Keep This In Mind
The truth about diets is that they all work. There is no “best diet.” The best diet is the one that works for you. Regardless if it’s Keto, Atkins, Weight Watchers, etc., they all work. In dieting you have to gain before you can lose. Gain control of what you eat and lose weight. Structuring your diet is a major factor in finding success.
The reason that all diets work is that they all have several things in common.
First, they limit calorie consumption is some way, shape or form. Whether it’s limiting carbs, sugars, meats or plants you are controlling what you consume. And that act of gaining control of what you eat is the first major step in achieving your weight-loss goal.
Second, when you diet you will consume more nutritious foods packed with vitamins and minerals and improve your ratio of macro nutrients (carbs, proteins, fats). In addition, you will limit your consumption of unhealthy foods that have a negative effect on your endocrine system, digestive system, integumentary system and every other system that helps your body perform at its most optimal rate.
Finally, when you make better decisions with your diet you tend to make improvements in your physical activity. People who diet are more likely to workout, go for a walk, take the stairs or perform any other physical activity that will accelerate their intended goal.
Your role in dieting is to find the diet that works best for you and your lifestyle. Find what you like and what clicks in your mind. Some diets come more natural to people while others are an improbable task. Just because someone else find great success at one particular diet doesn’t mean you will. Try different diets until you figure out which one works. You can also combine diets to create a better fit for your lifestyle. For example, intermittent fasting and the Keto diet are a very popular duo, as is the duo of the Keto and Carnivore diet.
Find your diet. Improve your nutrition. Increase your physical activity. That is the secret to losing weight.
Remember this: Successful people have a habit of doing things failures don’t like to do.
Diet Overview
The carnivore diet involves only eating food from animals. The diet has one rule: eat meat. So, go ahead and eat all the meat products you can handle … Just no plant-based foods. None.
The carnivore diet goes by these guidelines:
- No calorie counting.
- Portion sizes don’t matter.
- Eat what you want, when you want, until you get full.
- Eat when you’re hungry.
- Food must only be products from animals.
The idea for the carnivore diet is based off of the belief that you should eat as our human ancestors did. The belief is that early humans consumed mostly a diet full of meat. They ate plants, but in moderation based off of the climate or a plants availability at certain times of the year.
The carnivore diet argues that our ancestors did not need carbohydrates, as meats provided them with all the vitamins, rich fats and calories that they needed. Instead, the body creates all the glycogen necessary, thus eliminating the need for carbs.
The carnivore diet fully promotes a low-carb approach. Its position is twofold.
First, a low carb diet has been proven to promote significant weight loss by effectively lowering your glycogen levels in the liver and keeping your insulin levels suppressed (this is important is when trying to burn fat).
Second, low-carb diets can improve your health and reduce your risk of heart disease, strokes and cancer. Their position is that all cancer cells have one thing in common: they need sugar to live. Cancer cells grow quickly, multiplying at a fast rate and require a lot of energy. This is why they need sugar and lots of it. They believe that this diet, in theory, could help treat or even cure cancer.
Another example (purely anecdotal) is the story of Mikhaila Peterson, who was diagnosed with a laundry list of ailments from a young age and eliminated her autoimmune diseases after switching to a carnivore diet. You can Google her story.
The carnivore diet does aim for as few carbs as possible, but the general rule of thumb is 20 grams of carbs a day. These carbs will likely only come from liver and dairy products.
Diet Rules
As stated above, there is only one rule: eat meat. This means any and all plant-based foods are out. You can eat as much as you want as long as it is an animal product.
There are no strict rules. Find a carnivore diet that works withing the diet’s parameters.
Seasonings are out because they are plant based. The only seasoning you can use is salt.
Coffee and tea can be consumed because they don’t have any calories. You can add heavy cream or butter to your drink but no sweeteners of any kind because they are plant based or artificially made.
Alcoholic beverages are up to the individual. All alcohol is made from plant sources. But you can be flexible here and enjoy yourself in moderation. It’s simply a matter of devotion or goals. The impact of a few drinks is minimal so choose from the following options:
- Dry wines (like Merlot) have a low-carb content.
- Low carb drinks only.
- Brandy (zero carbs)
- No beer of any kind
- Champagne
- Whiskey
- Dry martini
- Vodka
Here's the Plan
The plan is to eat meat. Now that we’ve established the obvious let’s jump into your approach.
Start your carnivore diet off with a 12-16 hour fast to clear out the glycogen stores. This will deplete your glycogen storage and put your body in the optimal position to burn fat.
Let’s explain:
Your body can burn both fat and carbohydrates for energy, but it always prefers carbohydrates because it’s the quickest and easiest path to energy. If you continue to eat carbs in any form (fruit, sugar, bread, etc.) your body will prioritize them, and the cycle will continue. This means that you’ll always be burning glucose and glycogen for energy.
In order to flip the switch to fat burning, you have to prevent your body from accessing your glucose and glycogen stores by restricting carbohydrate intake and consume fat and protein instead.
When carbohydrates are not available your body has to turn to your fat stores for energy. Once glycogen is depleted, your body will turn to the process of ketosis for energy. This is the process in which your body uses its own fat stores for energy which promotes weight loss.
Now, once your 12-16 hour fast is completed, you’re ready to rock. From here you’ll consume only animal products for the duration of your diet.
Here are some cheat sheets to assist you along the way.
Pep Talk
Diets are never easy. At least not at first. It requires you to alter the way you have lived and eaten for years, and sometimes your whole life. But if you’re choosing to diet then it’s for a reason – and that reason makes this change incredibly important.
The secret to successfully getting things done is focus and perspective. Nothing else matters. If you can channel your mind to stay focused on your goal, then finding success comes easy. This is true in every aspect of life, diets are no exception. Sunlight focused enough creates a flame. Focus is power.