Sammy’s Struggle with Health Issues During the Pandemic
Like many people, Sammy gained excess weight during the covid pandemic. Sammy says he didn’t realize how large he had become until he saw himself in a video at church. Additionally, Sammy also suffered from sleep apnea, which had gotten so bad that his wife would count how often he stopped breathing or took long pauses between his breaths while sleeping. Sammy says his sleep apnea was very scary, and he knew some people had died from the condition.
Finding a Solution: The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and the Carnivore Diet
Sammy knew he needed to make some changes. Initially, he fell into the “move more, eat less mentality,” which did very little for his health. Then he discovered Phil Mickelson and the “Anti-Inflammatory Diet.” Sammy says he began to learn that losing weight and inflammation was so much more than calories in and calories out, and it didn’t matter how many miles he ran if he was putting junk into his body.
One day he decided to post a question on social media asking his friends to recommend an anti-inflammatory diet. He says his friend Jack responded, “carnivore diet.” This simple response led Sammy to begin researching the diet. Sammy has previous experience with the vegan diet, which he says “was awful” and the opposite of the carnivore diet. He felt pretty intrigued and excited to try the carnivore diet because it was so different than everything he thought he knew about health, and he and his wife decided to do it together.
Embracing the Carnivore Diet: Sammy’s Journey
Sammy says he had gone to Costco within a week and spent $300 on meat. Initially, he and his wife focused on grass-fed meat but found that maintaining a diet of grass-fed meat was very expensive. He says he came across an article from Dr. Ken Berry that explained conventional meat would still give great benefits at a fraction of the price of grass-fed meats.
Sammy also speaks of struggling with giving up his addiction to snacking at the beginning of his carnivore journey. He says before the carnivore way of eating, he constantly snacked on chips and nuts at his desk while working. It took him a while to get out of the habit, but eventually, it became easier and easier to ignore the craving.
Benefits of the Carnivore Diet: Improving Sammy’s Health
Today Sammy and his wife still buy a lot of their meat at Costco but have found conventional meats fit their lifestyle and budget better. Sammy and his wife eat a lot of pork and beef, and he is responsible for cutting, processing, and cooking most of their meats. Sammy says he saves a lot of money by cutting and grinding his meats and also says he’s been enjoying learning different techniques to cook their meals for the best flavor.
Sammy has seen many improvements since beginning the carnivore diet. He has lost so much weight that some people struggle to recognize him. Sammy’s sleep apnea has improved so much that he doesn’t snore some nights. He also speaks of the diet improving his hormones and, thus, his libido and significantly reducing his inflammation.
Simple Decisions for Better Health: Sammy’s Advice
Sammy is very thankful for his friend pointing him toward the carnivore diet and all that it has changed in his life. He even speaks of changing the health of his mother-in-law, who lives with Sammy’s family and his three children. Sammy says the best advice he can give is to focus on making simple decisions to improve your health. He says, “stacked together, good decisions can better your health every day.”
