The weight fluctuations are almost all water weight. You might find it better to track both your weight and several measurements (ideally through "landmarks" or distinguishing features so you hit the same spot each time).
Heck, you can lose a pound or two, just going to pee!
Even then you'll get fluctuations, random increases, stalls, etc. Weight loss doesn't seem to follow any rhyme or reason, I find it better to measure daily and watch trends, rather than results.
Oh, regarding your question about fasting - it's still early days and you've a lot of adapting to do, so I wouldn't over-think it for now. If you don't feel hungry, skip a meal; if you're already used to two meals a day, don't bother adding a third. Just follow your appetite for a few months and don't worry about it.
weekly tracking is better at capturing trends - daily can go up and down a lot more - can be demotivating. I try to not weigh myself until i take a you-know-what, since they're fewer and far between on this woe. i only care about the broad trend, not the daily fluctuations. Other than that, the Stevia may be triggering insulin spikes - the sweet is like a pavlovian response in some - I don't think there's a lot of evidence for this, it's a theory, but I do see more consistent results if i cut out diet soda.
Yeah, I've heard the same about the stevia. It's hard coming from a food addiction, though. I don't know, I'll just have to do my best to resist.
I'll start tracking weekly and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice!
It depends ... I think tracking can potentially have a somewhat negative effect on your mental health, but on the other hand, it makes it easier to spot when something goes wrong / is no longer working. Not tracking and suddenly realising you've gained a bunch of weight ... ugh ><
If you ARE going to track, daily means you won't miss a new low, but you'll also see a lot more (irrelevant) increases.
Hey OP I get that all of this can be confusing. A few points:
* two days is nothing. Those fluctuations are just changes in water weight and waste in your body. Start looking at weekly measurements. It's best to weigh daily and then just take the average at the end of every week
* Weigh yourself naked at the same time every morning after you do your bathroom business
* You don’t gain weight if you’re “undereating.”
* Continue eating the way you are for 2-4 weeks. If at the end of that time period you haven’t lost anything or you are gaining fat, then you are eating too much fat. Just shoot for 1g/lb of body weight in protein and lower the amount of fat you’re eating. It’s best to be lifting in the gym as well
I would actually disregard that advices, and ease in to it if you want to. You know best what will keep you on the right path. When you feel you have control then you can choose to try the lion diet if you want to.
Also want to add to your original post - It is early days. Weight on the scale will fluctuate, and your body needs time to adjust. The fat will fall off eventually.
Thank you for the advice! I'll try my best to be patient :) The stevia soda is a helpful tool to keep me on track, but I know I need to wean myself off eventually.
I think the key to my success was cutting out the sauces and and anything else that contains sugar remember my friend's sugar is the enemy I also ate until I was full because it was a struggle for me to adjust but now it's pretty easy and I avoid all of that bad stuff at all costs because I don't want to go back because it was really hard to get to this point for me
Weight loss doesn’t happen in a straight, even line.
And even when you are stable, doing the same thing, your weight will fluctuate +/- a few pounds.
+2 pounds over a couple days is just noise in the data. Don’t panic.
First of all, you’re doing fine and not much time has passed. If you drop dairy, you will definitely see more steady progress, try dropping dairy for 30 days and see what you think. You will have a lot of water weight fluctuation so try not to be too focused on the scale, if I were you I’d only check it every few weeks. Keep it up you’ve got this.
Is normal for weight to fluctuate a little, I weigh myself once a week. If you are gaining weight, it is not bcs of under eating. I've been on this diet for almost a year, 4 months strict, and I don't add fat or butter to my beef. I only eat meat and eggs, mostly fatty cuts of beef like ribeye, NYstrips etc etc
If your #1 goal is weight loss stick with beef, salt, and water.
Otherwise… just be patient.
If you’re looking for some of the culprits…
- The cheese and cream may be messing with your weight loss.
- The stevia might spike your insulin.
- Caffeine in your decaf coffee can spike insulin.
- with your high weight level and binge eating background your insulin levels make take time to even out. (No shame, I’m in a similar boat.)
- if you have “treats” try eating the meat and fat first and the treat after like a dessert. It helps lessen the blood sugar spike which may help weight loss.
- but over all be patient.
- your psoriasis is better so that is a sign your body is healing.
It’s more useful to weigh yourself on a weekly basis rather than daily. There is a lot of fluctuation day to day. The important thing is to keep at it and no cheating.
The initial weight is always water weight. That alone is the number one marketing lie for most crap diets (Lose 15 lbs in the first week!! 😑)
Anyway, you shouldn't be micromanaging your weight. Getting upset about a pound isn't healthy. The word "diet" here needs to be taken for what it really means... "The kind of food you habitually eat."
Now, stop worrying about the weight and keep your mind on the end goal. There are always fluctuations on carnivore when you initially start, especially when coming from some form of SAD diet. Give your body time.
If you're worried about your weight, weigh yourself in two week increments, not every day. Carnivore is absolutely amazing, but it isn't some quick fat loss miracle diet that many make it out to be. It took a long time to put the weight on. It'll take a while to take it off. Stick to it, and good luck!
Cant tell you what will work for you but I didnt start losing weight at a good rate until I stopped with dairy and went closer to Lion. Im down to beef, eggs, bacon and ghee. I was using butter and quite a lot cream and cheese making carnivore pizzas that seemed to wreck my gut. I started at a similar weight I was 215 when I started and I just weighed in at 179 yesterday.
Like others have said start taking measurements and dont pay attention to the scale especially if it upsets you I had to stop for a bit because it was effecting my mood.
I won't downvote you, but I must say you are being a bit obsessive and impatient about this. One week is nothing. I mean, I get it, I love to see the scala go down and check it daily myself, but I have gone weeks sometimes without much change and didn't freak out. A week isn't even enough time for anything. You're seeing all water weight fluctuations. Not healthy to obsess over. Now if we were talking about a month or months, that's different.
One thing that did help me break a stall after losing all the easy excess weight on keto/carnivore was OMAD and fasting. I have done 72 hour fasts as well as eating 1 meal per day now. No snacks.
Yeah, you're probably right. I do tend to obsess over things.
I have been entertaining the idea of fasting, but I've read it's not good to do just starting out. I'll definitely consider it after I've been doing the diet for a bit!
The first 3-4 weeks will see ups and downs. You may even eat more than you "need" until your body gets used to the food going in being able to be fully processed. Body composition will change, water balance will change. Ability to eat more fat will change (slowly).
Short version, eat the right foods, don't weigh yourself. If you **must** keep track (I understand this!), take measurements. Waist size is one of the best indicators of health, use that.
I hear that you want to lose weight. Yeah 200 pounds is not ideal, however it's not morbid obesity. Not so terrible really.
But psoriasis sucks a big bag of dicks. And how your eating now is helping!!
Maybe grab ahold of the improvement you have made. Celebrate and focus on healing your skin and learning how to eat better. Once you find your groove it will be easier to tweak your eating to lose weight.
It’s hard to give advice without knowing your stats. What is your height? Are you tracking your macros? If so, what are they? Are you physically active?
Definitely track, just so you get an idea of intake. I lost about 60 lbs on carnivore/keto and tracking macros was helpful for me.
You might try this macro split for fat loss:
138g protein
122g fat
20g carbs (from eggs and dairy)
If you want to lose weight quickly, I’d cut back on the dairy. It’s so easy to overeat, and I say this from experience lol.
Once you hit your goal weight you can add more fat, up to ~165g.
If you want to lose weight faster, reduce fat and up protein. For faster fat loss, you could try this macro split once or twice a week. Add a refeed day once a week too!
138g protein
101g fat
10g carbs
Make sure you are consuming adequate sodium, potassium, and magnesium to stay hydrated!
Hope this helps!
Have some patience lol. You got less than two weeks under your belt. It's a miraculous diet, for sure, but patience is still required. I'm down about 45lbs since January and I fucked around for about a month. I wouldn't bother with cream. If you're still not seeing results after cutting cream, cut cheese and coffee.
You don't gain 2 pounds in 2 days, not in fat.
Look, even conventional CICO "wisdom" says that 1 pound of fat is 3500 kcal *excess*. Add that to Your BMR of at least 1500 (that would be for an adult 5ft0 woman who doesn't move at all, so likely it's actually way more than that), and You'd have to not only consume, but actually absorb a minimum of 5000 kcal per day to gain 2 pounds of fat in 2 days.
No way in hell. Ditch the scale if it affects You that much, You are stressing over nothing.
In addition to that, You are two weeks in. Two weeks. That is nothing. What do You expect, losing 50 pounds in a fortnight? Reality check, hello?
If You insist on doing the scale thing, do it properly. Once a day at the same time of day, no clothes (or underwear/pajamas). Easiest to do in the morning right after urinating. Write it down, then forget it. At the end of the week, calculate average (add all measurements and divide by seven). Repeat. Compare weekly averages, not daily values. If it's trending downwards, good. If it isn't, start measuring waist size in addition. If waist size is going down but weight stays the same, still good.
Two things that does for You: one, it minimizes the effects of water fluctuations, clothes, bladder/bowel content etc. Two, it will set Your timeframe perspective correctly. Progress should be measured and expected in weeks and months, not days.
I was like this in the beginning as well. Whatever you choose, it must be sustainable for YOU. I started out eating cheese, lots of sugar free sauces and seasonings, diet soda, sugar free coffee creamers. Each week I cut 1 out. Now it's just eggs, beef, salt and some cream in coffee.
That would definitely be easier for me than just diving in with beef only like some people have suggested. Coming from a food addiction, it's not easy to control myself.
That’s normal in the beginning. Your gut needs time to adjust to the higher fat. Same thing happened to me. I’m finishing up my 5th week, eating the same amount of fat and it doesn’t send me straight to the bathroom anymore.
But that can have different reasons. You might finally provide your body the protein it needs to build the muscle tissues it needs.
Ignore your scale. Pay attention to how comfortable your clothes are and how you look in the mirror. Pay attention to mobility.
I do intermittent fasting. My first meal isn't till 11:00 a.m. and my last meal is at 8:00 p.m.. I suggest eating a big big meal as your first meal. Sometimes you won't feel like eating another meal the rest of the day. Just make sure you increase your fat intake to keep you satiated
The same thing happens and is still.happening to me. I trusted in the process. Bit I think now I'm becoming familiar with the process. The weight fluctuates, it goes down and then up and then down again and then up. Bit when it goes down. It goes down further. I lost weight good on keto, so this frustrated me. I couldn't understand it. I started 8 weeks ago at 390, I weighed myself this morning and I was 350.....I was 346, 4 days ago. So I'm not worried. Worry causes stress and I read that produces cortisol and that messes with insulin production. So I try to be Joyful and be happy with it and have faith, so I BBQ frequently cause steaks make.me.realize how great this diet is. Plus, I'm not waking up 4 to 5 times a night, my varicose veins are clearing up. I'm more productive and happy throughout the day. The sluggishness is gone. So there's healing happening and that's the priority for me right now. I startedbthisbto lose weight but it's evolved into something more, I've been fat most of my life so I can handle another year if that what it takes, just enjoy the journey💪🤙
For sure then, I bet that’s what’s going on. A lot of the nutrition stuff you read online and in scientific studies is geared towards the male body. A woman’s menstruating body is a cyclical thing that requires different nourishment. I think carnivore can work but be gentle with yourself.
When I’m around my menstrual cycle I also hold more weight, but I know it’s water and not fat. Don’t be so obsessed with the scale, I’d stay consistent and just leave the scale alone for a couple of weeks
My water weight fluctuates more on carnivore than any other way of eating. It’s weird. I literally had a 9 pound fluctuation from Saturday to yesterday. And there’s zero chance any of that is fat.
Are you working out and drinking more water? With any diet, you need to complement it with regular workouts. Your body needs more water since it takes more energy to break down proteins.
I'm not, unfortunately. I don't know if that will ever realistically happen as a stay at home mom with no help, but crazier things have happened. I do stay well hydrated, though.
There are a plethora of YouTube videos on bodyweight/calisthenics exercises. Try it. Diet AND exercise goes hand in hand to maximize their effect on you. Plus get adequate sleep for recovery as well.
try fasting for 16 hours every day meaning stop eating at like 8 at night then start eating at noon the next day this allows your body to be in ketosis using your fats as energy rather than eating 3 meals a day use this 12pm-8pm window to eat as much as you want i lost 10lbs first month like this aswell as regularly exercising
Are you sleeping enough? Sleep is a very important part of weight loss. If you’re eating late at night and weighing yourself early in the AM that can affect your numbers as well even though likely you’re still losing weight. You kind of have to “keep the faith” and trust the process. Weight loss isn’t linear. There will be some ups and downs regardless.
Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day? I weigh myself first thing when I wake up after I pee. If I weigh myself later in the day I’ll be 5 pounds heavier than I was in the morning. And then the next morning I’ll have lost 1 pound from the previous morning. Your weight fluctuates during the day and water will affect it too
quality for the insides
quantity for the outsides
Even though meat is amazing , you still need to watch quantity nothing is off limit as we don’t need endless energy to function
I would track how your clothes are fitting rather than daily weight fluctuations. You could try intermittent fasting; I fast 18 hours personally, seems to be helping.
I'm 9 months in and have had the same problem as you (just been at it a lot longer), if your fat loss doesn't start in a month or two I can tell you what I have tried so far because I am not getting the results everyone else is (just fat loss, other benefits are amazing). I gained 10 lbs just in the last 5 days and went from 195 to 205 just eating steak/butter/salt/water.
only read the first two paragraphs - give it longer than a week and a half to assess results. don't track day to day weight fluctuations, instead take the average weight over 7 days.
You need to be looking at things less frequently. If you try and micro manage the situation day to day it will destroy your mental health. You'll be over analysing every detail and missing the big picture, you may react wrongly based on wrong assumptions that are just ordinary day to day bodily activities coming to fruition.
Hi, I think you're not tracking your weight right. It varies a lot depending on lots of factors. The most accurate way to do it is to weigh yourself in the morning right after peeing everyday and do the average of all those weights for a week, then you just compare the averages weekly, then you would know whether you are losing weight or not.
Also be patient, stick to it for a month at least to make your own conclusions
Gonna get skinned alive for this one lol but give this diet an honest shot for a few more weeks, and if it's not going in a good direction try something else, like HCLF. I'm not knocking carnivore / keto, in my experience different people just do better with different diets. Sometimes you just gotta try a bunch of different things until you find one that works well.
Definitely. I'm happy to try just about anything, but because I have a food addiction it's really hard for me to just drop everything and just eat beef. I'm doing my best though! Thanks for the input :)
If you can push through the first 2 or 3 weeks, your body will get used to not having the junk and you’ll stop craving it. I was a rice, potato and pasta junkie. I no longer care to have any of that. You can’t go from not ever running to doing a 5k marathon. You have to work your way to that point and then it’ll be easy. Same with getting over a food addiction.
The amount of posts of people wanting to do the carnivore diet without actually doing the carnivore diet is insane.
I need my sody pop every day in order to do this diet! Grow up
As someone who has been both plant based and meat based, I can tell you that there is no such thing as magic calories that don't count regardless of their origin. If we're strictly talking about weight loss then you must lower the amount of calories (energy) that you are eating or your body will store it as fat.
Keto doesn't work as well the second (or more) time around. The same could be true for carnivore. Carnivoreish is not the way to go without tracking your macros.
I would incorporate tracking before fasting so early on. Or intermittent fasting instead of 24-hour or 36-hour fasts.
It sure seems that way :( I wonder why?
Thank you, I'll definitely start tracking. Do you know where I can find information on what macros I should be aiming for on carnivore?
find out your daily expenditure which appears to be 2000 calories and use an app to plug in what you are eating and how much ( food scale) and go from there.
honestly you really don’t need a ton of fat as you have reserves on your body …if you are trying to fill out 1800 calories a few steaks and ground beef /eggs will be enough to get close..are you walking/excercising/ strength training?
If you can't handle eating the fat trimmings then you can have a few tabs of butter in your steak or burger to help increase your fat intake. Fat helps you get fat adaptive and keep you satiated better
The weight fluctuations are almost all water weight. You might find it better to track both your weight and several measurements (ideally through "landmarks" or distinguishing features so you hit the same spot each time). Heck, you can lose a pound or two, just going to pee! Even then you'll get fluctuations, random increases, stalls, etc. Weight loss doesn't seem to follow any rhyme or reason, I find it better to measure daily and watch trends, rather than results.
Thanks! I was thinking maybe tracking would help. I was hoping not to have to do that but I suppose it's not a bad idea at least in the beginning.
Oh, regarding your question about fasting - it's still early days and you've a lot of adapting to do, so I wouldn't over-think it for now. If you don't feel hungry, skip a meal; if you're already used to two meals a day, don't bother adding a third. Just follow your appetite for a few months and don't worry about it.
Thanks! This is helpful :)
weekly tracking is better at capturing trends - daily can go up and down a lot more - can be demotivating. I try to not weigh myself until i take a you-know-what, since they're fewer and far between on this woe. i only care about the broad trend, not the daily fluctuations. Other than that, the Stevia may be triggering insulin spikes - the sweet is like a pavlovian response in some - I don't think there's a lot of evidence for this, it's a theory, but I do see more consistent results if i cut out diet soda.
Yeah, I've heard the same about the stevia. It's hard coming from a food addiction, though. I don't know, I'll just have to do my best to resist. I'll start tracking weekly and see how it goes. Thanks for the advice!
For me weight falls off when I stick to just water and black coffee. When I add artificial sweeteners on a regular basis it’s a much slower go.
I was afraid that would be the case :( Ugh.
Two or three days of withdrawal and you should be fine on just water and it actual helps kill any type of craving for carbs.
It depends ... I think tracking can potentially have a somewhat negative effect on your mental health, but on the other hand, it makes it easier to spot when something goes wrong / is no longer working. Not tracking and suddenly realising you've gained a bunch of weight ... ugh >< If you ARE going to track, daily means you won't miss a new low, but you'll also see a lot more (irrelevant) increases.
Good point!
Hey OP I get that all of this can be confusing. A few points: * two days is nothing. Those fluctuations are just changes in water weight and waste in your body. Start looking at weekly measurements. It's best to weigh daily and then just take the average at the end of every week * Weigh yourself naked at the same time every morning after you do your bathroom business * You don’t gain weight if you’re “undereating.” * Continue eating the way you are for 2-4 weeks. If at the end of that time period you haven’t lost anything or you are gaining fat, then you are eating too much fat. Just shoot for 1g/lb of body weight in protein and lower the amount of fat you’re eating. It’s best to be lifting in the gym as well
Thank you, this is very helpful! It has been really confusing. There's a lot of conflicting information out there.
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If I don't have an appetite for it should I just not eat or force myself to eat anyway?
Not hungry, don't eat, hungry, eat til full.
I would actually disregard that advices, and ease in to it if you want to. You know best what will keep you on the right path. When you feel you have control then you can choose to try the lion diet if you want to. Also want to add to your original post - It is early days. Weight on the scale will fluctuate, and your body needs time to adjust. The fat will fall off eventually.
Thank you for the advice! I'll try my best to be patient :) The stevia soda is a helpful tool to keep me on track, but I know I need to wean myself off eventually.
No need to rush it! Good luck
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Okay. Thanks!
Don't give up, I went up 10lbs and like magic 25lbs fell off fast.
Interesting!
I think the key to my success was cutting out the sauces and and anything else that contains sugar remember my friend's sugar is the enemy I also ate until I was full because it was a struggle for me to adjust but now it's pretty easy and I avoid all of that bad stuff at all costs because I don't want to go back because it was really hard to get to this point for me
Sounds pretty tough! I know I need to be more strict, but it's so hard. I mostly let myself have some mustard on occasion, though.
I would say start putting less and less in your meals until you don't need it anymore small steps big results
Okay, I'll try it. Thanks!
Why would mustard prevent weight loss?
Weight loss doesn’t happen in a straight, even line. And even when you are stable, doing the same thing, your weight will fluctuate +/- a few pounds. +2 pounds over a couple days is just noise in the data. Don’t panic.
Thank you :)
First of all, you’re doing fine and not much time has passed. If you drop dairy, you will definitely see more steady progress, try dropping dairy for 30 days and see what you think. You will have a lot of water weight fluctuation so try not to be too focused on the scale, if I were you I’d only check it every few weeks. Keep it up you’ve got this.
Thank you! I really appreciate the encouragement and advice :)
Is normal for weight to fluctuate a little, I weigh myself once a week. If you are gaining weight, it is not bcs of under eating. I've been on this diet for almost a year, 4 months strict, and I don't add fat or butter to my beef. I only eat meat and eggs, mostly fatty cuts of beef like ribeye, NYstrips etc etc
Thanks for the tip!
Just eat beef when really hungry
If your #1 goal is weight loss stick with beef, salt, and water. Otherwise… just be patient. If you’re looking for some of the culprits… - The cheese and cream may be messing with your weight loss. - The stevia might spike your insulin. - Caffeine in your decaf coffee can spike insulin. - with your high weight level and binge eating background your insulin levels make take time to even out. (No shame, I’m in a similar boat.) - if you have “treats” try eating the meat and fat first and the treat after like a dessert. It helps lessen the blood sugar spike which may help weight loss. - but over all be patient. - your psoriasis is better so that is a sign your body is healing.
Thank you, very helpful! I'll try to be patient and wean myself off of my "treats".
Welcome.
It’s more useful to weigh yourself on a weekly basis rather than daily. There is a lot of fluctuation day to day. The important thing is to keep at it and no cheating.
Thanks for the advice!
I weighed 200 when I started as well. I was 150 after 8 months and felt like a new man. You’ve got this.
The initial weight is always water weight. That alone is the number one marketing lie for most crap diets (Lose 15 lbs in the first week!! 😑) Anyway, you shouldn't be micromanaging your weight. Getting upset about a pound isn't healthy. The word "diet" here needs to be taken for what it really means... "The kind of food you habitually eat." Now, stop worrying about the weight and keep your mind on the end goal. There are always fluctuations on carnivore when you initially start, especially when coming from some form of SAD diet. Give your body time. If you're worried about your weight, weigh yourself in two week increments, not every day. Carnivore is absolutely amazing, but it isn't some quick fat loss miracle diet that many make it out to be. It took a long time to put the weight on. It'll take a while to take it off. Stick to it, and good luck!
Thanks for the encouragement!
Cant tell you what will work for you but I didnt start losing weight at a good rate until I stopped with dairy and went closer to Lion. Im down to beef, eggs, bacon and ghee. I was using butter and quite a lot cream and cheese making carnivore pizzas that seemed to wreck my gut. I started at a similar weight I was 215 when I started and I just weighed in at 179 yesterday. Like others have said start taking measurements and dont pay attention to the scale especially if it upsets you I had to stop for a bit because it was effecting my mood.
Thank you for sharing your experience and advice! Really helpful :)
You’re not gaining weight.
...?
It’s water. Nobody gains a pound of fat per day.
I won't downvote you, but I must say you are being a bit obsessive and impatient about this. One week is nothing. I mean, I get it, I love to see the scala go down and check it daily myself, but I have gone weeks sometimes without much change and didn't freak out. A week isn't even enough time for anything. You're seeing all water weight fluctuations. Not healthy to obsess over. Now if we were talking about a month or months, that's different. One thing that did help me break a stall after losing all the easy excess weight on keto/carnivore was OMAD and fasting. I have done 72 hour fasts as well as eating 1 meal per day now. No snacks.
Yeah, you're probably right. I do tend to obsess over things. I have been entertaining the idea of fasting, but I've read it's not good to do just starting out. I'll definitely consider it after I've been doing the diet for a bit!
The first 3-4 weeks will see ups and downs. You may even eat more than you "need" until your body gets used to the food going in being able to be fully processed. Body composition will change, water balance will change. Ability to eat more fat will change (slowly). Short version, eat the right foods, don't weigh yourself. If you **must** keep track (I understand this!), take measurements. Waist size is one of the best indicators of health, use that.
Thank you! I'll be sure to keep track of my waist size.
I fluctuate as well, but I'm loosing inches so I'm assuming my body comp is adjusting, week 9 , 11 lbs lost 1 inch hips, and waist
Nice work!
Thank you!
>Thank you! You're welcome!
I hear that you want to lose weight. Yeah 200 pounds is not ideal, however it's not morbid obesity. Not so terrible really. But psoriasis sucks a big bag of dicks. And how your eating now is helping!! Maybe grab ahold of the improvement you have made. Celebrate and focus on healing your skin and learning how to eat better. Once you find your groove it will be easier to tweak your eating to lose weight.
Thanks for the encouragement! The improvement in psoriasis is definitely motivating :)
You just started. Keep going.
It’s hard to give advice without knowing your stats. What is your height? Are you tracking your macros? If so, what are they? Are you physically active?
Sorry about that. I'm 5'5. I haven't been tracking, but I plan to start. I am not currently physically active.
Definitely track, just so you get an idea of intake. I lost about 60 lbs on carnivore/keto and tracking macros was helpful for me. You might try this macro split for fat loss: 138g protein 122g fat 20g carbs (from eggs and dairy) If you want to lose weight quickly, I’d cut back on the dairy. It’s so easy to overeat, and I say this from experience lol. Once you hit your goal weight you can add more fat, up to ~165g. If you want to lose weight faster, reduce fat and up protein. For faster fat loss, you could try this macro split once or twice a week. Add a refeed day once a week too! 138g protein 101g fat 10g carbs Make sure you are consuming adequate sodium, potassium, and magnesium to stay hydrated! Hope this helps!
Thank you!
Have some patience lol. You got less than two weeks under your belt. It's a miraculous diet, for sure, but patience is still required. I'm down about 45lbs since January and I fucked around for about a month. I wouldn't bother with cream. If you're still not seeing results after cutting cream, cut cheese and coffee.
I'll try, lol. Thanks for the advice!
You don't gain 2 pounds in 2 days, not in fat. Look, even conventional CICO "wisdom" says that 1 pound of fat is 3500 kcal *excess*. Add that to Your BMR of at least 1500 (that would be for an adult 5ft0 woman who doesn't move at all, so likely it's actually way more than that), and You'd have to not only consume, but actually absorb a minimum of 5000 kcal per day to gain 2 pounds of fat in 2 days. No way in hell. Ditch the scale if it affects You that much, You are stressing over nothing. In addition to that, You are two weeks in. Two weeks. That is nothing. What do You expect, losing 50 pounds in a fortnight? Reality check, hello? If You insist on doing the scale thing, do it properly. Once a day at the same time of day, no clothes (or underwear/pajamas). Easiest to do in the morning right after urinating. Write it down, then forget it. At the end of the week, calculate average (add all measurements and divide by seven). Repeat. Compare weekly averages, not daily values. If it's trending downwards, good. If it isn't, start measuring waist size in addition. If waist size is going down but weight stays the same, still good. Two things that does for You: one, it minimizes the effects of water fluctuations, clothes, bladder/bowel content etc. Two, it will set Your timeframe perspective correctly. Progress should be measured and expected in weeks and months, not days.
Thanks for the advice :) I'll keep it in mind moving forward.
I was like this in the beginning as well. Whatever you choose, it must be sustainable for YOU. I started out eating cheese, lots of sugar free sauces and seasonings, diet soda, sugar free coffee creamers. Each week I cut 1 out. Now it's just eggs, beef, salt and some cream in coffee.
That would definitely be easier for me than just diving in with beef only like some people have suggested. Coming from a food addiction, it's not easy to control myself.
Up your fat. I plateaued for a few days then added extra butter to meals and took some spoonfuls of heavy cream
Thanks, I'll try it. I am a little nervous though because this diet has given me horrible diarrhea (sorry for TMI)
That’s normal in the beginning. Your gut needs time to adjust to the higher fat. Same thing happened to me. I’m finishing up my 5th week, eating the same amount of fat and it doesn’t send me straight to the bathroom anymore.
That's encouraging to hear! I'll just have to be patient I suppose.
Cut the cream and cheese. Focus on fat not protein. At least a 2:1 fat to protein ratio. I'm personally closer to 3:1.
Okay! Thanks, I'll try it. It won't be easy because dairy is the last tasty thing I had left to eat though. 🥲
protein not fat?
Do gain weight or body fat?
All I know is the scale number is going up.
But that can have different reasons. You might finally provide your body the protein it needs to build the muscle tissues it needs. Ignore your scale. Pay attention to how comfortable your clothes are and how you look in the mirror. Pay attention to mobility.
I'll try that :) Thanks!
I saw that you wrote that you didn't like to eat the fat, but increasing the fat intake will help you lose weight.
I know 😓 But the texture is awful
I do intermittent fasting. My first meal isn't till 11:00 a.m. and my last meal is at 8:00 p.m.. I suggest eating a big big meal as your first meal. Sometimes you won't feel like eating another meal the rest of the day. Just make sure you increase your fat intake to keep you satiated
Good idea, thanks!
The same thing happens and is still.happening to me. I trusted in the process. Bit I think now I'm becoming familiar with the process. The weight fluctuates, it goes down and then up and then down again and then up. Bit when it goes down. It goes down further. I lost weight good on keto, so this frustrated me. I couldn't understand it. I started 8 weeks ago at 390, I weighed myself this morning and I was 350.....I was 346, 4 days ago. So I'm not worried. Worry causes stress and I read that produces cortisol and that messes with insulin production. So I try to be Joyful and be happy with it and have faith, so I BBQ frequently cause steaks make.me.realize how great this diet is. Plus, I'm not waking up 4 to 5 times a night, my varicose veins are clearing up. I'm more productive and happy throughout the day. The sluggishness is gone. So there's healing happening and that's the priority for me right now. I startedbthisbto lose weight but it's evolved into something more, I've been fat most of my life so I can handle another year if that what it takes, just enjoy the journey💪🤙
Thank you, same to you!
Where are you in your menstrual cycle? Maybe you’re putting in normal water weight transitioning into your luteal phase
Oh good question. My app says I'm 10 days from starting my cycle.
For sure then, I bet that’s what’s going on. A lot of the nutrition stuff you read online and in scientific studies is geared towards the male body. A woman’s menstruating body is a cyclical thing that requires different nourishment. I think carnivore can work but be gentle with yourself.
Thanks, I appreciate it!
You do understand that not all weight gain is fat right? It can be water retention, waste or muscle? Are you male or female?
Female
When I’m around my menstrual cycle I also hold more weight, but I know it’s water and not fat. Don’t be so obsessed with the scale, I’d stay consistent and just leave the scale alone for a couple of weeks
That's a good idea, thanks 🙂
My water weight fluctuates more on carnivore than any other way of eating. It’s weird. I literally had a 9 pound fluctuation from Saturday to yesterday. And there’s zero chance any of that is fat.
Oh wow, that's a crazy amount!
Are you working out and drinking more water? With any diet, you need to complement it with regular workouts. Your body needs more water since it takes more energy to break down proteins.
I'm not, unfortunately. I don't know if that will ever realistically happen as a stay at home mom with no help, but crazier things have happened. I do stay well hydrated, though.
There are a plethora of YouTube videos on bodyweight/calisthenics exercises. Try it. Diet AND exercise goes hand in hand to maximize their effect on you. Plus get adequate sleep for recovery as well.
try fasting for 16 hours every day meaning stop eating at like 8 at night then start eating at noon the next day this allows your body to be in ketosis using your fats as energy rather than eating 3 meals a day use this 12pm-8pm window to eat as much as you want i lost 10lbs first month like this aswell as regularly exercising
I can do that!
get it bro 🙌
Are you sleeping enough? Sleep is a very important part of weight loss. If you’re eating late at night and weighing yourself early in the AM that can affect your numbers as well even though likely you’re still losing weight. You kind of have to “keep the faith” and trust the process. Weight loss isn’t linear. There will be some ups and downs regardless.
Thank you :) I do tend to eat late, though I know I shouldn't.
Weigh once a week, not daily and I notice the fat loss through my clothes. Best of luck.
Thanks!
Dude give been 142 for a year and can’t break it…no matter how I try with this stupid diet It won’t let me lose
Dang, that sucks :(
Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day? I weigh myself first thing when I wake up after I pee. If I weigh myself later in the day I’ll be 5 pounds heavier than I was in the morning. And then the next morning I’ll have lost 1 pound from the previous morning. Your weight fluctuates during the day and water will affect it too
I try to! I have heard weight fluctuates.
quality for the insides quantity for the outsides Even though meat is amazing , you still need to watch quantity nothing is off limit as we don’t need endless energy to function
Well said!
Keep going. A few pounds fluctuating is water weight and your body is adjusting still.
I will!
I would track how your clothes are fitting rather than daily weight fluctuations. You could try intermittent fasting; I fast 18 hours personally, seems to be helping.
Good ideas! Thanks 😊
I'm 9 months in and have had the same problem as you (just been at it a lot longer), if your fat loss doesn't start in a month or two I can tell you what I have tried so far because I am not getting the results everyone else is (just fat loss, other benefits are amazing). I gained 10 lbs just in the last 5 days and went from 195 to 205 just eating steak/butter/salt/water.
only read the first two paragraphs - give it longer than a week and a half to assess results. don't track day to day weight fluctuations, instead take the average weight over 7 days.
You need to be looking at things less frequently. If you try and micro manage the situation day to day it will destroy your mental health. You'll be over analysing every detail and missing the big picture, you may react wrongly based on wrong assumptions that are just ordinary day to day bodily activities coming to fruition.
Hi, I think you're not tracking your weight right. It varies a lot depending on lots of factors. The most accurate way to do it is to weigh yourself in the morning right after peeing everyday and do the average of all those weights for a week, then you just compare the averages weekly, then you would know whether you are losing weight or not. Also be patient, stick to it for a month at least to make your own conclusions
I'll try that, thank you!
Gonna get skinned alive for this one lol but give this diet an honest shot for a few more weeks, and if it's not going in a good direction try something else, like HCLF. I'm not knocking carnivore / keto, in my experience different people just do better with different diets. Sometimes you just gotta try a bunch of different things until you find one that works well.
Definitely. I'm happy to try just about anything, but because I have a food addiction it's really hard for me to just drop everything and just eat beef. I'm doing my best though! Thanks for the input :)
If you can push through the first 2 or 3 weeks, your body will get used to not having the junk and you’ll stop craving it. I was a rice, potato and pasta junkie. I no longer care to have any of that. You can’t go from not ever running to doing a 5k marathon. You have to work your way to that point and then it’ll be easy. Same with getting over a food addiction.
Absolutely agree!
The amount of posts of people wanting to do the carnivore diet without actually doing the carnivore diet is insane. I need my sody pop every day in order to do this diet! Grow up
As someone who has been both plant based and meat based, I can tell you that there is no such thing as magic calories that don't count regardless of their origin. If we're strictly talking about weight loss then you must lower the amount of calories (energy) that you are eating or your body will store it as fat.
I thought that might be the case. I'll definitely have to start tracking then, as it's difficult to gauge how many I'm eating now.
How many calories do you eat in an average day?
I'm not sure, I haven't been tracking. I think I'll start just to see where I'm at.
In spite of what people here say calories do count
Okay, I'll track :)
Are u having a lot of fat? Maybe try calorie counting idk
I will definitely start tracking. I feel like I have a decent amount of fat but maybe not enough?
Fat= more calories, so probably cutting down on it, try my fitness pal the app it’s free and good at seeing the calories u eat
Keto doesn't work as well the second (or more) time around. The same could be true for carnivore. Carnivoreish is not the way to go without tracking your macros. I would incorporate tracking before fasting so early on. Or intermittent fasting instead of 24-hour or 36-hour fasts.
It sure seems that way :( I wonder why? Thank you, I'll definitely start tracking. Do you know where I can find information on what macros I should be aiming for on carnivore?
find out your daily expenditure which appears to be 2000 calories and use an app to plug in what you are eating and how much ( food scale) and go from there.
So my macros should be exactly the same as a regular diet, except without the carbs? No increased protein or fat?
honestly you really don’t need a ton of fat as you have reserves on your body …if you are trying to fill out 1800 calories a few steaks and ground beef /eggs will be enough to get close..are you walking/excercising/ strength training?
Yeah, good point. No, I live a pretty sedentary lifestyle atm.
just add some walking if you can or invest in a cheap treadmill ..do 30 minutes a day combined with your diet restriction weight will fall off
I have a stepper machine I got recently that I intend to use but just haven't gotten around to it. I'll see about adding it into my routine.
i would walk first and when you drop more weight stepper will be easier to tackle…but diet is key for losing weight activity just enhances everythhing
clean your diet up…no way you need all of that extra fat…any diet still comes down to expenditure vs intake. prioritize protein first.
It's really confusing because I keep seeing people say women need more fat, but then people are saying less fat.
protein is paramount for all humans …fit fat in after that..usually if your eating single ingredient food fat will be included naturally
Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!
If you can't handle eating the fat trimmings then you can have a few tabs of butter in your steak or burger to help increase your fat intake. Fat helps you get fat adaptive and keep you satiated better
Butter is definitely more doable!
You can airfry the fat trimmings seperatly and the tasty better crispy
I need to get an air fryer!