My name is Demetrios. I’m 37 years old and embarked on the carnivore journey a few weeks after my 36th birthday, February 2022.
My entire life I was always on the heavier size. I was over 250 in high school and broke the 300 mark after our first child. There I sat for about 5-6 years bouncing up to some days 320.
I had battled with my weight trying many diets and fads and had really given up.
My journey started early 2022… my neighbor brought up the carnivore diet and dr baker on Joe rogan. I watched the episode kinda intrigued but I had always tried to lose weight and would fail so had no real drive to try. A month later I turned 36. We had pizza cake and pop. I felt so sick that night and my blood pressure and heart rate were so high I decided I needed to make a change. So by the end of the month while my wife was preparing to lent fast from meat for Greek Easter I told her I’m doing the opposite. Nothing but meat. She looked at me like I was insane but I had researched now for a couple of weeks and read the book and decided to put in my all.
It took about a month of slowing getting off carbs and sugars but by the end of April 22 I was full carnivore and now on the goal to get off 2 blood pressure pills. 20mg and 25mg each. Even with those meds my bp was out of control. Suddenly it was steady at 117/72. It was a surreal feeling and I was addicted to it.
I had visited my doctor late April 22. He was astonished at my weight cut of about 40lbs at that time and my desire to get off the BP meds. So he trusted my plan and we began to ween off the meds. A month later I was pill free. My blood pressure normal.
As I progressed along I was losing about 2-3lbs a week and feeling phenomenal. After about 3 months my joint pain ceased. I have carpal tunnel in both hands / tennis elbow in my left arm / 3 herniated discs ( 2 of which have been addressed surgically). I was springing out of bed every morning at 5am full of energy and ready to go. A steady energy level till the late hours of the night.
My diet consists primarily of 80/20 ground grass fed/finished burgers, eggs, butter and olive oil. I was never a fruit and veggie person as you can see in my before pics. So I don’t really have a desire for them at all.
After soaking up too much information online I over thought it and tried to incorporate fruit. I had an apple one day and felt so sick from the sweetness of it and shortly after had a sugar crash. For a couple days after all I could think about was sugar again. Oddly enough I resorted to honey again to help break it. Then the honey became a need over a want. Broke that again. And for a few days / week after that my joint paint exploded again. My hunger was constant and all I could crave was sugar. So for myself they both have had a negative impact and almost imploded my gains and health again.
My work entails me to be moving and physically working almost all day 8-10 hours typically. Before carnivore I would crash multiple times a day and just carb and sugar load unknowingly destroying myself. Since I went full carnivore and also introduced 16/8 fasting rule daily there is no crash. Just a hunger to keep moving.
Blood work panels and lipids have been done 3 times in the last year. Each time showing a slight drop in LDL and a rise in HDL. Prior to carnivore my LDL was median not high.
Fast forward to June 23. I’m down about 130lbs. Started at 310-315. Im sitting at 182 now. Went from 3XL shirts and 44w pants to large shirts and 34w pants. Even my hands went from XL gloves to L. I don’t religiously work out. I was so happy with the loss of weight that I left it alone until recently. The last month I have started to ride my bike 5-10 miles a day and do simple farmers walks. My job keeps me physically active all day as I am an auto mechanic at my own shop and I’m the only one here so it’s a work out in its own all day.
I have to say this way of life prob saved mine. I was headed down a bad road. BP was out of control. Had an afib episode. Zero energy. Zero drive.
Demetrios
