Robyn was on a ketogenic diet before learning about the carnivore diet and has been a keto diet coach for years. Before keto, she was never very overweight or obese, but always wanted to be “skinny.” She says “I have been on a diet since before 14 years old, standard low-fat high-carb” and that this caused problems: “I developed binging episodes.”
The Struggle with Autoimmune Diseases and Binge Eating
She had developed autoimmune disease, explaining that “In my early 30’s I started to get really sick, and was diagnosed with 5 autoimmune diseases. Lupus, EBV, HS, Reynaud, Sjogren’s, and fibromyalgia thrown in too.
I had migraines for years, was still binging, exercising like a fiend, and eating low-fat. Doctors told me that autoimmune diseases were incurable, everyone knows that! I ended up on 24 different prescription medications every day.
You know, half of them were to counteract the side effects of the other half, of course. That would manage my flare-ups, so maybe I’d have three instead of four in a year. An EB flare-up, I would have a 104 fever for five or six weeks.”
The Healing Power of Keto and Carnivore Diets
Robyn had daily stomach aches for 30+ years of her life. She started keto to lose weight, but for the first six months, lost no weight. Angry and determined to make the diet work, she stuck to it and kept up her hard exercise routine, running over 100 miles a week.
After six months, she realized she had no autoimmune flare-ups. Three years into the keto diet, though, she still had stomach aches and was binge eating. Robyn decided to “try this carnivore thing.”
One day, Robyn decided to stop eating vegetables and nuts. “I’m not sure why I decided to do it. I just wanted to try it. So, what happened, on day two, I woke up and thought ‘something is wrong’ and it took me a minute, then I realized I didn’t have a stomach ache, for the first time in 30 years. It’s been over two years since, and I have had the stomach ache again.”
Overcoming Challenges and Healing Relationship with Food
Robyn incurred damage to her spine from poor diet and overexercising, and has had 20 spine surgeries for her degenerative spinal condition. While she can’t exercise much now, she says “I’m a lot healthier now than when I was in my twenties, and I’m 46.”
She advises, “I think the most important thing anyone can do is heal their relationship with food. Food is fuel, it should be enjoyable, that way it’s sustainable. Steak and eggs, I can deal with that. It’s very enjoyable.
That’s why other diets don’t work, because they’re gross for the most part! But it still is fuel. It’s not entertainment, it’s not something you do to celebrate.”
Robyn’s Reward: Freedom from Autoimmune Diseases and Medications
Robyn learned how to overcome her challenges and take control of her situation. She has been rewarded with freedom from autoimmune diseases and can thrive without medications, and says “I’ve been medication free for over five years now.”
