[Currently Incomplete ... but please post responses with questions or comments... as they will help me complete it]

I, FIT_Goat, am a strict carnivore. This means that I eat little, to no, plants. All of my energy (calories) and nutrients come from animals or animal products. I believe plants can be used for seasoning and or medicine, but they aren't meant to be used for attempting to meet energy or nutrient goals.

The Basics

1) Eat only from the animal world (meat, eggs, high-fat/low-carb dairy).
2) Calories and macros are not important, nor is the number of meals/day.
3) Eat nothing from the vegetable world whatsoever (very small amounts of spices may be added, they are not ‘food’).
4) Drink mostly water, coffee, or tea. Drink nothing sweetened in any way. Alcohol (liquor and wine) may be consumed carefully and at your own discretion.
5) You do not need any supplements of any kind.

These are a modification of the basic ideas set forth by a guy known as Owsley "the Bear" Stanley. He ate the way I do for over 50 years, before dying in a car accident (not of scurvy, malnutrition, or heart attack). Not every carnivore adheres to the same "rules" as I do. Some allow artificial sweeteners. Some don't do dairy. Some count calories, macros, and track their carbs. Some do bone broth, some eat raw meat, some eat organ meats. None of that's really necessary, but it makes some people feel better.

Why?
This is the biggest question people ask. Each person is different. Many people assume we just don't like vegetables. I like most vegetables. I even used to be a vegetarian. I spent most of my life convinced that the lack of perfect health was probably due to eating too few vegetables. When starting this way of eating, I started with one basic belief.

"My body wants to be healthy and in shape."

Your body wants to be in shape, too. My body was struggling to get healthy because of things I was eating. When I ate lots of carbs, my body couldn't get excess weight off. Reducing the carbs led to obvious results in my weight. My health also improved, commensurate with the lost weight, and I felt great. For all I knew, things were ideal. I didn't even know I needed to do anything else.

I started this out of curiosity. Could I do it? Would I die? I read a book that said it was possible, but could it be real? But, I quickly stuck to it because I was suddenly gaining back health that I hadn't even been aware that I had lost. For the first time in my life, I wasn't dealing with constant stomach pain, gurgling, gas (which keto had already reduced), etc. Over the next few months, I eventually lost my allergies. I lost my allergies! I didn't even know that was possible! It resulted in many small little differences that made me feel good. When I have strayed, which has been rare, it always brings back these problems. Some return quicker than others, and usually my wife is begging me to go back to meat-only because she loves the non-gassy me.

Could it be that vegetables were anti-health? That they were causing me to be ill, or at the very least preventing me from regaining my health? Over time, I have come to my own conclusions regarding the answers to those questions. I suggest everyone else come to their own.

How
Eat meat.
Drink water.

Alright, that's easy enough to say, but hard in practice. First, start out simply with a fixed time period. Go for at least 4 weeks, but not more than 6. Keep it short and reasonable. Commit to sticking with it 100% for that time period. No cheats, no breaks, no exceptions. Keep track of how you feel.

1. Pick a goal time frame (4-6 weeks)
   Your goal is to make it the whole time with no cheats. You don't make any breaks or exceptions during this time.
   
2. Eat fatty meat and plenty of it.
3. Coffee and tea are probably fine. I couldn't quit it all at once.

A good site is Eat Meat. Not too little. Mostly Fat. I don't agree with everything, but this is the page I originally was successful with. I had tried several times and freaked out, because I wanted to do a whole year. A whole year was too much to mentally accept. I went on to do a whole year, but the 30 days was instrumental in preparing me. I knew I could always stop at the end.

FAQ

• What about the carbs in {eggs, cheese, cream, seafood, etc.}?
  Each person is different in regards to this, but most of us do not count anything. This includes carbs from these foods. If I eat a dozen eggs, and I just might, I don't count the carbs. Sure, it's like 7g of carbs, which is over the 5g that most consider the limit for this. I might eat a bunch of liver, which can contain a lot. It doesn't matter. I ignore those carbs. I am a little more considerate about carbs from dairy, but that is because dairy tends to stall me worse than almost everything else.
  
• What about vitamin C?
  You don't need it when eating fresh meat. Don't try to live off canned ham, or do something else silly like that. You can cook your meat. I would recommend that you don't cook it to death. But, I do know people who eat almost only well-cooked hamburger and do just fine.
  
• How do you poop?
  Uhm, same as you do. I don't need fiber. Things work out just fine with enough fat in your diet. Actually, I experience less problems with constipation and irregularity than before.
  
• But what about the planet?
  Pasture restores the soil and is healthy for the earth. Modern agriculture destroys the soil. On top of that, much of the land that can be used to raise meat is unsuitable for growing the monocrops that we think of as "healthy."
  
• Can I drink alcohol?
  It is not recommended. If you choose to drink, stick to the low-carb beverages. Most wines are fine and liquors also.
  
• What about artificial sweeteners?
  This is a hotly debated topic and people are considered carnivore who end up on both sides of this. My [Goat's] opinion is that a preference for sweetness causes more temptation and a more difficult time succeeding at being a carnivore. For this reason, you really should go cold-turkey and not allow any sweetness. It doesn't matter if that sweetness has a carb or calorie count attached to it. I saw no sweeteners at all would be ideal. After that, the sweeteners that are not sugar-alcohols would be second best. Sugar alcohols frequently do contain carbs that affect blood sugar. But, all sweet things keep the cravings for sweet things alive.
  
  I confess, I do sometimes allow myself a diet cola (usually when eating out). But, it is very rare, because I do find that I am more tempted by carbs after I have been drinking diet cola.
  
• How do you not go over on protein?
  First, I don't count protein. So, I don't go over. If you do track protein, you won't really find it changes much at all.
  
  Say you have a goal:
  • 100 grams of protein
  • 147 grams of fat
  • 20 grams of carbs
  • (1800 calories a day)
  
  This is roughly 73% / 22% / 5% and is pretty typical.
  
  You cut those vegetable carbs out. Now you need to make up 80 calories? Where do you get 80 calories? How about a large egg?
  
  You're now at:
  • 106 grams of protein
  • 153 grams of fat
  • 0.6 grams of carbs
  • (1800 calories a day)
  
  Your protein macro barely changed at all! And, we haven't even considered that the vegetables probably contributed some protein.
  
  Spinach nutrition found online:
  • 20 grams of protein
  • 0 grams of fat
  • 20 grams of carbs (30 grams - 10 grams of fiber)
  
  The 20 net carbs from spinach probably had 20 grams of protein in there with them. That is 80 calories of protein and 80 calories from carbs. Swap those 160 calories for 2 eggs, what have you done?
  
  2 eggs nutrition:
  • 12 grams of protein
  • 12 grams of fat
  • 1.2 grams of carbs
  
  Swapping the spinach for 2 eggs brings your macros to 79.3% / 20.4% / 0.3%... that's even better than before. You've reduced the actual amount of protein you're eating!
  
  **[Package of pictsweet frozen spinach that had nutrition label of 0 grams fat, 3 grams carbs, 1 gram fiber, and 2 grams protein used for the above calculations]
  
• What about the cost?
  Per calorie, low-carb vegetables are horrible on your wallet. A quick google says that a pound of frozen spinach will get you about 140 calories. You're doing really good to get that for $1. I think the generic at my local store is around $2 for a pound or it might be 12 oz. How many calories can $1 of eggs get you? Well, let's pretend that eggs are not on sale and cost $3 a dozen. Even at this inflated price, you're getting 280-320 calories per dollar. That's less than half the price per calorie! I can usually get eggs for $2 a dozen when not buying them in bulk and almost as cheap as $1.50 a dozen when buying 5+ dozen at a time. Don't think of it as a "volume of food" consideration. By volume, low-carb friendly vegetables are cheap. But, by nutrition and calories, they're very expensive. My food expenses went down when I stopped buying vegetables.

What this is not

• This is not for everyone
  There are some people who are just not happy with the lack of variety on this way of eating. Some people also struggle with the social aspects of eating this way. Very few, if any, people around you will understand or agree with how you eat. You will have to deal with all sorts of opposition.
  
• This is not extreme keto
  While this way of eating is naturally ketogenic, ketosis is a side-effect and not a primary goal of eating this way. You won't normally be in a deeper state of ketosis than eating keto. We don't attempt to manipulate these levels or eat in a way that increases them.
  
• This is not better than keto or other low-carb plans
  Extreme is not better. It isn't worse either. This is just different. Someone eating meat only isn't better at low-carb than people eating plants also. In some respects, I think we're worse at low-carb. I am worse at self-control when it comes to sweet foods (even artificially sweet ones). I am worse at weighing and counting things as a regular habit. I am worse at tracking details. I am worse at convincing people that low-carb is a reasonable way to eat.