Keto / Carnivore Lifestyle

[MadPick]

I'm not going to use the word "diet" here because to me that implies being deprived, and I don't feel deprived.

The "it's time to change the direction that my life is going" switch flipped in my brain at the beginning of 2023, and I started eating keto. Basically, that means that I stopped eating nearly all carbohydrates and sugars. Yes, a few grams slip in here or there from condiments and such, but basically there's no more bread, sugar, etc.

Here's one definition (courtesy of Dr. Berry) of keto: Half your plate is fatty meat, half your plate is low-carb veggies, and then you have a few berries and a few low-carb nuts. I mostly skip the berries and the nuts.

On January 2nd I weighed 247 pounds. Last Monday I broke the 200 barrier and hit 199. And . . . it has been EASY, and I feel like I'm 10 years younger, with tons more energy. I weigh myself once a week; it means that I can see steady progress, and I don't need to stress out about the little ups and downs that you see when you weigh every day. I don't take heartburn medication anymore, which is a huge plus.

Recently I've been watching a ton of YouTube videos on the carnivore lifestyle, which takes it a step further: You just eat animal products. That means meat, eggs, and maybe some cheese. Based on what I've learned, I'm pretty convinced that carnivore is the healthiest approach. I'm not 100% of the way there and may never be, but I'm definitely moving in that direction -- probably 95% of what I eat now is carnivore.

What have I learned, in a nutshell?

- Things are VERY different when you're not eating carbs. You don't get as hungry, you don't have cravings, you don't need or want to eat as often. It's amazing!
- Don't try to limit what you eat. Eat as much as you desire. Eat until you are "comfortably stuffed," as Dr. Berry says.
- You really can get everything you need from meat. No, you don't need to "eat your veggies." No, you don't need fiber.
- Keep the fat flowing. If you're eating a steak, great. If you're eating chicken breast, put some butter or something on it.
- Salt is your friend. Electrolytes are important. Once you go keto/carnivore, you will lose a lot of stored water, and with it goes stored electrolytes. I have electrolytes in my water at least once a day.
- Most of what we know about nutrition is absolute bullshit, and in many cases outright lies and fraud. That includes the food pyramid, the notion of a "balanced diet," and the idea that red meat, saturated fat, and cholesterol are bad for you.
- I think I'm saving a LOT of money. Yeah, beef is expensive, but so is everything else -- and I'm not eating most of the rest of it. No snacks, no side dishes, no lattes, etc.

I'm not getting sick of eating meat . . . in fact I'm craving it more than ever. I typically eat twice a day, though I may eventually get down to once a day. Yesterday for lunch I had a piece of leftover NY strip steak, plus some chunks of beef fat that I salted and cooked in the air fryer. Yesterday's dinner was two 1/2-pound cheeseburger patties cooked on the grill. Yup, no veggies, nothing else.

I am freaking LOVING this. I like the food I'm eating. I'm eating as much as I want to. I'm losing weight without even trying to, and I feel good! I don't ever have that "oh god, I ate too much, I feel like shit" feeling anymore. It really feels like it's too good to be true.

I had blood tests done last December, and I started keto in January; I should be going back to the doctor again in December, so I'll get blood work done again. I'm expecting positive results! On that note, though, one topic that always comes up is cholesterol. "If you eat all that meat, your cholesterol will go up and you'll get heart disease." Well, for some people (not all) their cholesteral does go up when they eat more meat . . . but is that a bad thing? Here's an eye-opening video on the topic of cholesterol:


Here's a good video on starting a carnivore diet:



If anyone is interested in learning more, here are some YouTube resources:

Dr. Ken Berry: https://www.youtube.com/@KenDBerryMD
Dr. Anthony Chaffee: https://www.youtube.com/@anthonychaffeemd
And many, many more . . . .

This isn't just about weight loss . . . I'd encourage everyone to look into it, regardless of your size.

Does anyone else have experience with keto or carnivore? Any thoughts?

(Yes, I know we've had a couple of keto threads in the past, but I wanted to start a new one with the carnivore twist.)

[Old Growth]

When on keto, my cholesterol went down. It wasn’t high to begin with, but it went down.

[jukk0u]

Keto seems to be falling out of favor? Emphasis on feeding one's mitochondria rather than simply chasing high levels of ketosis may have benefit? Employment, (sequentially? periodically?) of Keto diet is def a tool to health, but I understand has some potential pitfalls.

Everything in moderation.

Utilizing components of a keto diet and regulating food intake to 5-8 hours of the day I've tossed aside 22+ pounds and shed a ton of blood pressure 112/72 checked last week!

Yes to not eating refined sugars and regulating the amount from fruits.

I LOVE potatos, bread, rice and pasta. Those have been the most missed. A breath of hope I read recently is that freezing bread, and or chilling your cooked potatoes, rice and pasta for twenty four hours changes the starches making them more slowly digestible. This allows them to pass to the small intestine where they don't have such a drastic, spikey, effect on blood sugar levels and can feed the small intestine biome.

I hope this is true!

Congratulations on the weight loss Steve.

[MadPick]

I've tossed aside 22+ pounds and shed a ton of blood pressure 112/72 checked last week!

Nicely done, Jim! Awesome blood pressure.

[usrifle]

I see Steve somewhat regularly, and weight loss is amazing. He looks great, and when the Wife saw him about 2 weeks ago she said "wow". (Down girl!)
The Keto thing clearly works, and what a bonus not starving yourself is!
Great Job Steve, I'll try and keep the wife off you.

[MadPick]

Don't try too hard....

[jukk0u]

Don't forget to do your burpees

[Jeffro]

It’s all good until your gallbladder fails
Lost 60lbs, then another 3 when they pulled it out
Now I can’t eat fatty foods at all

[NWGunner]

Keto seems to be falling out of favor? Emphasis on feeding one's mitochondria rather than simply chasing high levels of ketosis may have benefit?

Do you have more info on what this is about?

[NWGunner]

Congrats on the weight loss, Steve!

[MadPick]

It’s all good until your gallbladder fails

I haven’t seen any indication that keto/carnivore can cause issues like that.

What it CAN do is if you have a gallstone or kidney stone that’s too large to pass, eating keto/carnivore can cause the stone to shrink, and then it can start to travel and cause pain.

[stompah]

Great Job Steve, I'll try and keep the wife off you.

Don't worry man, you've got that chopper.

I went hardcore Atkins way back in the day. On the leading edge of when it became a fad. It worked great. But, I had massive leg cramps and I drink a lot of water. My electrolytes got out of whack.


The great thing about the Atkins diet was I didn't gain all the weight back right away. It taught good eating habits. Unfortunately, my work lifestyle makes healthy resting choices difficult at times.

I need to go back to Keto/Atkins. I'm already almost there most days.

[Jeffro]

It’s all good until your gallbladder fails

I haven’t seen any indication that keto/carnivore can cause issues like that.

What it CAN do is if you have a gallstone or kidney stone that’s too large to pass, eating keto/carnivore can cause the stone to shrink, and then it can start to travel and cause pain.

I’ve lived by an Atkins/keto low/no carb diet for 30 years
It caught up to me last weekend
Stay away from fatty foods
Or you get 4 holes in your stomach

[golddigger14s]

I lost 80 lbs, then I got remarried to someone that likes to cook as much as me.

[jackass]

Good deal Steve, congratulations!