
Did I really eat a carnivore diet for over 60 days? No vegetables? No plants?
It’s true. I ate a carnivore diet for 60 days. In fact, I still am.
Why would I stop eating plants?
I know what people are wondering. It is weird and dangerous eating a carnivore diet?
I went on a carnivore diet and stopped eating plants, because I saw others do it with interesting benefits, and I became curious. That’s the heart of it.
I am writing this post to share a journey of mine.
When I told my husband, he was skeptical, understandably, but we’ve been married a long time and he’s witnessed my diverse diets.
But, a carnivore diet?
I live by a principle …
When new information presents itself, I’m not afraid to make changes. No dogma here.
I didn’t tell my mom for the first couple weeks that I was going to eat a carnivore diet. I thought she’d just freak. (Spoiler Alert: Turns out, she was pretty supportive, again, knowing me well that I do things like this. She also, after seeing me on it, after a while, decided to try the carnivore diet for herself! My husband, too!)
Did I really stop eating plants?
Pretty comical maybe, but yes, I did stop eating plants. Let’s see what happens.
UPDATE (spoiler alert): Clearly, I did well with the carnivore diet because I wrote a book, The Carnivore Diet Handbook! Please check it out! Discover how you can easily start this diet, too. You can feel better than ever eating animal foods. You’ll learn updated details of my carnivore diet journey, FAQs about the carnivore diet, tips on how to transition, meal plans, recipes, and more.

Now, WHY would I eat a carnivore diet?
And, am I saying you should? Of course not. It’s fucking weird! At first, at least. Do your own research and do your own thing. I’m sharing what I’m doing and my results.
I like experimenting with foods and styles of eating. I have for 20 years. It started back in my bodybuilding days. Today, I share my story with respect to carnivore eating (also known as carnivory and sometimes referred to as Zero Carb though that’s not entirely accurate because you could be on a zero carb diet and still have plant foods like coconut oil or olive oil).
Funny, but people think I’m nutty if I say I’m on a carnivore diet, but not as nutty if I just say Keto or Zero Carb. People get a little freaked out and concerned. However, I don’t entertain those people until they’ve done the reading, research, and experimenting that I have.

I’m drawn to the carnivore diet for a few reasons.
- It’s so easy. I really want to make this point. I now eat two times a day, and some days I can see only eating once (if I eat a big enough steak). The reduced food prep, reduced food shopping, and reduced decision-making fatigue is awesome. I really can’t say it any better than that. It’s been such a terrific experience that I can’t imagine going back to the produce aisle, making salads, chopping and prepping a bunch of food. I’m just saying that now and maybe I’m in the honeymoon phase, but I’ll enjoy it as long as I can.
- It appears we can get everything we need (in the best format) from animal products so it’s not harmful in any way. It’s actually possibly extremely nutritious. The common sentiment in the carnivore community is that #MeatHeals and it’s anti-aging. I’m inclined to agree. Meat (and fish in my opinion) have super nutrition without any of the possible negative consequences of carbs.
- I don’t crave sugar or carbs. Zero cravings on a carnivore diet. THIS SHOCKED AND EXCITED ME! I can follow a carnivore diet without any effort. I do not think about carbs or want them. When I try to test myself and think, “hmmmm, how about some sourdough or ice cream” I’m not interested and imagine a delicious ribeye steak. I wanted to experience a No-Carb Life.
- It’s the easiest thing I’ve ever done to keep in great shape. My body is in the shape I had in my 20s and it’s, again, effortless. When I ate a “clean” diet like so the past years, I stayed in good shape but had to put more effort into it. I was careful not to overeat and I usually avoided desserts or sweets. My pleasure foods were sourdough breads, quiche, chocolate, dried mango, fruits, etc. Eating that way, I had a food belly after meals from a little bloating even if I only ate big salads.
Now I can go from Steak to Swimsuit 🥩 👙 (or cropped top)

I can go from eating a pound of fatty ribeye steak straight to wearing swimsuit because there’s no bloat. My abdomen stays flat on a carnivore diet!
I can also workout after eating meat. In the past I waited before going to the gym, after eating, usually because I was either a little bloated, had a “food baby” or just tired from digestion. Now, I’ve had times where I want to go do pull-ups after eating a steak.
The carnivore diet saves me time and energy.
My immediate excitement was “reduced decision-making fatigue” in the kitchen. I love the lack of food prep, food planning, and food shopping. My life became simpler when I went carnivore. I’m the same way with clothes. My closet has very few items in it so I can just go in, grab it with no second thoughts, and start my day.
Read about decision making fatigue here: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/magazine/do-you-suffer-from-decision-fatigue.html
Is this reason alone to change my eating to a carnivore diet?
I was excited about eating a carnivore diet because I knew about the nutrition in meat. I did question, for a while, whether eliminating plants would harm me though. Were there nutrients in plants I needed that I couldn’t get from animals?
I don’t think so anymore. I’ve read interesting information about the nutrition profile of animal foods and the possible lack of nutrients(!) in plants. I knew a bit of this from before, which is why I stopped eating vegan five years ago – the vegan diet was missing nutrients. But I didn’t realize that maybe we thrive without any plants.
Plants’ services no longer rendered.
I know. It’s weird. I still have moments where I doubt it. Then, when I think about it, the things I’m reading and common sense support my eating carnivore, at least for now.
I have been writing this blog post since I started my carnivore diet, and here I am 60 days into it and I still have moments of like, WTF? But the longer I’m on it, the more I like it.
Again, I look at my skin and see such health that I not only love eating a carnivore diet but I feel it’s a very healthy choice.
Who knows long term though. I think the body can withstand a lot. I need more time to see if things improve even more, stay the same which is good, or change for the worse longer term on a carnivore diet. I see long term carnivores and they look to have great health. They look strong and beautiful!
What is my goal with this carnivore diet?
It’s an experiment. I’m a curious gal. Heck, my family just “sold it all” to move abroad and travel the world so clearly I like a bit of adventure. I don’t know if I can imagine a life plant-free and all carnivore diet forever. Who knows?

I was curious enough to try. I wanted to see if I’d feel differently by eliminating plants from my diet and going carnivore. So far, 60 days into it, I have no desire for plants other than coffee and tea which I’d like to eliminate and see what that does, too.
- Will my hormones improve and PMS improve? (They improved when I ended my vegan diet years ago, and I wonder if they could improve even more?)
- Will my occasional headaches improves?
- Will my energy improve? It’s not bad or anything pre-carnivore, but what could happen longer term?
- I heard about major improvements in skin from many women by eating a carnivore diet. Like having full on acne and it going all away. I was intrigued. My skin greatly improved after ending vegan, but I get an occasional PMS breakout though not every cycle. Will that improve? Will I age slower without any carbs?
What prompted this craziness of not eating plants?
Dr. Shawn Baker via Twitter. – Carnivore Diet King

When a friend retweeted him I chuckled at his absurd diet of eating as a carnivore. However, he was an MD professsing awesomeness by being a carnivore and I couldn’t help but do a double take. A medical doctor, orthopedic surgeon no less, well that piqued my interest seeing as most doctors are still touting the outdated idea of watching the consumption of cholesterol.
So, I saw that he was a big dude, like super muscular and in great shape for his age (for any age actually!), which I think was 50 at the time. I saw once that he was eating about 8 plain hamburger patties for a meal.
I thought, “Huh, that’s bizarre, interesting, and possibly ridiculous.”
However, I respect people doing their own thing and trying things and he’s a doctor.
At the time, I didn’t think any more of it other than pure entertainment of watching him and following his tweets on occasion. I had zero interest in doing it personally, after all, I was a polyphenol freak. Hello – matcha? Turmeric? Vegetables? I write and sell books about them!
Funny how things work.
Over the months, I saw his meaty meals posted on twitter and saw him retweeting other people trying his carnivorous ways. From those links, I read blog posts from self-proclaimed carnivores and their fascinating experience. Some having done it for decades! Woah.
Still a skeptic though. My excitement for people doing weird diets and sharing successes is dampened by my bad experience following the vegan herd years ago, only to later experience dire consequences for my family. I thought eating a vegan diet was the absolute best diet for everyone. There were doctors and experts saying it was so! I did it for over a decade – healthy whole food organic vegan.
I was terribly wrong for my family and we suffered. Of course, I know a bit more now about nutrition, scientific studies, and observational studies. If I knew back then what I know now I wouldn’t have gone vegan. I’m trying to see and experience the carnivore diet with smart and open eyes. That vegan experience makes me extra cautious now.
I figured it can’t hurt to try carnivore diet for a little while. After all, a zero carb or Keto diet is therapeutic. They use it in medicine so it can’t be too scary or bad.
Moving on… I watched Dr. Shawn Baker with increasing fascination over time. I read about others and saw great “before and after pics” of pre-carnivore and post-carnivore pictures. People with full acne going to crystal-clear skin. People losing drastic weight. People claiming increased energy, mood, sex drive, and overall happiness. All anecdotal though, sure.
Then, I put on my skeptic glasses (again), and reminded myself that when someone drastically changes their diet and cuts out crap, they usually see great improvement whether the new diet is vegan, Keto, low-carb, whole-foods, real-food, vegetarian, or even a carnivore diet.
Interestingly, some people have been eating a carnivore diet a for a LONG time. Still in great health.

More interestingly, some of those same people had great health benefits of being low-carb first, AND then noticed a continued surge in health after following a carnivore diet and cutting out plants. Curious, indeed.
Some of these people have real allergies, they learned, to the very phytonutrients many claim are beneficial. When I think back to my vegetable and fruit eating experiences I have to admit I had problems but who doesn’t eat veggies because of a small tummy ache after??
Here’s what I noticed when I look back on my veggie eating days with the different eyes:
- Coconut oil and coconut milk give me stomach cramps or at the very least I didn’t feel awesome after consuming.
- Sweet potatoes, yams, carrots can make me nauseous and I listened to that sometimes and ignored other times. I totally knew something was up and thought, well it can’t be because those are plants and plants are good for us.
- Regular wheat breads don’t love me too much, but sourdough bread didn’t seem to be a problem? 🍞
- Broccoli, though I was eating it, sometimes repelled me even with butter and salt. I would put on my big-girl pants to eat broccoli because of the supposedly super powers it had for health. I’ve read contradicting info since.
- Potatoes made me feel heavy.
- Avocado made me crazy tired – so much that I googled it last year and stopped eating them thinking I had an allergy to them. I never considered for a moment that other plants might be giving me issues, too. Why? Because plants are supposed to be so good for us.
- Chocolate – although I usually love it – I go in phases craving it because it makes me nauseated sometimes. I even researched that in past years because it made my stomach sick many times. Again, I usually ignored that because it’s chocolate!
- Nuts can make me break out, feel sick to my stomach. I sometimes avoided them and sometimes ate them in moderation, but nut butters? I stopped eating those for the most part because I didn’t feel awesome after consumption. That didn’t surprise given the allergenic capabilities they have for many.
- Bananas can give me a small belly ache but I still ate them or made smoothies with them.
- Citrus can contribute to migraines, but I can’t say it would happen all the time (along with a a host of other foods can be migraine triggers)
- Alcohol I don’t drink because I always feel crappy after just a few sips.
- Kombucha gives me a stomach ache and, again, I still drank it. 😔 I thought it was still good for me in spite of tummy upset.
- Leafy greens – kale, chard, and the like usually bothered me a little bit, but I ignored it, again, and figured I had stomach issues and not a possible allergy to the foods. I think sometimes they bothered me more than others so it could have been a result of other things I ate that day in combo with kale. It also depended on how much I ate of the greens.
- Green tea, on an empty stomach, makes me nauseous.
- Beets don’t help me either.
That all said, I find that mango, watermelon, blackberries, and blueberries always seemed to work well for me. Oranges I think are ok save for the potential migraine trigger. (There are probably more that I am OK with that I’m not thinking of.) However, berries require a fat to help assimilate the phytonutrients so on their own they’re not of much value.
I think celery was probably fine, though boring. Cucumbers, too. Bell peppers seem ok though many people say night-shade veggies/fruits contribute greatly to achy joints and that could’ve been harming my hip which no longer hurts being carnivore.
It would be interesting to see how I respond to some of those “innocent” options I listed now that I have done this elimination diet. When I think about it, the carnivore diet is an elimination diet, too. 👍🏼 I also wonder if the “poison is in the dose” and having small amounts might not be a problem? In the past, I tried getting lots of veggies – cuz they’re so good for you 🧐 – for polyphenols / fiber and maybe I simply had too many?
Dare I repeat myself: I’m skeptical of the carnivore diet from being vegan though.
I believed the hype and propaganda in veganism, too. It harmed me. It harmed my family! Maybe that makes me better at navigating a carnivore diet though.
I also understand there’s a bigger agenda than just diet with vegans – there’s animal welfare and the environment – worthy causes YES!
However, grass-fed practices help those issues. And, please, too many vegans don’t understand the animals sacrificed for their farming on corn, soy, etc. Nor the environmental sacrifice for monocrops or buying bell peppers and blueberries and quinoa from around the world. So, please, consider those things.
The other question is whether long-term carnivore diet people are steeped in their own dogma and possibly ignoring problems that might actually be there or chalking them up to something else. I was guilty of that as a long-term vegan, too. I even recognized and ignored possible plant allergy symptoms listed above, because I thought, well I have to eat veggies! I’m not going into this blindly this time. I’m writing everything down.
Or, are these carnivore diet people lying?
I mean, come on, these people are eating mostly just animals and water! Some are only doing steak and water specifically.
One gal, Charlene Andersen, who shared her story here has been eating ribeyes and drinking spring water for like 20 years. http://meatheals.com/2018/02/04/charlene-andersen/ She looks amazing and she’s in her mid-40s!

Really? Yes, really.
Now that it’s been 60 days for me, it gets less weird eating a carnivore diet.
But, it took over a month to feel that way in spite of the interesting experiences my body was going through. I was steeped so deeply in the importance of fruits and veggies.
Back to Dr. Shawn Baker…
He ended up on Joe Rogan’s podcast, and I eagerly listened since I knew who he was and what he was about. Being on Joe Rogan is a big deal so I had to listen. Not surprisingly, I found the interview extra interesting. He addressed issues like pooping when there’s no fiber in the diet, vitamin C and scurvy, and more. Those were things I hadn’t even thought about.
I later read more online about those common questions. I listened to interviews from scientists and researchers talking about how we don’t actually need plants and that we can get all of our micro-nutrients from animals along with the essential fatty acids and essential amino acids. I read that carbohydrates aren’t essential. Some experts mentioned these topics and said we should have more research on it, but that there was NOT good science for the constant recommendation to eat more fruits and vegetables either. I was shocked.
But giving up fruits and vegetables? What about my beloved phytochemicals I thought were so important?
Hmmmm… in fact, are phytochemicals even healthy? Should you buy my ebooks touting the “benefits” of matcha, turmeric, and vegetables? For fucks sake, I can’t say you should. I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ll eat vegetables or fruit myself again. I drink tea and coffee but that’s out of addiction.
Will I never have pizza again? Not even in Naples, Italy? Shit, I don’t know. Hard to imagine I won’t eat some vegetables some day.
You’d think from the way people talk that plants are to be revered to the utmost. We praise kids when they eat their veggies and not their fish or beef. Sure, we like our kids getting good protein, but do we praise them for eating it?
And, here’s a truth: Polyphenols from plants are plant “chemicals” – they’re designed as insecticides. The words polyphenol or plant nutrients seem sexy. But, call them a plant’s defense mechanism or nature’s chemicals or plant toxins and they’re more suspicious.
I’ve wondered as to the health benefits of ingesting these.
I used to think these polyphenols were healthy in acting as anti-oxidants but even that can be twisted otherwise if you research. Further, if we’re living a lifestyle that isn’t offensive or out rightly degrading, then I question whether these antioxidants are needed on a regular basis. Some say we don’t need them on a zero carb diet and instead they could be beneficial for people assaulting their bodies with too many carbs or junk food.
The carnivore diet camp say that our bodies have their own endogenous antioxidant system that is actually upregulated with a low-carb or carnivore diet. (That’s cool.) They say that even if you DO ingest them via food and supplements they aren’t of value and don’t make it into your system where you needed it anyway.
Now, that’s curious and frustrating given the money I’ve spent on phytonutrients and anti-oxidants supplements.
I found the discussion of vitamin C and glucose fascinating.
It’s possible that if we’re not eating carbs, our need for vitamin C goes way down. How interesting! http://breaknutrition.com/ketogenic-diet-vitamin-c-101/
Remember that I’m not a doctor and I’d advise you to read up on it yourself, because my days of recommending things for others are over since the vegan crisis.
So, all that in mind: I couldn’t help myself. I started a carnivore diet January 2, 2018.
I had no idea how long I’d do this or what my plan was other than to gauge my experience on a day to day basis. I figured I’d go 30 days, but at the end of 30 days I still felt so good and empowered, and I intuitively felt that I wouldn’t be giving it a fair shot unless I did 3 to 6 months. I figured my body would need to go through some changes and that some things would improve in 30 days but what would those things be like in 90 days? Or 120 days?
At first, I thought, maybe to appease my skepticism I could eat a mostly carnivorous diet and add a weekly bowl of berries or something. To keep my Italian ancestors happy I could cook my meat in olive oil on occasion (you know you can cook with it, right?). I thought I’d consider that in the beginning, but now 60 days later, I just don’t want any of that.
I’m without plants except for the plant extracts I get in coffee and tea.
To do a true test I’d cut those out. I tried to and you’ll see me talking about it a lot in the journal below. It didn’t happen, however, now that 60 days is over, I really want to make a better effort. So, today I’m decreasing the consumption and will see what happens. In a week, I’ll cut it out completely and see how life is without coffee and tea.
My mind is exploding with conflicting information as I entertain the possibilities of truth in what I am reading.
Here are my results that happened immediately in the first week on a carnivore diet.
- First thing that happened was I wasn’t super hungry all day. Very satiated. In fact I had to work at eating more because I was full. I remember Shawn Baker, MD saying to eat like it’s your job in the beginning to ensure adequate nutrient and energy intake. Keep in mind though, I was staying hyped up and “drinking the kool-aid” by reading about people enjoying this style of life. It’s a sure way to stay motivated.
- Second thing that happened was that I woke feeling super refreshed and with less sleep on even the first night.
- I had/have zero, and I mean ZERO cravings or desire for carbs. That’s never happened before, probably because I was always have some and/or not getting satiated with animal proteins and fats. Low-carb past experiences always left me wanting carbs. It took eliminating them to be free of them.
After 60 days on a carnivore diet:
- Best skin ever in my life… I had a skin improvement when I first went raw (in my vegan days), but that later aged quickly (more wrinkles around eyes, forehead, knees – yes knees) plus some painful zits after my body depleted of quality fats, cholesterol, and retinol and too little omega-3s compared to all the omega-6 filled nuts I was eating. I did experience nice skin in the beginning of going raw, but, after a while, it was negative for me, because I wasn’t getting the nutrition and vitamins like I just mentioned that I get in animal foods. When I went omnivore with “quality” foods about 5 years ago, my skin improved dramatically because I stopped eating vegan. Interestingly, it has gone next level with carnivore and I am attributing it to the carbs (and any plants I might have been allergic to) being inflammatory and affecting hormones.
- Wounds heal faster than ever on my carnivore diet, which is neat to see. I think the quality nutrients in beef, which is filling my diet instead of a combo of beef and, say sourdough or veggies, helps this.
- Satisfaction and satiety. I eat two meals a day on a carnivore diet, with zero interest in snacks or food outside those meals. That is fucking liberating.
- Hip pain mostly gone, so far, and I expect better over time. I have had hip pain for years since sleeping on one side for so long while pregnant with Kamea. It would wake me up at night many times. That started to get better before carnivore, but is almost gone on a carnivore diet.
- Fewer headaches. I had (what I think were too small sinus headaches) possibly due to allergies in this 60 days so far. I also had a small headache with one cycle of PMS. What I noticed was they were tolerable for the most part and not as painful as in the past. I have no idea if the experience of having a “smaller” headache as opposed to a “full-on” headache is the result of the diet but I think it plays a role.
- My PMS improved, though mine wasn’t too horrible (it improved after ending the vegan diet). At this time I have had three menstrual cycles. Each continues to improve while eating a carnivore diet. To get an accurate reading on this I need to go through more cycles, maybe five or six. However, now we’re getting ready to leave the country. I’m going to try to maintain the carnivore diet, but I don’t know if it will be possible 100% of the time. I think what will happen is I will go stretches of eating carnivore and on occasion not doing it, because of the cost (around the world) for meat. We’ll see. I don’t know what to expect.
- Great sleep. I experience my day in a very consistent way. I wake up very early without an alarm clock and I feel very happy, ready to take on the day, and excited about what I’m doing. At night, I go to bed at a nice, decent time and I fall asleep easily. It just feels right. It is been consistently like this since I started.
- Excellent attitude and mental state (I have a lot of amazing stuff going on, too, though. However, this way of eating feels empowering)
- Increased sex drive 💗 on a carnivore diet! Yeah, baby!
- Beautiful muscle definition in my arms, shoulders, and abs (and that was without working out). I look forward to shapelier legs as I work on my lower body workouts with a carnivore diet. There was no muscle sacrifice on this diet. For Greg, he had the same experience with loss of fat and no loss of muscle. 👍🏼💪🏼
- ZERO BLOAT even after enjoying over a pound of ribeye steak! Yes, I eat a pound per sitting most meals. I had greatly improved bloating and digestion after stopping vegan, but over the years as I played with my diet I had some minor frustrations again (was I eating too many plants?). On carnivore I have no “food babies.”
- I also think this must be an amazing diet for dental health. I keep thinking about this because it’s important to me, though it’s too soon to tell. I think a peron’s skin and teeth are windows into their body’s health. Excellent dental health has been a passion for the past four years when my teeth went to hell after eating vegan so long. When I think about this diet it has to be one of the best ones for building and maintaining healthy teeth. For me, that means including things like sardines (with skin and bones), getting sunshine, and include some quality cheeses/eggs/liver (for vitamin K2, retinol).
I figure that if the many people I’ve read eating only animal foods have survived many years, I can safely handle it for a month or so.
Following is my daily food journal I’ve been keeping.
Long and boring to be sure with various comments as I felt them. Note that I drink water every day but didn’t list it.
Stay curious. Forever.
For me, at the time of this post, I’m very happy doing this. I don’t know how it will go abroad traveling the world so we’ll find out. If I were staying here in the US, then yes, I’d for sure keep going with it as an experiment until 6 months had passed (unless of course I had problems). Beyond that, I’d take it month by month. Never say never and nothing is forever.
What about my daughter? Is my kid on a carnivore diet?
No, she’s not, but she is eating more beef. Breakfast often is a cheesy omelet with bacon and full-fat greek yogurt. She still eats sourdough bread, organic berries/oranges/bell peppers for example. Sometimes her meal choice is Greek yogurt with dried cranberries and dark chocolate with sardines on the side (well the sardines are my choice for her and she eats them). The difference is that I’m not hounding her with “You must eat your vegetables” because I’m not convinced she must all the time. I’m choosing non-sweet fruits more often like bell peppers or tomato paste on her homemade pizza loaded with cheese and sometimes meat added.
HOW DO I PREPARE MY MEAT FOR A CARNIVORE DIET?
Over the time I found that I really do want mostly beef, preferably ribeye steak though the price can be limiting. I also like ground beef patties and fish. I’ve found my favorite way to prepare steaks and patties.
Reverse Sear Steaks
This is a brilliant way to ensure perfect cooking of any size steak. It will take a bit longer, but with planning it’s mostly hands-free.


- Steak*
- Sea salt
- Baking tray/pan with cooling rack nestled inside
- Animal fat for searing
- Season steak with sea salt. Place the steak on the rack nestled inside the baking pan.
- Turn the oven on to 275 degrees F. Put the steak inside.
- For me, because I like a final temperature (after searing) to be 125 degrees I keep the steaks in the oven for these lengths of time depending on thickness of steak: If it’s a thinner steak, cook 20-25 minutes. If it’s a thick ribeye cook 40-45 minutes. Either way, I keep them cooking in the oven until the temperature reaches about 110-115 degrees F.
- Heat skillet to high. Sear steak each side for about a minute.
*I like to let my steak sit out for about a half hour (or a bit longer) to get closer to room temperature than coming straight from the fridge.
Broiling Burger Patties
This is the easiest and cleanest way to make burger patties because I can cook many at a time and clean up is a snap.
- Ground beef*
- Sea salt
- Cheese, if desired
- Large baking tray, lined with aluminum foil
- Spatula
- Create patties from the beef. I do this by rolling them in a ball and then placing them on the aluminum foil- lined tray. I then smash them pretty thinly.
- Place the rack in the oven so the burgers will be about 3 to 5 inches from the top. Turn on the broiler to 500 degrees F.
- Season the burger patties with sea salt.
- Cook them for 3 to 4 minutes. Flip them and cook another 3 to 4 minutes, until desired temperature is reached. For me, that’s a higher temperature than I eat my steaks because it’s ground and cooking higher is for safety reasons.
- If using cheese, place the cheese on top of each patty and return under the broiler for about 30 seconds.
*I like to let my ground beef sit out for about a half hour (or a bit longer) to get closer to room temperature than coming straight from the fridge.
NOTE! SCROLL to the bottom of this post for LINKS tointeresting reading on whether plants are necessary and other resources on eating a carnivore diet.
On a carnivore diet you’ll see people eating cow, chicken, pig, fish, lamb, offal, and some include dairy (full fat like cheese, whipping heavy cream, butter, and ghee). Over time one thing in common is that most find themselves gravitating to mostly beef.
60 Day Carnivore Diet Food Journal
Jan 2 (Beginner’s day 1)
I’d call this a gradual decline to a carnivore diet. Testing the waters without much planning, and eating what was on hand.
Sardines
Meatloaf (had breadcrumbs and green onions, ketchup)
Meatloaf (again)
Can tuna with MCT oil drizzled on top
I didn’t do any activity other than living life and running errands. I felt fine and satiated with a bit of excitement about trying this.
Jan 3 (Day 2)
4 eggs cooked in ghee with cheese
Black coffee
Bulletproof decaf coffee
Shrimp with butter and salt
Green tea x 2
Chicken sausages (not zero carb but close)
Buttered coffee
Overall felt awesome and empowered. Spent a lot of time sitting because I was reading more on carnivore eating from others. Had a touch of a headache but it went away. Excited to try this carnivore eating experiment for 30 days as I read more. I think I will cut out MCT oils and olive oils and also reduce coffee and tea going forward.
Jan 4 (Day 3)
I woke with a sinus headache and went straight for the Americano but made the coffee a bit weaker. I slept well last night and again, I woke bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Later in the day, I felt a bit anxious but my blood pressure was good. Headache went away after I took 1 ibuprofen. I don’t normally resort quickly to ibuprofen for pain but decided I had too much to do today and didn’t want to do it with pain. Also, I could be experiencing “Keto flu” as decribed by others. It’s minor for me personally. Two hours later, feeling better. Felt better rest of day. Feel totally satiated and have zero desire for anything other than animal foods.
2 x Americanos (brewed weakly)
5 eggs cooked in ghee
Chicken sausage left overs
Decaf coffee with butter and ghee
1.5 pieces bacon (had sugar in it but no choice)
4-5 oz burger cooked in bacon fat
2 scallops
5 oz beef patties cooked in ghee
2 oz beef patties cooked in ghee
2 cubes cheese
Jan 5 (Day 4)
Woke again bright eyed and bushy-tailed. Still have small headache seems like sinus and pollen counts are high so maybe. I’m not hungry though coffee curbs appetite. Finally had eggs at 11am. Wasn’t hungry again until 4pm. I didn’t have much choice in food because of traveling so I opted for buttered coffee to increase calories and satiation. Headache was only mild on and off today. Took 1/2 an aspirin mid-day and it’s stayed gone since. Relieved at the ease of food prep… Loving that and loving NOT being hungry and loving NOT being obsessed with food thoughts all day.
Americano
4 whole eggs + 1 yolk gently scrambled
Green tea
Can sardines
Hunk of cheese
Decaf coffee with butter
6-8 oz ground beef
Decaf buttered coffee (still hungry, need to make more food and plan better if I’m going to consider avoiding coffee)
Jan 6 (Day 5)
Woke up feeling great again. Had coffee because I think I’m just going to slowly wean off it. It ended up really curbing my appetite though and I wasn’t hungry til 11 when I decided I should just eat so I could fortify myself. After eating the eggs, I was full all day. I, again, ate oysters just to get something in my stomach. I felt a bit anxious today because we have a lot going on in our lives at the moment (all good and exciting stuff nonetheless still a lot to process) but I also felt happy and strong. Had a tiny altitude headache like I usually get after coming home. Bottom line today I had basically no appetite. Was cold later in the day (winter), and felt I should probably eat more so I had three eggs.
Black coffee
4 whole eggs + 1 yolk gently scrambled
5 smoked oysters
Ground beef and ground offal with cheese on top
Buttered coffee
3 fried eggs in ghee
Jan 7 (Day 6)
Feel great and have been busy. Hardly any hunger. Super satiated and have to remind myself to eat. Food’s role in my life has changed. I just eat to fortify and that’s it. Simple.
Black coffee ☕
4 eggs cooked in ghee
Ground beef patties (6oz?)
5 drum sticks roasted
Decaf buttered coffee
Jan8 (Day 7)
Again, I woke refreshed. I decided to get calories immediately by having butter in my coffee. I’m just not very hungry, and I think I’m losing too much weight. I feel mostly excellent but again feeling a bit anxious because we have so much going on with moving to Europe. It’s all manageable though with meditation and Taoism.
I’m very busy and don’t think to eat. For dinner I wasn’t super hungry but thought I better eat. I’ve lost 3-4 pounds in one week on this carnivore diet, and thought I should eat more. For dinner I ate an 8-ounce (before cooking) patty, cooked in ghee. I felt fortified. I’m in bed feeling very relaxed now. I had a busy day with things getting checked off my to-do list.
I have good energy through the day, but that could be because I’m busy. Or the diet?
Coffee buttered
2 raw egg yolks and 1 can sardines
2 raw egg yolks
Green tea
3 chicken drumstick legs roasted
2 x buttered decaf coffee (one with teaspoon MCT oil)
1 drumstick 🍗
8 oz beef pattie
1 oz raw cheese
Jan9 (Day 8)
Ok so it’s been a whole week. Interesting. I think I went through some fatigue a couple of days but overall felt excellent in spirit and mind. Loved the lack of thought about food. I read last night that if people feel tired or weak they need to remember that on this plan you “eat meat like it’s your job” in the beginning especially. I haven’t been doing that. It’s not easy and I aim to increase my calories today.
I also started my cycle so was in the pre-cycle phase this last week and that could have had an impact. I sometimes get tired a couple of days in the week ahead of my cycle.
I’m not sure what to make of the sleeping. I sleep very well, dream, etc but I’m waking earlier than normal. Does my body not require as much sleep? Today I woke before 5am. I went to sleep last night around 10/1030. Maybe that’s good sleep and all is well or is this style of carnivorous eating messing with my sleep negatively?
Clearly I’m not using my digestion as much and I learned long ago that digestion is a big energy user. Maybe my body doesn’t have as much to do at night and so I wake earlier. Or, again, I just have lots to do before we move and that’s taking center stage.
Buttered coffee with tiny drizzle MCT (really for extra calories as I don’t think I’ll keep MCT in my diet once my bottle is used)
3 raw egg yolks (these are easy to get down and quick nutrition and calories)
Mint tea
8 oz beef patty
4 oz patty
Chicken (small: thigh, leg, breast)
Jan 10 (Day 9)
I woke again with ease. I’m guessing this is par for the course by now, and I’ll stop mentioning it, unless it changes. I haven’t exercised much and I’m ready to start. I have had consistently energetic days lately and I want to combat any stress by working out.
I’m still drinking coffee and not sure when I’ll cut that out… it is half decaf though so I’m not needing full caffeine I don’t think. Would do me well to get over to all decaf because caffeine can harm hormones.
I’m lean and happy with the constant flat belly! 👙
Feeling great throughout the day today. Not hungry, as usual, but eating anyway. Bought some whipping cream to add calories and diversity.
Black coffee
6 raw egg yolks
Buttered decaf
2 oz ground beef
4 oz Steak
3 oz Salmon
Decaf with cream
Pattie with cheese
Jan 11 (Day 10)
Another fine morning. Felt great yesterday and strong, though I’ve still been forgetting to exercise with my long list of to-dos. I do meditate though – there’s always time for that!
Black coffee
3 raw egg yolks
Ribeye steak
Coffee with heavy cream
Beef pattie with melted cheese
Coffee with heavy cream
Jan 12 (Day 11)
It’s amazing how easy this is for me but I’m quick to remind myself that I’m quite busy so that could play a role. When I have a lot to do, food takes a back seat.
I woke up early again and today I started doing a little bit extra movement I did some rebounding and a little bit of strength training. I’m going to add some more later today.
Later: I never got around to the exercise later because I ended up running errands that took me longer than expected. Didn’t have a food plan so I ate some cheese at mom’s – just a couple cubes and had some tea. When hungry and in a bind, cheese totally kicks ass. It satiates with just a couple bites.
Black coffee
6 raw egg yolks
Mint tea
3-4 oz Beef pattie w cheese
Decaf w whipping cream
1-2 oz Cheese
4 oz cod with a little butter
2 oz salmon
Decaf w whipping cream
Jan 12 (Day 11)
Everything’s feeling great. Enjoying this time.
Black coffee
6 raw egg yolks
Few bites of offal
Coffee with whipping cream
Bacon
Ground beef
Jan 13 (Day 12)
Still doing this. I want to have more offal but I just don’t like it. I started my day with hot water in place of coffee thinking the coffee curbs my appetite too much. I need to eat more on some days. I feel find otherwise.
(Looks like I forgot to record food.)
Jan 14 (Day 13)
Egg yolks
Coffee w cream and collagen
Ground beef w cheese
Cod
Jan 15 (Day 14)
Feeling good and normal. Busy.
Coffee black
Ground beef
Decaf Coffee cream with collagen
Green tea
Decaf coffee cream with collagen
Ground beef w tiny squirt mustard / hot sauce
Decaf with cream
Jan 16 (Day 15)
Woke after 7 hours of good sleep. My weight loss is nicely stable now. I feel crazy doing this, but I want to stick it out and see what happens after a month.
Black coffee
6 raw egg yolks
Decaf coffee with butter and collagen
Beef pattie with cheese
Beef pattie with cheese
Jan 17 (Day 16)
I seem to be ready to rock-and-roll after 7 hours of sleep. I used to want/need to get 8 to 9 but I’m ready to wake after 7 these days.
Black coffee ☕
Buttered coffee with collagen (using this up because I have it)
5 raw egg yolks
3 slices of grassfed cheese
5 smoked oysters
Buttered coffee with collagen
Salmon sockeye canned
Hot dogs
Beef pattie with cheese
Jan 18 (Day 17)
All is very well. I wish I were testing my strength more. I’ll try more movement and exercise tomorrow.
Black coffee ☕
Decaf buttered collagen coffee
Hibiscus tea 3 oz
Steak
Cheese
Cheese beef patties
Jan 19 (Day 18)
Coffee ☕
Ghee Collagen Coffee
8 oz. steak
1 Sardine
Cheese beef pattie
6 oz. steak
Buttered decaf x 2
Jan 20 (Day 19)
Skin is amazing. It looks so pretty the color and clarity. Energy solid. Emotions great. I have consistently felt super. I like the buttered coffee in the morning because I’m not hungry in the morning and feel like I want something but not ready to dive into eggs or meat so this is a nice light intro. Yes I go to the “bathroom” every day, sometimes twice. It’s simply smaller amounts because it’s not bulked with fiber.
Green tea
Buttered Collagen Coffee (still using up the collagen)
3 raw egg yolks
12 oz. Steak
1 scrambled egg
2 oz cheese
Buttered decaf coffee
Jan 21 (Day 20)
I am continuing to have zero cravings for anything – though I do find that I enjoy buttered coffee more than ever. I am making bread for my family and I do not have any desire for it. Strange.
I still have matcha tea, jasmine green tea, and coffee. I will slowly use those items up in my kitchen and then make decisions on whether to eliminate.
We are going to be traveling the world and I can’t see eating this way forever but I do see it as a good choice for extended periods if that’s all I can manage due to travel and costs of meat abroad.
I feel great. I sleep well. I wake ready to wake. My skin is soft and glow-y. So far, I have zero complaints on zero carb carnivore. (Note: eggs and cheese have a tiny amount of carb.)
Matcha green tea
Buttered Collagen coffee
Scrambled eggs
2 oz. cheese
4 smoked oysters
Mint tea
2 beef patties with cheese
Jan 22 (Day 21)
Today I continue feeling great. Went to the doc for woman’s wellness exam. My weight was great at 121 pounds and my blood pressure was 108/70. 🙌🏼💃🏻
Black coffee
Jasmine green tea
2 Scrambled eggs
Buttered collagen coffee
Cod
Patties with cheese
1 Egg and 2 oz. cheese
Rooibos tea
Jan 23 (Day 22)
Going low protein and high fat trying that today. So extra buttered coffee. Update later in the day: the low protein didn’t work. Just didn’t feel right. I was really full after the salmon/bacon/coffee meal. I think I won’t want to eat until nighttime. I can go so long between meals eating carnivore whereas I was usually thinking about my next meal soon after eating food with carbs. Update: Well I went for some cheese at 3pm because although I wasn’t really hungry I just felt a bit weak. I’m probably not eating enough. I crashed with a two hour nap earlier as I had woken at 5am (went to bed at 10pm so that’s not bad).
Thinking more… I also needed to get out of the condo. Get some fresh air. And with the large to-do list I keep chipping away at maybe my brain told me to nap.
Black coffee ☕
2 Rooibos tea
Buttered coffee with collagen
4 strips bacon 🥓
1/2 can wild caught sockeye salmon
Buttered coffee
2 oz cheese
Mint tea
2 Beef and cheese patties
Jan 24 (Day 23)
Started my day waking well again. I had a small headache from dryness and sinuses I think but it went away.
Coffee ☕
Green Jasmine tea
Bacon
Buttered Collagen Coffee
Steak
Coffee (though not really in the mood)
Steak
Jan 25 (Day 24)
Feeling great still.
Eggs cooked in ghee
Buttered collagen coffee
Beef patties with cheese and butter
Green tea
Jan 26 (Day 25)
Jasmine green tea
3-4 oz Steak
20 oz buttered collagen coffee (have to be out and about for the day)
3 oz Steak
3 oz Beef patty w cheese
3 Beef/pork Brats! 😋
Jan 27 (Day 26)
I can’t get over how great my skin looks. I’m a believer that skin health comes from the inside and I’ve heard more than a few times about the turnaround in people’s skin after going carnivore but… what were they eating before? I know I had a “clean and healthy” diet prior to going carnivore so I didn’t have much to improve upon with my skin, or so I thought.
And evenness of my emotions and feeling of empowerment at not having to have a schedule relying on food. I know that I can go long periods without food and I will be fine. This way of eating keeps me satiated for much longer than when I used to eat carbs.
5 eggs cooked with bacon fat and topped with butter
Buttered coffee w collagen
Rooibos tea
Mint tea
4 pork/beef Brats
Oysters/Sardines
2 oz cheese
2 brats
Jan 28 (Day 27)
Tea
Coffee
Buttered collagen coffee
2-3 Eggs in extra ghee
2 Brats
1 oz cheese
1 bits of tuna
Buttered coffee
2 big beef patties w cheese
Jan 29 (Day 28)
Still feeling very well. Everything is as it was lately with easy food prep, feeling well, etc. I will say that today I ate more in the meat department. I was able to consume more than usual before I felt really full. Maybe that’s cuz I’m getting used to this, as I have heard people don’t start out eating a lot and have to “eat meat like it’s their job” to help ensure success. I feel like I’ve graduated. I also noted today that, like, wow, I haven’t had any carbs in almost a month which means no sugar. I’ve never done that!
Tea
Coffee
Buttered collagen coffee
3.5 Brats
1-2 oz cheese
2.5 Patties w cheese
Jan 30 (Day 29)
I like how easy this eating style is. I feel free even in spite of social situations because really you can find meat anywhere, might not always be the best kind but it is available.
Today I added some coconut oil and MCT oil to my buttered coffee, making it “Bulletproof” because I have a small vial left of the mixture and thought I’d experiment to see what happens. No desire or need to buy those things anymore, but I had it on hand and thought I’d try.
Update: Yes, it bothered my stomach either/both the coconut oil/MCT.
Black coffee ☕
“Bulletproof Coffee” (butter, coconut oil, MCT, collagen)
14 oz Steak
4 pork/beef spicy brats
3-4 Smoked oysters
1/2 can Sockeye salmon (canned)
Black coffee
Jan 31 (Day 30)
I’m not going to stop even though this is day 30. We leave for Denmark in the beginning of March and my plan is to stick with this until then, at least. Steaks and patties and beef sound better to me than even in the first couple of weeks of eating this way. I’m able to take in a bit more, too. Woke up with a small sinus headache, nasal passages feel dry.
Black coffee
Buttered collagen coffee (still using up the collagen and then I won’t buy again)
2 beef patties with cheese
2 sardines 🤢 not my favorite
Feb 1 (Day 31)
OM-GOODNESS I went 30 days as of last night as a carnivore. My diet was primarily meat, mostly beef. Occasional fish and rarely chicken or pork. I drank coffee and tea. I used butter and ghee. I also included collagen protein powder simply because I had it on hand. Oh, I ate eggs every 2 to 4 days and had cheese (maybe 1 to 3 oz on average) almost daily up until now. I find the cheese hits the spot when I want something small to eat that isn’t meat. Same goes for buttered coffee. I find that most times I’m cool with meat but sometimes buttered coffee is the most appealing or a hunk of cheese alongside the beef.
I think the butter helps me increase the fat in my diet when my meats aren’t fatty enough. Ribeyes are too expensive for my frugal ass right now and even if I bought them as not grass-fed, they’re still pricy. So, I look for grass-fed ground beef on sale and sometimes I’ve bought non-100%-grass-fed but still “natural, no added hormones” etc for steak like Top sirloin, NY strip. (Update: I learned a great way to find pricy cuts of meat on salt from Dr. Shawn Baker using MyGroceryDeals.com – they’re not usually grass-fed though.)
I wonder how nasty buttered hot water would be? I remember Dave Asprey making a delicious recipe of hot buttered water with stevia and vanilla added. It was damn tasty. But, plain buttered water? 🤢 is my guess. What if I salted it? Hmmm 🤔 Hot Salted Butter Water?
I had a minimal appetite for the first 10-14 days then it gradually increased as I “ate meat like it was my job.” This helped to ensure nutrition and energy. I felt very good most of the days except for small headache and energy dips the first few days. Small sinus headache still today (started yesterday).
No bloat. Ever. No matter how much I eat.
Body composition is great. Always a flat stomach. Firm and taut.
I didn’t test my strength enough the first month and I’m eager to do that. I vow to do that more in February as I continue this journey, maybe another month.
Today, I did have some cramps – maybe PMS. Very mild though – yay. I expect the wrinkles in hormones to be ironed out over time, and I’m curious to see how monthly cycles are as on a carnivore diet over time. I don’t think this can be completely experienced unless I’m doing this more than a couple months, but I do think there will be some changes. (Update: there are improvements so far.)
Today is February 1 and the day has already started with coffee but I’m actually rethinking February and curious if I should shift into a higher gear for this month. Drink only one cup of coffee, or none. Drink one cup of tea, or none. Drink more water (hot sometimes in place of coffee). Curious if life is better without the coffee. As usual, I have a supply of the stuff and I’d like to go through some of it. Plus, we’re getting ready to move abroad and who doesn’t drink coffee? Tempted though. Must consider.
I should just commit to a day without coffee or tea and see what the hell it’s like. It sure it would make life even easier. And cheaper :) (Update: I didn’t reduce the coffee until after 60 days on the carnivore diet.)
2 cups black coffee
3 eggs scrambled in ghee
Buttered coffee (small amount of butter)
Steak 🥩 about 4 oz is my guess. Try as I might, I couldn’t finish the last few ounces. Greg will be happy as I put it in the fridge. 😉
Feb 2 (Day 32)
Still finishing off headache so started the day with coffee.
Coffee x 2
Matcha (had a more nervous morning and matcha calms me)
4 brats
Chunk of cheese (1-2 oz)
Chunk of cheese (1-2 oz)
2 beef patties with cheese slice on each
Buttered coffee
I feel like I could’ve done without the buttered coffee tonight and the extra cheese, but we had a weird day and my schedule got the better of me.
Feb 3 (Day 32)
1.5 cups black coffee
Buttered collagen decaf coffee
Bacon and Eggs
1/2 can tuna
Buttered coffee
12 ounces beef patties with cheese
Feb 4 (Day 33)
Started cycle – maybe those headaches were PMS. Not the most breezy cycle but certainly not a bad one either. Read about another long time carnivore and I’m getting interested in the ribeye / water diet more and more. Easier still.
Coffee
Jasmine green tea
2 eggs scrambled in ghee
Buttered collagen coffee
Matcha
Chipotle carnivore bowl: 1 chicken: 3 steak (probably ate 3/4 of it)
coffee
1 oz cheese
3 beef patties, broiled, no cheese
Feb 5 (Day 34)
Woke after 7 hours of sleep, like clockwork. Wanted coffee which was great, but I question my desire for it. I’d rather wake ambivalent. Going to have a couple of days of ribeyes and see how it goes.
Update: in my meditation today I decided that I wanted to give up coffee. I don’t feel exactly that way for green tea at this moment but I think I feel that way about coffee. We’ll see if that changes in Europe but I’m going to cold turkey yet that’s on feeling. This update comes after having had a cup of coffee that you see. Second update. Decaf sounded so nice after my ribeye 😳
Coffee ☕
Buttered coffee
1/2 can salmon
3-4 slices bacon
Ribeye 🥩 at 2pm
Decaf
2 x iced decaf
Feb 6 (Day 35)
Well I started the day with a cuppa coffee. The situation is that I’m on a very weird sleeping schedule where I go to bed early and I wake extraordinarily early (it’s still dark outside). Coffee is useful and I have a trip to New York where Greg will speak at the United Nations in a couple of days for STEAMTeam 5, and I feel it’s not the best time to go cold turkey like I felt like yesterday. So I’m going to keep it to one cup today decaf.
Coffee ☕
Decaf ☕
Jasmine green tea 🍵
Ribeye (or 8am)
Perrier sparkling mineral water + heavy splash of whipping cream – to and try. Someone said it was a wonderful treat. I liked it ok, but didn’t feel awesome after. Might have been something else but noting it anyway.
Ribeye 🥩 (3:30pm)
Feb 7 (Day 36)
Yep, I’m having coffee. We leave for NY and the UN today so it’s a day of travel. So much for giving it up.
Large coffee with butter and collagen
Beef sticks (like jerky)
Venison jerky (not good)
Ribeye
Feb 8 (Day 37)
We were at the UN all day and so it was a bit weird for food.
Coffee x4 (decaf and reg mixed), one had butter, one had heavy cream
Green tea
A piece of ham and cheese
Beef stick
Steak
Chuck steak
1 oz cheese
Feb 9 (Day 38)
Again, at the UN for the day so it was not super fun in the food department.
Chuck steak
Canned mackerel
Coffee x 4 (decaf and reg mixed), one had butter, other had heavy cream
Chuck steak x 2
Feb 10 (Day 39)
We leave NY today and it’s a travel day so food will be less than ideal.
Green tea
4 eggs with butter
Sardines
Decaf coffee
2 beef patties
8oz steak
1 regular coffee – had headache, took ibuprofen
Feb 10 (Day 39)
Back home. Happy to be back in a kitchen with steaks.
Coffee (need to start getting off caffeine)
Decaf
Ribeye
Feb 11 (Day 40)
Coffee
Decaf
Ribeye
Ribeye
Cheese
Feb 12 (Day 41)
Coffee
Buttered Collagen Decaf
Ribeye
Ribeye
Feb 13 (Day 42)
Didn’t feel super after the Capp with heavy cream listed below. Maybe dairy isn’t my friend? Or maybe I just had too much.
Coffee
4 strips Bacon
1/2 can Tuna
5 pieces salami
1 slice cheese
2 strips bacon 🥓
1/2 can tuna
San Pelligrino sparkling mineral water
Ground beef w mustard butter sauce
Decaf cappuccino w heavy cream
Decaf with cream
Feb 14 (Day 43)
So now I’m rethinking taking dairy out of my diet and considering keeping a little bit in. I read an article where somebody eliminated dairy and then had a hard time adding it back into their diet because they no longer have the enzymes to digest it. Hmmmmm…..
Black coffee
Green tea
Buttered decaf
3 Sardines and 8 smoked oysters
10 slices Salami 2 oz Cheese
3 eggs (felt nauseous after)
Ground beef and butter w mustard
Feb 15 (Day 44)
I’m still trying to get my head around how much I should be eating. I feel like I could scale back the amount I’m eating. I can imagine a good balance to have coffee in the morning, buttered sometimes. Then, ground beef patties (maybe 8 oz) for late morning breakfast. Have a 1+ lb ribeye late afternoon. This would be an eating window of maybe 10am to 6pm. I’d like that. I’ll try to focus on that in the future.
Strength update. I feel like this week, the past couple of days I’ve felt stronger. I knocked out 3 pull-ups without having had been practicing prior – usually I need to start with 1-2 for a couple of days. My pushups are stronger too. I wonder if it took my body 30+ days to get stronger based on diet. I feel like working out more now, and there were many days before (namely the first 30 days of this) that I didn’t.
I worked out today – definitely stronger than the last time I worked out a few months ago, and this was my first time back in the gym in a couple of months.
Coffee
Green tea
Buttered coffee
4 pieces bacon
3 raw egg yolks
Buttered decaf
1 oz raw cheese
1+ lb Ribeye
8 oz coffee 1/2 reg 1/2 decaf
Decaf with heavy whipping cream
T-bone steak cooked on the grill (I hadn’t planned on eating again, but my brother was in town and he cooked steaks on the grill)
Feb 16 (Day 45)
Oh, I was thinking about the dairy thing… the risk of eliminating it and therefore having trouble reintroducing it back in if desired. I don’t think that’ll be a problem as I was a vegan for a decade once. When I added dairy back in, I was fine. True, I eat high quality dairy, raw grass-fed cheese, or grass-fed milk (not raw but not ultra pasteurized either). Maybe it’s simply a matter of the dairy source.
Decaf Coffee
Americano (dammit I just love coffee)
Green Tea
Buttered decaf (before working out so I had at least a bit of fuel)
Leftover T-bone steak (post workout fuel)
Buttered decaf
T-Bone lunch
4 pork / beef brats dinner
Feb 17 (Day 46)
Black decaf
Jasmine green tea
Regular coffee
Buttered coffee
3 pork beef brats
2 pork beef brats
Decaf (so much for giving up coffee)
2.5 patties beef broiled w bacon fat
Feb 18 (Day 47)
Brunch at a country club:
Eggs. Prime rib. Coffee.
2 beef/pork brats
2 1/4 beef patties
Feb 19 (Day 48)
I’m back in Carefree today which has a slight bit of elevation and I usually get a minor altitude sickness experience for a day. I don’t have that so far. Hmmm interesting and great.
I also realized I don’t have an achy hip (hurt since being pregnant with Kamea for about 7 years – mostly bothersome with short periods last year where it was better – but then bothersome again until now).
I also have a flaky scalp sometimes. Not sure if it’s my lack of washing hair (I wash 1-2 times a week) or what but it’s annoying. I will be paying attention to see if that improves. (Update: Scalp actually DID improve. I didn’t expect that and glad to experience it.)
I’m not surprised anymore that I continue to feel well. My skin is the best it’s been in my whole life and that tells me something. I’ve always felt that skin health is a window into the body’s health and to have such soft, clear skin during this carnivore diet is telling. Wounds heal faster, too. I sure am curious as to whether that’s from the carnivore diet. I mean, it must be, but I remain a shocked person through all of this. Yet not.
I still don’t know my stance on coffee. I love it so much. I think that I want to get off it, yet I find equally that I don’t. ☕ So for now, I’m drinking it. My caffeine intake isn’t super high because I mix decaf into the mix.
I also want to start eating just two meals a day and maybe shoot for some days with just one meal, though I’d probably need coffee for that. Coffee is satiating for me. I’d like to see what my body does when confining my eating window to 8 hours a day.
Today I’m able to try that. My last food last night was around 6pm. If I wait to eat my beef today until 10am I’ll get the 16 hour fast. Eating enough at both the 10am and 6pm meals makes it easy to stay satiated.
Coffee ☕
Decaf ☕
1+ lb Ribeye 🥩 (10:45am)
Coffee with collagen powder (stomach ache 2 hours later – wonder if it’s the collagen as I had a stomach ache before with it)
4 slices Bacon, Beef patty, 2 Chicken sausage (6:30pm)
Decaf
Feb 20 (Day 49)
To maintain the 8 hour only eating window today I’ll need to wait until 1030 to eat but we’re selling the car today at 11 since we’re selling everything to live abroad out of a suitcase (backpack for me). I think I’ll break my fast with buttered coffee, bacon and cheese that I’ll eat as I’m heading out the door to ensure a 10:30 start time at the earliest. OR! We might stop at Chipotle after the car so maybe I can hold out until 12? Yeah, I’ll push it and wait until Chipotle.
Coffee ☕
Decaf ☕
2 strips bacon
7 smoked oysters from a can (not my favorite but convenient)
Coffee ☕
Steak bowl from Chipotle (just steak ~9 oz I’d guess)
3 ounces cheese (I was a ways out from food and wanted something to tide me over. Cheese works like a charm.)
1 lb ground beef patties
Feb 21 (Day 50)
Coffee
BIG buttered decaf (had to be away from kitchen in the morning so packed buttered coffee)
1 lb ribeye
Coffee
Decaf
1 lb ribeye
Feb 22 (Day 51)
Coffee
Jasmine green tea
Big buttered decaf 10am
1/2 lb patties 11am
Ribeye 5:45pm
Feb 23 (Day 52)
Coffee ☕
Canned Tuna and canned sockeye mix
Buttered coffee
4 pork beef brats
Buttered decaf
Feb 24 (Day 53)
Coffees just going to keep drinking it for now
2 beef patties w cheese
3 pork beef brats
1 lb ribeye
Feb 25 (Day 54)
Coffees
Ribeye
1 brat
1 hotdog
2oz patty
7 oz ribeye 🥩
Feb 26 (Day 55)
Coffees n Tea
Ribeye
Ribeye
Feb 27 (Day 56)
Coffees n Tea
Ribeye
Ground beef patties
Feb 28 (Day 57)
Coffees n Tea ☕ 🍵 (I added whipping cream in today’s coffee for a lovely change) I also did more decaf today than regular.
Ribeye 🥩
Ribeye 🥩
March 1(Day 58)
I continue to like the carnivore diet. Not too surprisingly, my mom is much intrigued now and wasn’t at all before, though supportive. I’m very eager for her results. She started 2 days ago with a transition into carnivore diet.
Greg had a stomach ache a couple nights ago, maybe from too much coffee though he decided to eat some dried fruit and nut balls. He said he was fine after. So, he’s been without carbs except for that for about 5 days maybe? He’s not loving it as much as me. He loves the extra protein and he’s cool with eating carnivore for his first and second meals. However he works late in the night and it’s at those times that he feels like he’s fasting on meat and he still would like some other choices that are not meat to be satisfied. Or his love for beer appears. So for the next week he’s going to be carnivore by day and then if he snacks at night it might be low-carb or to drink a beer, but we’ll see.
I’m not in the pushing people to do this if they don’t love it as much as me. I was curious how he would gain strength in the gym and I was curious if he would notice a difference in brainpower if he were Keto, but he pretty much has strong brain power right now anyway. And ever since we stopped eating vegan he has less inflammation.
Coffee and Tea (when will I reduce this? I guess never)
Coffee with cream
Ribeye
Ribeye
4 smoked oysters from a can
3 raw egg yolks (had upset stomach and I think it was the raw eggs)
March 2 (Day 59)
Coffee and green tea
Decaf Coffee with cream
Ribeye
Ribeye
March 3 (Day 60)
Coffee and green teas
Ribeye
2 raw egg yolks (no digestive upset)
Ribeye
Links for more reading on the carnivore diet:
https://zerocarbzen.com/about-me/ (interesting story and I like her useful link on “adaptation”)
http://www.empiri.ca/2012/08/my-carnivorous-diet.html (humble and smart gal writing a lot about carnivory and what it did for her)
“Public health officials and nutrition experts love to sing the praises of the virtuous cruciferous vegetable family. We are told that these pungent plants can fight off cancer, strengthen our immune system, and leap tall buildings in a single bound. But could crucifers have a dark side?” http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/is-broccoli-good-for-you/ (article questions broccoli benefits)
“We are told that vegetables are powerful and virtuous—that they fight off cancer, sweep our digestive systems clean, and strengthen our immune system —that they can leap tall buildings in a single bound. Yet vegetables have a dark side. They don’t want to be eaten any more than animals do, and use sophisticated chemical weapons to defend themselves…
http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/vegetables/
“The word fiber conjures up wholesome, earthy-crunchy images of squeaky clean intestines and free-flowing coronary arteries. Yet fiber is not a nutrient at all, and is not absorbed by our bordies. What is fiber? What is the difference between soluble and insoluble fiber, is it really healthy for us, and do we even need to eat it?”
http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/fiber/ (is fiber needed???)
“Poor cholesterol—so misunderstood. All animal cells require cholesterol for proper structure and function. The vast majority of cholesterol in the body does not come directly from foods like eggs and meat, but from the liver, which can make cholesterol out of anything we eat. So, if cholesterol-rich foods don’t cause high cholesterol, what does?”
http://www.diagnosisdiet.com/food/cholesterol/ (Great article on cholesterol)
The Carnivore Diet: Is Eating ONLY Meat Healthy, or Totally F@#$ing Crazy? https://www.onnit.com/academy/the-carnivore-diet/
I liked this testimonial too. Keep in mind it is just a testimonial like what you have read about my experience here. http://www.justkeeppushing.com/how-i-lost-17-pounds-in-one-month-on-the-carnivore-diet/
Meatheals is loaded with testimonials.
Update
I’m writing this update 5 months after starting the carnivore diet.
I wanted to give an update because I’m no longer able to eat exclusively carnivore as we travel the world.
The cost of meat is more than I want to pay to feed both my husband and myself carnivore, plus feeding my daughter meat. Moreover, the only thing (regarding beef) that is affordable at this point is to buy ground beef, which doesn’t make a fun carnivore diet. When I was eating mostly ribeyes, I felt amazing and I loved the carnivore diet. It was easy for me to follow because I looked forward to the steak and beef. It tasted awesome!
As I traveled the world, and tried to stay carnivore, I had to shift the beef-centric carnivore diet to carnivore foods like eggs, cheese, full-fat dairy (yogurt, cheese), cured meats, canned mackerel/sardines, and occasional ground beef. This made for a diet heavier in dairy than I wanted and low on beef.
I wasn’t nearly as happy nor did it feel really great.
It’s interesting how satiated I was on just fatty steaks and ground beef while living in the United States. Something about that fatty beef.
Therefore, I started adding some plants into my diet and reducing the costly beef.
So, here’s how I’m doing things now.
I’m keeping a carnivore-strong diet most days.
I wake up and fast for part of the morning with coffee and water. Then, I eat 5 scrambled eggs made with lots of butter and sometimes with cheese. I cross my fingers that it keeps me full for long enough. A few hours later, I try to just eat a can or two of mackerel. Sometimes at this point I have buttered coffee and/or a vegetable or fruit (carrot or orange with some cheese), if the mackerel isn’t enough or satiating me.
One thing is for sure, I don’t love canned fish so I feel like I’m “dieting” when I eat it. Boo-hoo. It’s during these times I take a moment to be grateful that I even have food to eat.
Gratitude sauce is great for diet foods.
For dinner I often have whatever I make the family isn’t primarily carnivore. We don’t worship vegetables anymore but I’m mindful that if we’re not eating as many of them, then what am I replacing them with? We don’t eat a lot of dark green veggies. In fact, I’d say the primary source of vegetables would actually be non-sweet fruits (cucumbers, bell peppers).
On occasion I have some dark chocolate or a piece of sourdough bread topped with cheese and butter.
When we have a long travel day, anything goes.
I do my best to pack what I would call “real food” because we don’t want to buy extra unhealthy foods while out. Therefore, I try to pack quality foods for snacking and then do my best in picking out foods at restaurants because some days we can’t pack a whole day’s worth of food while traveling from one country to another.
How do I feel as a result of not eating an exclusively carnivore diet?
I will admit that I think I feel better when I’m eating all those ribeyes. However, that could have been just temporary and supported with reading so many success stories. I’m careful to consider that many people WILL succeed on a carnivore diet if they’re coming from a diet that has junk food in it or isn’t as clean. I still find interesting, however, the people who went from keto diet to carnivore carnivore diet and felt improvements. Very interesting.
Sadly, both my husband’s muscle mass and mine have suffered from the lower protein (especially the lower beef is my guess). I aim to get more protein in my diet, even if that means more canned fish. I want to protect my muscle mass.
That said, I don’t think an exclusive carnivore diet is essential for me at this time.
I think if I am mindful of the plants I consume, and the amounts, I will still experience great benefits. I’m now confident that beef is healing, and I would love to have a lot more in my diet, but it’s not in the cards for me right now. I learned a lot through this experiment, and I’m so glad I did it.
My current plan: I’ll focus on the carnivore diet foods that make sense for my budget and availability, watch my carbs daily-ish, and overall relax about what I can and can’t do right now. It’s helpful that I’m exercising daily-ish. I’m meditating daily-ish, too. Those are vital to optimal health as well.
Feeling great results from many factors, and it’s important to remember that. I’ll do my body a disservice to stress about any lack of carnivory in my life. I will continue to experiment with foods, as I have my entire life. It’s my nature.
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Oh, and here’s what I’m up to these days in addition to eating a lot of beef:
I’ve decided to become a millionaire.