Zero Carber-give me your meat!

Kirstie155

HI Everyone! I am mostly a lurker here, but I wanted to make a post and thank @FIT_Goat and @sunnybunny for sharing your zero carb journeys with the group, you have made a difference for me and encouraged me to give it another try. The first time I did it I wasn't committed, and just tried it for fun. This time I am planning how to navigate birthdays and outings- that are still a month away!- without drawing attention to myself. I am better prepared mentally, and feel like I am all in this time.

Today is day 5 of zero carb for me. Yesterday I skipped lunch because I was not hungry (and I never skip a meal!) I have been sleeping better, and I feel like my moods are more stable. I have been logging what I eat, but not weighing or measuring. The reason for this is to have a record of my foods, and I have been making notes as well about how I feel. So far my only drawback has been bathroom issues, but I think we have all experienced that with a change to our diets so I am not concerned.

For those that dont know, zero carb is where you eat only from the animal kingdom, no fruits or vegetables, no grains or sweeteners.

I welcome any comments, questions, or discussions

RAC56

Would you mind posting links to their ZC journeys for those of us who missed them? I'm wondering how much of a difference there really is between staying under or at 20 net carbs a day and ZC/day?

Kirstie155

@RAC56 Sure, I dont know if @sunnybunny posted her journey, but here is @fit_goats
community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10323001/the-carnivore-credo/p1

I have also been reading every post of Esmes here: https://zerocarbzen.com/
and Kelly Hogan's website (shes back!) http://myzerocarblife.jamesdhogan.com/wp/start/
Also facebook and reddit have great groups that I have been lurking on to get more information and see how it works for other people.

Zero carb is less about the carbs, and more about eating only from animals. Ridding yourself of cravings and food that our bodies were never meant to eat in the first place. Some people do fine with vegetables and fruits, others don't.

I'd like to use this post to check in with myself and let you all know how its going. Today for breakfast was a random mix of lamb, cooked in lard on the stove with 3 leftover pieces of bacon and a mug of chicken stock. Lunch was a chicken thigh and 3 halves of deviled eggs. Im wondering if I should be using my soybean oil mayo though that certainly isn't carnivore!

Today I learned that food isn't entertainment. I didn't want to eat my chicken, I'd rather have beef. But I brought the chicken and don't want to waste this (healthy) food, so I ate it instead of going out and buying new.

RAC56

@Kirstie155 Thank you for the links. I'd like to read more about this and have bookmarked this thread so that I can follow your progress too.

Kirstie155

Thanks for the support @RAC56 !

ccrdragon

Can I piggyback on your thread (for tracking purposes) @Kirstie155 ? I am on day 2 of ZC and would like to track progress as well...

Sunny_Bunny_

I don't really have much of a journey. I haven't been consistent all the time. I tend to push my limits and eat very small amounts of veggies and I still have wine pretty much every weekend.
But when I first tried it last April it was just out of curiosity. I discovered that the slight constipation issues that I had been blaming on cheese and protein went away completely by not eating veggies. I could eat all the cheese and protein I wanted as long as there were no veggies with zero problems. Then I had some veggies again and it came right back along with the discomfort and bloating that goes with it.
Then I realized if I kept the veggies seriously limited I could mostly escape any consequences so that's what I mean by pushing my luck. Those foods aren't good for gut clearly, but I kept trying to justify them. This is the same behavior behind trying to justify that 1 starburst fits into macros. Lol
So I would be good for a while then push my luck again. I'm back to being committed and it's the best I've done since my initial try.
This time I am having very reduced hunger. I already did 18/6 fasting naturally anyway. Many days now I'm eating only at dinner. I seem to get the most satisfaction from beef. I would never eat anything else if my husband didn't do the grocery shopping. lol
I will go out any buy myself my own meat though. mine! All mine!
I also pretty much don't lose scale weight at all without strict carnivore but I hesitate to even mention that because I don't think that's even important where I am in that process. I only have about 10 to lose and I've lost a full size while actually putting on weight so, I can't deny the uselessness of the scale at this point.

bjwoodzy

Hi, @Kirstie155 - I don't do SC, but I know @Carnivorekat has been or still is, any insight/advice?

Kirstie155

@ccrdragon yes, please piggy back! I was hoping that some newbie ZCers would come out from lurking and join in I also sent you a friend request.

@Sunny_Bunny_ I think I lived with bloating and bathroom issues and just assumed it was normal. I still have a "mom gut" even though I am not yet a mom, but really hoping that bloat and pooch goes away. When I was eating carbage though...look out, 6 months pregnant in no time flat after eating dairy with lots of sugar and carbs like milkshakes. Then I would cry about how fat and miserable I was to my husband, just to repeat it the next time we had a special event like a birthday or anniversary. Or if I was sick. He likes to cheer me up by bringing me "treats." Bring on the Bacon Roses!

So far in my 5 days I have noticed a decrease in appetite, my skin feels less dry, I think I have fought off the sickness going around without getting sick, better sleep, and continued reduced pain in my leg. I also feel less bloated, though I still think I look it but...maybe that's actual fat though

@bjwoodzy Hi! I do remember @Carnivorekat , how could I forget? I think she was doing her first 30 days when I attempted my first go round. Wonder if she is still going at it?

bjwoodzy

Kirstie155 wrote: »

@bjwoodzy Hi! I do remember @Carnivorekat , how could I forget? I think she was doing her first 30 days when I attempted my first go round. Wonder if she is still going at it?

I know she's around the forums, I've seen her!

pacific904

Would love to do zero carb but worry about messing up my kidneys and thyroid gland in the long term!

ccrdragon

We be friends @Kirstie155 ! I will post updates as I notice changes and differences (aside from the typical 'how can you eat only that' from the unwashed masses ).

Kirstie155

@pacific904 give ZC a try, and do some research. I myself am not a researcher or a teacher, but both Goat and Bunny seem to know much more about the sciency stuff than I do, maybe one of them will chime in

@ccrdragon Yes! So the only person IRL that knows I am eating this way is my husband, and he is all about it. I wont tell my family or friends until I have been doing it for quite awhile, as my sister eats mostly vegetarian and also has MS She says she feels better eating less meat, and I just watch her guzzle gallons of coffee with sugar and those fake flavored creamers everyday and eating her whole wheat and veggies. I'm saving my reveal until after I have a decent chunk of time and health to fall back on. Im not looking for anyones approval or permission, but they will think I asked for it!

Sunny_Bunny_

ccrdragon wrote: »

We be friends @Kirstie155 ! I will post updates as I notice changes and differences (aside from the typical 'how can you eat only that' from the unwashed masses ).

I like Tom Naughton too.

FIT_Goat

Welcome to the club. If you read through Esmée's website, you'll find a couple posts about my personal experience. I don't advocate everything that she does or says on her site, but she's definitely a great collector of resources and experience journals. There's some pretty bad "before" photos on there, also. LOL

I'm at 2.5 years now (albeit I have fallen off the wagon a few times during that). It's a small amount of time. Every time I have deviated from it, I regret it. My meals are pretty routine. I usually have a steak or burgers for lunch and the same for dinner. I also love lamb, except for the price. Sometimes I will have chicken wings. I also enjoy eggs and bacon. I keep promising that I will quit dairy, but I love it. I did stay off it for 30 days, had great results, but went right back to it. By cruel coincidence, one of my favorite meats is goat. It's not fitting considering the nickname. But, 90% of the time it's just steak or burger with some cheese. The other stuff just helps if I am feeling like something different.

The initial digestive slowdown does pass. Over time, you'll get back on a new normal schedule. It probably won't be as much or as often, but it will be fine. I went from a "multiple times a day" person and after adjusting, it's usually daily, sometimes I'll skip a day and other times it will be twice in one. You eventually stop thinking about it, because it "just works."

As for sharing, I do recommend keeping it quiet at first. People freak out and just don't get it. You don't need their anxiety stressing you out. After you've done it for a while, you stop paying attention to them. Some people have heard me talking about it and freaked out. They've told me that I'd be dead in a month. LOL, I always like to break it to them that I'm a "hair" past a month at this point.

Anyway, 5 days is a great start. Keep it going!

dasher602014

There is also the 30 day bacon experiment on facebook if you are interested.

nvmomketo

I tried a bacon only experiment. I was supposed to do a week but I quit after a few days. There just wasn't enough volume in bacon to keep me happy. LOL

I used it to slip into an all animal challenge. I felt fine but did not notice many health improvements beyond slightly lower BG and avoiding veggie stomach aches here and there. I eventually added plants back into my diet. I enjoy them more than meat so it didn't suit me well. That being said, I did feel marginally better without plant matter... It's a balancing act for me.

I do have to admit that if I liked meat more, I would go zero carb. It agrees with my health and makes sense for my situation.

LemonMarmalade

I prefer ZC eating. It works for me. It's what I like. Not to say I won't have a salad now and again because I actually like a cheesy meaty bit of lettuce smothered in full fat ranch. Or a low carb monster thickburger....oh yeah!!!!!
I lost a lot of weight in a short time (I had a lot to lose) and my body just felt good! It feels good now that I am back to eating this way after some health issues!! (Doc said health issues NOT diet related btw) My poor sweet husband worries so much about me but he supports me. As long as my doctor is still on board with all of my blood results etc...I can't ask for more than that.

Kirstie155

@LemonMarmalade I have sent you a FR. How long have you been eating ZC? @ccrdragon how are you doing today?

I don't think I would want to do a bacon only diet. Whyforhowcome I cant eat teh steaks?? I am also eating out of my stand up freezer in the garage. This is interesting because any other time I start a diet (whole 30, paleo, LC) I run out and buy all new food to get me started. I needed to get veggies, coconut milk, special flours, ect. This time I just opened the freezer and said "Steaks, ground beef, chicken thighs, porkloin, shrimp, duck, bacon, sausage...what do I want to eat next?" So really I can see myself not spending a dime for the first 4-6 weeks (or more?) if I only eat meat. I tend to over stock and never deplete my freezer, because I always had to go to the store for more veggies or an ingredient for some special dish and end up buying more meat that was on sale, but I didn't eat it at the same rate I was buying it. This WOE is so easy, there is only one ingredient. I have a goal to eat all the meat in the freezer.

Today is day 6. Last night I did not sleep very well and my leg was hurting. I also have super tender skin on the top of my foot-its so weird because there is nothing there. Probably not related but it has been going on for about a week. Hm. Hopped on the scale (gotta stop doing that) and am up about 2#. Gonna just keep at it! Breakfast today was 8oz of lamb, I deglazed the pan with homemade chicken stock and ohmahgad I practically licked the plate, SO GOOD!

ZC veterans, do you eat fake cheese like american? Sauces like bbq, ketchup, mayo? I have been staying away from them and while I know I can make my own choices it just seems like those are certainly not real foods that my body wants and needs. Curious about your takes on these.

Also, meat sources. When I did whole 30 last year, the whole 30 people concluded that animals store toxins in their fat, so either get organic grass raised and finished beef, or cut all the fat out and toss it. Now I am eating regular ole feed lot special from costco meat, loving every bite of fat. Thoughts?

T1DCarnivoreRunner

I've really thought about doing this, and have reduced a lot of vegetables with small amounts of carbs to try to get closer to 0 net carbs. Do the zero carbers use dairy products with small amounts of carbs (HWC or cheese)? Do you abstain from sauces? Most of the "sauces" I put on meat today is low carb (low sugar ketchup, mustard, hot sauce without sweetener, soy sauce), but not clear whether it is something you eat or not.

Sunny_Bunny_

I do have dairy. I eat a good amount of hard cheese and also mozzarella. I don't use hwc on a daily basis. I don't like to add much to my morning coffee since I try to fast through the day. And I don't drink coffee later in the day often but when I do, I like hwc in it then.
I still use coconut and MCT oil as well. And drink coffee and tea. And wine... but only once a week. I'm definitely not hard core... but I want to be ZC because veggies upset my stomach. So they are my main focus of elimination.
I don't use ketchup. Not even sugar free. I might have the tiniest amount of a low sugar, non high fructose corn syrup containing BBQ sauce rarely. The Weber brand has a good option for bbq sauce without a bunch of scary ingredients.
I will use wing sauce and blue cheese dressing when I have wings. I don't drown them but they aren't dry either. These have ingredients I don't like but haven't found better option yet.
I'll use Mayo but only Primal Kitchen brand.
I really base the decision to use a sauce based on how offensive I find it's label and how much I want to use of it.
I only buy cheap meats. I can't afford the grass fed stuff. Maybe it's better, I don't know, but if I can't buy it, it doesn't do me any good. So I do what I can.

I definitely am not following any specific guidelines of anyone's idea of carnivore though. I am definitely following my own deviation of it.
Maybe I'll get more strict as time goes on. Who knows. I did that with keto so anything could happen.

ccrdragon

Today is day 3 for me. I haven't had any problems ignoring the veggies (had already given up breads, pasta, taters, rice, etc). Had stir fried beef last night - just the beef with no sauces. Did have a minor problem after snacking on some ham (lunch meat) that turned out to be old - it cleaned me out pretty effectively, if you get what I mean . I have noticed that I have been sleeping better the last couple of nights and that I wake up feeling non-bloated so those are both major positives. I also am not getting the afternoon sleepies at work which is also great!

Midwesterner - the choice to eat or abstain from dairy is a personal choice. I use HWC and eat cheese products so I do get some minor carbage from that, but even just sticking to meat only products you can get minor carbage - crab, shrimp and most organ meats have some carbs, so I don't worry about the trace amounts in cheese, cream or eggs.

ETA - the only sauces that I have used so far are hot sauces (you can try and pry my hot sauce from my cold dead fingers!!) that are vinegar based, so they might have trace carbs but no sugars - I have avoided tomato based salsas. I was never a big user of ketchup or soy sauce in the first place. I also don't eat commercial BBQ sauce since (at least around here) all of them seem to be molasses based and they taste like I am eating a bowl of sugar!

williams969

I've been ZC for about 11 weeks now. LCHF for a few weeks before that. I eat meat, eggs, butter, cream (HWC), and hard cheeses. I do use dried spices, mustard, and hot sauce in small quantities, and very seldom some mayo or ranch dressing. But no ketchup, no Bbq sauce, no marinades (lots of plants and sugars in that stuff).

I find it very liberating and simple to eat this way. I eat when hungry, stop when full. No need to track macros, since these foods are self limiting. I eat as little or as much as I need. Even when I've eaten a non ZC day (ahem, Christmas), I easily went right back to ZC eating the next day. No, "Oh, well, I failed; gonna binge the rest of the week on cookies" that plagued me in the past.

LemonMarmalade

Kirstie155 wrote: »

@LemonMarmalade I have sent you a FR. How long have you been eating ZC?

Kirstie, Thank you for the friend request! I love making new friends!

I have been eating ZC on and off for two years. I played around a bit just trying to feel better when I had my gallbladder issues and boy did/do I regret it! I gain weight so fast on the S.A.D. And I just felt bloated and gross all of the time!!!

I do eat mayo and mustard. Occasionally a bit of BBQ sauce or ketchup but only once in awhile. I don't buy any special meat. Whatever is in the sale paper at Piggy Wiggly. Usually chicken thighs or legs, ground beef, Boston butt, brisket, pork chops, and when we are lucky ribeye steak. They sell whole ribeye for less than $5 a pound sometimes!! Yum!

. I have to go eat hamburgers now...mmmm

Sunny_Bunny_

Dinner will be seriously delayed as I sit in an Urgent Care to figure out what my son did to his knee at the trampoline park.
But, I'm good because I have some belly fat my body can munch on.
Can't say I'm not ready to eat though.... ugh

RAC56

I have two questions. I've read that a lot of protein gets turned into glucose which cancels the ketosis, AND I've always been told that too much protein is bad for one's kidneys. Are these true? If so, then how do you ZCers get around these two hurdles?

Sunny_Bunny_

RAC56 wrote: »

I have two questions. I've read that a lot of protein gets turned into glucose which cancels the ketosis, AND I've always been told that too much protein is bad for one's kidneys. Are these true? If so, then how do you ZCers get around these two hurdles?

The protein becoming glucose is a a process called gluconeogenesis which is a demand driven process. Not a supply driven one. Meaning your body will only create glucose as needed. Not simply because a substrate is available for it. Protein can also be turned into fatty acids.
Insulin resistance from hyperinsulinemia creates a higher demand. So unless you have that condition, you don't to limit protein.

williams969

RAC56 wrote: »

I have two questions. I've read that a lot of protein gets turned into glucose which cancels the ketosis, AND I've always been told that too much protein is bad for one's kidneys. Are these true? If so, then how do you ZCers get around these two hurdles?

An all meat (and dairy and eggs) diet isn't really all that high in protein. A moderately fatty cut of beef (say, a ribeye or chuck roast or 80/20 ground beef) is going to roughly have a fat to protein ratio of 1:1 by grams. That translates to roughly 70-80% fat and 20-30% protein calories.

And that's not counting the fats we use (butter, lard, cream, etc.), which would lower the protein and raise the fat percentages. An average ZC intake is naturally going to fall into an intake of protein that's no different than any other woe.

I cannot speak from authority on the GNG, but it is my general understanding that it is a demand driven process, not a supply issue. In other words, the body uses it to only make what it needs when it needs it; there's not more GNG just because dietary intake has increased.

RAC56

Thank you @Sunny_Bunny_ and @williams969 for your helpful comments.

@Sunny_Bunny_ I just read your comment about your son. I hope it's not too bad.

Sunny_Bunny_

RAC56 wrote: »

Thank you @Sunny_Bunny_ and @williams969 for your helpful comments.

@Sunny_Bunny_ I just read your comment about your son. I hope it's not too bad.

Thank you. Luckily it's just a sprained knee and ankle. A few days in a brace on crutches should get him back to baseball conditioning in no time.

I had to rush my response since I was just checking in here while killing time in a waiting room but, as far as the amount of protein on ZC, it's true it's not really any more than normal.
I get anywhere between 60-120g a day. Averaging about 80g. That falls right where the calculators suggest I be to maintain muscle.

And as far as kidney health is concerned, you'd have to eat whole lot more than that to have any problems for healthy kidneys. And you'd have to do it consistently over time. It would be nearly impossible to consistently consume enough to cause harm to healthy kidneys. You'd have to be eating lean protein sources, pretty much exclusively, for sure.

Kirstie155

Today is day 7 for me...I made it a whole week this is easy!I have been fasting since dinner last night (lamb and liverwurst) since my leaky bowles are still going strong

Edit: mfp cut off half my response!...Did someone say emojis could do this? BC I had a yucky face one right where it cut off. Anyway.

Going out to dinner tonight for hubbys birthday at bonefish grill, and going to stay zc with a ribeye and maybe a scallop or shrimp add on for a side. I told him I'm not cheating just because it's his birthday! He offered me a taste of his wine last night...I declined! Giving this my all for at least 30 days before any cheats.

Anyone a beef pro? I usually stick to sirloin, filets, ribeyes are my favorite. Roasts and butts and rounds all confuse me, but I'd like to learn more and make more epic meat meals when my freezer is empty. Choice, select...? Confusing. Google, here I come!

Sunny, sorry to hear about your son. I hope he heals quickly!

Have a great Saturday everyone!