When it comes to “dieting” to get lean and lose weight, people always seem to want to torture themselves with low calorie diets.
Then when they start eating a normal amount of food again they gain all that weight back plus some.
They will keep doing this kind of yo-yo diet for years and years never getting anywhere but fatter and fatter.
Well I am here to show you an easier way.
I am here to show you that you can eat as much food as you want and actually lose body fat. I am here to show you that you can eat real food and not feel guilt about it.
I'm not playing some practical joke where I say you can eat all you want as long as you want to eat broccoli and brussel spouts.
No! I'm here to show you that you can eat steaks and fried eggs and pork ribs and bacon and gobs of butter.. and still lose fat!
What is the crazy diet that allows you to actually eat real food and lose weight?
It's called the Zero-Carb Carnivore Diet.
The Zero-Carb Carnivore diet is exactly what it sounds like: You eat no carbs at all and only meat. No veggies, no fruits, no oatmeal, no breads, no pasta, no soy, no vegetable oils, and no rice.
Instead you can eat all the meat you want. You can eat beef, bacon, pork ribs, eggs, frog legs, lamb chops, goat meat, duck breast, and any other meat you want to eat.
You can eat as much butter or ghee as you want to eat, this is NOT a low fat starvation diet! This is the diet where you can actually EAT REAL FOOD without guilt and without weight gain.
Won't eating all that fat give me a heart attack?
Actually, no. Fat is very necessary for heart health and on the carnivore diet you MUST eat high fat or you will starve. You cannot eat only protein, you have to eat protein and high fat. Butter is your best friend on the carnivore diet. Low fat diets are actually very bad for you and can lead to heart disease. High fat diets are the best diets for human health. All of the nutrition is in the fat.
Don't we need to eat carbs to stay healthy?
Actually we don't need carbs to survive and we don't even need carbs for energy. There was a study in the 1920s where 2 men ate nothing but meat for an entire year. They were perfectly healthy at the end of that one year. The eskimos used to eat nothing but meat for their entire lives and they were always healthier than the Europeans who ate breads and jams.
Won't I crave carbs?
You'll crave carbs at first but the craving will go away at about the 3rd week. If you're eating enough food you wouldn't really be hungry, the cravings are mental. While you go through “carbohydrate withdrawal” you will crave carbs the same way a drug addict craves drugs. It will be gone after the 3rd week or so. Stay strong, don't give in to the carb cravings, because after the 3rd week you will have great steady energy and a sharp mind.
How does the zero carb diet maintain energy?
Because you aren't eating carbs you won't have up and down blood sugar spikes. Your blood sugar will be steady throughout the day so you won't experience the typical ups and downs in energy and you won't experience the “hangry” sensation when you get angry when you're hungry. On the carnivore diet your emotions are steady and calm and so is your energy.
How does the zero carb diet eliminate brain fog?
When you completely eliminate carbs from your diet you have an incredibly clear head. You'll be sitting around thinking “Wow! My brain fog has vanished and my mind is so clear it's unbelievable!” Remember, a low carb diet is not the same thing as a zero carb diet. It is the zero carb diet that kills brain fog, not a “low carb” diet. On a low carb diet you are still eating the foods that cause brain fog, on a zero carb diet you completely eliminate the foods that cause brain fog. What foods cause brain fog? Carbohydrates.
How does the carnivore diet burn body fat?
When you eat meat and fat it is available to you as energy right away. When you eat carbs the carbs first have to store as body fat on your body and then your body will use the body fat as energy. When you eliminate the carbs you eliminate your storage of body fat. The carnivore diet is the easiest diet in the world that will constantly keep you lean and trim and not starve you in the process. You can eat as much as you want and always keep a flat stomach - as long as you don't “cheat” and eat carbs.
What foods can I eat on the carnivore diet?
You can eat any animal products that contain zero carbs. All meats are allowed and so are eggs and butter. Beef, pork, chicken, goat, lamb, duck, frog etc.
What can I drink on the carnivore diet?
You can drink water, tea, coffee, or heavy cream. No sodas, no diet sodas, no fruit juice, nothing with sugar! What about diet soda, it doesn't have sugar? Diet soda has fake sugar that still makes you crave real sugar. You'll never be able to make it through the first few weeks on the carnivore diet if you're drinking diet sodas that make you crave sweets.
What about dairy?
Butter and heavy cream is ok. Milk is not allowed because it has carbs. Cottage cheese is not allowed because it has carbs. Any animal product with zero carb content is allowed. Always look at the ingredients before you buy some dairy products.
Where will I get all my vitamins?
Meat has all of the vitamins that humans need. The animals eat the plants that we cannot digest and they turn those plants into vitamins that humans can then digest. It's actually very hard for humans to digest vegetables and actually get any vitamins from them at all. Ever look in the toilet after you eat vegetables and find those same vegetables sitting undigested in the toilet? We don't have the stomach for vegetation but cows and other animals do. We can get all of our vitamins from meat, especially beef. Many people who follow this diet eat nothing but ribeyes and get all their vitamins that way. It's a myth that we have to have a “varied diet” to get vitamins.
Is alcohol allowed?
No. Alcohol has carbs in it and also it's bad for you.
Can I have cheat meals?
You should follow the carnivore diet strictly for 4-6 weeks before you have a cheat meal. You want your body to switch to “fat burning mode” rather than carb burning mode. it will take about 4-6 weeks to burn through all of your bodies carbohydrate stores and start using fat as it's preferred fuel. After your body has switched to “fat burning mode” you can have a cheat meal once per week and you can eat anything you want. However you will probably find that the cheat meals make you feel like crap because the carnivore diet makes you feel so good, going back to “regular food” feels like crap.
2 Rules of the Zero-Carb Carnivore Diet
1. Don't eat any carbs at all.
This is not a “low carb” diet, this is a zero carb diet and you get the benefits of the zero carb diet when you follow the rules of a zero carb diet.
2. Don't forget to eat fat.
Butter is your best friend. You get the benefits of the carnivore diet when you eat fat. if you don't eat fat you will be starving and eventually you will break and eat everything in store. Eat fat to stay lean! Sounds crazy but it works.
That's it!
You can eat real food, not feel built, you can burn fat, lose weight, have steady energy, have a steady mood, never get “hangry”, completely cure your brain fog, and you don't have to starve yourself!
All you have to do is eat real people food and not eat carbohydrate foods. It's a really easy and great diet that anyone can follow!
It will burn your body fat, give you a steady mood, give you a clear head, and give you steady energy. In fact there are many people who claim the zero carb diet cured their anxiety, depression, and diabetes as well. What more could you want from your food?
i’m happy because i eat lard and free range eggs.
Hey, I was researching some places in my area that sell high quality meat and I came across a place recently established that makes meat from animal cells. They actually state that they produce meat from cells rather than actually raising and slaughtering animals. Sounds pretty strange and unnatural to me but might be a good investment opportunity for those of you out there into that kind of thing.
Check it out - memphismeats.com
Btw, my 30 DOD is going fantastic. Feeling very strong and productive!
I’d like to try this zero carb diet thing but if I’m being honest with myself, it’s gonna take a big disciplined effort on my part because I am DEFINITELY addicted to carbs. I’ll eventually give it a go and let you know how it went. Thanks.
Great article. Do you notice your workouts suffering at all initially while on the diet? I feel the strongest carb cravings right after a workout but I’m thinking it levels out eventually. Always feel a bit weaker in the beginning when I try to avoid carbs which always makes me run back to them.
Day 6-Struggling a bit but still going strong. Just dealing with a lot of fatigue which I always experience during the first week or so of No-fap. Think it’s the body/braining trying to balance itself out.
“Do you notice your workouts suffering at all initially while on the diet?”
Yes. It will pass when you get through withdrawal.
Vic, first line - weight instead of wight.
And third line in “How does the zero carb diet eliminate brain fog?” - carb instead cab.
Thanks.
Is what they sell at my local big y sufficient? Or do I need to search for higher quality meats for this diet to work?
It will work to lose weight and feel better, but it isn’t the healthiest option.
Hey Victor for men in the military were you are forced to eat these high processed carb meals. Does this reset your body into burning carbs? If so would you recommend just sticking to a low carb high fat diet when you can or fasting when you can?
yeah man! going carnivore was the best thing I could do to stay lean I always loved only meat since a child haha was forced to eat my veggies and crap now I eat as much as I want steaks, old fashioned burgers no buns, taco salad no shells, fish, etc! I can even eat junk here and there and still have my abs and everything else on point because for the most part im only eating meat. my workouts still meet new levels and I feel great! Thanks for backing up the carnivore diet with real FACTS letting me know its actually ok to only eat meat. Appreciate the daily blogs and weekly podcast. you always leave us wanting more not wanting to wait a whole week haha (me at least) but yeah thanks vic
My man.
Hey Victor once you’ve changed your body to burn fat, how easy is it turn it back to carbs? I’m in the military, and you usually get stuck eating MREs during extended field exercises. Would you recommend your old diet plans of low carb high fat or just plain fasting?
“Hey Victor once you’ve changed your body to burn fat, how easy is it turn it back to carbs?”
It happens instantly when you eat carbs.
“I’m in the military, and you usually get stuck eating MREs during extended field exercises. Would you recommend your old diet plans of low carb high fat or just plain fasting?”
If you can fast and eat bigger meat meals later it’s better.
Hey Victor wanted to let you know, and any military guys my results I had with this. I did like you said and kept to bigger meals and fasting. Outside of the field I would try to eat strictly meat. That being steak, eggs, bacon, beef, cheese, and pig’s back strips. I did eat carbs during Thanksgiving and Christmas. By the end of the new year I had leaned out from an average of 198lb to 192lb. I was not focusing on strength during this period, so my max did go down. So beginning this month I went to one of the army’s selection courses, and I have to contribute the easier time I had there with the diet. The only thing that made it harder was the lack of sleep. My strength and endurance held up. My body didn’t feel as beat up and I recovered faster than other candidates my age. On top of it and the biggest factor for me was the lack of hunger I had during the course. Unless it had been a strenuous or long day, ie constantly on the move for 5+ hours. Another thing I’d like to add is that I didn’t feel any sugar carvings after eating the MREs. I didn’t finish so I had about a week’s wait till I got out so I did gain weight back from eating carbs, I’m at 196 at this time. I love the carnivore diet and plan to get back after a day of fasting. According to the army I’d be eating like trash, but I’d never change from this diet.
Will this zero carb diet helps my son who suffering from acid reflux? Gerd?
Yes, this diet cures acid reflux completely.
Medically impossible
He’s better off reducing the frequency of his meals, try reducing it to one or two meals a day
Hi, interesting article.
But how about constipation, the absence of fibers in the diet may cause a pretty bad constipation and pain after few days. Should you consider consuming vegetables or some supplement to help bowel movement maybe at a lower frequency (2-3 times/week)?
There is no constipation. Fiber is the cause of constipation, not the cure.
If you do just add some hemp protein to your diet. Don’t forget to drink lots of water.
If you eat enough fat, and drink adequate water there will be no constipation. In fact you may find the opposite happen.
2::questions
1. Where do you get your B vitamins?
2. This more a statement of fact. The Inuit/Dene are the people referred to in your article as Eskimos which is s very racist term. Also, come on there is a 6 month summer and spring in the North be so they eat a lot of vegetation in that time period. Also, they like carnivores they eat entrails which contain vegetation on
1. From meat. 2. Cry to someone who cares.
I highly suspicious about this diet, but I don’t have enough knowledge. At least thanks for giving me a new perspective, Victor.
Never been a meat lover in my life. Milk? I hated it. Even though my family always often put meat on the table, I tend to eat more carbs and fats.
Today I eat lean meat sourcesRice, lentils, beans, chickpea, seasonal fruits make my mood greatly. Whenever I eat meat, my energy levels drop. I guess there is some genetic factor that determines which foods are best for us.
What do you think about this? Do you think the carnivore diet is beneficial for everyone?
Ive been a carnivore for 2 years, whenever i eat alot of lean meat i get nausea, headache, tiredness.
I start eating alot of fat, and i feel normal again, i feel fantastic, instant!
Feast on ribeyes, bacon, shortribs, cheese, eggyolkes.
It is amazing!
I go to the gym and work labor job everyday on 1 or 2 meals, and im a tall guy.
Hey Victor, perhaps you could address this here or on your podcast. What do i do if i’m allergic to eggs? Everytime I eat more than 3 eggs I seem to get diarreah and horrible ibs. Steak seems to go down ok as well as all the other meats. Should I cut out eggs completely ? or is there a way to keep them in my diet long term through extended exposure
Don’t eat eggs.
Half a year in, killing it everywhere!
Sounds good, except where will I get vitamin c in this diet? Meat contains none. How will I stop getting scurvy like the sailors in the navy hundreds of years ago who didn’t have access to fruits?
Cheers!
In the wild, hunters eat the adrenal glands of the animals they killed to get their vitamin C. You can simply add lemon juice to your morning water.
Great to know, thanks!
Most of the labs that historically tested for various vitamins and minerals didn’t bother to test meat for Vitamin C. They simply listed it as zero. This has persisted, so most packaging (and health apps) show it as zero as well.
When properly tested, most meat does contain Vitamin C. Liver is especially high if fresh.
It’s also worth noting that we can convert the dehydroascorbate found in meat into “regular” Vitamin C.
It’s further worth noting that Vitamin C seems to be antagonistic with high glucose. If you’re not eating carbs, the requirement is drastically lowered.
When people bring up “Scurvy” as proof that meat alone is a bad idea, they usually neglect to tell you the following:
When sailors ran out of fresh food, they ate barrels of extremely salty preserved beef. This would have killed the Vitamin C. They also ate ships biscuits, so the large amounts of carbs would have given them an elevated need for Vitamin C.
Before doctors understood that Scurvy could be cured by cabbage and citrus fruits, they often prescribed fresh meat as a cure, and it often worked.
Thanks for that info, David.
So not eating glucose means we conserve vitamin c, and are less likely to be deficient than someone eating loads of fruits and vegetables. This carnivore diet keeps looking better and better!
I think I’ll add fresh liver once a week, plus lemon juice in water like Vic said, to be on the safe side. If people are still worried, they could maybe make their cheat meal a big fruit salad of blueberries and citrus fruits in Greek yogurt one day a week, or something.
I’m optimistic!
Lemon juice and a handful of seasonal berries are so low in carb that it wouldn’t derail your diet. I say go for it…
I just wanted people to know the facts, instead of a vegan telling you that you NEED fruits etc. for vitamin C. This is not the case.
Other facts worth noting: The RDA for Vit C (like a lot of the other RDAs) isn’t based on any particular need. It’s not a minimum. It’s more just a case of “That’s what a seemingly healthy person ingests, therefore that’s what everyone should aim for” It’s crazy really.
The amount of Vit C required to keep scurvy at bay, and your body functioning is minuscule compared to the RDA. Despite everyone pushing Vit C as a wonder drug, it has way less benefit than mainstream pop-culture advice would have you believe. If anything, mega dosing creates more issues than it solves.
The more I read about food and diet, and try to remove bias (including my own) I’ve come to realise that the best advice is this:
Eat plenty of meat, lots of fat. If you’re fit and active, eat some well cooked starchy veg if it agrees with you. Pretty much just eat like a farmer in the 1800s and you’ll be dandy…
Lions, Eagles, and Wolves eat this way. Why wouldn’t you?
AWOOOOOOO!
If I want to put on muscle, would you suggest following this diet on a regular basis and then having a cheat day once a week or so (high carbs) to refill muscle glycogen? I follow a couple fitness coaches and they have all gone to this sort of diet, except every 3-5 days they eat a high carb meal or full day of eating.
What is your opinion on this?
Not necessary, do it if you like, but it will only make you crave carbs more and more.
Great article. I have been preaching this to everyone I know for the longest time. I personally lost 30 pounds very quickly eating pretty much just meat. Funny I just posted an article called WHY YOU SHOULD LOSE FAT FAST and am currently writing an article on how to do that step by step, which will be about combining the keto diet with intermittent fasting. I told a buddy about this a while back and he lost about 110 pounds in less than 4 months. Some next level shit.
Always good to remember not every single person can go straight to the all meat diet. If you have Gout or very high cholesterol don’t do it. First lower your bad cholesterol. You can do keto without meat if you currently have either condition.
I’ve done the carnivore diet for the last 6 months. I’m 54 years old, lean and muscular. I have a six-pack all the time. I’m 6’2″ with a 29″ waist. I eat mostly rib-eyes and 70% lean hamburger meat. I eat eggs. Sometimes I will add extra yolks (not extra whites) to increase the fat level. I will add sour-cream and certain cheeses to my meals to increase the fat percentage. Eating like this keeps me so satiated that I also intermittent fast for up to 18 hours a day. I just don’t get hungry on this diet as long as I eat enough fat.
I’m going to try this but am curious why you didn’t mention any fish or seafood in your diet.
Is it because they don’t count in your view?
Or is it that you just don’t prefer fish/oyster/shrimp/clams/lobster in your diet?
thanks.
p.s. on the recent podcast, you said that if you go hiking, you never observe tomatoes, lettuce, pumpkins, watermelon, etc. I mentioned this to a friend and they asked, “well, where did they come from? they aren’t artificial. they are natural just like berries are.”
Would love to hear your response. thanks Vic!
Fish and seafood is fine on the carnivore diet, I just don’t eat much seafood currently.
Hey man, im working extreamly hard 3 jobs to pull in money and using my 1 day off to pay for professional fitness related youtube videos to be filmed so i can progress to freedomm!!!!!!!!! !!!! !!
Sometimes during my long long days of working for other people, some days as long as 7am till midnight i really have moments of emotion finding it sometimes hard to see the bigger picture and where im headed get really angry or upset even tearful at times. Like the work just never ends.
Did this ever happen to you along the way for you and do you have any words on the subject. As hard as it is to keep going there is no way i would give up having come this far!
Yo Vic , What are your thoughts on the dry aged steaks ?
Love ’em.
Hey Vic, what do you recommend for people with egg allergies? Any alternatives?
Don’t eat eggs.
The steaks that you are you, are they 100% grass fed? I ask, because I raise my own steers. I just got two butchered, both 100% grass raised, and they are very lean compared to the grain fed steaks like you buy from the store. This is of course what you would expect from a purely grass fed animals, they are not intended to be eating grain anymore than we are. It makes them fat just like it does us. The problem is that they do not have enough fat on their own to satisfy. The ground beef however is very fatty and will satisfy without adding additional fat . If you are getting grass fed beef, do you know the breed? I’m looking for a breathable put on more fat on just grass alone.
Supposedly 100% grassfed and very fatty. I get them from this ranch: https://terrasiennagrassfedbeef.com/
I am looking forward to switching today!!
Thank you!!
Happy Holidays!
Robert
I have a question, how can it be strictly zero carb diet, when as you mention we can eat eggs which itself have 1.1g of carbs and there is no way that that any type of steak would have a complete zero carb it would still have some value. If a person was to eat 2 eggs and steak 2 times he would still be getting around 5g carbs or so. Can you please calirify me on this?
The tiny amount of carbs in beef and eggs is insignificant.
Is there any juice or beverage that we can consume on this diet?
How about herbs & spices? Am I allowed to chop up some rosemary & throw it in with my chicken, or some sage with the butter I melt over my steaks?
What’s the stance on them?
Herbs and spices are generally fine.
After only a little over one week on strict carnivore, my IBS-D symptoms are no where to be found. Would have never believed carbs incl veggies and fruit were the culprits. My energy levels are as good as ever and I have very little gas or bloat. Carnivore = One poops per day or less where previous diet 3-4 poops most days. I have read it is also referred to as ‘Elimination Diet’ which makes a lot of sense.
Greatly appreciate all of your encouraging material, Victor! Many reader comments support what I am learning.
Look at this physco vegan try and tell a meateater that the whole world is eventually going to go vegan.
I immediately knew who was the vegan as soon as the video started, the guy has that crazy look in his eyes. This guy is so strung out he doesn’t even realize it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVF5grKtFok
Vic, I am already on my 3 1/2 month of the zero carb thing, although not strictly to an extreme; I still cheat now and then. BUT, I lost strength. Whereas I once could squat/deadlift 350+ Lbs for reps, I can barely squat or deadlift more than 220, for 3-4 reps, and I’m done; next set I do 1-2 reps.
Also, I can barely bicep-curl the 45 Lb Olympic bar for 3 sets of 8-12 Reps, whereas once I could curl like 70Lbs.
That’s paradoxical for me, because I’ve lost A LOT of Fat since I started, gained A LOT of energy and stamina.
I do some weightlifting and go to school and walk a lot, and I still have more energy that I know what to do with. My endurance and “T” has increased, and I can even do pullups for like 10 reps; something I never ever dreamed of doing; not even 1, and that was not because I trained for that; I was doing pullups almost overnight. (I have no athletic background and was always overweight for my first 26 years; I am now 28).
I eat decently, but not a lot because I don’t need to eat more. (My typical day: 4-5 eggs, and less than 3/4 lbs steak, some 100 grams of bacon, and of course, butter, lard, tallow, beacon grease, or Olive Oil; whatever I have at hand. All in only 2 meals).
Do you have any thoughts on why this may be happening? I look strong, and more “grounded” (Maybe it’s the T), but the strength issue hits my ego and makes me feel skinny and weak.
Of course, I understand that Brian Shaw, Hafthor Björnson, and those beasts, eat millions of calories/day. Do you think I am under-eating?
Again, thank you for great articles
I don’t have a gallbladder and can’t digest fats well. Can I stick with low fat varieties of protein
The carnivore diet is a HIGH FAT diet not a high protein diet. You can try it but you’ll not last long on a low fat, zero carb, high protein diet because you’ll be starving. I believe Aajonus Vonderplanitz also did not have a gallbladder and he was able to digest fats fine. His trick was to eat the fat raw.