Let’s start with the obvious. I am not a doctor or dietitian. I took one nutrition class in college and the only thing I remember about it was that my boyfriend at the time took me being in class as an opportunity to sleep with my roommate… That being said, everything you will read here is just my personal opinion and experience. You should always talk to your doctor and listen to your body.

A little about me before we dive in. I am 34 years old, married to my best friend and have two amazing kids. I’m a real estate agent by profession but my passion is my family and traveling. I have been a gestational carrier (like a surrogate but the babies were not genetically mine in any way. Think my oven, their bun) twice. My children included, I’ve had 4 children in 8 years. This is the first time I have told people outside our close circle I was a surrogate. So…. surprise to everyone that didn’t know! Funny side note on that. Kanin (our son and oldest) was born on April 26th, 2014. My last and final (my uterus is definitely retired) was born April 26th, 2022. I’ve had gestational diabetes and have a family history that is packed with obesity, diabetes, heart issues and other health problems. I also have Hashimoto’s Autoimmune which causes hypothyroidism, extreme fatigue and weight gain among other things. I’ve had covid twice which has resulted in extreme hair loss (I’ve even ordered hair wires. Like wigs but they go in your hair instead of over but don’t clip on resulting in pulling out more hair) I love carbs. If it involves bread, pasta, rice or tortillas you can bet I’m going to eat it. Honestly, I just love food. If there is an excuse to be unhealthy, I’m pretty sure I’ve got it.

I, like everyone else I know have tried so many fad diets that I’ve lost track of them all. In college I used solo slim. This was a pill you took every morning that suppressed appetite and was supposed to increase your metabolism. What it did to me is make me forget to eat, have extreme blood sugar issues, high anxiety and the jitters. I used to set an alarm for 4am because if I took it any later (say 7am) I wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. Looking back, I was already extremely skinny but had it in my head that I needed to be skinner. I spent my days cleaning stalls, riding horses and moving hay bales. The pills probably didn’t do much beneficially.

The next big thing was Body by Vi. These were shakes you would make as meal replacements. It was a pyramid scheme that involved parties and getting people to sign up to sell it. I might have drank two of them. I was raised on a farm and woke up to newborn calves in my bath tub many times. This stuff tasted like the calf milk replacement we gave them smelled no matter what I mixed into them. Needless to say, I didn’t sign up to sell it and gave the stuff I had bought away.

Another thing I tried was Beach Body Insanity. I did the diet and exercise plan religiously. Every morning I would follow the videos and would have a puddle of sweat on the floor by the time I was done. I’m not a fan of tuna sandwiches but would eat them after every workout. The rest of my meals were usually a protein shakes that I would gag down in the name of losing weight. After two months of self loathing, my measurements hadn’t changed and I had gained weight. My loving boyfriend (now husband, bless his heart) told me I must not have been working out as hard as I could and asked if I had cheat meals. I felt defeated and hated my body.

Over the years since then I’ve tried vegetarian, vegan, multi day fasting (I did 6 days on water, black coffee and tea), protein shakes, paleo, counting macros, juicing and a meal plan that involves just eating the packages they send you. With all of these I have pushed myself as hard as I physically could in some form of exercise. I’ve done a couple 5Ks and lifted weights. I’ve met with multiple dietitians and personal trainers. I’ve spent hours meal planning and prepping. All of these had some form of temporary weight loss that eventually resulted a plateau, me feeling like garbage and falling off the wagon to regain everything I had lost. Its all exhausting and the overall result just wasn’t worth it for me.

I feel like I’ve gotten to a point in my life that being the skinniest girl in the room doesn’t matter to me. There will always be someone prettier, smarter, and skinner. My goal is to be healthy enough to play with my kids, climb stairs to see beautiful views, feel comfortable in my own skin to wear that bikini on the beach and for my body not to hurt all the time.

All of that said (thanks for still being here) I couldn’t continue down the same path I’ve been following. Before we left for our trip this Summer, my husband started talking about the carnivore diet. I learned there are two versions of this. Carnivore which is anything nose to tail or that is made by an animal (diary/eggs) or Lion diet which is as strict as you can get with grass fed beef, salt and water. To say that I thought he was absolutely crazy (he might be, he’s been dealing with me for 13 years) would be an understatement. This way of eating has zero fruit, vegetables or carbs. Think keto on crack. He did it for a week or two before we left and had instant results both physically and mentally. I told him there was no way I could give up vegetables or my beloved bread. We spent the next three months traveling and eating all the food.

Once we got home I knew the vacation diet was over. There was no way that I could continue eating everything that looked good or that happened to be placed in front of me. I thought back to all my failed diets trying to think of what had worked the best. I knew they were all bound to fail and felt defeated without even starting. That’s when my husband brought carnivore up. My instant reaction was not no but hell no. I then decided that if I’ve tried everything else, I can try this. Worst case scenario, it won’t work like everything else and I could just go back to not doing anything like before.

I started on September 7th, 2022. I’m 5’7” or 5’8” depending on the day and was 162.8 pounds. My measurements started at 39.5, 34.5 and 41.25 inches. (chest, waistline and hips) I have had issues with back pain (tear in my spine from an epidural), shin splits, fatigue, insomnia and dermatitis for years. Today is September 15, 2022. I currently weigh 156.4 pounds and measurements are 39, 32.5 and 40 inches. So total is 6.4 pounds and 3.75 inches. I have noticed a significant difference in my back and shins, I go to sleep almost instantly at bedtime and have energy during the day. My dermatitis on my elbows is almost gone. They are still a little dry but are no longer painful. My hands and fingers are still cracking and peeling but are not bleeding. I’m hoping this will continue to heal as I go on.

My goal for this blog is to walk you through my day. I’ll cover what I’m eating and drinking at home, going out to eat, grocery shopping, updates on my measurements and how I’m feeling overall. My next post will cover what carnivore is and why people are doing it. Yes, I know it sounds crazy and no our children are not doing this. Both our kids love trying to get me to take bites of their bread and ice cream. I’m also going to be doing a short video to go along with these for those of you that would rather follow along without reading.