Tom’s Dietary History And Experimentation
I have six children – 6 thru 42 – and the one joke I hear all the time is about my ‘diet’: ‘So what are you eating now, dad??’ All my life, I’ve been curious to try different foods and regimens, to see what works for me and what doesn’t.
I’d be embarrassed to admit how much time I’ve spent reading and researching over the years; even now, at 65, it continues all the time. The fact is, there wound up being an overall direction to it (if a bit meandering), and it doesn’t change quite as frequently as perceived, but they do have a legitimate critique.
Trying Out Different Diets Over The Years
I’ve been through lots of ‘phases’: when I was in my teens, I followed some of the early Atkins ideas, then in my late 20s and early 30s, I followed a strict vegan regimen: I used to make my own bread with organic stone ground wheat. Tofu and sprout sandwiches, supplemented carefully with spirulina, brewer’s yeast, etc.
After (as near as I can remember) a year or so, I had some trouble with fatigue when I was 30 – I was running 5+ miles every day, and I finally started to add in some dairy.
Not sure that was the issue, but things did get better, and then I followed a pretty strict vegetarian diet for several years. One of my children, born during that time, is still vegetarian.
Struggles With Allergies, Headaches, And Sugar Cravings
I had struggled with seasonal, then year-round allergies since I was 19 and chronic (worsening) headaches in my 30’s and 40’s. Additionally, my weight fluctuated: I would ‘buckle down,’ count calories, or restrict types of food; over those years, my weight ranged between about 165 and 220.
And I had bad sugar cravings: chocolate, sweets, a genetic predisposition for sure, but I would work so hard to cut it out, and then one evening, I would implode and clean out every sugary treat, every half-opened, age-whitened chocolate bar, or frosted over long-forgotten reduced-to-goo ice cream from the back of the freezer.
Why? I always felt helpless and made up my mind again till the next binge.
Discovering The Benefits Of A Low Carb Diet
With a lot of reservations (shifting from years of veggie to red meat?!), I tried the re-packaged version of the Atkins diet that was popular in the late 90s – I was well into my late 40s. It defied everything I had believed for decades, but sure enough, I lost weight and felt better.
I shifted to South Beach (a bit hipper version with lean meats and more ‘correct’ foods) and had the same results. I couldn’t keep my results, though – I would drift back into the weight roller coaster, gird up, lose some weight, then stumble and start again.
But I noticed that on the ‘induction phase’ of both these diets – when I was eating NO grains, I always felt conspicuously better. After those initial couple of weeks, as I added back in the brown rice and whole wheat (NEVER processed), that good feeling dissipated.
Following The Paleo Diet And Going Keto
A few years ago, my wife mentioned a conversation she had about the Paleo diet: no grains, no processed food. I jumped into that and researched everything I could.
Dropping the grains was a positive move – I can’t speak for one other person on Earth – but for me, there was a palpable difference. I generally felt better, much less stomach and gut goings-on, and I was better able to control my weight and my diet. For a couple of years, I was doing well.
But I continued to read and explore: I came across more and more about the ‘keto’ diet. As usual, I first thought it was ‘too radical,’ and I was just plain afraid to try something that was out of the norm.
But I was piqued, and in September 2016, I jumped in and followed a rigorous keto diet, no more than 25-30 net carbs per day, huge leafy green salads, and of course, no processed foods, no grains, no sugars, etc. I recorded my weight and every ounce of my food every day.
Taking Control Of Sugar Cravings: My Journey To A ‘Cheat’-Free Diet
This was the first time, I think, that I was finally able to control my sugar cravings – I don’t think I’ve ever had a ‘cheat’ meal since then. I had started mountain biking with a friend a few years earlier, and I use an app that records every ride, my heart rate, etc. (I’m ridiculously fastidious about recording things).
My buddy is a really strong, experienced mountain biker and 15 years younger, so I can never keep up completely, but it paces me, and I managed to improve.
I had started at 200/210 lbs., and with the keto diet, careful calorie counting, and meticulous supplementation (electrolytes, vitamins, etc. – about a dozen pills a night, plus electrolyte powders and regular fiber supplements), I managed to methodically drop my weight into the mid 150s by December 2017 – less than I’ve weighed since before puberty.
My biking got stronger, and I also got to the gym when I could, so my upper body strength didn’t drop off too dramatically with the weight loss. Along the way, I implemented intermittent fasting, which, again, improved my stamina riding, and my health, mood, etc., got better again.
Embracing Zero Carb: Overcoming Fear And Misconceptions
Tom, after 16 months of keto
But I had read about ‘zero carb’ – at first, it just had a morbid fascination: here again, I was looking at something that defied everything I thought I knew. This created more fear: what about scurvy?
Would I be painfully constipated, somehow permanently ‘ruined’? I toyed with it and looked into it but never seriously considered taking that leap.
Transitioning To A Carnivore Way Of Eating: A Clinical Approach
When I happened to watch Shawn (Dr. Baker) on the December Joe Rogan podcast, it suddenly felt down to Earth, not so scary. I made up my mind to try it and started on December 11, 2017.
I wanted to be very clinical about it and not confound my results, so I determined to drop, on that day, all my vitamins, supplements, and psyllium husk (i.e., fiber supplement), and I also decided to drop my long-time nasal spray, which I had taken for decades to address my chronic headaches (I have NEVER been able to stop that without vengeful headache repercussions).
The only things I continued, at first, were my morning coffee and my Claritin. I’d taken Claritin for decades, year-round – for headaches and allergies and had never been able to stop it. A few days without it in the past caused severe itching all over my body, and I just assumed I’d take it till I died.
I continued and participated in the January study on Track-Well.com and then just kept going. I tapered the coffee completely, as well as the Claritin. As of today (2/19/2018), I have been free of Claritin for about four weeks.
I tentatively planned to go back to my keto diet – I still have fat bombs and low-carb, homemade bread patiently waiting for me in the freezer (which my family probably won’t eat) – but as of now, I have no plans to stop the carnivore WOE (way of eating).
Notable Changes On The Carnivore Diet: Weight, Joints, Headaches, And More
I eat mostly beef, occasional pork, a little chicken, eggs every few days, and occasional cheese, but I’ve felt better when I drop the cheese entirely.
Aside from that: water. I eat when hungry, and surprisingly never get tired of the steak (or hamburger for economy), and it usually happens about twice a day.
I realized that, generally speaking, as I cut out carbs at every ‘phase,’ I just felt better. Suddenly it didn’t seem unreasonable to cut them out entirely and just see what might happen.
Of the three ‘macros’ (carbohydrate, protein, and fat), only protein and fat are ‘necessary.’ Hey – tomorrow I may decide on a different route, but as long as it goes this well, I’m staying on track.
Enhancing Stamina And Strength: The Energy Boost On The Carnivore Diet
Here’s what I’ve noticed:
- Weight: my weight dropped in the first couple of weeks from 153 to 147, but since then, it’s slowly built back up to 162. Most is muscle weight, not fat – my waist, etc., hasn’t really changed.
- Joints: I’ve had some chronic problems with neck/shoulder pains since my 40’s, but those really disappeared almost immediately after I started keto. I’ve had occasional twinges in knees and joints since, nothing to complain about, but since starting carnivore, these are rare and temporary.
- Headaches: these diminished pretty quickly, and the minor ones I’ve had seem now to be associated with dairy, especially cheese. This is a kind of ‘elimination diet,’ and as such, it becomes easy to isolate ‘trouble’ foods. (I’ve had multiple MRIs and CAT scans, as well as several types of doctors working on this issue for me over the years. If this diet eliminates that lifetime issue, it’s really huge for me. Allergy season could be an issue, but I’m going into this spring sans meds and willing to see what happens.)
- Stamina/strength: Within the first few days, my energy jumped considerably, even over the keto diet – I just wanted to go work out. When I could make the time, I was sometimes working out in the gym, followed by a pretty strenuous kettlebell or rowing workout, and then, in the evening, a couple of hard hours of mountain biking. Since then, the energy has settled somewhat, and I realized I was doing TOO much for an old man, but I still feel as good as ever, and my biking and workouts are all improved. I track all my weights in the gym, and they’ve steadily improved since I started, and much faster than any time since college. My recovery time seems shorter as well. In terms of cardio shape and stamina, I can climb familiar hills, gulleys, etc., that I sometimes couldn’t climb before. ‘Burst’ (anaerobic) energy is just as good or better, not just aerobic exertions.
- Intestinal: whereas I had been supplementing with psyllium husk to get a consistent 30 grams of fiber a day and a daily bowel movement, I suddenly cut this out entirely. Now I am very regular, though less frequent, and the bloating, rumbling, and gas I always had before is pretty much gone. I never feel constipated – I’m never aware of my digestive tract at all, really. It just works. I spend a fraction of the time I used to in the bathroom (I stopped even bringing my phone in…. 🙁 ).
- Coffee: In the past, I had given up coffee for stretches, but I had to taper over a few weeks because I’m very sensitive to caffeine withdrawal. It seemed much easier on this diet, and it just took a few days.
- Skin: I notice I usually don’t need deodorant now (it could change as summer approaches, I’m open to friendly feedback), and I also notice my skin is generally just a little better hydrated. I rarely use (or need) soap on my skin anymore. I have always had some chronic skin breakouts on my chest and back, which dermatologists had tried to address over the years, but early on, I noticed this was entirely gone. Some things happen that you aren’t expecting, and it’s a pleasant surprise.
- Mood: I noticed that I generally had become a good bit calmer and less reactive (my family’s observations may vary), even on the keto diet, and that continued on the zero-carb regimen.
Navigating Conflicting Research And Personal Responsibility For Health
I’ve learned, over the years, that ‘conventional wisdom’ is often 99% conventional and 1% wisdom. The money and resources spent these days on persuasion, the stakes being high as they are – it’s more important than ever to avoid confirmation bias and the emotional sort of ‘cult’ identification (‘I’m a CARNIVORE!’ ‘I’m a VEGAN!’).
I try to avoid ‘us-against-them,’ whether it’s carnivory, veganism, or any labeling that artificially divides us by point of view, way of eating, etc. And there is SO much conflicting ‘research’: I can support any view now by simply Googling the results I want, and the ‘debate’ is endless.
Improved Digestion And Intestinal Health On The Carnivore Diet
I don’t have the time to spend or interest in researching why that’s so (I have theories ;-), but the responsibility for my own personal health rests with me, and I’m reluctant to cede that authority blindly to another person or institution.
When possible, I test for myself; I prefer ‘evidence-based’ knowledge over authoritarian-certified dogma. Trust, but verify – rather than trust alone. If one option makes sense, but the other is based on a ‘study,’ I opt for the one that makes sense – and when possible, test.
I trust the true scientific method implicitly, but I don’t automatically trust every claim paraded noisily about as ‘science.’
Unexpected Benefits: Skin, Mood, And Hydration
Sadly, I know so many people who could possibly be helped by changes in diet – with joint issues or autoimmune conditions, but who are intimidated by the shrill, alarmist voices out there, scaring them off.
There’s a treasure chest of good information supporting the carnivorous and LCHF diets out there now, enough to help a reasonable person ask good questions, if they have a true interest in open-minded learning.
Gratitude To Advocates And Embracing Open-Minded Learning
Thanks to Shawn and Matt and everyone else who’s made this interesting and a bit humorous at times, but mostly for giving people confidence – without arm-twisting – to experiment for themselves and share. It’s all fun to try new things and learn.
