Carnivore diet

RobAS355 · February 2020

Hi everyone,

I have been thinking of trying the carnivore diet.

I have managed to lose 60lb, from 240lb to 180lb on conventional dieting and exercise. I tried keto, and fasting, both were good. Now I just track macros and do intermittent fasting. Want to try the carnivore diet to see what all the rage is about. Just a 30day trial.

Anyone have any advice they would like to share? Macro ratio, types of meats and sourcing said meat (factory farming vs nom factory farming )

Any advice would be appreciated.

Thank you

girlwithcurls2 · February 2020

If eating what you want and counting calories was working for you, why on earth would you change things up to try some fad diet? Stick with what works. Trust that it will continue. Somebody after me is sure to post the graphic about "diets" and "why they work." Meet your calorie goal. Plain and simple. Exercise to be strong and fit. Don't mess with a good thing. You're doing great!

cmriverside · February 2020

Niche "diet" plans like Carnivore generally don't get a lot of positive replies in these main forums, where 99% of the members are just eating less but eating the same foods they always ate...things like low carb and vegan generally have special groups set up where people can discuss their preferred eating without the static from genpop.

Here is the (only) Carnivore Group link: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/120342-low-carber-carnivore-club

...and here is the very popular Low Carber Daily Forum (where you might find other carnivore-diet practitioners.) It's an active group: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/394-low-carber-daily-forum

cmriverside · February 2020

Tagging @FIT_Goat who seems to be the one who's mostly involved with the carnivore stuff. Hopefully s/he will reply here. I see there are Carnivore threads started by Fit_Goat in that LCDF.

:flowerforyou:

RobAS355 · February 2020

Thanks cmriveraide I'll take a look at those threads.

Girlwithcurls2. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement. I know what I am doing is working, just exploring diets, that's all, for no other purpose but to satisfy my curiosity about the diet. I am not 100% sold on it yet and not even sure that I will try it once I get the info I am looking for. But there has to be something there worth researching.

Again, thank you all for the advice. Have a great day.

debtay123 · February 2020

They have tons of stuff about it on youtube as well- don't know much about it- but it is certainly posted about a lot on youtube as well- good luck!

MikePTY · February 2020

I agree with not stopping what is working just to try a nice shiny diet. In a carnivore diet, you are depriving your body of a lot of important nutrients. That could have negative health effects, so switching to it could potentially be harmful. It's not a registered dietician designed diet. The guy who popularized it is an orthopedic surgeon, not a nutrition specialist.

nighthawk584 · February 2020

A long time ago I looked up carnivore diet, and found this video on youtube of a dude sitting at his kitchen table chowing down on RAW steaks. Yeah, no thanks! These fad diets are ridicules!

RobAS355 · February 2020

I dont think it's a fad, and I think you may have found a video of some who isnt all there.

There must be merit to the diet. I found a very informative article on onnit. Worth a read.

Look I have a specific reason to which I am looking into it. My profession takes me away from home a lot, sometimes to other communities for weeks at a time and sometimes to mining camps for weeks at a time. When living in crew housing in communities it's easy to eat right and maintain a balanced macro diet. When in a camp, in the Baffin Island for example there is a cook, cooking for hundreds of people. The quality is poor and maintaining a balanced macro diet becomes extremely difficult especially when work 12hrs or more a day. With a diet such as carnivore it easy and straight forward, just eat meat and animal products. So, this is my reason for asking and exploring the option because in June I will be such a camp till October, with only 18days out in total, 9 days a piece.

It's not a matter of jumping on the latest fad diet but a matter of maintaining my body composition in which I worked like a dog to achieve.

Anyway, thank you all for your valuable input, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to pass along your info and opinions.

alyssa0061 · February 2020

I find Reddit to have the best carnivore community. R/carnivorediet and r/zerocarb

gothchiq · February 2020

Human kidneys are not designed for an all protein diet and you will also become vitamin deficient. I would not do it.

AlabasterVerve · February 2020

If you responded well to a keto diet I don't see any reason why you couldn't eat carnivore for a period of time. My only concern would be making sure you weren't relying solely on canned or dried meat the entire 5 months you were away--if fresh meat isn't available I'd supplement if it were me.

I tried eating only meat for a month last year but there just wasn't any reason for me to stick with it--but I didn't have any issues either. From another carnivore thread:

AlabasterVerve wrote: »

I respond exceedingly well to a fairly strict low carb diet so tried an all meat diet back in January I think (whatever world carnivore month was). I didn't experience any benefit -- other than deeper ketosis if that can be considered a benefit which I do not like. So of course I didn't stick with it.

I will say that between a plant based low carb diet (that still includes meat just the majority of food coming from plants) and a meat based diet (that still includes plants) I do better on a meat based diet eating less vegetables. I still eat them with every meal -- I love fruits, vegetables, nuts and all of that so it's not a hardship -- but I no longer eat them with a "more is better" mindset and feel better for it.

Excellent resource if anyone is interested:

The Ultimate Guide to the Carnivore Diet

Table of Contents

1. What is the carnivore diet?
Keto vs Paleo vs Carnivore: just a new trend?

2. How can carnivore diets be ketogenic when they have so much protein?
3. Are there any dangers to carnivore diets?
4. Humans: carnivores or omnivores?
Humans need meat

Don't humans need plants?

Anti-nutrients and metabolic changes

Potassium

Magnesium

Vitamin C

5. Won’t I need supplements on the carnivore diet?
6. Won’t the carnivore diet leave me fiber deficient?
7. Can a carnivore diet be healthy?
8. Are carnivores just as crazy as vegans?
9. Why are so many carnivores into Bitcoin?
10. Conclusion

Co-Written by L. Amber O’Hearn and Raphael Sirtoli
Scientifically Reviewed by Sarah Neidler, PhD

ETA: If you were going to give it a try definitely start before you leave. Apparently loose stools/diarrhea is a fairly common issue the first few weeks for some.

gothchiq · February 2020

OK so when you say carnivore you don't actually mean "meat only"?

RobAS355 · February 2020

That's exactly what carnivore is. Meat and animal products only.

Would have to supplement with multi vitamins to keep micro nutrient levels normal, but this is important part of any diet, especially while training.

And thanks for the warning in the first week or two haha.

lemurcat2 · February 2020

I understand your reasoning for deciding that eating mostly just the meat in the situations you talked about might be the best way to maintain your weight (I'm not keto, but at some restaurant situations eating nothing but meat and vegetables cooked without added carbs seems to be the easy and best choice for finding something that will fit easily in my day, and I've been on extended work trips where I ate like that a lot). I don't understand why going to a diet that excludes veg and avoiding veg (and fruit) even when available is somehow seen as a good thing. Diets that push the message that eating vegetables, fruit, beans and lentils are somehow bad for you or non optimal do strike me as rather fad-like and not beneficial in general, but I also have the view that experimenting with something for a while is unlikely to cause any major issues barring prior health problems or ED tendencies, and so I figure if you want to try it, try it. My main issue is with the pushers of the diet and, especially, those spreading the view to the general public that eating veg is somehow bad, when the fact is that most people in the US, for sure, eat too few veg. The idea that the problem with their diets is too many whole plant foods is just nuts.

But go for it and see if you enjoy it. Some people like eating no vegetables, and if they are grown ups, that's their business, not mine.

FIT_Goat · February 2020

Thanks @cmriverside for tagging me. I almost never venture into the main forums. It is very easy for me to miss a thread.

As has been mentioned, I tend to be the most vocal of the carnivore eaters in the Low Carb groups on here. And, I have been doing it way longer than it has been popular. When I first started, I didn't talk about it for months, or even a year, because it was so strange back then. No one did it. I did start talking about it eventually, found some interest, and started the carnivore group. The carnivore group is probably the best place to answer these questions, but I can try and address most of them.

Macros? Roughly 80% fat and 20% protein. I really don't measure this any more, when I feel like the meat is a bit too lean, I just add some melted butter or other fat source. 90-95% of my diet is beef recently. And most of that is cheaper cuts or ground beef. I rarely eat grass-finished as I don't enjoy the taste and find it is almost always too lean to eat without added fats. I don't weigh my food daily, but I shop around the "idea" that I eat about two pounds a day. If I run out a little sooner, I shop earlier. But, two pounds is a pretty safe bet for most days.

You're not going to miss out on any nutrients, especially over a 30 day period and eating fresh meat. You might have an issue if you tried to live only on canned corned beef, but I doubt that is your plan. You won't be eating too much protein or hurt your kidneys, assuming you don't already have kidney disease. Protein doesn't cause kidney disease, and the protein levels aren't as high as it might seem anyway.

The reddit communities are awesome resources, but they are very different than the forums here. I have seen people's posts removed for CICO information before. They treat it much more like a lifestyle than a diet. For many people there, they don't see the difference between hitting your goal weight in six months or two years, since you're going to eat this way forever. Great sources of information, and a great community. But, understand that the attitudes are very different.

As an aside, I love vegetables. I don't continue to eat this way because I am too immature to eat my veggies. That's a common slight against people eating this way.

Anyway, I am open to answering any questions you might have. You can also message me directly, or join the carnivore group on here. That might be easier, as I don't know how often I will check back to this thread.

janejellyroll · February 2020

gothchiq wrote: »

Human kidneys are not designed for an all protein diet and you will also become vitamin deficient. I would not do it.

The carnivore diet wouldn't be all protein -- it would be a combination of protein and fat.

NovusDies · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont think it's a fad, and I think you may have found a video of some who isnt all there.

There must be merit to the diet. I found a very informative article on onnit. Worth a read.

Look I have a specific reason to which I am looking into it. My profession takes me away from home a lot, sometimes to other communities for weeks at a time and sometimes to mining camps for weeks at a time. When living in crew housing in communities it's easy to eat right and maintain a balanced macro diet. When in a camp, in the Baffin Island for example there is a cook, cooking for hundreds of people. The quality is poor and maintaining a balanced macro diet becomes extremely difficult especially when work 12hrs or more a day. With a diet such as carnivore it easy and straight forward, just eat meat and animal products. So, this is my reason for asking and exploring the option because in June I will be such a camp till October, with only 18days out in total, 9 days a piece.

It's not a matter of jumping on the latest fad diet but a matter of maintaining my body composition in which I worked like a dog to achieve.

Anyway, thank you all for your valuable input, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to pass along your info and opinions.

Carnivores have to balance their nutrition with eating a certain amount of organ meat from what I understand. It is not like you can eat nothing but steaks and bacon. The more specialized you go the more you need to know.

I encourage people to experiment and I see nothing wrong with a 30 day trial. However, I think your ideas about it making things easier when you are not in control of your food may be a problem. More flexibility would serve you better in those situations not less.

janejellyroll · February 2020

NovusDies wrote: »

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont think it's a fad, and I think you may have found a video of some who isnt all there.

There must be merit to the diet. I found a very informative article on onnit. Worth a read.

Look I have a specific reason to which I am looking into it. My profession takes me away from home a lot, sometimes to other communities for weeks at a time and sometimes to mining camps for weeks at a time. When living in crew housing in communities it's easy to eat right and maintain a balanced macro diet. When in a camp, in the Baffin Island for example there is a cook, cooking for hundreds of people. The quality is poor and maintaining a balanced macro diet becomes extremely difficult especially when work 12hrs or more a day. With a diet such as carnivore it easy and straight forward, just eat meat and animal products. So, this is my reason for asking and exploring the option because in June I will be such a camp till October, with only 18days out in total, 9 days a piece.

It's not a matter of jumping on the latest fad diet but a matter of maintaining my body composition in which I worked like a dog to achieve.

Anyway, thank you all for your valuable input, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to pass along your info and opinions.

Carnivores have to balance their nutrition with eating a certain amount of organ meat from what I understand. It is not like you can eat nothing but steaks and bacon. The more specialized you go the more you need to know.

I encourage people to experiment and I see nothing wrong with a 30 day trial. However, I think your ideas about it making things easier when you are not in control of your food may be a problem. More flexibility would serve you better in those situations not less.

Yes, I have no idea what particular foods are offered, but this may be a situation where it would be better to explore how diet that meets macronutrient needs can be achieved in a variety of different circumstances than it would be to eliminate the majority of foods from the diet.

OP, what does "balanced macro diet" mean to you?

I don't know if achieving a truly balanced carnivore diet (assuming such a thing is possible) in the work situation you're describing would be easier than learning how to meet your needs for protein and fat from a wider variety of foods in that situation. Let's say someone tells you that organ meats are needed for optimal health? Will you have regular access to those while working? What if someone tells you that non-factory farmed source meat does make a difference? Is that something that will be prepared for you in that situation?

Urun4me · February 2020

I'm pretty surprised that you go into camps that have poor quality food, and you want to eat more animal products... I enjoy a good cut of meat or some high quality raw fish when I visit certain places, but when I'm in less developed or poorer areas I try to stay away from meat (even before I went mostly vegan and I was eating 5 chicken thighs for lunch every day).

Urun4me · February 2020

Also, a lot of people smell a lot worse from eating meat, so if you're traveling a lot hopefully you have access to places with good showers.

kshama2001 · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont think it's a fad, and I think you may have found a video of some who isnt all there.

There must be merit to the diet. I found a very informative article on onnit. Worth a read.

Look I have a specific reason to which I am looking into it. My profession takes me away from home a lot, sometimes to other communities for weeks at a time and sometimes to mining camps for weeks at a time. When living in crew housing in communities it's easy to eat right and maintain a balanced macro diet. When in a camp, in the Baffin Island for example there is a cook, cooking for hundreds of people. The quality is poor and maintaining a balanced macro diet becomes extremely difficult especially when work 12hrs or more a day. With a diet such as carnivore it easy and straight forward, just eat meat and animal products. So, this is my reason for asking and exploring the option because in June I will be such a camp till October, with only 18days out in total, 9 days a piece.

It's not a matter of jumping on the latest fad diet but a matter of maintaining my body composition in which I worked like a dog to achieve.

Anyway, thank you all for your valuable input, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to pass along your info and opinions.

There are posters here who find that eating carnivore is very good for their particular medical conditions, and I support that. However, without more specifics from you, I cannot relate to cutting an entire macro out completely due to poor quality carbs. What are these poor quality carbs, and are they present three meals per day, day in and day out?

I thought the food was lousy when I was in Boot Camp, but made decisions on a per meal basis.

When I lived in a yoga retreat center for a year, I got so sick of oatmeal for breakfast, and looked forward to Monday mornings, as the Monday cook made millet, a nice change. (To this day I cannot eat cooked oatmeal.) Yoga philosopher Stephen Cope tells a great story about cravings, aduki beans & rice, and blueberry cobbler.

So you see, I can relate to not being happy with my food options. But without more details about the carbs from you, I'm puzzled about your desire to eat carnivore, especially since you mentioned several times the importance of balanced macros. Cutting one macro completely out seems your least balanced option.

kenyonhaff · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont think it's a fad, and I think you may have found a video of some who isnt all there.

There must be merit to the diet. I found a very informative article on onnit. Worth a read.

Look I have a specific reason to which I am looking into it. My profession takes me away from home a lot, sometimes to other communities for weeks at a time and sometimes to mining camps for weeks at a time. When living in crew housing in communities it's easy to eat right and maintain a balanced macro diet. When in a camp, in the Baffin Island for example there is a cook, cooking for hundreds of people. The quality is poor and maintaining a balanced macro diet becomes extremely difficult especially when work 12hrs or more a day. With a diet such as carnivore it easy and straight forward, just eat meat and animal products. So, this is my reason for asking and exploring the option because in June I will be such a camp till October, with only 18days out in total, 9 days a piece.

It's not a matter of jumping on the latest fad diet but a matter of maintaining my body composition in which I worked like a dog to achieve.

Anyway, thank you all for your valuable input, I appreciate you taking the time out of your day to pass along your info and opinions.

I don't know anything about the carnivore diet specifically, but just eating meat and animal products doesn't sound like a nutritionally sound diet.

Fad diets capitalize on the "easy" part because if you're just eating cabbage soup (real diet fad btw) you don't have to spend time thinking about what you're going to eat.

RobAS355 · February 2020

I dont diet anymore, it's a life style and Ibhave no problem spending time and putting thought into what I eat. If I didnt this thread wouldnt exist.

The food that is in this work camp I am going to is like a cafeteria style place. It's a place that serves volume and thus quality is sacrificed in preparation to feed hundreds of people. There are healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs and those in between. But you cant measure what you are eating and you dont know what the food is prepared in, such as sauces, that are usually high is carbs from sugars.

I know I cant weigh my meat there but on average you can make a proper guess. I honestly dont see this as a fad due to it being a way of life for various groups of people for hundreds of years. It comes off as a fad because it has been popularized by main stream media, but there is actual merit to it if done right.

I am not looking for an easy way out just a way to get through the summer without gaining unnecessary fat, there is a gym where I am going so I can mitigate this to a degree.

Thanks again everyone for your input. I have a lot to think about based on what I have read from a few people here.

NovusDies · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont diet anymore, it's a life style and Ibhave no problem spending time and putting thought into what I eat. If I didnt this thread wouldnt exist.

The food that is in this work camp I am going to is like a cafeteria style place. It's a place that serves volume and thus quality is sacrificed in preparation to feed hundreds of people. There are healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs and those in between. But you cant measure what you are eating and you dont know what the food is prepared in, such as sauces, that are usually high is carbs from sugars.

I know I cant weigh my meat there but on average you can make a proper guess. I honestly dont see this as a fad due to it being a way of life for various groups of people for hundreds of years. It comes off as a fad because it has been popularized by main stream media, but there is actual merit to it if done right.

I am not looking for an easy way out just a way to get through the summer without gaining unnecessary fat, there is a gym where I am going so I can mitigate this to a degree.

Thanks again everyone for your input. I have a lot to think about based on what I have read from a few people here.

Well even if going carnivore is not a fad it is certainly a fad to demonize sugar and so-called unhealthy carbs.

Also, if I felt like the food was lower quality I would go the other way and be more vegetarian while there. Low quality meat never sounds like something I wish to center my entire diet around.

RobAS355 · February 2020

Maybe. The meat is not of low quality. Its chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc...

All I am asking is what is the difference between doing carnivore on a factory farm meat compared to the non GMO grass finished meats.

If I am going to try this diet I want to know if I can do it without the high end meats. And if not then is it wont be worth trying. All the food at this place is sourced from large grocery distributors from Montreal. But I can garentee it's not the same food you would get at a whole foods.

lemurcat2 · February 2020

Higher end meats are going to have a better omega 3 content, relevant if one is not supplementing or eating fatty fish, and also likely a better sat fat ratio. Also if one is eating only meat one should seek out organ meats which seems unlikely in the context identified. If I were eating a whole lot of meat (let alone only), I'd certainly try to source them from the most healthy options (i.e., pastured and if not that, then leaner cuts -- https://paleoleap.com/paleo-when-you-cant-afford-grass-fed-meat/ or https://www.thepaleomom.com/if-i-cant-always-afford-grass-fed-beef/).

I still see 0 benefit to cutting out veg and fruits. That some cultures have adapted to the lack (really, seasonal scarcity) of them doesn't at all suggest one is better off without them, but again you can eat veg or not, your deal, but it's not somehow healthier not to. I'd far prefer a keto diet with meat or eggs + veg to a carnivore diet. I think it's the worst and least healthful fad to spread and I blame Rogan and Jordan Peterson.

janejellyroll · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

I dont diet anymore, it's a life style and Ibhave no problem spending time and putting thought into what I eat. If I didnt this thread wouldnt exist.

The food that is in this work camp I am going to is like a cafeteria style place. It's a place that serves volume and thus quality is sacrificed in preparation to feed hundreds of people. There are healthy carbs and unhealthy carbs and those in between. But you cant measure what you are eating and you dont know what the food is prepared in, such as sauces, that are usually high is carbs from sugars.

I know I cant weigh my meat there but on average you can make a proper guess. I honestly dont see this as a fad due to it being a way of life for various groups of people for hundreds of years. It comes off as a fad because it has been popularized by main stream media, but there is actual merit to it if done right.

I am not looking for an easy way out just a way to get through the summer without gaining unnecessary fat, there is a gym where I am going so I can mitigate this to a degree.

Thanks again everyone for your input. I have a lot to think about based on what I have read from a few people here.

Betting your health on the probability of poor quality meats satisfying all your nutritional needs seems risky to me.

NovusDies · February 2020

robertchatman812 wrote: »

Maybe. The meat is not of low quality. Its chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc...

All I am asking is what is the difference between doing carnivore on a factory farm meat compared to the non GMO grass finished meats.

If I am going to try this diet I want to know if I can do it without the high end meats. And if not then is it wont be worth trying. All the food at this place is sourced from large grocery distributors from Montreal. But I can garentee it's not the same food you would get at a whole foods.

That should not be all you are asking but if I were doing carnivore diet and getting ALL my nutrition from very limited sources the smart choice would be to get the highest quality available to me. I would also insist that the meat be properly prepared which is never going to happen in a cafeteria situation. It will always be cooked in advance and be kept warming where it will dry out. To cover for this it will almost always have sauce or gravy. I am not sure how fair it would be to expect the kitchen staff to do something special for you.

I think you are allowing your carb biases to cloud your judgment. The sensible and reasonable approach when not in control of your own food is to practice mindful portion control. It would only be if you had a strong aversion to vegetables or considered it unethical for some reason to eat them that you would force a restrictive diet in a situation like this... in other words be a carnivore at home if you feel the need and eat with an eye on portion control when you are away.

You do not gain weight eating carbs. You gain weight by eating too much.

jenny3073 · May 2020

A little late to the party but I've been carnivore (with some carb cheats) since October. I love it... except of course I fell into cheating somewhat because sugar addiction is a *kitten*.

I've been doing a lot of research, there's some conflicting info out there but hell of a lot less conflicting than regular ways of eating. Reddit is a good place to check out, either r/carnivore or r/zerocarb.

I have experienced immediate reduction in bloating, very much improved digestion, hormonal balance, less brain fog, less ADHD symptoms, less joint pain and overall feeling great. My thoughts are calm and I have so much less anxiety and depression.

People call it a fad but I don't believe that to be true, it's just gaining more attention lately for some reason. There are people who have been carnivore 20+ years and are thriving. Some who aren't overweight do this for better body composition. I also want to note that I did not do any exercise for the first 6 months and my biceps were stronger.

I started it, only as a 30 day trial, to try and lose some weight because keto wasn't doing it for me. I felt so much better after 30 days I decided to continue. Other than the initial water weight loss within my first 3 weeks, I haven't lost any weight but I continue because I truly believe it's healing me from the inside, the weight loss will follow when my body has healed from all the damage I've caused it for the past 40+ years. There are supplements that some choose to take, especially electrolytes at the beginning but you're really only missing out on Vitamin C which is said to be less needed when there's no or little carb consumption - but this provides pretty much the most complete nutrition especially if you eat liver and other organs (which I do not). It's not for everyone, some people don't do well on it. Some give up after 3 days because adaptation may not be fun for some. Some are good to go from the start. I noticed a lot of positive changes right from the beginning, and still experiencing them 8 months later.

I eat beef, lamb, pork, chicken, eggs, some cheese (cut down a lot), cream and butter. Some eat only beef. I only drink coffee and water, but some cut out coffee since it's not an animal product. If you're still considering, I'd say try it even for just 2 weeks if you don't want to commit to the 30 days.

jenny3073 · May 2020

RobAS355 wrote: »

Maybe. The meat is not of low quality. Its chicken, beef, pork, fish, etc...

All I am asking is what is the difference between doing carnivore on a factory farm meat compared to the non GMO grass finished meats.

If I am going to try this diet I want to know if I can do it without the high end meats. And if not then is it wont be worth trying. All the food at this place is sourced from large grocery distributors from Montreal. But I can garentee it's not the same food you would get at a whole foods.

I have eaten both grass fed meat and regular meat. Although my mentality is to go with grass fed, my budget and availability of it doesn't always allow. Since the quarantine we've been eating regular meat and it's been fine. This is one of those areas that can be conflicting, some will say only grass fed, others will say either is fine. It might just boil down to your personal preferences or what you have available.

Carnivore diet

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