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Chana heals from NAFLD, skin issues, digestive issues, and pre-diabetes on a carnivore diet

January 10, 2023 No Comments

Chana is located in Israel and has been on a carnivore diet for nine months. Her career was in music education, and she had been teaching as an orchestra director in New York and Pennsylvania since 1973. She also taught string instruments privately and in groups.

Vegan Misadventures

She always thought of herself as “into health,” and in 1982, “I decided to become a vegetarian, thinking that was a great way to go with my health because I gained a little weight after my first child, and then a year later I became a vegan and, um, way too restrictive! I actually felt okay for a while, then in the 90’s…couldn’t pinpoint it but I wasn’t feeling as well. When I get into these things, I’m very strict. Very little protein, and even less fat. You’d spread a little oil on the pan to saute some kind of vegetable and that’s about the amount of fat you got.”

Every time some health problem would arise, Chana would try to further tweak her diet. She now knows that she should have tweaked it by “getting rid of the diet, adding some protein and fat, get rid of the carbs.”

Raw Foods?

Then Chana started eating more raw foods, and “then I really wasn’t feeling so good,” and she realized this diet tweak didn’t help at all.

Paleo

Chana tried Paleo “which helped a little bit but not enough to be ketogenic.” She found out about carnivore from a friend who was doing it. She thought about it for several months, but her friend wasn’t doing it anymore.

Fatty Liver and PBC

She was diagnosed with fatty liver disease and primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). Chana also had reflux problems for a long time.

Carnivore Wins

Chana started the carnivore diet on her birthday last year. She had problems with her adrenals and hypothyroid, “along with some yo-yo dieting things from the past where I was eating too many carbs.”


She has been able to minimize the level of bio identical hormones she takes, and after six weeks on the diet, her liver enzymes began to normalize. Chana experienced other changes in her blood work, with “cholesterol has gone up to 322, my HDL is 114, LDL is 197. Triglycerides are 53.” These values reflect some very healthy ratios, such as a triglyceride to HDL ratio well below 1.0. Her reflux completely vanished after six weeks on the diet.

Chana has also seen a big improvement in her energy levels: “I get much more accomplished. Before carnivore I was in bed a lot; I was exhausted.”

Her weight also went from 154 down to 125 in about six weeks!

As far as Revero goes, Chana feels “it has been a major source of help and camaraderie and community, and it’s really a wonderful platform to be part of because there’s so much support.” She is now a coach on the platform!

Michelle ran her first half-marathon at 61 on a low-carb diet

December 20, 2022 1 Comment

Michelle – 61 year old female, soon to be 62 in January

12/2021 Started carnivore – At that time, I was using a type of macro tracker which, based upon my metrics and goals, had me at adequate protein, low fat, and low carb. Since the end of 2018, I had been dealing with chronic forearm tendonitis and both lateral and medial elbow pain in my left arm. Also, I have always dealt with constipation, bloating, and lower energy. Since my early 40s, I’ve had a small eczema patch, which I affectionately began to call my barometer. Since I had a sense of how much protein to eat and my carbs were quite low, I decided to give carnivore a try to see if I could mitigate my arm pain, and address constipation, bloating, and eczema.

What I learned during my first year as a carnivore:

  • I call meat, with its requisite fat, my gate keeper. As long as I have adequate protein, with the fat it contains, my energy is stable and I have no cravings.
  • I hydrate throughout the day (water), and use electrolytes during endurance activities.
  • Constipation and bloating resolved immediately, as if I never had them. Eczema resolved, but it does present a bit when I eat eggs.
  • Arm pain is much better, but not completely resolved. Most of the time I am not in pain (prior to carnivore, I was always in pain). While I do love to lift (compound movements), they don’t always love me back (sometimes my arm hurts and sometimes not). The pain doesn’t necessarily present in real time, so I am never sure of what’s going to hurt and what won’t until after I’m done with a workout. There’s something about stepping up to a bar (regardless of the grip) or dumbbells that doesn’t always agree with my arm, regardless of the weight. However, during this year, I discovered that lifting really heavy things (sand bags, tire flips, hay bales, grain bags), close to my body, generates great blood flow, without any pain in my arm. This type of activity makes me so happy. I can work hard and I never experience pain.
  • I realized that I had forgotten to take my supplements for thyroid and adrenals, which I dutifully had taken for years, after starting carnivore. Once I realized this, I no longer felt that I needed them.
  • Initially, I didn’t take off weight, but I could tell that my body was changing because my clothes fit differently. I ditched the scales. Eventually, I took off about 8 lbs, but my clothes fit the same.
  • I no longer feel compelled to chase errant bio-markers (mostly thyroid). If I feel fine, I’m going to assume I’m fine, and as long as I stay carnivore.
  • My sleep is solid.
  • I eat when I’m hungry.
  • Favorite steak cut: chuck-eye
  • Favorite braise cut: cross-cut shank
  • When I go on longer runs (5-6 miles), my body is fine. Before carnivore, I felt like I had done work after a long run day, and I would give my body a break the next day. Now I don’t even notice the longer distance and feel that I could do it again the next day.
  • Highlight during my first year as a carnivore:
    In June, I ran a half-marathon at altitude (about 4800 feet elevation, near Glacier National Park). I neither train that distance, nor run at altitude. My energy and expenditure was fine throughout the run. Afterward, I felt like I had worked, but my recovery was rather seamless. I took the next day off, except for some light walking. The following day I was fine. No carbohydrates required!

Further background about me
I have always been very active, but struggled with weight (either over or under eating). I was constantly on the go, yet fatigued. I always assumed that I was low thyroid, based upon my symptoms. The doctor would check one thyroid marker, which would be in normal range, and tell me I was fine. I love to cook and love to eat. I’ve always been bloated and constipated. I like to do deep dives into information and many N=1 experiments.

In the early 2000s, we embraced Weston Price and Nourishing Traditions. We sourced local grass-fed meat, always tried to source organic produce, and adopted food and lifestyle as our medicine.

Between 2008 and 2018 we farmed in Oregon, raising/selling pastured/grass-fed meat. I started paleo in 2012 and Crossfit in 2013 (5 days per week). I was also active in physically-demanding equine sport and ran 3-4 days per week. I was perimenopausal/menopausal. By 2014, I was in post-menopause and in the pre-diabetic range (A1C of 5.7).

Between 2014 and 2019, I began keto paleo and intermittent fasting, often interchanging days of each. I tried low-fodmap for bloating. Sleep was not great. Adrenals were tapped. I had some low thyroid markers (mostly T3). No autoimmunity. I probably had a cortisol response from much underfeeding, intermittent fasting, and much activity. I tracked blood glucose throughout the day for several years. My A1C didn’t really lower significantly but glucose ranges were so narrow that it was assumed that I wasn’t headed for diabetes, given my food choices and activity level.

By the end of 2018, I had developed chronic forearm tendonitis and both lateral and medial elbow pain from overuse. In 2019, I began using the RP app, which gave me a breakdown of macros that were right for me. I stopped intermittent fasting and started fueling, especially on protein! Had more carbs than I previously had. Great results! Lowered weight and body fat.

In 2020 I got out of the pre-diabetic range (A1C 5.4). I assumed it was because I added back in some carbs. I now know that it was more so that I wasn’t underfueling and stressing my body out.

At the end of 2021, I started carnivore. I love vegetables but don’t miss them, as long as I eat enough protein and fat. In 2022, a few months into my carnivore journey (March), I tried the fruit/honey (small amounts) route for a few weeks. My energy wasn’t great during this time and especially with the honey, it was a slippery slope having it in the house. My lower energy resolved when I ended the short fruit/honey stint. I didn’t miss either. After the brief fruit/honey experiment, I added in some electrolytes, which my body seemed to crave. Was it the electrolytes or was it the hydration that my body was craving? Now, I use electrolytes during endurance activities or if I feel tired, but I endeavor to stay well-hydrated. Recently, I tried adding in more butter. I like the idea of it, but if I add it on top of adequate daily protein, it is just too much fuel for me. Even with increasing activity, my clothes were just getting tighter. I’d need to decrease protein, if I am going to add more fat. Right now my activities include: Functional Range Conditioning, strength training (not always with a bar), rowing, running, rucking, hiking. While I am interested in getting stronger, I no longer want to work against a clock in HIIT activities on a daily basis. It’s great fun and comradery, but too much wear and tear for me.

 

For 2023, I have plans for two more half-marathons: one near Grand Tetons and one near Yellowstone. Hope to get to more runs in other beautiful locations, as I am able.

#Carnivoreforthewin!

Darby manages graves’ disease and type 1 diabetes on low-carb diet

November 26, 2022 No Comments

Darby grew up being plagued by every kind of allergy imaginable. At 5 years old, he was diagnosed with hundreds—from trees to weeds to bee stings and everything in between. At 11, he needed reconstructive sinus surgery due to the many sinus infections over the years, and later had to have his tonsils out as well. As the years passed, the allergy shots helped a bit, but his health problems inhibited his ability to engage in the sports he loved. Fast forward to 2013, and Darby begins to experience heart palpitations, which are dismissed by doctors, as they advised him simply to “stay away from caffeine.”

In 2015, he was hospitalized with a heart attack, and two weeks later with another one again. This time, his doctor was wise enough to check his thyroid panel. He was diagnosed with Graves’ disease, and was given more medication to manage yet another health condition. He was able to feel a bit better and add a few pounds to his underweight frame, but in January of this year there was even more crushing news. Darby was diagnosed with Type-1 Diabetes. In his mid-thirties, his mind was filled with dread as to what could possibly come next. In a moment of sheer desperation, he prayed for an answer. Not long after, he found Shawn Baker and the Revero community.

“Behold, I was messing around YouTube and I stumbled upon you and Dr. Ken Berry initially, so I started watching video after video…and realized that maybe my issue had been plant material this entire time. What is it that is causing my body to attack itself? Is it the oxalates? Is it the lectins?”

In March, Darby slowly transitioned to the carnivore diet, and after two weeks, he didn’t need to take insulin anymore. By mid-April, he was able to come off his Graves’ disease medication, and this past October his labs revealed his thyroid hormone levels were completely normal. Now, he’s able to do things he’s only dreamed of; running, lifting weights, and carrying his daughter on his shoulders for hours at Disney World. He’s also free from the allergies and sinus infections that have haunted him his whole life.

“It’s absolutely amazing. It completely blew my mind, and—it’s strangely satisfying. I do not have a craving to eat anything but meat anymore.”

Darby started off doing a strict version of the carnivore diet—his meals consisting of red meat, salt and water. He has since branched out to add pork, eggs, and chicken, but he’s planning to go back to a stricter approach soon, as he believes that was one of the reasons for his rapid recovery.


“I can’t say how truly thankful I am—from the bottom of my heart—for what [Shawn Baker] and people like Ken Berry and Anthony Chaffee do on a daily basis to try and help people, because it really, truly is amazing. It’s a miracle—like nothing I’ve ever seen. I was told that, you can’t cure this. This is what you’re going to be for the rest of your life… If it wasn’t for you…I would have never known. I would have just stayed being sick on the SAD diet and getting sicker.”

As far as Darby’s concerned, he has a new lease on life, and when asked whether this diet is worth the risks, he says “Bring it on!”

 

Alicea gains muscle and manages mental health on the carnivore diet

November 3, 2022 No Comments

Alicia lives in northern California. She’s 52 and struggled with eating disorders since she was 15 years old. While she was never obese, she still struggled with bulimia, binging, and purging. At one point she got down to 107 pounds, which isn’t much for her 5’ 7” frame. Alicia often thought, “If someone could just tell me what foods I should eat, I could figure this out!”

A Carb Addict

She grew up believing fats were bad and would binge on chocolate-covered nuts and vegetables, admitting that she was a carbohydrate addict. Alicia also became addicted to exercise as a way to burn off all the extra calories.

Diet Pills and Emotional Eating

Alicia did try a plant-based diet, but gained weight on it and did not stay with it. She experienced joint pain, anxiety, and depression over the years, and was “on a lot of diet pills, also, in my 30s. I think going off those caused depression too, because I was on Phentermine forever.”

In 2014, Alicia weighed 150 pounds and wanted to stop thinking about food while losing some weight. She was “keto for a while…it was helping to some degree.” However, she found that “I was using food and sugar; I was addicted to it, so any emotion that came up, I was still eating it.”

Finding Carnivore

Alicia was “in the keto space” in September 2020, and listened to the Joe Rogan podcast with Dr. Shawn Baker. She “figured I would try it, and I actually hid it from my husband for at least a week, because I thought he, or anybody, would think ‘uh oh there she goes on a crazy, you know, her eating disorders are back and this is nuts’ because I didn’t know anybody in my real life that was doing it.”

She noticed that the more she got rid of sweets, the more “the urges for all the sugar stuff goes away.” In a week or two, she thought, “Wow, there is something here!”

Healing

Alicia notes that her “recovery is so quick, it’s like ridiculous.” Her current diet is about 70% fat and 30% protein, and she maintains her weight at 145 pounds, with 18% body fat and good muscle mass. She eats two meals a day, including eggs, pork rinds, eggs, and red meat. She prefers flank steak and tri-tip over ribeye, and avoids liver.

Alicia doesn’t have any more cravings, and attributes that to “my insulin is really low and I don’t have the carbs coming in for my cycle and hormones to go nutty, and being in 12-step programs, talking my stuff out and not running to food for my emotional release.” She also has had “a lot of counseling in my past, and working on myself” and acknowledges that it did help.

Being carnivore is now part of Alicia’s identity, and she says she “doesn’t see other things as food anymore…the obsession and compulsion is completely gone; it’s amazing!”

Claire Reverses Osteoporosis and Puts On Muscle In Her 60s On A Carnivore Diet

August 21, 2022 No Comments

An educator for over 20 years, school principal Claire needed more energy to keep up with her busy schedule. After being diagnosed with osteoporosis nine years ago, she started on a fitness journey that led her to crossfit classes coupled with weight training, but after experiencing less-than-stellar results, her coach encouraged her to take a closer look at her nutrition. Up until that point, she ate the Standard American Diet, regularly enjoying pasta and bread. When she heard about the carnivore diet, she decided she’d give it a try for a few weeks. Fast forward four years later, and she’s still on the carnivore bandwagon—experiencing the myriad health benefits that go along with it.

“The reason I stayed with it after a couple of weeks was, number one: I was enjoying what I was eating—and I was eating as much as I wanted—which was wonderful…but over the course of just four weeks, I gained more muscle than I had gained in months prior to that. I saw fairly quick results in my body composition and my performance—and that was exciting.”

Now 68 ½ years old, her yearly checkups and bloodwork all confirm she’s thriving. “Continuing to do all the weightlifting…and eating meat—I have actually reversed my osteoporosis in my spine to normal, so that’s been awesome! I also have hypothyroid and that has improved as best thyroids can improve. I’m still taking Synthroid but instead of this being a progressive illness, it has actually gone the other way and they had to reduce my meds because it was too much.” Another perk? After six months of eating carnivore, the kidney stones she had been told were waiting in the wings completely disappeared.

When asked what her doctors had to say about her strident health breakthroughs, Claire says they are generally mute on the subject, but had plenty to say when she was initially diagnosed—especially in regards to medication. “I told the doctors, ‘I’m not going to take those medicines. I’m going to exercise and address things from a different perspective.’ They don’t say anything when THAT works!”

Claire’s diet now mainly consists of big old steaks, ground beef, pork, fish and dairy. “I do eat dairy—I know some carnivore people don’t…I found that when I experimented and stopped all dairy, I did see an increase in muscle mass, but I like dairy so I decided I was going to keep doing cheese because I like it.”

Sometimes Claire’s work schedule is so busy that she has to work through lunch, but she finds she is generally able to achieve her goal of eating at least 100 grams of protein per day. Once the pandemic hit, she started working out from home, and without a coach spurring her on, she has been able to maintain an impressive 150lb deadlift. “A few years ago I was eating carbs and working out—I feel like I’m stronger, healthier—feel better—now.”

Article by Jennifer McDowell

Kelly Heals From Hashimoto’s With Ketovore Diet

July 16, 2022 No Comments

 I’ve always held health and fitness as top priorities in my life; very active and played sports growing up; I continued to lift weights and work out throughout my adult life. My diet has always been a standard American diet with a mixture of “healthy” veggie-based and fruit-forward foods. Never thought my diet was a huge contributor to my health since I’ve always been a petite, fit body type; I was more focused on exercise as the path to health.

From 2019-2020 I began feeling “off” (brain fog, extreme fatigue) and finally got a comprehensive lab panel done in August 2020. The results were that my thyroid hormones were off and thyroid antibodies were very high. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos and went on NP Thyroid, and told to go on an elimination diet, then migrate to a paleo-type diet. I saw immediate health improvement, felt amazing, and eventually decided to restrict myself to no sugar and no grains, leaning more into mostly eating animal proteins.

I continued to feel massive improvements in my gut health, as well as my mental and overall health, with no real Hashimotos symptoms any longer. As I continued to feel improvement in my Hashimotos symptoms, I explored the idea of only eating meat via Dr. Ken Berry and his wife, Neisha, who was able to fully manage her Hashimotos via a ketovore diet. I’ve been able to manage my Hashimoto symptoms and continue to heal my gut issues with this way of eating!

Nicole D Is Her Best Self On The Carnivore Diet

June 18, 2022 No Comments

I am an aspiring Revero Health Coach. I began the Carnivore Diet July 1, 2019 after giving Keto a try to rid myself of recurring infections such as mastitis and UTI’s. Little did I know, my left kidney was holding on to a larg calcium oxalate kidney stone.

 

3 months in to Carnivore the stone tried to exit and got stuck in my ureter. It caused a back up in my kidney which began leaking. I became septic and had fluid on my left lung. Of course all the doctors and some of my family urged me to stop eating so much meat because they all believed a meat heavy diet would further damage my already failing kidneys. I had a decision to make and all I could do was listen to my body. My instincts told me to tune them out and keeping going.

 

It took me almost 3 months to recover from my kidney situation, but recover I did and even though my left kidney has permanent damage from the stone, I was upgraded from 6 month Nephrology appointments to 12 months. In addition to overcoming kidney stones, Carnivore has also helped me lose weight, put my Hashimotos Autoimmune symptoms into remission, and has received me of my arthritis pain.

Dunja healed Hashimoto’s and Alex healed perforated colon

May 6, 2022 No Comments

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 he did eat a lot of nuts and grains thinking they were healthy.


Hashimoto’s, Brain Fog, and Fatigue

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

Alex’s Many Conditions

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.


Carnivore in Stages

Dunja started on a keto 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 Hashimoto’s on keto. But her gout, knee, and joint pain in her hand did not.

Alex felt better at first, but then declined and thought something’s not right—he was getting joint pain. The more salads and greens he ate, the more off 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 eating carnivore and decided to give it a try.

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


Alex and Dunja Start Carnivore

They felt it would be easier if they both did the diet together.

Today, Alex is off all medications and supplements, though they both take vitamin D because they get little sun in the midwest in the 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.”

Transition Challenges

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

 

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


Support from Revero

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 Revero social gatherings and say that people are very open and supportive.

Tracey reversed her Hashimoto’s on a carnivore diet

May 5, 2022 No Comments

When she turned 40, Tracey had been diagnosed with pre-diabetes, and she took an interest in low-carbohydrate diets. She would follow the low-carb ways and then a ketogenic diet for the next six years.


A Dr. Baker Follower

Tracey had been following Dr. Shawn Baker, and she also had some clients that were curious about the carnivore diet lifestyle, so she had been “watching and reading” about it for some time.

She had clients who had heard about Dr. Baker and the carnivore diet, though most of them were quite predictably very skeptical. “Some had heard about Shawn after he was on the Joe Rogan podcast, and they did the whole ‘What? Only eat meat? How ridiculous; can’t be, can’t work, blah blah.”

Hard to Sleep With Heat

“I’d go to bed every night, and I would just have this intense heat in my body; my sleep leading up, a couple of years, was just really average. I had muscle soreness, but it was really the heat and the tiredness that was the issue.” These symptoms turned out to be symptoms of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, however.

 

Hashimoto’s

Tracey was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s at age 46, after believing that her hot flashes were a sign of menopause. Seeing the reality validated on her lab reports was very surprising, though she immediately knew what she would do about it. Her diagnosis “was a bit of a shock. I knew straight away I was going to do carnivore to help heal the condition.”

 

Transitioning to Carnivore

Tracey transitioned to carnivore with the guidance of a naturopathic physician.

She was eating the “standard ketogenic diet, so it was quite high in dairy, high in oxalate, high in lectins. I took everything out. I even took eggs out, which turned out to be an issue for me. For three months, none of it except for meat…with a little bit of trial and error.”

Body Adaptation Time

She did experience some adaptation issues, saying “It took my gut a good ten to twelve weeks to right itself, pretty amazing, isn’t that? I had no idea it would take that long…I knew, like any diet, it would take the time to transition and I just had to stick with it and it would right itself.”


“I was getting what I thought were hot flashes, but were actually heat from the food allergies, really!”

 

Tracy did keep many people’s favorite plant-based beverage: “I did keep in coffee, so my naturopath was quite happy that coffee wasn’t going to be an issue, so I had to get used to black because I was so used to having cream in my coffee.”

 

Reintroducing Foods

After three months, Tracey started adding back “just a few little things” like eggs and minimal dairy. This continued for six months, where Tracey was “pure carnivore.”

 

Carnivore Results

“My thyroid panel has totally normalized. I sleep really well; I have no heat; I’m eating eggs now, after reintroducing them slowly…I feel fantastic and thriving.”

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