Transitioning to a carnivore diet can be an adjustment for the body, especially the metabolism. As a result, some individuals may experience bouts of fatigue or low energy when first making the switch from a standard higher carb diet. However, armed with the right strategies, you can take proactive steps to combat tiredness on carnivore and feel your best.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet, also often called the “zero carb diet,” is an extreme elimination diet focused almost solely on animals and animal products. On carnivore you would eat meat, fish, other seafood, eggs, full-fat dairy like butter or heavy cream, and even animal-based fats like beef tallow or duck fat.
The diet completely cuts out all other food groups including fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and high carb sweeteners. The primary macronutrient ratio would be 70-80% or more calories from fat, 15-25% protein, and only 0-5% net carbs.
When done properly by emphasizing fatty cuts of meat and nutrient-dense organ meats, the carnivore diet can yield exceptional health and body composition improvements comparable to strict low carb keto diets.
However, transitioning to using almost solely animal products and fats as your fuel source instead of glucose can result in side effects like fatigue, constipation, bad breath, changes in menstrual cycle for women, and more, especially in the first few weeks dubbed “keto flu.”
Luckily there are several effective tips you can implement to counter tiredness on carnivore so you can feel energized, focused, and reap the benefits of this ancestrally-based way of eating.
Top Reasons For Fatigue on Carnivore
If you feel overly tired when first transitioning from a higher carb standard diet to the zero carb carnivore diet, there are a few potential culprits that may be to blame:
Inadequate Fat Intake
Not consuming enough fat is one of the most common reasons for low energy and other side effects when getting into ketosis. Remember, carnivore is a very high fat diet. Fat will provide the bulk of your calories for fuel. Focus on adding more calories from saturated and monounsaturated fats at each meal through fatty cuts of ruminant meat, cheese, bacon, heavy whipping cream, and ample extra animal fats like tallow or lard.
Electrolyte Imbalance
When initially entering ketosis, you flush out stored glycogen and excrete more minerals like sodium, potassium, and magnesium through frequent urination. Low electrolyte levels can sap energy. Be sure to adequately supplement electrolytes daily through mineral water, bone broth, Himalayan pink salt, and consider a high quality electrolyte powder supplement.
Overeating Protein
It’s easy to overdo protein intake versus fat when new to carnivore. Too much protein without enough fat calories can tax your liver and kidneys eventually causing fatigue issues. Moderate protein intake to no more than 1-1.5 grams per kilogram body weight daily.
Carb Withdrawal Symptoms
Eliminating carbs leads to blood sugar and serotonin drops which can severely wipe out energy levels. This is part of “keto flu.” Stay the course avoiding sugar and high carb foods! The fatigue is temporary and passes within 1-4 weeks as you become efficient at burning fat and ketones for fuel instead of glucose.
Inadequate Calories
Your calorie needs may change on carnivore but ensure you still consume adequate overall calories and energy for your activity level or else fatigue can set in. Focus on nutrient density eating more calories from tasty fatty animal sources like ribeye over lean chicken breast.
Chronic Dehydration
Many have a heightened water loss early in ketosis. Not properly hydrating exacerbates tiredness and headaches. Drink ample water daily along with mineral-rich salt fluids like bone broth. Aim for at least 2-4 liters water per day minimum, more if active.
Follow These Tips to Beat Fatigue on Carnivore:
Here are my top 10 hacks to boost low energy so you can feel vibrant, focused, and reap the benefits of carnivore keto:
1. Emphasize Fatty Animal Foods
Construct your meals emphasizing fatty cuts of meat like ribeye or chuck roasts loaded with marbling over lean chicken or game meats, organic butter, full-fat cheeses, heavy cream, bacon, and copious added fats like beef tallow, duck fat, or lard. These calorically dense foods provide the abundant supply of ketones and substrates like triglycerides from long chain saturated fats that your cells can burn efficiently for energy production.
Aim for at least a 2:1 or 3:1 ratio of fat to protein grams at each meal. If you eat 6 oz ribeye steak, have 1-2 tbsp of a topping fat like ghee or butter melted on top. Adding egg yolks, cheese, heavy cream or half and half to beverages, making sauces, gravies, pan frying meats, etc. are all easy ways to raise the fat quantity of meals.
2. Drink Mineral Waters and Herbal Teas
Sip on a mineral water like Gerolsteiner, San Pellegrino, or plain water with Himalayan pink salt added throughout your day in between meals. Staying hydrated is key, and mineral waters help replenish electrolytes.
Caffeine-free herbal teas can also be an energizing afternoon or evening drink option. Great taste combinations include chamomile lavender, ginger turmeric, cinnamon orange spice, earl grey, berry, and more. Add heavy cream or MCT oil to make them higher fat items.
3. Have Bigger Meals Later Daily
Rather than skipping meals which can drag down blood sugars and energy over the day, consider shifting more of your food intake to bigger, heartier high fat meals later on, especially if active. Smaller lighter meals earlier.
For instance a 3 egg omelette with cheese and avocado for breakfast, salad midday, then 8-12 oz fatty steak with creamed spinach for dinner. Having a bigger satisfying meal toward the end of the day leaves you more energized into the evening and potentially better burned off overnight during sleep.
4. Eat More Omega 3s
Up your intake of omega 3 fatty acids from fish like salmon, sardines, mackerel, or supplementing fish oil capsules. Omega 3s are powerful anti-inflammatory agents that enhance cellular energy production pathways inside your mitochondria. Chronic inflammation dampens mitochondrial function and fuels oxidative damage contributing to fatigue.
5. Increase Pre/Pro Biotic Foods
Focus on getting more fermented items like sauerkraut, kefir, kvass, natto, beet kvass, and kimchi which contain beneficial probiotic bacteria and feed your microbiome. Prebiotics like raw garlic, onion, asparagus and dandelion greens also help nourish gut microbes.
A healthy robust microbiome aids digestion, absorption of nutrients helping prevent nutritional deficiencies, reduces systemic inflammation and infections, and synthesizes key B vitamins and neurotransmitters tied to energy levels like acetylcholine and serotonin.
6. Move Your Body Daily
Avoid prolonged sedentary periods. Take regular movement breaks every 30-60 minutes when working. Go for walk breaks during lunch, leisurely bike rides after dinner, lift weights 2-3x per week, stretch daily, etc. Regular exercise provides an array of benefits reducing inflammation, balancing neurotransmitters and hormones, enhancing mitochondria function and blood flow delivering more oxygen and nutrients to tissues. Just be sure not to overtrain if feeling depleted. Gentle consistent movement is key.
7. Slow Down Meal Eating
Instead of rushing through meals, take time to properly chew each bite of food 30-50 times to enhance digestion and absorption of nutrients. Consider putting utensils down between bites. Slower eating allows time for your hunger/satiation signals to kick in preventing potential overeating and subsequent energy crashes later.
8. Optimize Vitamin D & Magnesium
Many adults are deficient in vitamin D and magnesium which can exacerbate fatigue, blood sugar alterations, inflammation, and mood issues. Get your vitamin D levels tested and aim for ideal range of 60-80 ng/mL. Supplement extra vitamin D3 in winter months and magnesium glycinate or malate daily providing 300-400mg elemental. Magnesium helps energy production pathways and battles stress while vitamin D regulates thousands of genes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and minerals tied to energy.
9. Increase Collagen Protein Intake
Up your glycine amino acid intake which is high in collagen proteins found in bone broth, chicken skin, pork rinds, brisket, wings, and supplements like bovine collagen peptides or beef gelatin powder. Glycine combats oxidative damage and inflammation in tissues which sap energy. It acts as an inhibitory neurotransmitter in your brain which promotes feelings of calm and counters anxiety. Glycine also aids liver and gut barrier function key for maintaining energy balance and preventing autoimmunity issues over the long-term.
10. Get Plenty Restful Sleep
Prioritize consistency going to bed and waking within the same 1 hour window daily to regulate your circadian biology. Turn off screens 1-2 hours before bed allowing time to wind down. Make your bedroom cool, dark, and quiet. Consider blackout curtains, blue light blocking glasses after sunset, and a comfortable mattress. Aim for 7-9 hours uninterrupted sleep per night. Quality sleep allows critical tissue repair, memory consolidation, hormone balancing, and energy restoration to occur.
Be Patient During the Initial Adaptation Phase
When transitioning from a higher carb diet to the extreme low carbohydrate carnivore ketogenic diet, there is an adaptation period lasting 2 to 6 weeks on average where your body learns to switch from primarily burning glucose to manufacturing ketones as your new principal fuel source.
During this shift termed “keto flu” some fatigue, brain fog, sugar cravings, insomnia, nausea, and headaches are common as your blood sugars and electrolytes destabilize some. Stick out the adjustment phase, knowing it’s temporary! The tips above help counter the symptoms.
Within several weeks up to 2 to 3 months, most achieve full biological adaptation called “keto adaptation” where you have elevated stable ketones and enhanced ability to oxidize fatty acids efficiently for energy production. Your blood sugar stabilizes, cravings vanish, cognition gets sharper, energy enhances, and inflammation plummets setting the stage for awesome benefits of carnivore keto eating!
Sample High Fat Carnivore Meal Plan
Here is a sample daily meal plan you can follow providing ample calories from a variety of fatty animal foods to help sidestep fatigue and thrive on carnivore:
- Breakfast: 3 eggs fried in tallow served with 1⁄4 avocado, 2 strips bacon, 1 oz cheddar cheese
- Lunch: Tuna salad made with olive oil mayo on lettuce wraps (4-6 oz tuna), side carrots with ghee
- Dinner: 8-12 oz Ribeye steak pan fried in duck fat with roasted Brussels sprouts in bacon grease
- Other Meals: Bone broth midafternoon, Kefir smoothie with collagen protein powder
When it comes to carnivore, remember that fat should make up 70% or more of your total daily calorie intake. Prioritize choosing the fattiest cuts of meat and adding extra fats during cooking or meal prep. Stay on top of hydration needs and electrolyte replenishment.
Implement the hacks here to troubleshoot fatigue, be patient adjusting during the initial phase of keto flu, and you’ll soon be thriving with enhanced sustainable mental and physical energy on the carnivore diet!