I am 38, live in the UK, and have always been involved in sports and fitness. I have been fortunate enough to run my own business for the past 15 years, training both members of the public and potential/elite sportsmen at my own small facility. During this time, I have also been able to enjoy my chosen sport of surfing, along with the support of international companies.
Athletic Background
For the past ten years, my surfing has very much moved in the direction of searching for and riding larger-sized waves in cold water locations around remote parts of my local coastline. I have always trained for my health as well as my sport, and I’ve always taken pride in “eating well” and avoiding the foods commonly considered bad for us.
Although the sport certainly offers up its fair share of minor injuries, my knowledge of sports therapy and rehabilitation methods always meant I could recover appropriately and move forward without long-lasting effects, and I always implemented training approaches to promote injury prevention.
Health Struggles
This all seemed to turn a corner around three years ago. My body basically felt like it was rebelling against everything I attempted. Even the lowest level training sessions resulted in days of muscle soreness, particularly in the Hip Adductors, Rotators, and muscles of the Thoracic area.
Surfing in any conditions above completely benign also caused intense soreness but, more frustratingly, severe joint immobility. This soreness would not alleviate with any conventional approaches, the only slight relief I would get was from heavy doses of transdermal magnesium, oral iodine supplementation, and trigger point release, but I emphasize the word slightly.
I also found that despite my very best efforts, my weight and body fat were slowly increasing. One interesting dynamic that occurred was that every bit of exercise I undertook resulted in intense hunger, particularly for high-carbohydrate food.
I put most of this down to the fact that I was an athlete in my mid-thirties, and this was essentially the start of the end as far as my pursuit of a decent level of human performance.
It didn’t feel right as I genuinely felt that so many facets of my performance were still improving, and my endurance seemed to get stronger every year, but over the past few years, I had pretty much resigned myself to surfing less and training at a reduced workload.
The Maffetone Method
It was around 18 months ago that I discovered the Maffetone method and the premise of “Carbohydrate Intolerance.” So much of what Phil Maffetone said made sense to me and echoed my experiences. I implemented both the training approach as well as the recommended eating program, and I have to admit the initial results were pretty good.
However, I attribute most of this to the extremely low level of intensity and the associated low impact on the body. I also found that the prescribed re-introduction of carbs really messed me up and affected both my muscular integrity as well as my gut health.
Discovering the Carnivore Diet
I also continued to suffer from a very strange phenomenon that was both frustrating and also a bit worrying. Every time I attempted to stretch, regardless of the methodology I adopted (from yoga to PNF), it actually caused my hips, glutes, hamstrings, and upper back to effectively lock up.
I couldn’t get any sensation of relief or mobilization despite spending hours on foam rollers and stretching. The postures actually felt like they were damaging and shortening my range of motion.
My first couple of training sessions were pretty humbling experiences. I suffered intense muscle cramps while performing low-intensity movements on the Skierg and light barbell work. Interestingly though, these weren’t in the normal hips/glutes/mid back but felt more like deep in the bellies of the quads, hamstrings, and abdominals. Since those sessions, however, I have experienced a really positive step forward.
Initial Success with Carnivore Diet
My strength levels and lean muscle mass have improved, and functional exercises have become so much easier. I feel like I am still enduring the adaptation phase regarding cardiovascular training; however, I am now feeling real progress.
Positive Progress with Carnivore Diet
The thing that has truly blown my mind, however, is the progress related to the muscle/joint pain phenomenon I was experiencing. I no longer wake up with hips that refuse to articulate properly and a thoracic spine that I could only describe as an iron bar. I now find trigger point therapy and stretching bring such a feeling of relief and release that it is euphoric!
My ROM after a good session feels incredible, and my brain/body connection seems to be re-learning movements I have been incapable of for a long time. I am now so optimistic that I can restore correct movement patterns with a combination of hard work and the carnivore diet.
They say the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and there was definitely some pudding consumed this past Friday. The perfect combination of swell, wind, and tide combined for one of my favourite surf spots to light up for a few hours of good-sized waves in the cold Atlantic Ocean.
The spot demands a substantial cliff descent and a long paddle out through masses of white water and currents, and even the first move off the beach is a test of strength and endurance. The wave itself requires you to be on top of your game as the conditions are testing at the best of times with very little letup.
Medical/nutritional experts would advise that a person consuming a 100% meat diet would potentially have compromised their well-being by attempting this. Well, not only did I get through it, I felt amazing! My strength and endurance were great, and most importantly, my body remained supple and responsive throughout, resulting in an awesome session.
My post-surf experience was phenomenal. No soreness, no fatigue; I just felt energized and strong. A hot bath, a plate of steak, and a light stretch that evening felt incredible, and the feeling of recovery was such a welcome sensation!
It was after this session that I felt inclined to contact Dr. Baker and say thank you for tuning me into this Way of Life.
All the best,
Nathan
