Julian’s Success Story: A Journey To Health And Mental Clarity
Julian is from Australia and says he is not a “straightforward success story… there are still times I fall off the wagon, and I’m still making mistakes.”
Julian was “very overweight and was bullied a lot” as a child. He had been pursuing diets for some time in search of weight loss and “the mental health side of it.” Julian adds, “If 12-year-old me could have seen 36-year-old me, he wouldn’t have believed it!”
Ketogenic Diet And Mental Clarity
Julian followed a ketogenic diet, which involved cutting out processed or boxed foods and focusing on meat, veggies, “lots of high protein, lots of saturated fats” He says, “Intuitively, with myself, I’ve always had a problem with fiber… and a craving toward fatty meats.”
Initially, Julian says he had problems balancing out electrolyte issues, which he felt were due to “my adrenaline and cortisol issues.” Julian found that by cutting out processed foods, sugars, and carbohydrates, he developed a lot of mental clarity as well.
Trying And Committing To The Carnivore Diet
Julian began his carnivore journey “about three years back or so, hearing Dr. Shawn Baker on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast…It didn’t seem so crazy to me at the time because I’ve always been open to different ideas.”
At that stage, Julian says that he “had already been eating a ketogenic diet for a couple of years, so I was used to low-carb eating.”
His attempts at the carnivore diet were sporadic at first, as he would “try it a little bit, then going ‘oh, something’s a bit off, I’m not too sure what’ and then ‘oh I better be safe and just go back to my regular keto diet.”
Julian later committed to a carnivore diet: “Six months to a year ago, I did my research and knew the insides and outs of it, and kind of, yeah, fully committed to it… For the last six months or so, I’ve had zero carbs, and my adrenaline levels are fine.”
Confronting Cortisol Issues And Coffee Use
Julian eventually also confronted his cortisol issues and coffee use, saying, “But it’s such an addictive thing, you know, it was very hard to give up.”
He admits occasional transgressions, saying, “I’m human, and yeah, I still make mistakes, and you know, if I’m sick or burned out with work, I will still fall back and have a cup of coffee, or even make a mistake and go get some junk food, and then end up feeling terrible afterward.”
A Diet Of Chuck Steak
Julian eats “about one kilogram of chuck steak throughout the day, grazing on that.” Julian finds that intermittent fasting does not work well for him. Julian says he also always had problems sleeping due to his cortisol issues and says, “If I have a really salty dinner, I’ll have a restless sleep.” Drinking extra water helps, as it dilutes the salt for him.
He finishes his eating by 4-5 PM, which he says helps him sleep better. Julian finds that his “mood and energy are the biggest positive things I’ve found…It’s just liberated me!”
