Sara loses weight, resolves pre-diabetes on carnivore diet

Meet Sara, a 41-year-old stay-at-home mom. In 2012, she weighed 180. Sara had an oral glucose tolerance test and was told by her doctor that she was pre-diabetic and should lose a few pounds.

After connecting with an online weight loss group, she started intermittent fasting and tracking her numbers. Over a few months, she lost 50 lbs.

In 2013, after another blood test, Sara’s fasting glucose was in the high 80’s—her weight loss helped.

She then transitioned into maintenance. Sara was eating a Standard American Diet—lots of lean cuisines. She did well, maintained her weight loss, and had follow-up blood work twice a year. This continued for 4 years.

“I thought I had it all figured out.”

Sara wanted to clean up her diet. “I got sucked into the plant-based way of eating.”

In 2018 Sara started eating very low-fat—some salmon and chicken, but mostly plant-based. She ate 8-10 servings of vegetables/fruit and 4-6 servings of whole grains per day, along with nuts, seeds, and beans. She consumed green smoothies, “coming out of my eyeballs.” This went on for a few months.

On her 6th-year weight loss anniversary, Sara had gained 13 pounds from her original 50-pound loss. She also started experiencing digestion issues and describes constant bloating, gas, and bathroom issues. The lack of energy hit her hard. Sara woke up tired in the morning, and by 7 at night, she was exhausted.

Sara was frustrated and burned out from the constant tracking of food and calories. “I had a meltdown and was done.”

Sara thought she was eating the best diet for optimal health, and yet she was getting sick. “I’m missing something.”

In April 2019, Sara decided to experiment with lower carbs. She was eating 200-250 carbs per day and set a goal of 100 carbs per day.

Within 3 days, she’d lost all the extra weight she’d gained. Today, her weight remains steady, and she’s not tracking numbers.

But Sara had a hit of extra energy that she wasn’t expecting. Within a week, she woke up clear-headed, had no afternoon slumps, and could stay up past 8.

Sara says she used to drink 4-6 cans of diet coke and 3 cups of coffee each day; she still drinks coffee but not diet Coke. She doesn’t need the caffeine.

Four months later, Sara is transitioning to a more carnivore diet.

An unexpected side effect of the carnivore diet was no PMS at all—no bloating, cramping, or sugar cravings.

Sara’s oral health has always been bad. But in the last two weeks since Sara’s been mostly a carnivore, she’s noticed her teeth don’t hurt anymore when she eats or drinks. And no more bleeding gums. Sara didn’t expect this!

Sara’s lab numbers also improved. Her HDL went up, and her triglycerides went down. Her overall heart disease risk ratio went from 3.7 to 2.8. Her A1c was 5.6.

This is “so much more than what I was expecting.”