Dave Struggled With Pain Before Carnivore
For many years, David struggled with pain in his knees. He even had knee surgery at just 15 years old. After suffering so much pain, David stopped exercising when he was 23. He describes his diet for most of his life as “standard,” and he even developed a bit of a limp in his walk. He knew his health was suffering.
Working with a Personal Trainer
Initially, he began working with a personal trainer. He worked out a lot, first with walking, then adding weight lifting and running. He did lose some weight which helped with his knee pain, but his food habits didn’t change. David says once he gave up training, the weight came back on.
Taking Control of His Health
The state of David’s health weighed very heavily on him. His father had a heart attack at the age of 50 and also suffered from Parkinson’s disease. When David was approaching age 50, he decided his life would be different than his father’s. He wanted to take better control of his health.
David signed up to run a half marathon to celebrate living half a century. However, while training, he tore the cartilage in his knee. David still managed to do an 800-kilometer bike ride for his birthday, but the experience was not pleasant.
The Carnivore Diet
Like many who follow the carnivore diet, David began his health journey on the ketogenic diet. He says, with his experience working in mental health, he knew first hand living a low-carb lifestyle could have significant effects on mental health.
He was first introduced to the carnivore way of life in June 2019 after listening to Dr. Shawn Baker’s podcast. At the time, he was already eating just 1-10 carbs per day. He decided to try “zero-carb” for one month.
Game Changer
David describes the carnivore diet as a “game changer” and much easier than the keto diet. He chronicles the first month as “very easy.” However, he had issues with his bowels toward the beginning of the second month. Once he got past that small bump in the road, he hasn’t looked back. He currently practices fasting and eats mostly beef, a little dairy, and spices. He also does some resistance training and still rides his bike.
The Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
He describes doing an 800-kilometer bike race as a carnivore as being very different and a lot easier than when he tried to do the same race following a standard diet.
He says while other bike riders supplemented with high-carb food items such as fruit, he only added a bit of salt to his water to adjust for the long bike ride. He says his body “just feels better,” his joints don’t ache, and he’s lost the limp he used to have while walking.
Support and Encouragement
David has a friend who also follows the carnivore diet, and the two often support one another. He also says his four children are very supportive of his eating, but his mom and other family members are still skeptical.
He says he hopes to encourage others to explore this way of eating and would love to find ways to support others looking to improve their health.
