Carnivore Experiment: Day 100 Update!

Psssst: I’ve put everything I’ve learned about doing carnivore, plus my 10 years of nutrition experience, into my Quick Start Guide to Carnivore, a guide to doing your own 30 day carnivore experiment.

I’ve passed 100 days of carnivore, and boy has this way of eating changed everything for me, in a way even paleo or keto never did!

These pants were barely fitting before, but besides the body composition changes, my favorite part is how I feel mentally and emotionally.

Here was me with a birthday cake I make for myself (RAINBOW SPRINKLES!) pre-carnivore:

And just a couple days ago, down a little over 20 pounds, in a pair of pants that is now just a little too big…

What I’m Eating

• All meat (mostly beef, pork, bacon, and some salmon)
• Spices (not carnivore, but I seem to do okay with them so keep them in)
• Water & sparkling water
• Sea salt
• A square of 100% dark chocolate and 1 cup of decaf earl gray each day (not carnivore, but to slow oxalate dumping)

The Lifestyle Stuff

• Started incorporating Intermittent Fasting: eating within a 4-6 hour window most days (anywhere from 16:8 to 20:4 to OMAD)
• I break my fast around 8 or 9 am with a big meal, and have my second smaller meal around 12 or 1 pm, then fast until the next morning. As an extreme early bird, this is far easier for me than waiting until afternoon or evening for my meals!
• Eating about 1.5-2 lb of meat most days
• Sleeping from about 9-10 pm to 4-6 am
• Low-intensity exercise: abs/booty, yoga, walking, bike rides, weighted hula hooping (sounds silly, but it’s fun!)

I just ordered a “goal” swimsuit that’s just one size too small, knowing that if my body composition keeps trending the way it is, it will fit perfectly soon!

I took these photos yesterday so I can compare in the coming months. Hoping to lean out a little more and built more muscle and strength!

What’s Working

• Body composition: I’ve lost a fifth of my body weight so far! I’m getting much leaner and can actually see my muscles now. Even better is that my Waist-to-Hip ratio is improving (see graphs below). Waist to hip ratio is one of the best indicators of risk for metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease, so I’m really happy with this.
• Eating intuitively: I’m no longer a slave to the jar of peanut butter in the fridge or dark chocolate. I can eat when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full, and I don’t need to snack anymore. As an Abstainer, I feel so much more free around my food habits when I don’t have those other foods as options.
• Mental health: Anxiety greatly decreased. Sometimes still having some racing thoughts at night in bed, especially if I didn’t sleep enough the night before, but nowhere near where it used to be.
• Sleep: I sleep through the night most nights, and if I wake up to go the bathroom, I can go right back to sleep.
• Motivation & Productivity: I feel really good, almost euphoric at times, and have mostly had a lot of energy to work on things I love. I’m reading SO many books and implementing what I’ve learned from them.
• Skin: Acne from my face has basically gone away.
• Digestion: Basically all bloating is gone, and about 95% of gas.
• Fingernails and hair: Overall getting stronger and growing longer.

Still Working On…

• Slight skin redness on my right cheek — possible gut issue? Hard to say.
• Candida
• Some acne still on shoulders and back of arms
• Minor hair loss, about the same as before. I learned recently that hair loss is correlated with rapid fat loss, so that makes sense
• Nails and hair could still be stronger, some breakage, though better than before

Body Measurements

Below are screenshots from my tracking spreadsheet since I started carnivore. I’m a 32 year old female, 5’4 (162 cm). This data goes a little beyond 100 days of carnivore, but close counts.

As you can see, it’s not completely linear (it never is), but going in the right direction.

• Waist: 37.5 to 32.5 [5 inches lost]
• Hips: 40 to 36 [4 inches lost]
• Weight: 143.8 to 122.6 [21.2 pounds lost]
• Waist-to-Hip Ratio: 0.94 to 0.90 ?

The plan from here is to keep going for another 30 days of carnivore, and continue my 18:6 or 20:4 fasting.

I’m so excited to be at a body composition that I haven’t been at in SEVEN years, and this time I’m the happiest and healthiest I’ve ever been. ?