Hi, my name is Joe and I have just hit the 90 day mark on the carnivore diet.
Food poisoning
I was fit and had no health issues my entire life. New Year’s Day of 2017, I came down with a severe case of food poisoning. I thought it would pass in a day, but it never did. I had severe cramps and gastric spasms that left me doubled over. It continued to get worse and worse. Every morning I woke up with chronic diarrhea that sometimes lasted all day. I was completely unable to digest food. Everything I ate was coming out exactly as I swallowed it. I dropped from 215lbs to 173lbs in a month because of my inability to absorb nutrients. People thought I was dying (173lbs at 6’4″ looks like death). My digestive and skin health deteriorated quickly as I continued to get worse. I couldn’t find the strength to work out anymore.
Wrong diagnosis, wrong meds
The doctors couldn’t tell me what was wrong. They told me I was fine and that it would pass. One doctor prescribe Xifaxan, a $2500 antibiotic which made my symptoms even worse. I was diagnosed with “IBS” but I knew it had to be something else so I started doing my own research. I came to the conclusion that I had developed SIBO, or intestinal dysbiosis, and got tests to confirm this. Through trial and error, I had moderate success with herbal antibiotics, soil based probiotics. I tried a plant based diet which kept making my symptoms worse and worse. I tried making green smoothies and they almost killed me. Interestingly enough, avoiding excessive amounts of fruits and vegetables started to help. I was still eating a lot of sugar and simple carbs. I had almost zero muscle mass and a significant amount of body fat.
The doctors couldn’t tell me what was wrong. They told me I was fine and that it would pass
Expensive supplements
The supplement regimen I had developed cost me over $250 a month. It was by no means a cure, but it allowed me to ignore my symptoms and barely get through day to day activities. I still had no ability to exercise or do anything besides work and sleep.
Deciding to start the carnivore diet
I heard Dr Shawn Baker’s interview on JRE. I laughed when I heard that he only ate meat, but by the end of the podcast I was convinced it was worth giving it a shot. After a couple of failed attempts, I said “enough is enough”, and committed to 30 days no matter how difficult it was.
The healing began
Within less than two weeks I was able to stop ALL of my supplements. No more herbal antibiotics that were destroying my system, no more expensive probiotics with questionable effects, no more expensive vitamins and supplements. My digestive issues disappeared about 90% within 2 weeks. I had an appetite for the first time in over a year. I have never had diarrhea since. All of my food is getting digested. My energy levels came back quickly – no more need for mid day naps or feeling chronically fatigued. I had a drive to work out again.
Only coffee to go
The only plant I still continued to take was coffee. I was an excessive coffee drinker, 4-5 large cups daily. I weaned off of it and that fixed the remaining 10% of my symptoms. My skin cleared up immediately, no acne breakouts or redness. I am completely “cured” at this point. My diet now consists only of steak, cheese, and butter. Occasionally, I’ll eat eggs or bacon. I’ve recently started training again, and I’m the leanest I’ve been in years, and slowly but surely gaining some strength again.
I am completely “cured” at this point. My diet now consists only of steak, cheese, and butter. Occasionally, I’ll eat eggs or bacon.
Thanks to Dr. Baker
All thanks goes to Dr Shawn Baker for his interviews to spread the word, and the amount of time he spends and patience he has personally answering questions from guys like me. This is the way of eating that healed me, and this is the way I’ll be eating for life.
