38 Days & Reality

Thirty-eight freaking days of the carnivore diet, nothing but meat, and I didn’t lose as much weight as I would have liked. I’ve lost 13 pounds, and 3 of them keep coming back! Some people might think, “Wow! 13 pounds is good!” The problem is my weight loss has stalled. Also, I wanted the weight loss to happen faster.

I keep checking the mirror, the fit of my clothing, and the tape measure, and nothing seems to be happening. However, it IS only 38 days. That’s close to 5 1/2 weeks, around 2.3 pounds of weight loss per week. Shouldn’t I be satisfied with those results?

I don’t know why I keep expecting it to happen so quickly. I didn’t get this fat in only 38 days. It has been many years! I have spent decades destroying my health and appearance. Why would I expect to reverse so much damage in such a short period?

I am glad that I decided to make this log. As I sit here processing my thoughts and disappointments, I am becoming aware of how long it has been since I cared to take care of my health. Don’t get me wrong, I have been fighting to lose weight for several years. However, I don’t think I ever stopped to consider how long I have been overweight, unhealthy, and not understanding what to do about it. My expectations about how quickly weight loss should happen could be more realistic.

I have learned that eating cannot be one of life’s pleasures for me. For me, eating can only be a tool for sustaining my health. It may be a long time until I develop a habit of eating food for pure nourishment instead of pleasure or entertainment. To have grown up poor, I indeed developed an eating habit for pleasure. As I look back, I consider Tony before 2015 a glutton.

Of course, there are some addiction issues to sugar, highly processed foods, and foods high in carbohydrates. Our standard American diet is addictive. I cannot do moderation, at least not with the types of food I just listed. Somehow, on the carnivore diet, I can eat until I am satiated, and it does not take very long. Eating beyond satiety is also very difficult.

So, I will continue. Probably, I will not see much difference when I hit day 60. Maybe I won’t see what this diet can do until I’ve been on it for about six months. However, after month three, I would like to see some significant changes. I may see more results by the time I hit day 60. Who knows?

Oh, I just remembered that I should mention the one consistent positive. My blood pressure! My blood pressure for three weeks has been consistently very near normal. I have seen numbers that I didn’t even know were possible for someone my age and who is severely overweight. So that’s something.

And one other thing: my back feels so much better. I have been able to walk further without debilitating pain. One day, a few weeks ago, I ran for about 5 minutes. It wasn’t far, but it was a run. I will not try it again until I’m stronger and weigh less (painful knees).

Until next time.