Ed started a keto diet as a way to improve his focus and productivity and noticed that it provided more consistent energy. His father had been working on losing weight and had lost weight and found his productivity and mood improved on a carnivore diet.
Ed wanted these gains for himself, so he started the diet also. “I was like, damn this is crazy so let me hop on this carnivore thing and try it out. I tried it out and that’s exactly what I saw for myself as well.”
Dan was working with a different set of circumstances, and needed more than optimization-he needed help! Ed and Dan followed the “Typical bodybuilding advice; eat high carb, take protein powders, all that and yeah it worked really well for building muscle but my skin got absolutely terrible” reports Dan. That wasn’t the only problem this diet caused, however.
Dan said, “I have a bit of a history with depression, and I just felt like garbage all the time, and then my skin got to the point where I had these massive cysts on my skin, like huge volcanoes, and even have a scar where I had to have surgery on one of them. It was awful!”
The regular medical system didn’t provide a good solution for Dan: “I went to the doctors… they chucked me on this pill called Accutane… man, that pill is evil, dangerous. Although it did make my acne go away, it literally destroyed my whole body. I got shin splints on it the entire time, tore both my labrums in my shoulders, and then was in bed for six months with debilitating pain before starting carnivore. The doctors said it was all in my head and the drug didn’t cause it. I got ADHD and depression; they said there’s no cure for ADHD. They chucked me on Adderall, Vyvanse, Ritalin, all this stuff, and I was on so many drugs, and I’ve seen all my friends play sports, and I’m just like, “This isn’t really the life I want to live. I feel pretty hopeless.”
Dan gained weight and had to drop out of university because of his pain. His doctors told him that he would be this way for the rest of his life, which drove him to research more, looking for answers. He found the diet, and “life wasn’t even worth living at that point, so I went all in.” Dan lost 30 kilos in five months (66 pounds), cured his depression, and reduced his chronic pain to the point that now he’s working on rebuilding strength. He eats mostly meat and finds that he has to avoid fruit, or he feels worse and develops cravings. “I fully got my life back!”
Ed also benefited by sleeping better, running faster, and having more energy and focus. He does eat a little fruit and has no problems with portion control.
Through a carnivore diet, these two young men have both improved their health!
