I did a lot of research for the last blog on intermittent fasting. I was surprised to learn that intermittent fasting and the carnivore diet go hand-in-hand. Medical professionals like Shawn Baker, MD. and Dr. Jason Fung advocate components of this way of eating.

Benefits of the carnivore diet:

Mental clarity
weight loss
improved digestion
a simplified way of eating
Decreased inflammation ( the big one)

Day 1.

( hour 1 )

I’m already dying. I realized my morning coffee is without 2 vital components. Stevia and coconut milk. 1. No artificial sweeteners 2. Nothing plant based. I buy an iced black coffee and add a splash of heavy whipping cream. Zero stevia. I have a feeling HWC is going to be my bff this week. I also buy a rose gold tumbler to make this more exciting. It works. I’ve been fasting since last blog, so at hour 22 I have my first meal. On day zero, I slow cooked a rump roast for 8+ hours, it shredded to perfection and we made the yummiest tacos. On day 1, only meat. Nice and shredded topped with pink Himalayan salt, in a bowl with a fork. No lemon, no tortillas, no salsa. I’m just going to pretend I didn’t slow cook it in a porter beer with a 7.4% ABV ( alcohol by volume).

Day 2.

8am. Starving. This homemade cold brew with heavy whipping cream is not going to cut it. Suddenly, I remember there’s a donut in my fridge at work. I’m lucky enough to work next to a catering company and the owner brought over a Keto Low Carb Almond flour donut! It’s sitting in my fridge. It’s waiting for me. I don’t want to be rude. Since it’s “keto” I assume it’s made out of cheese or there’s cheese in it and that’s carnivore so. Breakfast.

For lunch, a huge bowl of leftover shredded beef. At dinner time my toddler decided he wanted pizza. I had to get creative with what we had. Oaxaca cheese, pepperoni skillet pizza for me. Mini pizzas on Organic toast with Raos Marinara on his. I suddenly remember I’m able to have cheese. I throw a few extra bites of cheese in my mouth. Day 2 over. I don’t know anything different yet.

Day 3.

I decided this was bullshit when I started making breakfast and the hubz requested a “breakfast sandwich”. I can’t eat that honey, and now neither can you. I suggested he join me in this carnivore way of eating by cooking eggs and shredded beef. No salsa, no hot sauce. “There’s got to be something we can add!” He comes back with a fist full of leftover bacon slices and goat cheese. Fine.

Later in the day, during house cleaning and chores, I scrub the tub in my bathroom and the soap suds remind me of whipping cake batter with a mixer. I’m done with this BS. I leave the cake batter and go into the kitchen just in time to see my hubby chowing down on some chocolate macadamia nut butter. A mouthful. Seriously?! I pop open a cucumber seltzer and it’s a good as cake. It’s sparkling water with only carbonated water as an ingredient so I’m deeming this acceptable. By 4 pm I notice I’m feeling pretty good and not hungry at all. I’ve occupied my time and haven’t given eating a second thought. One of the nice parts about the carnivore diet is knowing what you’re going to eat. It saves a lot of time and energy having that decision already made for the day. What’s for dinner? Meat. Lunch tomorrow? Meat. Billionaire Mark Zuckerberg wears the same outfit everyday for this reason. Less time and energy wasted on one decision.

Day 4.

I’m in a bad mood. Feeling weird, feeling off. What’s happening? I realize it’s 4:30pm and I haven’t eaten today. Whoa. A black iced coffee this morning, a few pepperoni and a handful of sharp cheddar cheese cubes. Less than a few hundred calories if you think about it. I need food, but I’m not hungry. I slap some burger patties in the skillet. I’m missing condiments. Ketchup, mustard, mayo, greens, chocolate croissants, ect. I’m satiated but I’m missing something. The hubby is “happy”. “ I could eat like this all the time”. The hubby then starts making an iced coffee, takes out the stevia and the coconut milk. Whoa cowboy. You can’t have any of those plant based ingredients. He’s shook. “What?!” Says Mr. “I could eat like this all the time”. I google carnivore desserts and actually come up with a recipe for carnivore cheesecake! There’s cream cheese, eggs and vanilla extract in it. Vanilla is classified as a spice, so it’s safe to use. I whip up a little heavy cream and stevia and cinnamon. It’s kinda satisfying.

Day 5.

Breakfast: coffee, heavy whipping cream over ice. No sweetener. 3 slices of bacon.

Lunch: 6 wings from Buffalo Wild Wings, plain. 3 slices of bacon.

Dinner: 2 eggs, fried in butter, with mozzarella cheese.

Mood: work stress 100% and emotionally craving sugar. Physically, I feel good. Satiated but as a foodie, a little bored.

Day 6.

Diarrhea all night long. Abdominal cramping, meat sweats. The works. My body and GI tract are officially done with this experiment. I know when to listen to my body and this is the time. I google “ carnivore diet side effects”. According to Dr. Google I’m eating too much fat. I sleep a few hours, wake up, make my coffee, add a splash of heavy whipping cream ( bad idea) and a dropper of liquid vanilla stevia. It tastes weird. I pick up my favorite Starbucks treat, bacon egg bites. Stomach: not happy. Still too much fat. 20 grams for the egg bites and a few more for my coffee. It’s easier to just have water at this point. I spend much of my day at work in the restroom.

I get home and decide it’s over and I need a vegetable. I whip up a creamy delicious pumpkin soup made with bone broth and spices. I add everything to it, turmeric, black pepper, tons of garlic and butter. The fragrant spices fill my senses, the hot spoon touches my lips, and the warm spiced liquid goes down smoothly. It feels right. I have 2 bowls, with a slice of toast smothered in tart goat cheese. This soup is the equivalent of chicken noodle soup when you have a cold. It feels, healing, and nourishing.

Conclusion:

This carnivore experiment was a learning lesson. It’s brought to light my dependency on sugar. In the couple of days my hubby joined me, It’s shown him his dependency on nightly cocktails. We can take this as an opportunity to make better daily choices. Although I enjoy the lower carb way of eating, it all comes down to balance. The answer always seems to be balance. I haven’t found it yet, but when I do I’ll be sure to let you know.