Heather’s life and health have entirely changed since adopting the carnivore lifestyle. Heather has struggled with a rare ailment called mal de debarquement syndrome (MS) since 2010. Heather says many people with this particular syndrome get it after being on a cruise ship, but the onset was spontaneous for Heather, and it affected her daily life.
Mal de debarquement is french for “sickness of disembarkment.” For those cursed with the syndrome, MS feels as though you are constantly rocking, swaying, and shaking on a boat. MS can be very disorienting and can lead to other symptoms such as anxiety, depression, and migraines. For Heather, it affected her life every day. She says it made her feel like she was constantly out of sorts and battling brain fog. She tried different remedies and medicines to reduce her symptoms, but nothing helped.
Additionally, Heather was battling struggles related to her weight. Heather was obese, her highest weight being 238 pounds. Her excess weight caused her issues with high blood pressure (which she says her doctors were constantly hounding her about), heartburn, and sciatic pain. Her weight also caused gastrointestinal problems, as her body teetered between constant constipation and diarrhea.
Heather decided to try the carnivore diet. She says initially, for her, she kept in “sugar-free” condiments such as ketchup and barbecue sauce to help her through the transition. However, she soon found she enjoyed all the meats she ate without the add-ons and removed the condiments from her diet.
Heather also says she had some gastrointestinal issues at the beginning of her carnivore journey. She battled diarrhea for the first two months of the diet, which she says was frustrating but not a significant issue since she worked alone and had access to her own restroom. Thankfully, her body eventually regulated itself, and she hasn’t had gastrointestinal problems since then.
Heather says her MS symptoms felt like an eight or nine on a scale of ten before starting the carnivore way of eating. However, now that she has been a carnivore diet follower for some time, the symptoms feel like a one to three on a scale of ten. Heather says the feelings of rocking, swaying, and shaking are still there, but she is grateful they are much milder and not as disorienting. Heather also says she no longer feels like she has the brain fog she often battled with her MS. Additionally, her blood pressure has vastly improved since starting the carnivore way of eating, and her heartburn has disappeared.
Since adopting the carnivore way of life, Heather has been actively involved in CrossFit exercise– which she enjoys. Heather has also joined the community. Heather says she has found the community to be very beneficial. She also says she loves watching other carnivore followers’ videos online, especially the success stories. Seeing so many people has success with this way of eating helps keep Heather motivated to keep going. Heather is thankful she has a community of fellow carnivore diet followers to keep her going on her health journey.
