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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

Savarrah healed from Anxiety/depression, pmdd, uti’s, and cavities on a carnivore diet

November 24, 2021 1 Comment

Savarrah, who goes by Savy, began her journey to health in 2011 after her dad passed away from ALS. She says before her dad died, he and her grandma had been researching health and nutrition to slow down his progression. At the time, her dad ate a lot of vegetables, juices, and not much sugar. Savy says it was because of her dad and her grandma that she began to understand the connection between what she was eating and how she felt.

Before finding the carnivore diet, Savy says she ate a lot of fast food, notably Taco Bell. She loved Mexican food and pizza; however, her poor diet affected her health. Savy struggled with chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs), cavities, and weight gain. Her biggest struggle, however, was her mental health. Savy suffered from pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), anxiety, and depression. Savy says her mental health affected her daily; she often had severe mood swings and panic attacks.

Savy decided to try the ketogenic diet to lose weight. She says the night before she started the diet, she ate an entire pizza and drank two liters of soda by herself. At first, on the keto diet, she ate a lot of fat bombs and other keto treats as her body transitioned to operating on low levels of carbohydrates. Savy says she eventually became more of a “strict” keto follower, eating many plants doused in butter and cheese and a little bit of meat.

Savy says she stuck to her strict keto diet for several years, and while she lost weight and her chronic UTIs and cavities disappeared, she still struggled with her mental health. She was on several medications and began to think that struggling with her mental health would always be a part of her story.

When Savy first heard of the carnivore diet, she thought it sounded crazy. However, she started researching the diet and listening to success stories. She says one story stuck out to her, particularly about a man who eliminated his anxiety with the diet. Savy was intrigued, so in April 2019, she began her carnivore journey.

Savy says almost immediately, she found that her mental clarity improved on the carnivore diet. Within two to three months, she was completely off all of her medications for anxiety and depression. She also found she had more energy, and the diet gave her more confidence.

When she started the carnivore diet, Savy said she initially ate only beef, water, and salt for thirty days. Since then, she has experimented with what works best for her health and has added eggs, pasteurized bacon, some fish and goat milk products, and raw cheese. She says other processed dairy products make her instantly feel inflamed, so she avoids them at all costs.

Savy is now living a life full of freedom from her mental health struggles, and she has the carnivore diet to thank for changing her life for the better. Savy is proud of herself and has even inspired her mom to follow a meat-based keto diet. Savy says her advice to anyone looking to start the carnivore way of eating is to do it, “what do you have to lose?”

Ina found her way out of pain and misery on a carnivore diet

July 15, 2020 3 Comments

My name is Ina, and this is my story.

It all started from birth I suppose. I never experienced any major health issues, I was an extremely energetic kid, but I dreaded afternoon sleeping and eating in general. (Just for the record, 7 yo, 19 kg). Everyone thought I was super allergic to the nitrates, the skin and the seeds in vegetables and fruits, as every time I ate them – I had an immediate response in the shape of urticaria, swollen lips, eyelids, or itchy inflammatory rash.

Little that we knew, my father’s kidney stone issue/compromised ability to expel oxalates was something I inherited. (I don’t think he has much oxalobacter by default either, the only difference is – he’s never been on antibiotics, so the problem rises occasionally, but he has a normal and fulfilling life, full of sports and his diet is very good.) 

It all sort of subsided for me as I grew up, but continued at the background, appearing when I least expected. My first major kidney issues started in my teenage years, when I (why the hell?!)  became vegetarian. I also had plenty of fractures in those years (again no one suspected calcium in my body preferred the kidneys, not the bones). A kidney crisis from time to time used to put me in hospital. But hell really broke loose in the spring of 2012. 

I had a kidney infection that was resolved by a course of an antibiotic, just for the symptoms to come back with vengeance a month later. And they never left for the next 8 years.Little that I knew, it was only about to get worse. Ever since – not a single urine or blood test, pcr, sterile, or any other revealed the presence of bacteria/virus and I have been tested for everything under the sun.  What they all revealed though: 

The parasitology in Sofia was the first to point out in the right direction after testing my 24h urine. The sample was clean of pathogens, yet, full of epithelial cells, traces of blood, all visible with a naked eye.

We found a fantastic microbiologist, who took my case very personally and tried everything to help. But even he said – “I dont understand, I have never seen such an abundance of epithelial cells, there must be an ongoing response, possibly an infection.”

He thought that my own body is attacking me for some mysterious reason. He was sort of right. But it wasn’t until a few years later that I joined the dots. My body was not attacking me, my body was attacking the oxalates, deeply embedded in my soft tissues. I was peeling from the inside and no one knew why. Instead, unable or incompetent or purely business oriented doctors started experimenting on me.

As no progress was ever achieved, they all resorted to referrals to other ‘specialists’, usually psychiatrists, neurologists, etc, who overmedicated me and tried to convince my family I was crazy. I think this was the rock bottom of it all. To be labeled mentally unfit, or oversensitive, OR DEPRESSED when you are peeing the skin of your own organs out while trying to protect the emotions of those you love is a tragedy.

This is when I started planning and postponing ‘an accident’, because I just could not face my father anymore, every morning, asking me if I feel any better than the day before. I am crying while writing this and no, I was not depressed. I was in pain, no matter what conventional medicine conveniently translates that into.

The symptoms were: constant kidney pain, mostly sharp, as a knife cut, sometimes dull and extensive, sometimes like electricity shocks(at my worst I was literally blacking out of pain), sometimes right kidney, sometimes left kidney, sometimes both. Pain was moving, so I felt it in my ureters and bladder and particularly – in my urethra.

It felt like this, imagine it, please: You shatter a glass bottle in small sharp pieces. You fill your shoes with them. You put them on without socks, and you live without EVER taking them off for the next 8 years of your life while everyone around you is dancing through life and questioning your sitting in the corner.

It is not unbearable, there are no words that can describe this darkest circle of hell. No actual diagnosis that explains it all was ever given, but hundreds of umbrella terms, painfully familiar (chronic, idiopathic, autoimmune, etc) were ascribed to my ever worsening condition. I lived somehow, trying everything on earth while being on a regular supply of antibiotics and painkillers. 

Fast forward to May 2018.

Pain multiplied to the point of me being unable to work, function or continue on my own, so my absolute legends of parents took me home for the next 6 months, determined to solve the problem once and for all. I turned into a very sick baby, who had lost all its independence, most opportunities and a fair amount of people.

My grandfather was a very respected and renowned doctor of Sports medicine and so we were lucky (we thought at the time) that we could access the best. Without sparing any time, effort or funds, we started going from one hospital to another, from one highly recommended specialist to the next. The head of the nephrology unit in a major hospital, arrogant beyond belief, just shouted at me and my dad, a week after my last operation that I ‘should drink bicarbonate of soda and get on with my life’.

His co-worker, who performed the operation in the university hospital, said ‘I have seen this idiopathic inflammation, there is no cure for it, so cheer up, you are young, I will refer you to a neurologist.’ But after 4 very invasive operations, cutting, dilating, stretching, and unblocking previously caused by operation blocks, I was on my way out. I was on a 16 hour drip of the strongest antibiotics (for sepsis), morphine, all my veins were popping, so I had IV-s in my ankles, I was 37 kg, i could not eat and I was prescribed benzodiazepines and an anticonvulsant at that point.

This is when we found a private clinic in London which had a high success rate in treating patients like me through an experimental therapy of systemic high dose antibiotics. Their theory was of a deeply embedded stealth infection, which I am sure is the case for many, but was definitely not for me. Nevermind. We went for it as we simply didn’t have any choice left at the time. The waiting list was 4 months.

I packed my bag and flew back to the UK. For the next two years I was put on a very high dose of 2 (sometimes 3) types of antibiotics daily, indefinitely. They adapted them based on my urine epi cells count, wbc count and my symptoms, but they never really changed anything drastically, apart from giving me hope that maybe…..in the long term…..you know, maybe I will be lucky this time.

Fast Forward to June 2020. 

I live in the UK, I am highly addicted to the two benzos(between 3 and (on a bad day)10 mg a day, which is the only thing that took the edge of the pain away), the anticonvulsant is gradually raised from 75mg to 600 daily, (which is a tenfold of 8 times in less than 2 years!), I am taking potent painkillers, barely touching the pain as if they are sweets, the 2 systemic hardcore antibiotics were ruining me, and in the meantime – I try everything that I found about, chinese herbs, tinctures, supplements, physio, fasting, even bloody god damn veganism for a bit (huge mistake, completely incompatible with life or my problem, specifically).

I just didn’t know enough yet. My short term memory was severely impacted, my concentration was out the window, I could not sleep/wake up without pills, I could not maintain a normal relationship, job or even a conversation, because I simply felt nothing, but pain and I hated myself for that.

I really, really wanted to live a good life and pursue my dreams, and unburden my family(emotionally) but that was not happening. So a plan had to be made. The plan was simple, if by the end of 2020 there was no improvement, I was done trying. And I want to point out – no doctor has EVER responded positively, to any of our questions about the food – health connection. None. Not one. They were more than happy to take the money though and leave me even more disabled than before meeting them and then pass me on to the next medical vulture like a piece of useless flesh. 

Roughly at this point I found out about the carnivore diet, about Shawn Baker, Mikhaila Peterson, Sally Norton, Paul Saladino and so on and so on and these people saved my life and are nothing short of saints to me. I thought – ok, that is my last chance. I have to go for it and I have to go all in.

I stopped all my medications stone cold(which I do not recommend to anyone!). That put me in, well, I thought I knew what hell felt like, I was only about to find out. 

It felt like dying of pain and fear every single second of every minute, of every hour, of every day for the next month. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t sleep, I was shaking, puking, having nosebleeds, my heart was racing. Abstinence together with an excruciating pain because your body is full of oxalates that are chopping your insides is what hell is made of, if anyone ever wonders.

I began the carnivore diet slowly, eating lamb and bacon. Lockdowns had started, so I didn’t have to go to work and suffer in silence anymore, I could just experiment with that meat thing, feel as weak as I needed to during the adaptation period(1 month btw). I didn’t have much energy in the beginning for much more than sunbathing in the garden, free to feel unhidden pain. High-calcium foods like dairy did not do me good (and still don’t) but meat and fish were a whole different story.

I still can’t tolerate dairy and other things, but I am ok with just meat, fish, eggs and fish roe for the moment. I do experiments every few months, adding things to my diet(for example, I tried yogurt recently, as I have always loved it, but I wish I didn’t, eggs only came back to me a month ago, etc). Sometimes successfully, sometimes not, but what happened altogether is on the following list:

  • I am finally sleeping.
  • I am off all prescription medication.
  • I have so much more energy and (please don’t laugh) joie de vivre!
  • My body composition is optimal.
  • Everything heals quicker (I had an old snowboard knee trauma, that healed 3 weeks into eating meat).
  • I tan quickly, do not burn and I hardly fade. My skin is clear, my nails and hair are strong. 
  • My period is like a clock now. 

About once a month, there are a few days when oxalates are leaving my body and I pee these sharp crystals, but I recover quicker and I have more breathing space between the difficult days now. Also – I am seeing the pattern of oxalate dumping, when I eat something with a high calcium content(or at least that is my case, which is something i need to work out, so I can have strong bones too).

  • Pain is so much less, I can function almost completely normally and do not take any painkillers, which itself says a lot. 
  • My focus, concentration and memory have never been as good.
  • Altogether, I feel calmer, brave and optimistic, not drained, scared and doomed anymore, because I know it is a matter of time, will and resilience. 

I know it is a long process, but results really don’t lie and I am convinced that this is the right path and I am so happy more and more people are tuning in. 

My mother told me that there are no failures, there are only lessons, while we were discussing the fact that despite my personal growth and the million books I have read, my professional CV suffered in the past 9 years. I suppose this is how I justify these 30% of my life. By not quitting, but finding the way out of pain and misery.

I have to think like that if I am to ever overcome the sorrow of having all this time lost to pain. To hell with everyone who is afraid, sceptical or neglecting the health tragedies that curse millions of lives. And the health benefits that the carnivore diet (plus I cannot stress enough LOW oxalate diet) has to offer. We can do better. Our minds and bodies are one.

I am not underestimating the fact that I also changed my thinking, perspectives on future, friendships, love and society. I do yoga and listen to my body and mind, without the old sense of guilt and hatred. Our bodies speak to us, we better start listening to them, before they start screaming. You can trust me, and the millions who are on their way back from that. You don’t want to go there. Give your body the fuel it desires and watch it go far. 

Thank you again, for saving my life and for continuing to save other people’s lives.

I am sending you a photo of my last crisis, I am keeping them in napkins in a special reality check box now. All in our heads, right?

Kindest regards and thank you on behalf of all the people who love me, on behalf of those I am helping now(this is quite amazing, but a whole different topic) and on behalf of my healing kidneys, heart and mind. You saved me.

Ina

Dwayne improved asthma, mood and skin a carnivore diet

March 28, 2020 3 Comments

Dwayne’s Background: From and living in Nova Scotia Canada, growing up competed and coached at a national level in snowboarding, after retiring from that started an agency to represent and market brands to retailers and have been doing that ever since.

How I came to carnivore: Jan 2019 I was on a snowmobile trip in the mountains, got stuck in a large drift in the woods. I was struggling a great deal to get my sled out and actually started having a panic attack because I felt so out of shape that I didn’t know how I was going to get the sled out and get back to shelter that night.

It really hit me, I was just about to turn 41 and had let myself get so out of shape it was affecting my ability to enjoy the things I loved. I thought to myself if I felt this way at 41 what was I going to be feeling like at 51, 61…. if this continues. The 12 months leading up to this I had several kidney stone attacks (some had to be surgically removed), chronic acid reflux, asthma attacks (one caused hospitalization), huge eczema patches, energy was very low, and was at my highest ever weight.

It all came to a head that day on the trail, I knew right then and there things needed to change and change fast. I came back from that trip and started diving into YouTube videos to find how I was going to get back in shape. I know lots of ways of getting back in shape as I had done it before, but I was looking for something more than just calories in calories out. I’ve done this in the past, hated what I was eating and spent way too much time on cardio machines. There had to be a better way.

Having tried keto for periods before and having good results I knew low carb was going to be my best bet, but I wanted to consume as much info on this as I could. I found channels from Dr. Ken Berry and immediately liked his message. I found new info on fasting and low carb and implemented these right away. I moved from youtube to consuming podcasts. I found Peak Human and your podcast (Carnivorecast).

I have to admit I did think Carnivore was crazy at first, but the more I listened to the information, the more I came to understand us as humans and what I felt was the proper human diet so I dove in. My wife Krissy thought I was nuts, she was happy to go Keto, but it was heavy veg keto. For the next two months after that she could see all the changes it was having on me, especially in my eczema and mood.

I’ve had very bad eczema all my life since birth, and nothing I had done through any medical intervention or previous diet changes had ever had any success, even slightly helping, and here while eating Carnivore it was completely going away! Benefit after benefit kept coming as I continued with this way of eating. She decided it was time to try this and the rest is history as they say.

Benefits Dwayne’s seen from the Carnivore WOE:

  • Eczema completely healed
  • Asthma gone
  • Kidney stones gone
  • Mood much more stable and able to handle stress easier
  • Skin much more tolerant to the sun, no sun burns
  • Eyes turned Blue!
  • Lost 70lb, total body recomp
  • Chronic acid reflux gone
  • Cured food addictions


Carnivore for me looks like:

Two meals a day, 1 lb of meat for lunch and 1-1.5 for dinner. Mostly prime rib steaks from our local grass fed farm down the road, grilled. 2 cups of homemade bone broth per day with lots and lots of Redmond Real Salt. Homemade liver paté. Some seafood and fish eggs. Eggs and bacon added in for variety but definitely 95% Beef. Meals are typically at 1pm and 5pm.

Supplements:

  • For sleep magnesium Malate and Melatonin
  • 3 tsp of Real Salt a day in addition to salting food
  • Vitamin D3 much of the year as we live in canada
  • Boron currently to free up testosterone

Other Lifestyle Biohacks we both love:

  • Sleeping on a grounded bed sheet has increased deep sleep
  • Track Sleep with the Oura ring
  • Weighted blanket has decreased restlessness
  • Sauna 30 min daily followed by cold showers
  • Mouth taping at night
  • Joovv light 10 min daily


Workout routine :

Home gym full body 5 days a week, mostly body weight calisthenics but also have days I lift heavy.

Danni improved her frequent infections, sleep, digestion, tinnitus and sinus issues on a carnivore diet

February 6, 2020 1 Comment

Growing up on a ranch I learned early that meat was healthy. I have been on a meat-based diet for my whole life. Probably less so during my college years. I contracted mono during my freshman year. Otherwise I was healthy except for the occasional low iron reading I’d receive at annual checkups. I attributed it to running and heavy periods.

Fast forward to my last pregnancy at age 39, when the doctor told me my blood sugar was too high and that this could lead to compilations. She gave me a blood sugar testing kit. I could monitor my blood sugar throughout the day.  It didn’t take me long to realize how much what I ate affected my BS level. I began sticking with a mostly meat diet through the pregnancy and never had to use insulin shots.

After pregnancy I returned to more normal meat-based diet. In 2013 I struggled through a West Nile “like” virus. The test for West Nile was negative but my doctor thought it was very similar to it and for lack of a better idea we treated it like that. The fatigue was like when I had Mono, in addition it seemed that each week or two a different system would be under attack. For a while it was hard to breathe, headaches and fever came and went. I lost over 20 pounds.

After a few weeks my breathing seemed normal, but my digestive system was challenged. At one point the doctors thought the gallbladder needed to be removed. When that subsided, I was left with constant loud tinnitus 24/7 along with night sweats and chills.

This gradually improved and life became more normal; the tinnitus returned at the end of the day or would return 24/7 when I became fatigued from lack of rest. I caught every flu and cold bug that came around. Allergy symptoms were constant so that I took a pill every day to keep symptoms under control.  

I also couldn’t exercise very hard or my muscles would become very tight and the tinnitus would return. This resulted in regaining more than the 20 pounds I had lost from the illness, and it was not muscle. I became flabby and gained more weight around my waist than I’d ever had. It seemed like any additional stress brought symptoms back and I came down with viruses and infections often. 

In 2016 I met a trainer who helped me stay focused on exercising twice a week. This helped strengthen my body and I gained back much of the muscle I had lost. However, I was still about 20 pounds heavier than what was normal for me in my 20s and 30s.

In September of 2017 I began the Carnivore diet. Since then I have lost the tinnitus and the extra body fat, while increasing my energy and strength. My body composition has never been better. I rarely need to take an allergy pill. I have not been knocked down by the flu or cold for days at a time since eating this way either.  

I really didn’t think I’d see a huge difference in my health because I’d eaten a meat -based diet my whole life.  I’ve been amazed and feel blessed to have found what works for me. Many thanks to the Carnivore.Diet team for spreading the good news and helping me and so many others. 

Before (Feb. 2017) and Carnivore Measurements:

Chest:              34.5 to 31 in.

Belly Button:  37 to 30 in.

Thigh:              23 to 21 in.

Hips:                41 to 38 in.

Weight:         160 to 140 pounds


Improvements from eating a Carnivore diet for me:

  • Tinnitus
  • Allergy symptoms
  • Sinus issues
  • Less colds, flu and yeast infections
  • Less aches and pains
  • Less bloating
  • Better digestion less burping and gas
  • Less body fat more muscle
  • Better sleep
  • Stable blood sugar

My experience with going carnivore probably isn’t as dramatic because I grew up on a ranch and have been a life long meat eater. However, I can document the benefits of going all meat compared to meat based.

As of December, 2017 I’ve been carnivore about 5 days a week and just low carb the other two days since September 15, 2017. Weight down 15 pounds. After a month my sister, who is in charge of a dialysis unit, told me I’d lost my visceral fat. She said that’s the mid section fat. I could tell it by clothes fitting looser. 

In the gym I’m lifting heavier than I ever have.

Kelly improved her kidney disease on a carnivore diet

December 13, 2019 16 Comments

Hello, my name is Kelly. I am a 54 year old female. I have been doing the carnivore diet for 3.75 years.

Losing my liver and colon
I had to have a liver transplant due to autoimmune disease in 2013 and then lost my colon to ulcerative colitis in 2015.  I wish I had known about the carnivore diet back when it may have been possible to save my colon, but that’s water under the bridge.
 

Damaged kidneys

I have to take an anti-rejection medication every day for the rest of my life, and that med is nephrotoxic. When my UC was at it’s worst, I suffered an acute kidney injury from dehydration, and adding a daily dose of nephrotoxicity didn’t help. The end result of all of that was a eGFR as low as 20 and a creatinine of 2.54 back in March of 2015.
 

Still having colon issues

Fast forward to April of 2016. I had been eating low-carb paleo for a year, with the modification of no leafy greens. But I was still eating root vegetables and some of the other veggies they recommend. But even though I had gotten rid of the inflamed, non-functioning colon that was said to be the cause of my problems, most importantly of which was anemia, I was still anemic. I never could tolerate oral iron supps and the I.V. infusions I had in the past never had a lasting effect.
 

Dropping the plants

In April of 2016 I dropped all plant matter from my diet. This was quite a scary leap of faith for me because, while I knew that meat wasn’t bad for me, I had read that people with chronic kidney disease should greatly limit their protein to help slow the progression of the disease.  Was I about to hasten my route to dialysis and a kidney transplant? 
 

Iron levels normal

Turns out that “too much” protein does not kill your kidneys and some vegetables can block your absorption of iron (among other things). 3 months after dropping all plant matter from my diet, all my iron markers came into normal range and have stayed there. My last eGFR in September of 2019 was 49 and my creatinine was normal at 1.16.   And while 49 is still below normal for eGFR, I have been as high as 52 over the last few years eating carnivore, and was as low as 20 before carnivore.  And this has all happened while eating 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of meat a day for almost 4 years now.
 

Resisting negative effects

The immunosuppresant I take every day also tends to cause high blood pressure, high blood sugar and anemia, among many other things. But I have not had any of these issues and though I cannot prove it because I don’t have a clone of myself to use as a control, I feel that my diet has a lot to do with my “resistance” to those effects.
 

Smooth digestion

One more benefit of this diet I’d like to mention— my digestion is smooth and quiet, and never gives me any trouble. And if you’ve ever had an IBD flare, you know how huge this benefit is! My GI tract has been sliced, diced and re-plumbed significantly and doesn’t look anything like what most people have.  I have had a Roux-en-Y Choledochojejunostomy and an open proctocolectomy with APR. I don’t expect anyone to care about those details, but suffice it say that fiber is my enemy because of how altered my plumbing is.
 

Bioavailability

I have no plans to change the way I eat. Meat is easy to digest and is packed with all the nutrients we need in a highly bioavailable package. That bioavailability is key, especially for people like me.
 
Kelly

Laney lost weight, improved anemia and fatigue on a carnivore diet

November 25, 2019 4 Comments

It’s New Year’s Eve 2018, and this time last year I was making lists and action plans for how I might once-and-for-all get to the bottom of my digestion problems. “This will be the year,” I would think as I would set out at the top of that willpower mountain only to make a steady trail downwards and backwards. I would tell myself, I will drink more water than ever, I’ll eat kale, collards, and spinach, I’ll cut down on meat to once a week max… I’ll have my plate be mostly vegetables.

I tried soaking my grains, slow cooking my food, juice fasts, bone broth fasts, water fasts, I tried yoga postures for digestion, a regular evening walk, going vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, gluten free, grain free, paleo… I did the Whole Life Challenge three times, the Whole30 several times a year, I tried staying on the Whole30 for 100 days…

I did the GAPs diet, I tried eating only once a day; eating 3 times a day; grazing all day; not eating after 4pm, I tried the Low Fodmap diet, the SCD, I saw doctors and specialists, I had abdominal x-rays, ultrasounds, a colonoscopy… I worked with a nutritionist (for a year!), received regular acupuncture, took Chinese herbs, went to naturopaths, did colon cleanses, saw Mayan Abdominal massage therapists…

At one point I tested positive for SIBO and stuffed myself with supplements like goldenseal, oil of oregano, bitters and all manner of digestive enzymes, Berbercap, 5htp, ABD5, Interphase, Floradix. I did two rounds of Rifaximin and Neomycin but the SIBO kept coming back.

I was “being so good”, doing everything I was supposed to be doing! I’d see slight improvements but eventually all of my symptoms would return. Nothing was actually healing me. And not only was I chronically constipated, I had all kinds of mysterious health issues about which doctors would always shrug and say, “Let’s just watch it and see”. I was always getting “benign tumors” including a lump under my arm, a lipoma on my shoulder blade, an enchondroma in my finger that caused the bone to fracture, a uterine fibroid, fibrocystic breast tissue…

I had mysterious skin rashes, rosacea, vision problems, and constant whooshing (tinnitus) in my left ear. I had problems falling and staying asleep, I had bizarre inflammation flare-ups in my joints including one in my knee that was so debilitating that I could not walk without a cane for several months. I had interstitial cystitis, irregular cycles, headaches (including ocular migraines), and I was also depressed, anxiety-ridden and anemic. There were days when I could manage to go to a barre class only come home and sit parked in the driveway for half an hour or more trying to muster the energy to walk to my front door.

I was miserable. I was red-faced and so bloated that I looked 5 months pregnant. I would wake up with a day planned and by 10 in the morning I would have to start cancelling things because I was so inflamed/in pain/bloated/exhausted and emotionally drained. I was missing out on time with my kids, with my husband, my friends, my life.

I felt I had tried everything and I was miserable. And then I tried going keto. I started seeing a slight shift in regularity, I started having more energy and better moods, I was sleeping better… I started learning everything I could about ketosis and macros! I was tracking and peeing on sticks and trying amazing keto recipes like graham crackers with cream cheese frosting!!

Then I heard about micronutrients and slammed on the breaks. The fear set in and I was worried that I might not be getting what I needed if I wasn’t eating my greens and other “superfoods” so I added collards back in and immediately the tinnitus came back. I added in berries and avocado and I became constipated again, my energy dropped, the moodswings returned.

Then one night I was listening to Anthony Gustin’s podcast and heard Dr. Shawn Baker talking about carnivory. I thought, you know what? I have tried EVERYthing else… What have I got to lose by trying one more thing? So, I threw my hands up and went carnivore.

That was September and now, 4 months later, every single one of those symptoms I mentioned above have disappeared. In six weeks went from 156lbs to 127lbs (and have now stopped weighing myself because I couldn’t care less about the scale). I went from CIC (chronic idiopathic constipation) to having several -at least two- bowel movements every day. I can make plans with confidence because I am no longer a slave to mysterious physical and mental health issues.

Today my diet is simple. There is no guesswork, recipe scouring or fretting over whether this dish is “legal”. I eat mainly beef, pork, elk, and fish. I can have small amounts of cheese but I don’t do well on eggs or yogurt. I do not miss anything that I used to eat. I do not feel left out when others partake in things I cannot eat because I have my health back and that is way more delicious than anything else imaginable! 

Marc improved digestion on carnivore diet

November 1, 2019 No Comments

I’m Marc, a 73 year old retired family doctor who has been overweight by 20+ lbs with high blood pressure for most of the past 40 years. I was successful with Atkins, weight watchers, & Jenny Craig, but regained the lost weight with interest each time.

Trying keto

9 months ago my wife encouraged me to lose my bulging belly and “tire” around my back. I read and listened to podcasts of Dr’s Tim Noakes, Eric Westman, and Jason Fung and started Low carb/High fat eating, then added ketogenic and lost 15 lbs. But I turned my low carb diet into a high carb one by overeating veggies and almonds and gained back 5 lbs.

On to carnivore, off the meds

Discouraged, I converted to carnivore 3 weeks ago and finally obtained satiety, weight loss, and stayed in ketosis. I work out upper and lower body twice a week. I’ve been on the road for the past week & haven’t weighed myself. I’ll be home in 2 days. I’m feeling good. Bowels are working and have allowed me to stop years of daily Mirilax. I’m sleeping well. Signs of prostate enlargement are gone so I stopped Flomax, but in all honesty I’m using Hytrin for blood pressure which has well known positive effect on urine flow. Also improvement of erectile quality and intensity of orgasm has allowed me to discontinue Cialis with its unpleasant side effects for which I am truly grateful. My LDL & total cholesterol went up on LC/HF, but I paid Ulta Labs for pattern and particle size because my doc said I needed to be on statin or I’d die and my high HDL wouldn’t save me. These labs were fine and I’m not on a statin.

Contributing to the solution

Now I’ve driven 3 hours to establish Ken Berry as my other doctor. I was thinking of deleting the sexual and bowel stuff, but I’m trying to be part of the solution to the problem my ignorance of diet caused me to inadvertently worsen during my years in practice. I’ve poured hundreds of gallons of insulin into the veins of diabetics without giving low carb eating a chance. I think everyone has to experiment on themselves, but the “standard of care” is a low fat/high carb diet with multiple expensive diabetes and cholesterol lowering medications.

What I eat

I have a cup of coffee with butter in the morning. I arise at 4am. About 10am I have 2 pounds of ribeye steak. Plenty of water during the day. Maybe another 1 lb of ribeye late afternoon for satiety. I use a small George Foreman grill, even on the road. I hope this is helpful to somebody, if only Dr. Baker.

Thanks for your sharing also.

Annie improved her arthritis and diabetes on a carnivore diet

November 1, 2019 2 Comments

Annie – 31 year vegetarian now carnivore

Let me tell you a bit about myself, I live in just outside of Brisbane, Australia, I’m 45 years old, have 4 daughters ranging from 19 to 11 years, I work five days a week and am studying a health sciences degree full-time online. I decided to do a Bachelor of Food and Nutrition, after I became obsessed with using food for medicine and good health. I want to help others regain their health as I have gained mine back since starting a ketogenic diet over four years ago, I’m now carnivore.

For as long as I can remember I have suffered from IBS issues – gut pain and cramping, explosive diarrhoea, severe constipation – first seeing a GP for it when I was 14 years old. I never had a weight issue until having my first baby, but it certainly became a huge issue for the next 15 years. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when I was pregnant with my first daughter and during two pregnancies had gestational diabetes.

Over these years I also suffered terrible GORD, repetitive disc bulges, sleep issues, asthma, thrush, recurring chest, sinus and urinary tract infections, major anxiety and depression issues. I had allergy tests done, where I was allergic to 13 of the 16 things I had been tested for and was told I was pre-type 2 diabetic by my overweight GP, who told me I should just expect it as it was in my family.

About 5 years ago, my health was heading south rapidly, with almost daily headaches and weekly migraines. I had a strange turn one day where I blacked out while driving, with my then four-year-old in the car with me. Apparently, I was slurring like I was drunk, but I managed to get my little girl to call the ambulance. I have no recollection of the event, except that I came to with two ambulance officers in my car trying to establish what had happened to me.

My husband and police were on the scene when I came to as well, but despite being taken to hospital and tests being done, I never found out what had happened to me – except that they thought the migraine I had, had caused the event.

A few months later I got very unwell with a chest infection, landing myself in hospital for 12 days. My asthma was in a very bad way and I could hardly walk the corridors in the hospital without bringing on an attack. I gained about 5 kilograms during my hospital stay and was referred to a dietician to try to get my weight and health under control.

I followed her recommendations religiously as I hated what was happening to me, but all I managed to do was gain more weight. She made me feel like I couldn’t possibly have been following the guidelines she’d set for me and that I was cheating myself.

I’d heard cutting sugar from your diet was good, so I stopped adding sugar on my morning oats and cutting it back substantially from my home baking, which gained me a small win with a couple of kilos weightloss. In November 2014, I then saw a documentary that literally changed my life, featuring Dr Maryanne Demasi, Dr Peter Bruckner, Professor Tim Noakes and Dr Steve Phinney. It was about the low carb, high fat diet and so, fuelled with the small win I’d had from ditching the sugar from my diet, I thought I’d give it a go.

My weight dropped incredibly quickly and majority of my health issues all but disappeared. I haven’t even had a head cold in the four years since starting. Everyone at work gets sick over winter, but I have not as yet. LCHF cured my GORD, disc bulges, asthma, allergies, thrush and I never experienced any more chest, sinus or urinary tract infections. I got stricter with my food choices and went VLC/strict keto, all the while my weight was still slowly creeping off.

At this point I should say I had been a lazy vegetarian for 31 years. I say lazy, as I had eaten fish very occasionally for a few years but never too regularly. I had however been doing a lot of research, reading lots of studies and following some very intelligent people on Twitter. All my research had me concluding that although I was way healthier in my food choices now eating keto, I had to eat a lot more protein than I was.

I introduced fish regularly and, much to the shock of my family, I started eating chicken again – it had been 31 years. I started feeling so much better almost immediately, stronger. I then caught wind of Dr Baker’s carnivore study, which, both research and my own curious nature, had me very interested in. Crazy right, as I was only eating chicken, fish and eggs?

But I did it, very strictly, ditching coffee, cream, cheese and only eating the chicken, fish, eggs and drinking water. I had it in my head though that I wanted to be brave and try red meat and so set a personal goal to achieve that before the end of the study – I knew for optimal health it was for the best, but I had a lot of mental hurdles stopping me.

It came to the last week of the study, I felt amazing but disappointed in myself for not giving red meat a go like I wanted, so one day on my way home from work, I bought a rib eye, cooked it and ate the whole thing. I believe I have eaten at least one piece of red meat every day since.

To date my overall weight loss is about 40kg (or 88lb), with a measurement loss of about 120cm (or 47 inch) total. Hormonally, I have re-gained the 4kg loss I experienced during the study, which I intend on shedding again in the new year.

Let’s just say, being a woman is unfair sometimes and the one thing that no diet has helped with is my lifetime suffering from endometriosis. I’m having further surgery in the new year, so hopefully I can get on top of the fake hormones currently circulating my body causing these adverse effects.

So, what happened when I went completely carnivore? Whilst LCHF/Keto helped the majority of my conditions, I was still suffering bouts of IBS issues, some arthritic aches and anxiety. Since going carnivore, I have been able to ascertain that it was vegetables still causing my residual IBS and occasional arthritic soreness.

I am physically so much stronger than I have ever been and the recovery from exercise is outstanding. Where I once would have been sore for days and in some instances great pain, I have minimal soreness and generally only the following day, if at all. My mental clarity has been the overwhelming improvement which has me off my medication for the first time in about 10 years.

Mentally, I would never have been able to take on such a gruelling schedule of fulltime study, working 5 days a week and four kids before, but carnivore has allowed me that. The first-wave carnivore study began in August 2017, for a three-month duration but I have remained carnivore ever since. I intend on staying this way for the foreseeable future as well for the outstanding health effects it has had on my body and mind.

Cheers,
Annie

Alicia improves digestion, mood, and sleep on a carnivore diet

October 31, 2019 1 Comment

To celebrate 100 days carnivore, today I wanted to share many of the benefits I’m grateful for since starting carnivore.

Keep in mind this is not an exhaustive list and is sure to grow with time. I am so fortunate and grateful for the results I have recognized thus far.

Disclaimer:

The following is intended as a discussion and exploration of our personal health and our experience with a carnivorous way of eating and is not meant to be taken as medical advice or to suggest a cure or treatment for any disease or illness. The positive benefits listed are not guaranteed and should not be expected. This is an n=1 experiment. All body weight exercises discussion is for informational purposes only. If interested in this practice, please educate yourself thoroughly. Also, seek advice from a qualified holistic or medical professional. We do not accept liability for damage or injury that may allegedly arise from any information or suggestions herein. As with anything, taking yourself to extremes can be very dangerous unless you are well trained and know what you’re doing.

Cognitive/Mental Benefits

The initial claim that triggered me to research and, ultimately, pursue carnivore related to mental and cognitive health. For as long as I can remember, I struggled with sleep issues. Running on limited sleep for decades led to unstable moods and unhappiness. Both of which lead to emotional eating.

Sleep – I sleep more comfortably, more deeply, and for longer durations with more interesting dreams. I wake up more refreshed. Even on nights when I sleep less I feel just as amazing in the morning. While still improving, several nights recently I stayed asleep for the entire night.

Calmness within my mind – I feel clarity in my mind and a more profound ability to philosophize and articulate ideas. There are no lingering feelings of anxiety or depression. My self-esteem and confidence manifest greater than ever.

Joyful/happy- Throughout the day, I experience more positive thoughts which opens my eyes to more perspectives than before. I am feeling brighter and more eager to be social. I find it hard to stop smiling most of the time.

Relief and self-control from food addictions and cravings – Eliminating carbohydrates, whether sugar, vegetable, or anything in between, is not easy for anyone. Food is a huge part of our 24/7 life, and they have made much of it addictive. For me, keeping some vegetables in my diet not only made me feel like crap, but it made me keep craving sugary treats_. I wonder if my carb-addicted gut bacteria are gone or if those_ cravings come from deficiencies caused by food my body couldn’t process.

To be fair, these are things I had been working on for some time now, but I have recognized greater improvements since going carnivore.

Physical Benefits

Obesity makes every task more difficult. At points, I carried well over 100 extra pounds. No wonder I lacked the energy to workout after a long day. When I did a workout, I would be sore for days which limited any progress I could make. Carbohydrates tired me out and kept me feeling hungry.

Increased energy, strength, power, ability and consistent progress – I know for a fact that I could not hold myself up on parallel bars ever before in my life. Being able to hold myself up the first time at the calisthenics park I instantly felt more powerful.

Less soreness – Granted my workouts changed, but I see that they are more challenging than the past. I imagine this has to do with lactic acid differences since my body uses ketones rather than glycogen or glucose for energy.

Clothes – My clothes sit better on my body. I have shrunk out several outfits and now fit in clothes I haven’t worn in over ten years.

Feeling nourished – Uncontrollable feelings of hunger are a thing of the past. When I ate foods my body couldn’t assimilate to, I always felt hungry. Now, most of what I consume is used by the body leaving me feeling nourished all of the time.

Digestive comfort – Lately, I suffer from minimal and ever lessening stomach/gastrointestinal discomfort. I have consistent bowel movements and very little gas or bloating ever. So, I feel calmness within my body.

Better bladder control – Finally I can sleep through the night and less frequent urge, despite previously having issues with an overactive bladder.

Personal Benefits

Each day, I strive to be better than I was the day before. I understand that the smallest accomplishments we barely give attention to result in our biggest successes in life.

Able to think and work longer- When working on my creative pursuits especially, I always found myself needing breaks. Now I reach a higher level of focus and end up completing work faster than expected. The only downside is that sometimes I can overthink and end up with too many ideas.

Growing creativity – Lately, I find myself trying new types of art and doing so more frequently. Also, I have outlined and brainstormed for many writing side projects. It feels amazing.

Less procrastination – I have noticed that especially with day to day type activities as soon as I think about doing a task I do the action without hesitation. No excuses, no time wasted, my tasks get done early.

I trust myself – Unlike before, I now trust myself to make good decisions with food and my body in general. I know that my body will tell me what I need. Therefore, I feel calmness with myself.

Feeling closer and more connected with my husband – We pay more attention to each other’s bodies and compliment each other’s progress. We see each other in a way we can’t see ourselves. It has been very refreshing. Not to mention, when it comes to meals choosing between a couple of meat choices minimizes the never-ending “what do you want to eat” battle.

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