Part 3: The Results and Winners of the Carnivore Challenge
“Everything should be made as simple as possible but no simpler.” - Albert Einstein
If you read Part 2: My Carnivore Diet Experience and Results, you’ll know that the results we achieved on the diet were great. In today’s blog, I will be diving more into the results we experienced, adverse effects, weight loss, whether it’s truly a sustainable diet, and what to consider if you’re interested in trying the carnivore diet out. I’ll also be sharing who out of the “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” won the competition aspect of this challenge!
Why Did We Get Such Great Results?
Everyone with pre-existing joint pain saw an improvement and all pain disappeared for most of my friends who joined the challenge. Many mentioned in the comments that their energy, sleep, and focus improved.
Although it would take a much larger case/controlled study to determine why we experienced these results, here’s what we can conclude:
While meat and eggs are nutritious and anti-inflammatory, our results likely had more to do with eliminating processed foods that are common in the Standard American Diet - specifically sugar and grains, which can cause inflammation. Eliminating or decreasing alcohol is known to help with sleep, and when sleep improves energy and focus increases. For those with an unknown sensitivity to certain veggies or nuts, eliminating those can impact results and eliminating fruit can also help those with a sensitivity or trying to lose weight. And lastly we should not forget the Placebo effect. We were all doing something we expected to make us feel better.
Weight loss
Our weight loss results can be explained by eating less calories. Many will argue a calorie is a calorie. This may be true mathematically but not if that calorie makes you crave more calories. When you eliminate sugar and processed carbs you eat less. You are far more likely to overeat things like bread, chips, cookies, and pizza than steak or salmon.
Adverse Effects
The adverse effects that were experienced included GI issues, which were resolved in the first week or two. Those who were coming in from a less than optimal diet seemed to have more issues. Keto breath, which creates a metallic taste in the mouth, was improved with increased salt intake and sugar-free breath mints.
The decreased energy improved quickly. The sugar/carb cravings quickly resolved in most. The slightly decreased cardio output was not a major issue for us. We did not measure cholesterol. Some experts worry that cholesterol could go up in some participants while others argue that the benefits of decreasing vascular inflammation far outweigh cholesterol concerns.
Is It a Realistic Diet?
We agreed that this diet isn’t sustainable. Eating is a huge part of our culture and after a few weeks, eating no longer felt pleasurable. This diet is great for someone with severe chronic inflammation and severe food sensitivities who can tolerate meat (See the Mikhaila Peterson video in Part 1).
While this diet is likely not sustainable long term for most people, it could be used as an elimination diet. Many of us are unaware that we have food sensitivities and we may not realize that grains or sugar are making our joints ache or that dairy is making our seasonal allergies worse. With a severe food sensitivity it can take up to 3 months to get even the tiniest food particle out of your system. That is why many experts advise not giving up on the diet if your body is slow to respond for 90 days. Most of my friends who completed this challenge with me saw benefits in 2 weeks. Once you see the benefits you can add each food group back in and watch for issues.
Why It Matters
We recognize that many people have challenging dietary issues. Some people have anaphylactic reactions to certain foods, commonly nuts or seafood. Many people do not eat certain foods such as beans or dairy to avoid digestive issues. Some people have unusual sensitivities to certain fruits and vegetables that are otherwise considered healthy.
What we do not admit is that many of us cannot tolerate the Standard American Diet of sugar and processed carbs. If you are obese, hypertensive, or diabetic you are likely in this group. While these foods are killing you slower than someone who has peanuts with a severe allergy, it’s killing you all the same. Many of us can tolerate these foods in our youth but as we age they inflame our joints and steal our energy, focus, and sleep. The positive effects of an elimination diet may be the best way to bring this to our attention.
The Irony of This Challenge
The Irony is my friends who signed up to do this challenge with me likely needed the diet the least. Several were at their ideal weight and dropped a little too low. Those who lost over 20 pounds really did not have much more or any more to lose. Most came in with relatively low levels of inflammation hoping to eliminate it. My hope is that some people with more severe medical issues such as obesity, diabetes or chronic inflammation may be inspired to give the diet a shot as an elimination diet.
If You’re Worried About Critics
“It is not the critic who counts, who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena….” -Theodore Roosevelt
Any time you start a new nutrition plan there will be critics. Nutritional science is like the Wild West. Claims are being made everywhere that are often biased or with a hidden agenda.
Ultimately you need to take the time to discover what works for you. Milk may build strong bones but you can get your calcium and vitamin D somewhere else if it destroys your gut, skin, and sinuses. Spinach was Popeye’s secret weapon but it may bloat your stomach.
In reality most critics want you to try what works for them. They usually stop researching when they find success. We have all been programmed. My generation was raised to believe that meat and eggs were the enemy. Salt got blamed for what sugar did. We believed that being vegetarian was the gold standard even though many people on it became “processed carboholics” and ate too much bread, chips, and pasta rather than whole vegetables.
Today, we are aware of food allergies but have only recently become aware of food sensitivities. The blood tests for food sensitivities are not where I hope they will be in the future. You may not have time to wait for the science to catch up so an elimination diet to figure out what helps your system thrive may be the best current option.
When you try a nutrition plan like a carnivore diet, people will criticize you for not eating other foods that are known to be healthy. They are less likely to notice all the unhealthy foods you have eliminated. If you assure them you plan on adding back other foods within a short period of time they may be supportive and support tends to help when making lifestyle changes. As many of you follow the Ozempic craze in the media you need to ask yourself if a restrictive diet is more extreme than pills or even surgery.
Overcoming Food Addiction and Emotional Eating
Just like people have addictions to drugs and alcohol some people have food addictions.They often follow an “all or nothing” approach on a nutrition plan. Your “everything in moderation” plan may not work for them.
For emotional eaters the carnivore diet may provide quick results but oftentimes they will revert back to old habits unless they address the cause of their emotional eating. Working with a therapist on underlying issues is far more beneficial than some temporary diet success.
“Nature is a vast celebration of energy.” -Alan Watts
Eating for Energy vs Pleasure
Eating for pleasure is a part of our society. Social situations and business events often revolve around drinks and food. Family dinners play a huge role in many of our lives. A restrictive diet will often interfere with these events. Food can also bring pleasure from the temporary dopamine hit or mouth pleasure.
Eating for energy will make you feel strong and light. Your digestion and bloating will improve. Your joint pain may improve or resolve. When you eat for energy you take the focus off your weight and how you look. By focusing on your energy each day can be a success. You will build habits instead of setting long term goals. Ultimately you will make sustainable changes. Eating for energy and eating for pleasure do not need to be mutually exclusive. In most situations there are healthy options. As you eat more healthy food you will crave healthy options. For most of us enjoying something off our meal plan is not an issue as long as we start again the next meal. Those with serious medical issues need to learn to eat for sustenance only and derive their pleasure from other means.
Be aware that when you are eating a restrictive diet people will notice. Inevitably you will be asked questions. This may occur when you have more important issues to discuss or when you are not in the mood to discuss or defend your diet. Just be prepared.
If You’re Interested in Trying It
Many people noticed how the “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” were doing on the carnivore diet and were interested in the challenge, and most of these people were interested in doing it with group support. In our case the group text chain and the competition made it easier.
The plan for next year is to invite a larger group to join by word of mouth or through The Real House MD website and @hughhousemd on Instagram. If you’ve never tried the carnivore diet I would suggest using it as an elimination diet whether on the “varsity” or “J.V.” level (read part 2 to learn more) to see how good you can feel. Unless you have undiagnosed food sensitivities, most people will see results on the J.V. level.
For the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen I would suggest trying a variant of carnivore where you add veggies, fruits (if weight is not an issue), nuts, and seeds. This is similar to a Paleo style diet. I have had success with Paleo in the past and have gotten other people to try it.
Unfortunately many of those people did not rely on meat and vegetables for their meals but searched for paleo pancakes, paleo bread, paleo cookies, and paleo cakes. These are in general empty calories that will make you crave the real thing. These people generally did not have much success. In my opinion if you want a cookie, then have a real cookie.
Why are we waiting until next year? It is restrictive so January is likely the best time to get started. Most people have less vacations and social obligations during the post holiday season. Many are also ready for a change after the holiday “gluttony” but if you’re inspired do not wait for us to get started.
Not Everyone Gets a Trophy
“In my book we are all winners.” - Coach Norman Dale in Hoosiers
First I need to thank the League of Extraordinary Gentleman and commend you for your willingness to advance science and hopefully inspire others. That said it was a competition so winners must be named. Again I will use the nicknames to protect identities but if you know them you will know.
I eliminated myself because I had an unfair advantage. I originally planned a few cheats but when I saw how invested the Varsity squad was I had to go all in. I also eliminated my friend “Been There Done That” because he had already completed the carnivore diet before and had the advantage of experience. Lastly I eliminated the “Sexiest Man in College Lacrosse” because he got even sexier and this seems to be enough of an award in itself.
The Varsity Champion - “The Mountain Man”
He had the greatest reduction in joint pain and weight loss. He never cheated and fasted every Wednesday. His focus and energy improved as well. His wife also joined the challenge and had great results. She even reported more emotional stability with eliminating sugar. In Mountain Man’s own words he is still a D…K!
The Junior Varsity Champion- “Sheriff of Nottingham”
This was a very close call but ultimately the Sheriff of Nottingham nudged out the Father of the Brides. He set the bar for himself, now knows how good he can feel when eliminating certain foods and did it all while being heckled daily.
The Girl Of the Year - “The Wonder Woman”
She had great results and joined enthusiastically without being on the text chain. As the only woman she gave insights into some issues that the men did not have to deal with - primarily related to the improvement of PMS symptoms around her cycle. Hopefully we will have a large group of women give it a try next year. Now who is the true champion, The Mountain man or the Wonder Women? I will leave it up to them to decide.
“If you change the way you think about things, you change things” - Wayne Dyer
Conclusion:
It has now been 4 months since being a full time carnivore. Completing the challenge made me realize that I can manipulate the way my body feels including joint pain with my diet. Last night I went to a steakhouse for a celebration dinner with two friends and our sons. I woke up this morning with puffy eyes, somewhat bloated with some sore joints. In the past I would have wondered how I could be hungover from one drink and bloated from a large steak. I would have wondered if the salt on my steak did me in. Now I know it was not the steak, the salt, or even the one drink but more likely the brownie sundae and key lime pie, the bread, and all the sides. We had a great time and it was worth not feeling my best the next morning, but I would rather not feel that way on a routine basis. I prefer to feel light and energized so today I choose to feel good and hop back on the wagon of healthy eating. Not a carnivore but definitely cut out the sugar and processed carbs until the next celebration.
Leave your questions in the comment section! I will be answering the most frequently asked questions in a future blog.