Early this year I experimented with the carnivore diet. Basically just meat and fats, I did eat some cooked greens and broccoli occasionally. But, other than some occasional cooked vegetables, I ate virtually no carbohydrates. No sugar at all. No bread, no pasta. I forced my body to burn fat as fuel. I drank coffee with stevia, butter and coconut oil. I ate aged cheeses like gouda or cheddar, but no milk. I also blend of broccoli sprouts, blueberries, and a small apple into a smoothy on occasion. I ate grassfed ground beef with some garlic cloves cooked in.
I noticed the following after an adjustment period of a coupke weeks. Waking up in the a.m. without feeling groggy. I slept very well. I experienced no gas, no farts at all. Energy throughout the day and into the evening. But, the energy was steadier feeling, with seemingly more gradual and flatter mood swings. I lost weight, in particular belly and moobs disappeared. When I got hungry it came on slowly and was not a ravenous hunger. Bowel movements were much smaller. My psoriasis was much reduced and my skin looked smooth.
It was weird eating bacon and eggs and steak all the time. I also augmented with olive oil and coconut oil so my body did not need to resort to using protien for fuel and would instead apply protien toward maintaining and building cells. My understanding is the body can burn protein as fuel if needed, but prefers carbs or fats as energy sources, allowing proteins to be utilized for body maintenance as long as their are fats or carbs to burn.
I did experience some memory issues, I found occasional difficulty recalling recalling names. But, that could have been stress. Not sure.
When I had my blood work done, my cholesterol and triglycerides were in the good range; in fact better than in the past, as was my blood pressure. Which was shocking given the fact I was horking down eggs, bacon, steak and coconut oil and macadamia nuts like mad and working a stressful management job.
I only lasted for 40 days on the so called carnivore diet. I think of it as a fat as fuel diet. Anyway, in a black mood one evening I convinced myself that enjoying a beer would be a good idea. I fell off the no carb wagon in short order and gained back some belly and moobs pretty quikly, although muscle mass from pushups and pullups and sprints has kept my shape from being too bad. I went from 203 back up to 230lbs in a few months.
So, for the record, that was my experience with the “carnivore” diet.
I am considering trying it again.
Ben Wagner (199)
Member The 365 Commitment
