China, meat is still regarded as one of the healthiest things you can eat, but the idea of a meat-only diet is still considered unusual. He currently lives in the western city of Chengdu, where one of the most popular dishes is a traditional hotpot; a soup rich in bone broth and fatty beef.

George still lives on the other side of the world, and happily helps others transition to a carnivore diet as an online coach for the Revero community. He acknowledges that there is a mental obstacle when it comes to giving up vegetables—but because of his incredible results, he encourages people who worry about it give it try for one month. “See how it goes, and then you can decide for yourself whether or not it’s for you.”

Gene sees improvements in gout, depression, ADHD, anxiety, and recovery from exercise

Gene had a rough life before his carnivore conversion. As a child, he had ADHD and anxiety, making school very challenging. He did not get good grades and says, “At one school, they just kept me in a closet because I couldn’t interact with other kids. I was the first kid in my school in both the gifted and learning disability programs.”

Gene struggled to maintain consistency in his work as an adult and turned to alcohol abuse to numb his emotions. When he turned 40, he weighed over 200 pounds and found himself “living in an apartment by myself with no real relationships.” His depression deepened, and he drank one to two bottles of wine every night as he watched his waist expand to 39 inches.

When Gene’s dog died, he had to decide whether to allow the emotions to flow or continue drinking and suppressing them as he had before. He decided then that he would stop drinking completely. Eight months after quitting alcohol, Gene gradually stopped eating vegetables, because he “didn’t feel a need for them.” He first learned about the carnivore diet in 2015-16 on Reddit. He gradually slipped into carnivory, “almost accidentally.”

He didn’t notice until later but notes that in hindsight, he passed through the paleo and keto stages, yet didn’t see his intrusive thoughts stop until he stopped eating all vegetables. Gene began to feel strangely better, and he “Realized one day ‘I feel really good!’ I haven’t had an issue with intrusive thoughts about death in months, which is something that had just been a normal part of my life; I had kind of accepted it. When I realized that kind of thing wasn’t happening anymore, work was easier, everything was easier, that’s when I realized that I should actually be carnivore as a lifestyle, rather than just simplifying things.”

“I really found not thinking about what I was going to eat to be relaxing.” Gene saw his weight drop from 205 down to 175, which fit his 5’ 7” frame much more comfortably. His waist also went from 39 inches to 32. That is a life-changing improvement in visceral fat, which is the type of fat that causes inflammation and metabolic disease.

“ADHD, depression, all of that stuff got better, including enabling me to go to college, which is something that I had tried several times and was just never able to sustain, because I would get overwhelmed almost immediately.”

“Now I manage a team of engineers and technicians doing research and development; I’m controlling this whole group of people, assigning tasks, and deciding where we’re going, and that’s not stuff I could have done five years ago.”

Gene participates in CrossFit, running, mountain biking, and Spartan races, all without any carbohydrates. He never experiences the pain and soreness that running used to cause.

“I’ve set PRs for every lift I’ve kept track of and 10k, 10 mile, and half-marathon runs in 2022 at age 45.”

 

Dunja healed Hashimoto’s and Alex healed perforated colon

Dunja describes their diet before carnivore as a healthy version of the Standard American Diet—home-cooked food, no junk food, meat, vegetables, and fruit. Alex adds that he did eat a lot of nuts and grains, thinking they were healthy.

Dunja found it very hard to focus, tired easily and learned she had Hashimoto’s. She then developed gout, knee pain, and joint pain in her right hand.

Alex recounts his illnesses: gout, arthritis, psoriasis, Hashimoto’s, kidney stones, IBS, shingles, migraines, acne all over his body, constant back pain, and diverticulitis. Diverticulitis landed him in the hospital, where he discovered he had a perforated colon. “I was a mess.”

He had to find something else because the doctors and medications weren’t working.

Dunja started on a ketogenic diet first to help her thyroid. Gradually, she removed gluten, nightshades, sugar, and dairy from her diet. She felt much better but continued to learn and read about anti-nutrients and their keto diet became increasingly restricted.

Dunja was able to resolve her Hashioto’s on keto, but not her gout, knee, and joint pain in her hand.

Alex felt better at first but then declined and thought something wasn’t right—he was getting joint pain. The more salads and greens he ate, the worse he felt.

His joint pain intensified, and it became difficult to get out of the car because he was developing hip pain.

They learned about the carnivore diet through podcasts with Dr. Baker and others in the space.

The diet sounded “very, very extreme” to them. But they listened to testimonies about finding relief from joint pain after two weeks of eating carnivore and decided to give it a try.

And, after his perforated colon, Alex was ready to try something else.

Dunja and Alex felt it would be easier if they both did the diet together.

For a few months after starting carnivore, Alex had diarrhea. He also experienced cramping and had to eliminate coffee. “Things are good now,” he says.

Dunja experienced oxalate dumping after beginning her carnivore journey. As oxalates were flushed from her body, the joint pain in her hand got worse. This lasted about two weeks, after which the pain was completely gone.

Dunja also explains that for the first few weeks, she was extremely hungry—she ate as much as her body needed and did not restrict calories.

Today, Alex is off all medications and supplements, though they both take vitamin D because they get limited sun exposure in the Midwest during winter.

Alex did take all sorts of supplements before and thinks they may have been why he had kidney stones. He says, “There’s no need for supplements because you get all the nutrients from meat.”

Dunja and Alex have been carnivore for a year and a half. They like beef and wild game. Dunja eats eggs, and Alex enjoys adding some lamb.

They both appreciate the social gatherings and say that people are very open and supportive.

Tia gave up her love affair with carbs on a carnivore diet

I was heading down a bad road with lots of health problems my cousin and dear friend pushed me to change my life. To look at my illness as a carb addiction. He found Dr. Cywes to help me.

It has been a lifestyle change that has been the hardest thing I have ever done. My main goal was to reverse my type 2 diabetes and adrenal insufficiency, hypertension, and uric acid levels.

I am off about 20 medications including 160 units of Humalog by insulin pump and 50 units of Lantus each night. 200 mg metoprolol tartrate and 40 mg of lisinopril for blood pressure, triglyceride medications 145mg tricor, 300mg allopurinol, lovaza and 40mg previstatin. Predisone to make cortisol for my adrenal insufficiency or I could die I was told. CPAP for sleep apnea. Non Alcoholic Fatty liver disease that I was told I really could not do anything about.

Through the years I have had numerous tumors removed, including a radical hysterectomy and the removal of the right adrenal gland with a tumor. I went septic from a large kidney stone stuck in my ureter because of high levels of uric acid. Acute pancreatitis from taking 20 lipase pills a day.

 

I am currently under the care of a bariatric surgeon through telemedicine (Dr. Robert Cywes). He has gotten me to look at carbs as an addiction like you would alcohol or drugs. I know if I go back it could kill me so I take it seriously and am very passionate about this journey to wellness.

I have been eating LCHF Lowcarb High fat for 4 years now. If I would introduce carbs back in without my insulin it would be very harmful so it helps me to stay on the path because I have fear of carbs now. It has changed my life. I do cry sometimes about not being able to eat certain things but have a big support system. Like people here at home yell, “NO you can’t have that!” Then I want to pout and feel sorry for myself.

I eat mostly all animal products. Dr. Cywes suggestion to fast 16/8 was a game changer. Eating 2 meals a day. No snacks as it would be an emotional event for me to snack. I have gone from a size 22 to an 8 and I try to walk at least 30 minutes each day to keep my blood glucose number good. My A1c was an 8.1 when I started and it is now a 5.1. My triglycerides were at 300 and now they are at 59. My blood pressure is great now with no medications. My uric acid levels were as high as a 9 at one point but down to a 4.6 and have eliminated the allopurinol.

It is a struggle every day and it has not been easy but well worth it. ♥️ If it works for me I know it can work for many more. I no longer take any of those medications, have no more fatty liver and no diabetes and my uric acid levels are in the normal range. LCHF Keto/ Carnivore lifestyle has healed my body.

I was told I would be on all those medications for life. Life changing! We need to spread to word far and wide. 

 

Thanks for listening and hope this will touch someone’s life.

John eliminated gout symptoms and high blood pressure on a carnivore diet

Before switching to a carnivore diet, John struggled to lose weight, and was on medication to treat high blood pressure and cholesterol, and had struggled with a painful flareup of gout. Since making the switch to a meat-based diet, all that has changed, and John is feeling better than ever at age 66!

“I had been overweight my entire life,” John shares with Revero coach Amber. “Since grade school, it has always been a problem. I blossomed up to 310 pounds.” Additionally, John was diagnosed with high blood pressure after his son was born. “I’ve been on medication for cholesterol, high blood pressure, and gout for about thirty years. I knew I needed to do something about it.”

While taking his son to an orthopedic appointment, the doctor mentioned all the success stories on revero.com, and how he had been following a carnivore diet for about a year. John was intrigued by this, and wanted to learn more. “I researched it for about six months, and decided to start by breaking my sweet habit. I eliminated all artificial sweeteners and started drinking black coffee.”


John began a simple carnivore diet of beef, sausage, eggs, and occasionally some cheese. (Being from Wisconsin, the cheese state, it was hard for him to avoid it!) While he does include a substantial amount of processed meats, he carefully checks labels to make sure the carb count is close to zero and there’s no added sugar. Since John’s wife is a cancer survivor, they make sure to completely avoid sugar, which has been linked to cancer cell regrowth. John’s wife follows a ketogenic diet, and she has lost 40 pounds since making the switch.

John was pleasantly surprised to save money eating this way. “Our grocery bill has gone down significantly,” he says. He enjoys being able to spend a bit more on higher quality cuts of meat rather than spend money on high-carb packaged foods.

John was pleased to see the weight come off rapidly in his first five months on a carnivore diet. “My waist size kept going down rapidly, which was great. I went from a 54-inch waist size to a 38-inch waist size in the 17 months I’ve been on a carnivore diet, and I’ve lost a total of 134 pounds.” John’s doctor was happy with the weight loss at his annual physical, but still is not on board with how he lost the weight. John hopes to change that perception, and hopes that over time, more medical professionals will acknowledge the positive benefits of following a meat-based diet.

After over thirty years of being on medication, John is happy to report that he has resolved all of his previous health issues. “I noticed my blood pressure going down steadily, so I stopped taking one medication. It continued to go down, so I stopped taking the other medication as well. I am also off my cholesterol medication, and my numbers have been fine at under 100.” John hasn’t had a gout flareup, and is off preventative medication for that as well. “I’m off all of my meds, that’s one of the best hallelujahs for me!”

Daniel improved his gout symptoms on a carnivore diet

Motivated by the loss of his father at just 59 years old, Daniel found the motivation he needed to take a different path and regain control of his health.

At 260 pounds, Daniel searched for an effective way to lose weight, leading him into the world of keto and low-carb diets. The transition away from the standard American diet was difficult at first, but soon Daniel was able to lose nearly 130 pounds on a keto diet while incorporating fasting. “I went down the keto rabbit hole and lost a ton of weight,” Daniel shares. “I was fasting, and eventually decided to go more animal-based. I liked that I didn’t have to count macros, and the weight was dropping just as easily.”

 

Daniel felt he may have lost too much weight, and after starting a carnivore diet, he was able to easily put on 20 pounds of muscle with a limited amount of effort. “I kind of shrunk down to a small stature between fasting and keto,” he recalls. “I was in a constant caloric deficit. Once I reduced the amount of fasting I was doing, I allowed myself free range to eat, which put on a lot of muscle. My frame is much more solid now compared to what it was when I was at my lowest weight, without a whole lot of exercise.” Daniel stays active, and mostly incorporates bodyweight exercises into his routine. “I think eating all the meat and animal products has helped me rebuild the proteins in my body to fill in my frame a bit more.”

Daniel had a smooth transition from a meat-based ketogenic diet to a pure carnivore diet. He was happy to find that his cravings for sweet treats finally subsided after the first three months, and now he only indulges a few times per year for his birthday or special occasions. Occasional fasting also helped him beat his cravings. “I typically do a 48 or 72 hour fast, and then I go back to eating one meal a day. I think that fasting is good for most people, and it teaches discipline.”

Daniel’s one meal per day is simply meat and eggs, with an occasional serving of cheese. He recognizes it is hard for many people not to have a variety of different types of food, but for him, it works well, and he’s maintained it with ease over the last year.

Another major benefit of a carnivore diet versus a regular ketogenic diet that includes vegetables is that Daniel no longer experiences painful symptoms of gout. Daniel’s pain from gout flare-ups had previously been so bad that he was often seeking pain medication from his doctor. “It was the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life, and I don’t wish it on anyone.”

“I reduced my gout with keto, but I was still having some flare-ups,” Daniel notes. “Since going carnivore, I’ve had zero flare-ups. It’s been the best year in terms of my health that I’ve ever had.”

Erik treats asthma, obesity, focus issues, and gout on a carnivore diet

Erik is 33 years old and has enjoyed various health benefits since starting the carnivore diet, including losing 50 pounds, finding focus at work, preventing gout flare-ups, and finally being able to retire his asthma inhaler.

Erik has struggled with his weight as long as he can remember, and had been on asthma medication since age 12. An avid wrestler in middle and high school, Erik bounced between different weight classes from 135 pounds and up to 220 pounds during those years. “There was a lot of weight cutting to try to get down to a certain level. It’s always been a struggle for me.”

Following high school, Erik signed up for the U.S. Marine Corp, but was medically discharged due to his worsening asthmatic symptoms and failing lung capacity. “The doctors had to do the lung capacity test four times in order for my results to register. It was still below the normal line, so I was sent home. It was devastating!”

Soon after, however, Erik had the opportunity to be his sister’s hero and donate one of his kidneys to her as she suffered from lupus and had been unable to find a match. After donating his kidney, Erik continued eating the standard American diet and his weight increased up to 280 pounds (on his 5’7” frame.) “My mood wasn’t good at all. I was married with two kids and my mental clarity at work just wasn’t there. I came back from a trip to Amsterdam and realized I had become a ‘fat American’. I knew things had to change!” he recalls.

After trying several different approaches to eating, Erik struggled to find one that worked for him. “I still believed that fat was the problem and needed to be avoided, so the low carb approach didn’t work for me,” Erik explains. “My sister had since gone vegan to help with her health issues, but I knew personally I enjoyed meat way too much.” Erik and his wife had invested in a local cow share, so that saved them money as he transitioned to a meat-based diet.

Erik discovered the carnivore diet through Dr. Shawn Baker’s podcast as well as interviews with Jordan and Mikhaila Peterson, who follow and promote the Lion Diet. “My asthma had gotten so bad that I was using a rescue inhaler after eating to combat the inflammation. I figured I’d give it a shot even though it sounded like the craziest thing!” Within his first ten days on the carnivore diet, Erik was able to completely come off his steroid inhalers.

The carnivore diet has been especially helpful for Erik because he discovered that avocados and green leafy vegetables actually caused him skin irritation. After fully adapting to the carnivore diet, his gout flare ups went away once he found ways to balance his electrolyte intake.

Erik’s asthma symptoms are 90% resolved in the months he’s been following the carnivore diet, and he now enjoys participating in Spartan race challenges. “This is the first time in nearly two decades that I’ve been able to push myself physically to see what I’m capable of, and not have to worry about my asthma symptoms. That kind of relief is probably unexplainable to anyone who hasn’t had an autoimmune issue.” Erik believes the fact that his life-long struggle with asthma has been resolved is the biggest proof that the carnivore diet works well for him.

Chris treats diverticulitis, sleep apnea, kidney stones on carnivore diet

You won’t want to miss hearing Chris share in his own words about his triumphant carnivore story! See for yourself his amazing before and after photos in this video, and find out how he reclaimed his health by losing over 220 pounds, healed from diverticulitis, overcame sleep apnea, and more on the carnivore diet.

After 18 months on the carnivore diet, Chris has an entirely new outlook on life. “I am off all prescription medications and daily supplements. I went from being unable to walk to training for my first 5k race in just a few weeks.” In this relatively short amount of time, Chris also overcame depression, diabetes, gout, kidney stones, and ocular migraines.

“I was overweight my entire life,” Chris shares,”and I was the stereotypical ‘fat kid’ who got bullied a lot growing up. Despite being interested in health and being an EMT and herbalist, I continued to deteriorate. I was always looking for answers, that magic berry that they were going to find in the Amazon that would help me lose all of my weight and get healthy.”

After trying “every diet on the planet”, including vegetarianism and extended fasting, Chris recalls the scales topping at over 500 pounds. “I had a lot of daily pain and suffering, I was unable to participate with my family and couldn’t enjoy places. I would sit on the bench at the theme park while my family went off and had fun without me.” Chris struggled to find practical advice from nutritionists and personal trainers. “The ‘eat less, move more’ mantra was a recipe for disaster for me as I could barely walk across the room. It just fueled my hunger. I experienced some success with the ketogenic diet, but it did not help my gastrointestinal or other conditions. It turns out keto treats and fat bombs are not the stuff that weight loss and great health is made of.”

A wake-up call in the form of a near-deadly diverticulitis flare is what finally prompted Chris to try the carnivore diet. “I wound up in the hospital with a perforated colon,” he recalls. “Lying there on a hospital bed, I knew that something had to change, or I would not be around much longer. When I closed my eyes, I honestly did not know if they would open again.” Chris explored several zero-carb communities online and was inspired by so many success stories. He decided to try it for 30 days, and lost nearly 45 pounds in that short period of time.

“I felt absolutely amazing! All of my health conditions very quickly cleared up–I never had one single symptom of diverticulitis, gout or kidney stones ever again.” Today, Chris enjoys waking up every day with energy, vitality and joy. “You don’t realize how depressed you are until you come out of that tunnel after 20 years. It’s like the carnivore diet completely rewired my brain.” This new-found confidence led to a promotion at work, first prize in a weight loss contest, and a new career as a certified health coach and hypnotherapist.

Chris enjoys a “species-appropriate diet” of meat, fish, eggs, and some dairy, while drinking only water. He occasionally incorporates fasting, but believes “the carnivore diet was the key. It unlocked the metabolic prison I was in and set me free!”

Roseanne treats depression, bloating, gout, inflammation on carnivore diet

Roseanne shares her incredible story of how the carnivore diet improved her mental health and rid her body of bloating, gout, and inflammation.

At 31 years old, Roseanne suffered from severe depression. “I was on antidepressants, and got to moments of just wanting to kill myself,” Roseanne reveals. “No one had ever explained to me just how important fats are for your brain function.” She had been following a high-carb, low-fat vegan diet for years, and had been following the guidance to count calories and reduce fat whenever possible.

“I resisted the carnivore diet at first,” she continues. “I wanted to try absolutely everything else.” In researching her options to include more fat in her diet, Roseanne came across a vegan ketogenic diet, and decided to give it a shot. The fat she consumed was primarily from seeds and nut butters, which she later discovered brought on even more inflammation in her body. “Towards the end, my inflammation and gut health was so bad. My stomach was constantly swollen, my fingers hurt all the time, and I couldn’t even exercise at the gym because it was hard to grip the pull-up bar. I even began to develop gout in my foot.”

Finally, Roseanne decided to experiment with adding meat to her diet which would eventually lead her down the carnivore path. “I will eat meat for a while, and show everybody it doesn’t work, and that we should all be vegan,” Roseanne recalls thinking at the time. “After just four months of reintroducing meat back into my diet, my depression was completely gone, and I was off all of my medication!”

As she continued to feel better, Roseanne committed to trying the carnivore diet for a month. “Within the first 12 days, my inflammation was completely gone, my fingers were no longer swollen, and my mental clarity was brilliant.”

Admittedly an emotional eater, Roseanne was pleased to find that she no longer turned to food to regulate her emotions as she had done for years. “The magic of the carnivore diet for someone who has struggled with an eating disorder, as I did, is that I had enough mental clarity to think myself through a highly emotional situation. Rather than be tempted to eat everything in the house, I could calmly talk myself through that situation and not turn to food.” Roseanne finds now that she can “act instead of react” to difficult situations.

“The carnivore diet has allowed me to have moments where I laugh and am happy. I can’t believe this is my life now, where I’m not miserable all the time.” Considering Roseanna had previously been on antidepressants for years, this is truly a remarkable milestone.

For those concerned about limited food choices, Roseanne encourages people not to worry. “There’s no point in having food that is going to make you feel worse,” she advises. “Eat your meat, drink your water, and wait it out as you break the sugar cycle and become fat-adapted.The hard part won’t last forever, and you’ll become a completely new person!”

Erik treats asthma, obesity, focus issues, and gout on a carnivore diet

Erik is 33 years old and has enjoyed various health benefits since starting the carnivore diet, including losing 50 pounds, finding focus at work, preventing gout flare-ups, and finally being able to retire his asthma inhaler.

Erik has struggled with his weight as long as he can remember, and had been on asthma medication since age 12. An avid wrestler in middle and high school, Erik bounced between different weight classes from 135 pounds and up to 220 pounds during those years. “There was a lot of weight cutting to try to get down to a certain level. It’s always been a struggle for me.”

Following high school, Erik signed up for the U.S. Marine Corp, but was medically discharged due to his worsening asthmatic symptoms and failing lung capacity. “The doctors had to do the lung capacity test four times in order for my results to register. It was still below the normal line, so I was sent home. It was devastating!”

Soon after, however, Erik had the opportunity to be his sister’s hero and donate one of his kidneys to her as she suffered from lupus and had been unable to find a match. After donating his kidney, Erik continued eating the standard American diet and his weight increased up to 280 pounds (on his 5’7” frame.) “My mood wasn’t good at all. I was married with two kids and my mental clarity at work just wasn’t there. I came back from a trip to Amsterdam and realized I had become a ‘fat American’. I knew things had to change!” he recalls.

After trying several different approaches to eating, Erik struggled to find one that worked for him. “I still believed that fat was the problem and needed to be avoided, so the low carb approach didn’t work for me,” Erik explains. “My sister had since gone vegan to help with her health issues, but I knew personally I enjoyed meat way too much.” Erik and his wife had invested in a local cow share, so that saved them money as he transitioned to a meat-based diet.

Erik discovered the carnivore diet through Dr. Shawn Baker’s podcast as well as interviews with Jordan and Mikhaila Peterson, who follow and promote the Lion Diet. “My asthma had gotten so bad that I was using a rescue inhaler after eating to combat the inflammation.
I figured I’d give it a shot even though it sounded like the craziest thing!” Within his first ten days on the carnivore diet, Erik was able to completely come off his steroid inhalers.

The carnivore diet has been especially helpful for Erik because he discovered that avocados and green leafy vegetables actually caused him skin irritation. After fully adapting to the carnivore diet, his gout flare ups went away once he found ways to balance his electrolyte intake.

Erik’s asthma symptoms are 90% resolved in the months he’s been following the carnivore diet, and he now enjoys participating in Spartan race challenges. “This is the first time in nearly two decades that I’ve been able to push myself physically to see what I’m capable of, and not have to worry about my asthma symptoms. That kind of relief is probably unexplainable to anyone who hasn’t had an autoimmune issue.” Erik believes the fact that his life-long struggle with asthma has been resolved is the biggest proof that the carnivore diet works well for him.

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