No prep needed... You have been eating carbs your entire life your body will process them just as it always has. You get out of eating this way what you put into it.

Do any of you guys drink bone broth (pretty much the only thing you can drink on carnivore besides water)?

If so, do you make it yourself or do you buy it?  

Making it seems easy enough, but it is time consuming without a pressure cooker.  I don’t mind paying for it for the the convenience, but some of the reviews for all the top brands I looked at were very troubling with many reports of stomach issues and even some emergency room visits.

Did you have to do anything to prepare yourself to cut carbs? I don’t think you’ll need to do anything to eat carbs.

Having said that, depending on how long it’s been, be prepared for your stomach to be unhappy. There will be a lot of processed stuff in that pizza. Also, I’m not sure I would drop pizza on a fasted gut. I enjoy fasting. Longest was about three weeks. Often do a 36hr fast (or two) throughout the week. My stomach starts to go to sleep after about 2 to 3 days and waking it up is a process. I would never think to wake it up with pizza. Keep the tradition. Enjoy life. I just wouldn’t fast going into it.  Maybe fast coming out of it if you want.

Personal story. I’m floating between carnivore and very strict keto since the start of the year and feel great. I like veggies (counting total carbs, not net, and staying around 10g on the days I have veggies).

I went out to eat with my daughters last Sunday after church. I order fajitas. I mad maybe three chips with cheese dip. I had a few spoon fulls of rice and refried beans. I was halfway through my second tortilla and I started to feel a little “spacy.” I finished it and had my third. I was lethargic the rest of the day. I realized that’s how I used to feel every Sunday after eating out. But for a month I haven’t been tired after eating.

I say that to say, different foods hit everyone differently. You might notice nothing. You might have an upset stomach. You might be tired. Regardless you will continue a tradition with a loved one and it’ll be worth it. Just like I will probably go off my way of eating when I go out with my wife.

I usually slide the toppings off the crust but end up eating a lot more slices. Yes, it still has the sauce but it isn't as much of a gut bomb.   Some pizza places are doing pizza bowls now,  ask they might offer it.

Regained 2 pounds over the Superbowl Weekend.  Considering I was swine-ing out (pizza, fried chicken, sodas, etc)....that's not too bad.

Back on the wagon.

Be near a bathroom.

Been carnivore over 3 years now. We make bone broth constantly and drink some almost daily. We have tried several brands but they all seemed like nasty tasting water to us. When we make it ourselves it almost always turns into a nice thick gelatin in the fridge which is the high collagen content in the home made broth. Tastes much better too.

When we make it we smash up the bones to get as much of the marrow out as possible. Works great for us. Just throw the bones in the instant pot. Pressure cook for two hours. Strain it into a large mixing bowl and let it cool a bit. Pour it in some 1/2 gallon mason jars and into the fridge. Enjoy!

Thanks for all the tips on the bone broth! Made 2 racks of beef ribs today... I'll never buy those again. barely any meat, almost all fat. gonna try my hand at bone broth soon. I started this one week ago, empty stomach, no water in the morning I weighed 280. tonight after I ate for the day I am at 272.8. Fairly normal amount of weight loss, right?

Yes, lot of water weight with the stored sugars you are burning.

Bought a cheap watch and timed my run tonight, 2 miles in 19m 37s.  Feeling great about that, especially since I did the second mile faster than the first and there is a couple inches of snow on the ground.  Patiently waiting for more weight to drop off, seems I have been 235-238 for a few weeks.

Can. you share how you make it?  I have never been able to stomach the stuff.  I've never been a finicky eater either.

You might try switching it up every with some HIIT.  It is the best way to energize your work out.  Jog 4 minutes, run 30 seconds, jog 4 minute run 30 seconds.  Most watches will accommodate this, if not there's an app called gumbos that does this for you.  I used this to drop a % point of fat (My weight was good but I wanted a lower body fat) in my 50's.

Thanks, I feel like Im getting to the point where  aerobic basics are acceptable and it makes sense to begin HIIT with targeted repeat times.

I was a runner all my life.  I started HIIT late - I wish it was a thing earlier.  It made running more fun and it really burned calories more efficiently.  You might want to wait until your snow clears though.  I only ever ran on snow in fields (cross country.)

Lots of good info on this thread and lots of people chiming in with tips.

It has been an interesting month and a half.

Food has become different to me.

Looking back, I can’t believe all of the shit that I ate.  

Last night, after my 6th 24 hour fast, I had a pork steak.

I get full faster now, can’t put away as much food as I once did.

Maybe 900 calories.  For one day.

Today I am taking my team out for lunch and will have to figure out how to eat just meat, but I think I may cheat and have some cheese.  Wrapped in breading and deep fried of course.

For those thinking about it, try it, for those doing it, stay the course.

Stay the course brother... After a year now food is just fuel and nothing more. This is coming from a classically trained chef with a Masters in Food Science.

Jerky is your friend get yourself a dehydrator and start making some great source of low fat protein once you're fully fat adapted and may have stalled your weight loss.

Do yourself a favor and skip the breaded/fried cheese.

Next up is completely removing seed and nut oils from your diet. Im my opinion backed up by research of course is the number one driver of metabolic disease.

I do need to make some jerky…

I have already removed seed and nut oils.  Any oils needed are either butter or bacon grease.

First shopping trip down.

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We use mostly chicken or turkey bones but will also mix in ribs or other beef bones. Put them a few at a time under a towel on a cutting board and hit with a hammer to smash them open. Put them in an 8qt instant pot with some butter and sauté them for about 6 minutes. Add 32oz chicken broth and enough water to reach the max line in instant pot. If we don’t have chicken broth we just use water. Add 2 tbs apple cider vinegar with “the mother”. Add two tbs sea salt or redmonds real salt.

Then pressure cook it for two hrs. Then release the pressure and let it cool a bit. Then pour it through a strainer into two stainless steel mixing bowls and let i cool for a while. Then pour it into a couple 1/2 gallon mason jars and put it in the fridge. A fat cap will set up on the top which we just scoop off and throw out. It almost always gels up like jello when cooled down. Just scoop some out into a glass and reheat in the microwave.

I usually add a bit of salt to it. You can also add veggies and spices before you pressure cook it for flavoring but we don’t.

Tuesday dinner
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@NoloContendere
I would like to skip it, and I would like to indulge. Truth is over the last few years my wife had cancer, then almost died of a medicine induced heart attack last year at 40. Months before that we had an active shooting in my front yard, got involved in the SWAT standoff, and my kids know why mom and dad have rifles and armor as we were covering them (literally) as rifle rounds ripped around our neighborhood. Wife is currently sick with what's likely to be a lifetime autoimmune disease that may have passed to our kids before we knew she had it. My 5 year old has been sick with a stomach bug off and on 2 weeks, and I'm starting to think it might be related.

I'm pretty sure I'm gonna eat pizza and drink some wine tonight as a little bit of joy, even temporary, has been rare. I'll make it an experiment and weigh myself before, after, and the next morning and compare that to how much weight in food I'm eating. This at least lets it serve as an experiment, even if I don't make the gains losses I was hoping to this week.

I have been in those diet loops where I checked my weight every day, sometimes multiple times a day, to see what kind of gains I have made.

This time, I didn’t weigh myself at the start and I haven’t weighed myself the entire time.

I know I am losing weight, my clothes tell me that.

I think watching the scale is detrimental to long term weight loss.

For large people, food is a drug that makes them feel good.

Nothing feels worse than hitting a plateau when trying to lose weight, and sitting there for a few days while obsessively checking the scale.

But you know what would make the bad times better?  FOOD!!!!!

And there goes that attempt to lose weight right down the gullet.

Nope.  You should measure every day because your weight will fluctuate daily with water.  Depends on your weight but it can be 1-2 pounds.

If you only weighed yourself once a week, for example you could have actually gained some fat but that particular day be a few pounds lighter due to water.  Thinking you've lost fat that week, you keep doing what you're doing.  It's easier to spot weight trends over time weighing daily.  I got a cheap one on Amazon that tells you the difference from the day before and automatically charts for you.  IIRC there's at least one study out there that show that people who weigh daily are more successful at weight loss.

I did multiple times a day cause I ended up having pizza yesterday, along with a few adult beverages (whiskey so no carbs). Here's the science:

pre-food weight = X
Post food and drinks X + 1.5lbs
morning after = Original X-8 ounces. It's weird but still trending down like it's been for me.

I did notice that as soon as I started eating pizza my brain was like " I don't want this". Nowhere near the dopamine hit that's been how it usually plays out.

Multiple times a day sounds excessive but whatever works for you.  

I got a cheap one off of Amazon Black Friday for 20 bucks with the bluetooth, and it's more accurate the old name brand we had that was much more expensive.  

It's easier to weigh yourself once a day also at the same time of day.  I do in the morning before eating thereby avoiding the impact of food.

You can't manage anything effectively without measuring properly. It's a good idea to weigh every day,  but pay attention to weekly averages.

Weighing every day (I do every day, M-F) and recording the weight in an Excel spreadsheet (or whatever) is an awesome Accountability tool.  It's also a good morale tool, since you can graph your weight loss.......even when you are stalled/have a bad day, and can still see the trendline pointing downward, week on week.

Double tap.

I've been  carnavore for a year now. I totally get this. Same thing happens for me.

Sometimes you have to remember to eat. You should be eating until you're full.

I am eating 2 meals a day typicly and I am working on eating more each setting. I am feeling better for it and seam to be getting better workout results.  My weight has not gone up at all and I hoping it will as I gain muscle.  

I had 4 steaks today. Even with ad much eating I am doing its impossible to gain weight.

It's just because meat has zero carbs; it puts you in ketosis.

I have not had a shred of fiber for a year now. Guess what?!  Im still here!  

You don't need it.

What about olive oil, coconut oil?

Any pre workout that is "carnivore friendly"?  I'm an early-morning lifter and I've noticed a distinct drop in energy level since I began eating carnivore this past Sunday Feb 11.  I assume not, but figured I'd ask.   I do a cup of coffee with a tablespoon of ghee and a tablespoon of MCT oil about 30 mins prior to the gym.  Fasted 12 hrs prior to that typically (usually have dinner around 5pm the prior evening).  
Is this something that will regulate itself as my body transitions into full ketosis?  

This is the pre I'd been taking prior to starting carnivore.   Sucralose on the ingredients = bad, correct?
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It’s one carb.  It’s not ideal, but it’s only one.  

Just buy pure citraline, and caffeine pills if you want them.  The rest is just separating you from your money.

Fair point...



I'll have to look into that option.  Really just habit at this point.  Or was habit prior to the past 6 days

You will be fine with that pre-wokout. The lack of energy at this state is due to your body not being efficient at burning fat for fuel. After about 60 days your mitochondria will have gone through a few life cycles and get better at burning fat.

Think of it like teaching a baby to walk. Your mitochondria have always relied on carbs for energy on the Standard American Diet. When you switch to fat as fuel they can use it but just aren't very good at it. As time goes on they just get better and better at burning fat.

Awesome.  I appreciate the input

I used to use them both, but I haven’t used them since starting the carnivore thing…

hmmm I think I see my problem, I never threw the fat cap away.  I thought that was the nutrients.  It would nearly gag me when congealed.  I was constantly putting it in a blender to stomach it.

Those plateaus are difficult emotionally, not weighing daily is smart.  Journeling your journey is helpful too.  If you envision your endocrine system as a newton's cradle you can visualize why these plateaus are needed.  There are 3 main hormones that truly affect weight gain/loss: Insulin, cortisol and thyroid.  When you go on an extremely low carb diet such as carnivore this changes the release of insulin and how your body is sensitive to insulin.  Insulin production and use is something our brains monitor very are carefully because too much or too little will kill us, so every incremental change in how insulin is released, how much your body is using, how it is interacting at the cellular level, how it is working in conjunction with our other hormones all send panic responses to the brain.  The brain will shut down metabolism and study what is going on.  It is an insurance policy designed to save our lives.  It is actually a good thing.  There are things that you can do to minimize the time the brain takes to insure you are healthy.  HIIT exercises is the most productive.  When in a crisis situation (which an intense-short interval training would replicate) the brain will shutdown these functions, having the adrenaline surge will feel good and having the heart pumping will trigger your metabolism.  You don't need to go crazy with this for it to be effective.  If you hit a plateau you can do 5-6 minutes of HIIT a day and kickstart your metabolism.  The brain will learn quickly that the adjustment to your insulin production and receptors is safe and it will process these changes quicker.  You'll still have plateaus but they will be shorter.

If you're like me and can't do HIIT training you just have to learn to use this time to take care of yourself.  Self care (positive affirmations, stretching, meditation) also work for getting through plateaus-though not as quickly.  I've been on a very good low carb diet (not quite carnivore because I have't taken the time to study it yet in terms of what I should be eating) but around 20 total grams of carbs (I'm too lazy to get into net carbs but suffice to say it's lower because I love vegetables so I eat vegetables - but high complex vegetables.). I have lost 3 pounds on my doctor's scale since mid January.  It is glacially slow but I'm rolling with it.  Overall I can't exercise and I have about 10 pounds total I need to lose, so slow and steady works for me.  I am also 59 years old, I am hypothyroid (though I think my thyroid levels are optimal for the first time in a long time!) which also makes losing weight glacial.  I also do Intermittent fasting (16 hours daily) and I did a 84 hour fast last week.  This should give you a hint of how difficult it can be for some women to lose weight.   I hope when the weather is a bit nicer I can go out and ride my bike-there is just enough snow and ice on the ground currently I am paranoid of falling.  If you're interested I can't exercise because I have Marian's and the connective tissues in my joints are too lose to hold my artificial hip in place--I am prone to dislocation.  After dislocating it 3 times I have stopped doing anything that could cause it to dislocate (such as running, yoga).

You'll shoot your dick off

Seems a bit drastic to me calorie wise.

Bro you are going to look like a holocaust victim if your maintenance calories are 1000. Unless your 5'1'' 87.34453 lbs.

And just for clarity sake, don't do carnivore forever OP unless you hate high testosterone.

Get your metabolism reset and eat a balanced diet unles there's some medical reason you can't do so.

Nah. He's got a glock, not a p320.


Just be sure they're unadulterated. Word is a lot of those oils have had cheap seed oils added. Buy name brands known to be pure oils

I'm 3.5 weeks in now. Feel great. Lost 13 pounds so far. Got a long way to go.

sounds like you have a decent doctor.

my dermatologist insists food has zero impact on any of this and pushes biologics at me every visit.  I'm on a mission to improve my life and health and prove her wrong.

Sounds like you need a new dermatologist. Im not entertaining meds of any type unless I have some kind of awful breakout and it affects my quality of life. Right not its not there, and its actually gotten WAY better since Ive gotten my nutrition back under control.