I followed the Carnivore diet for 21 days as a healing protocol for health issues I experienced postpartum. These are my before and after results for a female including benefits and weight loss.
*this was originally posted in March of 2020 and now includes an update for 2024
Carnivore Diet Before and After
🦁What Is The Carnivore Diet?
In a nutshell, the Carnivore diet is a way of eating in which you only consume foods from the animal kingdom including meat, dairy and eggs. This is the ultimate elimination diet that has been shown to heal others with autoimmune disease and serious health conditions with the healing power of meat.
Meat is one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet and one of the most highest sources of bioavailable protein and vitamins including iron! Source
As of a couple weeks ago, I have officially finished my 21 day Carnivore Diet Experiment. If you’re wondering why I did this, check out this post on my why’s that have not a whole lot to do with weight loss!
PLEASE NOTE: I am in no way, shape or form a medical doctor or health professional. Please do your research and talk with your personal healthcare provider about starting a Carnivore diet or any other diet.
☕Carnivore Diet Exceptions
There are many levels of the carnivore diet. Some people choose just to eat beef, water and salt (The Lion Diet) and some choose to add in a few exceptions to make this transition a bit easier. I am one of those people following what is often called dirty carnivore. The following is a list of foods I have decided to add into this experiment. Not everyone could or should do this, but I am choosing to.
- Coffee – I blend mine up with butter, heavy whipping cream and a scoop of collagen
- Lemons & Limes – I use them to flavor my water in order to encourage me to drink more
- Spices and Seasonings – There’s NO way I was going to do this without some flavor
- Sparkling Water – I drink flavored sparkling water which I know can spike insulin, but this is a choice I made
- Some Sauces – Buffalo sauce, steak sauce and mayo among other low carb sauces are used in moderation
🍗What I Ate (Meal Plan Ideas)
Early on, I came up with a list of foods and meals that I would enjoy eating. I made and ate most of these meals.
- Breakfast Frittata
- Goat Cheese Omelet
- Carnivore Fried Chicken – “breaded” in pork panko and Parmesan cheese
- Parmesan Wings
- Shredded Chicken or Shredded Beef Soup
- Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese Wraps
- Bacon Deviled Eggs
- Chaffle Burger
- Scotch Eggs
- Hot Dogs Wrapped in Baked Cheese Shell
- Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs
- Taco Bowls – ground beef, topped with Mexican cheese and sour cream
- Burgers Topped with Pimento Cheese
- Fatty Coffee – coffee blended with butter, heavy whipping cream and collagen powder
💊Carnivore Diet Supplements
Do you need supplements on a carnivore diet? This is highly dependent on the individual. Meat and organ meat technically contain all of the vitamins and nutrients you need, however some of us are highly deficient from the start and need a bit of help. I also am not one that enjoys eating organ meats, so I opted for supplements instead.
- Ancestral Health Grass Fed Desiccated Organ Pills – get the nutrients in organ meats without the gamey taste!
- Redmond’s Real Salt – not only does this salt taste the best, but it has the most minerals available in natural salt.
- Nu Salt – since electrolytes can be depleted on a carnivore diet, using no salt is a great way to add back in potassium.
- Electrolyte Pills With Trace Minerals – if you’d rather not purchase an electrolyte powder drink, these pills have electrolytes and minerals.
- Electrolyte Powder – LMNT seems to the the most popular electrolyte drink for carnivores. It is expensive BUT it does contain a proper amount of electrolytes unlike other brands. I used both LMNT and Redmond Relyte which has a similar electrolyte profile. You can also try out SalTT from Keto Chow.
- Digestive Enzymes – in the beginning it may be harder for you to assimilate a higher amount of protein and fat. These enzymes are great for helping you break down the food until your stomach acid adjusts.
- Ox Bile – I personally had trouble digesting the higher amount of fats in a carnivore diet especially since I was coming from a higher carbohydrate diet. Taking one at every meal helped break down the fat so my liver could handle everything.
🍳Products That Make A Carnivore Diet Easier
These things made my life easier when following this way of eating.
- Cast Iron Skillet
- Fry Wall – helps with keeping oil splatter off of the stove for easier cleanup.
- Meater – hands down the best way to get perfectly cooked meat using a bluetooth enabled meat thermometer.
- Anova Culinary Sous Vide – perfect for all my sous vide recipes!
- Vacuum Sealer
- Air Fryer Silicone Liners
🥩What Are Carnivore Diet Macros?
The macronutrient distribution can vary depending on the individual’s goals and preferences. For those following a higher fat approach, the macros typically consist of approximately 70% fat and 30% protein by calorie. This version prioritizes fattier cuts of meat, such as ribeye steaks, pork belly, and other full-fat meats, to achieve a higher fat intake which is believed to fuel the body more efficiently in the absence of carbohydrates.
On the other hand, a lower fat approach with higher protein might shift to a ratio closer to 60% protein and 40% fat by calorie. This version emphasizes leaner cuts of meat like chicken breast, lean beef, and seafood, increasing protein intake which is crucial for muscle repair and growth.
On average I was eating anywhere from 1800-2500 calories per day with 75% coming from fat, 20% from protein and 5% from carbohydrates. This wasn’t a perfect ratio every single day, but it averaged out that way in the end.
🥑Can You Eat Vegetables On A Carnivore Diet?
Nope! Plant matter is not something that is allowed on a true carnivore diet. There is extensive research out there about how plants contain anti-nutrients (as they are trying to survive too) and oxalates which can be harmful to the bodies of SOME people.
It’s not my job to convince you of this. In fact, I’m not sure if I believe this either! The only way I can have thoughts or opinions about this is if I come from a place of experience so here I am! We are all bio-individual when it comes to what foods work best for us. Some may need a ketovore approach.
I honestly did miss the TASTE of vegetables which is why I don’t think that a 100% carnivore diet can be sustained by me but that’s ok!
⏲️How Long Does It Take To Adapt?
After doing this for 21 days, I can honestly say that a full transition would probably need at least 60-90 days. In the beginning, your body is working on getting fat adapted and the brain is being rewired to not crave carbs, and that could take quite a bit of time for some.
I chose to do 21 days because we had upcoming travel plans, but anyone starting should do at least 30 days to get fat adapted and to make sure sugar/carb cravings are a bit more at bay.
⚖️How Much Meat Should You Eat on the Carnivore Diet?
This depends highly on the person. I’ve seen most women average about 1-2 pounds per day. I can’t say that I came close to that all the time as I chose to eat dairy and eggs along with everything.
🥚Is The Carnivore Diet Keto?
By default, yes. When you’re only eating meat it is likely that you will be in ketosis because of the extremely low carbohydrate count in meats if any. However, if your protein is on the high end, your body may convert the excess to glucose using gluconeogenesis which can kick you out of ketosis.
💩How Was Your Digestion and Bowel Movements?
Contrary to popular belief, my actual digestion was amazing! The entire time I had zero bloat or digestive issues after eating. I will say that in the beginning, I did have some loose stools (from adaptation – this happens to 50% of people that follow this diet) and did not have a bowel movement every day but that is completely normal!
Meat is HIGHLY digestible and the nutrients in it are more bio available than most vitamins or supplements you could take which means most of it is used by the body with little waste.
Vegetable fiber is technically waste that our body doesn’t use. Our stomachs evolved to digest meat and not digest plants which I find fascinating!
🍭Were There Sugar Cravings?
YES! One of the reasons I realized that keto didn’t work for me a while back was because I was being an asshole. There is an influx of foods and products that make the keto diet incredibly easy to just replace the standard American diet with it’s keto-fied equivalent. So basically, I was just eating mostly keto sweets and wondering why I wasn’t getting any physical or mental benefits.
For this experiment, I chose not to eat ANYTHING sweet. Because of this, I was able to satisfy my hunger quite easily, but my brain was hungry. For a while it kept coming up with excuses to have some chocolate or bread or some sweetened electrolytes. It was clear to me that it was old habits and addiction because there were times I was stuffed but still had a little room for sweets.
Days 8-12 were really hard. I powered through and learned a lot more about carbs and sugar addiction especially in the Food Junkies book I’ve been reading. It was important for me to learn about this process because although I don’t plan to be a person that gives up sweets or keto treats entirely, I want to learn how to be in control.
After a while, the cravings for anything of that nature did subside, but once I had my first taste of something sweet, it came right back! It’s a work in progress to really lean in to find out if your body or brain really needs something.
🩸Did Your Blood Pressure Change?
Nope! It stayed in a healthy range the entire time.
Benefits & Results
This is the list of things I experienced on my 21 day Carnivore Diet Experiment. Each persons mileage varies!
- Boundless Energy and Increased Mood – I’ve heard of zero carb zen before, it’s the carnivore equivalent to Whole30’s tiger blood. I felt it IMMENSELY the first 5-6 days, then took a dip when my body finally switched over then it came back again. Its a feeling like no other. Your brain is just ON POINT and you are just at peace with your life and more. I credit this to giving my brain enough fat as well as blood sugar stability and eating enough minerals and nutrients.
- Lighter Period – I was expecting a monster of a menstrual cycle in a bad way since I’ve heard so much about excess estrogen releasing. Well, since I was pretty much low carb before the experiment I had a reduction in pain AND length of cycle. This is BIG for me. Please note that I have never ever in my life taken birth control, so I am very in tune with my cycle.
- Better Sleep – While there were a few nights I felt awake more than usual, I slept REALLY well. If you didnt know, postpartum I was given drugs for insomnia and anxiety, and none of them worked for me. Whenever my blood sugar is balanced, and I have a steady source of magnesium, I sleep MUCH better, which leads to better days when I woke up.
- My Hair Is Growing Back – I did suffer a lot of postpartum hair loss, but it is growing back with a vengeance along with my nails! Honestly, it feels like my roots are growing back thicker than they were previously which I saw is common on this way of eating.
- Lost Weight and Inches – There was a lot of inflammation hanging around from the past 6 months and I can proudly say that this experiment brought all of that down pretty drastically. Even though I only lost 9 pounds, the reduction in inflammation was a great benefit which helped re-establish a baseline.
♀️Carnivore Diet For Women (Is it safe?)
This is NOT easy especially if you suffer with diet mentality and restriction issues. If you decide to start something like this, I highly recommend that you hire a coach.
Another great place to get started is to read The Carnivore Cookbook by Maria and Craig Emmerich. They break down the science of this way of eating in detail that is digestible along with levels of the carnivore diet and recipes.
Some women report improvements in energy, mental clarity, and relief from autoimmune conditions. It’s crucial for females considering this diet to consult with a healthcare provider to discuss their specific health needs, monitor their health regularly, and potentially supplement as needed to maintain overall well-being and balance.
This is a highly individual choice for females. I’ve seen people reverse serious health conditions and gain their life back. I’ve also seen it not work for people. For me, it was worth trying after seeing the research.
🍽️Do I still eat Carnivore?
Currently as of 2024 I am eating an animal based diet but not fully carnivore. In 2023 I was diagnosed with CIRS (Chronic Inflammatory Response Syndrome) that was brought on by long Covid and mold exposure. After experimenting with how to eat to feel best, I found that I need mostly animal products along with fiber to keep things moving to feel my best.
I still very much believe in the power of meat and have since started Our Carnivore Kitchen to showcase and experiment with meat based recipes and different cooking methods to make an animal based lifestyle fun and approachable!
