Catrina’s Struggle with Food
Catrina felt she needed to restrict her eating, even as a child. Catrina describes living by the mantra, “You are what you eat,” when she was young. However, Catrina didn’t realize what she was eating, or mostly not eating, affected her overall health.
Catrina says she grew up eating the Standard American Diet but always wanted to eat more. She describes starving herself as a teenager to keep herself from becoming overweight.
The Impact of Diet Pills and Starvation
This issue became more severe when Catrina and a friend started experimenting with diet pills. Catrina says she also tried many different diets, always chasing what would keep her from becoming overweight, but she never let herself become satiated.
Catrina says she had people telling her she had an eating disorder, but she ignored them and went about her unhealthy eating habits. Catrina also began to experience issues with her thyroid in her twenties, which affected her overall health.
The Introduction to the Paleo and Ketogenic Diet
Fast forward thirty or so years, Catrina moved to California after she retired to live closer to her son. Catrina says it was her son that introduced her to the paleo diet. Catrina says the paleo lifestyle for her was “just okay.” She ate a lot of sweet potatoes and plantains on the diet and found herself craving sweet foods.
Discovering the Carnivore Diet
Two and a half years ago, Catrina and her son transitioned to the ketogenic diet, which she had more success following. Catrina says she was beginning to feel better but noticed a lot of bloating and gas after her meals.
Catrina continued on the ketogenic diet until her doctor told her he had eliminated vegetables and was following a carnivore diet. At that point, Catrina decided to try the carnivore diet– she completely stopped eating vegetables that day.
The Benefits of Eating Meat-Based and Animal-Based Foods
Immediately Catrina noticed a difference in her bloating and gas. Later, she would connect the dots and discover an allergy to green plants– something she might have never found had she not eliminated them from her diet.
Catrina’s thyroid function also improved, and she began to notice that her energy was increasing, and her ability to build muscle and look more toned became easier.
Tips for Starting the Carnivore Diet
One year into the carnivore way of eating, Catrina says she eats a lot of beef (she buys seven steaks a week from her local butcher), fish, and organ meats and cooks with tallow. She also drinks two cups of coffee every morning with homemade cream. Catrina works out three days a week and makes it a point to walk her dogs every morning.
Catrina’s New Life as a Carnivore Diet Follower
Catrina’s carnivore journey has become a bit of a family affair as her son also follows the carnivore diet. She says he does eat some mushrooms with his steak and avocado here and there, but other than that, he is meat-based.
Catrina says she recently convinced her sister to try the carnivore lifestyle. She says her advice to anyone looking to get started is to focus on animal-based eating.
Catrina also says she told her sister that if she needed to use sweetener in her coffee in the beginning to adjust, then that was okay. Additionally, Catrina says to give the diet thirty days to truly feel the effects.
Catrina loves her new life as a carnivore diet follower. She says it is so simple and takes all the planning and thinking about food out of her day. Catrina’s life overall has improved since starting this way of eating. Catrina says, “I am happy and healthy.”
