Category Archives: Weight Loss & Fat Loss

How to do the Carnivore Diet

As of this writing of How to do the Carnivore Diet, I have been a fairly strict carnivore (meaning 99.9% of my diet) has been meat-based for 1 year and 4 months – and I’m not dead.

What you’re about to learn is a 12 week transition…BUT, you can certainly scrap the transition and go ALL in day 1, take 4 weeks or 8…It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you do what’s right for you so I’ve given you the information you need. Now it’s time for your to decide and take action – keep reading…

I’m 52 years old, and my health has surged to the point where I now feel as good as I did in my late 20’s, I move like I did back then, and I have rid myself of all the typical problems my age group has developed over the last several decades: joint aches and pains, stiffness, allergies, inflammatory problems, GERD, belly fat, back fat, neck fat, bloat, lack of energy and just a general slowing down. Sounds like a typical description of aging, right?

I practiced and preached plant-based, whole-food, complex carbohydrates, colorful diet, limited lean meats, saturated fat avoidance, whole-food supplementation, high fiber dietary approach. I experience the worst collection of ill health maladies over a decade, and I had to make a change. 

Moreover, ALL of my wellness, dietary and physical therapy clients that I worked with using plant-based approach always struggled once they got past the honeymoon phase (feeling better after eliminating junk.)  Once I found the truth and started implementing more sound, sane, species-specific dietary practices, the struggles were eliminated 100% of the time.  It was hard to believe such a simple change was that powerful. 

I document my daily/weekly diet and results on Instagram so follow along if you dare:

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What You’ve Been Taught is Not Working

You’ve undoubtedly been taught, much like I was, that meat should be limited. You’ve learned that you need a “balanced diet” that included carbs, proteins, and a little fat (but NO saturated fat.) Vegetables, whole grains, and fruits are supposed to be emphasized with very little meat (and of that meat, fish is recommended over red meat.)

One serious result of this faulty belief is called sarcopenia – loss of muscle. And it’s why people get weaker, experience more illness, and fall as they get older. They don’t get enough protein – namely animal-based protein. It’s even know in the medical community that this is happening, but our answer is to supplement with cheap protein like Ensure:

Gotta love those “healthy” ingredients.

Another serious result of this belief is the climbing rate of obesity, heart disease, cancer, diabetes, neurodegenerative disease, and auto-immune disease.

It has become so common to hear someone speak of themselves or a relative with one or more of these ailments. But it’s NOT NORMAL! It’s time to put a stop this this growing trend of illness, degeneration, and painful aging.

Your way of eating directly affects your physical and mental health

It’s time to return to a way of eating that is specific to what you need and what you’re made of as a human. You’re not a plant and you’re not processed food. When you eat foods that aren’t essential, you’ll eventually pay the price. Let’s avoid that tax.

Vegetables and grains are considered foods we’ve cultivated to help us survive. Animal-based nutrition helps us thrive.

First let’s remove some of the primary concerns about eating meat – our most natural food.

Meat Does Not Cause Cancer… or Any Other Problems

You may have even heard that too much meat can cause cancer, heart disease, kidney problems, and even diabetes! There is a reason for that, but it has nothing to do with the truth. If meat was such a problem, we wouldn’t be here today as a species as it’s what we subsisted off of for about 1.8 million years prior to settling and becoming farmers (about 10K years ago.)

There is no actual credible, valid, reliable evidence that shows meat causes cancer or any other problem for that matter.

In fact, the Standard American Diet (SAD) consists of 2 oz of meat per day on average. More calories in our western diet actually come from soybean oil of all things!  Up to 70%! The SAD has been largely plant-based for the last several decades so the fear mongers that blame meat for all these problems like heart disease and colorectal cancer apparently have it wrong.

At the time of this writing, residents of Hong Kong lead the world in longevity with an average life expectancy of 83 years. They eat on average 1.5 pounds of meat a day!..And no it’s not all fish.

India has one of the lowest life expectancy ratings coming in at 68, and they are largely a vegetarian population (source UN data 2010-2015 Life Expectancy in Years.)

There is NO EVIDENCE that meat causes any problems whatsoever. Even the World Health Organization has red meat classified as a Class 2 carcinogen, and the science they used to support this is woefully inept. In fact a close look at these studies reveals that pizza was considered “red meat” in some of the surveys! They also didn’t account other lifestyle factors such as smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and other risky behaviors. Besides, who can remember what they ate exactly last month much less last year?! That’s what these studies are – questionnaires.

In fact, beef consumption has been on the decline for decades, yet chronic disease continues to rise. Meat is NOT the problem.  Moreover, the number of cows have significantly decreased, so they can’t be blamed for climate change as some would have you believe. There are approximately ninety million cows in the U.S. today, down from a high of about one hundred forty million in 1974.

 

Many people think that diets have actually been studied by people in white lab coats running randomized, double blind, controlled studies with actual humans in large numbers, similar genetics, and similar age and lifestyles – NOPE. Never been done and never will be.

how to do the carnivore diet

There is NOT ONE GOOD STUDY that proves meat (red meat or process meat) causes cancer or any other problem

Moreover, these studies are epidemiological, and they DO NOT point to the CAUSE of cancer or other problems. Most all nutritional studies are designed like this unfortunately.

For details on problems with these types of studies in nutrition Go HERE. In many cases, the data was cherry-picked to try and show correlation but the evidence again was statistically insignificant.

However the largely vegetarian board of the WHO chose to put the word out to all the governments of the world that red meat is bad and that we should eat our vegetables and shut up. Sound familiar? Of course it does! You were told that as a child! Guess what, you were right!

Veggies aren’t so good as we thought after all!

You’ve also been instructed that you should eat less, spread it throughout the day (3 meals and 2-3 small snacks) and exercise more to be truly healthy. In fact, depending on your age, your supposed to be doing around 20-40 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 times a week and more! Whew!…Again all while eating less! Talk about suffering! Moreover, that’s the reason why we have so much obesity, chronic disease, and general health decline –

Eat Less and Exercise More DOES NOT WORK!

As a physical therapist, I know that exercise is a modality or a procedure I can use in a very specific way to improve the health of a particular part of the body that needs to heal and recover from a problem. However, if someone is simply unhealthy due to a host of systemic issues, exercise will not be very effective.

Exercise is good to enhance health where health is already present. It cannot create health if there is none to begin. Diet is where health begins. Diet is first, exercise is second.

Have you ever heard “You can’t out exercise a bad diet?”… It’s True.

What About Cholesterol?

What we know about cholesterol today is that it’s bad and it clogs our heart arteries and causes heart disease and death for those who eat too much meat, right? WRONG!

This practice is called the Lipid Hypothesis, and it’s the basis for all medical education, hence why your physician is trained to put you on a statin if your total cholesterol goes over 200. The intent is to stifle your production of cholesterol to prevent its buildup and subsequent heart disease.

Based on this hypothesis, you can keep eating your crap, take a statin, and live longer with less disease. Guess what? It’s not working. Statins are not preventing heart disease or extending life. Why? The Lipid Hypothesis was proven wrong.

Eating animal fat and cholesterol is actually healthy and does not cause heart disease! The plaques of cholesterol are a result of your body’s natural repair process to fix vascular damage from eating grains, vegetable/seed oils, and sugar! Inflammation!

how to do the carnivore diet

Cholesterol is just doing its job!

Simply quit eating crappy, damaging food and the problem is fixed, but it has nothing to do with cholesterol. Even in the famous Framingham Study from which all this info comes from, there was no difference in the mortality rates of those with a cholesterol of 180 vs 1000! You never heard this, did you? Nope. Even the director of the study reports that those who ate a higher fat diet lived longer with less problems than those who didn’t.

For a FULL Unbiased look at ALL the research, check out Dr. Zoe Harcombe PhD’s excellent work HERE

Understand that high cholesterol while still eating high carbs, processed foods, fast foods, junk, and meat is NOT GOOD! The problem is that the meat is getting blamed for the high cholesterol, not the junk! Stop eating junk, and stick to good meats, and cholesterol then becomes meaningless. In fact your cells and your brain are made from a lot of cholesterol. We need it!

It’s Time to Unlearn and Relearn

When looking at how to do the carnivore diet, it’s actually super simple. The hard part is to get past your fixed beliefs and your general knowledge that runs counter to what you’re about to learn! This is not really a diet as much as it is a return to a very normal way of eating. It’s NOT a FAD!

Meat eating for health has been around a long time, including modern times. In the late 1800’s Dr. Salisbury was using a meat-based approach (broiled meat and hot water) to address almost any medical ailment you can think of. He had an extremely successful cure rate. Of course, you’ve probably heard of the Atkins Diet by Dr. Atkins. People to this day still use the Atkins diet to improve their weight and their health!

By the way, medical doctors are not nutrition experts. They are experts in diagnosing and treating pathology. Treatment interventions boil down to medication, injection, or surgery. Lifestyle medicine is not yet a reimbursable form of treatment, but it’s getting there! However, when an MD or DO departs from their traditional mainstream training, and they put these methods into practice with results, you have a super expert. Physicians are the highest most rigorously trained health professionals, so they are still a great resource. Most are willing to listen to you and learn from you if your methods result in health improvement. Low Carb USA is a great resource in finding progressive physicians and qualified health care practitioners in your area.

The ONLY professionals that have a medical training background, who spend 45 min to an hour with a patient, use natural means of healing, and who focus on prevention as well as lifestyle changes are Doctors of Physical Therapy (PT’s.) However, not all PT’s practice at a high level. Many do not engage in nutritional education.

All Diets Work and All Diets Fail!

You can lose weight on any diet and like 99% of all diet participants, you’ll typically quit and regain the weight. They’re not sustainable. The carnivore diet was sustainable for more than a million years, so no worries on the “can I stay on this diet?” concern.

Contrary to contemporary diets, the Carnivore Diet does not reduce your calories and it doesn’t give you a complex array of rules. The more complex a diet is, the more apt you are to fail sooner!

You see so many people walking around, counting their steps, counting their macros, weighing their food, eating a lot of salads, making green smoothies, and even counting old school calories! Everyone is trying keep variety, color, and a balanced diet approach, again which has never worked in terms of achieving optimum health.

Complexity yields failure in dieting

The Carnivore Diet is disqualified as a diet by conventional standards, so it won’t fail. There is a chance you may decide it’s not for you and that’s fine. Food addiction is strong, and it does take effort on your part to break that addiction. The good news is that the Carnivore Diet is perfect for breaking food and carb addiction! Keep reading…

FACT: Carbohydrates are NOT ESSENTIAL

You learned that your primary fuel source is that of carbohydrates. You’ve probably also learned that there are healthy carbs and bad carbs. With all the talk about carbs today, I’ll keep it simple and just say that CARBS are NOT ESSENTIAL. They have no significant nutritional value other than energy, and you know what happens when you consume more energy than you use – you store it as FAT!

There are 2 essential foods in the human diet. We need these to survive and thrive! These 2 foods are animal fat and protein

Your early human ancestors (homosapiens) prior to agriculture were known as hunter-gatherers, and evidence shows that they were more hunter than gatherer. In other words, their diet was largely animal-based, and megafauna was the meal of the day – i.e. mastodons, woolly mammoths and the like. This food in terms of energy and survival made sense than trying to acquire the same number of calories by way of collecting vegetation.

The amount of time and energy it took to take down a slow moving herbivore was a lot less than spending hours and hours foraging for food with very little nutritional density. So it made sense to kill and eat the big boys that were eating all that stuff.

The Problem!

The problems is that we are now surrounded by food and most of it is carbohydrate and refined processed junk! We no longer have to hunt to survive. We can push a button on our phone and have any type of food brought to us.

We have refrigerators and ways of storing and processing food in order to store for long periods of time. And of course, with carbs as an immediate energy source, and with sugar being more addictive than cocaine, we often go for the sweet satisfying foods.

Our genetics are still basically the same as our ancestors, so we are designed to eat anything and everything in sight! There was no guarantee we’d have food the next few days or even longer.

Our bodies are designed to handle scarcity better than they are designed to handle over-feeding (hence all the problems such as diabetes, obesity, cancer, and stroke.) This is why so many people have reversed their health and weight problems using fasting strategies and ketogenic and carnivore dieting.

#1 They are eliminating carbs for the most part, and #2 they are using our inherent survival design of being in a healthy fasted state – this is to prepare you for the hunt and keep you alive until you acquire your next kill or meal. Insulin levels drop, human growth hormone and adrenaline ramp up – you are ready and focused!

In a fasted state, your human growth hormone levels elevate to 5 times their original levels and adrenaline kicks up – this is why you don’t lose muscle and you feel energized around the 3rd day and more of being fasted. Granted, most people use an intermittent fasting strategy that’s closer to a normal human eating frequency, but it’s still a lot.

More on this later, but just know that when learning how to do the carnivore diet, you don’t have restrictions on time or volume, and most end up eating around 1-2 times a day.

You Are a Scavenger

Carnivore, herbivore, or omnivore? Which one are you really?! You are actually an opportunistic carnivore but you have the stomach pH (acid and base level) that resembles more of what’s known as a scavenger – like a hyena or a crow. It’s very low (acidic.) We can handle some really nasty stuff, and that’s what such a low pH is for – to kill off unnecessary bacteria and other harmful substances. Carnivore’s like wolves and tigers have a little higher pH than us. Herbivores like our ape cousins, zebras, and cows have a fairly high pH.

Proof: look up any video on “high meat” and be prepared to be blown away. This is not for those with a weak constitution – it’s basically people who eat fermented meat, yes rotten meat, as many of our ancestors did. They call it high meat because you can literally feel a little euphoria after ingesting it.

Don’t worry! This is not a part of the Carnivore Diet. It’s allowed if you really want to be adventurous.

The Difference Between Carnivore and Zero Carb

You may hear the Carnivore Diet also described as the zero carb diet. When you are practicing a carnivorous diet, you aren’t eating carbs, so basically you are zero carb dieting. However, you can also be on a zero carb diet eating many calorie free foods and drinks such as certain vegatables, processed foods, and diet sodas. You can eat a really crappy unhealthy diet and be considered zero carb. The Carnivore Diet is NOT an unhealthy diet. In fact, it is the most nutrient dense way of eating you can practice in this day and time. Remember, we NEED the essentials and these are ONLY found in animal protein and fat. The best source for these 2 essentials is red meat from ruminant animals (i.e. cow, sheep, bison, goat, deer, mastodon, woolly mammoth – of which only the first 5 are available today 😉

The Carnivore Diet is a zero carb diet, but a zero carb diet is not a Carnivore Diet

What About Vitamins, Minerals, and Fiber?

I could write a book on this, and many already have . We now know that what we’ve learned about vitamins and minerals is mostly not applicable. The paper value of the amount of vitamins and minerals you might see for vegetables and fruits does not necessarily equate to what is actually used by your body.

In the 1950s is when the vitamin craze hit, and marketing strategies focused on getting people to buy food stuffs with the most vitamins regardless of what the food was made of.

how to do the carnivore diet

In 2007, what you know as the Recommended Daily Allowance (put forth by the USDA) of all vitamins and minerals was deemed ineffective by the Institute of Medicine. These values of vitamin C, B12, D, Calcium, etc are all basically based on “their best guess.” Not only that, but the methods used to obtain these values were based on carbohydrate-consuming populations. There is no data on populations that consume a low-carb or carnivore type diet.

Your way of eating will dictate your vitamin and mineral needs, and there is no valid set of nutritional requirements

For instance, we now know that carnivore dieters who eat meat only do not get scurvy (vitamin C deficiency,) and they do no develop atherosclerosis (hardening and clogging of the arteries.) You would think based on the information you have about vitamin C from the 1940’s (RDA for vitamin C is 65-90 mg per day with upper limit of 2000) that a meat-only diet would cause you some problems here, but it does not.  Meat actually has vitamin C in it (even though the USDA never tested for it!) and it’s why fresh meat prevents and cures scurvy. This was found by the sailors of old who would get scurvy eating dried/jerky meats on long trips. They were cured with either fresh meat or fruits like oranges. Guess which food got the credit?

Eating a meat-only diet does not lead to nutritional deficiencies

This is evidenced anecdotally in people like Charles Washington who is in his 60’s and doesn’t look a day over 35 (an over 20 year carnivore.) Joe Andersen and his wife Charlene who healed all sorts of issues and look, function, and feel amazing – they are also 20+ year strict carnivores. These people can be found and followed on Facebook and Instagram.

What you never learned is that vegetables contain anti-nutrients and other constituents (natural pesticides) that deter animals, including you, from eating it! It’s why most vegetables in their original state are virtually inedible. These anti-nutrients can prevent absorption of vitamins and minerals. Not only that, it’s now known that some of these substances cause inflammatory and other problems in humans! Did you realize that only 1% of the worlds plants are actually edible. 99% of the worlds meat is edible. Hmmm.

How to Do the Carnivore Diet

I will give you my approach as I’ve used it a few different ways in practice. Absorb this information and make a decision on how you’d like to proceed.

The 12 Week Full Elimination Protocol

This is a gradual process of eliminating any and all food substances that could be affecting your health adversely over a 12 week period. You see people doing 1 and 4 week carnivore challenges, and that’s cute, but it doesn’t do anything to actually achieve the full effect of expressing the healthiest you. It takes 3 months for new cells to regenerate and those cells will be genetically expressed based on how you fuel them.

Now that your removing all but your primal, original fuel source, these will be your best cells. Honestly, it’s a 6 month process to really see how healthy you can be although most people notice results in just a few days to weeks!

Every one is different, but we are all the SAME SPECIES! So yes, we all need and thrive on meat! Now what you’ve been eating and what you’ve been made of over the last few years is going to dictate your response.

Please note that every animal has a species-specific diet – we’re the only animals that have mucked it up. The Plant-based community and money-backed vegan propaganda machines are in full force trying to convince you that you are a plant. You need to eat mostly plants and avoid the natural order by avoiding animal based produce so they can all roam free. Yeah, that sounds sane – NOT!

Follow the money and you’ll see there is much more $ in the profit margin of grain as well as plants in general. James Cameron, has invested 140 million in a pea protein company so here come the vegans and tons of ads to support veganism and plant-based dieting!

Want to cure veganism? Take away their blenders 😉

Back to sanity – Eat meat, get healthy, live a great disease-free, energetic life. Here’s how:

The Carnivore Diet Rules

PHASE I: The first 4 weeks on the Carnivore Diet

You will eat only meat, eggs, real butter, and hard aged cheeses for the first 4 weeks.

What to drink? You can keep coffee in the mix for the first 4 weeks if you’re really an addict. I understand. I was. Your liquid consumption should be limited to water – carbonated water is fine.

Eat to satiety! There is no rule and when or how much to eat.

Use plenty of salt! I recommend Redmond Real Salt. Any good sea or Celtic salt is fine. Avoid refined salt like Morton’s. Salt is your new sugar.

If you get hungry or get a craving (more on this later,) eat more meat and don’t forget SALT.

Grassfed or Store Bought? It doesn’t matter. There is an argument for grass fed having a better nutrient profile, but for the sake of what we’re doing here. It doesn’t matter. I personally preferred grass-fed/grain-finished. There is more to this, but that’s not within the scope of this article.

For the record: I fully recommend pastured animals that were raised by a farm or farmer that practices regenerative agriculture. If you have a relationship with a local farm, farmer, or butcher that uses local resources – you’re in good hands.

The cheapest meat at the store is better than eating a bunch of non-essential foods that could be causing health issues!

Ideas: Steak and Eggs!, ground beef with shredded aged cheddar and eggs! Cheeseburger patties! Steak cuts dropped in scrambled eggs with aged cheddar shredded over it – ALL with SALT! There are super good ideas and recipes if you need at MeatRx.com

Emphasize Red Meat from ruminant animals!

Cow, lamb, deer, bison, goat are the common ones.

Economic version: just stick to ground beef and eggs! Make burger patties, mix it up, prepare the eggs any way you want – the main ingredient is SALT.

If you’re concerned about too much salt intake, be sure to read “The Salt Fix” – it’s on the banner to your right. Salt is not a problem typically – more bad info we’ve been fed for many years without any evidence.

Other meats that are fine: chicken, bacon, ham, pork, and duck – these are meats from monogastric (one chambered stomach animals) animals. These meats should not be emphasized but they are fine to include. They’re considered “neutral.”

Organ Meats are great but not required

You’ll see various “experts” saying you need to eat nose-to-tail to get the most nutritional benefit from the Carnivore Diet; however, previous carnivore dieters of 20 years and more did not practice this way and they experienced no problems. Yes, organ meats, especially the liver, contain a surplus of vitamins and minerals that are perfectly absorbed (unlike veggies and fruits,) but organ meats have not been proven “essential” for optimal health.

I personally eat liver (both chicken and beef) maybe once a month -depends on convenience. I DO NOT eat kidney – sometimes you get a nasty urea hit. Heart is pretty good and you can get it blended with beef by US Wellness Meats

Phase 2: Weeks 4-8 on the Carnivore Diet

All the rules above remain!

You simply eliminate cheese. Yes you can keep your coffee, butter, eggs, and other meats.

Phase 3: Weeks 8-12 on the Carnivore Diet

Now it’s time to go FULL CARNIVORE – Red Meat and Water ONLY. Yes drop the coffee and deal with the oncoming headache and malaise! This will not be fun if you’ve been a long term coffee drinker. You can always put coffee back in later. First let’s get all plant-based substances removed.

For the next 4 weeks it’s all about having fully eliminated any substance that could have been creating a problem. Your body can now fully repair and recover without having to deal with any foreign or non-essential substance. Meat is the most natural food to your body.

Coffee does affect your gut bacteria and your adrenals (adrenal fatigue.) This is a great time to allow for a re-set of sorts. Give your body a break. You can always return to drinking coffee perhaps on a more limited scale and without the addiction.

What to Expect on the Carnivore Diet

The Adaptation Phase! This is where your body, especially your gut, adapts to this new way of eating. This usually lasts about 3 weeks.

First of all, if you’ve entered this way of eating from a SAD, you’re going to definitely experience what is known as the carb flu (first week). You’ve been using carbs for a long time as an energy source and now you’re not. Your body will give you signals that it doesn’t approve – fatigue, headache, and a little misery. Fortunately, it’s temporary!

Diarrhea is also a fairly common initial symptom (first 3 weeks.) Your gut/gallbladder has probably never processed this much protein/fat and it has to adapt. Rendered fat (burger meat) is notorious for causing this. Leaner cuts of meat like sirloin and NY Strip are generally well accepted in the beginning – and thereafter!

Weight Loss! Keep in mind, this is not exclusively a weight loss diet. Yes, most do lose substantial amounts of weight. This is more of a health restoration diet – a way to allow your physiology to return to a more normal state without inflammation. It’s a way to set a good healthy foundation from which you will have full control.

Is the Carnivore Diet for Everyone? No. There are some people who are pleased and happy with where they are physically and mentally. I only recommend making changes in your diet when you know you need to take action to improve your health – whether it be simple weight loss or addressing a health concern.

I do not recommend beating other people over the head with this diet as the only diet a human should practice. You know it’s good, I know it’s good, science shows it’s good, history shows that it’s our reason for existing – but nutrition is right next to religion and politics in many circles. Simply lead by example and You do You.

Be prepared for criticism: NO ONE…absolutely NO ONE at the time of this writing understands how healthy this approach is assuming they have the standard education background and have some version of internet access. What you’re doing will not make sense. Either don’t engage or simply let them know you are working on a food allergy protocol. I have a video for my fasting group to send “concerned people” to, and I should have one soon for your concerned people – watch for it soon!

After the 12 Week Carnivore Diet:

You can now re-introduce foods that you choose to eat and see how you react – see how you feel. The most common food/drink that people return to is coffee. Do one at a time for several days. Don’t load up on a variety.

By now, you will have learned so much about this way of eating as well as your own body. Most people simply continue with Carnivore as their base and they eat occasional other foods.

For those who have food allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities – the re-introduction phase is very important. You may have healed and can now eat the formerly provocative food – or you may not! I was lactose intolerant. Now I’m not. I also don’t have Fall Allergies – life changer for sure!

Stay connected and involved with others practicing a carnivore way of life on social media. Focus on those who are succeeding and who have done it for over a year or more.

Be sure to opt in to my Carnivore group above! There is always more to learn!

Cheers! Now go eat a steak!

The Carnivore Diet Book!

At the time of this writing the first copies of The Carnivore Diet by Dr. Shawn Baker are being released! It’s the first book that goes in depth into the complex world of nutrition and simplifies what you need to know about eating an all meat diet. There is no dogma or zealotry and there is definitely no fuzzy science like the vegans use to try and convince you that this way is the best. You are given the truth as it stands, and you can make your own decision about how you can implement this knowledge into a way of improving your health.

A must read book about the carnivore diet

Before Carnivore was cool, there was Mike Sheridan putting out how to get healthy and fit with his book “Eat Meat and Stop Jogging.” My patients and clients will tell you that I don’t use steady state cardio or running/jogging in any of my health and weight loss plans. Why? It doesn’t work and it’s more damaging that beneficial. Mike goes into detail with good scientific references. It’s a great read and must have!

From Keto to Carnivore: My Carnivore Zero Carb 90 Day Experiment

Welcome to my carnivore zero carb 90 Day Experiment! I’m doing this to share my experience in order to learn as well as help you make a good decision for you. I’m interested in this approach due to it’s potential overall health benefits with fat loss being a nice “side effect.”

Week 1

So What is the Zero Carb or Carnivore Diet?

Vegan goes carnivore zero carb
Vegan goes carnivore zero carb

(courtesy of Dr. Shawn Baker @shawnbaker1967)

In short, it’s eliminating non-essential foods and only eating the known essential food since human history began – meat. Most of your questions will be answered as you scroll down. First, most people do this diet to fix a problem (not just weight loss). Problems that are chronic and not healing: arthritis, skin problems, neurological problems, chronic pain syndromes, auto-immune disorders, hormone and metabolic problems, as well as type 2 diabetes are being successfully resolved everyday! This is not hype. Is it for you? Test it to find out. Here is how I’m doing it:

90 Days:
1st 4 weeks: meats, eggs, real butter, coffee, occasional unsweet tea, sparkling water, water, occasional hard cheese
2nd 4 weeks: eliminate eggs and cheese
3rd 4 weeks: eliminate all except meats (grass-fed) and water only

The preferred meats are the fatty ones. Fat heals – more important, saturated fat heals. Hamburger, ribeyes, other steaks, chicken, bacon, pork, chicken, turkey, bison, venison, lamb and some fish (wild caught). Bone broth is also allowed.

Before I go further, if you would be interested in being a part of an Exclusive Keto, Carnivore, and Fasting Club where you would have access to novice level to advanced keto and fasting training, including LIVE, Q&A and training and support; Enter your name, email, an hit “Yes! Please Reserve My Spot.” We are in development right now! We will only be taking a select number for FREE. I love helping people succeed, and you will have access to me and other top keto, carnivore, and fasting pros.

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What to do After 90 Days on the Carnivore Zero Carb Diet:

Start reintroducing foods you want to put back in your diet to test your reaction or sensitivity to it. For example, eggs first. Then coffee. If you want to reintroduce a vegetable, go for it. Also check how you feel if you use supermarket meet vs grass-fed. Some veteran carnivores get just as good results with supermarket meat and some prefer grass-fed.

I’ll be doing weekly videos on my carnivore zero carb experience and results. This is a 90 day experiment. For Day to Day reports follow me on snapchat username wadebaskin.

The word “carnivore” is interchangeable with “zero carb” for most people, but it’s not the same. You can do zero carb with certain vegetables, diet drinks, and other foods and non-foods.  Basically, when you go carnivore zero carb with your way of eating (woe), you are basically eating meat. Carnivore means your nutrition will come from animal-based sources. When doing so, many people experience variable results like this…

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MY INITIAL RESULTS (WATCH VIDEO):

Why Zero Carb AKA Carnivore?

The greatest common denominator in most chronic human disorders is the consumption of carbohydrates.

I’ve decided to simply eliminate what we already know as the problem in today’s modern ailments that plague so much of the population. It goes beyond obesity. I see the ravages of carbohydrate consumption daily in my practice where my patients present with auto-immune diseases, premature aging, skin disorders, metabolic disorders, digestive problems, inflammatory issues; and they’re all on so many medications to “manage” these problems. It’s as if pharmaceuticals are now the primary source of nutrition. This is simply not a sustainable healthy practice.

I looked to where people with these problems were not only getting results, but they were experiencing full remissions – they were cured! I found them. #ketotransformations. First I found ketogenic dieters using combinations of low carb/high fat dieting and intermittent fasting (IF) and getting rid of type 2 diabetes, PCOS, hypothyroid, certain cancers, rheumatoid arthritis, MS, and the list goes on. I engaged with these people to find that they had to find their answers on their own. Their medical providers were not “in the know” about dietary approaches that could help them. In fact, most were against ketogenic or LCHF dieting.

For those who were keto dieters and still had some remaining health issues or weight plateaus, I found they were having success when they shifted to a full zero carb approach and were basically eating meat only. How could this be?! Well, it was true. I found this huge subculture of some of the healthiest people including serious athletes, medical providers, and other very smart people (smarter than me!) thriving with the carnivore zero carb diet approach.

Great interview with noted professor who used carnivore to eliminate his depression and his daughter used to go into full remission on a serious autoimmune disorder. A must watch!

The hardcore keto community is suspect of eating too much meat as this high protein approach might kick them out of ketosis via gluconeogenesis. However, the science here is not supportive of this and results are highly individual. Most carnivores stay in ketosis. Gluconeogenesis happens more on demand vs supply. In other words, just because you eat  what you consider “too much protein” does not mean that the extra will convert to glucose and increase your blood sugar thus kick you out of ketosis. It’s just not happening enough to call this a law.

I will be tracking my ketone levels so stay tuned (I ran out of strips!..coming soon!)

And BEFORE Anybody Asks About Cholesterol Concerns…

(This is a massive study often used to prove that saturated fat and cholesterol cause cardiovascular disease when in fact the data show otherwise).

First of all, what you think you know about cholesterol is wrong (I’m 99.9% sure)…Unless you are educated on the actual studies starting in 1936 showing no correlation of high cholesterol with atherosclerosis or heart disease. Learn about cholesterol and fat here first, then ask me any questions you need…Watch the first 30 minutes to consider yourself qualified ;-). You will be “in the know.” This is factual reporting. This is not ideology or conspiracy mess. I have no time for that – only results based on facts we can use. Watching just the first 25 minutes of this will help you! Be sure to save it to watch the entire video:

FACT: There is no correlation or evidence that links high cholesterol to cardiovascular disease.

FACT: There were NO HEART ATTACKS recorded in early 1900’s when eggs, lard, animal fat, and butter (all saturated fats) were consistently consumed. The first heart attack was recorded in 1921 after the change made to use more vegetable oils vs animal fats.

FACT: “High Cholesterol” is not a bad thing. Small density LDL is the bad cholesterol and some clinics do not test for this. They do an LDL measurment (both large and small). Large “fluffy” LDL is actually very good! So the distinction must be made between the types of LDL. It’s called a particle test. In fact your HDL to triglyceride ratio is a good measure for heart health:

Triglyceride (TG) to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio values >2.75 in men and >1.65 in women were found in the Metabolic Syndrome in Active Subjects (MESYAS) study -18,778 active workers enrolled in 3 insurance companies in Spain- to be highly predictive of the metabolic syndrome (MS) diagnosis. TG/HDL ratio was also found to have a high predictive value of a first coronary event regardless of body mass index (BMI). (From European Society of Cardiology)

ENOUGH INFO and RATIONALE for NOW! ON With the EXPERIMENT!…

WEEK 2 Carnivore ZC Experiment Results: (Uh oh…)

Adaptation or something else?…Watch the Video to see what happened..

1. I did NO EXERCISE this last 1.5 weeks.  I felt very good as if I wanted to exercise.

2. I cheated a few times: just 3 days – once with heavy whipping cream, once with a keto meringue dessert, and a few “bad drinks.”

Be sure to follow me on snapchat at wadebaskin and instagram at drwade_physio for my day to day reports and pics of my foods and mistakes!

What About Fiber on the Carnivore Diet?

This is not a mistake: the “Zero fibre diet” category below literally had zero (0) symptoms.
Here is the actual study for reference: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3435786/. Complete elimination of fruit, vegetables, cereals, and rice lead to these results.

fiber on the carnivore diet

In other words. The need for fiber is actually a myth. Early human history tells us this and updated studies without special interests or political influence do as well. In fact, our guts are not designed to handle fiber, and that’s why it gets eliminated fairly quickly. Moreover, there is a recommended limit to fiber intake for obvious reasons. Thousands of carnivore veterans at the time of this writing have only reported GI improvement after the adaptation period (1-3 weeks).

WEEK 4 (End) Carnivore Zero Carb Results:

See my instagram feed above and be sure to follow.

Carnivore zero carb ab results

Abs Update! On the way to cook the Ribeyes!

Week 7 Carnivore Zero Carb Results:

I am 50 years old BTW

WEEK 8! Carnivore Zero Carb Results

WEEK 9! Carnivore Zero Carb Results

Not mentioned in the video:

My waist size is smaller and I now where between a 29-30 pant. All my 31’s are way too loose. I was 30-31 while on keto. I’m definitely “leaner” as my daughter states.  Here is my latest waist shot.

My carnivore zero carb results

Comment and Ask Questions BELOW!

Carnivore diet results

I love watching Dr. Shawn Baker’s Instagram feed as he gets so many stories like this one. Be sure to follow him @shawnbaker1967

WEEK 12! Carnivore Zero Carb Results

My Instagram Feed…Click Follow Me at the Bottom!

What is This Keto and Fasting Thing

You’ve heard about it, you’re curious, you want to know if this is something you should do, and now you need more information. There are volumes written on this topic, so I’m giving you the best, most concise information you can use to make a good decision for you.

I’m not a “keto only” practitioner; however, I do like ketogenic dieting as a tool to achieve better health and a better body composition while allowing you to still enjoy some of the foods you love.

If you’re already doing a keto approach or you’re just starting, this will be a good refresher article that may give you additional information to improve your results.

What is the Keto Diet

It’s how I fixed my weight and health by practicing what I preach. Now I want to help you reach your goals! Below are my pics as I decided to make turning 50 my healthiest year ever. I’ve also committed to this lifestyle that you’re about to learn a lot about.

NO FILTERS

Before I go further, if you would be interested in being a part of an Exclusive Keto, Carnivore, and Fasting Club where you would have access to novice level to advanced keto and fasting training, including LIVE, Q&A and training and support; Enter your name, email, an hit “Yes I’m Interested.” We are in development right now! We will only be taking a select number for FREE. I love helping people succeed, and you will have access to me and other top keto, carnivore, and fasting pros.

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Keto or ketogenic dieting is simply eating in a way that puts you in a state of ketosis. It’s really not a diet per se. It’s a way of eating ( #ketowoe ). Ketosis is when your body produces ketones (also known as ketone bodies) in response to burning fat as fuel.  These ketones are now being used as your source of energy. This means you’re no longer using carbs as a fuel source as much. Congratulations, you’re now a healthier you! Now does that mean you are burning your fat or the fat you’ve been eating? The magic is when you get your body to burn your own fat! Keep reading…

Why would you want to do this way of eating? Deplete your body of carbs? YES! Our genetics are not designed for constant bombardment from carbs that elevate our insulin and blood sugar levels. This is why we have so much diabetes (type 2), heart disease, obesity, cholesterol problems, and autoimmune diseases than ever in human history. Shifting your body more towards using fat as a fuel source is having it operate like our genetics are still designed to. Your fat burning engine may be a little rusty because you’ve been carb fueled probably most of your life! Interestingly, you’re born in ketosis and during your years as an active child, you were probably in and out of ketosis an you never knew it!

It’s really that simple, but it’s not necessarily easy. Why? Because you are addicted to carbs – and they are everywhere!. And, you’ve come to believe that fat is bad for you as it’s what makes you fat and unhealthy. You think that all you really need to do is eat less and move more to lose weight. Just push back from the table a bit – sound familiar?  You already think you know what to do but it’s just too hard to do it and your lifestyle doesn’t really make your weight loss or health improvement efforts convenient. You’ve also tried a lot of diets by now, and there is a 90% chance that you gained most of your weight back (if it was for weight loss).

Ketogenic dieting is not easy because it’s so hard to wrap your mind around it. The unlearning process is hard! All your beliefs have just been turned upside down!

What the Keto Diet is Not

Eating a ketogenic diet is not just eating a bunch of random meats and low quality fatty processed foods. I’ve seen so many people “convert to keto” only to continue to overeat low quality foods and a ton of dairy. Their Instagram feeds are colorless and filled with “keto treats” if you will.  Dairy, especially cheese and milk increase insulin so beware. Some do dairy better than others. Classic Keto eating is about high healthy fats FIRST, low low carb second, and moderate protein third in my opinion.  It’s about converting your body to using fat as a fuel versus carbs. This means lowering blood sugar and insulin. As you’ll see below, insulin is our friend and our enemy depending on how you eat. The way I like to use ketogenic dieting is in a way the encourages ketosis through metabolizing your body’s excess fat reserves! That fat on you is FOOD! Good job, you’ve stored all you need for times of famine.

The benefits of ketosis are not just about fat loss. The keto diet is about achieving a healthier you

Overcoming fixed beliefs and ideas: here are some hard truths, be prepared:

  1. know that you’ve been lied to for a long time. Low fat low calorie dieting with exercise does not work and never has. Since the good studies started in the 50’s, there has not been one ounce of evidence that this form of dieting works to help people manage or lose weight and keep it off – much less achieve improved health. Just go look at all the Biggest Loser participants. 99% of them regained their weight!
  2. Fat is better for you than carbs. Good fats from healthy sources is much better for you than carbs. People who eat a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet are healthier than those who don’t – period. There is no argument here. Carbs are not essential to human health.
  3. Exercise does not work to burn fat and keep it off. Exercise is good for building muscle and getting stronger – improves fitness and more, but it is not proven effective in permanent fat loss as compared to diet and fasting.
  4. Diet is the only proven way to burn fat and keep it off, and fasting methods are the most successful. You can’t out exercise a bad diet.
  5. Fasting is good for you and the fastest way to get your body burning it’s own fat without losing muscle. Yes going totally without food is the oldest, tried and true health restoration and diet method since the history of mankind. Fasting is not new, it has just been somewhat forgotten and it has been vilified by the food industry. In fact, we eat more now than ever with all the recommended 3 meals with snacks in between. In the 70’s and prior, no one was snacking. Most people fast wrong! You’ll learn more on this below.
  6. You do not lose muscle or have nutrient deficiencies when fasting (for those who are prepared to fast – more later)
  7. Fasting is not starving yourself. Your body reacts in super beneficial ways that improves your health and longevity. It’s not how much good stuff you eat, it’s when you don’t eat that counts – think about that. Starving is when you eat too frequently and a small calorie load, and it tricks your body with more hunger, misery, and muscle loss! Fasting will not allow for muscle loss due to the hormones released during true fasting.
  8. Low calorie dieting is more bad for you than good.
  9. Ketogenic dieting helps cure type 2 diabetes, obesity, autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders, and some cancers.

Let’s Talk Fasting (how to fast is below, keep reading…)

Fasting is complete abstinence from food. This is not low calorie starvation. There is a huge difference between eating low calories and fasting. The main difference is in the hormonal responses.

When you fast, metabolism stabilizes or actually increases, adrenaline increases, growth hormone increases, blood sugar decreases, and insulin goes down. There’s more but these are the main changes that will make sense to you.

When you eat a low calorie diet, your metabolism decreases, adrenaline decreases, there is no growth hormone elevation, blood sugar and insulin don’t really go down. And let’s be clear, insulin is what makes you fat. Blood sugar signals insulin.

Eating low carb now does decrease insulin up to 50%. However, fasting decreases it another 50%!

Source: Harvie et al., “The Effects of Intermittent or Continuous Energy Restriction on Weight Loss and Metabolic Disease Risk Markers: A Randomized Trial in Young Overweight Women.”

Fung, Jason; Moore, Jimmy. The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended (p. 117). Victory Belt Publishing. Kindle Edition.

I highly recommend this book! It should be required reading for all health professionals, but unfortunately it’s not. It’s up to you to learn more and take the best actions possible to reach your health goals. I know this will help you as it has thousands!…Including ME!

Ok, so I just told you that fat is good, fasting is good, exercise won’t burn fat as much as diet, and that eating fewer calories doesn’t work. Your head is probably spinning if you’re still stuck in all the beliefs instilled in you by our beloved government and food industry…eat less and move more. Oh, and let’s not forget the recommended 6-11 servings of grain! How insane!

This is why obesity rates in the ’80s doubled and why we are now seeing more autoimmune disorders than ever before in human history! It’s our diet, folks – plane and simple. Yes, food is legal, but your choices of eating are expressed in your physical body. If you have physical health issues and are taking medications constantly, i.e. Metformin, Methotrexate, Zeljanz, Celebrex, Mobic, Neurontin, Lyrica, and more; you don’t have a medication deficiency, you have a problem where you are physically breaking down in the absence of what’s needed to express the “good genes.” Your body is obviously showing the bad ones being triggered or expressed.

If you are overweight, your intake of food is simply such that the extra energy it can’t use is being stored as fat. Read on, because just reducing your calories doesn’t work, and I’ll explain why.


It’s Not Your Fault

You are genetically designed to eat everything in sight. We are designed to survive scarcity/famine. Our genetics are much the same as our ancestors the hunter gatherers. They would experience periods of feast with a food catch and find as well as famine. About 10,000 years ago, agriculture started and we began to settle. We figured out how to harvest and prepare grains for storage and consumption and the diseases started. If you really look at how a grain is designed, it is a mean piece of food with armor designed to keep it alive amidst a rugged environment and to damage any digestive tract that tries to break it down. Your body can handle a lot, and it can handle grains but over time, this food group will cause you some problems, hence the rise in so many gut issues in the last 2 decades. It’s ridiculous that we’re just now figuring this out! Get this book to get the full story on grains and how they truly affect you:

I don’t believe it’s a conspiracy to keep you fat or to destroy your health, I believe it’s a supply and demand problem. We love and want our carbs (breads, pastas, grains, cereals, rice, potatoes and sugar!) Sugar is a drug and lights up the brain in the same amount and in the same area as cocaine, so yes, carbs (convert to sugar) are addictive. Although your body and brain actually prefer ketones over carbs, the sweetness of the carbs is too much to let go of I know. We are a society of true drug/food addicts. I really mean this. Don’t believe me? Just stop eating carbs right now and see how long you last. Most know the symptoms as the carb flu, but you will be miserable as your body goes into misery driving you to eat carbs again.

So now that your head is really spinning, I know you still want to know how all this works. How are all these people curing their obesity (dropping serious poundage!), curing type 2 diabetes, curing their digestive issues, curing their pcos, getting rid of their neuropathy, stabilizing their arthritis, and more! You’ve heard enough, and now you’re wanting in on the game but you don’t know where to start. I’ll keep it simple. as possible.


How to Go Keto

1. Plug into keto communities. I love my Instagram keto family. Find me at keto_drwade (BELOW). Start an Instagram account with your name and “keto” attached to it. If you don’t want to do a “keto” instagram account and just use one you already have, that’s cool, just hashtag keto in your posts. You’ll want to post pics of your food, your experience, yourself before/after  and such. Look around at others, you’ll see. It’s a super supportive group.

You can also like keto pages on Facebook, join keto groups on Facebook, and start your own page.

The point is you’ll need to be around other keto people to learn from and garner support. You’re more than likely in a situation where there aren’t many ketogenic dieters. In fact, once you let them know what you’re doing, be prepared for the eye rolls and discouraging remarks. Remember, they believe fasting is starvation and eating fat is bad for you. Don’t try to educate them! It doesn’t work. Smile and know that they care about you, and carry on.

2. Only get opinions and advice from successful keto dieters and keto professionals. Do not accept advice from so called experts who’ve never had any success with ketogenic dieting. Your physician is not trained in diet and nutrition much less ketogenic dieting.

3. Accept responsibility for your results and your mistakes. You will fail, you will make mistakes, and you will succeed. This is a lifestyle shift, a real change you are making, and it’s a journey you’ll love. It’s NOT A DIET – KETO IS A WAY OF EATING.

For those who want to see rapid results and find a way to wean into this change, Get my 21 Days On 15 Pounds OFF  Diet for FREE. This is how I got started.

In this kickstart diet, I give you a convenient list of the YES and NO Foods which is really the important part. There will be 2 days a week that you do something that really brings out the results, the magic, for you in this diet. You will feel amazing toward the end.

Using this method to start then weaning into a ketogenic way of eating, I went from 49 years old, just over 190 pounds (I’m 5’7), over 33% body fat, a 37″ abdominal girth (this is lethal!), and wearing a size 33″

NO FILTER

50 years old, 165 pounds, 21% body fat, and a size 30 pant. Didn’t do my girth measurement, but I have abs now ha! I knew they were in there somewhere!

4. Eliminate grain foods, starchy carbs, any flour products, and legumes (beans) – this is a must. It’s a good way to start. This act in and of itself will start allowing your gut to heal and improve. And your gut generally sets the tone for your overall health and immunity. I LOVE bread, but it wasn’t as hard to go without as I thought. I’ll still eat it at times, but not on a regular basis. Grains cause problems, and they are not required by your body at all. White potatoes are not only a starchy carb, but they are a nightshade and can possibly be causing inflammation. Rice is also killer carb. The longer you go without, the less your body (and mind) will want them. Cravings do go away!

Remember, this isn’t really a diet. It’s a way of eating with where you make better choices of foods that will help you lose weight and express the healthiest you! It’s a process and a journey. It’s not a one and done approach. So be patient as you get into it.

You won’t be perfect at ketogenic eating at first, but the more you eat this way versus your old way, the healthier and lighter you will get!

5. Eat healthy fats, proteins, and veggies! Just go look at my Instagram feed and others in the #keto community. You’ll see so many food choices your head will spin. The first comment I usually get is – “…so I cant eat anything I like?!” Yes, you can! Who doesn’t like bacon? What about eggs? Steak, (grass fed meat) , avocado, butter (real butter – preferably grass fed like Kerrygold Butter or ghee), spinach, asparagus, zucchini, squash, chicken (obviously not fried), nuts of all sorts, peanut butter, and so much more!

6. Dairy is included but be cautious: you’ll see all sorts of meat/cheese recipes and although these are low carb (low glycemic), dairy (milk and cheese primarily – not eggs) can increase insulin, and increased insulin is what leads to fat storage. If you find that you aren’t losing much weight or you hit a plateau, consider eliminating dairy. If you have sinus problems or other allergies, this is always a culprit to consider. You’ll still be able to include dairy at times just not on an everyday basis. Now if you’re lactose intolerant or already know you have a dairy issue, then you’ll eliminate dairy for obvious reasons.

7. Watch your macros (this means fats, proteins, and carbs). You don’t have to count calories, but it’s good to monitor your portion sizes and ingredients. Really make sure your carbs stay low in the range of 20-60 grams a day. More than 60 and you’re not doing much to help yourself. You want to shoot for 70% fat, 20% protein, and 10% carbohydrate. Sometimes it’s hard to get that much healthy fat, so a 50% fat, 30-40% protein, 10-20% carb also works. I’ve had some do higher protein than fat (modified Atkin’s approach) and also do well. The key again is to keep the carbs low and eat more healthy fat, good protein, and plenty of veggies. Keto dieters rarely get hungry.

It will take some experimentation as everybody’s system assimilates food differently. I’ve seen keto people over-eat many times. Food is energy, and if you take in more energy than your body requires, the remainder is stored as fat. Carbs just convert faster and easier – so leave them out.

8. Monitor your level of ketosis: you DON’T have to be in ketosis to lose weight although it does confirm you are in the best physical state to do so. Just eliminating most of your carbs will help you drop pounds, especially in the beginning. Ketosis is necessary to help your body heal itself when working on type 2 diabetes, digestive tract problems, inflammation, autoimmune disorders, neurological disorders. In ketosis, you have more clarity, more energy, more focus, and you operate at your best.

How to monitor? Get a blood testing kit. The urine strips are not accurate. Here are the ones I use personally and professionally:

These are the best prices on Amazon going right now. And these are tested personally by me. Other meters are ok, but Abbott Precision Xtra is the best, most reliable, accurate unit. You need the meter and the ketone strips for sure. I like tracking blood sugar as well, and that’s the 3rd item. Each pic will take you to Amazon.com for purchase.

You don’t have to monitor your ketone levels, but it sure does help. The people who do monitor their levels have the most success.

That which can be measured can be managed

Here is a reading I did coming off of a 48 hour fast:

Now that’s a “therapeutic” level of ketosis for sure. Some call it deep ketosis. Do I need to keep this level for fat loss? No. My blood sugar is nice and on the low side. Ketosis is a great state to be in where you ARE burning fat! You’re either using fat you’ve ingested, or your own fat reserves. Fasting makes sure you are hitting the reserves!

The above reading was taken the day before Thanksgiving as you can see. I broke my fast with chili of all things (yep, beans included), and the next day I did not hold back other than abstaining from grains. Yep, no dressing. But I ate sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole (some cracker crumbles did make it so a little enriched flour got through) potatoes au gratin, turkey, and gravy. Plenty of carbs! I did not count of course and I ate till well satisfied.

Here is what happened after an 18 hr fast starting 8pm Thanksgiving day:

Not bad considering what I ate yesterday! Most people take a few days to get back into ketosis.

**TIP** I did a 30 minute strength workout (at the end of my
fast)prior to Thanksgiving lunch.When you know you are going
to take in carbs, try to time it where you do a workout
first. Doing a workout in a fasted state prior to feeding is
a super shredding strategy.If you don't exercise,that's ok,
this is just a tip. And it works as noted.

How to Fast

1. There are 2 types of fasting: dry fasting and water or liquid fasting.

Dry fasting is no food and no water, and it is not for the typical novice. It is used for healing and is amazing at helping just about anything heal! More later on this as dry fasting is not necessary for ultimate fat loss.

Water or liquid fasting is when you take in NO food and just drink water or another liquid like an electrolyte solution. DO NOT just drink water! This is where most people make their mistake as it pushes your electrolytes! You will not feel good and you can “bottom out.” This is prevented easily by drinking a simple solution make with 2 essential salts you need: sodium and potassium.

Electrolyte Solution YOU NEED for Fasting!

Here is exactly what I use that I get from Amazon. Click on each one to take you there, or you can use arm and hammer baking soda, any good sea salt, and NoSalt substitute you can get at any grocery store (it’s potassium chloride). These links are for your convenience.


Dont’ just drink water on a prolonged fast which is 2 days (48 hours) or more! Use one of these electrolyte solutions! If you are eating one meal a day or doing just a 24 hour fast, you don’t need electrolyte solution. Water is fine.

Option 1 (most popular and good for kidneys) : 1 qt or liter of water (fresh, spring water preferred), 1 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tsp potassium chloride powder (also known as NoSalt you can buy at WalMart, it’s the “salt free substitute).

Option 2 (simplest and it works great) : 1 qt or liter of water, 1/2 tsp potassium chloride (or NoSalt), 1/2 tsp a good sea salt

Option 3 (combo) : 1 qt or liter of water, 1/2 tsp potassium chloride, 1/4 tsp sea salt, 1/2 tsp baking soda

Sip it all during the day as needed to keep you feeling good. If you get any cramps, simply drink more of it. These formulas can be adjusted. Some folks want to add magnesium or other substances, and my recommendation is to stick to what we know works. However, you can add anything you want to test your response once you do the formulas as listed above.

How to Get Past Keto Confusion and Overcome a Stall (BONUS!)

Join My Fasting Focused Lifestyle Facebook Group HERE

Here are some keto diet staples:

1. Bulletproof coffee. Simply add grass fed butter, real butter, or ghee (tbsp) and MCT oil (1 tbsp) to your coffee, and you’re good to go! Yes, butter in coffee is liked by most. blend it up for a mocha color and feel. Some don’t like it, but it’s rare. It’s more of a meal replacement. You can also add some sugar-free sweetener (I recommend allulose! – you’ve probably never heard of this and that’s ok, most haven’t)…Learn about it here! (opens in new tab). Stevia is my next preference. All the other sweeteners aren’t good at all!

2. MCT Oil: This promotes the production of ketones and is used for energy and not stored as fat. Get the emulsified version as you can cook with it. You can’t cook with regular MCT Oil. Below is the one I use:

3. Avocado – just keep a good supply going.

4. Ghee and or grass fed butter – cook with it and add it to your foods to increase the healthy fat

5. Coconut oil – cook with it and add it to foods to increase the healthy fat.

6. Grassfed meats – steak, chicken, burger, and bacon are the main ones. You don’t have to do grass-fed on in terms of macros, but on the micro level, grassfed meat is really good for compared to industrial prepared or processed meat. Stressed out animal meat is inflammatory due to it’s omega 6 levels. Grassfed is actually anti-inflammatory! I occasionally have to make a quick run to the store and grab whatever they have, but 95% of the time, my family eats grass-fed or pastured (free-range) meats.

7. Fresh or frozen veggies of all sorts! I keep broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, asparagus, onion, zucchini, squash non-stop. I toss in others along the way. Depends on what looks good and what’s available. Frozen will last longer and has higher nutrient density! Avoid canned if possible. I will use canned asparagus and spinach in a pinch.

8. Eggs are AWESOME! Unless you are allergic to eggs – they are good for you. They don’t cause problems with cholesterol as myth would have it. Eggs are excellent protein and fat sources. Of course, I recommend cage-free vs the stressed-out chicken eggs for obvious nutritional reasons.

9. Cheese: I always shoot for the raw cheeses made by US Wellness Meats.  In fact, this is where I get ALL of my meats and cheeses. You need to click that link and bookmark it! Keep in mind, real cheese (not processed) is acceptable, but should be done with caution. Not everyone does dairy well, and it can stall weight loss in many cases – not all. I say start with it and remove it if you aren’t getting results.

10. Unsweetened regular or vanilla almond milk – you can do so much with this

11. Nuts – especially raw almonds. Be careful here as nuts are the number 1 food that can throw your macros off. A small amount pack a big calorie punch. A handful is generally plenty.

** Spices are wide open, but you’ll definitely want to take advantage of the benefits of Himalayan pink salt and turmeric. I keep these, Tony’s creole spice, and several dry rubs/spices for cooking chicken and steak. Don’t use a soy based marinade.  Soy is NOT good to consume! It’s great for making industrial products, but that’s it.

Of course, there is so much more, but this is plenty to get you started! I hope this helps. Be sure to subscribe, bookmark me, as I will be posting more. Follow me at keto_drwade on Instagram and if you dare follow me on snapchat, username wadebaskin.

Yours in health,

Dr. Wade

PS…

 

What is the Secret?

If I had to tell you in one sentence, or command, what to do in order to not only lose weight but to achieve the healthiest you, it would be…

Eat real food emphasizing animal fat and protein and use a fasting strategy

Be sure to visit me HERE to see what additional results I achieved by fully eliminating carbs!…The Carnivore Diet!

 

 

 

Why You Can’t Lose Weight

The Mystery on Why You Can’t Lose Weight Revealed!

I love this topic on why you can’t lose weight! So you’ve tried a lot of different diets, and you may have even ventured into the detoxes and cleanses that are being sold to you as the answer to your problem.

Oh, let’s not forget your metabolic disorder you’ve probably thought about or even been diagnosed with – let’s just go with hypothyroid for now.

And I will certainly not leave out the genetic aspect. I’m sure you’ve probably considered the fact that being overweight runs in your family and that the “big bones” you’ve been blessed with are the reason why you can’t lose weight.

I could go on and on, but you need to know that the answer boils down to an equation that is super simple (not necessarily easy) to grasp. You also need to understand that everyone’s body is different, but this equation (law) still applies.

It’s call the energy balance equation:

energy in energy out

When you take in more energy (calories) than you utilize in your daily life, you will gain weight. Your body will store the excess energy you have given it as fat. It is your body’s natural survival mechanism.

It’s Not Your Fault

You’re actually genetically designed to eat everything in sight! Our genetics are essentially the same as our ancestors who were hunter gatherers and experienced episodes of feast and famine. Our bodies are designed to operate without the carbs we put in them so frequently now as they are so readily available. Although not your fault that our environment has evolved faster than our bodies…

It is up to you to take control, and that’s the hard part

Carbs are our main source of energy, but our bodies actually prefer ketones.

Ketones are produced when our body has shifted to using fat as a fuel source in the absence of carbohydrates. Some people have figured this out and now do what’s called ketogenic dieting – this keeps you in ketosis by using fats as fuel, not carbs. Although ketogenic dieting has become a popular way to lose weight, it’s actually a very old approach to simply restoring health. How? It’s basically resetting and returning your body to the way it’s supposed to operate and exist. In a state of slight to moderate ketosis – meaning you now operate without carbs (sugar) as your primary fuel source! It’s hard to develop disease and illness when in this optimum state of ketosis. In fact, the low carb or ketogenic diet is now being used to treat many types of cancers, neurological diseases and other autoimmune disorders.

This makes sense in that you are simply removing the primary substance that feeds tumors and causes inflammation – carbohydrate (foods that convert to sugar). Grains are the number 1 trouble maker in causing weight gain, preventing weight loss, and causing inflammation.

I’ve always said:

There is no such thing as a minimum grain requirement

This includes even whole grains. If you think grains are a healthy part of your diet, then you’ve been duped – and probably by the government! Check out the old food pyramid that said we needed 6-11 servings of GRAIN! This is when obesity rates doubled!

old food pyramid

Grains can be consumed on a limited and safe basis for some people, but they’re not needed. Again – YOU DO NOT NEED GRAINS. Now if you’re on the brink of death due to starvation, grains such as crackers, bread, pasta or cereal (or anything for that matter) will save your life. But, to consistently put grains in your body will eventually cause problems related to digestion, blood sugar, insulin or autoimmune/inflammation issues, obesity, glycation, and the list goes on.

You’ve been warned. Why grains are not a good food source is a topic for another day, but just know that just about any food that you have to process in order to be able to eat it is probably not your body’s most preferred fuel source. Grain has to be harvested and ground and worked on a good bit in order to prepare it for consumption. You can’t just go in the field, grab some then eat it or cook it and eat it. For a comprehensive look at how grains affect you, get the book Grain Brain!


making biscuits

I pick on grains a good bit, because it’s the #1 food source that makes it so hard to drop pounds or to get rid of inflammation. We’re addicted! Want proof? Stop eating all grains and carbs right now. By day 2 you will want to kick me in my shins as you start experiencing what some affectionately call the carb flu. It’s basically the same experience you would have if you were to experience drug detox.

sugar addict

Sugar is just as addictive as cocaine, and that becomes evident when we try and remove it from our diet. Grains/carbs convert to sugar.

brain on sugar

Now it’s not easy to return to eating like a normal human for a variety of reasons including physical and social.  Physically, you can feel really bad when just getting started (carb flu) and socially, you can be teased “oh, c’mon, my mother made these for you! It’s not going to kill you!” And they are right, it’s not going to kill you now – it will debilitate you and break you down slowly over time as you develop all sorts of ailments that you will be given drugs for that will cause additional problems. The road only goes 1 way and that’s not toward health and vitality. Moreover, when you go to the store, the most convenient foods for you and your family are grain-based! It’s tough I know! But it can be done.

Do Calories Count?

I don’t count calories, and I don’t recommend people count calories with the intent of calculating how much exercise they need to do to “burn them off.” That is 1970’s bad math that never – never – never worked! Yet there are those that still preach this method! Our bodies are not simple combustion engines or furnaces where accurate calculations on intake and output can be made and predicted. Why? … Hormones and all the various ways they affect you. Grehlin, leptin, insulin, thyroid hormones (T3 and T4 especially), glucagon and more all interact in a way that varies based on genetics and diet. This is partly why your friend can lose weight eating carbs and you can’t (or vice versa).

Although there is no magical formula, calories do count in that if you take in more calories than you expend for your living requirements, then you will store the left over calories as fat – this is keeping it simple.

It’s good to have a grasp on calories or at least grams of the different food types (called macronutrients or macros): carbohydrate, protein, and fat. Alcohol is also included as a source of energy (7 cal/gram). If you are visual and not very analytical (like me), you need to master portion size so you can determine the basic % of where your calories are coming from (I teach this in my 21 Day Diet)…

Where You Get Your Calories From Makes a Huge Difference

So lets say that you’ve figured out that you can get away with eating about 2500 calories a day and not gain or lose weight. You are eating a pretty basic diet of proteins, carbs, and fats. You also toss in a little alcohol (the 4th macronutrient) here and there. You found that your macros come out to around 40% carbohydrate, 30% protein, and 29% fat and 1% alcohol.

If you were to keep that same calorie count but switch your macros to 70% carbohydrate, 20% protein and 10% fat; I guarantee that you would not only gain weight but start to develop problems associated with excessive carbohydrate intake. This is where type 2 Diabetes comes from along with obesity, hypertension, early ageing, etc.

Now for your keto dieters, where you make your mistake when you are either not losing or you or actually gaining weight – it’s simply too much intake. You’re eating too much. Even though you are “low carb,” your macros, however you have them portioned, are meeting or exceeding your energy needs.

It’s all about the Energy Balance Equation. There is no mystery to your inability to lose weight, it’s simply that your energy intake exceeds your energy output.

Bat wings, saddle bags, flab, inner thigh fat, and all those problem areas that so many people deal with simply go away with proper eating first, then exercise second.

Exercise is not an efficient way to lose weight or fat

Yes, I am a doctor of physical therapy, and I just said that! You can’t out exercise a bad diet. In fact trying to cardio your fat off can drop your metabolism leading to further frustration with your lack of results (or temporary). If you are on a ketogenic diet and not losing weight, your macros are exceeding your output. Simple as that. And there is no such thing as muscle tone. You either have muscle that is exposed or you have it covered up. Now there are strong muscle and there are weak ones, and the stronger your muscles are, the more mitochondria they have, the higher their energy demands – the more of a fat burning metabolism you will have. So, exercise is great as a lifestyle and as a long term health, fitness, and fat management strategy.

I actually have most of my fat loss clients diet their fat off first. When you feel better, you will want to move more and exercise then becomes a great addition to the health equation. Exercise is absolutely essential to improve fitness! In dieting, you need to implement fasting strategies, whether intermittent or extended (multi-day). More on this in the next article. Just know for now that fasting is the most effective fat loss program for permanent fat loss and health restoration. It’s amazing what fasting can achieve for you!

Keeping it Simple

I’ve kept this very basic and simple as I believe we’ve tried to complicate things too much. It’s simply a matter of you figuring out your metabolic demands and eating to fuel your body for what it needs.

If you want to lose weight, you need to create and energy deficit – period!

There is no way around it. Now if you want to do it safely, without misery, and relatively fast, be sure to check out my 21 Day Diet called 21 Days ON 15 Pounds OFF. This puts you in control while resetting your system, getting rid of the bad stuff and putting in a lot of good. You’ll also lose wrinkles, heal your gut, and get your joints feeling good.

To take 30 days and figure out what you can and can’t eat, I recommend the book, Wired to Eat by Robb Wolf. Carbs are the enemy, but you can still eat them safely once you figure out the good vs the bad specifically for you!

Before I conclude, let’s bust a few myths:

Eating Red Meat is bad for you: FALSE. Industrial processed and farmed meats are bad for you! They are inflammatory because of their omega 6:3 ratio – these are not fit, healthy, or happy animals, and you are what you eat right? Choose grass-fed and pastured meats and wild caught fish. Grass-fed beef is one of my secrets to losing belly fat and fast! I get all my meats HERE!

You have to be a vegetarian to be healthy: FALSE. There are a lot of sick, overweight, unhealthy vegetarians out there, but you won’t know that as they are the loudest proponents of what they do! It’s a lifestyle choice not a healthy human choice. We are designed to eat both animals and plants. Nowhere in early human history did our ancestors live as vegetarians on purpose. The vegan group of vegetarians chose not to eat any animal-based foods at all. They really have to work to stay healthy. It’s possible to be a healthy vegetarian or vegan, but it takes a lot of effort.

Fat makes you fat: FALSE! Sugar/carbs make you fat, and overeating makes your fat. Ketogenic dieters will eat up to 90% of their diets as fat and they are healthy, lose weight, and have tons of energy. Most ketogenic dieters keep it around 70% fat, 20% protein and 10% carbs.

Whole grains are good for you: FALSE. Remember, you don’t need grains. However, your body will like whole grains or live grains (Ezekiel bread) better than refined grains as far as the effect on blood sugar. Refined grains spike blood sugar more than plane sugar does! There are those who are truly gluten sensitive and should refrain from all grains. I refer you back to the book, GRAIN BRAIN to get all the details on what grains really do to you.

You can’t get fat eating healthy foods: FALSE. Yes you can! If you exceed your bodies calorie requirements, then you will store the remaining energy as fat. Chances of you getting fat eating healthier food choices are less as you will experience less cravings. I’ve personally gained weight on a ketogenic diet! I was eating too much protein. The most common food in a recent Instagram survey I did sited nuts as the food that threw their macros off and stalled their progress or caused weight gain.

Conclusion:

1. You CAN lose as much weight as you need! The laws of physics, nature, biology and the universe do apply to you! You are from earth – I promise. It’s just a matter of dialing in the right nutrition and dialing out what’s holding you back. If you are stuck, you need to do something different like my 21 Day Diet. Don’t keep doing the same thing expecting a different result (the definition of insanity!)

2. Ketosis is a super human state to exist in. It’s simple but not easy (at first.). It’s a great state to put your  body in to allow it to correct chronic ailments such as hormone problems, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune issues, chronic inflammation, neurological problems, and yes…obesity. Your body can do amazing things when put in the proper state to do so. A fasted state of ketosis is your body’s superhuman state. Fasting is not starving (more on this later) and ketosis is not ketoacidosis (a life threatening disorder).

3. Energy deficits allow for better weight loss. Without an energy deficit, there will be no weight or fat loss. During feeding times, your food quality should be on the “real food” end of things. Don’t try and trick your body with artificial mess. It doesn’t work. Keep your fat and protein levels high and your carb levels very low. If you eat carbs, do it right after strenuous activity or exercise. Try to simply leave grains forever – they are not needed nor are they really designed for consumption.

4. Continue to educate yourself as there are no formally educated professionals with doctorates in what really works. Our doctorates simply show that we have the ability to learn and practice at the highest levels. It doesn’t speak to our effectiveness and skill set in the world of nutrition and health. It’s up to you. Listen and get advice and consult from only those who are proven experts with results in the area you are looking to improve – weather ketogenic dieting and weight loss or fasting and fixing type 2 diabetes. Your physician most likely still thinks you simply should move more and eat less – that was proven ineffective starting back in the 50’s by the way.

I wish you happiness and health! Please comment below!

 

Does Allulose Kick You Out of Ketosis

Live Blood Test on Allulose and It’s Effect on Blood Sugar and Ketones

You want to know if allulose kicks or takes you out of ketosis and does allulose increase your blood sugar. You’re about to find out! Watch my live blood study video here (this is not public).

To purchase the exact version of allulose I use in my test CLICK HERE. You can also see this version on the right sidebar, so click there as well to take you to this version of allulose. There are other versions of allulose that are suspect. In other words, they may not be just allulose both other sugar that can definitely increase your blood sugar or take you out of ketosis. This is the only version that I have tested.

To learn more about allulose Click HERE

This test was done due to the reports that allulose was kicking people out of ketosis. Further investigation showed that these reports were coming from Quest Cereal Bar users that were on a ketogenic diet and maintaining ketosis. These Quest Bars with allulose as an ingredient were kicking people out of ketosis so they were saying that allulose kicked them out of ketosis. It was the Quest Cereal Bar, not necessarily the allulose. If you look at the ingredient listing of these bars you’ll see that they have other ingredients that can affect your blood sugar and possibly take your ketosis level down – so beware.

How I Lost Weight Might Surprise You

I Have a Secret about Weight Loss

I’m getting a lot of “you’ve lost weight” and “you look younger” comments now that I made some changes and I dropped from 187 to 170. I’m a 5’7″ 49 year old guy so 5 pounds is a lot and it will mess with you, especially if you put your fat in the belly area (dangerous!). How did I do it? I do have a secret ingredient, so stick with me as I explain – you need to know some things first. If I just blurt it out, then it’s like giving a 5th grader information that’s meant for a 12th grader. You’ll quickly dismiss it or judge it incorrectly.

Moreover, it’s not just the secret ingredient that helped my weight loss, it’s how I used it.

All weight loss methods work to an extent but you know by now that everyone gains it back for the most part. Even those who’ve have the weight loss surgeries gain their weight back.

My first trick: figure out where you want to be and set a goal (weight, body fat, clothing size, etc.). Give yourself time as rapid weight loss rarely works (although I did drop 15 pounds in 21 days!). As a 49 year old, I’m setting a goal to be in the best shape of my life by the time I’m 50. I honestly don’t like to weigh and measure myself in any way, but that which can be measured can be managed. I have a wife, kids, and a lot of patients that depend on me to be around for a long time – the extra weight had to go.

My personal health and fitness goals:

  1. Body weight 165
  2. Body fat 15%
  3. Ability to do a press to handstand
  4. Ability to do a muscle up
  5. Wear medium shirts, fitted shirts, and size 30-31 pants comfortably.

(these are subject to change as I progress along – that’s normal.)

Why these goals? They cover both health and fitness which are 2 different things entirely. Health is not well defined and fitness is wide open to interpretation, so I wanted to make sure my body is physically strong (no one ever comes into my clinic complaining about being too strong) and slender – no unnecessary storage or fat. Extra fat can cause all sorts of problems as you know, so I want a normal amount of fat. Shredding all of it off is not necessarily healthy – that’s for show! A normal amount of body fat is healthy and it will allow your body to look it’s absolute best.

If you achieve those above goals, your body will more than likely look much like a gymnast. No too muscled up and not too skinny…just right. A good reference I believe is the Statue of David, but I’ll allow a little more body fat as David looks pretty young. You should have very good energy as well.

80% of weight comes from your diet…what you eat or don’t eat. 20% of your weight is due to your activity level

This is why so many who try to just exercise more fail. Exercise is a very inefficient way to lose weight! You’ll get better at exercising but your pounds will just sit there laughing at you. Have you ever noticed how many runners, weight lifters, and walkers stay really overweight despite their efforts?

Yes, I am a physical therapist, and I DO endorse exercise! But, let’s be honest, if your goal is weight loss/fat loss, then exercise is a small part of the prescription.

You CANNOT out exercise a bad diet

Ok, so what diet should you use?

My wife will readily tell you that I annoy her completely when I start harping about eating like a human – she’ll buy all the grainy sugary floury stuff and tell my that I don’t have to eat it. She and the kids can eat that stuff with no ill effects. I eat it, and I blow up pretty quick (or I used to).

Of course I keep up with the diet industry as best I can so I can counsel my patients. There is no 1 hit wonder diet. Everyone is different beginning with their mindset and then their physiology and genetics.

The more complex and involved a diet approach is, the more destined you are to fail attempting it. Diets should be simple as God designed us in a way to eat some fairly simple things. The more we refine it, process it, and alter it, the more it will cause us problems. We are designed to eat mostly protein, fat, veggies, and some fruits and nuts/seeds. Foods that are dairy-based, sugary, or made with corn or flour are not foods our bodies love.

Our genetics are the same as when we were hunter-gatherers,  so outside of the basics mentioned above, our bodies have to really work to handle all the unrecognizable substances we put in them! Never have we had so many artificial substances, sugar, and foods that convert to sugar so readily available. We used to have to work to get our food, and it did not consist of much of what we ingest today. Just look at any movie from the 70’s and earlier…not many overweight folks. We blew up starting in the 80’s as obesity rates doubled. Mississippi has been in the lead for the greater part of the last 3 decades. The point I’m making is that our environment is so different and our bodies are acclimating to it! We now have to put forth a great effort to eat like we’re designed to.

So what diet should you use? Here are some diets that help us return to some basics that are similar to the way our ancestors ate.

  1. Any Paleolithic Diet: the paleo approach is not just about eating meat. It’s a very human way to eat. I recommend the book “Practical Paleo.” It has all the info you need plus meal plans if you’re into that. I just like the do’s, don’ts, and the principles.
  2. The Mediterranean Diet: this is one of the most studied and recommended diets across the nutritional and medical communities. It’s a fairly easy method to follow. I don’t use this approach, but I’ve had great success with patients who have. For those who simply cannot or will not give up carbs or grains, this is a good go-to. I put this here mainly because it is a medically accepted and promoted diet; however, it’s like any other diet where people do gain their weight back when they return to old habits. You’ve been warned.
  3. Ketogenic Diet: these diets keep you in a slight state of ketosis where you burn fat like crazy. Once you adapt to this way of eating, there is no going back. Your health will be amazing.
  4. Ketogenic Diet integrated with fasting (intermittent and extended) – This is the most successful, permanent weight loss and health restoration method that is time tested and proven. SEE MORE HERE. This is how you not only lose weight but fix chronic ailments, autoimmune disorders, gut and digestive issues, and metabolic disorders (type 2 diabetes).

Here is What I Used: Secret No. 1.

The Bone Broth Diet – I love it, and here’s why. It’s easy, simple, it works, and it’s a 21 day program. It’s much like a combination of paleo and ketogenic plus you use a bone broth as a snack and on “mini fast” days. This bone broth that you can buy HERE or make yourself (it will smell your house up – ha!) This bone broth has collagen in it which is a bit of an anti-inflammatory and it is awesome for your joints and your skin. It’s made from an organic grass fed source so it’s the good stuff and has no bad stuff.

I recommend getting the Bone Broth Diet book on Amazon and then either buying the easy to make broth HERE or learn how to make it HERE in a recent article I wrote about bone broth (CLICK HERE to GET the RECIPE). I’ve done both, and the bone broth packets are the way to go for me. They are easy to make and I could put it in my Yeti tumbler and sip it at work, too! The actual diet is simple. Of course there are recipes and meal plans, but I just use the recommended foods and come up with stuff – my family (yes, kids included) love it!

My wife loves the diet, my kids love the diet foods and dishes. The broths are hit and miss. The broth that I make is usually a smash hit. My wife had that first, so she doesn’t really like the broth packets at all! The absolute BEST TASTING and highest rated bone broth is made by Au Bon – Go HERE to Try It Out!

Secret No. 2.

Exogenous Ketones! You may or may not have heard of these, but in a nutshell, you are helping your body rapidly get into a state of nutritional ketosis – fat burning! You are putting in ketones which is a substance your body already makes on a low carb diet. Ketones come from metabolizing fat, and they act as a source of energy, and your body loves them more than glucose! Learn More and Get SOME HERE. (there is a short 4 minute video that gives a great run down on how exogenous ketones will work for you as they do for me. Better focus, energy, and fat loss. Very natural (your body already makes them), and very safe. In the clinic, I’ve been enjoying not only watching people lose fat but also heal better, faster and more complete! Yes, ketones are also anti-inflammatory and help healing occur. They also have a strong anti-carcinogenic effect. They are my secret, but now I’m recommending that most of my patients and clients try it – GO HERE

Secret No. 3.

And this is my favorite secret that is so effective and knocking out belly fat (and inflammation!)…use GRASS-FED BEEF! It can be hard to find, and I get mine HERE at US Wellness Meats! It costs the same as when you find it at the store, and this stuff is good! I get the ground beef and various steaks HERENo matter what dietary approach you use, put grass-fed beef into your diet. Grain-fed meat is what 95% of our country eats, and it’s highly inflammatory thus all the bad stories about gout, cancer, leaky gut syndrome, etc. Just get some grass-fed beef which your body will thank you for. If you’re a vegetarian, sorry – keep working hard to fill in the nutritional gaps you’ll have to deal with. I know all the arguments here, and vegetarianism/veganism is more of a lifestyle choice vs a necessity for health. Humans are designed to be omnivores – period. Being a vegetarian for some is great, just not for all. Certain genetic types do well with being a vegetarian, but it does take an effort.

Why is grass-fed beef so good? Basically, it has the ideal omega 3 to 6 ratio that’s good for you. Grain-fed beef is too high with omega 6 and causes inflammation. Grass-fed beef also has a CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which is a known and proven fat buster. Weight lifters have used this for years in pill form to try and shed those extra fat pounds. Just eat grass-fed beef.

But Wait There’s More! I HAVE A BONUS FOR YOU!

I have been testing a developing a new diet, and it’s called 21 Days ON 15 Pounds OFF. It is to come out very soon now that the tests are done and it works better than expected! How would you like to truly change your health and your body in 3 weeks?

I want you to have this for FREE! It’s only FREE to the first 25 People that fill out this form first. When you click “Submit,” you’ll get a notification by email. Click the book or GO HERE NOW!

 

 

Below are references I use to fend off the naysayers to any of my comments ;-). In other words, I’m not just giving you hype, I back it up…

1 Juanola-Falgarona M et al. Effect of the glycemic index of the diet on weight loss, modulation of satiety, inflammation, and other metabolic risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Clin Nutr. 2014 Jul;100(1):27-35.

2 A. Janet Tomiyama, Ph.D. et al. Low Calorie Dieting Increases Cortisol. Psychosom Med. 2010 May; 72(4): 357–364.

3 Susan B Robert et al. Energy requirements and aging. Public Health Nutrition: 8(7A), 1028–1036.

4 Poehlman ET et al. Determinants of decline in resting metabolic rate in aging females. Am J Physiol. 1993 Mar;264(3 Pt 1):E450-5.

5 Ryan AS. Insulin resistance with aging: effects of diet and exercise. Sports Med. 2000 Nov;30(5):327-46.

6 Gower BA et al. A lower-carbohydrate, higher-fat diet reduces abdominal and intermuscular fat and increases insulin sensitivity in adults at risk of type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 2015 Jan;145(1):177S-83S.

7 Bazzano LA et al. Effects of Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: A Randomized Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2014 Sep 2;161(5):309-18.

8 Wojcicki JM et al. Reducing childhood obesity by eliminating 100% fruit juice. Am J Public Health. 2012 Sep;102(9):1630-3.

9 Volek JS, et al. Carbohydrate restriction has a more favorable impact on the metabolic syndrome than a low fat diet. Lipids. 2009 Apr;44(4):297-309.

10 Keogh JB, et al. Effects of weight loss from a very-low-carbohydrate diet on endothelial function and markers of cardiovascular disease risk in subjects with abdominal obesity. Am J Clin Nutr. 2008 Mar;87(3):567-76.

11 Dyson PA, et al. A low-carbohydrate diet is more effective in reducing body weight than healthy eating in both diabetic and non-diabetic subjects. Diabet Med. 2007 Dec;24(12):1430-5.

12 McClernon FJ, et al. The effects of a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet and a low-fat diet on mood, hunger, and other self-reported symptoms. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007 Jan;15(1):182-7.

13 Meckling KA, et al. Comparison of a low-fat diet to a low-carbohydrate diet on weight loss, body composition, and risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular disease in free-living, overweight men and women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004 Jun;89(6):2717-23.

14 Yancy WS Jr, et al. A low-carbohydrate, ketogenic diet versus a low-fat diet to treat obesity and hyperlipidemia: a randomized, controlled trial. Ann Intern Med. 2004 May 18;140(10):769-77.

15 Stanhope KL, et al. Consuming fructose-sweetened, not glucose-sweetened, beverages increases visceral adiposity and lipids and decreases insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese humans. J Clin Invest. 2009 May;119(5):1322-34.

16 Whalen KA, et al. Paleolithic and Mediterranean Diet Pattern Scores Are Inversely Associated with All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Adults. J Nutr. 2017 Apr;147(4):612-620