My Reason Why
I've been stuck in a plateau on my weight loss journey since March (just over 4 months now). I've tried so many things to get out of it: exercise, adjusting my Keto Macros, Egg Fasts, etc. Nothing seems to work. But I came across this 10 Day Carnivore Challenge on Instagram and figure it's worth a shot. I love meat and I love cheese, and those are the primary things you eat in the challenge. I am heading off on vacation to see my sister, niece, and mom at the end of this month, and it's my goal to break the plateau and lose as much weight as possible before that trip. The goal is in part because I want to look my best while visiting, but also because I plan to eat as healthy as possible while there without stressing about my diet. With a 7 year old in the group, I know that we are likely to get fast food and other high-carb meals and I don't want to stress a set back.
That doesn't mean that I'll go out all out with my food choices. I'll choose the healthiest that I can. But I won't stress some fries here and there.
If I can break my plateau before the trip, it will be all to the better in the effort to eliminate stress. I will come back and edit this post after the challenge, to give an update on how I do! Update: See bottom of this post for my full results.
Challenge Goals
Eat meat, fish, eggs, cheese, butter/lard, and oils only for 10 days. The goal is to reduce inflammation in the body, clear out toxins, refresh the skin, and jump start weight loss. This challenge can jump start ketosis or help break weight loss plateaus.
Fats and Protein
Any meat/fish protein is great, but grass fed meats are preferred. Fatty cuts of meat/poultry or fatty fishes are best. Eggs are encouraged. Limit processed meats. Try for a 1:1 ratio of protein vs fats.
Calories & Macros
Calories and macros do not need to be measured, unless that is what works best for you, personally. Eat until you are full. When you are hungry, eat more meat. The high fats and proteins should assure satiety.
Inflammatory Foods
For some, dairy (including cheese) and/or eggs are an inflammatory. Limiting one or both of these, may be necessary for those individuals in order to achieve weight loss and/or to feel the best effects of this challenge.
My Results - July 27, 2021 Update
I finished my 10 Day Carnivore Challenge on July 27, just days before I am scheduled to leave on my vacation. In total, I lost 4.6 lbs in those 10 days, and successfully broke my 3.5 month long plateau!
The weight isn't a lot. Others achieved more while doing this challenge. But I've been keto for almost a year now, so that first rush of weight loss that you get with new diets is past me. I'm low carb already, so don't have a lot of inflammation or water weight. For me, that 4.6 lbs was entirely fat loss, which is a total win!
More than the weight though, I cannot believe how I felt on this challenge. My energy levels were higher than normal for me, I slept better and I woke up feeling rested, which isn't normal for me. That alone was worth it, but I also loved the food and the satiation of this way of eating was incredible.
This diet isn't magic. It didn't suddenly cure my insomnia or make me feel better than I ever have. It was 10 days, and nothing will produce magic in that short of time. I don't know how this would affect me long term; whether my energy and sleep would remain improved or settle back into my normal. What I do know is that this way of eating is on par with my natural instincts. I've always liked meat (and cheese!) better than fruits/vegetables.
So, for me, it felt natural and healthy, which made it the easiest diet challenge that I've ever tried. The only stumbling blocks I had was the lack of cheese and soda. I'd like to, at least, keep cheese in my diet. I love it too much to quit it LOL.
Final thoughts following the 10 Day Carnivore Challenge: I will definitely do this again!
A few notes from my journey:
I ate a lot of fatty fish, red meats, and especially eggs. I avoided most other poultry though. I also personally had to give up cheese on this challenge, as it was stalling me. But from my research, a lot of people keep eating cheese with no issues. Some people have issues with eggs the same way, though I didn’t. Basically, the first few days are a bit of trial and error seeing what works for your body. The other issue I personally had is that I was thirsty a lot on the carnivore diet cause I gave up soda at the same time and I ended up making myself sick drinking too much water. So track your water intake to make sure it’s healthy!
