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Travis improved mental health, skin issues, and ulcerative colitis on a carnivore diet

January 6, 2023 No Comments

Travis is a health coach with a focus on a carnivore diet. He has had quite the health journey arriving where he is today! Let’s take a look at his experiences.

Early Life

He didn’t start out life on an easy path, experiencing his first heart operation when he was only three years old. By the time Travis was 34 years old, he would have seven more heart operations.

The Problems

Travis experienced many other health problems in his quest for health. He suffered from several brain-based problems such as anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), depression, and brain fog. These issues all indicate a person’s brain is inflamed and running on empty. When you push your brain to perform, and yet the mitochondria in those billions of nerve cells can’t provide the energy, the result is oxidative stress. The combination can make a normal day extremely challenging.

Travis experienced that, in the form of these several related symptoms. In addition to these brain symptoms, he also suffered from chronic headaches. These are often one of the major symptoms of the brain functioning in an imbalanced way. Normally, our brains recuperate at night, clearing out the metabolic waste products and refreshing supplies of vital neurotransmitters. However, this requires deep restorative sleep, and Travis experienced restless nights instead.

Gut Disorders

Travel also suffered from stomach ulcers, as well as ulcerative colitis. “All of it was horrible!” he says.

Burdened with this list of symptoms, Travis continued seeking solutions. He was originally on a “standard Western diet” and began to look for alternatives. The standard western diet is well documented in research as the standard to use when the researcher wants to make the lab animals develop a disease, which they then experiment on. It’s also known as the Standard American Diet, or SAD, which it certainly is!

Diet Trials, Finally Carnivore

Travis tried a vegan diet, but despite how much it is currently promoted as the solution to everything, he did not find it helped him. He also used a paleo diet, before transitioning into a ketogenic diet, and finally found and followed the carnivore diet. He has followed the diet for seven years now!

The Impact of Meat

He has put a lot of work into understanding how it works, and is amazed at the impact of the carnivore diet on today’s belief systems. “I’ve studied nutrition professionally, and currently research nutrition obsessively, now that modern understanding of nutrition has been turned on its head…”

The Human Appropriate Diet

Travis is now a complete believer in the diet, having seen the results it has brought him and his nutrition clients. “Based on my previous experience, my education on the subject, and current years of practice in carnivory I can easily say that not only was carnivore the solution, but it ultimately solidified itself as the human-appropriate diet, and I have remained on it since.”

Marcel manages psoriatic arthritis on the carnivore diet

January 6, 2023 No Comments

Marcel is working on completing his Advanced Nurse Practitioner training, and was focused on health. But, health was something that was eluding him. Perhaps his health challenges were one of the things that made him decide to be a healthcare provider as well.

Psoriasis Worsening-Marcel Develops Psoriatic Arthritis

Marcel had been struggling with psoriasis for 17 years, and the condition had worsened as it gradually covered his hands and his torso almost completely. Because psoriasis is an autoimmune condition, it can lead to other tissues being attacked, including the joints. Marcel developed psoriatic arthritis five years ago.

The progression of Marcel’s health problems accelerated, as he found himself experiencing sleep apnea and a vitamin B12 deficiency, as well as problems with lactic acid accumulation in his muscles.

Immune System Blocking Medication

Four years ago, Marcel began taking medications for the psoriasis. The drug was an immune system blocker, known as a TNF blocker. This resulted in some control of his psoriasis, and eliminated the inflammation in his joints. However, it left Marcel “Always tired, with muscle cramps. Just struggling with the symptoms of an autoimmune disease.”

Sometimes bad things can force us to make good changes, and Marcel was about to experience this paradox. His son became ill, and Marcel had to work from home so that he could take care of his son. “That week, I felt just fine, and that week I took my psoriatic arthritis medication.”

Illness Forces a Quest for Better Answers

One of the problems with immune-system blocking medication is that it can leave you very vulnerable to other infections that the immune system would normally protect you from.

The result was quite severe for Marcel: “The next day I became ill, I got a fever and a sore throat. I got a throat infection, and as a result a huge psoriasis flare up. I was covered from my scalp to the bottom of my feet. Feeling utterly hopeless and tired of being sick, I just went searching for possible solutions. Being an Advanced Nurse Practitioner in Training, being sick does not compute with the way I want to live.”

As many of us have, Marcel began a desperate search for answers online. He found the now-famous Joe Rogan podcast, where he was interviewing Dr. Shawn Baker. He wondered if the carnivore diet could be the solution.

30-Day Commitment Leads to Success

Marcel talked it over with his girlfriend, and they decided he should commit to trying carnivore for one month, staying very strict. The results were very promising, and his psoriasis began to vanish! Marcel’s joint pain eased as well, and for the first time he began to have hope. He continued on the diet.

Experiencing some inflammatory flare-ups because of two “cheat days” around Christmas, Marcel found his body was not forgiving about his diet. Nine weeks after starting his carnivore journey, his psoriasis is completely gone! He still has some scarring from the lesions, but perhaps these will fade over time. Marcel is now a carnivore diet believer!

Alan improved training recovery and marathon time by 28.5 minutes in one year on the carnivore diet

December 17, 2022 No Comments

Alan is a 61-year-old runner who has been eating carnivore for approximately 8 months. The diet changed everything for him. “I call it the Fountain of Youth,” he quips.

Always Counting Calories

Alan battled with his weight all his life. At 6 ft tall, he was his heaviest at 305 pounds.

About 5 years ago he decided to lose weight because he was metabolically ill. He describes his weight loss as 7 months of starving himself. “I was cold and tired and hungry all the time.” He got down to 195 pounds.

Alan started running and then began training for marathons. He says he had a hard time figuring out what to eat to give him energy and keep his weight down. He wanted to stay lean so he could run faster and ate a lot of chicken and broccoli and counted calories. The high fiber veggies gave him gas and made him bloat.

He describes feeling cold, tired, hungry, and exhausted with a lot of muscle aches. Plus, he had no muscle mass.

Although he felt better after his weight loss, he says that “ it really wasn’t sustainable.”

Alan wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon and started searching for something to help him have better energy when he trained.

Exploring Diets

Searching for a way to improve his performance, he discovered how saturated fats may be good for you.

Alan started keto about a year ago. He ate lean meats, such as chicken breasts, along with lots of low-carb veggies. Keto helped with his recovery but not his muscle mass.

About 7 months ago, Alan challenged a family member to start eating the “beef, bacon, and eggs diet.” His carnivore journey had begun.

Immediate Results

Alan’s digestive issues completely resolved. Overall he “trained more, felt better, got more sleep, and had constant energy.”

The biggest change for him was his recovery. He went from training 5 days per week to 6 and increased his miles from 45 to 65 per week.

Body Transformation

Alan started with a few pushups and squats—no weights—and within a month he was getting abs.

He gained an inch on his quads, gluts, and arms. Currently he’s up to 100 push-ups and 100 squats.

Alan qualified for the Boston Marathon with a time of 3:43. After carnivore he improved his marathon time by 11 percent. He says he doesn’t need carbs to train and trains fasted every morning.

No Cravings

Alan says that carnivore has eliminated his carb and sugar addictions and he’s satiated after a meal.

He eats a lot of beef and eggs, salts his food, and uses electrolytes because he sweats so much. He eats a 20 ounce ribeye, a few slices of bacon, and 4 or 5 eggs for breakfast and another ribeye or 1.5 pounds of very fatty ground beef at dinner.

Loves People

Alan wants to help people get healthier and tells everyone he can about his success eating carnivore.

Coach Evan reverses ankylosing spondylitis on a carnivore diet

November 30, 2022 No Comments

Ever since Evan was young, he had an insatiable hunger that caused him binge eat, in addition to his other daily struggles of ADHD, OCD, brain fog and fatigue. When he turned eleven—embarrassed by his heavy frame—he decided to go on a diet. Following the conventional wisdom at the time, he started eating a low-calorie/low-fat diet, full of lots of “healthy” whole grains, seed oils and tofu. He lost 30 pounds, but describes his body composition as “skinny fat ” at the time. He also couldn’t help noticing that he was a lot weaker than his fellow classmates. Using sheer willpower alone, Evan struggled with yo-yo dieting and calorie counting throughout high school, but it wasn’t until he entered college that the real trouble began.

“Out of nowhere,” Evan says, “I became incredibly depressed, anxious and suicidal.” He tried exercising daily to combat his negative feelings, but saw zero improvement. Exasperated, he turned his focus to his diet, and in his research experienced the cognitive dissonance that goes along with learning that animal fat is an important part of the human diet, while also simultaneously being the main driver of heart attacks and cancer. In the end, the “experts” won out, and Evan persisted in following their low-fat/high carb recommendations—to no avail. “I just felt worse and worse—I wasn’t getting better at all.”

After years of declining health, a defeated Evan began binge drinking and eating candy to deal with his frustrations. He eventually was diagnosed with Ankylosing Spondylitis—an autoimmune condition that runs in his family that affects the spine. He would go on to gain 40 pounds, and when hospitalized with bruises all over his body, nausea, diarrhea and night sweats, his doctors told him that his symptoms were most likely psychosomatic.

Finally, in 2020, one of his friends—who happened to be on the carnivore diet—invited him over for a steak. After eating it, Evan was surprised by how satiated he felt, and ended up not eating for the rest of the day. He woke up the next morning still feeling full, so he decided to give the carnivore diet a try. After the first week, Evan had lost ten pounds, and while he didn’t feel great—he didn’t feel terrible either. “Within the next two weeks, all of a sudden my depression and my anxiety had vanished, my Ankylosing Spondylitis had gotten 90% better, the numbness in my hands was gone, my bruising started going away, my asthma went away, my heartburn went away, my digestive issues went away…my libido came back—pretty much everything you can think of went away within two or three weeks.” He also noticed a remarkable improvement in his ADHD and OCD symptoms. “My whole outlook on life is a lot different: I’m a lot more motivated, a lot more friendly, outgoing, happy. So, pretty much, everything for me has changed.” His friends and family all agree. “I’m not the same beaten down person that I was before.”

Bradley improved fat loss, muscle gain, sciatica, cognition, and athletic performance

November 15, 2022 No Comments

When Bradley joined the army straight out of college, he never really gave much thought about nutrition. “I think—like a lot of young soldiers—I just ate whatever I wanted with the expectation that I was going to burn off all the pizza and beer.” It slowly caught up with him, however, and by the time his four years in the army were over, he had gained twenty pounds and was experiencing lower back pain. Shortly after leaving active duty, he was diagnosed with bulging disks around his L5-S1. A back surgery in 2018 mostly solved the issue, but there was still lingering stiffness in his lower back and leg.

As the years rolled on, Bradley continued to try to better his health with limited success. Then, when he got deployed overseas in 2020 with the Army Reserve, a friend recommended the ketogenic diet. “I was calorie restricting, I was running 20 to 30 miles a week…I was just exhausting myself…and I just wasn’t seeing any real positive results.” Thinking a military base would be an ideal environment for a controlled dietary experiment, he took the plunge and overnight cut out processed foods, sugars and sodas, while loading up his plate with all the protein and fat he could find.

“Some people talk about switching to low carb and seeing positive effects in a couple of days or weeks—but for me—it took about 20 minutes…I couldn’t finish that plate of food. This was really my first introduction to satiety.” After that, Bradley was off to the races. He lost 30 pounds over a six week period, and eighteen months later is happy to report that he is the healthiest he’s ever been. “I look better, my skin feels healthier, I’m stronger than I was before I injured myself—and the pain that was lingering after the surgery vanished in a matter of weeks…This was such a perspective shift for me—showing how quickly you can turn around your health just by putting proper fuel in your body.”

His Achilles heel—an insatiable sweet tooth—also disappeared within a matter of days. “In the past, if there was an Oreo in front of me, I’d have eat the whole box…and now…I just have no desire for it.” About to turn 33, Bradley now confidently lifts heavy weights at the gym without fear of injury, or experiencing any soreness the next day. “I just compare that to running five days a week in the past, and I would wake up and my shins would be on fire.” He’s also been able to attain greater mental clarity and concentration, something he found particularly useful when pursuing his Master’s degree.

“The surprising thing to me about the carnivore diet, was really how little effort it took. You know, it’s not about discipline—everybody thinks it is—but it’s really not. I didn’t lack for discipline running 30 miles a week, but then I couldn’t control myself in front of candy. So, it wasn’t a discipline issue, it was about ‘How is your brain wired to think about food?’ and ‘What kind of food are you putting in it?’”

Coach Danny’s heart is doing well on a carnivore diet

October 9, 2022 No Comments

An avid athlete, firefighter Danny Smith would work out twice—sometimes even three times—a day. In 2016, after a few bouts of what he thought was gastritis, he went to the hospital on a day he was experiencing particularly acute symptoms. He was admitted right away, and while the nurse was asking him about the situation, Danny passed out. The next thing he remembers is being jolted awake by an electric shock to the chest. Looking up at a room now full of people, he realized he had just been defibrillated. His heart had stopped for seven whole minutes. The doctor informed him that he had suffered a major heart attack at only 39 years old.

Diagnosed with familial hypercholesterolemia, Danny suspected another culprit as well—his diet. It was most certainly a wake-up call, and he was willing to do or try anything to make sure it didn’t happen again. Encountering only vague dietary advice from his primary doctor, he decided to give veganism a try. It lasted only a year—Danny never feeling well due to achey joints and a lack of energy—and culminated in the painful tearing of his ACL.

As he started doing research on his own, Danny observed that the guys at the firehouse on the keto diet were looking and feeling pretty good, so he jumped on the bandwagon too. As he continued searching for answers, he kept seeing carnivore pop up, and since he gravitated towards meat while eating keto anyway, he decided to take the plunge and give it a try. “I went on the carnivore diet, I was like—‘I’m never looking back. I feel so great.’ Everything was getting better!”

Now 45, Danny has been doing carnivore for two years and feels fantastic. His cholesterol numbers are all in a healthy range, he enjoys better stamina and muscle gains at the gym, and his heart doctor says he’s in such great shape that he only needs a yearly checkup. His diet consists mostly of beef, with Danny regularly enjoying ribeye steaks, beef ribs, burgers, bacon, eggs and the occasional piece of cheese. He was also able to shed some extra weight he had been carrying around—dropping from 245 pounds to a healthy 180 pounds.

On top of all of this, Danny has experienced extraordinary mental health benefits as well. The shock of the heart attack left Danny reeling with PTSD and major depression, so he started seeing a therapist. “Two weeks into the carnivore diet, I told my therapist, ‘I don’t think I need you anymore, because I’m not thinking the same way as I was.’ And I didn’t need him anymore—and that was only 2 weeks into the diet! The depression really got better—the PTSD…was totally gone.”

Now, Danny enjoy plenty of energy to train, spend time with his family, and play the bagpipes at firefighter events. He may enjoy the odd piece of cake at his children’s birthday parties, or an occasional beer with friends, but he says he really doesn’t crave those things anymore—and is happy to share his story with the hopes that it will help others too.

James gets off all psych meds on a carnivore diet

August 1, 2022 1 Comment

Hello,

My name is James. I am 27 years old and have suffered immensely from mental health issues since I was 6 years old. I was diagnosed with ADHD and put on psych medication in kindergarten. I also was depressed as a child which progressed as I became a teenager. When I was 17 I was diagnosed with Bipolar and schizo affective disorder. I am now 27 and have been hospitalized due to manic episodes over 200 times. I was told I would never live a normal life and always have to be on medications which caused obesity due to elevating my insulin and blood sugar.

I came across the work of dr. Shawn baker and dr. Chris Palmer. I began intermittent fasting and eating carnivore and within 2 weeks my lifelong depression lifted. I also lost 25 pounds in those 2 weeks. I went from 270 pounds to 245. I had metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, triglycerides and blood sugar) and my labs have all normalized. This is just the beginning of my journey and I am so grateful. I have been on this diet for 1 month and plan to do it for the rest of my life. It’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle. I also check my blood ketones daily to make sure I am in ketosis, usually between 3-5 ml. All of my mental health issues have been put into remission as well as my life long psoriasis that covered my face and scalp.

Thank you Shawn Baker for having the courage to speak the truth. You have saved my life and the lives of future generations by sharing this knowledge. I plan to share my story to try and help heal others who are needlessly suffering. There are no words to express my gratitude.

Coach Dwight thrives on carnivore diet

July 22, 2022 No Comments
I am 71 years old, retired, and now live in Idaho.
 
Sports include: tennis, mountain biking, kayaking, river climbing, and softball.
Health has generally been good but I had irritable bowel syndrome for many years and skin cancer in several places, removed with Mohs surgery.
 
At retirement, my son got me into weightlifting. That got me into nutrition & began keto 4 years ago. I heard Shawn on the Joe Rogan re-podcast and decided to go full carnivore 3 years ago (in September).
 
Results include:
  • lost 15 pounds, including all belly fat (body fat down to 9%)
  • improved strength; agility; flexibility; quickness; alertness
  • able to get lots of sun without burn
  • able to cut workout rest periods in half
  • fully lost sweet tooth; hay fever; athletes foot; back rash; weakness in ankle
  • able to nose breathe at night (sleep extreme well now)
  • worked with Evan Brand in spring, had full blood work done: all okay (HDL 81; Trig 78; LDL type A; hormones, minerals all fine)
Typical day:
  • workout (resistance training 5-6 days/week; sprints for cardio)
  • tennis
  • video editing for Youtube channel & website
  • high protein lunch
  • outdoor activity with grandkids or yard work, etc.
  • high protein dinner
I had two loved ones, pre-diabetic, with whom I wanted to share carnivore. I decided to create very short videos of key points by researchers and doctors like Shawn Baker, Ben Bikman, Ted Naiman, Jason Fung, and Paul Mason for easy, comfortable sharing. Both are now recovered and continuing with carnivore-ish diets.

Reagan heals from stuttering, stress, anxiety, pain, aches, dizziness, insomnia, obesity

July 18, 2022 1 Comment

Before the carnivore diet I was suffering with chronic depression, stress,  and anxiety. I would have panic attacks at night constantly along with sleep insomnia. All throughout my younger years it would take me 5-8 hours to fall asleep as i couldn’t fall asleep no matter the medication.  I sufferd with asthma as well; all throughout my life I was being rushed to hospitals in the middle of the night because i couldn’t breathe and my rescue inhaler wouldn’t work. 

Later in life in my teenage years was when the depression started. I tried ending my life on multiple occasions. Along with the stress, depression, and panic attacks at night, I also was suffering with chronic pain, head to toes. I had migrains and headaches almost every day non-stop. My joints were always killing me. I took pain killers all the time and nothing seemed to work. I was at even balding as a teenager and had horrible skin, I broke out bad. 

The heaviest I got up to was 258 pounds. I was obese and suffering. Although not diagnosed by a doctor, my blood pressure would shoot up when I tested it, and I would get so dizzy that I would literally fall it was just random spikes throughout the day. I knew something was off when everything around me started spinning. 

I also have been stuttering since I first began talking and went to speech therapy from before I was even in school to 7th grade. Eventually, I stopped trying; I just figured I would be stuttering forever. 

With carnivore, my depression has completely gone away. My stress, anxiety, pain, aches, dizziness, sleep, insomnia, and obesity are all gone. My stuttering has improved drastically. I stutter only once in a while now, whereas before it was every single word. I haven’t had any asthma attacks or breathing problems since going on this diet over 2 years ago . My hair grows like weeds now. Also, no more balding, no more skin issues, just everything is amazing and I’m no longer suffering.

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