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I was unknowingly almost vegetarian, before going carnivore
519 sats \ 11 comments \ @Signal312 23 Mar HealthAndFitness
I've been carnivore for more than 14 months now. One thing that's struck me recently is that I'm realizing more and more that - before going carnivore, I ate barely any meat.
Even though I wasn't consciously vegan or vegetarian, and had no moral issues eating meat, I was still "vegetarian adjacent".
The reason I wasn't eating much meat is this - I had absorbed all the propaganda about meat and animal products being unhealthy for you, and really tried to use them just "as a condiment". I would regularly take a recipe (like spaghetti sauce, for instance) and cut the amount of ground beef in half. I was convinced that beef was unhealthy, and should only be eaten as a treat - kind of in line with the US nutritional guidelines. For sandwiches, I would limit the meat in it (usually some kind of pressed chicken or turkey product) to just a couple thin slices.
Back then, breakfast was oatmeal, with all the "superfoods" like chia seeds, almonds, blueberries. Now for breakfast I eat lots of eggs, and usually some beef, with plenty of beef fat or butter.
My health was still better than most people's, because even though I didn't eat much meat or animal products, I did very conscientiously avoid processed junk food, and that's a huge help, at least for not getting fat.
But still, I experienced a massive boost in energy just in the first 3 weeks, of just doing "much more meat". This is BEFORE I went full carnviore, but after I had been convinced (by Nina Teicholtz's book The Big Fat Surprise) that I should eat more meat (and be less concerned about eating loads of whole grains, fruits and veggies).
My link on what a revelation that book was is here: #320715)
I think so many people are in a similar situation to where I was, back then. They think they're not vegetarian, but they're almost there. Meat is really limited, they're eating lots of pastries and sweets, salty snacks, "smoothies", and the like.
Here's my carnivore related posts, in reverse chronological order: There's currently a propaganda campaign against low-carb diets I would continue with Carnivore even if I got only this ONE benefit Weird, oddball health improvements I've experienced on the Carnivore diet Carnivore diet - looks like it fixed this nighttime disorder for me Carnivore diet - believe it or not, it healed this oddball disorder for me Can a keto/carnivore diet heal issues like depression, anxiety, OCD, bipolar? Latest steps in my carnivore path Carnivore achievements unlocked Taking a temporary break from mostly-carnivore diet during holidays Sugar and Alzheimers Kinda-carnivore diet is leading to WAY more energy Question for carnivores/carnivore-curious folks I'm transitioning ... to a more MEAT centric diet This book is blowing my mind - The Big Fat Surprise by Nina Teicholtz
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68 sats \ 2 replies \ @Butterfinger 22h
I have started carnivore in the last week, no words for how better I am feeling. I get scared in the fist days as I am skinny, lost 2 kg in the first days but gain 1 back so far. I had some ear fungus problems since I was a child, for the first time it's gone, it can't be a coincidence as well as other skin problems. I feel so good overall, less tired and my intestine is working much better...how I never tried it before. Last week in my biking training I felt so weak and almost gave up, then read that the first days there is a huge adaptating period. True my last training I felt like a teenager biking, today will be my second training after adaptation.
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 13h
I'm so glad to hear it!
I'm so accustomed to the improvements that I've had with carnivore that it's like white noise to me, and I don't necessarily appreciate it as much. So it's always great to hear from others who have had good results.
There's definitely a HUGE adaptation period at the very beginning, if you go "cold turkey", i.e. start carnivore from one day to the next. It's called "keto flu". I didn't have it because I transitioned slowly, but I know people who had it, very strongly.
In terms of athletic performance, apparently people do recover and SURPASS their athletic performance, after going carnivore. But your body takes a while to adapt, sometimes even months.
Dr. Anthony Chaffee (Plant Free MD podcast) has lots of interviews with carnivore athletes, and goes into detail on this.
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34 sats \ 0 replies \ @Butterfinger 12h
Indeed, today I went biking again, did a bit more than last time but still not as before. I feel much more energy in the beginning but then after around 40minutes I start to feel tired. But I feel I have more tonus now, maybe it's placebo maybe not.
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68 sats \ 0 replies \ @BitByBit21 23 Mar
Same happened to me. I've been on a carnivore diet for 6 months now and don't regret it at all.
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34 sats \ 2 replies \ @Bitcoiner1 23 Mar
Few questions for you: *Have you read Fiat Food? What do you think about it?
*Have you noticed a change in your sexual appetite?
  • Are you spending more money in food now?
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0 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 23 Mar
Yes, I did read Fiat Food. I remember liking it, although I was also reading it amongst a flood of other pro carnivore books, so it got lost in the mix a little bit.
Sexual appetite...not really, pretty healthy before and after
More money on food...that's a tough one. I would say that's a big "it depends". If you're previously buying a lot of highly processed food, and then switch to whole (inexpensive, like ground beef) carnivore foods, then you could easily be saving money.
But most of the claims that you can save huge amounts of money are made by people who healed themselves from chronic disease by going carnivore. If you spend potentially hundreds or thousands a month on medications, then not needing those any more could save a lot of money.
I wasn't on any medications. But I also bulk purchased grains like rice, and wheat, and processed it myself, and that's pretty cheap. Now I'm not doing that anymore.
I think as a whole, we might be spending less now, because:
  • Nothing goes bad, or freezer burned. Fruits and veggies go bad so easily, meat stays good almost forever, if you store it properly.
  • the number of different types of items that we buy at the grocery store is so much less. Total of maybe 10 items (ground beef, eggs, butter, etc). It's easier to keep track of prices, and know where to go to shop and stock up.
For instance - ground beef now, at one specific local grocery, is at $3/lb. That's really cheap, so we stock up and freeze loads.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @Bitcoiner1 23 Mar
Thanks for your great reply.
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34 sats \ 2 replies \ @030e0dca83 23 Mar
People around me constantly talking about healthy oatmeal, greens, beans, etc. When I ask them what made it healthy they have no answer, they have listened somewhere it and repeat this narratives. I like how they about unhealthy eggs and red meat ...
The most ironic part of this story I was one of them before it became suspicious and I discovered carnivore diet
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8 sats \ 1 reply \ @Signal312 OP 23 Mar
Me too. I was totally - hook, line and sinker - all for that pro-plant narrative.
What opened the door for me was knowing that some, or maybe (?) even many bitcoiners are carnivores.
And then, going along with the "door opening" theme--Nina Teicholtz, in her book The Big Fat Surprise, beckoned me into the room, and showed me all around.
Then I was convinced, although it was a slow transition.
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0 sats \ 0 replies \ @030e0dca83 23 Mar
Sugar sellers were frightening me: You'll die without carbs and fiber foods. Now I understand growing meat is harder than sugar so they had to convince us how carbs much better for our body
I heard many times that animal fat is good for our lungs and you'll never become fat because of eating animal fat. I heard from authoritative man that red meat make positive effect on human body. But my frightened eyes tell me it can't be true, this sophisticated people are ignorant about food. Dr. Shawn Baker was the last straw. Since 2023 I can't see on sugar (read carbs) the same way
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34 sats \ 0 replies \ @denlillaapan 23 Mar
Wonderful, man. Glad to hear it
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