Hi there, my name is Lisa. I’ve been aware of/interested in the carnivore diet for a couple of years now, but for some reason, I have only committed to following this diet’s principles for just under two months so far (commenced June 18, 2018).
I can’t say why it took me this long to jump on board. Maybe I somehow felt that I deserved to keep on suffering? Or was I that addicted to the litany of “non-foods” that permeated my previous diet, despite the terrible effects they had on my body and mind?
In any case, I am now on board with this way of eating, and I feel compelled to share my story in the hope that it can add to the growing number of testimonies you are collecting for this remarkable way of eating, as well as perhaps inspire others with similar issues to what I’ve had.
My Binge Eating Problem
Since a very young age, I have had an excessive focus on my weight and shape due to many years as a dancer. I also am, by nature, a somewhat extreme person with addictive and OCD tendencies. By age 12, I had developed a starvation syndrome which led to weighing approximately 30kg; however, within a year, I started binge eating uncontrollably and weighed around 70kg by the time I was 15.
This may not sound especially heavy, but I am 5 foot 1 inch tall, with a very small bone structure, so I appeared extremely overweight at this level.
To say I was miserable by this point is an understatement. My binge eating was constant every single day, and it felt like the most hopeless addiction which I couldn’t control. I had become very depressed and suicidal, regularly engaging in self-harm activities.
At the time, I thought I was addicted to all “foods,” but in hindsight, my binges were on sugar and carbohydrate-based foods. I managed to shed some weight towards the age of 20; however, I still carried a thick layer of fat on my body and still experienced binge eating very regularly.
It was at this point that I started vomiting up my food after a binge (bulimia) out of sheer desperation not to become heavy from all of the food I was pigging out on. Since I couldn’t control my cravings to binge, this became an extremely vicious cycle of binging and vomiting which continued almost constantly until very recently (I’m currently 32 years old).
Looking back, I wonder how I lived through this hell for so long. I was frequently very depressed and often wished my life would end.
Having Super Low Energy
About two years ago, I started experiencing the most debilitating low energy during my everyday life, which I consulted several doctors about without getting any kind of answers or diagnosis. This made even the most basic activities like walking, talking, or laughing to be difficult in the extreme.
During these years, I was also put on Prozac and Zoloft (separately), which did not help my situation at all. Whilst I’ve never been a deliberate vegetarian, I’ve spent my entire life eating very little meat. I have been a sugar and carbohydrate addict for my entire life, which has been exacerbated by bulimia.
After the onset of my chronic low energy issues, I started experimenting with keto macros; however, I was still including keto Franken foods such as bars and the like, which seemed to enhance cravings and cause regular relapses back into binging.
I was also pretty limited in my meat consumption so as not to screw the keto macros, so overall, my energy levels were just as bad or worse on keto. In hindsight, I think my body was under stress from a long-term lack of animal protein consumption, and my keto diet did not add much improvement to this nutritional inadequacy.
For me, the two most important effects from this diet are the way it makes me feel, and the way it banishes my binge eating.
Enough Was Enough
Moving forward now to the meaty (hahaha) part of my story, I experienced my last binge episode on June 18, 2018, where I binged and vomited a bunch of quest bars.
I think something switched inside me, and I finally decided that enough was enough. I was going to kill myself if I kept on going down this path. I gave up everything that I was binging on; nuts, quest bars, and chocolate with “fake” keto sugars in them.
I started eating mostly beef, some eggs, cheese as a condiment, and a bit of cream in my coffee. I let go of all counting and portion control, instead simply eating as much as I feel like. In such a short space of time, the improvement in the way I feel is groundbreaking. I have my energy back! I just feel good every single day.
Furthermore, I don’t seem to crave any of the sugars and carbohydrates I previously binged on. The peace I am experiencing as a result of this is truly astounding. My eating disorder is in complete remission, simply from following a carnivorous way of eating.
Thank You, Shawn!
Shawn, I follow your social media accounts with gusto, and I am so appreciative of what you do. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing work you do in fighting for this cause.
I have also provided before & after photos; however, please bear in mind that I have not followed this diet for long, so the physical changes are not dramatic thus far.
I do appear noticeably fluffier in the “before” pic, and I also believe that six full months on this diet will display further improvements in leanness and body composition. However, for me, the two most important effects of this diet are the way it makes me feel and the way it banishes my binge eating.
If anyone is suffering from an illness or disorder which could be improved through diet, I strongly encourage you to start thinking for yourself and question everything (as Shawn says).
There is too much garbage being fed to us in the world today, both nutritionally and in the information we are given about what is supposedly healthy. Taking matters into your own hands could be the best thing you ever do for yourself.
1 thought on “Lisa stopped her bulimia on carnivore diet”
I’ve been Carnivore for 1 week. Im 70yrs, osteoporosis in my hip, osteopenia in my spine. I’ve adopted Carnivore after 4 years of Keto. Lost weight, now maintaining. Ditched T2D. I have a Geographical tongue caused by (so my ENT specialist says) is due to the pesticides and herbicides and poisons on my food. So am trying Carnivore. After 7 months of disturbed sleep….up at 2 or 3am icing my tongue…..i have finally had several nights of uninterrupted sleep. (By the way my meat is grass fed, wild caught etc
Writing as I would like some feedback about the affect on my bones.
I have a burnt tongue sensation all the time, hoping that will go, as well.