Never in my wildest dreams did I think I could follow a carnivore diet for 90 days, but I did!

In this blog post, I'll share all the nitty-gritty details of how I felt on a carnivore diet: weight loss, energy, joint pain, IBS, and other benefits from three solid months of eating meat and animal products only.

I'll also share the things I don't love about carnivore after 90 days. Some people experience massive weight loss, and boundless energy, and never want to return to veggies, fruit, sweeteners, or grains.

I'm not one of those people, in all transparency.

Let's dive in!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. This means if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosures here.

I committed to 90 days of a carnivore diet to reduce my joint pain.

On February 20, 2023, I committed to trying a carnivore diet for 90 days. I talk a lot about the reasons why I started carnivore in previous posts (linked above and below) so you can read those if you are interested.

A real benefit of a commitment like this is that quitting carnivore was not an option. At all.

Did quitting cross my mind? Actually yes. But I stuck it out.

Spoiler alert: I've passed the 90-day mark and am still following an animal-based diet.

Pan-seared catfish with fried eggs is a very satisfying carnivore meal.

I eliminated dairy in month 3 of carnivore.

Because my joint pain seemed basically the same after 60 days of carnivore, I knew it was time to do THE HARD THING and take dairy out of my diet.

I really resisted this, because I love heavy whipping cream in my coffee, a slice of sharp cheddar melted on top of a juicy burger, or pork rinds topped with a cream cheese dip.

Quitting dairy was the biggest change I made to my carnivore diet in month 3. I continued to eat lots of beef, butter, bacon, and eggs. I also ate chicken, pork, shrimp, and salmon quite frequently.

After 90 days of carnivore, I lost a total of 17 pounds.

My third month of carnivore saw my most dramatic weight loss. I lost 8.1 pounds in month 3 and am down a total of 17.1 pounds after 3 months.

Could it be that dairy was stalling my weight loss?

I started carnivore at precisely 159 pounds and now weigh 141.9. For reference, I am a 5'3" female.

I lost a total of 6.5 inches in month 3.

Body measurements can be a more accurate gauge of how your body is changing on a carnivore diet, and from days 61-90, I lost a total of 6.5 inches - mainly in my waist, hips, and thighs. The total inches lost in 90 days of carnivore are 18.25.

I started carnivore 90 days ago wearing a tight size 12. (I tend to carry weight in my stomach, dang it.)

Now I fit comfortably into a size 10.

My IBS improved DRAMATICALLY after 90 days of carnivore.

I have had IBS-D my entire adult life. It has negatively affected my life in many ways.

Carnivore has allowed me to forget I have IBS most of the time.

Do I think I am totally cured? Well, I hope so. Obviously, my body does not love the amount of vegetables and fiber I used to consume.

I no longer take daily Imodium (I did this for years "just in case.")
I go to the bathroom just once most days. Prior to starting carnivore I used to go about 3 times BEFORE LUNCH. Then I'd poop at random other times too.
I feel a lot more confident leaving the house now than in the past. I used to stress when going to new places wondering where are the bathrooms and would I have to run for a toilet? IBS causes so much anxiety.

RELATED: If you want the long-winded story of EXACTLY why I started a carnivore diet, you can read it here: 6 Reasons Why I Started a Carnivore Diet: What REALLY Convinced Me

I ate out a lot more this month than normal, but still lost weight and gained healing. This was a beef short rib from Meat Mitch BBQ restaurant in Kansas City. (I did not eat the corn or tortillas on the plate.)

I was able to stop Nexium for heartburn after 90 days of carnivore.

I used to forget I had chronic heartburn because I took Nexium every other day. I've done that for years.

Nexium is meant for short-term use and can have awful side effects like osteoporosis, malabsorption of B-12 and magnesium, increased dementia risk, and kidney disease. Source.

Every time I tried to wean off Nexium I would have the most excruciating heartburn to the point I was not able to sleep.

Lots of people who follow a carnivore diet have heartburn or GERD dramatically disappear. I really, really wanted this for myself!

I did put a lot of effort this month into weaning off of Nexium. I started taking it every 3rd day but using Pepcid in between because the heartburn was still there.

Finally, I stopped Nexium altogether on day 84 of carnivore.

Is my heartburn magically gone?

Sadly, no. But I manage it now with Pepcid Complete. I usually take one tablet at bedtime.

I hope that I'll be able to wean off Pepcid as I continue my carnivore journey.

Now this is satisfing eating! Prime rib with homemade horseradish sauce.

My blood pressure is trending lower after 90 days of carnivore and I will start tapering down my medication.

I've been taking my blood pressure multiple times per day and it is trending well below 120/80 for a few weeks. I've been on 40mg of Lisinopril for blood pressure control for many years.

I will start cutting my pills in half next month and monitor my BP closely. I suspect I will do fine on 20mg of Lisinopril. This is exciting!

No matter what my weight, even when I was quite thin and a size 2, I never was able to go off my blood pressure medication entirely

After 3 months on carnivore, I have naturally gravitated to eating 2 meals a day and I rarely snack.

Since I quit dairy this month I basically stopped a nighttime snack habit of a handful of pork rinds with a cream cheese dip. I didn't do it every night in the past, but I was snacking more from habit or for the desire to eat something tasty than because of actual hunger.

With no cream cheese, there's not a lot of excitement about eating after dinner, haha. Which is an excellent thing for weight loss, apparently.

BBQ restaurants always have great carnivore options (minus the bread, of course). This was from Soulbelly BBQ in Las Vegas.

I have very few cravings after 90 days of a carnivore diet.

During this entire carnivore journey, I have had very few cravings. Sometimes I desire to eat a certain non-carnivore food (usually something like an apple or a sweet potato) but I can easily dismiss that urge to eat.

Pork-rind crusted chicken tenders with “paffles” - carnivore waffles made with eggs & pork rind crumbs and no cheese.

I have less joint pain after 90 days of carnivore, but still have lots of stiffness in my knees.

Reducing my stiffness and joint pain was the main reason I started carnivore. I have osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis and take 25mg of Methotrexate weekly.

I haven't had any flares, so that's positive.

My arthritis pain has probably diminished after 3 months of carnivore, but I still have some degree of pain, especially in my knees.

My hands and feet generally are only minimally stiff, but my knees are still stiff and have a limited range of motion. My hope is that someday I'll be able to get up and down off the floor with grace rather than making dramatic noises and pushing myself up to stand in a very non-ladylike way.

Seared tuna at Gen Korean BBQ in Las Vegas. So yummy!

I have noticeably less hair loss when shampooing during month 3 of a carnivore diet.

For probably a year (if not longer) I've been losing CLUMPS of hair in the shower when I wash it. Because my hair is long and tangles so much too, I lose a lot of hair just brushing it or when wearing it down.

Toward the end of month 3 on carnivore I notice that I only lose a little bit of hair in the shower. Yay!!!

As with other things, maybe I just needed time to let my body heal.

I don't have bald patches or anything (confirmed by my hairdresser!) but my hair is very thin now. My ponytail diameter is tiny. When I look at my hair it seems almost see-through, unlike photos of my hair (same basic length and style) in the past.

I'm guessing the change is because I'm consistently getting 100 grams or more of protein every day.

My hair loss wasn't even on my radar of "health issues" when I started a carnivore diet, but happily, it is resolving!

I ordered the filet with bearnaise sauce at Hell’s Kitchen during my third month of carnivore. Delish!

I went on vacation for 5 days, stayed carnivore, and LOST 4 pounds!

I went to Las Vegas for my son's college graduation and had no problem sticking to my carnivore diet. I was super happy to come home and find that the scale went down 4 pounds.

You can read a little bit about what I ate in this blog post...

How to Eat Keto at Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen Restaurant

I felt more tired than normal this third month of carnivore.

In my first 30 days of carnivore I felt the same energy-wise. I am not the most energetic person normally.

But this month - month 3 - I really feel like I am tired and lethargic a lot of the time. It is not due to a lack of sleep, because I get 7-8 hours every night. I'm not sure if it is due to a nutrient deficiency, lack of carbs, unbalanced hormones, or something else.

I've also noticed quite a bit of brain fog.

I haven't had miraculous results after 90 days of a carnivore diet, but I do BELIEVE my body is healing in its own time.

With 17 pounds gone in 3 months, I look smaller. Even to hyper-critical me. When I started this journey I HOPED that my joint pain would improve and that I would lose a few pounds.

I suppose the joint pain is slightly less and I have not had any arthritis flares since going carnivore.

As you can read above, I have seen lots of positive changes with this carnivore way of eating.

I really believe now that my body is healing in its own time. It's not just a hope or a wish, I truly believe this.

After trying Bearnaise sauce for the first time at Hell’s Kitchen in Las Vegas, I learned to make it at home. It’s terrific on top of a burger!!!

My 90 day carnivore experiment is done. Now what?

I experienced lots of healing on my 90 day carnivore adventure.

Now that my initial 90 day carnivore commitment is up, will I continue?

The answer is YES.

For now I will continue eating carnivore.

It's not my goal to stay exclusively a meat eater forever. I do look forward to reintroducing some veggies or fruits for variety, flavor, and texture.

Everyone's carnivore journey is different. I've read lots of stories of amazing, miraculous healing. My story is different. My body is different.

I want to share my experience in case you are experiencing doubt about a carnivore diet. Do I think it is for everyone? No. But I have had quite a bit of positive changes and it's possible you will too.

Definitely check back because as I write this I am wrapping up month 4 on carnivore and I have more good news to share!

--The Keto Minimalist

Featured

Keto Pumpkin Spice Protein Bread Recipe | Low-Carb | Gluten-Free