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Context
Late October 2021, my girlfriend suggested we try the carnivore diet. She’s the last person I expected to utter those words, but they fell on excited ears.
I'm a big fan of trying new things that may add value to my life. After hearing so much about the carnivore diet, it was about time I give it a try.
If I could take any tidbits from this carnivore experiment to optimize my quality of life, it'd be a major win.
Experiment
Our carnivore experiment was simple:
- Only eat animal products (meat, dairy)
- Drink at least 80oz of water a day
- Drink 1 packet of drinklmnt a day
- Avoid seed oils. Cook with butter
- Workout at least once a day
- Finish two educational books
- Only booze allowed is tequila
If you use my drinklmnt affiliate link, you'll get a free LMNT sample pack with your first purchase! I'll earn a box of 30 packets 😄
You’re now wondering why we set those constraints for the experiment. Let’s go down the list.
- Only eat animal products to cut refined sugars and processed foods from my diet. It’s also not a carnivore diet if you’re not eating animals
- Drink a lot of water to stay hydrated
- There is very little sodium in the carnivore diet. Drink 1 drinklmnt packet a day to get essential minerals
- Workout once or twice a day to look good, feel good, and get stronger
- I’ve learned more about health, money, privacy, etc this year than I have any other year of my life. Keep the momentum going by reading informative books.
- Drinking booze? Only drink tequila because it stabilizes blood sugar (Thank you for the tip, Linda!)
Seems pretty simple right?
Getting Started
My first hour I read through Revero — a service with a mission of reversing chronic diseases. I see transformations from the carnivore diet and find myself inspired to start NOW.
Sourcing Meat
But where do I source my meat from?
Butcher Box delivers, “100% grass-fed beef, free-range organic chicken, humanely raised pork, and wild-caught seafood.” So I order their Mixed Box.
A variety of meats will make the diet fun! Or so I thought. But more on that later.
My girlfriend also finds Acabonac Farms — 100% grass-fed beef from Eastern Long Island. They happen to sell organs so we load our cart with beef heart, liver, femur bones, and oxtail.
Accountability
Research ✅
Buy Food ✅
Last necessity is accountability. I spread word of this experiment via Instagram. To my surprise, several friends on Instagram DM me with advice. Big thanks to all for the cooking tips!
Go Time
I start the experiment November 1st, 2021. First thing I do is jot down my weight (167lbs) and take a picture of myself. Ignore the temporary tattoo on my chest, it was for Halloween!
Unfortunately, the mixed box and organs arrive several days later. No worries though. I make do with beef, chicken, and bone broth from a local grocery store.
Once the boxes arrive, the real fun begins. The benefits were unbelievable.
The Benefits
Below is a list of each benefit I experienced. I’ll add quotes from Shawn Baker’s book The Carnivore Diet where appropriate.
Note: I didn’t finish reading The Carnivore Diet until the last few days of this experiment. Many of the benefits mentioned in the book are exactly what I felt within the first 10 days.
1. Consistent Energy
The first couple of days I notice consistent energy. All day, every day. No crashes. No post-lunch lulls. Nothing. My productivity at work and in my personal life is skyrocketing. This is the best I’ve felt in ages.
I have a bit too much energy to fall asleep, but that dissipates after a few days. I also crash a little on day 2 because of a lack of essential minerals, but drinklmnt packets fix that. As does increasing my salt intake.
Unfortunately, I can’t find a specific explanation for this benefit in the book. But, many report this effect. I have to imagine reduced inflammation, high nutrient density, no seed oils, and much more is key.
2. Food is Fuel
Before this experiment, I ate three full meals plus snacks throughout the day.
During this experiment, I eat twice a day; once in the morning and once in the evening. I rarely snack. The best part is that I didn’t choose to do this. It happened naturally! Who knew nutrient dense foods would leave me satiated each meal.
Don’t take it from me.
“If you feed yourself low-quality carbohydrates that are rich in energy but low in nutrients (micronutrients, essential fats, and amino acids), you won’t be satisfied. Your hunger won’t be appeased, and you’ll eventually fall prey to cravings for more and more food…”
If you eat more nutrient-dense foods, you will satisfy your hunger. Food is fuel.
3. Begone Aches and Pains
I have chronic lower back pain. I learned it’s not from wrestling half of my life.
Four days in, I notice it’s gone while I’m running. Other nagging aches and pains disappear. I suspect eliminating inflammation is the reason.
4. Weight Loss
Not everyone loses weight on the carnivore diet. I didn’t do it to lose weight. But it melted off anyways.
I started the experiment at 167lbs and 8% body fat. By the end of it (December 1st), I’m a leaner and meaner 159.2 lbs.
That’s a 7.8lb loss!
I should’ve done this back in my wrestling days. Oh well. Ya live and ya learn!
“Do people lose weight because they cut calories on the carnivore diet? Yes, for some people that certainly is what occurs. Meat tends to be pretty darn satisfying and satiating to most people. Many people struggle to eat much meat, particularly when they first start the carnivore diet, and they definitely lose weight. Often, early weight loss is due to water weight coming off, particularly if a person is switching from a high-carbohydrate diet. Carbohydrates stimulate insulin to the greatest degree, which leads the kidneys to hang on to fluid that is often stored with glycogen”
5. Hasta La Vista Cravings
The sugar cravings finally stop around day five. The only time they rear their head is in specific contexts (i.e. at the movies). I always buy popcorn and reese pieces at the movies. Watching a film with neither is tough!
But at least I wasn’t hungry.
You stay hungry when you don’t eat nutrient dense foods. You feel satiated when you do. Meat is full of nutrients. Lots of carbs and junk food is not. Frequent hunger leads to cravings.
6. No Anxiety
I get anxious in social interactions.
No matter how small the interaction is. I deal with it by acting goofy or cracking dad jokes. That usually does the trick.
After eight days of eating meat, I notice greeting the doorman doesn’t bother me. Walking past strangers to work doesn’t elevate my heart rate. I’m at peace. I’m clear-minded. My focus is sharp.
This is my favorite benefit.
“Taurine is found in high levels in both meat and fish but is woefully absent from a plant-based diet…. In animal studies, taurine has been shown to reduce anxiety. Perhaps that is one reason so many folks on a carnivore diet report a sense of calmness and a resolution of anxiety.”
7. Living in the Kitchen
My new home is the kitchen.
Every meal I eat requires tender love and care. I work from home so preparing each meal was no tall task.
Before this experiment, I cooked once every other day. Now I cook two to three times a day. I enjoy it, too!
Cooking every meal gives you control over what goes into your food. It also gives you a newfound appreciation for what you’re eating.
Now I have the urge to not only cook, but hunt my meals, too. I want to understand all angles of food production. From production to consumption.
8. Eczema Dissipated
I have eczema on the bottom of my feet.
It started in my early 20s and has persisted.
On day 14, it’s gone! It turns out people with autoimmune diseases and rashes tend to see them disappear on low carb diets.
“When our intestinal permeability is high, we’re susceptible to developing what we call a “leaky gut” which is an issue that’s now thought to be involved in a number of disease states. Leaky gut and autoimmune diseases are highly correlated. Dr. Toth has found that changing the components of the diet markedly affects the intestinal permeability, and the most problematic things we ingest are plant oils, medications, and supplements. The second most problematic group includes grains, legumes, nightshade plants, dairy, and sweeteners…” It was found that a meat-based diet normalizes intestinal permeability, decreases inflammation, and helps clear up autoimmune issues.”
9. Fewer bowel movements
This is too much information, but I know you’re all wondering 🤣.
I assumed eating meat all day would lead to bloating, meat shits, and constant farting. The complete opposite occurred.
Pooping once a day became a normal occurrence. There were a couple days where I didn’t go at all. I began wondering if I was constipated, but I had zero discomfort. In fact, I felt fantastic. After reading more of The Carnivore Diet, I realized it’s completely normal. Here’s why.
“Most people on a high-fiber diet are accustomed to daily (and often multiple daily) bowel movements. Going on a carnivore diet will dramatically reduce the volume of waste you produce, and it will likely lead to less frequent bowel movements…What many people mistake for constipation, particularly early on in the diet, is just a dramatic reduction in waste. Instead of seeing half the organic fruits and vegetables that you paid a premium price for going down the toilet as indigestible fiber, you now will produce a tiny fraction of waste.”
General Benefits
The Carnivore Diet mentions that people who embark on this diet tend to have:
- a reduction in blood pressure
- a reduction in insulin resistance
- a reduction in inflammation
- a reduction in body fat
People also report:
- feeling more energized as aches and pains go away
- they often feel the desire to move a bit more often
- autoimmune disease issues and rashes tend to go away as well
Many of you are looking for a diet to lose weight. I believe that’s the wrong approach.
Your goal should always be to maximize nutrition. Everything else will fall into place.
Major Drawback
This diet had one major drawback. Traveling!
I flew home on the tail-end of the experiment for Thanksgiving. I prepped zero food in advance. Big mistake.
Airports aren’t known for carnivore friendly meals. So I was stuck eating expensive jerky from kiosk shops. I did manage to order beef patties from one restaurant, but it cost an arm and a leg.
Following my cooking routine was difficult away from home. As was sourcing quality meat. Luckily, my family and friends were accommodating.
My big takeaway from this experience is to prepare food for travel. Consider Carnivore Crisps on the go.
What’s Next?
I’m turning the carnivore diet into a part of my lifestyle.
Now I’m eating animal products with fruits and honey mixed in for extra energy. I won’t be as strict as I was during the experiment.
The goal isn’t to be perfect. It’s to optimize health, fitness, and quality of life.
I Wish I Did This Instead
During this experiment, I wish I did the following instead
- Ordering the mixed butcher box was a big mistake. I quickly learned I only wanted eggs, ribeyes, and new york strip steaks. Everything else pissed me off. Stick to what you love to eat.
- Prep food for travel
- Wish I knew about The Beef Initiative. They have high quality beef, accept bitcoin, and some of the best deals around.
What is The Beef Initiative?
“The Beef Initiative is a trade group focused on decentralizing and making our food supply more localized, redundant and secure, and improving the quality of our food through pure animal protein and sound money, which is a critical input to achieving food security. Ultimately, the Beef Initiative is about providing market access to producers and consumers and anyone in that supply chain who understands and prioritizes the importance of food integrity and sound money in the pursuit of living healthier and happier lives.”
Want To Try This Experiment?
If you want to try it, I recommend doing it for at least two weeks. I noticed all the benefits after ten days, but everyone is different.
Give back to your local community by sourcing meat from your local rancher. Make sure you shake their hand, look em in the eyes, and build a relationship.
Prefer delivery? I recommend going with The Beef Initiative.
If you use my Beef Initiative affiliate link, you'll get a 5% discount and I'll earn a commission
Learning Resources
Books I read
Foods and Minerals Sourced From
Food Log
A log I kept each day of this experiment.
Day 1: Food: Ate beef patties, chicken, and bone broth. No coffee Water: Gallon of water Workouts: Cardio in the afternoon, legs in the evening Description: Had high energy all day. Shocked at how good I feel. Best I’ve felt in ages! Hope I can sleep.
Day 2: Food: Chuck roast, chicken breast, ribs, bone broth Water: Gallon of water Workouts: Cardio (2 miles, 10min interval on bike) Description: No food prep before starting the work day is tough. Did cardio in the morning. Ate chuck roast, chicken, and bone broth directly after cardio. Didn’t eat ribs till the evening. Butcherbox and acabonacfarms.com meat boxes arrive soon though so prep won’t be an issue. Found great barbecue and steak sauces from Primal Kitchen that are organic and sugar free. Can’t wait to try them with eggs tomorrow. Lastly, noticed my energy was low towards the end of the day because of all the water I’m drinking without electrolytes. @drinklmnt electrolyte packets should arrive tomorrow!
Day 3: Morning Food: 5 eggs + chuck roast + Primal Kitchen bbq sauce Evening Food: Chicken drumsticks and chicken breast Water: 1 Gallon plus @drinklmnt packet Workouts: Back/Pull in the morning, HIIT at night Description: Felt good eating 5 eggs and chuck roast right after my lift in the morning. Crushed water before working out and throughout the day. The @drinklmnt electrolyte packet is amazing. Felt much better after adding it to my water mid-day. That kept me satisfied until post-evening workout. Cooked up some grass-fed drumsticks and chicken breast for dinner. Time to sleep and get ready for cardio in the AM.
Day 4: Food: 5 eggs in the morning, chicken at night Water: 1 Gallon Workouts: Interval Run + body weight exercises in the morning Description: Morning workout was fantastic. Endurance and strength feel superb. Lots of aches and pains are gone; most notably my lower back pain. Getting noticeably leaner already. Have loads of energy despite getting used to waking up early for morning workouts.
Day 5: Morning Food: 5 eggs in the morning Evening Food: Chicken breast Water: 1 Gallon Workouts: Cardio and arms at night Description: Felt great all the day until post-workout. Need to fuel up more after workouts.
Day 6: Morning Food: 5 eggs and sausage Evening Food: Meat snacks and ham Water: 1 Gallon Workouts: Cardio Description: Woke up exhausted since I didn’t fuel up well after my workout last night. The eggs, sausage, and electrolyte packet brought me back to life. Starting to crave sugary foods, but holding strong. Maybe going to the movies last night triggered my sugar cravings. I do always eat reese pieces there. Hosted a housewarming and ate meat snacks all night. Also enjoyed some high quality tequila + drinklmnt packet.
Day 7: Morning Food: 5 eggs + ham Evening Food: Steak and Water: 80oz Workouts: Cardio and chest Description: Woke up exhausted from drinking tequila and staying up late. The eggs and ham in the morning helped. Went up to central park for some nature in the concrete jungle, but quickly realized that was a mistake with the NYC marathon going on. After about 3hrs, went back home and cooked up some steak to end the night. Starting to notice the effects on my digestive system. I went two days without going “number 2”, but finally did today. Hope I’m alright lol.
Day 8: Morning Food: 5 eggs + ham + Round Roast Evening Food: Steak + bacon Water: 80oz Workouts: 20min run interval and legs Description: Felt really good today. The food and two packets of eletrolytes are likely responsible for that. Energy has been sustained all day. Starting to poop again but not as frequent as usual :(. Hoping that gets better soon.
Day 9: Morning Food: 5 eggs Lunch Food: 1lb steak Evening Food: Beef with taco seasoning Water: 80oz+ Workouts: 30min light cardio + abs Description: Another day in the life. Woke up a bit leaner and feeling fantastic. No keto fever over the last few days because I’ve been on top of my electrolytes. Spent an hour reading more Carnivore Diet by Shawn Baker. Realized I have had little to no gas and bloating at all. I literally haven’t farted all day haha. Also learned that my anxiety may be down because meat contains a lot of Taurine. A studied effect of taurine is lower anxiety. No wonder plants and carbs had my anxiety high af all the time. Also realizing fiber was likely the cause of all my bloating pre-carnivore diet.
Day 10: Morning Food: 2 pieces of steak Lunch Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: Steak + bacon Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Back Description: Finally started pooping normally again. Feeling great as usual. Nothing out of the ordinary. Been reading a lot more of The Carnivore Diet by Shawn Baker. Also read a bit from Paul Saladino; another carnivore eater. Been receiving a lot of DMs from friends on Instagram. Absolutely love how engaged people are with this stuff. Cool to hear objections to what I’m doing, tips for cutting meat, etc. Keep it coming! Resource from Paul Saladino’s site.
Day 11: Morning Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: None Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Abs Description: What a day. Woke up and ate 5 eggs. After that, work started to pick up. An update was needed for a project so I kinda sorta got focused on that and forgot to eat dinner. I did manage to sneak a tough ab workout in.
Day 12: Morning Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: Brisket Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Cardio and Arms Description: So I accidentally fasted for 24hrs which left me feeling weak and malnourished this morning. I remedied that with 5 eggs and an electrolyte package. Since I only did abs yesterday, my body is feeling a lot less fatigued. I was able to crush cardio and arms today with plenty of energy left in the tank.
Day 13: Morning Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: Chicken Seekh kebab + steak + ribs Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Light cardio and leg rehab Description: My energy is returning from my accidental fast. Legs are fatigued from my workouts. Feeling great tho.
Day 14: Morning Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Ton of push-ups Description: Energy is restored since the fast. Wild how it fluctuates with my meat eating. My gf brought back a bunch of steaks tonight (she’s a keeper). Needless to say I’m in heaven tn. Getting back to intense workouts tomorrow.
Day 15: Morning Food: 5 eggs Evening Food: 2 steaks Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Interval Run + Legs Description: Another glorious day in the life of eating animal products. My dreams have been wild lately. Could it be because of my pineal gland decalcifying from less fluoride in my system (thanks tooth powder and brita filter)? Who knows. Maybe eating clean and feeling great is helping, too. Anyway, really starting to lean out especially in my arms. Drinking 80oz + of water has become an easy habit and the @drinklmnt packets are doing their job. Life’s good.
Day 16: Morning Food: Liver cooked in onion w/ bacon Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Chest Description: Tried liver for the first time…makes me want to be a dier. It was really gross but I ate all of it because Im not missing out on those nutrients. A friend of mine recommended Ancestral Supplements Freeze Dried Liver as a replacement. I’ll give that a try going forward. Cooked up some Steak in the evening. My tastebuds applauded.
Day 17: Morning Food: 6 Eggs Evening Food: Fish and Chicken (nasty combo) Water: 80oz+ Workouts: HIIT + abs Description: Another day in the life. It’s never a bad day when you eat 6 eggs for breakfast. The fish and chicken I made for dinner were good but an awful combo. Only ate both because I was still hungry. After Day 30, I’m only ordering steak and bacon!
Day 18: Morning Food: Steak Evening Food: Leftover Chicken from Day 17 Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Back Description: My favorite days are when I eat steak. That paired with a gnarly back workout wraps up the day. Still feeling great. Starting to notice how much more productive I am because of all of this extra energy compared to pre-carnivore. It’s a beautiful thing.
Day 19: Morning Food: Chicken breast Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Arms Description: Found some great seasoning for both steak and chicken breast. My new favorite. Cant remember the name off the top of my head but need lots of it going forward.
Day 20: Morning Food: 2 eggs and bacon Evening Food: Small steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Hunting Description: Started traveling today and it really sucked foodwise. Note to self, prepare some steak, hard boiled eggs, jerky, etc ahead of time because airport food is brutal. Ended up snacking on expensive jerkys from the airport. Not ideal but gotta make it work.
Day 21: Morning Food: 3 eggs, salami, ham Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Hunting Description: Spent 7–8hrs hunting in the snow for deer. The cold takes it out of ya. Came back to a nice steak. Snacked on some salami, ham and cheese as well. The salami and cheese definitely aren’t agreeable with my stomach. Wasn’t bad to snack on em but led to some bloating.
Day 22: Morning Food: Eggs + sausage Lunch Food: Bacon and beef patties Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Pushups Description: Traveled 5hrs in a car from northern wisconsin down to milwaukee area. Eating while traveling is a bit tougher than expected but making it work. Got some shitty eggs and sausage from mcdonalds in the morning but made up for it with some home cooked meats for lunched and dinner. Been incredibly sleep deprived because of travels so gonna crash hard tonight
Day 23: Morning Food: Eggs (around noon) Evening Food: Bacon wrapped chicken and Chicken molé Water: 80oz+ Workouts: 2 mile jog, Sprints Description: Got some running and sprints in outside in the cold. Damn it feels good to be outside of NYC with a nice field to sprint in. Didnt eat till around 1pm since I wasnt too hungry. Got a bit more to eat for lunch and dinner.
Day 24: Morning Food: Steak Lunch: Bacon Evening Food: Chicken Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Shoulders, chest, triceps Description: Worked and ate normal meats most of the day. Made it home for Thanksgiving. Did a surprisingly hard workout with my mom that worked shoulders, chest, and triceps. It was a Sydney Cummings youtube video lol. Last workout I thought Id be doing at 8pm, but well worth it. I followed it up with my first time in an infrared sauna. Stayed in it for 40mins….think I found my next purchase :). Finished the night eating some fire chicken my mom cooked up.
Day 25: Morning Food: Eggs Evening Food: Turkey and Ham Water: 80oz+ Workouts: HIIT Description: Thanksgiving hit the spot. Ate eggs in the morning and turkey and ham in the evening. Couldn’t have been any better. A lot of friends and family asked me about the carnivore diet. Turns out many of them have tried it.
Day 26: Morning Food: Steak and eggs Evening Food: Steak Fajitas Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Legs Description: Did another Sydney Cummings youtube workout with my mom. This time it was legs. Her workouts are no joke! Energy still high. Meats still being consumed.
Day 27: Morning Food: Steak Evening Food: Beef patties and steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Pushups Description: Big day of traveling. Ate steak at my parent’s house and beef patties at a restaurant in the airport. Managed to finish Austrian Economics by Steve Horwitz on the plane. Ended the night with some more steak at home.
Day 28: Morning Food: Steak Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Pushups Description: First full day of only steak. What a glorious day. Spent time cleaning my apartment, getting some fresh air, and knocking out other personal tasks.
Day 29: Morning Food: None Evening Food: Steak Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Cardio and Legs Description: Fasted until about 4pm. Wasn’t hungry until then so no need to eat. Crushed legs and cardio in my fasted state and felt phenomenal. Had a bunch of steak post-workout to end the night.
Day 30: Morning Food: None Afternoon Food: Chicken Evening Food: Beef Heart Water: 80oz+ Workouts: Back Description: The final day of this experiment. Ate chicken thighs around 2pm since I wasn’t hungry in the morning. Crushed a back workout around 6pm and had to end the experiment with some beef heart. It’s been a helluva ride and I plan on continuing this meat journey.
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