GrokRockStar wrote: »

Eggs count, correct?

Yep. I can't speak for everyone else, but kirkor and I have decided to include them.

I'd love to hear from folks about WHY you are here. I mean, why are *you* specifically drawn to a month (or more) of carnivory?

If anyone would like to discuss.

I personally am not trying to lose weight. I don't count calories, and I don't weigh myself. This is 100% about wanting to feel my best.

I once said to kirkor, "Sometimes I think about just eating nothing but meat." (having no idea that this was a thing people do)

This was said out of frustration... after years of trying to do all of the "right" (Paleo) things, and SO many of the "good" foods causing me digestive issues, inconsistent energy & mood issues.

In my years of research, I have come across so many problems people can have with plant foods. FODMAPs, oxalates, histamine, nightshades, salicylates... I mean, the list goes on.

So this, for me, is simply an attempt at a clean slate. As much as possible.

I *do* think I have a histamine issue. That has been on my radar for a little while now.

I just read a great article about histamine release causing feelings of anxiety -- after seeing in one of my nursing textbooks that they will sometimes prescribe antihistamines for OCD and other anxiety disorders. She explained in this article how it causes dilation of blood vessels, so the heart pumps harder/faster to try to keep the same amount of blood pumping through widened vessels.

Tachycardia after peanuts? Check.

Anybody else wonder why they can feel their heart pounding after certain foods?

Well, I could go on. I feel like I could write a book. But I'll stop there for now. Hope you all have a great weekend!

I’m with cricket in wanting to be my best self. For me part of that is also dropping some fat. I too have many digestive issues and (along the histamine line) also a mast cell disease. I produce too many and sometimes they release a bunch of histamine (it’s called mastocytosis). There are various food/drink triggers and everyone is different. Ya never know when it’s going to happen. Meat (except for shellfish) is at the top of the low histamine list.

https://www.histamineintolerance.org.uk/about/the-food-diary/the-food-list/

I'm enjoying all of the posts here about sodium/electrolytes. We've got a good supply of a product called "Lyteshow" we used to use for hangovers. Since the drinking days are long gone, it's just been sitting here. I used it a few times today since I've had a headache off & on all day, and it REALLY does make a huge difference in how I feel. No sweeteners or anything -- just put a capful in water or whatever.

Today was Day 6 of transitioning back to keto. I can't afford to have carb flu, brain fog, or any sort of nastiness in May. I've got finals & then 3 weeks off before summer semester ~ and I need that time to be enjoyable and productive. So let's just get this crap out of the way right now. Lol.

Had strong (STRONG), insistent, cravings for heavy cream in my coffee and to sit down and shell a bag of peanuts this afternoon. I know that those are both problem foods for me, and this was just further evidence of that. Instead I had two burgers with one cheese slice between. And Lyteshow. Crisis averted!

I tried a few months ago but had a lot going on so didn't really commit myself. I would like to try it again. Especially for digestive issues.

cricketpower wrote: »

I'm enjoying all of the posts here about sodium/electrolytes. We've got a good supply of a product called "Lyteshow" we used to use for hangovers. Since the drinking days are long gone, it's just been sitting here. I used it a few times today since I've had a headache off & on all day, and it REALLY does make a huge difference in how I feel. No sweeteners or anything -- just put a capful in water or whatever.

Today was Day 6 of transitioning back to keto. I can't afford to have carb flu, brain fog, or any sort of nastiness in May. I've got finals & then 3 weeks off before summer semester ~ and I need that time to be enjoyable and productive. So let's just get this crap out of the way right now. Lol.

Had strong (STRONG), insistent, cravings for heavy cream in my coffee and to sit down and shell a bag of peanuts this afternoon. I know that those are both problem foods for me, and this was just further evidence of that. Instead I had two burgers with one cheese slice between. And Lyteshow. Crisis averted!

Interestingly, you will find that many carnivores (myself included) do not stress or supplement electrolytes. There are many who don't even salt their meat. It doesn't hurt, but it doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as many people assume it will be. My theory is that meat has the correct balance of salt, potassium, etc. that you need and it helps your body balance what it needs. When adapted, your body will preserve the amount of electrolytes you need and not flush them out in your urine.

Now, with all that said, I am currently including one non-carnivore substance in my regular diet. I am drinking a bunch of Powerade Zeros. It has artificial sweetener, which is an issue, and artificial colors (something that is definitely not part of my normal diet). But, I am routinely sweating out gallons of fluid (not an exaggeration), and those help me keep my fluid consumption up and replace some of the excess electrolytes that I am losing to sweat. So, it's not something I can really judge right now. But, you might find less need for the electrolyte supplementation than you suspect.

cricketpower wrote: »

nill4me wrote: »

If you feel like sharing, I'm interested in hearing what led up to your diagnosis. What type of reaction do you experience? I went from being completely fine and relaxed, to my heart pounding as I sat perfectly still eating that burger. My nose got a little stuffy and started running a little bit. Then I started to feel kind of anxious. And a little short of breath while I was talking to my husband about it.

Of course. And that sounds like a nasty experience, btw! Oddly enough spots on my skin had me take a trip to the dr. Then I had a couple of skin biopsies. They found I had a huge amount of mast cells in my biopsy. That led to a bone marrow biopsy to ensure I didn’t yet have them in my organs or replicating in my marrow. I get a bone marrow biopsy every 2-3 years now. My oncologist/ phlebotomist connected the dots for me. Beer makes me super stuffy. Wine makes me flush and I get congested. Bug bites are Superbad. I’ve had mosquito bites spread to dime size or larger. Gnat bites swell too. I have terrible inflammation but that’s probably a side effect. All histamine related and all triggers for me. It’s all stuff I considered part of my personal norm.

My reason for doing this is for elimination. Although my BG is where my original doc wanted it to be with meds, it is still not optimal. I started eliminating foods to see what might be causing it to continue to be a bit elevated. Of course, I started with the ones I hear so much about even though I really like them - nuts and dairy. I saw some improvement and was getting quite encouraged. I tried various things for a couple days and seemed to have no issues except peanuts initially. However, after a few weeks, my BG started going back up. I think some of the foods might be affecting me but in a more delayed fashion. I am looking at this as more of the ultimate elimination diet to reset and do a better job at reintroducing the foods I have decided I would like to keep.

I think I will be eliminating nuts regardless. I have come to the realization that despite having great self control in many areas, moderation when eating nuts is not one of them. For those of you who remember the ad campaign for a certain crappy carbage food of "I bet ya can't eat just one" is how I am with nuts - ALL nuts. Therefore, they must be eliminated.

I am hoping cheese will be able to come back into my diet. There are just too many things I make on a regular basis that use cheese.

The only vegetation I am hoping to be able bring back in are peppers (jalapeños, serranos, habeñeros, etc.) because I like my spicy food and the flavors of peppers - especially when fresh picked from my garden. I also would like to keep spinach just because it makes a great base for meats that I make to soak up some of the grease. I could live without the rest, but I am not going to eliminate anything long term just to fit some template. I eat this way for my health. I will base my decisions solely on that in the long term.

I went through my Paleo NUTS nut stage years ago, and finally got past it. They had to go completely for awhile.

Then at some point I started eating peanuts for the first time in years. There is something about roasted & salted in the shell that makes me over-do it, and my digestion does NOT thank me. In any way. Plus they make my heart pound. So, they're off the menu.

I am finishing a bag of raw almonds, 1 oz at a time, once or maybe twice a day, and they'll be gone before May. I suspect I'll find that they aren't helping my digestion, either.