We left off on part 1 with my new discovery of the carnivore diet and what that might mean for my weight loss and health. After extensive research, I decided to take the plunge and give it a try!
The Carnivore Diet
In the first week of February 2021, I switched from a keto diet to the carnivore diet. I had done hours upon hours of research and, contrary to the opinions of critics...lolol, I felt it was a safe and proper human diet based upon the way of eating of our ancestors for thousands of years. Although, if you are interested in trying something like this out, I highly encourage everyone to do your own research and make sure it is something you are completely comfortable with. It was for me. The following are the basics of what is involved with the carnivore diet:
- Eat only meat-based food, meat, eggs, small amounts of dairy
- Avoid all sugars, refined and naturally occurring
- Limit carbs as much as possible with a goal as close to 0 as you can
- Beef and lamb are better choices but all meat is permitted
- Avoid plant-based food
- Avoid ALL vegetable and seed oils used for cooking and instead use butter, ghee, or animal-based grease such as bacon grease or beef tallow
That's pretty much it. The simplicity of it appealed to me and I knew I wouldn't have to worry about counting calories or macros. The only "modifications" I made to this was I still drink coffee and use stevia to sweeten it. I'm working on getting off of the sugar substitutes, so we'll see how that goes this year lolol
After only one week of eating the carnivore diet, I realized my eczema was completely gone....vanished....not even a trace! Towards the end of week two, I realized I was no longer having any cravings and there were several days where I realized I was going to bed and had skipped eating supper. This was not an intentional aspect of it but I naturally fell into a pattern of pretty decent intermittent fasting, which has a completely separate posts worth of benefits...lol. On a typical day, I eat once a day and I am usually never hungry and I don't crave anything other than fatty meat when I get hungry. Most days I fast for 20 hours and eat in a 4 hour window (IF 20/4). This seems to work very well with my body and schedule and I am never at a loss for energy. Towards the end of week two, I also noticed a major decrease in anxiety and depression and my wife reported I had stopped snoring (apparently because of the inflammation reduction). I also try to do a 24 -30ish hour fast once a month to combat any weight loss stalls.
At the end of March I was down 50lbs and at the end of May I was down 85lbs. On July 5, I hit my 100lbs weight loss mark and I was stunned how easy it was after the first couple of weeks. I experienced a few periods of weight loss stall and plateaus that are usually minor and mitigated with a day of fasting. I'm currently bouncing between 140lbs and 135lbs down. There were only a handful of times where I "cheated" by eating some sushi meals and a little bit of veggies. Each time I immediately regretted it because I would feel bloated and could feel the inflammation in my joints by the next morning.
The BJJ Angle
In part 1, I mentioned the beginnings of starting bjj through the Adopt-a-cop program and I absolutely believe the amount of weight I've lost would be significantly lower without the inclusion of bjj and lifting heavy weights. BJJ is a different animal of cardio and for the longest time it absolutely destroyed me every night. My first month or two, I couldn't even finish the basic warm ups without almost passing out and getting sick.
Once some of the weight came of and the techniques became easier to execute, I began to see my flexibility increase and my strength go through the roof. For anyone worrying about needing carbs to fuel intense exercise, I usually average 3-4 classes a week that include an hour of instruction and then usually 5 or 6 seven minute rounds of full on sparring (rolling) and then I also lift heavy 2 or 3 times a week while working a full-time job.
One of the best parts of doing bjj through the Adopt-a-cop program is that they require an Instagram post of each class as a way of tracking attendance so I literally have a class by class progression of my weight loss journey. My only regret is that I didn't start bjj sooner..lolol! BJJ has helped me immensely with discipline and remaining calm in difficult situations. My coach as been one of my biggest supporters and he even started eating carnivore after seeing my transformation and improvement in bjj!
The TRT Aspect
When I went to the doctor in January 2021 for my medication bloodwork, he checked my testosterone levels do to my complaints of fatigue, lethargy, depression, etc. The results came back as low and he started me on a bi-weekly dose of .5mg that had to be self-injected. Although I have numerous tattoos, I am DEATHLY afraid of needles and usually pass out when the draw blood for blood work lolol.
When it came time for my first injection, my wife was all confident that she could do it, but just wasn't able to pull the trigger on it. I remember sitting in my office chair with the needle in my hand trying to mentally "make" it go into my leg lolol I tried three or four time to do it, but every time I got the needle close I panicked and would chicken out. I got up and left my office defeated and mad. I paced in the kitchen for a few moments and then sat back down in my office and said, "Screw it!" and jabbed my leg. It was much less painful and tormenting as I thought and I was so shocked how easy it was I wasn't prepared to push the plunger and finish up so I twisted the needle around quite a bit trying to get it administered and over with lololol.
I noticed a difference after several weeks on the medication and found I had more energy and a noticeable decline in my other symptoms. When I think back, I wish I would have introduced one thing at a time so I would have a true gauge to the level of effect each aspect of my weight loss had on the overall result.
Tips and Final Thoughts
Ok, so here are some final numbers, tips, thoughts, and plans for the coming year. I'm currently down between 140lbs and 142lbs depending on the day and I've been going through a pretty prolonged weigh loss stall. I still feel amazing though and would continue to eat carnivore even if I never dropped another pound.
I started out in a size 52 work pants and I just ordered a pair of size 38 jeans because the size 40 pair I bought a couple of weeks ago are getting loose. I started out wearing a 7x-8x tshirt and now I'm in 3x-4x depending on the make. My tighter shoes even fit better! lolol I'm completely off my cholesterol meds and my blood pressure meds were reduced all the way down to only 10mg and I foresee that being eliminated at my next doctor visit. My eczema is completely gone as well as my snoring. I have no pain in my joints anymore, although my knees still sound like rice crispy cereal when I get up and down! lolol I started adding collagen in my coffee to help with joint health and loose skin. I have literally no depression or anxiety and my energy levels are through the roof. I honestly feel better than I did in my 20's and I'm looking forward to being the first guy to hit 140 years old (well maybe 130...lolol).
Here are a few things that I wish I knew prior to starting the carnivore diet and how you can mitigate some of them:
You will have severe digestive issues for a few days up to a week or so as your body becomes fat adaptive and remembers how to process a proper diet after decades of consuming junk. (Joe Rogan has a descriptive clip of his experience with this lololol)
You may have a very hard time sleeping for awhile once starting carnivore, I started taking a magnesium supplement right before bed.....problem solved!
Sugar and carb withdrawal is real and can be severe to the point of sometimes feeling flu-like symptoms (keto flu) but it will pass and can be significantly reduced by taking a decent amount of electrolytes (the only thing you may need to supplement as a carnivore, because we don't drink stream water and our meats are raised and not wild)
Make sure you NEVER eat before bjj class!!!! rofl
This is so much easier than you think and you are so much stronger than you give yourself credit for!
Usually there is significant loose skin from rapidly losing weight and you can fight this through intermittent fasting at least 13 hours a day (activating autophagy) and adding collagen(supplemental or through bone broth) to your diet.
Meal prepping is a key component to success with this lifestyle
Be overly prepared for dinner parties, get togethers, or going out to eat. I try to eat a huge meal of fatty meat before hand and this really helps with any temptations you may have to consume carbs.
I also feel one of the greatest keys to my success so far was the mindset I adopted. Of course I have tried, and failed, in the past to lose weight and keep it off, but it would always come back and with a few extra pounds as a bonus for my efforts lolol I am an addict. Once I accepted that truth and reality I was able to treat nutrition from the point of view of an addict and I treat certain foods as a food allergy, because (for me) they are. Carbs cause me inflammation and pain, especially in the case of my eczema.
It never ceases to amaze me how friends and family treat food addicts compared to other forms of addiction. You don't see a dad or mom saying "Oh come on one little crack rock won't hurt you!" to a crack addict or "Hey a shot of tequila will make you feel better!" to an alcoholic, so why are friends and family so obsessed with shoving poison down the throats of food addicts. They don't realize that a donut can lead to a complete downward spiral and eating like a kid left in a candy store will kill you just as surely as crack. Once I accepted I was a food addict I knew I would not be able to have regular "cheat" days. That doesn't work for me, just like I can't have the occasional drink. I'm not wired that way. People are so accepting of helping people with the whole spectrum of addictions except for food, it's crazy to me and often, especially with people I don't know, I just explain I have a food allergy to carbs. Their reaction is much more accommodating if they think pushing carbs on you will cause you to keel over at their fancy dinner party! lolololol
So we just turned off the lights on 2021 and we are looking forward to the hopes and dreams that 2022 may hold. I plan to eat as a carnivore for the rest of my life and my next goal is to hit 280lbs and see how I feel. Once I hit my target I weight I may add an occasional low-inflammatory veggie now and then such as pickles, kimchi, etc. and more-than-likely I will have a sushi blow out once a year and suffer for it for a week or so...lolol. If things continue to go as planned I should earn my blue belt in bjj by the summer and I hope to help as many people as possible who are interested in better health through the carnivore lifestyle. It has literally saved my life!
If you are curious about carnivore or keto, I will leave some links to some videos that really helped me along the way and please, please reach out to me if you have questions, need help getting started, or just need a pep talk. Be careful and wary about what you have been told about food and nutrition. I won't go down the dark rabbit hole of the processed food industry and the evil they have perpetuated against us, just research everything for yourself. If you want to talk in private you can reach me on Discord: papacrusher#5820
If you are on the fence about this and thinking about trying it out, remember that January is World Carnivore Month and there are hundreds of thousands of people trying carnivore for 30 days for the first time.
Vids:
All That Is Gold Does Not Glitter,
Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost
-Tolkien
