Joseph has been struggling with his weight for most of his life. By the time he was in his mid-thirties, Joseph weighed around 330 pounds. Joseph says he spent almost a decade around that weight until he was in his mid-forties. He developed many health conditions as his body struggled to handle the extra stress from being overweight.
Joseph says he was prediabetic and had high blood pressure issues, and he took medications every day to help keep his levels down. Additionally, he struggled with GERD, insomnia, and migraines. Joseph was also starting to have problems with his liver, and he says his doctor suspected he had fatty liver disease.
Joseph says there were some days he could hardly go up the stairs in his home because he was in so much pain. He tried many different diets but said none seemed to stick. Joseph works in healthcare. One day, Gary Taubes, who wrote the book “The Case Against Sugar,” gave a lecture at Joseph’s workplace. Despite what he had been taught previously about healthy eating over the years, Joseph began to wonder if a low-sugar or low-carbohydrate diet could be the answer.
Joseph consulted with his primary care physician, who advised him against a low-carb diet, but he decided to try it anyway. He says he received regular bloodwork as he embarked on his low-carb journey and kept expecting his levels to be elevated or the diet not to work. However, not only did his bloodwork slowly return to normal ranges, Joseph lost ten to twenty pounds each month as a low-carb diet follower.
While following the low-carb diet, Joseph says he mainly ate meat-based with cheese, salads, and wine occasionally. Joseph then transitioned to a carnivore diet, where he continued to lose weight. Today, Joseph has lost over one hundred pounds, now weighing around a muscular 225 pounds, and has maintained his weight loss. He even incorporated weightlifting several months into his journey and currently competes in powerlifting competitions. Joseph says he continues to push himself and has been breaking his own personal records and gaining strength as a carnivore diet follower.
Beyond his incredible weight loss, Joseph says he is off all medications. Joseph also says he no longer struggles with migraines, GERD, insomnia, or joint pain and feels better than he did years ago. Something that Joseph wasn’t expecting, cysts on his back which he had had since he was in his early twenties, also disappeared once he started following the carnivore way of eating.
Joseph says his version of the carnivore diet is straightforward. However, his diet is similar to his meat-based keto days, without vegetables. Joseph also says as a medical professional, the carnivore diet goes against what he has been taught, but his results with the carnivore lifestyle speak for themselves.
Joseph is thankful he has proven his education and doctor wrong and that he has learned what works for his body. He strives to continue gaining strength and improving his powerlifting and overall health.