Day 29

      I pulled the plug today. Last night we had my grandson and his wife over for dinner and although what I ate was carnivore, I had a rich and creamy chocolate desert with whipped cream. I think that officially ends it. Except for February on a leap year, there are no months with 29 days, but that is close enough to a month.  

    The evaluation: It was more difficult that I thought it would be. 

                              No question, the weight loss happened and I am better for it. 

                              My appetite was definitely decreasing as the days went by, but then that might be why I always felt like I was running on an empty tank. Perhaps not enough fat. 

                             The metabolic highs and lows (glucose levels) were most certainly leveled out. No strong desire for that afternoon nap.

                             Strength felt diminished somewhat. Often a bit shaky in the legs. 

                             Definitely a fiber shortage and the accompanying problems with little fiber in the diet,. 

                            The lack of variety is a big problem, however I will never tire of one of those amazing steaks that I learned to perfect. I am done with greasy bacon and eggs for some time to come. 

                            The diverticulosis is completely gone. We will see how long it takes to return, if indeed it will. 

                           General aches and pains decreased to a very tolerable level. 

                           Itch on upper body and arms is getting worse by the day. Don't know if it is related, but will find out as I ease back into a 'normal' diet. 

                           The Viking's disease that I thought was in remission was feeling better for a few days but I attribute that now to a change in the weather. It is a type of arthritis and as such is susceptible to changes in atmospheric pressure.  

                          My biggest worry, the gout and kidney stones, was never an issue other than that little scare one day when I woke to what I thought was a pain in my right kidney. It left and never came back. 

      Would I do it again? Yes, if my body required it. Going forward, I will attempt to cut back on the carbs and for sure the sugar. This morning I had toast and coffee for breakfast, but for lunch the same old chicken broth with meat in it, and two boiled eggs. I am looking forward to those Cosmic Crisp apples once again. 

      Would I recommend it? I suppose it depends a lot on what sort of health issues one might have, but, yes, it is worth a try for anyone. Stick to it or you will never really know what it can do for you. 

     Thanks for joining me on this little adventure. 

     Check back for more topics. It seems a lot of people are enjoying my little anecdotes and perceptions of life. I have had around 300,000 views so far, 750 just this month. Thanks for looking. 

Day 26 & 27

      You know you have lost weight when you loosen your belt and your pants fall down without unbuttoning and unzipping. Happened to me today changing after my gym workout. Then we went to Costco and as we were walking the isles, I felt as though my pants were falling down. I turned my back to the crowd of shoppers and tried to pull my belt tighter, to the next notch. I was having trouble and looked down only to realize that there were no more notches. I was on the last one. 

     The last time I was this light was when I was first married. And that was around the time I started loading up on carbs. I went from 155 to 175 in a matter of weeks after my new wife, you know, the one I still have, started cooking for me. From there I crept up to the high 100's and have been there ever since, topping out at 220 a few months ago. This is the same, but in reverse. 

     I have three days to go. I am pretty sure that I will be changing from strictly carnivore to a more varied diet but with less carbs and for sure less sugar that what I was eating a month ago. Now that I have seen and felt the benefits of ketosis, I will strive for a moderation of food intake to keep my body on a fat burning mission. Not to lose more weight, but to experience the great feeling of less inflammation in my body. I will probably know that I have achieved this if my diverticulosis stays away. 

Day 25

      I had no breakfast today. I was not hungry and a friend was coming here for coffee. So, I ate nothing from 6pm last night to noon today. I only had one cup of coffee and nothing to eat. That is a good long fat burning fast. I will weigh in tomorrow and see what is what. 

     My usual winter itch is getting worse. Don't really know why. I do not have dry skin, never have had. My arms, neck and back are the worst. Thanks for the genes, father. This was one of the things I was hoping to get rid of. One thing for certain eliminates it totally and for the rest of the spring, summer, and fall, and that is vacation down south and tropical sun for two weeks. I have tested this method many times it is guaranteed. But is it the sun (UV) or is it the hot moist tropical air? 

     Time for a big, thick, juicy strip loin steak tomorrow. 

Day 24

     I hung in there for another day. There are no pains in the kidney today and that is a great thing. I feel pretty good but by my sleep is not as good as it was a week ago. That could be due to other factors. I felt stronger in the gym today, like I did pre-carnivore diet. 

    I went for community coffee time in our amenities room this afternoon. Of course, there is always coffee but there is always a sweet desert too. Today there was a big plate of ooey gooey brownies. I glanced at them and walked by. Dare I say that they did not appeal to me? At least they did not tempt me to the degree they would have a week ago. 

     Confession time. Yesterday busylizzy baked a big batch of homemade buns. No, not for me, but for others. I had not had enough Salmon for dinner and I had an empty spot. It was either a fresh homemade bun with butter and blackberry jelly, or a honey garlic peperoni stick. You guessed it. There was no bolt of lightening, no heavy duty guilt pangs, no severe stomach ache, no gaining an instant 5 lbs., only pure pleasure and shear joy. I honestly am beginning to believe that my body type absolutely needs carbs. Maybe not as many as I was used to, but it sure ran better for the rest of the evening. 

    We went for our customary 3.5 mile walk this afternoon. It went well except for the cold wind. 

     I think I will make it to the end of the month. 

 

Day 23

    

      The fork in the road, as portrayed in the above image, is where I am right now. Straight ahead represents carrying on with the carnivore diet. The left turn represents going back to my old eating habits. The right turn represents a Keto diet which is the next best thing to what I am doing now, cutting carbs and sugar, but introducing other foods into the diet. 

      At this point I am not even sure if I should tough out the whole 30 days, something I promised myself I would do. Why do I say that? When I first considered this carnivore thing, I was hesitant because I used to get gout and Uric acid kidney stones. After many very painful attacks of both kinds, including a traumatic emergency surgery, I was told that I could either take a drug to  prohibit the uric acid build up in my system, or I could eliminate red meat from my diet. I chose the 'no meat' option and stuck faithfully to it for more than 10 years, having only the occasional mild gout attack. 

     To go from that, to eating nothing but meat, was making me very hesitant. I researched as much as I was able and came to the conclusion that although the chance of aggravating the situation was remote, it has happened in the rare instance. Obviously, I was willing to take the chance. 

     Early this morning, at around 3 am, I awoke with a mild ache in my kidney area. This was higher than, and on the opposite side of, my usual lower back pain, which has greatly improved in the last few weeks. Needless to say, I panicked a bit and prayed that it was not the harbinger of a full blown attack. By mid-morning the feeling subsided. Was it my kidney? It felt like it. 

     As I lay awake until morning, I did a mental assessment of where I was at with the pros and cons of the diet. There a few issues that will disappear if I go off the diet. Hopefully, the kidney stone issue. I definitely need more fiber to move things along, and I sometimes wonder if my continual cravings are my body type telling me that I am missing something that my blood type or body type need to operate optimally. The final issue that I am struggling with, I have mentioned here before. That is the lack of energy and strength. It is like I have suddenly aged a few years, because it came on quite quickly after about 4-5 days of the diet. I have noticed lately that I have been cold. I am rarely cold, especially not my legs or feet. Again, it is probably because I am not eating enough fat. 

     So here I sit tonight, at a crossroad. I had salmon tonight as it is not red meat, so I have not yet thrown in the towel. Often sleeping on problem or decision brings fresh insight in the morning. Stay tuned.  
 

Day 21 and 22

      "They" say it only takes a few times to form a habit. This is the third time I am combining two days into one with my daily reports. Too busy eating all that meat, I guess. 

      I have passed the three week mark on my road to improving my health, through what I think is a rather extreme diet. Hitting the one month mark, I will take stock, review my experience, and then decide to abandon the effort, continue, or slowly transition to a sort of Keto diet. That would be a high fat and low carbohydrate way of eating. Anything to get some variety and some fiber into my diet. Right now I am eating basically zero carbs. 

      The most difficult thing for me is the lack of variety and the fact that I have always been repulsed by fatty foods. Frying eggs in the tallow from yesterdays steak is tasty, but the grease goes against me. And yet, I need that for it is my new energy source. 

      Speaking of energy, I should have more by now, but seem not to. Just before I started this diet, I climbed 5 flights of stairs with someone 25 years younger than me. My legs were not burning and I was not winded, only breathing a bit more heavy that usual. Same as my younger companion.  Now, I feel, after 3 flights, the way I felt after 5 flights. The strength and stamina is just not there. I don't like that feeling. It makes me feel old. Old people plod along and have no spring in their step. I am supposed to be feeling younger, stronger, and have more energy and stamina. Maybe my body type or blood type is not cut out for this. 

     Time will tell. 

Day 19 and 20

 

     The photo is supposed to represent 'Steady as she goes'.  Steering the carnivore ship through the turbulent waters of temptation. Again, running out of time on day 19 so here is the amalgamation of two days of meat eating. 

     The changes are subtle. It is like one day waking up after the Christmas and New Years celebrations and realizing that you are now ten pounds heavier than you were in October. How did that happen?! Is the mirror working properly or did it warp in the cold winter weather and that view of the rolls and bulges are a result of  distorted light? The bathroom scale will not lie unless you cheat, and there are many ways to cheat at bathroom scaling. 

     I continue down the spiral staircase to skinniness. I have now dropped 15 lbs. in total. I am beginning to look different and not just feel different. I like it, except it still feels like I am running on a half empty tank. I am waiting for the spring in my step to return. I felt OK on our long walk today, but had to sit down after, not feeling so much exhausted as just a little rubbery in the knees. For dinner, I doused my fatty steak in plenty of ghee, not only for flavor, but for additional fat.  My fuel is no longer sugar and carbs, but fat, so if I am running out of fuel, I am running out of fat in my diet. I don't care at all for greasy foods but I must eat it. 

    I succumbed to a snack food that, all my life, I thought was the most awful thing you could put in your body, health wise. Pork rinds. Not as disgusting as it sounds. I needed a different texture in my mouth. I can only eat a few at a time, but the taste is fine. I remember, probably 40 years ago, trying one and thinking they were delicious, but vowed to never succumb to the allure of the bacony crunch and satisfying flavor. I also discovered honey garlic pepperoni sticks. It is really not easy to find variety with this diet. 

    Following some advice from a friend, after my initial month, I will try having some other food on occasion, like going out for dinner, invited to a pot luck, travelling, et. He tells me that it has zero effect on him and as long he did not cheat for weeks on end, the benefits of carnivore never left him. Maybe one calls this a keto diet, simply removing as much sugar and carbs from you diet as you feel you can handle. I guess you could see carnivore as kickstarting a Keto diet. 

     But, for now, I am staying the course.