The biggest question I get, “What is your secret to body transformation change and being consistent on the Carnivore Diet, especially at work?
A: 👉🏻self awareness. A woman who knows herself & what she brings to the table is not afraid to eat alone. Remember that. Go your own way.
They’re not really secrets, it comes down to self-awareness & success habits.
One BIG success habit that changed the game for me, I bring an airfryer to work. I like my meat cooked fresh. I’m more satisfied with my meals & I have control over what I put in my body.
I also make sure I have a variety of meat for my 12hr shifts in radiology. If I need groceries & to optimize my time, I use @Instacart & have them delivered to work.
**PS. here are the meat bar cheat sheets on Instagram**
If you’re new around here, I talk about my story, gut issues, triggers, transitions & experiences on my first year on Carnivore here in this blog interview. It’ll answer the majority of your questions!
**I’m speaking from my experience here, remember, we are all beautifully unique & different human beings. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to anything in life. You have to find your special blend. That’s what I help my clients do!
DAILY SUCCESS HABITS, TIPS, ROUTINES
🥩For ME, I prefer 2 meals/d on avg. The largest after my workout for recovery, the 2nd late afternoon around 2-3pm. My digestion is slow & not as efficient in the evening, therefore I keep my largest meals early in the day & fast anywhere from 16-20 hrs naturally overnight depending on my work & workout schedule. I DO NOT do extended fasting & do not force my fasts. I eat when I’m hungry, fast when I’m not. Fasting is not a dirty word. It is simply a tool & strategy to optimize fueling your body. Just like macros.
🥩I set realistic expectations as far as aesthetic goals & know I don’t always have to have an aesthetic goal. Right now I’m just chillin in maintenance. Some days I eat leaner low fat days, other days I cycle in high fat days because I’m craving fat. After about 2-3 lean days I need a high fat day. Favorite lean meats are shrimp, 90% ground beef & chicken. Higher fat meats I enjoy ground waygu beef, 80-85% ground beef, eggs, ribeye, & salmon.
🥩I realize a certain level of leanness is going to require sacrifices. You will be hungry. If you’re eating leaner meat, you’re cutting calories, so yes, it will suck. If you want shredded abs, stop complaining & put in the work. That work requires mindset shifts as well. If you’re not willing to do what it takes to look that way, set another realistic, attainable & SUSTAINABLE goal. As a coach, my job is to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. Sometimes that means setting a new goal, eating more food, committing to a healing process, resting, & learning to love yourself first.
🥩Balancing blood sugar is the key to fat loss, feeling satisfied, & minimizing cravings. Keep meals protein & fat focused. You should not be snacking in between meals. If you feel the need to snack, your meal either didn’t contain enough protein &/or fat or was not large enough.
🥩Protein is the most satiating. General range: 1g/lb of body weight or goal weight for most. Avid exercisers, athletes, people lifting weights, & older people require more. Most do well spreading out around 30-50g/meal, 2-3 meals/d without digestive distress. Take a digestive enzyme prior to eating, it will help increase stomach acid. I use Utilyze by Nuethix Formulations. Discount Code: lilbitoffit
🥩For carbs, most people do well controlling blood sugar regulation with meals under 40g of carbohydrates. The less active you are the less carbohydrates you typically require. The body optimizes carbohydrates most efficiently post workout & in the evening before bed because it reduces your cortisol (stress) level & can help you sleep better. Nail your protein first & then determine what fuel source is most appropriate for your health needs, digestion, training & fitness goals. Your fuel sources are carbohydrates & fats. So if you’re lacking energy, & you’re “carnivore,” try upping your fats.
🥩I work out fasted at 5 AM most mornings. I feel best working out 5 days/week. A mix of cardio & strength training like CrossFit, walking, & bodybuilding. Do sh*t you LOVE that keeps you active & in the gym. TAKE REST days. I prefer 1 active recovery day & 1 full rest day. You do not need to be working out 7d/wk.
🥩Manage stress. Schedule self care & rest days. Sleep 7-8 hrs/night. If you’re sleeping less than 6 you did not earn your workout. My favorite selfcare is walking, coloring, saunas, hiking, fishing, nature, writing, & creating graphics for y’all.
🥩I don’t ‘treat myself’ or ‘cheat.’ Food is not a reward/something to earn. I also dislike saying cheat because it implies it’s going to benefit you in some way. Cheaters cheat to win. You’re not winning by cheating yourself. I also stay away from sugar and carbohydrates that are physical & mental triggers for me. I am an abstainer, not a moderator.
🥩I eat 2 meals/d on avg as I said before. My days off or if I can sleep in, I can eat 1 larger meal post workout as OMAD. (One meal a day). You must experiment. Your experience/needs will be different than mine. It takes TIME. It took me an entire year to fully adapt to a meat- based lifestyle, & yes, I gained 15lbs initially. I’ve now lost around 20. Have patience.
🥩The majority of meals are my Airfryer Crispy meat bars. 85% ground beef & ground chicken. I avg 2-2.5lbs of meat/d. If you have a problem with feeling if you’re full, cook 1lb of meat & eat it. Wait 20 minutes. And if you’re still hungry cook a little more. That will keep you from over eating &/or eating too fast. I removed most pork & dairy, I don’t digest them well. I don’t add extra fat. Choose meats that are higher in fat. No, I don’t like organ meat & I don’t worry if my meat is grain fed vs grass fed. It doesn’t affect me.
🥩I stick to beef bc it’s satisfying & delicious but not SO delicious I want to binge. Food addicts tend to have issues controlling carbs, sugar, sugar free substitutes, keto treats, dairy, butter, cheese, bacon, pork rinds, hyperpalatable & processed meats.
🥩There are 50 freaking shades of the carnivore diet. We all have different tolerations & needs. I have MANY sensitivities so I typically only season with salt. The majority of my food is meat & eggs. Rice cakes on occasion pre/post workout if I have an evening workout & feel I need them. I’m rarely above 50g of Carbs/d. I do fine on white rice, rice cakes, & rice Chex cereal as far as carbs. I do not digest fruits, vegetables, lectins, oxalates, high fodmap foods, nuts & seed well at all due to my Crohn’s. I feel better not eating them.
🥩Yes, I drink coffee. Preworkout & morning drink I enjoy @strongcoffeecompany in my coffee. It’s kind of like a creamer for me. It does have caffeine. I blend about 4oz coffee, 5-6oz hot water, & 1/4 scoop of the strong coffee company latte. Use a packet of stevia if you want yours sweeter. Link in bio on Instagram. Discount code: KatieKelly
🥩As far as macros **these numbers are for ME**
I hesitate to give any specific numbers but I want to show you guys how much food you can actually eat & enjoy when you commit to healing & eating foods that work for you!
I’m 5’1, around 105-107lbs, crossFit & bodybuild 5d/wk, average 15,000 steps/d, active job in radiology. Macros vary, I leave room for flexibility. These are my avg ratios: 0-10% Carb, around 30-40% Protein, & 50-70% Fat. I do cycle lean, lower fat days with higher fat days because that’s what my body likes. I avg ~1800-2100+ cal/d. The lowest my calories get on a lean day may be around 1550. Protein I avg 160-200g. Yes, I realize that’s a 💩ton but I thrive on higher protein & moderate fat. I don’t have a gallbladder so my threshold is lower than most keto, low carb, & carnivore enthusiasts.
🥩I hit 15k steps/day, even on rest days. When I’m at work I walk around my CT machine or I take laps around the building when we are not busy. I drink a ton of water (around 100-120oz/d) + electrolytes. I like Ultima Replenisher Electrolytes in grape, raspberry, watermelon, & cherry pomegranate flavor. Link in my IG bio too!
🥩I do drink coffee daily. Have Zevia & cocktails socially. Stick to vodka, bourbon, & seltzer’s mainly. I don’t typically eat & have cocktails, I choose 1 or the other. Set a 2-3 drink max limit & I order a shot & typically a Diet Coke & mix my drinks myself when I go out so I can moderate how much alcohol is in it. Some months I won’t drink at all, others, I’ll pick 1 or 2 days & go out on the weekend. I’m an adult it’s my choice. I don’t deny or beat myself up if I choose to be a human & drink & make memories with friends & family. You shouldn’t either. I do feel better not drinking, duh, as most of us will. Alcohol also increases estrogen & messes with your sleep. So if you’re one who drinks that glass (or 2 or bottle) of wine a night, you may want to change some habits, especially if you’re having trouble sleeping, with gut issues, hormonal imbalances, etc. Lack of sleep, stress, & consuming food triggers cause more issues with any gut or Crohn’s flare‘s for me. Alcohol on occasion, I’m OK with.
Love y’all so much!
Oxox Coach K
Hi there
Your brain dumping tidbits were so insightful and tapped into several things I need to concentrate on in the next few weeks/months. Yes, I’m always on the struggle bus to weight loss 😭. I eat very similar to you, push the water, exercise regularly but definitely could add more strength training. I’m 55 yrs old, post menopausal and can’t sleep for sh*t (4-5 hrs a night and usually broken). Maybe I should try zzquil. Lol. For the past year, I’ve had problems lowering my blood glucose asp I’m going to try cutting out the dairy and see what happens. My cholesterol is also up and thought maybe all the eggs I eat are contributing to it. 🤷♀️
I know one day I will figure this body out of mine. In the meantime, I’m going to keep reading these tidbits as it was a blessing to have someone share this kind of stuff.
You have a gift my IG friend!!!!!!
Appreciate you reading Patty! Have patience, it takes a lot of experimentation. Pork and dairy were 2 big triggers I didn’t know I had before going meat based. Sometimes reducing portions will do the trick or keeping them to special occasions. Typically when going more meat-based, you will see a rise in cholesterol naturally. ZZyquil does the trick for me. I find it takes about an hour to kick in and is more effective on a n empty stomach. Best of luck!!
I love your blog! A lot of great info.