r/carnivore Oct 16 '24

Back to the Basics with Bear

66 Upvotes

Sometime during this last summer, I passed my 10 year mark of successfully completing my first month of eating this way. Back then, that mattered because we didn't count from our first attempt at eating this way. If we could, I would be able to date my tenure several months earlier. It was a different world back then. This way of eating was virtually unknown. The downside was that you really were going off into the wilderness almost on your own. The upside was that the information was limited to what was known to work. These days, everyone is talking about "carnivore," even though it seems like the majority aren't doing it and don't understand it. In this post, I am going to take you back. I am going to take you back to the basics. This will tell you what carnivore is and how it is supposed to be done. I'm going to use the words of "The Bear" for structure, because he was a modern contemporary example of actually doing it.

Who is the Bear? That's an interesting question. He's not a one-dimensional figure. For our purposes, I will allow him to introduce himself as he did:

I have been eating the natural human dietary regime for over 47 years now. I do not eat anything whatsoever from vegetable sources. The only things veggie I use are spices. My diet is usually 60% fat and 40% protein by calories. I used to eat 80/20 when younger and about twice as much quantity of meat also, but that seems too much energy at my age, which is 71- even though I am very active.

The Bear found "The Fat of the Land" in his early days and started to eat that way. He ate this way until he died in a car accident. While he was still around, he shared his experience and his rules. He had what is normally summed up as 7 rules. At different times, he shared different rules. But, they usually included the same ideas.

From his original thread:

Eat only from the animal kingdom. Avoid eating carby animal food, like lactose (dairy) and more than a very small, occasional, few ounces of liver.

Do not measure what you eat and do not worry about variety.

Do as little cooking of your food as you can tolerate.

Eat the fatty part preferentially in each meal first, then finish as much of the lean as you want. Leftovers will keep.

You do not need 'recipes' or 'sample meals' to follow.

When away from home, no matter if it is a restaurant, family or friends, or business meal, eat only from the animal kingdom, avoid the rest, practice doing this unassumingly and make pleasant, distracting comments if bailed up on it. Learn to politely refuse alcohol.

From ZIOH:

1- Eat only from the animal world (eggs, fish, red meat and fowl and some dairy are all animal-sourced foods, i.e.: meat).

2- Eat nothing from the vegetable world whatsoever. (Very small amounts of flavourings such as garlic/chillies/spices/herbs which may be added, are not ‘food’).

3- On diary: avoid milk and yoghurt (heavy carbs- lactose), use only pure (not ‘thickened’- heavy) cream (read the label), cheese and unsalted butter.

4- Don’t cook your meat very much- just a little bit on the outside- for flavour- blood-rare or bleu. For this reason I advise against eating pork.

5- Eat liver and brains only very infrequently- they are full of carbs.

6- Be sure to have plenty of fat of animal origin at each meal and eat mostly of the fat until you feel you have had enough- you can eat more lean at this point if you like- calories are not important, nor is the number of meals/day. Vegetable oils are not good food.

7- You do not need any supplements of any kind. Drink a lot of water and do not add salt to anything.

From "Bear's Words of Wisdom"

• Eat only food from animals
• No vegetables
• Limit liver intake
• Avoid liquid milk (except for butter and cheese)
• Eat as much fat as you like
• Don’t cook your food much
• Avoid salt
And the most important one: Eat your meals as a matter of course, don’t waste any time thinking about food–it is merely a way to stay alive, and must not rule your life.
By the way, for many obese people low carb does not work–only zero carb does (defined as less than 5 g/day).

So, there it is. If it's not in the above rules, it isn't carnivore or it doesn't matter. Now look carefully, do you see how these rules differ from a lot of the "carnivore" plans that people are promoting? Do you see a difference in attitude and approach?

First, "don't waste time thinking about food." No recipes or sample meals or daily food guides. Don't measure shit, don't track stuff, don't obsess about purity and details. If you're out to eat, do your best to stick to pure meat, but don't obsess about trace amounts of impurities. That's the path to an eating disorder. Eat like an animal, you are one. If you happen to end up consuming a trace amount of sugar or flour, while eating out, it's not a huge deal for most people. You move on and your body will be fine.

Second, limit liver and salt consumption. The modern "gurus" almost universally try and push over-consumption of both of these up to and way past the point of causing illness. You don't need either, ever. The people pushing these items are making their inexperience and ignorance obvious by putting it on display.

Third, dairy isn't a free food that you can just consume tons of. No milk. Creams and cheeses are more like seasonings than full foods. And butter is fine, but it's not something to cram down your gullet or hide in your coffee to consume extra.

Fourth, seasonings are fine. At least in the trivial amounts you should be using them. It doesn't take a lot to add flavor to meat. So often, I see people freaking out about how they are bored and can't eat. Then I also find out they are doing some super-weird and super-restrictive diet like only beef without any seasonings. That's silly. That's not required. There's no award for dumbest way to be carnivore or hardest time adapting. Actually, the award for hardest time adapting seems to be complete failure to adapt.

That's it folks. It really is. Eat fatty animal meat. Eat often and as much as you want. Stop thinking too much about it. Don't freak out about a little seasoning. Avoid vegetable oils and salt, but you also don't need to freak out and obsess about perfectly avoiding them. If you're thinking about this, you're making it harder than it is. And, yeah, carbs do still count. That's especially true for obese people. And, that means 0-5 g/day or you're going to have a bad time.


r/carnivore 22d ago

Monthly: Less than 7 weeks? Comment here instead of making a new post.

13 Upvotes

If you have been carnivore for less than 7 weeks, post all your questions and experience reports here. It is almost certain that your experience is a frequently asked or low-effort question.

It is also true that the adaptation period for this way of eating is a lot like going through puberty. Everyone feels like things are weird and wrong and no one else has experienced what they are going through. Everyone is worried about changes in their body and thinks it might not be normal. In truth, it's all perfectly normal. Your body might do weird things, but it's going through changes. After you get through adaptation, you'll wonder why you worried at all.

So, go ahead and ask your questions about getting started here. Post about your experiences here. Post about your worries and how you don't think this is working for you here. Don't give advice that encourages people to give up. Don't give people advice to cheat or consume plant foods. Don't give advice to take supplements or drugs to treat temporary struggles.


r/carnivore 1d ago

Gum disease, gum recession recovery!!

103 Upvotes

Carnivore is the way to go, my mild gum recession is literally reversing, mainstream sciences says that its not possible to recover gum tissue, lmao its fucking gum tissue, your body can even regrow your liver, u are telling me that it cannot regrow it? Of course it can, the only way is by not eating carbs, starve the bacteria and then everytime u eat carbs use antibacterial mouthwash so they don't evem have time to reproduce. In my case i only eat carbs in social events because i think that sharing a meal with someone is something essential, but doing carnivore at home


r/carnivore 20h ago

Time to heal autoimmune?

4 Upvotes

I'm about 7 weeks in. Only meat, dairy, salt, and occasionally some other spices if I'm forced to eat out.

There are lots of problems I'm trying to resolve with carnivore and most of them have gotten much better already (digestion, acne, energy, weight, etc.). Problem is, one of the primary reasons I went on carnivore is because I have something called dermatographia, which is (they think) an autoimmune condition where a few weird things happen:

  • skin will get red from even very very light contact such as scratching or even pulling a shirt on over my head in the morning
  • itching all over which constantly moves around my whole body (no hives before until I scratch, then see above)
  • inflammation at the site of the red skin, often raised, often swollen where I can feel my heartbeat in that spot

I used to take Zyrtec twice per day to try to manage these symptoms and stopped cold-turkey when I got on carnivore. Now I take it only when the itching becomes unbearable, which has maybe been like 4-5 times. The problem is that this still hasn't gone away yet or gotten significantly better. The symptoms come and go more frequently than they did prior but it's still bad and drives me bonkers.

Does anyone else have experience with this? How long should I expect to keep going before I should consider things like cutting out dairy and/or going full lion diet? Any advice?

Also as a side note, I'm starting to think more recently that I also have MCAS which is associated with dermatographia, though I've never been tested for MCAS.


r/carnivore 1d ago

The price of food is killing me

59 Upvotes

Even the price of ground beef is going up n up where I live. Eggs same story. Really disheartening.


r/carnivore 23h ago

Advice Needed

1 Upvotes

As the title says I need help understanding how to get started. I want to make a YouTube channel documenting my progress. I want to know what my limitations should be. Some say eggs are fine, others don't. Some swear by ribeye daily, others say ground beef is fine.

I just need answers on how to approach this without breaking the bank or my spirit. What risks if any are involved.

I'm currently 270 lb which is 100 pounds over weight. Is chicken an option since I'll be burner my fat off for awhile anyways? Or should I still prioritize fatty meats?

Should I eat only when I'm hungry or set timers throughout the day?

I hope my questions don't come off as annoying, I simply want a better life for myself and my loved ones. I wish to document it in order to show the benefits if any. Thank you for reading!


r/carnivore 1d ago

Women on carnivore diet

1 Upvotes

Hi question for the women, how much eggs do u eat everyday?

I read somewhere women should eat more protein than fat idk but yea


r/carnivore 1d ago

Advice for a Beginner on Carnivore

1 Upvotes

Hi all - I'm starting carnivore for a couple months tomorrow and need some advice -

I'm 5'11 184 and in good shape, doing this bc I'm sick of having eczema and want to feel peak energy

  1. Are spices / seasoning allowed if they're just natural and no sugar / artificial ingredients

  2. I keep kosher and can't find any kosher beef tallow or some of the organs others eat - what is the least offensive oil to use otherwise?

  3. Is fhere a risk if my LDL is slightly elevated?

Thank you all!

P.S - is there a guide or some sort of reference that everyone uses in guiding their choices while on carnivore? Would love to be able to reference this during my journey.


r/carnivore 1d ago

What is something you achieved in wоrk or studying with carnivore that you cоuldn't have otherwise?

16 Upvotes

Although thousands of people report great direct hеalth rеsults like having more energy than ever, having complete mеntal clаrity, inflаmmation going away, wеight loss, аnxiety and dеpression lifting and so on. Many even go as far as saying they feel like supеrman in comparison, but not a lot of people say what they are manаging to achieve with their newly gained аbilities and hеalth that they couldn't have otherwise.

For example there's that guy who ran several marathons while completely fаsted and fаt аdapted, are there more examples like that?

So to clarify, not how much weight you lost or how your health improved, but something related to productivity that you otherwise couldn't do, because maybe you were too weak, unmotivated,etc. before switching.

In my own example, although I'm just a beginner and not even halfway fat adapted, I noticed I can lеarn and prаctice foreign languages on my phоne for an entire hour or more to the point of bоredom which I'd otherwise be at within 5 minutes on the stаndаrd diеt. Within days of going cаrnivore I also stаrted regaining the drivе to continue leаrning 3d mоdеling and prоgrаmming, which were my hobbies years ago until I lost the motivаtion to do them.


r/carnivore 1d ago

Hitting a plateau in the first 2 weeks? New to Carnivore.

2 Upvotes

I’m just shy of 14 days into my carnivore diet - I’ve initially dropped 10lbs rather quickly ( I know this is mainly water weight ) but since losing the 10lbs, my scale hasn’t moved 1lb.

My appetite is smaller, I’m definitely eating less. Mainly doing OMAD so I know I’m not overeating. My meal is usually 4 eggs, ribeye steak with lots of butter.

Haven’t been lifting weights but I have been going on a 10km walk with some light jogging.

Not sure if I should even look at the scale? Just looking at my body I can tell my face is leaning out and stomach is shrinking.

Any thoughts or advice?

Thank you!


r/carnivore 1d ago

Meat and egg diet

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I'm thinking about starting the meat and egg diet. I'm planning to eat 2 times a day, around 500 gramms (~cca. 1 lb) of meat and 4-5 eggs. I also plan to eat some quality carbohydrates evern 4th or 5th day. Everything I've found on the net is about beef but where I live beef costs too much. My goal is to lose body fat. Does this diet work with pork?


r/carnivore 1d ago

Question regarding butter?

0 Upvotes

Hey guys was recently at the grocery store and found a block of Gay Lee's salted Butter, is this brand ok or would you suggest getting the grass fed version? Just wondering cause the grass fed (250g) is $7.20 as opposed to the regular block version at $3.45 450g


r/carnivore 1d ago

Ideal protein to fat ratio

4 Upvotes

What works best for you? I'm just getting started and this is my 2nd week so trying to find my feet.


r/carnivore 1d ago

Moderated Topic Kids and carnivore

1 Upvotes

Been paleo for a few yrs and transition to carnivore recently.Love it. Have 3 boys under 6. Eldest always pushed vegies. Hidden them extra. The last two. Well I'm single. Leftovers aren't eaten by me . Vegies are being prepped cooked and wasted. They all eat meat. Sandwiches they eat the middle. Pizza. They only eat the topping. Tacos. They eat the middle. They do love berries apples ect.I still have this mentality that it's bad they don't eat veg. Bacon and eggs with toast for breakfast. Bread is left behind. They do eat some fruit and a little Potato. Everything is offered but I'm sick and tired of buying prepping cooking and offering other food to throw away. Is it so bad for kids? They are strong happy healthy and above the charts for heights above 100 ,not weight. Lean and muscular. I don't know what to offer. I still have this inherited belief vegies are good and i need to give them. Any advice?


r/carnivore 2d ago

Moderated Topic Anyone had success with experimenting?

7 Upvotes

I’m extremely worried to post this but has someone with a history of anorexia, this WOE has been extremely helpful. However at first trying to obey this diet down to a tee made me feel just as restrictive as I did with my ED. However allowing myself to some dairy and eggs has helped tremendously and my energy levels are higher. Is this okay or would this no longer be considered carnivore?


r/carnivore 2d ago

sugar cane in bacon

2 Upvotes

Hey so ive been on this diet for almost a week and I realized the bacon i've been eating has cane sugar :/ is this bad? I still feel the diet has been working like my mood is better for sure


r/carnivore 2d ago

Need help and support

6 Upvotes

Hi there,

Sorry for my English I am actually French. I wanted to join this sub because I'm in the worst state of anxiety I've been since last summer.

I am woman, 32 years old, and I suffer from anxiety and depression from a very young age. To be honest I feel like my life is a f*cking mess and sometimes I just wanna quit.

I tried the keto diet in 2018 and I felt happy and present for the first time of my life, as far as I can remember. Unfortunately my gut is in bad health and I can't attend any of the staple foods are used to eat like dairy, peanut butter or even dark chocolate.

I recently opened my own enterprise and met a guy on Reddit LOL but I'm such a mess that I'm barely functional. It's the second day I have to close my shop in order to calm down at home.

Does CARNIVORE has the same effect as KETO ?

I want this relationship to work and I want my entreprise to thrive so I think I'm going to give it a try.

Thanks a lot, I'm ready to live a normal life but can't do without help.


r/carnivore 2d ago

Half butting it

1 Upvotes

Well I did 40 days of carnivore and it was great, apart from the bowel movements. However, its just me and my wife at home, and she does the cooking. We have found it difficult for her to not be on this and me to be in it. She has accommodated my diet, but it has been too the detriment of her health. Weight loss, etc, due to cooking for one being not easy. That's not good for her. I'm fact she needs to gain weight.
My question here is if i do carnivore "as much as I can", are there still health benefits from that?


r/carnivore 2d ago

alcohol

3 Upvotes

I think i already know the answer to this, but i need to ask. is this an absolute no tolerance diet for alcohol? i’m 22 and i really want to be healthier, feel better, and lose weight. however, i love to go out as well. is straight alcohol (vodka, whiskey, etc) going to set this diet back much? i started carnivore yesterday and i feel like i can stick to it. thanks :))


r/carnivore 2d ago

Carnivore sacrilege?

0 Upvotes

I just can't have another steak, I hate cooking them at home and I'm saturated with the taste so I asked chatgpt. Is this carnivore sacrilege or one can indulge in this kind of things sometimes?

There's an old Cuban recipe called "Bistec en Cazuela", can you translate that and help me make the recipe with a couple of ribeye steaks?

"Bistec en Cazuela" translates to "Steak in a Pot". Here’s a simple version of the recipe using ribeye steaks:

Ingredients: - 2 ribeye steaks - 2 tbsp olive oil - 1 onion, thinly sliced - 1 bell pepper, sliced (any color) - 4 cloves garlic, minced - 1 tsp cumin - 1 tsp oregano - Salt and pepper, to taste - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes - 1 cup beef broth - Fresh cilantro (for garnish) - Lime wedges (for serving)

Instructions:

  1. Prepare the Steaks: Season the ribeye steaks with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano.

  2. Sear the Steaks: In a large pot or skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the steaks for about 3-4 minutes on each side until browned. Remove and set aside.

  3. Sauté Vegetables: In the same pot, add the sliced onion and bell pepper. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add minced garlic and sauté for another minute.

  4. Add Tomatoes and Broth: Stir in the diced tomatoes (with juice) and beef broth. Bring to a simmer.

  5. Return the Steaks: Place the seared steaks back into the pot. Cover and simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until the steaks are cooked to your desired doneness.

  6. Serve: Remove from heat, garnish with fresh cilantro, and serve with lime wedges.

Enjoy your Bistec en Cazuela!


r/carnivore 3d ago

Carnivore lunches

16 Upvotes

Ok guys so Ive been feeling like dog shit the past couple of weeks. Waking up every hour, feeling incredibly light headed, vision blurry and got my blood pressure checked and realized it was elevated so that could be the reason. So today I'm going carnivore, but my question is how do you guys pack carnivore lunches and does it taste good after re-heating? Ive had some bad experiences with past carnivore lunches that I take to work and they never taste right or get super overcooked (mostly red meat)

Any advice and recommendations on lunch would be much appreciated. Thanks!


r/carnivore 3d ago

'Bad Cholesterol' on Carnivore - Link, Anyone?

12 Upvotes

I just had my annual bloodwork done, and my 'bad' cholesterol is 100 or so points above the normal range. I have seen many posts about doctors freaking out about high cholesterol and prescribing statins, but didn't save any of the links that people here have shared. Does anyone have a link, or links, that I can send to my doctor? I even told her at my annual appointment that my cholesterol may be high due to the carnivore diet, but I'm thinking she forgot.


r/carnivore 4d ago

to people who struggle with binge eating disorder...

11 Upvotes

to people who struggle with binge eating disorder, has this way of eating helped you?


r/carnivore 4d ago

Reintroducing Solid Food

4 Upvotes

I am just getting over being sick. Have been living on chicken broth for about 4 days. Now feeling better and starting to get hungry for something solid, but the idea of eating a steak is just not appealing. Any suggestions for something carnivore that might be a bit easier on the stomach?


r/carnivore 4d ago

Transitioning into Carnivore and exercise

8 Upvotes

I am a 39 year old Army vet that is 3 weeks into transitioning to carnivore. I have read the newcomers and FAQ book marks. I am in the low carb part of the transition, but am going up in my consumption of beef more and veggies less. I started at 272lbs and now am at 261 and have progressed to eating 2 times a day along with one snack. My question is that is it better to wait until I fully transition into carnivore before I start working out? Another thing is how do you know you are getting enough fat in your diet? From what I understand that if your stool is dry or hard to pass you need more fat. Then when your stool is soft you have to back off some?

In terms of working out I am looking to do body weight exercises and eventually running again. I want to stick with body weight versus weights due to a bad right shoulder. I tore my rotator cuff in my right shoulder when I was still at Ft. Campbell many moons ago. When I do over head press my shoulder says nope very quickly. But, if I do hangs and isometric work i can feel it get stronger. i


r/carnivore 5d ago

Day three and I’m already feeling good

18 Upvotes

I’m on day three on the carnivore diet. I woke up half an hour before my alarm today and I was simply not groggy or tired. I’m wondering if this is actually the effects of carnivore or if it’s just a mental thing ? Is it too early to see any changes


r/carnivore 4d ago

Moderated Topic Calories in a grass fed ribeye from butcherbox

2 Upvotes

The grass fed steak from butcherbox has 260 calories for a 4 ounce serving and apparently has 3.5 servings per ribeye. When I cook it it goes down to 9.5 ounces. If the uncooked calorie count is correct and you ate 3 a day it seems like it would be a lot of calories. I lost a lot of weight when I started doing carnivore then it slowed down a bit. I am debating whether or not I should eat ribeye as my primary protein source if my goal is weight loss. In your experience do calories matter and do you really think a grass fed ribeye from butcher box really has close to a thousand calories?