Tristyn Lee‘s Carnivore Diet Journey: The Surprising Reason for Quitting
Tristyn Lee is an acclaimed bodybuilder and fitness influencer known for his intense training regimen and extremely lean physique. However, many were surprised when he recently revealed that he quit the controversial all-meat carnivore diet after giving it a test run.
In a YouTube video posted on his channel, which boasts over 2 million subscribers putting him in elite company amongst fitness celebrities, Tristyn chronicles his experience trying out the carnivore diet. He documents the rapid changes he initially experienced, along with the downsides that ultimately led him to add plants back into his diet.
What is the Carnivore Diet?
The carnivore diet, also often called the all-meat diet or steak and eggs diet, is an extreme form of low-carb, high fat and high-protein dieting where followers consume only animal products. Typically followers eat fatty cuts of red meat, fish, eggs, dairy like cheese, protein powder, and drink water and coffee without sweeteners like sugar or cream.
The diet completely eliminates all carbohydrate sources like fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, tubers and even nuts and seeds. By heavily restricting carbs down to zero to 50 grams per day and upping intake of protein and fat for total energy needs, the carnivore diet shifts the body from using glucose as it‘s primary fuel source to running on compounds called ketone bodies in a state called ketosis.
Proponents like Shawn Baker, a former orthopedic surgeon who had his medical license revoked due in part to his promoting the all meat diet, claim benefits like rapid weight and fat loss, reduced inflammation leading to pain relief, improved mental clarity and focus from restricting not just carbs but also plant compounds like lectins and gluten, and stabilization of blood glucose levels.
However, the highly restrictive regimen remains controversial in the nutrition science community. Many conventional dietitians and health organizations express concerns over potential nutritional deficiencies including fiber, vitamin C and other antioxidants. There are also potential downsides related to kidney stress, gout flares, changes in gut bacteria from lack of prebiotic fiber, and negative health impacts that may only emerge after doing long term studies.
Tristyn Lee‘s Extreme Persona
Given the controversial nature of the carnivore diet, it‘s adoption by someone like Tristyn Lee is perhaps unsurprising. The world-famous internet fitness sensation has built a career not just on showcasing his Greek statue-esque physique, but also on pushing fitness extremes to entertain his over 2 million YouTube subscribers and 1.8 million Instagram followers.
Standing just 5‘5" but competitively bodybuilding at 175-190 lbs in the offseason with crazy vascularity and paper-thin skin striation at low body fat levels, Tristyn clearly goes above and beyond traditional training to attain his look. When asked about his motivation, he has denied social media attention being core:
“My goal isn’t to look shredded for Instagram likes. My goal is to get stronger and push heavier loads. The leanness and muscle definition is just a byproduct of that intense training.”
Nonetheless, regular videos showing brutal workouts with dangerously bad form and unrealistic lifting have garnered major clicks and attention. This pressure to keep pushing extremes and entertain clearly impacts his supplementation, diet and willingness to experiment.
The First 5 Days: Rapid Changes
Never one to shy away from extremes, Tristyn jumped into full carnivore with zero transition. He highlights his approach: “I went full carnivore all meat, eggs, protein shakes from day one. I didn‘t ease my way in or have any fruits.”
Committing to zero plants whatsoever, he fuelled his body purely on cuts of red meat, chicken, protein powder and supplements, eating until full 3-5 times per day. The impact was rapid in terms of quantifiable data:
“By morning 5 I was down 7-8 lbs. My weight was dropping fast even while eating so many calories and protein.”
He also noticed qualitative changes suggesting major metabolic shifts:
“I was never really hungry and had great energy in the gym. My stomach digestion and bloating improved immediately too.”
Clearly his body was responding rapidly to the drop-off in dietary carbs and fiber combined with the uptick in animal protein and fat.
By committing fully to the restrictions and extremes of carnivore, Tristyn gave his metabolism little choice but to adapt into a state of ketosis, where ketones produced by the liver from fat metabolism replace glucose from carbs as the primary energy substrate. This transition clearly led to water weight drops initially, fullness between meals, and his strength staying high despite no carb intake.
The Experience Over 4 Months: The Good and The Bad
While the rapid effects in just 5 days were exceptionally promising, Tristyn highlights that the biggest changes occurred through consistent adherence over 12+ weeks:
“The longer I stuck with [carnivore], the leaner I got. By end of 12 weeks, I was 166 pounds – the lightest I‘ve been as a pro bodybuilder! I got under 6% body fat which I haven‘t ever hit before – all with my strength near lifetime bests.”
Clearly fat adapted into full blown ketosis, his body learned to readily access adipose fat stores and dietary fat for energy rather than needing a constant supply of carbs to fuel his intense gym sessions.
Tristyn set multiple lifetime gym records in lower body compound lifts like barbell back squats during his carnivore experiment, getting down to high 300s on pounds lifted for reps. This increase in strength despite staying in a prolonged caloric deficit is due to fat adaptation reducing inflammation allowing faster recovery between heavy sessions.
However, there was also a downside to the extremes…
Tristyn found himself needing more rest days, feeling excessively sore, as well as struggling with energy levels. He notes feeling like his body was stressed and taxed moreso than prior bodybuilding preparations:
“I just felt like I was in constant fight or flight mode. My adrenals felt fried after about 8 weeks. It negatively impacted my sleep badly no matter what I tried.”
He also found lifting for higher volume pump workouts nearly impossible due to both central and peripheral fatigue setting in very quickly without carbs to fuel intensity.
Quitting Carnivore: The Surprising Reason
By the end of 12 full weeks on zero carb carnivore, Tristyn had achieved new personal bests for fat loss and definition well beyond expectations. Despite eating adequate protein and plenty of fat calories, the absence of glycogen-refueling carbohydrates took too great a toll.
On advice of Dr. Mike Israetel, co-founder or Renaissance Periodization and Tristyn‘s online coach for over 5 years, he began adding carbs back around workouts. Mike, who has a PhD in sports physiology and bodybuilding experience, knows Tristyn well and likely saw metrics or health markers necessitating moderation.
The surprising result? Tristyn immediately started losing fat again upon adding certain starchy carbs and fruits back:
“When I added [some carbs] back in, I started leaning out again almost day of. I think I just wasn‘t replenishing enough glycogen and it negatively impacted my hormones.”
The lengthy ketogenic stint had reduced insulin production and also sensitivity to carbohydrate influx. After months of fasting and fat burning, Tristyn‘s metabolism was tuned like a supercar for blazing progress. The reintroduction of modest carbs enhanced muscle fullness, allowed more intense lifting reps, restabilized hormone levels related to sleep, mood and recovery. It also enhanced follow-on fat burning versus contributing direct fat gain.
The Challenges Transitioning Off Carnivore
While thrilled to break new records for fat loss by incorporating smart carbs, Tristyn admits the transition process after being so extremely low carb for 3+ months was dreadful. His physiology clearly adapted in ways making sudden or large carb loads difficult.
He explains the science behind the misery:
“Adapting into full blown ketosis and staying there for over 12 weeks makes you extremely insulin sensitive. My cells were so good at absorbing glucose for energy that any excess carbs in my system would lead to crashes, brain fog, lethargy, etc.”
Essentially the prolonged carnivore stint enhanced his body‘s ability to utilize dietary glucose for muscle glycogen and energy needs. But his pancreatic insulin response was lagging, contributing to blood sugar spikes and crashes from even modest carbohydrate loads. An imbalance between uptake and availability.
Per Mike‘s advice, Tristyn utilized strategic carb refeeds by:
- Eating fruits pre and peri-workout to provide glucose to fuel intensity, be absorbed directly by working muscles. Less likely to cause fat gain due to depletion then enhanced nutrient partitioning effects of training.
- Adding white rice and potatoes mostly around workouts for slower digesting carbs less likely to spike blood sugars versus high glycemic sugary foods.
- Keeping fat intake lower at these times to avoid blunting insulin response. High dietary fat can reduce glucose absorption by muscles.
- Considering use of metabolic support supplements like berberine, cinnamon and apple cider vinegar before meals higher in carbohydrates. These can help moderate glucose response.
By closely monitoring and experimenting, Tristyn found a sweet spot where carb intake and timing enhanced his energy and performance again without regaining body fat or losing insulin sensitivity over time. But it took close care and gradual acclimation to make coming back from long term carnivore tolerable.
Takeaways: Not For Everyone, But Potentially Powerful
While carnivore dieting allowed Tristyn to hit new personal bests for body composition and strength, it clearly took a toll with downsides like energy crashes, excess soreness and unwanted catabolism without strategic carbs. This shows that while rapidly effective for some metrics, it may be missing key micronutrients essential for performance, recovery and health long term.
However, Tristyn admits:
“I was pretty blown away by how I was able to get into such crazy shape so quickly eating just meat and eggs. It just shows, everyone is a bit different and you need to find what works best for YOU!”
Tristyn clearly responds well to extreme protocols – at least in the short term. But the unsustainability long term necessitated moderation. Most people would likely fare far worse on a zero carb routine lacking plants and fiber. Still, this example shows the power of committing fully to a simplified nutritional approach in the initial fat loss phases. Tristyn took it to the extreme end – but the core concept could have benefit.
At the end of the day, while visually impressive, no athlete can avoid carbs forever and still perform, recover and stay healthy long term. But using disciplines like targeted ketosis and fat adaptation early on can potentially accelerate outcomes. The key is remembering metabolic magic won’t last without care, moderation and balance when transitioning back to a sustainable nutrition plan for health, wellness and longevity!