August 1, 2018
Today, as I celebrate 18 months as a Carnivore, I think it is time for a #meatheals essay. After 18 months of healing and learning, I would like to share my story. Over this last year and a half, I have really learned to never say never.
My Keto Journey And Discovery Of The Carnivore Diet
In December 2015, I was at the heaviest weight of my life, and on January 1, 2016, I began a keto journey for weight loss. I quickly lost 50lbs. I stuck to the plan, and it worked. Except I wasn’t that happy.
I was pleased with the weight loss, but I didn’t feel happy. I didn’t love the way I looked or felt. I was low energy, had some loose skin, and I looked and felt depleted. Even with my 50lb weight loss, I didn’t like seeing myself in pictures.
The Struggles With IBS And Weight Loss
The feeling of depletion was nothing new for me. For the previous 25 years, I suffered from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. IBS ruled most of my life, from what I ate or didn’t eat at all to the social functions I attended.
I felt as though every moment of my life needed to have an escape plan. Even though I was eating great food while doing keto, my IBS symptoms never resolved.
Discovering Dr. Shawn Baker And The All-Meat Diet
Then, I came across Dr. Shawn Baker on Twitter. He was talking about an all-meat diet and challenging his followers to give it a try. I was intrigued; it made sense to me, and I knew I could do it.
Steak, after all, had always been my favorite food. My love of beef is what brought me back from a short but detrimental stint in a poorly executed vegetarian diet in my teens. So, on February 1, 2016, I began a 28-day carnivore challenge. Thank you, Shawn.
The Benefits Of The Carnivore Diet
Five days into no-fiber February (the very thing recommended to increase for my IBS), my stomach bloating disappeared. I had a sense of leanness I had never experienced. My bowel habits became regular and uneventful. How could this be? Was it too good to be true?
For the next 18 months, this pattern has continued. Since that 5th day, I felt a surge in energy that has remained steady to this very day. The loose skin from my weight loss tightened. My breasts and buttocks firmed while my waist shrunk, my body taking on an hourglass shape, the signature of robust health and fertility.
My Physical And Mental Transformation
My libido is the strongest it has ever been, and thankfully, my husband is also living a carnivorous lifestyle. My skin looks nourished, my nails are stronger, and my teeth and gum health have improved. I have gained a few pounds back on the scale since going Carnivore, but I don’t mind.
My muscles grow without exercise, and I have a new energy and a love of leisure activities like biking, walking, and swimming. I feel so strong, confident, and capable, both physically and mentally. I have not taken an anti-anxiety medication in all of this time.
Zero Carb Zen Is The Real Deal Folks
I have not been ill since changing my diet, not even a cold. It is a nice change for me after being plagued with throat infections my entire life. My menses improved on keto but perfected on Carnivore.
I am free from PMS, and my cycle is regular, lighter, pain-free, and lasts only 4-5 days. I sleep deeply and rise rested and easily with the sun, which I have developed a much healthier tolerance for since the near elimination of seed oils from my diet.
I no longer have out-of-control hunger or cravings, and I am not rigid in my food choices. I do not restrict calories or track macros. I eat anything from McDonald’s hamburger patties to Prime Rib, most kinds of seafood with extra butter, eggs from my backyard chickens, chicken, pork, cheese, and coffee with full-fat cream.
I drink water, sparkling and plain. I also enjoy red wine and, at times, a square of dark chocolate. My diet consists mostly of beef, and beef is what I really want and is what always makes me feel my very best. Eating for health changes everything.
I cannot imagine my life any other way. I am turning 43 years old in 12 days, and I have never felt better!
The following Christmas pictures depict my journey from a SAD diet (2015) to Keto (2016) and then Carnivore (2017).
