Day 60 Without Carbs

It is day 60 on the Carnivore diet! I feel great. I have lost approximately 21 pounds. My joints are feeling better, and I am no longer having so many cravings for junk food.

I have been exercising for a little over a month (walking mostly). I have also started lifting weights, which I think I mentioned in my last post, and I have plenty of energy.

This feels different. The last time I exercised regularly in the gym (2015), my body operated on sugar and carbs. In fact, sometimes, after a workout, I would go and grab a smoothie because I thought it was healthy. I thought I needed carbs and a little sugar to keep the energy flowing. That is clear in some of my posts from that time frame. I didn’t know much about nutrition at that time. I was fully persuaded by the calories in, calories out philosophy. The body does not work that way.

Now I know more about how food fuels my body. While walking with my daughter this morning, I noticed that I could keep up with her pace. I didn’t even tell her she was moving a little fast for me. Remembering that I have been off of sugar, carbs, and processed foods for 60 days, I realized that I must be burning fat for fuel and that energy was readily available.

There is only one way to ensure the body burns fat for fuel: change the type of food you’re putting into it. Carbohydrates and sugars are easier to burn and readily available if they are present. When they are present in the liver, the body will choose to burn that fuel first. However, I have learned to get my body fat adapted by eating foods without carbs and sugar. Of course, processed foods are out.

I first got a clue about this when I was on the ketogenic diet. However, keto had too many potholes—too many sweet treats and substitutions for foods I should have given up anyway. It turns out that consuming substitutions for sugar is just as bad as the real thing. Keto is a good diet if you don’t eat keto junk. At a point with keto junk, you end up eating as badly as on the standard American diet.

This time around, as long as I don’t undereat, my body is burning fat. My diet is higher in fat, almost no carbs, and zero sugar. It is a given that I don’t consume any processed foods (99% of the time). Since nearly zero sugars are available for fuel, my body has to turn to my fat stores for fuel.

If I happen to undereat, I will have no energy to work out, and I will feel tired and sleepy. I try to maintain a fat intake of at least a 1:1 ratio to protein. Typically, I like to keep my fat intake a little higher. And if you haven’t realized it, I am consuming saturated fats and animal fats. Seed oils and any other non-animal fat oils are out. Sometimes, I do use olive oil (the real thing). However, I stick to beef fat and butter for cooking.

As I mentioned in earlier posts, my blood pressure improved! It has been in an optimal range for the past couple of weeks. I could hardly believe it. I admit I was a little scared that all the meat and fat was going to make things worse.

I need to take some measurements to see how much things are changing. I’m noticing subtle changes in the mirror around my face, chest, and upper abdomen. Also, I feel sections of fat missing from my upper and outer thighs. I know that sounds a little weird, but it’s true.

I will continue on to day 90. After day 90, I hope to continue on to day 120 and then 180. It will be interesting to see this diet’s effects on the body after 6 months. For now, one day at a time.