The Complete Carnivore Diet for Beginners: Your practical guide to an all-meat lifestyle (2024)

FAQs

What should I eat the first week of the carnivore diet? ›

Expect to experience nausea and other side effects that come with limiting your diet to only animal products. You may experience constipation as well, due to the decreased fiber intake since fruits, vegetables and whole grains are restricted.

The carnivore diet encourages drinking water and bone broth but discourages drinking tea, coffee, and other drinks made from plants. Carnivore diet plans may offer little guidance regarding calorie intake, serving sizes, or how many meals or snacks to eat per day.

You can also consider just consuming egg whites to lower your calorie and fat intake. In general, though, many on the carnivore diet consume between 2 to 6 eggs daily as part of their meal plan. This range generally offers a good balance of nutrients without overconsumption.

Yes, you can drink coffee on a carnivore diet. Despite its plant origin, many followers of the carnivore diet still consume coffee, considering caffeine's stimulating properties. However, caution must be taken as excessive intake of caffeine may add stress to the body's metabolism and disrupt sleep patterns.

A carnivore diet could lead to some serious gaps (and excesses) in your nutrition. Eating exclusively animal products is likely to take you over recommended limits for sodium and saturated fat, as well as create deficiencies in nutrients from plant foods, such as fiber, vitamin C, and polyphenols.

The short answer is yes, you can lose weight on a Carnivore diet, as many Carnivore success stories show the positive effects of this diet on weight loss. But how does this diet result in weight loss? The Carnivore diet minimizes carbohydrates and increases fat and protein intake to induce ketosis.

Within a few days, or just over a week, you could feel sharper than ever. Perhaps even better than if you were doing a standard ketogenic diet (see “The Carnivore Diet for Athletes”). “By the second week, your system comes online,” says Munsey.

The carnivore diet plan is simple; you only eat animal foods and products. Everything else is restricted. That means no fruits, no vegetables, no bread or grains, and limiting your dairy intake to low-lactose foods.

A one-day meal plan for the carnivore diet is all about simplicity, focusing entirely on animal products. It includes a range of meats, fish, eggs, and possibly dairy, providing high protein and fat intake. This diet is favored by some for its potential health benefits, including improved digestion and energy levels.

What is the timeline for carnivore benefits? ›

Steady Progress: Typical Timeline of Noticeable Changes

Once your body has adapted to the carnivore diet, you'll begin to notice more profound carnivore diet results around the 3-6 week mark. Weight loss can become apparent during this time, as your body continues to burn fat for energy.

Joe Rogan's daily intake, while on the Carnivore Diet, primarily consisted of meat. He often mentioned consuming elk, bison, and other game meats, along with more traditional meats like beef. Organ meats, particularly liver, were also a part of his diet.

Salt and Pepper: These classic seasonings are completely acceptable on the carnivore diet. Mustard: As long as it doesn't contain a ton of added sugars or sweeteners, mustard is a great way to add some tang to your meat. Hot Sauce: Believe it or not, hot sauce is ok on the carnivore diet.

It may take several weeks or even months for your body to fully adapt and for you to start seeing the carnivore diet before and after results you desire. So, keep in mind that patience and consistency are key.

Generally, aiming to lose between 0.5 – 0.75% of your starting body weight can be realistic. If you want to lose 0.5% of your body weight weekly, multiply your starting weight by 0.005 to determine your weekly weight loss goal.