A Small Carnivore Diet Experiment

[Carina]

I've been watching a long of exvegan videos lately and the carnivore diet kept popping up. Out of curiosity I tried it out, even though I know Ray Peat says that consuming too much meat increases cortisol levels. My digestive system has been messed up for a while and a lot of the exvegans kept talking about how meat regulated their digestive systems. I know they're biased because they're strongly against sugar and fruit from the enormous amounts of sugar and fruit that they had while they were vegan. I'm an exvegan myself, but I didn't have huge amounts of sugar and fruit during that time. For the past month I've started drinking whole milk and increasing my butter and sugar intake and it's been leaning me out and I no longer have body odor.

I tried out the carnivore diet out by drastically decreasing my fruit and sugar intake to almost nothing. Only 2 tablespoons of sugar in my coffee per day and that's it. I avoided fruit all together. I didn't increase my meat or egg intake because I already eat them every day. I was on the carnivore diet for 5 days and I can't take it anymore. I've been feeling slightly sick and my libido has gone down. My chest, neck, and face broke out like there's no tomorrow. My skin has never been the clearest, but I've never had breakouts on my neck and chest in my entire life and my face hasn't broken out this badly in a very long time. My skin isn't as smooth as it was before trying the carnivore diet. I even made sure to eat liver, but not even that could prevent my skin from breaking out because of this diet experiment. I have PCOS, so most people's bodies probably won't react as badly and as quickly as mine did. As things were getting better for me, the carnivore diet reversed some of my progress, but at least I know now not to do it again because I learn best from experience. People that do the carnivore diet talk badly about sugar and fruit, but they never talk about the lactose in the milks that they drink and all this diet is an extreme reaction to veganism. We are omnivores not carnivores or herbivores.

 

[lvysaur]

this diet is an extreme reaction to veganism

Pretty much. Seems like the "perpetually outraged" has shifted from the left to the right. Probably somewhere around 2016 (heh)

I eat meat, but I cannot stand to eat it for every single meal, like most people do, and I often wonder if such people are truly healthy. I guess it's possible they just have different stomach acid genes, but it's also very possible that they've been raised with so much meat that they no longer are in tune with cravings, and simply eat it whenever they're "supposed to eat". Considering the lower meat consumption in Europe, I'm guessing the latter.

This is what happens when I try to go carnivore: 1) I'm not hungry enough to eat steak, let's wait another few hours. 2) 5 hours later, I'm still not hungry enough. 3) Okay it's tomorrow: I still don't feel hungry enough. Could really go for some pizza or even some fish though.

I also think the "3 component" format is not so good. American meals basically consist of 1) a slab of meat 2) a starch 3) a fibrous veggie.

When I do crave meat, the last thing on my mind is starch. And in fact when I eat starch after a meat-heavy meal, I find that it gives me gas. It's like the system that turns on stomach acid decides to shut off the brush-border disaccharidases. And probably vice versa. I can do meat and veggies, or starch and veggies, or starch and milk, but I can't do meat and starch, or at least very very rarely.

 

[Carina]

Pretty much. I feel like the trend of "perpetually outraged" has shifted from the hippie/liberal left to the capitalist/conservative right. Probably somewhere around 2016 (heh)

I eat meat, but I cannot stand to eat it for every single meal, like most people do, and I often wonder if such people are truly healthy. I guess it's possible they just have different stomach acid genes, but it's also very possible that they've been raised with so much meat that they no longer are in tune with cravings, and simply eat it whenever they're "supposed to eat". Considering the lower meat consumption in Europe, I'm guessing the latter.

This is what happens when I try to go carnivore: 1) I'm not hungry enough to eat steak, let's wait another few hours. 2) 5 hours later, I'm still not hungry enough. 3) Okay it's tomorrow: I still don't feel hungry enough. Could really go for some pizza or even some fish though.

Oh yeah, I understand not being hungry enough for big pieces of meat every few hours. I do have a little bit of meat with 2/3 of my meals or I won't be full, but I can't down full fledged pieces of meat. I don't know how people can eat pounds of meat everyday. I've tried keto a couple years ago. That destroyed my libido and made some of my hair fall out. Carnivore diet and keto are practically the same thing at this point. Some carnivore youtuber said "ketosis is a resting state." Haha! I don't think lying in bed feeling like I was dying as being restful.

You're right about both sides being extremely whiney. When I noticed that a while ago, I completely lost interest in politics. People have become reactionary and have lost the ability to make smart balanced decisions.

 

[lvysaur]

I don't know how people can eat pounds of meat everyday.

I do think that some part of it is embedded in "masculinity", at least in American stereotypes thereof.

This is a tomahawk steak. It is simply a ribeye with a ton of bone attached. People pay top dollar for it, and they are basically paying for straight up inedible bone (and not the good kind with cartilage on it).

Lately, I've noticed a sort of oversaturation of overtly "masculine" trends, at least among millennials and gen Z. Guys will make a big deal showing off their tomahawk steaks, grown out hipster beards (also in the pic linked), and various other trite fads, almost like a virtue signalling of sorts, except I guess it's more like status signalling. It's like "Hey, look at me I'm so manly and grawwr even though I'm a soft faced guy who works in an office punching numbers".

I've definitely craved large slabs of meat before, but at the same time it's definitely tied up with cultural expectations of masculinity, and people tend to over, not underconsume it.

 

[Carina]

I do think that some part of it is embedded in "masculinity", at least in American stereotypes thereof.

This is a tomahawk steak. It is simply a ribeye with a ton of bone attached. People pay top dollar for it, and they are basically paying for straight up inedible bone (and not the good kind with cartilage on it).

Lately, I've noticed a sort of oversaturation of overtly "masculine" trends, at least among millennials and gen Z. Guys will make a big deal showing off their tomahawk steaks, grown out hipster beards (also in the pic linked), and various other trite fads, almost like a virtue signalling of sorts, except I guess it's more like status signalling. It's like "Hey, look at me I'm so manly and grawwr even though I'm a soft faced guy who works in an office punching numbers".

I've definitely craved large slabs of meat before, but at the same time it's definitely tied up with cultural expectations of masculinity, and people tend to over, not underconsume it.

The younger generations aren't taught how to be masculine, since it's "toxic," so they lean towards stereotypes because it's easy to seem masculine instead of actually be masculine. There's also a long of self esteem issues with younger generations, so showing off gives them a fake boost to their self esteem.

People do consume too much muscle meat and cook it in canola oil.

 

[Runenight201]

You were just going through detox, never mind the excessive phosphorous, cysteine, and methionine poisoning your body, or the lack of carbohydrates to fuel your metabolism...

Just suffer for an indefinite amount of time and you’ll see the light!

 

[Carina]

You were just going through detox, never mind the excessive phosphorous, cysteine, and methionine poisoning your body, or the lack of carbohydrates to fuel your metabolism...

Just suffer for an indefinite amount of time and you’ll see the light!

Hahaha! Yes, suffering is a detox and sugar vastly improving my mood and health means I'm addicted.

 

[Douglas Ek]

I do think that some part of it is embedded in "masculinity", at least in American stereotypes thereof.

This is a tomahawk steak. It is simply a ribeye with a ton of bone attached. People pay top dollar for it, and they are basically paying for straight up inedible bone (and not the good kind with cartilage on it).

Lately, I've noticed a sort of oversaturation of overtly "masculine" trends, at least among millennials and gen Z. Guys will make a big deal showing off their tomahawk steaks, grown out hipster beards (also in the pic linked), and various other trite fads, almost like a virtue signalling of sorts, except I guess it's more like status signalling. It's like "Hey, look at me I'm so manly and grawwr even though I'm a soft faced guy who works in an office punching numbers".

I've definitely craved large slabs of meat before, but at the same time it's definitely tied up with cultural expectations of masculinity, and people tend to over, not underconsume it.

Funny you mention it. In sweden where I live this type of hipster behavior is all over the place. And they get manbuns in their hair aswell its horrible. I love a good piece of meat but dunno if these people really do or if it’s like you said part of the masculinity approach. Everyone wanna look like some modern lumberjack who eat ramen soup and speak about bull**** politics topics. Specially millenials like you said. Is this really the picture of a real man? Badass beardy lumberjack dude who also eat asian food and speaks about gender equality. Lol nothing wrong with equality but feminism has been destroyed and doesnt mean what it used to. Im totally up for women having equall rights and having power but millenials always use these important topic and make them about themselves and their importance in society me me me me. Its annoying. Lol just wanted to blow some steam off

 

[Douglas Ek]

The younger generations aren't taught how to be masculine, since it's "toxic," so they lean towards stereotypes because it's easy to seem masculine instead of actually be masculine. There's also a long of self esteem issues with younger generations, so showing off gives them a fake boost to their self esteem.

People do consume too much muscle meat and cook it in canola oil.

So true seeming masculine and being it is two complete different things in my opinion. Masculinity to me is more the gentlemen who always is thoughtful, kind but still confident, charming and smart. Choose your words wisely and only speak when its necessary. Also leadership but not domination. Its more about being able to be in control but at the same time be accept that you cant decide everything. While this hipsters are more about their image, uploading to social media so they seem popular and impress their other fake friends. Hopefully one day they will grow old and realize they only have a couple of true friends that they can always rely on and they can start giving them the attention instead of wasting it on social media and people they dont even know or only met once.