Day 6

 

          After spending an evening with a large group of friends, I realized I was not on top of my game. Some call it brain fog. I spoke with one of my friends who told me that when he went on the carnivore diet it took him three weeks to transition to all the good benefits and away from all the cravings. It was both encouraging and discouraging. I was wanting it to come together in the first week. Unrealistic, perhaps, but worth all the grief in the end. As I type this, I have just stepped off the scale. I am down 3 more pounds, so that is almost a pound a day that I have shed. 

        As I was having my scrambled eggs this morning, I was feeling depressed and not wanting to go to the gym, even though I was dressed and ready for it. I will be transparent here. I peeled and ate a big sweet and juicy California Naval Orange. I could not believe the sense of euphoria that came over me as the first bite burst with flavor in my mouth. There, now I have confessed. If there was such a thing as carnivore police, I would be arrested within the hour. At least it was something natural and healthy, with zero carbs. 

     I made it to the gym and did my whole routine.  I had another bowl of chicken broth loaded with chicken meat for lunch. We immediately went for a walk in the warm sunshine and I was feeling only slightly more energetic than on our last walk. Maybe it was the Orange in the morning. We walked 3.6 miles, but had a bit of a sit-down half way through. We never used to do that. 

     Ribs for dinner. Yummy. I feel full, but still crave something sweet. Can a lifelong habit be truly broken? Am I feeling benefits yet? I sense that my body is moving in that direction. 

 

Day 5

 

     I slept well again last night but woke up feeling very sluggish. I was unmotivated to eat anything for breakfast. I was ready to hit the gym but then lay on the sofa, just feeling lethargic and drained of energy. busylizzy was feeling sorry for me so offered to make me a 3 egg cheese omelet and a few strips of bacon.  I accepted and it was delicious and somewhat revived me. I did my routine in the gym but was not feeling normal. 

     Here is my theory based on nothing but 76 years of living in the same body. Sugar and carbs will give almost instant and very available energy. Protein and fat takes a little longer but is more sustainable and longer lasting. After the gym I felt fine and have ever since. I have heard from others that their energy levels are more steady, without the highs and lows, on the carnivore diet. 

     I had a bowl of chicken broth loaded with chicken meat for lunch. 

    Dinner tonight was tip loin steak. It tasted pretty good. It was about the size of my hand, and that's all I ate. A baked potato with sour cream, chives, and bacon bits would have been wonderful, but not for me. Even better would have been a big slice of Turtles Chocolate Cheesecake, but not for me. We went lout in the evening and I was fine, no hunger pangs, only remorse. Tomorrow will be the next weigh-in. 

Day 4

 

 

     As promised, I weighed myself today. My first objective, and indeed, the first effect of a carnivore diet, is weight loss. My initial weight going into the diet was 205 lbs. This morning the scale read 198. This is indeed a pleasant outcome, so far, but I am not surprised as everyone going on this diet experiences weight loss. 

     I did not sleep as well last night. I awoke at 4am with an itch on my throat and the back of my neck, the kind of allergic reaction itch I get when I eat Mandarin Oranges. But what could have triggered this itch is beyond me. I suspect my body is adjusting to the fat burning mode as opposed to the carb and sugar mode. After 20 minutes I fell back asleep and when I got up at 7, I was fine. 

    Three eggs for breakfast but no bacon today. I watched a video of a 20 something young man who has eaten nothing but eggs for the last 5 months. He was a picture of health. 

     I used Ghee (clarified butter) this morning for the first time, to fry my eggs. Nice flavor. 

     I have Dupuytren contracture on both hands but my right hand bothers me more. I noticed yesterday and this morning that the arthritic pain in the little finger is less than usual. A reduction in inflammation? Maybe it is beginning. 

     Pork loin, cheese, and a boiled egg for lunch. Again, the craving for carbs was very strong. We went for a walk to distract my mind and it worked, but I found that my legs felt like rubber, similar to being bedridden for a few days with the flu and then getting back on my feet. I certainly hope that this is part of the process and not an ongoing thing. 

    I had two hamburgers for dinner. Well, sort of. Hamburgers minus the buns, the pickles, the relish, the mustard, the Ketchup, the special sauce, the tomatoes, and the mushrooms. And no fries.  Yes, two patties with melted cheddar cheese. Again, those powerful carb cravings tortured me. I concentrated on the Canucks Hockey game and I was soon feeling full and satisfied from my 'burgers'. The Canucks won 3-2 in overtime and that temporarily took my mind off apple pie and ice cream. 

     I made it through day 4. I have some nice steaks and salmon on order and once they arrive things will look up, I am sure.   

Day 3

      So what are the rules for what you can and cannot eat on the carnivore diet? It is very simple. For the greatest effect and for the purist, it is simply to eliminate all carbs and sugar, and eat only animal based food, eliminating all plant based food. Dairy can be included and I am putting a bit of cream in my morning coffee, a beverage that is approved. Hard cheese like a cheddar is also OK. Mixing it up with fish and other Sea Food adds variety and is also OK. 

     Again. I had a very good night's sleep. I woke with no hunger but made myself a cup of coffee and ate a boiled egg. I spent my usual 40 minutes in the gym, feeling good and not at all running out of energy. Nothing more to eat until 1 pm when I made a plate of bacon and eggs and a cup of coffee.  I was surprised that I had no hunger pangs but ate only because I thought if my stomach was too empty tonight at dinner that I would give in to the carb cravings. 

    By dinner time, I was still not hungry but did eat a grilled chicken breast. A few minutes later I was hit with a substantial carb and sugar craving. I was thinking of the way I used to eat and my mouth was watering and I was almost panicking. I desperately wanted one of those nice crisp apples in the refrigerator. Or one of those sweet juicy California Naval oranges sitting in the fruit bowl. Instead, I made a cup of decaf and again, like yesterday, distracted myself. 30 minutes later I was fine. I felt full and the rest of the evening I was fine. 

     Tomorrow is day 4 and time to do a weigh-in. I am supposed to see a bit of weight loss after 3 days. Tune in to see if it is true. 

     

Day 2

 

       I slept better that usual last night. I got up at my normal time of 3 am and back to bed, to sleep soundly until my usual wake-up time of 7-7:30. I will normally get up and get my day going at that time because it is too uncomfortable to lay in bed with various aches and pains from having been inactive all night. But, this morning, I looked at the clock and promptly fell back asleep and slept until 9:30! Believe me, that is rare. 

     I was not hungry this morning and contemplated going to the gym, which I do every morning, but at the last minute thought I might need some sustenance so I ate a boiled egg. After my workout and a cool down, I was still not hungry, but finally, around 11:30 am, made my bacon and eggs brunch. This time it was 3 eggs and only 3 slices of bacon. It filled me up completely, and I was not hungry all afternoon.

    Dinner time and it was a delicious pork loin. Still feeling a bit peckish I had a boiled egg. Then it hit me. I had a real craving for some sort of dessert, or anything sweet. We have beautiful California naval oranges , something busylizzy can eat, and I craved one in the worst way. But, I held firm and distracted myself by trying to solve a problem I have been having with my computer. It worked and about an hour later I felt full and no longer had the craving. 

     Also, I felt sleepy right after my dinner. Don't know why, but it almost felt like a spike in my glucose levels. It passed soon enough. It is now 10 pm and I still do not feel sleepy or tired. Thinking now of getting a new frying pan. 

       

Day 1

      As promised, this is the first (of hopefully many) report on my experience with the Carnivore diet.  As I stated in my preamble, there are many reasons why I am doing this which will become apparent as time goes by. 

     I stated previously that some weight loss was one of my goals. My weigh-in was complete, but since I did that weigh-in, I have purchased new glasses and I stood on the scale this morning and discovered that my weight is 205 lbs. and not 215 lbs. It is fortunate that I double checked as 10lbs. of weight loss in the first day would have blown my credibility out of the water. 😆

     I came off an 18 hour fast today at noon and then ate my first carnivore meal. It consisted of four thick strips of unadulterated grass fed bacon and three eggs, fried in the bacon drippings. Surprisingly, I was not even hungry after the fast, but the bacon and eggs tasted marvelous. After my meal, my brain was telling me that a little dessert would be in order, after all, had I not been doing this all my life? A cookie maybe? The urge was there, so I grabbed a boiled egg out of the fridge, ate it, and then distracted myself for a few minutes. I got over the craving hump and then I felt very full and satisfied and no longer was hungry for anything. I realized that I have probably never gone a day without carbs in my life, apart from being ill when I had zero appetite for anything. 

     Throughout the afternoon I had zero hunger pangs or desire for a snack. My Son and Grandson came for the hockey game at 5 pm and brought a Texas Roadhouse Pizza. They waved it under my nose but I was steady like a rock and did not beg for a piece. At 6pm I had a few pieces of cold bacon and a small helping of baby back pork ribs. That's it. 

     Now it is approaching bedtime and I am not hungry, but feeling very satisfied and good. I had no urge or desire for a Sunday afternoon nap, something I have been known to do.

     I have survived Day 1 without a glitch.  

Countdown

 

     I mentioned in a previous post that I was contemplating a big change in lifestyle, at least for me. No, I have not abandoned my idea, but instead have been preparing. I have mentioned my intentions to a few people and am being asked when I was going to start. I talked about some background information in my previous post "Beyond Walking" under "Health" on this blog. Under this label "Carnivore Diet", I will track my progress with updates. 

     In the meantime, I have compiled a list of issues, with my health, that I am hoping will be improved upon as time goes by. I will not provide that list here, but instead will report on the issue as it changes with time, hopefully for the better. I have researched each ailment as it relates to Carnivore Diet and I am very encouraged that there will be a big improvement as I move from a carb and sugar metabolism to a fat and protein driven metabolism. 

     When I first looked into this diet, I was very surprised to find out that it flies in the face of everything I had ever heard about diet previously. The science has not changed, but the messaging has always been to the detriment of  human health. Cholesterol bad, fat bad, red meat bad, excess salt bad, you need your vegetables, you need carbs for energy, and on and on. The crazy improvements in people's health on the Carnivore Diet is testament to the fact that we have been fed bad food advice. (pun intended) 

     No doubt, there will be challenges, especially in the early days, until the carb and sugar cravings subside. After speaking to veterans of this diet, I am being assured that those cravings will pass and because I will feel so much better, I will not want to to turn back. Well, that is my goal. 

     My weigh-in says that I am 215 lbs. so for starters, I am expecting some weight loss. At 6'2' I should be less than that. I am told that the pounds start shedding after three days, without feeling hungry. Wishful thinking? We will see. 

    So, join me, or come along for the ride as an observer. I will post a notice on Facebook on day one, so I expect that there will be many watching me. But, that is exactly the accountability I need.

Beyond Walking

     The "big three" that determine one's health in life are genetics, diet, and lifestyle. 

     My great grandfather and grandfather lived to ages very close to 100. My own father lived to 92 but neglected his health when my mother passed away, and could have gone on longer had he cared. So my genetics are good insofar as what I inherited from my father's side. 

     My diet has had variety, and on the whole consisted of basic food with wholesome ingredients and has been mostly home cooked and home baked. I avoid between meals snacks and certainly never eat before bedtime. 

     My weight has been steady all my life with the exception of adding about 10 - 15 extra pounds since my mid-sixties. I am 6' 2" and 195 lbs. My work involved light to moderate activity throughout the day, always moving, stretching, light lifting, and a lot of climbing of stairs and ladders. 

     When I turned 68, I began to slow down in my work, only working part-time. Those days when I did not work, I walked at least 5-6 thousand steps. It was when I stopped working altogether, I realized that I had to have a plan of action. 'Not moving' was not an option. We downsized into a condo and one of the benefits of the place we chose was that there was a gym right down the hallway from our suite. 

     I determined to be in there at least 5 days a week and, so far, I have been consistent and have actually enjoyed it. Besides a light workout with weights, I either walk the tread mill or ride the stationary bike. My goal is still 6000 steps per day. (Today I did nearly 7000) 

     Putting a step counting app on my phone has been a great benefit. It prompts me, encourages me, and tells me in no uncertain terms that I have either attained my daily goal or I am x number of steps short. So far I have walked, since 2021, 3671 miles. 

    I purchased an E-bike in 2022 and use it during the spring, summer and winter, adding to the exercise. I generally ride from 25 - 40 Km. per outing. 

   Why am I writing about this now? I am about to undertake a big step in my attainment of a healthy lifestyle and diet. I certainly do not want to live forever, but the years that I do have left, I want to be pain free at the least. I am developing some aches and pains that various types of therapy are not touching. My extensive research into the diet I am about to undertake, informs me that mostly, my pain is from various types of inflammation, and that can be remedied. 

     I am preparing to become a Carnivore. By preparing, I mean that I am cleaning my cupboards, fridge and freezer of all carbohydrates and sugars. I am not wasteful so I will eat it all (not all at once) and then make way for the meat, eggs and cheese. 

    As a step counter motivates me to continue walking, I thought that tracking and reporting my progress with the new diet, on this blog, would motivate me to be vigilant, observant, and would help me to track my progress, with the hope that I would be helped by the diet and that, in turn, might encourage others to give it a try. 

    I will write regular reports under the label "Carnivore". I am not sure exactly when I will be starting but it will be this month for sure. I am nervous and excited. I am a disciplined person and usually stick to what I start. It will be most interesting for reasons I will divulge in my reports. I think I will go have a cookie now. 

 

Neighbors

    

     One of the identifiers, when Canadians are asked "What makes you Canadian?" is that they are not Americans, as if being an American were a bad thing. 

     My admiration for Americans goes back to the 70's and 80's when I developed a business that was American based. I began rubbing shoulders with and dealing with Americans for the first time in my life and found it to be an eye opening experience, one that blew some of my misconceptions out of the water. Some of the things I admired about them was their tenacity, honesty, entrepreneurial spirit, patriotism, bold faith, forthrightness, and lack of inhibitions. These were qualities that I lacked but coveted. 

     I also have American cousins and I like them a lot. There is definitely a difference between us but it is mostly in style, not substance. 

     This has been on my mind lately as President Trump is making noises about Canada becoming the 51st state. I seriously doubt that this will happen, but exploring the possibilities of this prospect is an interesting exercise. Most dismiss the idea out of hand, but giving it some serious thought opens up a can of worms, and I am meeting some people who are open to some interesting possibilities. Exploring these ideas will take a whole other post. 

     I have been wanting to write about this for a few days now but events are moving so fast that even hours later, what I might write would become irrelevant. I have said from the beginning that all we have to do appease Trump and stop the "annex Canada" talk is to clean up our borders and stop the fentanyl and illegal border hoppers from going back and forth. How much less expensive to do this that to get into a protracted trade war with the biggest economy on earth. Besides, it is the right thing to do, and should have been done years ago.

     And now, as of the time of this writing, it seems that there has been an agreement to do just that. We will see.