100 years ago there was a great explorer named Vilhjalmur Stefansson who spent 11 years in the arctic.
For 9 of those 11 years he ate nothing but meat.
When he came back, the scientific community was shocked and they didn't believe that people could live on only meat.
So they did a study. For one year Stefansson and another man, Karsten Anderson, were allowed to eat nothing but meat and drink only water.
At the end of the study these two men were evaluated and deemed perfectly healthy.
These are the reported results (from wiki):
There were no deficiency problems; the two men remained perfectly healthy; their bowels remained normal, except that their stools were smaller and did not smell.
Stefansson's gingivitis disappeared by the end of the experiment although there was an increase in the deposit of tartar on his teeth.
During this experiment his intake had varied between 2,000 and 3,100 calories per day and he derived, by choice, an average of almost eighty percent of his energy from animal fat and almost twenty percent from protein.
Daily intake varied from 100-140 grams of protein, 200-300 grams of fat, and 7-12 grams of carbohydrates.
100 years later we seem to have forgotten the work of the great explorer and we still believe we need vegetables and fruits and grains to be healthy.
After reading about the one year study, and after reading Steffanson's own book Not By Bread Alone in which he chronicles his years eating nothing but meat, I was inspired to try it myself.
Personally, I found that my time eating vegetables, fruits, and grains produced profound negative results.
These results include:
- massive brain fog
- massive bodily bloat
- constipation and frequent trips to the toilet
- symptoms of hypoglycemia
- my bones hurt
- and I believe I had early symptoms of diabetes
Something had to be done and earlier in the year I greatly cut down on my vegetation intake and I felt a lot better. But I was still eating carbohydrates in the form of raw goat milk.
I wanted to do my own study and see what would happen when I completely cut out all carbohydrates and ate nothing but meat, also know as the zero-carb carnivore diet.
So that's what I did. I set out to eat nothing but meat for 35 days.
What I experienced profoundly changed my life.
I Ate Nothing But Meat for 35 Days. Here's What Happened…
What I ate and when I ate it
I ate between 3 and 4 meals each day. Mostly I ate 3 meals: breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I drank only water and black tea.
My daily meals were almost identical. I ate a ribeye steak for breakfast, I ate a ribeye steak for lunch, and I ate a ribeye steak for dinner. If I wasn't eating ribeyes I was eating new york strips.
I ate the fattiest cuts of meat I could find. I paid very close attention to eating enough fat. This diet cannot work on protein alone, the fat is vital.
Here's what happened to the explorer Steffanson when he ate only the lean meat:
At the researchers' request, Stefansson was asked to eat lean meat only. Stefansson noted that in the North, very lean meat sometimes produced “digestive disturbances”.
Whereas Stefansson's prior experience was that lean meat would lead to illness after the second or third fatless week, Stefansson developed nausea and diarrhea on the third day at Bellevue.
Stefansson attributes the fast onset of illness due to the usually lean meat that he was served versus the fattier caribou meat he consumed previously.
After eating fatty meat, he fully recovered in two days. However, the initial disturbance was followed by “a period of persistent constipation lasting 10 days”.
The only time I craved “junk food” was when I did not eat enough fat. When I ate enough fat I craved nothing else.
I never once craved anything sweet after a meal and I had no problem eating fatty steaks over and over.
I ate a few other meals aside from steak. These include pork baby back ribs, goat meat, chicken wings, chicken eggs, duck eggs, raw milk blue cheese, liver once per week, and a little cheese (the cheese was my “cheat meal” which I ate only for fun).
Regarding the eggs, I actually ate only the egg yolks, I did not eat any egg whites.
I cooked all of my food in butter. I even started putting butter in my tea, a trick I learned from a Nepalese friend.
In short, I was never terribly hungry and I never once felt unsatisfied.
My brain fog vanished
The most profound impact the zero-carb carnivore diet had on me is that my brain fog completely vanished. Poof. It vanished into thin air.
I'd spent so many years riddled with a heavy afternoon brain fog that I was at the end of my wits.
Within just a week or two eating zero carbs I'd had the clearest head I have ever had in my entire life.
I credit this profound realization (brain fog is caused by carbohydrates) to my renaissance. Before, I'd be able to do great work only sporadically.
On all-meat diet I was able to write article after article and record podcast after podcast. In between doing the great work of B&D; I was able to read book after book and take page after page of notes.
Nothing was off-limits or overwhelming. Eating only meat gave me back the abilities of my own mind. Again, this is the most profound effect I noticed.
Belly bloat vanished (and facial bloat vanished)
Before this diet I was eating a somewhat standard diet which included both meat and carbohydrates.
My belly was bloated and often sore. It wasn't fat but my belly would definitely protrude (during this time I took absolutely no bodybuilding supplements or fat burners). I was completely natural like everybody else.
After kicking carbs out of my diet my belly bloat completely vanished. The pain that I had nearly all the time in my stomach vanished. The nasty bloat sensation and the feeling of always needing to use the toilet but never evacuating fully vanished.
I did not lose any weight whatsoever. However, my body re-compositioned from skinny-fat and bloated to lean and hard.
I was never hungry, I never experienced a night going to bed hungry, I always ate until I was full and I never counted calories.
I did not start this diet simply to lose weight or get lean, I did it entirely for health. But being able to maintain a lean stomach and not have to be hungry was a great bonus.
Constipation vanished
During my 35 days of meat only I had zero fiber and I never poo-pood better in my whole life. I was never constipated and I was never bloated. I also never farted.
There were no issues with waste elimination. I would wake up in the morning and use the toilet like clockwork. My belly would be nice and lean for the rest of the day.
We've all heard about the need for fiber over and over. In my experience fiber actively HURTS, it does not help. I never had worse shits in my life than when I was eating a high fiber diet full of vegetables, fruits, and grains.
The “Hangry” feeling vanished
I had steady energy throughout the day, never experiencing lulls in energy.
My mood completely stabilized on this diet. I was never once angry.
In the past I would get angry over the smallest thing. It was like I had no control of my emotions. If I was hungry, get out of my way because I'd turn into Mr. Hyde.
Now? I am always calm, cool, and collected. I attribute this to the complete lack of blood sugar spikes from not eating carbohydrates.
I often found myself smiling like a child after meals.
I have tried every diet in existence including intermittent fasting, vegan, vegetarian, bodybuilding low fat/high carb, all raw etc.
The all-meat, zero carb, carnivore diet is the only diet that has ever left me feeling satisfied and happy.
What about all the vitamins we need?
Humans cannot properly digest vegetation, which is why you fart so much after eating plants, beans, and other high-fiber foods.
Ruminant animals such as cows have different stomachs than us and they can digest vegetation.
Ruminants (e.g. cows, deer, goats, antelope, bison, buffalo, moose, giraffe, elk) have a specialized stomach for fermentation, which requires that they chew, regurgitate and chew their food (cud) again. We humans don’t do this (thankfully!).
(By the way, our digestive differences start in the mouth. Most ruminants have a thick dental pad they use to chew plant-based foods and they don’t have upper incisors.)
The ruminant has a stomach that is made up of four separate compartments, each with its own digestive function. After bacteria have done the job of fermenting cellulose, ruminants digest those bacteria in the fourth stomach chamber — the only enzymatic digestive chamber in their complex four-stomach system.
Unlike humans, ruminants do not absorb glucose from dietary carbohydrates via an enzymatic process. Instead, they get their energy from Volatile Fatty Acids (VFAs) through fermentation of fibrous and non-fibrous carbohydrates in the first two chambers and obtain the majority of their protein from the digested bacteria (i.e. microbial protein) in the fourth chamber of their stomach. (source)
In a nutshell, the animals eat the vegetation that we cannot properly digest and they turn that vegetation into vitamins. Then we eat the animals and get our vitamins that way.
As it turns out we can get all of the vitamins we need from meat, especially beef. In fact there are many B vitamins in beef that are not found in any plant foods whatsoever.
The following vitamins and minerals are abundant in beef:
- Vitamin B12: Animal-derived foods, such as meat, are the only dietary sources of vitamin B12, an essential nutrient that is important for blood formation and the function of the brain and nervous system.
- Zinc: Beef is very rich in zinc, a mineral that is important for body growth and maintenance.
- Selenium: Meat is generally a rich source of selenium, an essential trace element that has a variety of functions in the body.
- Iron: Found in high amounts in beef, meat iron is mostly in the heme form, which is absorbed very efficiently.
- Niacin: One of the B-vitamins, also called vitamin B3. Niacin has various important functions in the body. Low niacin intake has been associated with increased risk of heart disease.
- Vitamin B6: A family of B-vitamins, important for blood formation.
- Phosphorus: Widely found in foods, phosphorus intake is generally high in the Western diet. It is essential for body growth and maintenance.
Meat is our most important source of vitamins, our natural multi-vitamin. According to this study:
Meat has been a staple part of the human diet since the dawn of mankind, but in recent years there has been some debate over whether too much red meat can raise the risk of health problems.
Now a team of researchers has studied the issue of meat in the diet to help gauge just how important it is for a healthy mind and body – as well as the crucial nutrients that red meat in the diet brings.
The latest study found that data from dietary surveys indicates that UK diets for people of all ages can be worryingly low in nutrients normally found in meat, such as vitamin A, vitamin D, iron, magnesium, zinc, selenium and potassium.
The researchers say that integrating red meat into diets across the age spectrum, from infanthood to old age, may help to narrow the present gap between vitamin and mineral intakes and recommended levels.
In addition, there is emerging evidence that nutrients commonly found in red meat may play a role in supporting cognitive function, immune health and addressing iron deficiency.
Red meat - defined as beef, veal, pork and lamb, which is fresh, minced or frozen – is a source of high quality protein and important micronutrients.
Beef and lamb are classed as a ‘rich source’ – more than 30% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) - of vitamin B3 (niacin), B12 (cyanocobalamin) and zinc. It is also a ‘source’ – 15% or more of the RDA - of iron, potassium and phosphorous. Pork is also a ‘rich source’ of vitamin B1 (thiamin).
Meat, particularly from grass-fed animals, can be a valuable source of long chain (LC) n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) such as omega 3 fatty acids.
Research shows that these fatty acids support normal foetal development as well as help lower the risk of inflammatory conditions, depression and dementia in later life.
Red meat is also an important source of haem iron - a type that is readily absorbed - and data shows that average iron intakes in the UK are inadequate, especially among females in general and during pregnancy.
“But my vegan friend said that meat is bad?”
The vegan diet is a form of eating disorder and your vegan friend is mentally ill.
All vegans are profoundly deficient in important vitamins and suffer from extreme malnourishment.
Meat and animal fat is a vital necessity for the brain.
When the brain does not get the nutrients it needs, mental illness appears.
Dr. Deans warns that many of the nutrients our brain needs are often found in meat and animal proteins. When our brain is lacking in these vitamins, the levels of glutamate in our bodies is lower, which causes an increase in feelings of depression, anxiety, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. When our brains don’t have enough zinc or iron, both of which we find in meat, then it’s expected that one can experience mood swings. Dr. Deans recalls that in the past she’s treated patients who believe they’ve had a panic attack but are really just experiencing iron deficiency.
These feelings can compound themselves even worse in vegetarians who are unsure what to eat and instead reach for white bread, rice, pasta, and cereal. Experts call this the “carb-itarian diet” and warn that the “resulting seesaw of blood sugar and hormone levels may lead to even more irritability, depression, and anxiety.” (source)
Here is a video showing you the reality of what happens to people who don't eat animal products.
It's a very disturbing look at the extreme mental and physical deterioration that vegans go through.
Carnivore Diet Results
The all-meat diet has profoundly changed my life for the better. I have never been so calm, so nourished, and so fulfilled.
I experience what people pretend to experience with meditation or religious/ritualistic fasting but I do not have to starve to achieve it. I literally eat as much as I want and I get nothing but good benefits.
I now have a deep understanding that we are meant to eat meat. When I look at grains and vegetables I don't even see food.
Am I ever tempted to eat cheat meals? You bet I am. But I recognize that the desire for cheat meals is a mental desire caused by the addictive nature of most of our carbohydrate foods.
In fact, carbs fit the category of drugs better than the category of food. Actually, all of our medicines come from plants and high-sugar carb foods act exactly like drugs.
They get you high via a dopamine release and then a few hours later you get “hangry” and you desire more and more carbs.
You are never satisfied eating carbs the same way you are never satisfied with your intoxicating drug intake. It's always more, more, more.
When I eat steak, I eat one steak and then I'm finished for hours with no cravings and no spikes in blood sugar or mood.
My biggest mistake on the all-meat diet (and what happened on the 36th day)
At the beginning of the diet I was eating grass-fed beef that I bought from a local rancher.
The beef was excellent and very fatty, but also very expensive at $23.99 per lb.
One day I was at the local Asian supermarket H-Mart and I found a nice 10 lb bag of un-cut beef rib rolls that only cost $5.99 per lb.
I bought them, took them home, carved some steaks with my buck knife, and I ate this way for 2-3 weeks. Unfortunately this beef was not super fatty and within 2 weeks I was craving all kinds of nasty foods.
Since I was seemingly so hungry from eating lower fat meat, I had planned to have a nice cheat day on the 36th day. I was going to eat pizza and ice cream.
But first, I ran out of the cheap steaks and went to whole foods to purchase a few pasture raised ribeyes in the meantime.
On the morning of the 36th day I ate half a ribeye and wouldn't you know it? I was full for so many hours I couldn't even think about eating a cheat meal.
Just a half pound of fatty ribeye steak nourished me so well, I didn't eat again for over 6 hours.
I learned my lesson and I stoped buying the cheaper beef. I have never been more content than after I eat a nice fatty steak.
There is a certain type of bodily anxiety that you get when you do not eat enough fat, and this anxiety is immediately cured by eating fat. So many people suffer from anxiety today simply because there are not eating enough fat.
Here's the exact piece of fatty steak that left me full, content, and satisfied for over 6 hours:
I did eventually have my cheat meal of pizza and ice cream.
It tasted nice but I had my first stomach ache in 36 days.
It reminded me of why I've always hated eating meals at restaurants - high carb meals always make me feel ill, bloated, and foggy-headed.
One quick tip for getting enough fat (and saving money)
If you don't have the money to buy the expensive steaks, don't worry. Buy the steaks you can afford and simply ask the butcher to give you the fat they trim off of the nice steaks.
When I was at whole foods picking up my fatty ribeyes, I asked them if I could get some of the trimmed fat and they said sure.
They brought out a bunch of leftover pieces of beef, trimmed the fat off, wrapped them up in paper, and gave it to me for free.
Will I continue the all-meat diet?
I will continue eating this way forever. And if I stop eating this way it will be a giant mistake.
I have eaten this way before in the past, when I ate the old school steak and eggs diet, and I “fell off the wagon.”
Our programming to eat carb foods is so powerful that if you are not always aware and mindful of what you are eating it is very easy to eat what everybody else is eating.
When you eat what they eat you start to look like they look and feel like they feel. I have felt that way in the past and I never want to return to it.
I will allow cheat meals every now and again. It is nice to enjoy meals with friends and family. But for my own eating, steak will always be my go-to meal.
The benefits of the zero-carb diet far outweigh the cons.
Actually, the only “con” to eating this way is overcoming your own mind and using your own willpower and self-discipline to not eat these fake foods that get us addicted.
Foods like pies, cakes, breakfast cereals, breads, pastas and pizzas etc. I have absolutely no desire to ever eat vegetables so there is no struggle there.
For me, it's steak, steak, steak, and more steak. If I want a cheat meal I eat some cheese and drink some sparkling water.
I have to repeat that I have never in my life felt worse than when I increased my consumption of so-called “healthy” foods such as fruits and vegetables.
I have never, ever felt better than when I eat all-meat and nothing else.
That's it friend, that is my experience eating nothing but meat for 35 days in a row.
Until next time.
Your man,
-Victor Pride
PS - Have you ever tried this diet? Are you interested in trying this diet? Leave your results in the comments below and let us know.
Once again great article Victor. My qustion is what do you think about meat only diet and adding juicing also? I have cut eating salads and veggetables but juicing give me great energy also /especially juicing oranges and lemons/
Do whatever you feel is best for you.
Thoughts on MCT oil?
Eat more animal fat.
Priceless information in this article, especially where you say cravings for junk food are simply the result of not eating enough fat, and that eating a fatty steak is the cure for any temptations to eat a cheat meal. That such cravings are caused by what you call “bodily anxiety” makes so much sense. This is invaluable knowledge to keep in mind.
Thanks a million, Victor!
Yes sir. I ate a all red meat diet after my doctor of 6 years told me I had low testosterone and was thinking of giving me injections I said hold off. I Ate nothing but steaks and went back a few months later after some blood work and he was shocked. Not only was my testosterone completely fine now, but everything else was too. Low estrogen, healthy cholesterol, phosphate, insulin everything. He said this is the best I’ve ever seen you. So it’s all meat for me.
Any before and after pics?
I have tried this way of eating but I suffered with stomach problems, possibly too much stomach acid I may try again but go for fattier cuts of meat and maybe some supplement enzymes to start with or supplemental HCL
Hey Victor,
Good stuff right here. The only thing I would add is that when taking on this diet, folks would be wise to add in some organ meat from time to time. Liver, heart, kidney etc.. The Inuit who Stefansson lived with eat a lot of offal which is VERY nutrient dense. Keep preaching truth brother.
Currently on the all RAW diet.
I weight train 4 days per week
Eat one RAW meal a day
Fast 23 hrs
1 hr window to eat.
Drink water, raw milk, raw eggs.
Eat fat cuts of rib eye, ground raw meat, raw cheese. Raw butter, raw oysters. Raw liver.
Never hungry fully satiated.
Calm, focused, discilplined.
Walking hard on erection.
This is power.
I’very gone raw as well. To everyone’s shock, I’m not dead!
Make sure your cheese is actually raw. I use to eat organic valleys “raw cheese”. Then I learn that they heat the cheese milk to 150°F.
Most bacteria die at 90°F.
Hopefully that cheese you found is real
Thanks
Its straight from the farm
Hi Vic,
1) When you ate carbs, did you feel like your poo poo was incomplete and was it ever thin/ribbon shaped? Trying to figure out what may be happening to me, I get the proper bowel urges, just can’t evacuate fully and pass a big easy poo.
2) Would you say it’s better to buy from local butchers than slaughterhouses? I read that grocery meat comes from animals that are treated badly and not only does the meat taste worse due to the fear hormones in the meat.
3) Is full fat cream OK? I’m thinking of doing a cream, ghee, and offal diet and seeing what happens.
4) Yeah the bloating is the worse. Why do all the spiritual types, many of the masters who seem legitimate in every other category, advocate for a vegan diet? They seem right about most of the other things but the vegan debate is the one thing I don’t understand.
5) What foods are best for repairing the nervous system? Do you eat fatty fish or fish oil?
Much appreciated
Mick
1) You will never have a complete bowel movement while eating fiber. Eating all meat will eliminate all problems.
2) Yes
3) Yes
4) It’s a great question which I ponder often and cannot answer at this time
5) Fatty meat, organs, fish
My question specifically was-did you have any stools that were super thin or ribbon shaped, almost like your anal muscles couldn’t relax fully? commercial dairy does this to me also.
I ask because in older articles you’ve mentioned eating runny egg yolks with bread. I wonder if the issue is CARBS or something more specific like GLUTEN or CELLULOSE. why? I seem to have no issue juicing, aka when I remove all the nasty fiber from the veggies.
Please let me know if you find anything on the spiritual stuff-all these masters seem to hold this pro vegan opinion but my body rebels badly with grains.
The spiritual guru is concerned with the taking of life. And blood is seen as being symbolic to life. The first precept of Buddhism is abstain from taking life.
Lets see how long you can do it. It will eventually break to some way, you cant do meat only forever.
Not hating, i enjoy your content alot and find this very interesting.
Your wrong though, did you not see him explain all the required vitimins? Theres no reason humans need anything plant based
Here’s even more proof that the meat diet is healthy and natural.
Dr. Eric Berg DC
“Carbs are NOT Energy Foods, But Fatigue Foods”
Watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=np1j4z4sGAM
Great reference, Vince.
Victor, great post here. I’m going to increase the amount of meat and fat I consume because you’ve provided such strong evidence.
I have a request for the next podcast relating to 30DOD: I have been on NoFap since about mid October, so a little bit before you started these November challenges. I have gone 90 days before and felt like I was on steroids mentally and physically, and I was very sensitive to any kind of sexual stimulation. Needless to say, my natural charisma shot throug the roof during this period. Nothing else that I have done has ever made me feel like a high-test male than doing NoFap. It’s a great feeling. My request is that for some part of the podcast you talk about success stories from people you know, yourself, or other readers. I ask this because at about the 7-10 day mark (right now for some of your readers) the relapse urge really starts to kick in. I am still going strong, and whenever I feel the urge I make a point to go read success stories from around the internet, and also my journal from when I did 90 days. I aim to make this a permenant change, and never ejaculate again unless its during sex with a woman. The incredible scope of benefits from higher energy, mental clarity, increased strength and stamina, better looks from clear skin AND EYES ESPECIALLY, to even having a more pleasing body smell, are all too good to give up. Lastly, even if one is doing NoFap and doesn’t have a sexual outlet (doesn’t know how to get laid/no gf), the high energy gained from the discipline can be channeled into getting those things or into work/school/business/work on your mission.
Thanks for reading,
Godspeed with your mission this month, and thanks again for your work
Those two last posts were very interesting to me. I’m enjoying reading about the carnivore diet and I intend to follow it as soon as I can.
By the way, “my go-t0 meal.” I believe this was a typo there, with the zero.
Nice posts Victor.
When I think about the Inuit, they lived in the cold and ate just meat. When you see pictures they are always smiling and seem very happy.
They must have been on to something.
Sounds like an interesting theory however if it’s a long term thing not just short term why are the healthiest longest living people mostly plant based with some meat? Also why is it that carnivores naturally see good in the dark and don’t sleep at night yet humans start to get health issues if they don’t sleep at night since that’s quality sleep you can’t make up for by sleeping in? just curious your thoughts on this since you got results but how do you know it’s sustainable for the next few decades your alive? why not eat omnivore style die with as much meat as you feel you need and go less on the carbs low carbs for maintaining? it seems that the heavy meat eating cultures like the Eskimos die of heart disease very young like 40 years old or so. We sleep at night to be healthy carnivores don’t.
Did you get an answer?
Dude our ancestors and some tribes i beleive still around eating only raw meat were living alot longer then your average balanced eater now
Great article Vince. I just recently came across your website. I’ve been on the carnivore diet over three months now, started August 1. It has changed my life. At age 41, I feel the best I have in years. More energy, and thinking so much clearer. Stick with it and the cravings go away completely as long as you are strictly carnivore. Well maybe not completely. I do crave meat. I usually eat chicken once per week and eggs a few times a week, other than that, I eat alot of beef. I eat liver after my workouts. When I’m hungry, I eat til I’m full. Only non carnivore thing I consume is coffee a couple times a week before my hardest workouts. Also look for a local farmer in your area and buy your meat in bulk. It will save you a ton of money. I buy my beef, chicken, and eggs from a local farmer. It is organic and grass fed. I buy whole cows at a time for $4.25/ pound. Whole chickens for $3/pound, and eggs for $3/dozen. Check out localharvest.com and eatwild.com to find good farms in your area. Thanks for all the great info you put out. You have motivated me to be better. I am going to start my own website, and you’re part of the reason why.
How does one who was vegetarian for many years, or even life, transition to a full meat diet? I hear those who transition too quick can get problems of all sorts. I consider your advice.
Also, mr victor, what is your thought on shaolin monks who are very strong and agile but are full vegetarians and sometimes even vegan? please tell me why they are able to maintain plant diet only, animals no.
thanks,
Han
Guangzhou, China
Transition slowly, add more meat and remove more plant foods over time. Instead of one dish of vegetables, eat a dish of meat. Continue replacing plants with meat over time. Socially, it will be very hard. Physically, you will feel very good.
I don’t know anything about Shaolin monks in China, but I have seen many hundreds of vegetarian monks in Asia. They are not strong at all. Many monks fool people into believing them to be holy when in fact they are actually criminals. I am not saying this about Shaolin monks, but this is true of many monks in Southeast Asia. After seeing many monks in person, I have no respect for them as a whole. There certainly exist monks in mountains which I have never seen. Of them I have no opinion or knowledge.
I have difficulty digesting all of the fat leaving me constipated. If I take digestive enzymes I’m good to go. Thoughts?
You da man.
Thanks.
Start eating more fat slowly over time.
Also make sure you are drinking more than enough water. Will help greatly with constipation.
I’ve been on the steak and eggs diet for 5 months, and whenever I eat a cheat meal (carbs) I feel groggy and like complete shit.
Started 4-5 days ago with the forever meat goal in mind.
What you say is completely true.
First and foremost, I’m definitely appreciative of the insight. I do agree that meat is something in which people can thrive on. Two questions come to mind- (1) Would similar benefits be obtained with consuming exotic meats? I ask because exotic meats(venison, elk, yak, ostrich, antelope, kangaroo, etc) tend to be a lot leaner than beef. (2) By cooking in butter and/or adding whole organic pasture raised eggs to an exotic meat be a way to compensate for the lack of fat?
1. Yes
2. Yes
Hey Vic,
Great article.
The best diet I ever did was the Anabolic Diet by Dr Mauro DiPasquale. It’s basically like steak and eggs but you get to eat pizza and ice cream on the weeks for Anabolic effect.
So it is basically steak and eggs and cheese for 5 days, pizza and ice cream etc for 2 days. And boy did it ever work.
If you’re not familiar with it, the idea is eating steak and eggs and fat for 5 days will boost your T levels…then on the weekends(for 2 days) you get a big shot of insulin, which is Very Anabolic…but you switch back to steak and eggs after the weekend before you start laying down fat.
More and more doctors are recommending eating like you mentioned. Dr Joel Wallach reccommends 8-12 eggs per day for testosterone and libido
I am going do this for 30 days for a nice jump start…and then switch to the Anabolic diet and compare and contrast how I feel and body comp. Thing I liked about the AD was the wicked pumps and strength gains the following week.
If you are on a carnivore diet and think you’ll be constipated then you can accelerate the digestive process by drinking 8 oz of warm water, 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar, and 1 tablespoon of baking soda. That should be the first thing you ingest in the morning. You’ll evacuate more easily!
I actually did it and had very similar results. I only did it for 21 days, but overall good stuff. I was a bit more diverse… (ate more chickens and piggies)
Victor, I am currently training for an upcoming half marathon in about four weeks. I bought into the whole high carb/energy gel hype while training and I am actually tired of always running bloated due to all the carbs. Also, I am afraid I am turning into one of those skinny/fat runners. I am seriously thinking of switching to the all meat diet but I am afraid that four weeks is not enough to convert my metabolism to fat burning mode. I would’nt want to be in that weird in between mode in which one might feel tired and groggy. Do you have any recommendations? Do you think there is still enough time? Thank you!
Just do it.
Armando I have been in a similar situation like you. It took me three days to adjust to the all meat diet. Afterwards I felt I could last a lot longer in my runs and my stamina increased tremendously.
Thanks. Good luck!
Hey Vic shot you a question via email but on your Podcast you said you were busy and to just leave them on the comment section of your newest article.
First off i’d like to say thanks for your wise words I’ve been following your blog since 2014 and things in my world improved when i put your words into practice without excuses.
What’s your thoughts on swimming in lakes in winter and rolling in snow? When i was in Russia i was suggested this and it was a great experience it cleared my mind, my heart felt better, my skin felt better and my breathing improved. Is this something you’ve done before is this something you’d try as winter is just around the corner in your country
Fascinating article man! I’ll give it a try starting on November 15th and I’ll comment back and let you know after I’ve had my 35 days.
This is TRUE!
I just found out that some guy in forum, that I often read, wrote that he was in hospital once in his lifetime - at the day he was born. And he eat always very little and very fat meat! Also he’s very calm person. Good lord. I’m very happy I discover this. This is so basic thing and people nowadays don’t know how to eat healthy. Bold & Determined is great.
Hey Vic - would this diet work for women too? I’m going to start this now and would consider getting my girl on board as well as long as it doesn’t negatively screw with her hormones.
Dan
Yes, many women thrive on this diet. There are many interviews with zero carb women here: https://zerocarbzen.com/
What about the saturated fat clogging your arteries and causing a limp dick down the line and heart attacks? Theres a book titled, how not to die, that says meat destroys your kidneys later, causing colon cancer, stroke. What are your thoughts?
That book is a lie. Most studies are based on the bogus 7 countries study. Basically, a doctor let his bias get in the way of science.
Read this book instead. Your health will thank you.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ESMDGE8/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
Ive read that its when you cook the meat you get these problems, no one did the studies on long term raw
I’m not full carnivore just yet but i’ve shifted my diet much closer to this and i’m feeling much better already.
What about this diet’s benefits is any different from a normal keto diet?
It seems to me this is just a keto diet, but with even more restrictions that makes it harder to follow, more expensive, and less varied.
I can’t afford prime ribeye steaks for every meal. That’s a luxury I haven’t earned yet.
If it’s too difficult for you, don’t follow it.
I think with normal keto you could follow it and still be eating vegetables and inferior sources of meat and fats, whereas Victor is emphasizing the importance of solely carnivorous eating, the digestive benefits of ditching plants as food, and the nutritional and mental health benefits of eating primarily red meat, especially fatty cuts of steak.
If you cannot (yet!) afford prime cuts, you are not alone, but even cheaper sources of beef are better than none. So keep doing what works best for you at this moment in time, and hopefully use the health benefits to spur you on to greater achievements and earning potential, so you can eventually afford to eat an elite standard of diet.
Regards.
You can get grassed groundbeef for cheaper than the prime cuts.
Pasture range chicken will help you out too. Just stick to the thighs
Great post. Thank you for sharing. I’m down 40 lbs in 6 month eating a regular diet and following Body of Spartan workout routines. It’s been life changing. I’m starting the carnivore diet today and expect it to push my results over the top. Question, how do you feel about 5-hour energy in a 24 oz water bottle as a source of caffeine?
Caffeine is totally unnecessary on this diet.
Hello Victor.
Great blog, we don’t have enough savage men in this world.
I’m curious as to the importance of having the beef be grass-fed?
Is it possible to substitute corn-fed beef and take some supplements with it?
I started eating your Steak and Egg diet and I must say it has done wonders for my mood and energy.
Combining it with intermittent fasting and I’ve never felt better.
Cheers.
Yes, it’s possible and you will get many of the benefits discussed. Grassfed is better though.
Thank you Victor!
Since Beef is illegal in India what other animal meat would you recommend as a substitute?
Goat or lamb.
Try buffalo meat. India is the worlds largest exporter, and there are no religious restrictions as far as I know…
Hey Vic,
What are your thoughts on liver and other organs that contain some carbs in the form of glycogen? I would think the massive benefits of offal meats outweigh the small amount of carbs.
Liver and organs are vital and the amount of carbs are inconsequential.
Thanks for the fast reply.
Keep killing.
diet working, but big problem is constipation…how do you stay regular with zero carb? high fats seems to be constipating me.
thanks
Karl
Need to ease into higher fats. It will take several days for your system to right itself. Try drinking some coffee in the morning.
Ate complete carnivore sunday-thursday of last week. The only things that entered my body were steak, eggs, butter, and milk.
I had very little water. I only drank it while in the gym, and must have consumed less than 2.5 liters over those 5 days. My body did not crave water at all and I never felt dehydrated. Milk consumption was around 24-32oz per day.
I was pooping a lot less. Once every two days and the turds were small and slippery. Very clean wipes as well. No big mounds of mushy poo like when I was eating oats and rice.
I didn’t once feel the need for an afternoon nap during the 5 days of carnivore diet.
My body leaned up a lot. The diet seems to respond and work very well while on trt.
Now for the bad…
Friday I took my girl to the movies and had a hot dog with refried beans, fries and mozzarella sticks.
I was so bloated that night I could not sleep.
24 hours after that meal I started getting the liquid shits. I had to make a bathroom visit every 1-2 hours and it was miserable.
The whole weekend I craved water and couldn’t drink enough to satisfy me. My lips became chapped as well.
Its Monday now and I still have liquid poo from last fridays cheat meal.
I feel great eating just meat, eggs, milk and butter.
I feel like crap eating processed foods and carbs.
I know which diet is better for me.
I can’t make this shit up, literally.
An hour or two after I posted this I was writing an email and thought i had to release a small fart.
It was not a fart. I completely destroyed my shorts. I wont go in too much detail but thank god I postponed going to the gym until after i finished the email.
In my adult life I have ONLY gotten diarrhea when I am really sick and have never shit my pants.
After cleaning my body with gods food and then having a cheat day it’s obvious what’s good for me and what’s not.
The carnivore diet had me with no gas, no bloat, and small infrequent bowel movements. There was absolutely no adjustment period with the meat, milk, eggs and butter. I felt great from the start. Then I introduce one day of processed foods, carbs, and veggies and have been miserable for 3 days.
Can’t believe I just told the internet i shit my pants but screw it. Y’all gotta know the truth about the poison that we are told is okay to eat.
Hey, just a thought. Have you ever purchasing a cattle ranch?
Hey Vic,
I typically experience “brain fog” after hitting the gym and exerting myself. It could also be described as a mild “high,” some may call it the lifters high.
Did this go away when you ate all meat?
I workout in the mornings, so I want to be more alert during the days. I do not feel sharp in my mind after the gym.
Thanks!
I am very interested in trying a meat based diet. I am an extremely picky (adult) eater & feel this would be great for me. My problem is that I think a daily meal plan would benefit me, I just don’t know how to make one.
“I aways ate until I was full” — I *always* ate…
You bet I’m interested in this diet. Soon, I intend to make my main way of living. At least to try it out. I have high expectations. My tests so far seem to indicate it will be good for me.
My only worry is that we’ll somehow find out eventually a few decades from now that this caused an issue we couldn’t predict, such as what happens with the vegans in sv3rige video’s that you link. But from what we know so far, it shouldn’t.
Hum… I’m willing to risk it to some extent.
I’m curious though… Plenty of the resources you linked are either from vegetarian authors or simply people who are pointing out different things from your own claims. One such thing is the link from ResponseSource that you quoted here. It says that PUFA, polyunsaturated fats, are actually good for us. But you told your readers to stay away from Mono and Polyunsaturated fats before.
I suppose a lot of studies will find conflicting information here and there, as people are prone to error and misjudgment and because life can be quite complex, but this thing about PUFAs seem to be a big discrepancy as your warning was pretty clear in their regard.
Are PUFAs something for us to be wary of or not, in the end?
I’d like to put in here my own understanding of the sources you linked.
PUFAs are dangerous in high amounts. Usually, most components in a balanced diet will cancel each other out in ways that dangerous elements end up not making a difference. That is to say, if you eat enough saturated fat and other important elements, some level of unsaturated fat isn’t harmful. It might actually even have benefits. But when you dysregulate that ratio of saturated to unsaturated fat, things start to get ugly.
I believe we need a little bit of almost everything, but if we get too high-levels of something, this breaks down everything else. This seems to be supported by the “conflicting evidence” that I mentioned.
PUFAs *are* dangerous. But they are only dangerous because these days they are present in virtually everything we eat that is processed, everything that comes from supermarkets, so our intake of them skyrockets. The small amount we get from eating regular, stable, balanced diets from, say, raw-meat only, maybe with the occasional vegetable here and there, isn’t enough to make them problematic.
Is this a fair interpretation on my part?
Thoughts on grass fed beef burgers compared to steak? I find burgers are a lot cheaper and easier to cook.
Love ’em.
Vic I’ve been in the shadows reading your blog since about 2013-2014. I was a freshman in college and knew something was wrong about the environment, so I changed that and my life instantly improved. A year ago today, I heard Shawn Baker talk about n=many and I was curious. I tried the carnivore diet. I was an already fit 22 year old man. I had respectably high power-lifts, and had run a marathon faster than the national average, but I still felt days where my ankle and shin would feel unbearably painful (I had gotten myself hit by a pickup truck when I was out running one day a couple years ago and ruptured all the ligaments in my ankle and broke my shin). My buddy and I started the diet; I had gotten more shredded than I ever thought possible. I had veins on my crotch, thighs, lower abdomen, popping abs. My face was chiseled. My lifts went up every single time without effort. Women said I smelled better and were all over me. All my ankle pain has left me. I’m restored to full mobility and can return to squatting at full depth with my ankle at 100%. As soon as you began talking about this diet on your blog, that made me that much more motivated to keep it going. I’ve never felt better in my life than now. Thanks for pushing this information out into the world and thanks again for everything you do.
Thanks for this wonderful information will start my meat diet today and will let you know how it goes end of the month, can I take milk and heavy cream and also ghee?
Yes.
As always, thank you Uncle Vic. I’ve been doing this with chicken, steak, and raw eggs for the past few weeks, and I feel incredible. Recently at the gym a few guys inquired about the steroid stack I was using. They’re disbelief and astonishment were amusing. Its amazing what proper exercise and a natural diet does for the body. Take care.
Another subtle positive from this way of eating is that the anti-social nature of the carnivore diet causes you to become more conscious of your food choices on a daily basis. In essence, you experience daily life more existentially. It cures mindless eating and makes a person aware of their freedom to choose how they live, conscious of their options, in a way that delegating your diet to whatever the mainstream society approves of does not. It follows that we will feel more free to be creative in other areas of our lives too, so that we will become one of the few who are living life on their own terms, and putting a version of the ‘master morality’ into actual practice. So the more unconventional/’inconvenient’ your diet is, the more fully you experience being alive.