If you're reading this, likely you follow a carnivore diet or are thinking of starting one. In this blog post, I’ll share the very detailed results of my first 30 days on an animal-based diet.

I started carnivore because I read amazing testimonials (mostly in the form of comments on YouTube videos) about women just like me who had joint pain and arthritis miraculously reverse after starting a carnivore diet. I am blessed to have two types of arthritis - osteoarthritis and inflammatory arthritis - and I'm currently taking 25mg of methotrexate each week which suppresses my immune system. It hasn't stopped the joint pain, however.

In this post I'll share:

My 30-day carnivore goals
My 30-day carnivore guidelines
My starting stats
A little bit about each week on carnivore, including what I ate and how I felt
My 30-day results (in great detail)!

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.

On February 20, 2023, I committed to 90 days of a carnivore diet. It wasn't a decision I came to easily. I explain all the reasons why (and all the emotional drama around going carnivore!), but my main reasons for making drastic dietary changes were:

Joint pain was interfering with my life. I used to be a very active person (I ran about 24 half marathons, 1 full marathon, and lots of shorter distances), but joint pain was causing me to be very sedentary.
My arthritis medicine wasn't helping. I started seeing a rheumatologist in August of 2022. She gave me methotrexate (an immune-suppressing drug), but I still had pain and flares.
I was scared of the future and having more pain and being unable to do the things I love.
I tried an anti-inflammatory diet (recommended by my doctor) for 6 months with no improvement.
I was desperate to get well.
I read many, many testimonials of women just like me who no longer had joint pain. Their stories gave me HOPE.

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 set a few guidelines for my carnivore diet.

Before I jumped in to a carnivore lifestyle I set some guidelines for myself.

I committed to 90 days of carnivore/ketovore.

I totally forgot until I checked my notes that I didn't commit to 100% carnivore, yet I've been eating that way.

Carnivore is 100% animal-based, so I eat beef, pork, fish, chicken, and dairy like heavy cream and cheeses.

Ketovore means prioritizing meat and fat, but using TINY amounts of plant foods in sauces or as seasonings. So maybe have a steak with a drizzle of chimichurri sauce, or pan-seared salmon with lemon butter sauce, lemon slices, and seasoned with fresh herbs.

I will weigh and measure myself only on days 1, 30, 60, and 90.

I'll be honest, I have lots of emotional drama around the scale. This comes from a long history of dieting.

While I KNOW that the number on the scale is just a piece of information, when that number goes up or doesn't go down fast enough for me leads to a lot of self-judgment, self-criticism, and an all-around bad attitude.

I will write down my food in Evernote for possible troubleshooting, but I don't have to track macros in MyFitnessPal.

Another obsessive diet behavior I sometimes have is tracking my food and macros in MyFitnessPal.

For the next 90 days, I decided I would write down my food in Evernote, but not track exact quantities in MFP. My goal was to eat until I was comfortably stuffed, as Dr. Ken Berry recommends, and not worry about macros or calories.

(Evernote is my literal brain, haha. It's a note-taking app and I use it for journaling, planning, saving articles to read later, and, of course, for blogging and tracking food.)

I am doing carnivore-ish or ketovore.

When I sat down to write this blog post I looked at the guidelines I set back in February 2023 and sure enough, I committed to carnivore-ish or ketovore!

I actually forgot that's what I wrote and I have been eating almost 100% carnivore. I've had the random spoonful of sauerkraut to add acidity to my meal, or seasoned with herbs, but I've been a lot more strict with my diet than what I planned when setting goals.

I wrote: Eat mostly meats, in particular beef. Tiny bit of fruit, occasionally, tiny bit of veggies in a recipe. I will use dairy, including cream, unless my symptoms don't reduce. Then I will reconsider cream, in particular. Herbs and spices ok. Do not stress about eating out and possibly having rubs or spice mixtures, etc.

I set 90-day carnivore outcome goals.

The more I researched carnivore, and read other women's testimonials, I felt it might be possible to also lose weight and reverse some other health issues I deal with.

I know my health issues, particularly the stiff and painful joints, didn't happen overnight, and even though I'd love to have a miraculous healing, I am realistic enough to know that's not likely.

So I set several 90-day goals.

Goal 1: My joints no longer hurt!!!! This is really the most important goal!

Reducing or eliminating my joint pain was the number one reason I started the carnivore diet, and it is the most important goal.

If my joints no longer hurt, I will discuss tapering methotrexate with my rheumatologist. The end goal is to totally go off rheumatology meds.

Goal 2: I no longer have symptoms of IBS.

I read of many people who said their IBS just vanished on carnivore. I think after joint pain improves, THIS is the second most important goal.

I've had IBS all my adult life. I've spent way too much time either in the bathroom, worrying about where the nearest bathroom is, or being very anxious about traveling because of my IBS.

I've tried ALL THE THINGS over the years, from probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, cutting dairy, cutting gluten, eating more fiber, and supplementing with fiber. You name it, I've tried it.

If carnivore could cure my IBS I would be thrilled.

Goal 3: I have no heartburn and can stop taking Nexium.

Many people on a carnivore diet say that their reflux or GERD stopped once they began eating meat only. I've been on Nexium for a few years and take it every other day. I would love to get off heartburn meds.

Goal 4: I have reduced or stopped my blood pressure medicine.

I have had high blood pressure ever since the birth of my middle son. My blood pressure was fine throughout my pregnancy and was elevated after I gave birth.

I've never been able to get off blood pressure medication even though I have been extremely active, at a healthy weight, and eat a low-carb diet of minimally processed foods.

Maybe carnivore will help so I added reducing BP meds to my goals list.

Goal 5: I will lose 20 pounds.

Along with many people in the world, I put on some covid weight. It's time to TAKE IT OFF. A girl can dream, can't she??

And my final goal:

Goal 6: I feel like a fit, healthy, active, VIBRANT woman!!!

Vibrant is my word of the year. Regaining my health will truly help me to feel strong, fit, healthy, and active.

My starting statistics.

I started carnivore weighing 159 exactly and I'm 5'4" for reference. I wear size 12 pants (that are tight in the waist because that's where I store my fat). If a shirt is very fitted I wear a size XL. If it's a looser or more flowy style, I wear a large.

I'm on 25mg of Methotrexate each week for my joint pain and take a 6-day course of prednisone if I have flares.

I take 40mg of Lisinopril for my high blood pressure, which keeps it very controlled.

I take over-the-counter Nexium every other day and have no symptoms of heartburn. If I try to stretch it out and take Nexium every third day I always have horrible reflux.

It's hard to quantify the IBS except most days I "go to the bathroom" 3 times before lunch. I may also go once or twice more during the day. Sometimes I have urgency and sometimes diarrhea. I ALWAYS take Imodium when I travel by plane. I don't mean I carry it with me. I mean I take 2 Imodium the night before I travel, and 2 Imodium the day of. I have a lot of anxiety about my IBS and traveling.

Electrolytes are really important on a carnivore diet. I choose LMNT brand with a good balance of sodium, potassium, and magnesium, and no artificial ingredients.

Week 1 of my carnivore diet.

I started my carnivore journey on a Tuesday (February 20, 2023). That's wrong, according to diet tradition, but I've never been one to do things the right way, haha.

I ordered LMNT electrolytes because I heard lots of carnivore "experts" talking about the importance of balancing electrolytes on a meat-only diet, especially in the beginning when you are prone to the keto flu. (Check out LMNT on Amazon.)

I was more than a little nervous about what to expect, especially because it is well known in the carnivore community that diarrhea is normal and expected in the first few weeks, as your gut gets used to digesting meat only.

What I ate on week 1 on carnivore.

Even before I started carnivore I don't eat breakfast most days, and that did not change.

I typically started my day with coffee. I add 2 scoops of collagen and heavy cream. Most days I have 1-2 slices of bacon and share a few bites with my pug. (I use Vital Proteins brand of collagen and order it from Amazon.)

Lunches were usually some form of bacon and eggs or dinner leftovers. Sometimes I fried eggs, sometimes ate them scrambled, and once made deviled eggs with homemade bacon mayonnaise. One day I ate salmon and another day I had hotdogs.

Shrimp with andouille sausage and cajun cream sauce was a yummy carnivore meal on week 1.

Dinners were:

Cajun shrimp and andouille sausage with cajun cream sauce
Wahlburger patty with cheese
shaved beef with cheddar and blue cheese
turkey breast with a really gross bone broth & cream "gravy" experiment
Five Guys bacon cheeseburger (no bun, obviously)
crispy skin air fryer chicken thighs
chicken salad made with leftover AF chicken, cream cheese, and topped with bacon and fried chicken skins

Snacks were usually string cheese or all-beef hotdogs with a bit of mustard.

How I felt on week 1 of carnivore.

Overall I felt pretty good. I did not have any symptoms of the keto flu (I think the electrolyte drinks really helped), and my energy levels were mostly good. I tried to drink a lot of water which was easy because I was very thirsty.

I did have a few episodes of diarrhea, which is to be expected when beginning carnivore. I had a stomachache on a few occasions, but it went away fairly quickly.

I had some emotional drama because I realized that I eat for so many reasons other than hunger. I use food as entertainment, I eat when I'm bored or want to procrastinate. I was sad and a little uncomfortable when I had to FEEL my emotions instead of pushing them down with a snack.

Week 2 of my carnivore diet.

Because meat is literally front and center on my plate now, I upgraded my super old air fryer with a fancy new Ninja Foodi Grill/Air Fryer. It has a thermometer and will cook your meat to the exact temperature you specify.

What I ate on week 2 of carnivore.

Breakfast was just as before - coffee with collagen and heavy cream, plus 1-2 slices of bacon.

Lunches were usually bacon & eggs, dinner leftovers, or hot dogs.

Hot dogs are easy to eat quickly and they are not very filling.

Dinners were:

strip steak with garlic basil butter
shrimp & andouille with cajun cream sauce
scrambled eggs with pepperoni
salmon piccata (I made a brown butter sauce with a squeeze of lemon and a few capers - this is the brown butter recipe)
pulled pork
hot dogs in an egg wrap with mustard, a few black olives
Italian sausage "pizza bowl" with pepperoni and cheese

I did less snacking this week because I'm learning to eat until comfortably stuffed so I am satisfied until the next meal. For the occasional snack, I sipped on bone broth or had egg wraps with cheese and pepperoni, or a hot dog.

How I felt on week 2 of carnivore.

I had a few days of more intense joint pain, which was really disappointing.

I continued to have a few days of diarrhea, but it usually happened once and then was done for the day. I didn't spend hours sitting on the toilet.

A few nights I woke up feeling nauseous. I'm sure this is also part of my gut transitioning to a meat-based diet, but it was not fun!

I did have some emotional drama around not loving my food choices.

Week 3 of my carnivore diet.

What I ate on week 3 of carnivore.

Most days I am not snacking at all. I have my morning coffee with bacon and then 2 meals.

Lunches are just as before: either leftovers or bacon and eggs.

Dinners:

St. Louis Style Pork Ribs (I will post my recipe)
Shrimp with Italian cream sauce over sliced egg wrap "noodles"
Double bacon cheeseburger topped with egg and 1 slice of bacon
Salmon
Smoked turkey and pimento cheese from my favorite BBQ restaurant, Meat Mitch in Kansas City
Lion's Choice roast beef with 1 slice of cheddar and some au jus
Strip steak with butter

I've gotten in the habit of having a small decaf with heavy cream after dinner. Sort of as a "dessert" or sign my meal is finished.

How I felt on week 3 of carnivore.

I felt a little stronger emotionally this week. I am learning how not to obsessively weigh myself and track my food. I'm learning how to deal with tough feelings of deprivation or "I don't like my meal." I am learning how to eat for fuel and not pleasure which is hard.

I had some heart palpitations this week. I googled and apparently palpitations are common if you need electrolytes. I drank more LMNT and they eventually went away. I usually have 1-2 packs per day.

I'm better at eating enough at my meals so I am not at all hungry at other times during the day, and I have no cravings.

Chilean Sea Bass topped with blue crab. Yum!

Week 4 of my carnivore diet.

This week I realized I rely heavily on dairy. Dairy is totally ok to eat on carnivore. The problem is I love it. Probably too much.

Dairy can also be inflammatory for some people, especially people like me who have an autoimmune disease. I will think about reducing or eliminating dairy next month, as much as I don't want to!

What I ate on week 4 of carnivore.

Lunches were only different on the days I was traveling or gone. I ate the meat and cheese from a Panera sandwich, or ordered meat or seafood at restaurants.

Dinners:

2 quarter pounder burger patties with cheese from McDonald's
Air fryer chicken thighs and fried bread cheese, 1/2 ball of burrata with a tiny bit of pesto - yum!
3 eggs, burrata with a tiny bit of pesto, a few pork rinds with a dip made with cream cheese, cheddar, and hot sauce.
Filet mignon with butter (restaurant meal)
Chicken breast in cheese sauce with shredded cheese, sour cream, and a little pico de gallo (restaurant meal)
Chilean sea bass with blue crab meat and white wine cream sauce (restaurant meal)
New York Times scrambled eggs (here’s the recipe), bacon, plus a carnivore warm eggnog

I ordered bacon gruyere egg bites and a brewed coffee with cream at starbucks while traveling, instead of sugary pastries and frappes.

How I felt on week 4 of carnivore.

This was our girls’ 4-day dance weekend trip and I was really proud I did not cheat. I was able to resist temptation and stay on track.

I'm having emotional drama because I've been eating (and enjoying!) a lot more dairy than I typically would eat.

As I ended week 4, but before I weighed, and measured on day 30, I gave myself a pep talk. I wrote a list of all the benefits I’ve noticed so far by following a carnivore diet. You'll find them in my official results below.

“My goal is not to be loyal to a certain way of eating. Keto or carnivore is not my religion. Rather, my goal is to eat in a way that helps me look and feel my best - with a BIG emphasis on feeling my best.”

— The Keto Minimalist

My 30-day carnivore results - the good, the bad, and the jury is still out.

Sadly I did not have any miraculous results after 30 days of a carivore diet.

I knew it was not realistic to hope for all my medical issues to reverse themselves, but I am an optimist. I decided to share my results categorized so you can see the good that has come from this big dietary change, what I don't like about carnivore, and the areas where I am still waiting to see results.

Good results from 30 days of carnivore.

My IBS is much improved after 30 days on carnivore.

I have not felt this good digestively in years, and I am ecstatic!

For the first two weeks, I had a few episodes of diarrhea, but this is normal and expected when transitioning to a carnivore diet.

During the third week, I started becoming very regular and would go to the bathroom just once a day, in the morning. I am THRILLED!!!

Occasionally my stools are loose when I eat a lot of fat the prior day. This is a known "issue" of carnivore also. Many carnivore experts recommend cutting back on fat a little if this happens.

I lost 3 pounds in 30 days of carnivore.

I lost a whopping 3 pounds in my first month of carnivore. I really debated putting this result under the "bad" section but decided not to.

Not gonna lie, this was REALLY disappointing. I've lost more weight in 5 days on my favorite cleanse which I do a few times per year. (You can read more about the 5-day cleanse I love here.)

But my weight has remained about the same for the past 6-9 months so finally moving the needle down is a good thing.

And also...

I've gotten smaller after 30 days of carnivore.

While I only lost 3 pounds in 30 days, I did lose a total of 7.5 inches, mainly in my hips and waist.

My clothes definitely feel looser and I am fitting into some clothes I haven't worn in 3 years, so I am thrilled.

I tried on a pair of size 10 jeans and they are a little tight in the waist, but this is huge progress.

I have zero cravings after 30 days of carnivore.

The first week or so I really missed fruits, veggies, and the grains I had been eating on the anti-inflammatory diet. But those cravings quickly disappeared.

After 30 days of meat-only, I occasionally think "I'd love a salad with blue cheese dressing" but it's just a fleeting thought. I don't have uncontrollable cravings or urges to cheat.

I don't feel constantly hungry on carnivore, like I did when I was on the higher carb, anti-inflammatory diet for 6 months.

I no longer snack, and I eat just 2 meals a day.

When I followed the higher carb, anti-inflammatory diet my rheumatologist recommended for six months I was ALWAYS hungry. I not only ate 3 meals a day but often had a snack or two in between to tide me over.

On carnivore, my appetite plummeted. Without trying I noticed I was not snacking unless I hadn't eaten enough for a meal. After a few weeks, it became normal to have coffee with cream in the morning, then eat lunch and dinner.

I was not trying to do time-restricted eating but it just naturally happened.

If I am hungry though, I will eat.

I did not cheat on my carnivore diet at all.

I was super proud of myself for not cheating during my first 30 days of carnivore.

I didn’t cheat on carnivore even though my fellow travelers were eating and drinking (delicious) junk food.

I was a little worried since I went on a girls' weekend road trip. We made lots of stops at highway gas stations and omg the junk food, candy, and Starbucks mocha chip frappes that some of the other ladies ate!! Luckily I was over 3 weeks into carnivore at this point and my cravings were gone.

I stuck to hard-boiled eggs, clean beef jerky, and coffee with cream for "snacks."

Even dining out wasn't a big deal. I was always able to find something to eat, even at a Mexican restaurant or Panera.

My palate has changed after 30 days on carnivore.

I not only don't have cravings, but I have come to appreciate a quality filet mignon or a nice wild-caught piece of salmon. I don't crave sweets or processed foods.

I don't use artificial sweeteners, and I don't miss them.

I dealt with the emotional drama of not being satisfied with my food.

There are days I don't enjoy what I've eaten. (More on that below.)

I try to be really intentional about what I think... that my body is healing, that I am nourishing myself well, and try to shush that voice inside of me that whispers "You are deprived."

To be very transparent there are some days I do feel deprived, particularly when I don't enjoy the meat I'm eating that day.

I have eliminated some diet mentality obsessive behaviors like weighing daily and tracking, food, calories, and carbs.

I write down my food in Evernote but haven't tracked calories or macros in MyFitnessPal. I rely on my body to tell me when I'm hungry and when I am satisfied, and this is freeing.

It was HARD not to weigh often on my first 30 days of carnivore. I had to put the scale in a cupboard so as not to be tempted!

I'm still waiting to see results in these areas.

Joint pain is not improved.

After 30 days my joints still feel the same. My joints still are stiff and ache. In fact, on days 29 and 30 I had really achy knees.

One good thing is that I did not have a flare during these first 30 days.

This was a little disappointing, I'll be honest.

Heartburn has not decreased.

No progress. Twice I tried extending Nexium to every 3 days and I can't. The night before the 3rd day I always have awful heartburn which means I can't sleep and will pop a Nexium the next day.

My blood pressure is the same.

My blood pressure is consistently under 120/80 on Lisinopril but it's not going any lower. One reason that it's remaining high is that I am on the pill which does increase BP.

My energy level is about the same.

I don't have tons of energy, but I also don't feel lethargic. The end of winter and gray, dreary days definitely impacts my mood and energy levels! Workouts are about the same intensity.

Sleep quality is about the same.

I don't really notice a difference in sleep. My sleep is not great and I do wake up at least once per night. This is nothing new.

What I do not love about carnivore after 30 days.

Often I do not love what I eat on carnivore - food satisfaction is pretty low.

I wish I could say I LOVE eating carnivore, but that's not true. I want to be very honest and transparent here. I love some of the benefits, but many days I am tired of eating meat.

Eating is not fun anymore!

If I overcook a burger or pork chop I am so disappointed because I can't eat a salad or a plate of oven-roasted Brussels sprouts to fill up instead.

I celebrated my birthday with fried eggs and burrata with a little pesto and olive oil.

Will I continue carnivore?

The first 30 days of carnivore have been an adventure and learning experience!

I've learned that I can be mentally tough. This is the hardest diet I have ever been on, and I've tried almost everything over the years!

I love that my IBS is much improved, and I love that I am not snacking or craving foods, especially carbs. I like that I've lost a little weight and am definitely getting smaller.

So yes, I will continue my commitment to 90 days of carnivore.

As I write this I am 54 days into carnivore so I'll be ready to update with my 60-day results soon.

Do you follow a carnivore diet?? Are you happy? Have you experienced any healing or weight loss? I'd love it if you shared your story in the comments below!

--The Keto Minimalist

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