My Carnivore Journey

finally woke up at the age of 70

Introduction

Bloating, diarrhea, rosacea, thinning hair, midsection fat, arthritis in my hands, fatty liver disease, inconsistent energy, elevated blood pressure, frequent eating, worsening eyesight, kidney stones (passing and surgeries), basically metabolically unwell.

These are just a handful of issues that grew increasingly worse as I aged. Nobody had an answer or even helped me to find an answer. I will give credit to a doctor who educated me on bio-identical hormones after reading Suzanne Summers book, Ageless; and I’m grateful.

I’ve led an active life with exercise and work in the fast-paced food and beverage industry. But over time my body wasn’t as tolerant to the foods I ingested regardless of how much I exercised. Changes occurred, weight gain, sluggishness and I had no idea how to manage them and apparently neither did my doctors.

The Realization

After what seemed to be like a lifetime of YouTube carnivore videos and research, I was close to knowing what I had to do. The person who took me over the edge of my decision was my daughter, Jennine. She was very concerned about my health and watched my endless frustration over the years. She had gone carnivore earlier after reading about the health benefits. I was listening to her and then she looked at me and said, “What do you have to lose?” It struck me; I had nothing else to lose. And so, I started my carnivore adventure.

So how in the heck do I reverse the years of brainwashing to rid myself of these “good for you” foods? Not easy. I can tell you that going against everything I’ve known to be true was the hardest part in switching my diet. I was going against everything I’ve learned from my family, teachers, doctors and well-respected (loud and clear) individuals.

The Wake-Up Call

Having kidney stone issues for the last 30 years has sent me into a tizzy trying to figure out how to stop them from growing and passing. Doctors had little to no advice except to go on the BRAT (banana, white rice, applesauce, white toast)diet and limit all animal protein; and so, I did. It didn’t stop the stones from giving me a whole lot of pain and trouble.  I was told that I just created them. When I finally realized that they were calcium oxalate stones I dug into the research like a lunatic.

Fast forward years and surgeries later, I wonder why nobody told me to avoid calcium oxalated foods. All the foods that I was told to consume were jam packed with calcium oxalates! What were they thinking?  I am here to tell you that it’s not the doctors’ fault; nobody taught them about nutrition and how to heal with food. Their education is all about the drugs and handing out plenty of prescription pads. That’s sad.

The Adjustment Phase

I can tell you for a fact that holidays will never be the same.  I started my carnivore diet in December 2023, of course before Christmas!  Overeating at Christmastime was so branded in my mind that I had to keep a certain mindset to overcome urges to stick with this diet. It worked and getting past that time only gave me more courage to continue. However, I didn’t realize there would be more challenges to overcome.

In the beginning there were times when I felt nauseous between meals; that was annoying. Between Jennine and podcasters, I learned a few tricks to get by. Drinking more water, having a mug of chicken broth and lowering the fat intake just a bit, not a lot. More salt needed to be added to my food because it is fresh, not highly processed loaded with salt.

Navigating around meals was very different from what I was used to. On the regular standard diet, I was grazing and eating most of the day; I was hungry! Leaving the house without a bag of nuts, water, cheese and crackers would be set up for a disaster. God forbid I should get hungry and not have access to food! Those days are long gone and I don’t think twice about leaving without a traveling picnic.

Here's the beauty of this way of eating. I’m not hungry first thing in the morning and have my water and Baja Gold Salt, black coffee and my first meal anywhere from 10am to 11am. When I get finished with a strip or half of ribeye and 2-3 eggs, I’m so satisfied that I couldn’t imagine eating till dinnertime.

If for some reason I feel like I want something, I used to grab a handful of plain pork rinds and be fine till dinner. I no longer have the rinds but might have leftover meat. Sometimes I have two different meats for my second meal and I’m done till the next day. So, I went from grazing all day long to having two beautiful, power packed meals. It cracks me up when people tell me that eating like that is too restrictive but I see it as way too easy, quick and unbelievably satiating.

One of the most difficult things I had to get by is the scare tactics used by some of my family members and friends who thought I was crazy and more than likely was going to die of a heart attack any minute. Remarks like that would drag me into doubt and I would question myself if I was doing the right thing. On top of the fact, I was still fighting and arguing internally about abandoning years of eating the standard American diet! Brainwashing is quite powerful!

It wasn’t until some months later that I did my bloodwork that I could settle down and realize that I was on the right track.

Looking back, I made a few mistakes in the beginning, telling people I changed to a carnivore diet and watching the horror on their faces. Then I learned not to say anything about how or what I was eating. And I could’ve been a little easier on myself had I started Keto first and nicely slid into carnivore for an easier transition. But at that point in my life, I was desperate; sick and tired of it all.

One of the most crippling of all my health issues was chronic diarrhea for years when I was held hostage to my toilet, canceling any appointments that day.  In an acute stage, I would “fly” to the toilet anywhere from 10-20 times a day, horrible. Until now, I was struggling to find the answer for this gut issue and I didn’t give up till I exhausted all avenues.

When I called my gastro to see if they could email the stool sample scripts, the front desk person told me that I needed to come to see the doctor.  I told her I just saw him last month and she said it was their procedure. My functional medicine doctor was my savior in getting these tests done quickly, so I fired the gastro. What did I need him for?

Keep in mind this same gastro was telling me I’d have to wear protection!!!!! I refused to listen and knew for a fact that I was on my own with this crippling gut issue.

I did hire another gastro just in case I need him in the future and I wasn’t able to get in for six months, typical western “sick care” medicine.

When I felt completely depleted I would get the IV nutrients and felt better. But at $150 each time, it was not sustainable to do that.