From Childhood to Adulthood: Struggles with Weight and Health Issues
Debbie grew up living back and forth between the United Kingdom and Australia. Debbie has always been a little bigger, even as a child. Debbie says she had people who told her she would lose her “puppy fat” when she got older. However, as Debbie became a teenager, she only continued to gain weight. She says the narrative changed from the extra fat on her body being cute to the weight being her fault.
Struggling with Diets and Addiction to Carbohydrates
Debbie was diagnosed with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) and high blood pressure in her early adulthood. She started attending weight loss groups where she was told to eat a low-fat diet, which meant very little meat. Debbie says the low-fat diet never worked because she was always hungry.
In her mid to late twenties, Debbie was also diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and her weight topped at almost three hundred pounds. Besides her weight, Debbie also struggled with insomnia and cluster headaches (migraines). Debbie says she knew she had an addiction to carbohydrates and often hid the addiction from her family. She describes eating an entire bag of family-size potato chips daily as a stay-at-home mom.
Taking Control of Diabetes and Nutrition: The Carnivore Diet
Debbie started going to meetings for her diabetes. In the meetings, the speakers recommended eating foods like wheat bread. When Debbie inquired about the bread spiking her sugar levels, she was told she should take insulin. At that point, Debbie knew she did not want to take additional medication and wanted to take control of her diabetes and focus on her nutrition.
Debbie started with a low-carbohydrate diet, which turned into a ketogenic diet. Debbie says the ketogenic diet helped, but she often found herself going down rabbit holes of complicated recipes and hard-to-find ingredients. Debbie then came across Dr. Robert Cywes, an advocate for the carnivore diet. Debbie says at first, she thought the carnivore diet sounded crazy, but she felt desperate.
The Benefits of a Simple and Dramatic Lifestyle Change
On June 12th, Debbie started her carnivore journey alongside her husband (who was considering going vegan at the time.) In less than a year, Debbie has lost seventy-seven pounds and is no longer considered a type 2 diabetic, nor does she have high blood pressure or PCOS. Additionally, she no longer struggles with insomnia and hasn’t had a cluster headache since starting the carnivore lifestyle. Debbie also has psoriasis that disappeared within three months following the carnivore diet.
Debbie says her version of the carnivore diet is straightforward. She describes eating the food pyramid for dinner every day: a piece of bacon, on top of a piece of chicken, on top of a steak. She also enjoys eating pork and biltong and will eat dairy socially. Debbie says one of her favorite things about the carnivore diet is its simplicity.
Debbie’s Advice: “Keep it Simple”
Debbie also says it’s easy to find motivation with the carnivore diet because the results are so dramatic and life-changing. Her advice to anyone looking to start their carnivore journey is to “keep it simple.” Before finding the carnivore diet, Debbie’s doctors told her she had maybe ten more years to live. Now that she is living her best and healthiest life, she is looking forward to a long future thanks to the carnivore diet.
