My husband started carnivore in September. He is trying to lose weight. He is doing incredibly well. The cost and learning to cook things a new way is daunting. I suppose you could say he is also doing it with intermittent fasting, he skips a meal a day, although we do keep cheese, cooked bacon and boiled eggs around just in case he feels like he needs a snack, then he has something healthy.
I tried full carnivore for a week.... I know it was sugar withdrawal, but I couldn't stand myself, so I started eating sugar and carbs again... End of November, I had two teeth pulled... well, mostly just the roots-my teeth are in horrible shape... One of the roots was clear down in jaw bone still..... It's still healing, but almost there. I was put on a full liquid diet for a week (no straws, mind you)... I automatically started fruit smoothie bowls with protein powder, only to send my blood sugar for a loop... Because I had been cutting back sugars for a few months, so to go from less sugar to nothing but sugar, even though it was healthy sugar (fruit) my system didn't know what to do with me.
So as soon as I could stand chewing again, I started cooking steaks and eating that.. I've slowly been working back in crumby and more foods as the hole in my mouth heals. We're getting there. But being put on a diet to avoid crumby foods for an entire month has helped me cut way back on the sugar and carbs.
It's hard to go on a way of eating where the two rules are eat meat and only eat when you're hungry when, by all accounts, I probably would have been diagnosed with an eating at least one point in my life... Honestly, I can go a day without eating some days... So I force myself to eat at least two meals some days.
Some days it's as simple as sausage patties with cheese on top... other days I actually eat better meals, steak, hamburgers, cheeseburgers... Stuff like that. I hate eggs.... Not a huge fan of yogurt... Previously my breakfasts have been toast with cream cheese and jelly, or cream cheese and chocolate chips. but I couldn't eat bread for 2 weeks nor could I eat yogurt for those two weeks because I was on two antibiotics.
When I'm home, I can go make a hamburger or cheeseburger real quick.. Sometimes I put sauce on top (A1 or Arby's is a favorite right now).
Your probably wondering how we afford that much steak.... I buy roasts, prime rib, chuck... A 8 pound roast is around $10 a pound and gives 8-9 steaks (there's tutorials on YouTube). When I buy ground, I make a lot of patties all at once so it's easy to just grab a patty or two. Costco prices are some of the best per pound around here.
Personally, one of my biggest trials since the baby was born last year was my weight... it never went down. My wedding ring stopped fitting... I finally got it off a few months ago and am now trying to heal my finger-it was pretty tight and the pattern of the underside of my ring in on my finger even after 4 months of not wearing it. I would absolutely LOVE to be able to put that ring back on... but in all reality, I'm HEALTHIER now. I feel better now. I don't have near the amount of low blood sugar, low blood pressure episodes I used to have. I have energy. I'm just fine with being at this weight. For now, I'll wear a cheap silicone band that I had previously bought to wear during pregnancy (NOT PREGNANT).
The BMI charts put me at obese....But I'm not listening to them... Because if I feel healthier. I would absolutely LOVE to heal, or even approve my arthritis and carpal tunnel... There's so many reports of people on carnivore being able to heal those. But I don't know if that will ever happen... it's certainly not improving, but then, I'm not full on carnivore either.
I know I'm a emotional eater.... And there's still some part of me that wants to splurge "on the kids" and get them those sweet treats... But the amount of sweets and treats I'm keeping in the house are getting a little less... I'm working on balancing for more salty. I don't feel right giving up fruit.. Vegetables, I could honestly take them or leave them... A salad is nice here and there-but my salads are more toppings than actual salad-always have been. I'm not giving up cinnamon rolls-not gonna happen. But I make a batch every few weeks, when they are gone, they are gone.. And with 7 kids, believe me, one batch MIGHT make it a full two days. For the most part, I don't crave chocolate or bready foods much anymore.
I'm also working out three-four times a week-past what I get with housework. I want to keep my heart and lungs healthy.
Even with all of these changes, I'm still hovering around 140 lbs. I'm 5 ft. But I feel good... and quite frankly, our bodies are supposed to change. I don't want to be back to the 100 lbs I was in high school. Honestly, my only thing I want to change in my weight is to be able to get my wedding ring back on... but I'm not entirely sure it's my weight causing the issue, I think it's arthritis swelling my knuckles-and that's probably not ever going away.
I want to be able to go outside and work on the yard with the kids for more than a few hours because I have to stop from exhaustion. I want to be able to go on a mile or two walk and not be winded at the end. I could care less about my weight, I don't care about "the baby weight" or the "mom belly", I just want to be healthy-for my husband and my kids.
~Tabitha
