Zack says he has been a little stocky most of his life. Before finding the carnivore way of eating, Zack says he ate the Standard American Diet– a lot of bread, coffee with sugar, and other highly processed foods. Zack said when he tried to research how to lose weight online, he was told to limit the amount of fat he was eating, so he focused on lean meats such as chicken and ground turkey while also eating a lot of vegetables. However, Zack says eating so many vegetables made him bloated after each meal.
Zack was also struggling with joint pain. He says he always wanted to be a runner, but his joint pain held him back. He says he took a lot of over-the-counter medications, such as Advil, to combat his constant joint pain.
Almost a year ago, Zack’s brother-in-law recommended he read Dr. Shawn Baker’s book “The Carnivore Diet.” He then went on to listen to both Jordan and Mikhaila Peterson. Zack says the father-daughter duo has also been a great source of knowledge, and he loves Mikhaila’s short clips online.
Zack initially thought the diet sounded crazy but decided to take the approach Dr. Baker suggested in his book and slowly implemented the diet. Zack says for the first couple of months, he ate the carnivore way one or two days a week. After five or six months of slowly transitioning to the carnivore diet, Zack fully committed to the lifestyle.
Zack says he did have some transitioning issues while starting the carnivore diet. Initially, he was combating his sugar addiction and cravings while also experiencing some loose bowels. Zack says eventually, his cravings subsided, and eating an avocado every other day helped with his bowels.
Zack says he went from 210 pounds to 178 pounds relatively quickly while following the diet. He also says his joint pain has disappeared. He professes, “my joints have never felt better in my life.” Since becoming a carnivore diet follower, Zack has been able to implement running into his lifestyle– something he never thought possible. He hopes to be able to run a marathon later this year. Zack also says his sleep has improved. He has a fitness watch that tracks his sleep, and since he has become a carnivore diet follower, his deep and REM stages of sleep have become much longer.
Today Zack’s diet consists mainly of beef, eggs, bacon, black coffee, cheese, and beef liver. He says he found local farmers online from the community and buys mostly grass-fed meat and unpasteurized eggs. He jokes about how many eggs he buys weekly from the farmers, as he eats five to six eggs daily to help him run.
Zack advises anyone looking to begin the diet to “do a lot of research.” He also says, “dive right in, and don’t be afraid to experiment.” He suggests trying Dr. Baker’s method as he did, implementing the diet one day per week and going from there. Zack is incredibly thankful to his brother-in-law for encouraging him to research the carnivore diet and all the information he has gained from its advocates.
