There are several diets on the market that promote weight loss. Each of them has its own focus to accomplish your goal. Some reduce carbs like the keto diet, and others focus on calorie intake or low fat.
Like these other ways of eating, the carnivore diet relies on its own restrictions. In fact, it is one of the most restrictive diets but is still rather popular because of the dramatic results.
Let’s take a look at a brief overview of the carnivore diet, and go more in-depth about what to expect before and after.
Table Of Contents
- What is the Carnivore Diet?
- What is the Carnivore Diet?
- Carnivore Diet Before And After Pictures
- Carnivore Diet Before And After Pictures
- Weight Loss
- Weight Loss
- Carnivore Diet Before And After Skin
- Carnivore Diet Before And After Skin
- Celebrity Carnivore Diet Results
- Celebrity Carnivore Diet Results
- Other Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
- Other Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
- Are There Health-Related Side Effects to Carnivore Diets?
- Are There Health-Related Side Effects to Carnivore Diets?
- FAQs
- FAQs
What is the Carnivore Diet?
Carnivore diets are a way of eating where you eat only meat and animal products. Additionally, though the rules of the carnivore lifestyle are accepted as any products that come from an animal, the true carnivore diet is an all-meat diet that doesn’t include other animal products.
However, no matter which way you subscribe to the carnivore diet, rather than eating processed meats that have additives, you should focus on clean animal sources.
A few example foods that are acceptable on carnivore diets include ground beef, scrambled eggs, and chicken, though you’ll have to skip the standard American diet that includes birthday cake. Even vegetables are off-limits in this way of eating even though plant matter may be healthy to eat.
How Long Does It Take To Adapt To the Carnivore Diet
Adapting to any type of low-carb diet usually comes with a period of adjustment for your body. The carnivore diet, being the more extreme of low carb diets, does seem to cause what is referred to as the carnivore flu in most people.
These symptoms usually include fatigue, headache, mild nausea, and digestive distress. Depending on whether you have a sugar or carbohydrate dependence, you might also experience some mood changes as you transition from one dietary lifestyle to the other.
These symptoms usually last about 10-14 days, but you should speak with your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms for a prolonged period.
A great way to help ease these effects in your early carnivore life is to make sure you’re getting better sleep. Transitioning to life without carbs isn’t the time to shorten yourself on sleep. Proper hydration is also important, and make sure you replace those electrolytes – especially if you’re active!
Finally, the best way to power through the carnivore flu is to make sure you’re eating enough food and never going hungry. Make sure you’re eating enough fat and that you don’t shy away from animal fat. Many people start this diet thinking that lean protein with little fat is the way to go, but you actually really need those fats on this diet – not only to help build muscle and shed pounds but also for basic biological functions.
Even some saturated fats will be greatly appreciated by your body. Now is the perfect time to deprogram yourself regarding traditional dietary and nutritional views about meat, fat, vegetables, and which foods are truly healthy for your body.
How Much Should You Eat To Achieve Results On the Carnivore Diet?
The beauty of the carnivore diet is that if you’re hungry, you eat, and you eat until you are satisfied, as long as the foods fall within the carnivore food pyramid.
Carnivore Diet Meal Plan
On a diet where you eat only meat, you might think coming up with a weekly meal plan would be difficult. But, when you eat the same way day after day, boredom can set in, and even your favorite meat can taste unappealing. A little variety never hurts, especially when following the carnivore diet.
Variety in your diet isn’t just about boredom either. Different types of meat and animal foods, like eggs (if you choose to enjoy them), offer different nutritional profiles. The best way to consume a variety of nutrients, protein, and fat is to not limit yourself to just a few food choices.
If you’re after the types of results that we see in this article, variety and planning are key to the carnivore life. Include healthier cuts of meat in your diet when possible (also note that in this case, healthy doesn’t necessarily equate to fat-free). Quality cuts of meat are also important. Seafood is a nice deviation from beef, poultry, and pork, plus certain types of seafood are loaded with good-for-you fats.
Most carnivore dieters also suggest that you include organ meats in your diet. Organ meat offers different nutrition, not to mention flavor and texture.
A sample carnivore meal plan might include eggs and wild salmon for breakfast, pork ribs with prawns sauteed in grass-fed butter for lunch, and a thick ribeye with oysters and a bit of liver pate (carnivore-friendly) for dinner.
If you’re stuck in a rut and are craving variety, especially when first starting out, try a carnivore diet meal delivery service, which not only makes meal planning a breeze but also keeps you out of the grocery store and away from tempting carbs.
Carnivore Diet Before And After Pictures
Much of why the carnivore diet is so popular is not because people only like eating meat. It is because the before and after are so dramatic.
Female Before & After
Check out these females before and after photos, and you’ll see the difference an all-meat diet can make.
Men Before & After
The carnivore diet doesn’t just work for women. These men’s before and after photos show just that.
Weight Loss
Though there are many benefits to the carnivore lifestyle, weight loss is one of the top reasons people set out on this journey. Because the diet is a low-carb diet, you can expect fewer sugar cravings, and your body will naturally use its body fat as energy contributing to your weight loss.
Also, by eliminating certain food groups, you inevitably participate in calorie restriction, which is another aspect that helps you lose weight with the carnivore dietary plan.
Carnivore Diet Before And After Skin
In addition to weight loss, one of the main benefits people get from the carnivore diet is that it often helps achieve clear skin. Because you are eating zero sugar or gluten, which can contribute to flare-ups of acne, the diet is great for your skin.
You can see the difference in these before and after photos.
Celebrity Carnivore Diet Results
There are plenty of well-known individuals that have seen fantastic carnivore diet results, including Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson.
Joe Rogan Before And After Carnivore Diet
Joe Rogan has adhered to the carnivore diet in the past, and just this January, he went on it again, except this time he added fruit, which is atypical of the carnivore dieters.
His first stint with the carnivore diet was in 2020, and he saw great effects, including weight loss and improvement in vitiligo in addition to the disappearance of certain aches and pains.
Jordan Peterson Before And After Carnivore Diet
Jordan Peterson made waves around the carnivore diet in 2018 after revealing that he and his daughter strictly adhered to the way of eating and have seen significant health improvements.
Other Health Benefits of the Carnivore Diet
The zero carb life of the meat-eaters diet will lead to rapid weight loss, and with that reduction in body weight, you’ll see other effects like lowering high blood pressure, blood sugar, and high cholesterol as well as mental clarity and reduced risk of heart disease and other health issues.
Many people eating this diet also have results such as reduced inflammation caused by an autoimmune disease, more energy, and improvement in digestive issues. These all are just some of the things you can expect with a carnivore diet.
Are There Health-Related Side Effects to Carnivore Diets?
Many consider the carnivore lifestyle to be a fad diet that holds little value past the benefits of lost weight. One of the main downsides of eating the carnivore way is that it can reduce your appetite to the point that you’re consuming less food and calories than you need.
This aspect of the diet somewhat cancels out the claims of more energy since you might not have sufficient energy to make it through the day or recover from illness, injury, or stress.
There is also a concern that this isn’t the best diet in terms of nutritional value. You’re obviously not taking in the vitamins and nutrients that are found in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. Depending on the state of your health, it’s always a good idea to check with a medical professional to decide if following this diet is a healthy choice for you.
Finally, the main concern with carnivore diets is that we have yet to really understand the long-term health effects on the body. Traditional medicine tells us that eliminating plant foods and replacing them with animal protein and fats can lead to serious health issues later in life. Whether or not this holds true for strict carnivores is something that requires more research to fully understand.
FAQs
How long does it take to see results on a carnivore diet?
Like with any diet plan, to see results such as fat loss or a change in body composition, it takes days or even weeks for your body to adjust.
How much weight can you lose on a carnivore diet?
How much body fat you can lose on the carnivore diet depends on how strict you are with your eating and other variables; however, the healthy range of weight loss is between a half-pound to one pound per week.
Though it is difficult to eat just meat the entire time while on the carnivore diet, sticking to the plan does get a bit easier as you begin burning fat. However, like with any diet, it is important to ask a health professional before you begin.
