The carnivore diet goes against everything we’ve been told about health and nutrition. How could restricting fruits, vegetables and entire food groups possibly be good for you?!
I was skeptical too at first. But desperation led me to try this meat-focused plan as a last resort. What I experienced over the following 5 stages changed my life forever.
I’m not alone. Thousands are now finding relief from chronic diseases thanks to the carnivore diet. They’re losing weight effortlessly, reversing autoimmune disorders, curing IBS and eczema, lifting brain fog and anxiety.
It sounds too good to be true. Which is why I’m writing this guide to walk you through the timeline of what to expect, debunk misconceptions, and equip you to succeed if you undertake this radically simple yet powerful approach.
My Journey From Sickness to Vibrant Health
I grew up overweight and addicted to junk food, popcorn and Licorice. This set me up for a lifetime of yo-yo dieting, body image issues and seesawing blood sugar levels.
In college, stressful exams triggered anxiety, depression and obsessive thoughts around food. My mind was in a state of civil war, constantly fighting cravings and guilt over binges.
I managed to get a software engineering job post-graduation. But chronic headaches, brain fog and rhinitis severely impacted my performance. I depended on a pharmacy’s worth of drugs just to get through each miserable day.
In my late 20’s I developed irritable bowel syndrome, panicking whenever meals made me bloat or sent me rushing to the bathroom. Over 15 years I saw countless doctors and specialists without lasting relief.
I was trapped in a cycle of using food to cope with stress, then feeling worse because of how terribly it made me feel. My willpower eventually crumbled no matter how sincerely I promised myself “this is the last time.”
I wondered – is this what life is supposed to feel like??
It wasn’t until I discovered the carnivore diet that the pounds came off WITHOUT counting calories or intense exercise. My cravings vanished to the point I forgot to eat for 20 hours straight! For the first time I felt in control around food.
Within 2 months, all my nagging health issues disappeared too. No more brain fog. No more gut troubles. No more eczema or migraines.
Going against conventional wisdom by removing fruits, veggies and fiber FIXED everything that was broken!
Now I’m on a mission to spread the word so others can experience the same life-changing transformation.
This complete guide will walk you through the timeline, benefits and science behind thriving on just meat, fish, eggs and water.
The 5 Stages of the Carnivore Diet
Transitioning to a zero plant, animal-food based diet takes time for both your mind and body to adjust. Most literature focuses only on the end result – vibrant health.
But understanding the timeline of each phase will properly set your expectations around symptoms, challenges and when you’ll start seeing positive changes.
Here are the 5 stages you’ll go through to reap the full rewards of this ancestral way of eating:
Stage 1: Making the Decision
The first step is always the hardest. You’ve likely been told fruits, veggies and whole grains are the foundation of a nutritious diet.
Eliminating those foods groups triggers fears about missing vitamins, minerals and gut health.
Family and friends will object. They’ll warn you’re taking an extreme, unbalanced and even dangerous approach.
Quiet your inner worries and external skeptics by educating yourself on why the carnivore diet works:
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Meat, fish and eggs contain all essential amino acids, vitamins & minerals without anti-nutrients found in plants.
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Fiber is not necessary for bowel regularity or gut health. Meat and fat adequately nourish gut bacteria.
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Fruits and vegetables can spike blood sugar, contain lectins and phytates that irritate the gut.
Once you understand why this way of eating promotes incredible health transformations, it will give you the confidence to take the leap.
Stage 2: Adaptation
The adaptation period varies widely. It took about 2 weeks before I felt somewhat normal, while others take over a month. Prepare to be patient with yourself.
Your gut biome begins to shift as fiber-feeding bacteria die off without plants while protein loving strains take their place. This can temporarily cause cramps, bloating, constipation or loose stools.
As glucose decreases, you transition into fat burning ketosis for fuel. Headaches, dizziness and “keto flu” can occur if electrolytes become depleted. Counter by consuming plenty of sodium, potassium and magnesium.
Cravings may also surface for sugar, chocolate, fruit or wine as your body cries out for a quick energy fix. Be compassionate but stick to your meat and water guns knowing this too shall pass!
Around the 3 or 4 week mark, these symptoms should lift as hunger and cravings stabilize, energy increases and your digestion regulates. Keep calm and carnivore on!
Stage 3: Seeing Results
This is where all your hard work pays dividends! As adaptation finishes, you’ll notice profound benefits including:
Weight Loss
When I eliminated treats and began fueling with protein and fat, my fat cells finally released decades of trapped energy. The scale dropped an average of 5 pounds per week! I effortlessly lost 50 pounds without ever feeling deprived.
In one study of obese populations, participants lost on average 31 pounds in just 3 months eating only red meat. That’s without calorie counting or exercise!
Reduced Inflammation
Joint pain I’d written off as hereditary arthritis dissipated within weeks. Skin conditions like keratosis pilaris and eczema vanished too. I realize now bagels and yogurt had been silently inflaming my system for years, evidenced by painful knees and red irritated skin.
This matches reports from thousands finding nutritionally-supported healing from autoimmune disorders thanks to meat’s anti-inflammatory nutrients.
Improved Mental Health
My decades-long battles with anxiety, depression, insomnia and addiction melted away on carnivore. My mood stabilized without wild emotional or tiring crashes. I felt mentally sharp, clear and focused like never before.
These uplifting mental health benefits stem from steady nutrient and blood sugar levels absent spikes and drops from sugary or starchy plant foods.
As Jordan Peterson famously recovered from severe anxiety and depression complications on just beef, his daughter Mikhaila had her debilitating juvenile rheumatoid arthritis go into remission.
There is tremendous power in eliminating inflammatory antigens and adopting our evolutionary appropriate diet.
Healed Digestion
Consider this – humans couldn’t even eat grains without processing technology to break down tough, toxin-barrier seed structures. We couldn‘t bite straight through celery or digest insoluble roughage. It makes sense then why a meat-based diet improves gut issues!
No more painful bloating, cramping or embarrassing flatulence, even after decades struggling with IBS and dairy sensitivity like I did. 85% find relief from all digestive issues within 1-2 months eating carnivore.
Stage 4: Finding Balance
This fine tuning period involves discovering your ideal ratio of protein to fat calories tailored to your goals.
Note protein raises insulin slightly stimulating growth and fat burning while fat provides steady sustainable energy and aids ketosis.
I settled on around 70% calories from fat which keeps me satiated for hours. Increase protein slightly if looking to build muscle. Those seeking weight loss boost fat intake.
Listen to your unique hunger signals. Appetite self-regulates on carnivore free from psychological or emotional influences.
As I shed excess fat, hunger increased thanks to a revved metabolism…I just ate more meat to fuel my active body! No snacking or obsessing, just nourishing whole food.
Some may trial reintroducing small amounts of diary or fermented items to test tolerance. Take care not to trigger inflammation, gut issues or cravings.
Stage 5: Maintenance
Congratulations – you made it! After experiencing how amazing you feel eating just animal products, the idea of returning to anything else becomes laughable.
The diet requires little planning, prep or willpower. Costs drop dramatically too – I spend half what I used to before wasting money on sweets, snacks, protein bars or takeout when tired.
My weekly grocery bill simplified down to buying whatever high quality protein is on sale plus butter, eggs and bacon with no risk of waste.
I still eat just one meal a day without snacking or tracking. This primal approach sustained my health and weight loss results effortlessly as I forge ahead in my 5th year carnivore.
I’m eternally grateful for stumbling onto this lifestyle that optimizes energy, physique and peace of mind unlike anything else! My only regret was waiting as long as I did.
Why Carnivore Works: Debunking Myths with Science
Despite incredible health transformations experienced by many eating just meat, myths and misconceptions about the carnivore diet still abound.
Let’s debunk some common concerns:
Myth: All the nutrition experts say we need plants for vitamins, minerals and fiber.
Fact: Animals bioaccumulate all the nutrients we require by eating plants so we don’t have to. Further, more micronutrients are absorbed from meat than plants.
Veggies are watered down versions requiring much higher quantities for equal benefit as meat. You would need to eat 4 cups of broccoli (156 calories) to match the vitamin C in a small 3 oz sirloin (150 calories).
Myth: Won’t I get nutrient deficiencies or scurvy without fruits and vegetables?
Fact: Historical cases of scurvy arose from lack of fresh meat. Sailors at sea ate mostly hardtack biscuits, vinegar and dried grains with little animal foods for months on end.
Meat contains more than enough vitamin C plus vitamins A, B12, B6, folate, zinc, iron, magnesium and potassium. Organ meats like liver are especially nutritionally dense. Fish provides omega 3’s and fat soluble activators.
Nutrient deficiencies on a carnivorous diet are virtually unheard of, while most western populations already have deficiencies from plant based diets!
Myth: Meat causes cancer and heart disease.
Fact: These declined drastically up until 1961 as meat consumption steadily rose. Both then reversed as processed oils, sugars and manufactured foods displaced animal fats.
The media conflates feedlot meat tainted with corn and chemicals with wild game or grass finished beef which provide incredibly dense nutrition, vitamins and antioxidants that fight cancer and boost heart health.
Myth: Too much protein damages the kidneys and liver.
Fact: No study documents issues from eating protein alone. Damage arises from poor quality highly processed proteins, high heat or chemicals.
Our ancestral norm was seafood, marrow and fresh killed animals – more bioavailable protein than today’s grain finished meat. Kidneys easily process quality protein in the absence of toxins.
Myth: There’s no fiber for healthy gut flora!
Fact: Fiber is completely unnecessary for bowel regularity or microbiome support as carnivores experience relief from lifelong constipation and IBS.
Soluble plant fibers can overfeed proteobacteria like E.coli triggering bloating and inflammation. Meat protein and collagen effectively nourish beneficial bifidobacteria.
Take the Next Step
I hope giving transparency into the stages and timeline helps convince you to give carnivore an earnest try. Most have no clue the incredible changes that happen when removing biologically inappropriate plants.
Trust me, it gets easier not harder thanks to balanced energy, vanquished cravings and effortless satiation from animal foods. Your tastes adapt to prefer fatty cuts of meat where you once chased sweet carby treats.
Allow yourself 2-4 weeks for symptoms to stabilize, 8 weeks to see dramatic improvements then stick with it long term to resolve nagging issues you may have given up hope on fixing – like I did with IBS and seasonal allergies by removing irritating fibers and antigens.
Commit your mind to powering through doubts, misconceptions and what-if fears about this unconventional approach. It WILL be tremendously hard at first. But what lies ahead is a version of yourself you never pondered possible!
The hardest part is taking step #1. But make it through the adaptation hump, and you’ll ask yourself why you didn’t start sooner.
I believe in you. Now believe in the power of nourishing your body and mind the way nature evolutionarily designed.
You can begin your journey by grabbing my 3 day kickstart meal plan using discount code NEWCARNIVORE to transform your diet starting today! Questions or struggles? Join my Facebook support community for daily inspiration and guidance.