So to start I want to cover some of the basics. Once again, I am not a doctor or a dietitian. What’s right for me, might not be right for you. Talk to your doctor and listen to your body.

Both my husband and I are partaking in this plan. While I might mention some of his results, I intend this blog to be mostly about my experiences. We started on September 7th, 2022 and at this point I have no end date. This is meant to be a lifestyle change instead of a diet.

I learned in my early 20s that my thyroid wasn’t producing the way it was supposed to. I was always tired and cold. Over the years came weight gain. Each time I went to the doctor, they would up my medication but I never felt better. I tried getting multiple other opinions but it always resulted in higher med doses. In my late 20s my doctor retired and someone filling in asked if I had ever been checked for Hashimoto’s Autoimmune. I had no idea what this was so agreed to be tested.

The results showed my antibodies were some of the highest they had ever seen. My thyroid was working just as it was supposed to but this disease was causing my body to treat it as a foreign entity and attack it. While it was nice to know the reason for my issues, I learned that there is no cure. I would spend the rest of my life tired, dieting for weight management and taking pills.

What I have learned so far is that the carnivore diet is an extreme elimination diet. Each of our bodies are so different. What might impact me will have a completely different impact on someone else. Think lactose intolerance. What we do have in common is the essentials to power our bodies.

There are essential fatty acids and protein. If you were to cut out fat and protein, you would eventually die. Your body can break down ketones to produce energy. That being said, your body can’t break down carbohydrates and turn them into protein. There are no essential carbohydrates or sugars. If you were to never eat a carb or sugar again, you would be just fine. If you break down the actual word carbohydrate they are literally foods that cause your body to retain water. This is why when you cut them out, you lose water weight.

I watched a YouTube video that showed Mikhaila Peterson doing her Tedx talk. It was never allowed to air but that’s not the point. Her body was attacking itself to the point she had to have a hip and ankle replaced in her teens. She eventually learned that it was because she had such high dietary histamine issues. With diet alone, she was eventually able to stop all medication completely. She went one step father than I am with the lion diet. This consists solely on grass-fed beef, salt and water. Here is a link to her talk. https://youtu.be/0ka9WBEijhk

So what am I doing?

I am following the carnivore diet. This means I will only be consuming food that has come directly from or has been made by an animal. Anything that walks, swims or flies is on the list. Unlike the lion diet which is grass-fed beef only, I’ll be incorporating other meat, some dairy such as hard cheeses, yogurt, butter and heavy whipping cream. I’ve never been a fan of eggs so while they are allowed, I have no plan to eat them.

Some of the meals we have made this week include BBQ ribs, hamburgers with melted cheese, steaks slathered in butter and pulled pork with 3 cheese omelettes (my husband said it was delicious). Last night I found a recipe for Alfredo sauce that can be made with heavy whipping cream, cream cheese and butter. I’ll add salt for added flavor but omit the garlic.

The benefits I’ve seen so far are; weight loss, loss in body circumference, overall energy, and better sleep. My stomach doesn’t feel as bloated and my dermatitis has lessened.

Unlike a lot of the diets I’ve done, I’m not counting calories or scheduling times to eat. If I wake up in the morning absolutely starving, I’m going to eat until I’m full. Some mornings I’m not hungry and wait to eat until mid day. Days like today, I poured my cup of coffee and flooded it with heavy whipping cream then didn’t eat till 2pm. (Yes, coffee is allowed.) I don’t like black coffee. I’ve read some people finish every meal with a small glass of heavy whipping cream. This diet loves fat. Your body starts to crave it.

Funny side note, when I was little I would sit in the fridge and eat butter. Lately, I’ve questioned if my body was needing fat. I’ve also noticed that our son gravitates to fats. Butter, avocado and fat chunks on meat.

While I have read that the first week or so can bring constipation, I haven’t noticed any. Honestly I’ve had the opposite. Without going into too much detail, my body is trying to figure out all the fat intake and its showing up in the toilet.

Honestly I would love to someday go to the doctor for my yearly labs and find that my body has healed itself of Hashimoto’s. There is a really good chance that, that will never happen. My hope is that I will find a happy place where I can eat without feeling bloated or fatigued.

I would love for comments or questions below that I can follow up on in future posts. I am still learning and I feel this will grow with time.