Tag: Carnivore Fat Loss

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A Simple Guide to Fat Loss Via Fat & Carb Cycling

Before we dive into fat & carb cycling for fat loss on any diet (especially a carnivore/keto/low carb approach) lets reiterate WHY your story & food/dieting/health history matter when it comes to experiences & results.

There’s no shame in the main reason most people choose the Carnivore Diet & a low carb approach because they want fat loss. That’s fine, we all wanna look good nekkid. The difference lies in our starting point: calorically, metabolically, hormonally, physiologically, mentally, emotionally – HOLISTICALLY. This stands for any diet.

We should approach any diet from a health & healing perspective, first, aesthetic perspective, second.


Your Story & Starting Point Matter Significantly When It Comes To Results.

You’ll hear me say it time and time again, we are all coming from 50 shades of our own dieting f*cked upness. LOL!

Some of us come from eating the SAD (Standard American Diet), some have been dieting basically our entire lives & still think 1200 calories is the magic number for weight loss.

Some fear fat, some fear carbs, some are binge eating &/or suffering from disordered eating & still in denial.

Some come from Keto (High Fat Diet), some have been struggling with gut issues/autoimmune stuff for decades & really have no idea what they can eat.

All of these different stories & starting points impact the transition & adaptation to a diet. Some will lose fat immediately, some will gain.

I gained 15lbs when I started the carnivore diet! I needed to heal, I needed more calories, & the weight gained was most likely weight restoration to repair & recharge.

Was it uncomfortable? Absolutely.

Was it necessary for fat loss & progress? Absolutely. Have patience. Put in the time & work.

Things I need as a coach to help you figure out appropriate macros/diet/fitness approaches: Click for Coaching FAQ’s

  • Age, Current Weight, Height⁣⁣
  • Training modalities⁣⁣ (how you prefer to workout. CrossFit vs running vs yoga vs Orange Theory vs walking vs Barre vs Bodybuilding vs power lifting etc)⁣⁣
  • Daily Activity ⁣⁣(steps, job, kids, schedules etc)⁣⁣
  • Training Frequency, Volume, Intensity ⁣⁣
  • Previous Dieting History⁣⁣ (disordered eating, low carb, high carb, low fat, have you been chronically dieting, eating surplus, etc)⁣⁣
  • Medical History⁣⁣ (allergies, IBD, IBS, gut issues, hormonal issues, cancer, thyroid, etc)⁣⁣
  • Your goals, preferences, special needs)⁣⁣
  • Mindset & mental health⁣⁣
  • Lifestyle⁣⁣ & Stress (kids, stressful job, shitty sleep, relationship problems, etc)

That’s a LOT of stuff, right? It’s not as simple as simply picking a set of macros numbers, or calories, or a magic diet camp. You are not a template or calculator, you’re a human.

Usually I see two different stories, & thus experiences, when working with clients. We’ll call them Peter & Patty:

1. Peter

Peter is male, used to over consuming the typical SAD, dad bod (aka looks like he might lick something deemed “healthy” & work out occasionally but really loves tacos & would much rather smash a 6 pack vs have a 6 pack). Simply eating meat & cutting out all the other crap significantly reduces his caloric intake & the fat just falls off.

2. Patty

Patty is female, lets say 30-40yrs old, habitual yo-yo dieter, excessive exerciser, wants to lose fat & build muscle but doesn’t wanna be “bulky” (sigh smdh), scared to eat more than 1200-1500 calories & gaining weight is one of her biggest fears.

She’s tried every diet in the book. Had some success with “Keto” (doesn’t really know what keto means but she’s eating less carbs right?!) but always falls off the wagon, stressful home life/ job, struggled with bloating & gut issues for years. Her neighbor, Peter, looks great since carnivore, so she decides it’s gonna be the magic quick fix to all her issues.

Sooo Patty stops tracking food (because she was told it didn’t matter on the carnivore diet) & starts smashin all the bacon, ribeyes, cheese, ribs, & chicken wings. Her gut issues get better, the first week she dropped 3lbs, but now shes about 6 weeks in & hungry, tired, & the scale is going up! So she decided to start fasting more, & ups her steps to 20k/d. (Further stressing her body out more btw).

She gives it another month with more weight gain. She wants to quit after a couple months despite her gut issues resolving. It doesn’t work she says, “I didn’t lose weight.”

Reasons You May Be Gaining Weight or Bingeing on Carnivore/Low Carb Approach

  • You’re eating in a surplus. As with ANY diet you choose if you are eating in a surplus chances are you will put on body fat. It’s part of it. This is when you should be focusing on muscle gain & strength.
  • You’ve been eating in a chronic deficit & your body is finally getting the nutrients it needs to function & grow muscle. You WANT muscle growth. More muscle=more food=more badass. You can’t have the athletic body without building the muscle underneath FIRST. This weight gain is actually weight restoration.
  • You’re snacking too much on things like pork rinds, fat bombs, or fake keto sugar free junk like Atkins bars. They’re easy to overeat & nutrient deficient. Even no cal artificial sweeteners can trigger hunger, water retention, & over eating for many. Go back to the basics for a while & experiment. Simplify. Meat, eggs, water, coffee, electrolytes, minimal sweeteners. Get rid of the extra butter, creams, & oils on food & in coffee.
  • You’re choosing highly palatable meats & foods like ribeyes, bacon, cheese, butter, processed meats, brisket, etc. They are delicious, YES, but can trigger over eating when you’re not really hungry. It’s like when you’re not hungry but then they bring out dessert. Most of us will want that extra piece of cake. Choose foods that are satisfying & get the job done. My choice (FOR ME) is ground beef & ground chicken cooked in the air fryer. Delicious & satiating, but not so much I’m triggered to eat more for pleasure & not true hunger.
  • You’re overly fasting, overly training, not sleeping, still eating foods you don’t digest well, over caffeinating, &/or consuming excess alcohol. All these things are stressors which increases our blood glucose & cortisol level. Chronically high cortisol & hormone imbalances affect your weight, recovery, energy, & fat loss. Reduce your workout intensity & volume, SLEEP, reduce caffeine/alcohol, cut out foods & habits that hinder your digestion, shorten your fasting window or STOP fasting. Get a @nutrisenseio continuous glucose monitor to track blood sugar levels. It’s a wealth of information & will help you more accurately make adjustments! Code: lilbitoffitCGM10
This is what biofeedback means
  • You’re eating too much protein, throwing hormones & your biofeedback off. Try increasing your fats & start with protein around 1g per lb of body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. Everyone’s ratio preferences/needs will be different. Remember our optimal energy sources come from fats & carbs, so if you’re experiencing low energy, play around with different kinds of meats & macro ratios. There’s no one-size-fits-all. If in doubt, invest in a coach or practitioner to help! Coaching FAQ’s are HERE
Left I gained 15lbs and got up to 125lbs, Right is more my aesthetic now, sitting around 105lbs at 5’1. 20lb weight loss, which didn’t start till around month 8 after starting a meat based diet. Have patience & learn as much as you can!

My story was similar to Patty’s.

I gained 15lbs when I started carnivore, gut issues completely went away, energy was all over the place the first 3-6 months, I didn’t track initially until about month 5 & was eating hyper-palatable meats & foods like chuck roasts, ribeyes, ribs, pork, bacon, & pork rinds. But I kept going and experimenting.

I started tracking. I noticed I was eating WAY MORE than I thought. I also noticed I was swelling & not digesting pork well so I eliminated it. I noticed I digested ground beef & chicken best & it was easier to track. I also noticed my fat threshold was lower, so I stopped adding butter & bacon grease to my already high fat meats, I stopped consuming cheese & only eat pork rinds on occasion.

Slowly my performance in the gym started getting better, about month 8 my weight started dropping, I was able to fast longer & was able to really feel & understand what true carnivore satiety felt like, I knew what meats worked best for me, I figured out what calories & macro ratios worked for me, & I discovered the airfryer was my best friend & meat bars were born! I have now lost 20lbs & feel better than I ever have 2 years carnivore!

SO HAVE PATIENCE! Adapt, gain confidence, & self awareness first before trying to mess around with fat loss cuts. Now, I experiment with fat cycling with fabulous results! It comes naturally & I listen to what my body is craving & how I’m feeling.

Fat & Carb Cycling

Before we get started, though, let’s get one thing out of the way, no diet dogma here, we’re neither pro-fat/carb cycling nor anti-fat/carb cycling.

We’re pro-sustainable & realistic results. 

This is also my experience, I am not a physician & learning right along side of you! We’ll learn about:

  • What fat/carb cycling is
  • How cycling works
  • Who should try cycling
  • What is a common cycling strategy
  • Protein & Fat Cheat Sheets to help

What is Fat & Carb Cycling?

Fat & carb cycling is when you fluctuate days between eating lower fat meats & animal products & higher fat meats & animal products. For carbs, you simply eat more carbs one day & fewer other days. People who fat/carb cycle usually end up calorie cycling, too. This simply means they eat fewer calories on their “low fat or carb days” and more calories on their “high fat or carb days.”

For example, a typical fat cycling schedule might look like this:

  • Non-workout days: low fat, lower calorie
  • Workout days: high fat, higher calorie
Examples of how you can calorie cycle via changing your fat macros per day.

So you ask, “Why don’t we just eat low fat or lower our protein?” Well, to be frank, some “not so great” stuff can happen when you don’t get enough protein or fat.

For example, if your fat intake stays too low (& too low calorie), you may lose your menstrual cycle & your sex drive. And if your protein intake stays too low, you can lose muscle, be less satiated at meals, hungrier, & experience mood swings.

What Does Calorie Cycling Do? A Couple of the Big Rocks

  1. Fat & carb cycling may help keep your metabolism functioning more optimally during fat loss. When you eat less, your body responds in a variety of ways. For example:
  • Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) drops
  • You expend less energy when you exercise
  • Your daily activity outside of workouts tends to decrease because you have less energy. You’ll find you move around less.

So as you lose weight, you have to continue reducing how much you eat in order to keep seeing results. You can only reduce calories so much.

Example: Let’s say you start a 2,000 calorie a day diet & lose weight steadily for a while. Over time, you might find that stops working. So you cut back to 1,800 calories to kickstart weight loss again, then you plateau, then you have to reduce to 1,600 & so on…

This is called metabolic adaptation. So all you chronic dieters out there that can’t lose weight & gain anytime you eat above 1200-1500 calories, this is what has happened. You must reverse diet to fix this.

I have a whole 354 page guide which will walk you through everything from reverse dieting, macros, emotional eating, meal prep, faq’s, gut stuff, troubleshooting – everything I’ve learned through my carnivore journey & career as a nutrition coach. Click to purchase yours!

2. Calorie cycling may help regulate hormones affected by fat loss.

Intense dieting messes with your hormones. Specifically: Leptin, Thyroid hormones, & Reproductive hormones (testosterone & estrogen)

If you’re trying to lose fat, leptin’s a particular concern. Leptin is released by fat tissue, & plays a key role in hunger & metabolic adaptation.

The more body fat you have, the more leptin in your blood. Your brain uses leptin levels to make decisions about hunger, calorie intake, nutrient absorption, & energy use. When you reduce calorie intake, even just for a few days, leptin levels drop. This tells your brain you need to eat to prevent starvation.

The kicker: Leptin is one of the reasons you feel so hungry & binge when you consistently eat less. It is also considered the “master controller” of other hormones, meaning that when leptin drops, so do thyroid & reproductive hormones.

So by periodically eating more calories from fats (known as a “refeed”), our leptin levels will temporarily rise, telling your brain that you’re safe & well-fed, causing a temporary decrease in hunger & appetite. The extra calories & energy will also help with performance.

This higher calorie break, might also make it feel easier to adhere to a lower calorie intake. As with any diet, consistency & adherence are key!

Optimizing hormone & metabolic health is essential for any body goal. Learn to work WITH your body not against it!

Who Should Try Fat Cycling Specifically?

Fat cycling isn’t right for everyone, nor is it necessary of any kind of diet. But it can work for specific types of people.

Try it if:

  • You have your big rock habits nailed down & have ADAPTED FULLY to the carnivore /keto/low carb lifestyle

You eat nourishing meats & animal products, you’re eating at your maintenance calories, your gut health is good, sleep is great, exercise habits are routine, your relationship with food is great, you eat mindfully, no disordered eating or bingeing, etc.

  • You want to get leaner & have plateaued

As you diet & get leaner, your body will start to fight every last bit of fat loss. Cycling calorie & fat intake could help minimize the metabolic adaptation that often occurs with a chronic, ongoing calorie deficit. Plus, refeed days & cycling more food can make dieting suck less & easier to adhere to. Carb cycling can do the same thing for those of you who consume carbs & a more “balanced” plate approach.

Common Fat Loss & Dieting Strategies

Common Fat Cycling Strategies & What Has Worked For Me

There is no one size fits all here, again, you can choose any number of days to reduce your fat & calories depending on your needs.

There are many of us in the carnivore & low carb community experimenting with fat cycling. Which, as explained above, simply means cycling periods of days during the week that are leaner (eating lower fat proteins) with days of higher fats (more around your grams for maintenance calories). This naturally will lower your calories when you do this.

I feel its beneficial as a whole to cycle any kind of diet/fitness regimen. Our bodies are smart, they adapt to the same foods, workouts, & stressors.

I’ve found fat cycling to be helpful if you’ve plateaued on your fat loss journey or not seen any progress (again, your definition of progress will be different depending on your goal & needs) for several weeks.

This is very similar to carb cycling for those of you who follow a traditional diet which includes carbohydrates.

Red light therapy significantly helped my energy, sleep, digestion, & skin! It’s one of my favorite biohacking routines. Read all about it here!

Discount Code to EMR TEK lights and products: lilbitoffit20

I use an EMR TEK FIREWAVE red light. Discount code at checkout: lilbitoffit20

**As always, I am not a physician, always consult with your doctors before changing any kind of protocol, this is simply my experience.

  • My physique is leaner than it has ever been, weight has only fluctuated a couple lbs here & there but I find I wake around 100-105 lbs the majority of the time. I’m 41 yrs old, 5’1, 15k steps/d, active job in radiology, workout 5d/week doing a mix of Orange Theory, lifting, & occasional CrossFit. Protein stays ~130- 175gish (for ME), low fat day ~85-90g, high fat day ~135-150g. Calories range from ~1,550-2100+/d. Surplus/Refeed ~2,200. I always listen to my body and eat what I’m craving. I eat when I’m hungry and fast when I’m not.
  • For supplement support I Take GDA-Max, Utilyze, & Cort-Eaze from @nuethix_formulations to help with stressors for hormone balance. Discount Code: lilbitoffit
  • My Biohacking guides are here!
  • I’m happy with my physique where it is, so I know I need to make sure to cycle in more higher fat days (which means higher calories) if I find I’m too lean or losing too much weight/strength. Naturally I typically cycle 3-4 lower fat days, 2-3 maintenance days, & if I feel like I need more, I’ll throw in 1 surplus (refeed) day. It varies. I don’t have a set program & live vibrationally honoring my energy.
  • Favorite lower fat foods: 90% ground beef, Perdue ground chicken, shrimp, cod, & swai. My crispy airfryer meat bars are life & easy to track. Track. Your. Food. It will help with adjustments. I use MyfitnessPal.

Happy cycling y’all!! I hope this helped! You can always slide into my DM’s on Instagram!

oxox Coach K

All coaching, services, discount codes, & free content here!
bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers

Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development.

You can find her personal weight loss & healing story here.

She’s been involved in travel nursing & radiography for 20 years! She’s a writer, connection maker, nutritionist, & entrepreneur who loves helping others & squeezing every drop out of life!

Katie grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves.

She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation with weight loss & Crohn’s disease.

She competed as a competitive CrossFit athlete in her early 30’s. After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, & hormonal imbalances, she is passionate about helping others find self-love, achieve their health & business goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit : http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit

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My story & weight loss journey transitioning to a meat-based, “carnivore” diet & losing 60 lbs!

Katie kelly fishers indiana lilbitoffit carnivore fat loss journey

You asked the questions, here are your answers! Documenting my story & weight loss journey on the carnivore diet!

Chronic bloating, constipation, weight gain, feeling like your body is fighting against you – all the feels, right?!

That is what I lived for 3 decades. Hopefully my story can help shed light for you!

Without further adieu, let’s dive into your questions!

1.) Introduce Yourself

Anyone else get anxiety when asked this question? Like where do I start? 🙂

Indiana farm girl & Purdue University grad, I like to say that I’m a multifaceted human!

I have many loves, interests, & hats.

So who is this awesome chick? 😃 My name is Katie Kelly. Professionally, I’m a multi-modal travel radiographer RT 🩺💀 with Aureus Medical & functional nutritionist with over 20 years experience.

I specialize in improving your health & fitness goals utilizing a flexible, non-dogmatic carnivore nutrition approach while providing high performance coaching.

On social I’m better known as Coach K & want you to know I have struggled just like you!  I created this safe space over 10 years ago & welcome you to this amazing community! 

More importantly, I want you to believe in yourself, your health, your voice, & your ability to live your best life!

I believe in vibrational living in life, fitness, money, health, & relationships. Intuition is one of our greatest gifts! I’m here to help you discover & follow yours to a more abundant, joyful life!

Vibrational living is being in alignment with your true self—choosing thoughts, behaviors, habits, & environments that nurture, expand & empower you. Living with an awareness of your energy vibration & understanding of yourself completely change your reality, creating your heaven every single day.

I mentor to help you find your power & solutions to create the body, career, finances, relationships, purpose & fulfillment you’re seeking.

I’m just a sweary, Indiana farmer’s daughter who went from a sick (Crohn’s Disease & bulimia), overweight (lost 60lbs via the carnivore diet & CrossFit), broke bish (was 50k+ in debt) to a thriving, self-loving human here to inspire, educate, & mentor! 

Welcome to my digital diary & wellness blogs full of life lessons learned the hard way🫶

I post content about self improvement anywhere from fat loss, budget beauty, decorating, disordered eating, feng shui, Crohn’s, self love, entrepreneurship, healthcare, food, fitness, finance, laughs & everything in between to a social media audience of 48K+!

Thank you for allowing me to add value to your lives! Grateful to have you part of my digital family ❤️

As far as nutrition, I specialize in gut health, sports & performance, disordered eating, low carb/carnivore approaches to healing. I help you to optimize life by creating a success routine.

All preferences & skill levels are welcome with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.

You can catch me via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit

pictures aren't worth 1000 words
carnivore katie kelly indiana lilbitoffit
carnivore katie kelly indiana lilbitoffit
I appreciate everyone who allows me to add value to your lives!

2.) How Did You Eat Before Carnivore?

I grew up as an overweight kid. I was told to lose weight & tried to diet before I was 10 years old. My self-esteem & body image issues started at 8. Standard American Diet, being a “farm kid” we ate the home cooked stuff. I had no portion control whatsoever.

Kids were mean, & I couldn’t tell you how many times I was told, “If you’d just lose weight you’d be pretty like the other girls.” This translated into, “You won’t be successful, loved or worthy unless you’re thin & look the part.”

Following came the years of disordered eating & orthorexia — binging and purging with intermittent phases of anorexia. I would gorge & then hide Reese’s wrappers, tubs of ice cream, bags of chips, crackers, cookies – anything I had denied myself.

Then the guilt-restrict cycle would kick in as I layed there with puffy cheeks & bloodshot eyes from throwing up food. I had a food addiction and carbs were not only a big autoimmune & gut trigger, but they were like giving an alcoholic a drink.

I found CrossFit in 2013, was a competitive athlete & then beat my body down into a hole of metabolic adaptation, exacerbated gut issues, & hormonal imbalances due to over exercising & under eating.

It took 4 years for me to reverse diet up to my true maintenance calories so know this is a long journey. Have patience.

I was misdiagnosed with IBS, as many are. Went through tons of testing & doctors.

Honestly, I feel the only diet I haven’t done is a vegetarian diet. I’ve done’em all.

As a CrossFit athlete fueling for my sport, I leaned more towards a high carb diet. (Knowing I had a poor relationship with them.)

Helpful guide post below why I do better on a meat based diet + supplement guide!

3.) Why Did You Try Carnivore to Begin With?

My last Crohn’s flare was over 4 years ago, which was when I started the Carnivore diet approach. I knew I needed a reset. I was stressed out, eating out more, sleep was terrible, and I felt horrible. I had put on 10lbs of inflammation & felt I was insulin resistant. So I thought, this is my time. I’m gonna commit, cut the carbs & clean my shxt up.

As for my relationship with carbs, I am an abstainer. I am not a moderator when it comes to food. You need to determine which one you are too, an abstainer or a moderator? I do better with food rules and an all or none approach. I cannot have just 1 cookie, that leads to wanting the whole pan!

My own personal experimentation, data keeping via tracking food, journaling symptoms & triggers were my best “doctors.” Figuring out my trigger foods took YEARS. Years of getting to know myself, my needs, and how my body responded to food and stressors.

As far as my specific needs, I don’t digest veggies, fruits, fiber, gluten, dairy, lectins, high oxalate, or high fodmap foods well. ⁣That’s a lot, right?!

trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore

I noticed when I finally got my gallbladder out, I could eat meat just fine. My digestive symptoms went away.

I suggest for anyone else out there struggling with chronic bloating, constipation, diarrhea, reflux, heartburn, feeling like your food just sits there and you’re bloated and look 6 months pregnant every night, etc — these are warning sings. They are not normal and sign of an imbalance. An elimination diet like the carnivore diet is a great first step. Seek help from a qualified coach, dietitian, or practitioner. Coaching options & services are available here.

trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore
Tap photo for full post

Often we don’t realize the ‘healthy’ food we’re eating are the culprits because we cannot properly digest and absorb them. Often the plants, pre-packaged frozen meals, diet bars and shakes are the culprits. That’s what happened to me. The fiber, fruit, and veggies were causing me more harm because of my compromised digestive system. I’m grateful for these experiences because now I’m able to help clients pinpoint their trigger foods too and start the healing process.

Repeat after me, “We are what we DIGEST and ABSORB.”

My safe foods when having a gut flare were always soft meats like fish, ground meat, rice Chex cereal, eggs, plain rice cakes, & white rice. Basically a low residue diet & absolutely no fruits or vegetables. I could not break them down, they caused bloating & agony.⁣

⁣Nutrition is not a one size fits all. Reason we need to track, experiment, & realize templates or cookie cutter meal plans rarely work long term.

I created a whole Bioharmonizing guide with my favorite products and supplements HERE. Fitness over 40, I look and feel better than I ever did at 20.

before and after weight loss

4.) How Do You Personally Approach the Carnivore Diet?

People are more familiar with the term “Carnivore Diet.” I prefer to reference it as a meat-based diet. That’s because there are 50+ shades of the Carnivore Diet. I feel you have free will and choice to eat the meats & foods that make you feel your best. You don’t have to be strict carnivore (beef & water). We all have different trigger foods, preferences, and individualized needs. I like to use the flexible & functional meat based approach to nutrition.

I call my myself a “Liberal Carnivore.” I believe in flexibility. The majority of my meals are ground meats such as ground beef & ground turkey/chicken, pork, eggs, steak, ribs, ground lamb & veal. I personally don’t like organ meat after experimentation.

Tap for two of my favorite recipes here!

If I feel I need a refeed day of higher carbs, I would choose white rice or plain rice cakes around workouts. They don’t typically bother my digestion in moderation. Rarely do I go over 50g of carbs, my average is around 20g daily. I don’t deny myself or feel guilty if I need to consume them for my health, gym performance, & recovery. All carefully portioned, of course. Now I find I don’t need or crave them anymore.

Another common question I get is, “Do you drink?” Not much anymore. If I do choose to enjoy socially, I set boundaries to no more than 1-2 beverages. Usual choices are an occasional craft cocktail like an old fashioned or tequila.

**Disclaimer: This is what works for ME. I am not a medical doctor giving advice, simply sharing my experiences.

As far as macros and ratios, again, we are all different. I prefer a higher protein approach for my needs. As far as my activity & physical stats for comparison, I’m currently 42 years old, 5’1, 100 lbs , I enjoy walking, functional resistance training, Orange Theory, & occasional CrossFit. I train 5-6 days a week, average 15k+ steps/day.

Here’s an updated blog post on my current training and daily routine HERE. This varies with travel assignment & my life season. It’ll give you a good sense of what a typical day is like.

Here’s a super helpful blog on workouts, supplements that will help, macros, fitness stuff and routines HERE too.

My “sweet spot” for maintenance seems to be around 1850-2100 calories per day, ratios around 65% Fat, 30% Protein, 5% Carbs. I eat when I’m hungry, fast when I’m not. Fasting window is around 16-20hrs. I prefer to work out fasted most mornings during the week. Largest meal post workout with another meal around 1-3pm. I don’t force fasting and I don’t do extended fasts. Average 2lbs of meat daily.

I do track occasionally with food & macros via My Fitness Pal. I track weight, sleep, & steps via my Fit Bit Sense 2. I’ve also teamed up with NutriSense utilizing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM). What gets tracked gets managed. Not necessary, but I’m a data girl 😉 It helps me make more educated decisions and adjustments.

Just to clarify what a macro is if you’re a beginner.

5.) What Benefits Have You Seen Since Starting the Carnivore Diet?

A TON! The biggest benefits have been no gut issues or flares, increased, steady energy (once adapted, it took me about 8 months), no carb cravings or binge eating urges, no more constipation, normal appetite and satiety, no more inflammation, and eventually, fat loss.

I didn’t go into the Carnivore Diet chasing fat loss or weight loss, I went into it chasing better health. I preach this to my clients, chase health and healing first, everything else will fall into line. The problem with yo-yo dieting is chasing unrealistic goals and expectations with an unsustainable diet &/or training approach.

6.) What Negatives Have You Found With the Carnivore Diet?

I’m gonna be real, I gained 15lbs total when I started the Carnivore Diet. After 1 year, I lost that 20lbs, however. I wanted to quit many times and felt like shxt early on trying to adapt. I listened to the veterans and my own intuition, kept going.

Your appetite does correct and level out. Performance in the gym does suffer, initially. Depends on what modality of training you prefer. Take it easy. I significantly reduced my workout volume and intensity with no HIIT for about 6 months. Did a lot of walking and lifting simple weights, keeping my heart rate in a lower range.

About month 8/9, I noticed I was able to hit it harder in the gym and everything else was falling into line. That’s about when my weight started dropping as well.

Meal timing is important, especially when timing appropriately for your workouts. If you eat larger meals, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to digest them. Meat and fat are naturally “heavy” and the body has to work hard to break them down for digestion, affecting your energy levels. Again, everyone is different.

7.) Do You Exercise on the Carnivore Diet? What Do You Do?

Yes, absolutely! The gym is my sanctuary. I found CrossFit in 2013, drank the Kool-aid. My love affair has been ever since the first sound of a barbell dropping. My weights, intensity, and volume have changed with my seasons. I no longer train like a competitive CrossFit athlete. Yes, its hard to beat the competitiveness out of me, but is absolutely necessary for longevity.

I modify weights and movements to my needs. I listen to my body and rest when needed. Workout 5-6 days a week. I get in over 15k steps a day. Also enjoy FUNctional lifting 😉 and orange theory!

I feel the term “CrossFit” gets an unfair bad rap. It’s simply a term and just another modality of exercise. I love it because it combines strength and conditioning made up of functional movements performed at a your desired intensity level. The intensity and approach are up to you. Anyone can do it and you determine the pace and modifications of your workouts. Invest in a quality gym with quality coaches.

8.) What Piece of Advice Would You Give Someone Who Is Interested in Trying This Diet, But Hasn’t Taken the Leap Yet?

Thinking about carnivore in terms of 3 phases is helpful starting:⁣

1.) Just get adapted – eat meat, find the low carb sources you love, cut the junk, find what eating windows work for your schedule, track to make sure you’re eating enough food.⁣

2.) Focus on healing any G.I. issues & give it time. Be patient & consistent. You don’t feel good all the time, as with any diet it takes time to find your groove. Most hit a slump around 2 weeks. You didn’t develop gut issues overnight and you didn’t put on 30lbs overnight.⁣

3.) Thrive & THEN play around with fat loss or muscle gain goals. You’ll be more self aware & educated once your reach this point.⁣

⁣Highly recommend getting the book Carnivore Cure by Judy Cho & Forever Strong by Dr. Gabrielle Lyon.

Not until someone is adapted & healed do I recommend any kind of playing around with fat loss cuts.⁣ For some it may take 3-6 months or it can take years depending on what kind of healing (gut, hormonal, metabolic etc) you have to do.⁣ Honor your biofeedback. Biofeedback means my quality of sleep, energy level, recovery, performance, mental clarity, menstrual cycle, sex drive, hunger & satiety cues, etc.⁣

Tips for tracking more accurately:

  • Pick meats that are easier to track. Ex: ground meats like beef/turkey/lamb/pork. The protein & fat grams are not as variable as say a ribeye or chuck roast.
  • Weigh your meat raw before you cook. Meat shrinks down something like 20-30% when you cook it. It can account for a big difference in protein/fat grams & calories if you’re logging the oz or grams of cooked meat vs the actual raw weight. Fat will differ as well, especially if you’re draining or dabbing the fat off your meat after cooking. Here’s a good resource explaining what happens.
  • Measure out your fats (butter, bacon fat, tallow, etc) Don’t guess. Weigh it out on a scale for most accuracy. Most of us use teaspoons or tablespoons but I don’t recommend eyeballing until you master accurately weighing food.

Reasons you may be gaining weight on low carb:

  • You’re eating in a surplus. As with ANY diet you choose if you are eating in a surplus chances are you will put on body fat. It’s part of it. This is when you should be focusing on muscle gain & strength.
  • You’ve been eating in a chronic deficit & your body is finally getting the nutrients it needs to function & grow muscle. You WANT muscle growth. More muscle=more food=more badass.
  • You’re snacking too much on things like pork rinds, fat bombs, or fake keto junk like Atkins bars. Guilty 🖐🏻 They’re easy to overeat & nutrient deficient. Go back to the basics. Simplify. Meat, water, coffee, no sweeteners, no supplements.
  • You’re choosing highly palatable low carb foods like ribeyes, bacon, & cheese & eating when you’re not really hungry. It’s like when you’re not hungry but then they bring out dessert. Most of us will have that extra piece of cake. Choose foods that are satisfying & get the job done. I find ground beef to be most satisfying.
  • You’re overly fasting &/or overly training. Chronically high cortisol & hormone imbalances affect your weight, recovery, energy, & fat loss. Reduce your intensity & workout volume. Walking & simply just moving does wonders. Don’t over complicate your workouts. SLEEP. Shorten your fasting window or STOP fasting.
  • You’re eating too much protein, throwing hormones & your biofeedback off. Try increasing your fats & start with protein around 1g per lb of lean body mass, your goal weight, or 20-30% of your daily calories. Our energy sources come from fats & carbs. Take away your carbs & what do you have left? Fat. Don’t fear it. Play around with it you’ll find your threshold.

A Guide On How I Fixed My Fat Loss Levers: Leptin Resistance, Insulin Resistance, & Cortisol Balance Hacks

How I Fixed My Fat Loss Levers: Leptin Resistance, Insulin Resistance, & Cortisol Balance Hacks

9.) Do You Think the Carnivore Diet Will Ever Be Accepted Mainstream?

Never say never, but I doubt it. Carnivore is just like being a vegetarian only we prefer meat. No one bats an eye when you say you’re a vegetarian, but you say you only eat meat? They look at you like 4 eyes. The awareness, research, and education is spreading, however, so that is promising!

Is any diet really mainstream?

There’s hundreds of ways to eat. All that matters is you pick the one that suits YOU.

10.) Where Can People Follow You?

Everyone is welcome to become part of my digital family here, lilbitoffit.com and Instagram, @lil_bit_of_fit If you’d like to be added to our email list, click here!

All links & services here!
Join my weekly email newsletter here!

Thank you all for reading and allowing me to add value to your lives! I hope my experiences on this journey can allow you to find your authentic puzzle pieces to life!

oxox Coach K

Posted on

The Autumn Sweetness of Solitude

Solitude. Freedom. Home. October love.

Photo dump: Meals. Muscles. Words. Resonance. Fall feels.

Thoughts of the morning…

🎃Home is where YOU are.

🎃Home is where your soul is at peace.

🎃You can make any place home when you make it in yourself first & leave life open to possibilities everywhere 🌠❤️🏠

I need a lot of solitude. So much so, that at times I am potentially perceived as detached.

In reality tho, solitude is how I process to love myself & others more fully. I go to my sanctuaries (nature, my family farm, the gym) or take off on a random trip!

Solitude is how I come home to my center, gather data from the day & tune into my feelings (my internal GPS)

I require solitude for clarity on direction in life. Alone, I block out the noise & allow my lenses to clear to see the path, the intuitive direction I’m meant to embrace.

I realize I am one of those humans that come with an extra potent dose of empathy👉the capacity to sense & feel others.

This can be extraordinarily overwhelming.

In the past I’d attempt to numb it out thru excessive drinking (I love savoring beverages, but don’t drink to excess or to get drunk anymore) or turning to food by binge eating.

Now, I have a deeper understanding.

Empathy & intuition are huge gifts. It can also be a curse if you don’t know how to manage.

There is a monumental difference between solitude & loneliness, alone & lonely.

I am the LEAST lonely when I am processing in solitude despite what other people think.

I am the MOST lonely when surrounded by misaligned people who have turned themselves off to their sensitivity & vulnerability & controlled by ego.

I invite you all to take a small moment of solitude today & every day, in your special places, alone or with your special people to tap into your own internal roadmap for clarity🧡 

HAPPY almost NOVEMBER 🍁🦃🙏

Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of healthcare, fitness, & personal development. Travel Radiographer, motivational writer, nutritionist, Medium — gifts of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture & healthcare were her first loves. 

She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through Crohn’s disease & life as a radiologic technologist with 18 years experience!

After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive CrossFit athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, embrace their gifts, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit : http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit

Blog: Lilbitoffit.com

All links:  https://linktr.ee/lil_bit_of_fit

You can simply book a call via email: katieokelly2@gmail.com

Posted on

Simple Strategies That Helped Me Stop Binge Eating And Start Treating Food As Fuel

strategies that helped me stop binging & start treating food as fuel, abstainers vs moderators

I didn’t dare talk about it much publicly when I was younger, I used to binge eat — A LOT. It didn’t help my health, gut issues, gym performance, or fat loss goals either.

It would happen mostly when I was lonely, stressed, or bored out of my mind. Sometimes, it would happen when I was celebrating, too — but always when I was alone. I would go to the store, buy all the junk food, then go home or sit in my car & eat as much as I could. I was an addict, food was my drug, & binging was a high.

I’d eat until I didn’t think I could eat another bite, & then felt so sick I’d puke to “undo” what I’d done. Sometimes even after I threw up, I’d wait a while, & when the feelings of nausea started to subside, I’d start eating again until either the food was gone, I vomited, or until I went to bed in deep shameful sleep.

Without fail, I’d wake up feeling like absolute shit the next day. I’d beat myself up, forcing an unending spiral of guilt, restriction, & punishment.

To make myself feel even worse, I’d look in the mirror & tell myself how terrible I looked, & that I would never be good enough until I could stop eating & got as thin as I could. That if only I could somehow turn myself into one of those people who just “forgets” to eat, then I’d finally be good enough.

But that was the wrong approach.

Learning to Treat Food as Fuel
Looking back at how I used to treat food & abuse my body, my first reaction is to wonder what the hell was wrong with me. After all, the binge eating obviously made me feel like a dumpster fire, physically & emotionally, yet I kept doin it.

But when I took the time to look deeper into my behaviors & habits, I started to be kinder to myself & feel empathy for that past Katie.

Back then, I didn’t treat food as fuel as I do now. I treated it as the enemy.

So if you deal with binge eating at times, or know someone who does, know that you’re not alone. Know there’s hope. But you have to start treating food like you should — as nourishment, not punishment, a treat, or reward.

Here are the strategies that slowly helped me learn to stop binging & start treating food as fuel!

If you don’t know how to stop binge eating start here

Start Eating Enough During the Day

One of the constant mistakes I used to make was to eat as little as possible throughout the day, often limiting food intake to as little as 1,000–1,200 calories. I thought I was being “good” & if I could eat as little as possible without completely crashing, the better.

This caused several problems:

  • Incredibly low energy, meaning my workouts were shit (if I worked out at all).
  • Mental fatigue, due to lack of fuel — your body needs food to function at an optimal level.
  • Feelings of endless hunger due to hormones bring completely f*cked, even after eating a reasonable meal. This made me more susceptible to binging!

The key was pretty simple: EAT enough throughout the day.

Start tracking your calories if you need to keep yourself accountable, & aim to eat at least every 4 hours. This strategy may scare you a bit & make you feel like you’re eating “too much.” But trust me — eating enough during the day does wonders to help you avoid binging.

Don’t Keep Trigger Foods Around

We all have certain foods that once we start eating them, we just can’t stop.

A few of mine:

  • Cracker, cookies, cereal, cheese nips, goldfish
  • Sweet sugary candy & drinks
  • Ice cream, cool whip, chocolate, nut butters
  • Cake, cupcakes, doughnuts, rolls, biscuits
  • Rice, french fries, mashed potatoes – basically any CARB.

I’m an abstainer, carbs are drugs for me so I cut them out of my diet almost completely switching to a carnivore WOE (way of eating). Not only is my Crohn’s disease in remission, I’ve lost 55lbs, & healed my binge eating changing the way I eat.

weight loss before and after katie kelly carnivore
Tap here to learn how I healed my gut and lost weight via the carnivore diet

Why do I not “cheat” on my diet? Because it’s not worth it. You’re not winning by cheating on yourself.

Grace & Control Your Environment

Nobody is perfect. We will all have days when we eat too much, choose the less healthy option.

That’s why I follow a flexible “carnivore” low carb approach. I eat well 90% of the time, eating perfect & healthy 100% of the time is unrealistic.

One of the most common questions: How do you stick to a healthy diet when you’re surrounded by tempting food?

The answer: change your environment.

In other words, make it as easy as possible to eat healthy food & as difficult as possible to eat unhealthy food.

  • Keep healthy food with you so you’re never tempted.
  • Make it harder to eat out by cooking more meals at home.
  • Don’t grocery shop when you’re hungry & make sure you’re eating enough to fuel your day!

Restriction or Food Freedom?

Abstainers vs Moderators

Food & sugar addiction are not bullsh*t excuses people make to eat & live a certain way. I lived food addiction for 30+ yrs. It negatively affected me physically & mentally.

I am definitely an abstainer when it comes to carbs & sugar. It is freeing to me to have food rules & not have to waste energy justifying my choices & actions. I either DO or I DON’T. I also understand not everyone is wired this way.

Moderators & abstainers are often very judgmental toward each other, as they both believe that their way of approaching temptation is the right way.

Some think that a meat-based diet or “carnivore” is too extreme and restrictive. But whether that’s true for you might depend on whether you’re an Abstainer or a Moderator. This is why we determine which one you are. It makes choosing a nutrition approach easier because sustainability, ease, & adherence are everything.

I feel our society as a whole has a strong moderator bias. How many times have you heard someone say: “Everything in moderation”?

As one who is an abstainer & suffered with food addiction, disordered eating, orthorexia, alongside an autoimmune condition like Crohn’s, I know first hand not everyone can moderate & eat all foods without repercussions.

Saying things to an abstainer like:

“You’re too restrictive.”

“Just loosen up.”

“One won’t kill you.”

etc…

…is like telling an alcoholic or drug addict to “just have one drink or one hit, you’ll be fine.”

How to Handle Food Pushers & Moderators If You’re an Abstainer

  • “You’re too restrictive.” We’re all different & I respect your choices. To me, the way I eat is freeing & meets my needs so I can be the best for you. I honor my body & that may change in the future, but for right now, I feel great!
  • “Just loosen up.” I’m happy you can moderate food choices, but that does not align for me. For people who are abstainers, we have specific needs & approaches that work better.
  • “Just have one.” I appreciate the gesture, but I don’t feel my best when I have those foods, mentally or physically. Thank you for understanding!
  • “Meat is bad for you.” Well, so is drinking nothing but celery juice. ( jus sayin lol)

Everyone has the freedom to eat & live as they choose. Right now this is my choice & I respect yours. I feel great, it’s easy & sustainable for me. If I get to a point where I feel like I need to make an adjustment, I will honor that.

Go your own way.

Can you relate to my story too?

oxox Coach K

All resources, links, discount codes, guides, recipes, coaching, & more here. Thank you for allowing me to add value to your lives!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle.

Katie also has over 18 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & personal life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com
Posted on

The Simple Guide I Used To Heal My Gut And Find The Right Diet

the simple guide i used to heal my gut and find the right diet

In the 40 years of my life, I’ve attempted to get into “better shape” & heal my gut more times than I wanna admit. I’ve been a plethora of different shapes & sizes depending on what season of life I was in.

But FINALLY something stuck. My motivation & drive were at an all-time high. Things started working & I stuck to my plan more than 2 weeks 😆 Most importantly, the carnivore WOE (way of eating) turned into my new lifestyle.

I’ve had tons of questions on how I want about figuring out what worked. So I mapped out my thought processes & phases just for you!

I share symptoms & trigger foods I encountered. I hope this helps you figure out what’s best for you!

Swipe, share & save on IG here!

***I also have a complete Meat & Macros Guide where I documented everything I have learned throughout this journey. Click the link in my Instagram bio to snag yours! Link: https://linktr.ee/lil_bit_of_fit

****I understand this is a LOT of info. My story & journey is also posted on my blog for easier reading here, in IG bio, & in highlights: https://lilbitoffit.com/1-year-on-the-carnivore-diet-my-story-journey-transitioning-to-a-meat-based-carnivore-diet/

*****Biohacking Guide to all my favorite recovery and anti-aging products here with links: https://lilbitoffit.com/biohacking-that-helped-me-instantly-feel-better-reverse-aging/

Was this journey easy? No.
Did I feel great all the time? No.
But what did happen within a couple weeks, my carb cravings were gone, I was satiated after meals, I was no longer binging & purging, my inflammation & gut issues had all but disappeared & I embraced stepping into my new chapter of life!

oxox Coach K

  • the simple guide i used to heal my gut and find the right diet
bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hailing from Fishers, Indiana, Katie is an aficionado of health, mindset, human connection, & entrepreneurship. Motivational writer, speaker, doer of many things, she grew up on her family’s beef cattle & crop farm where agriculture was her first love. She is a Purdue University graduate well known for her storytelling of life lessons & personal transformation through her own relationships, financial struggles, Crohn’s Disease, disordered eating, CrossFit, & adapting a carnivore diet lifestyle.

Katie also has over 17 years experience as a Registered Radiologic Technologist, Nutritionist, & Sales Consultant. She works with people of all walks of life as a nutritionist & personal life coach to help them authentically optimize their lives to find health, wealth, & happy!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com

http://www.instagram.com/lil_bit_of_fit
Posted on

Why The Carnivore Diet Isn’t Working And Tips On How To Get Real Results

Why carnivore may not be working for you! We assess both the higher fat approach & the higher protein approach.

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Highly asked question the past few weeks & it is #worldcarnivoremonth 🙌 These are based upon my personal & client experiences.

**DISCLAIMER: I want you to find an approach & WOE (way of eating) that makes YOU feel AMAZING no matter what it is. This is simply for education & sharing my experience why certain approaches may not be working for you.

Summary of my experience in a shot glass:

– I personally do better on a higher, optimal protein approach. I’m an avid exerciser, crossfit athlete, lift weights, & live an active lifestyle. I want to build & maintain as much muscle as possible.

– I have Crohn’s disease & don’t have a gallbladder, my fat threshold is lower (means I can’t eat as much fat) than someone with a gallbladder who digests & absorbs fat well. Thru personal experience tracking food & experimenting for DECADES I discovered when I ate higher fat over 150g/d, my digestion was terrible, I had slow motility, constipation, inflammation, & gained weight.

– I am lactose intolerant. Dairy causes gut upset. I can’t add large amounts of butter & cheese to increase fat without gut upset & inflammatory. I also don’t digest pork & bacon fat well in larger quantities without digestion & histamine issues.

– I lived decades with disordered eating. I had shades of bulimia & anorexia. I’m a volume eater, which means I feel more satiated & “safe” on higher volume foods like meat vs low volume food like fats & oils. It is difficult for me to feel when I’m full on high fat, which leads to overeating, emotional stress & thus, weight gain. Self awareness is everything!

Thank you for allowing me to express my experiences & hope they help you!

If you need additional help, I would be happy to listen & assist. 

👉Coaching FAQ’s in link in IG bio🤗

Why you may be feeling bad on carnivore

I’ve found throughout my 3+ years on carnivore that most people feeling crummy typically have a few things in common: electrolytes may be off, you’re not enough food, increased glucose & insulin numbers, & low ketones.

You can check these with a simple glucometer from your local drug store, amazon, a continuous glucose monitor (CGM like Nutrisense, link in my IG bio, discount code: lilbitoffitCGM10), or a Keto mojo which checks both glucose & ketones.

If you’re eating too much protein, the excess can signal the liver to use protein as a fuel via gluconeogenesis instead of fat. This can cause your glucose numbers to rise & ketones to drop. If you are metabolically healthy & more active, you can still thrive, feel good, & lose body fat on large amounts of protein — I am one of those types of individuals, but not everyone fits that profile or protocol.

Tips, signs, & things to think about

Meal Timing & Food Quantity Matter

Calories & quantity still matter no matter what diet. So this is why saying, “Eat all the meat you want!” isn’t the best approach or message. The type of food you eat matters in terms of digestion. Ex: processed meat vs whole food or you may have allergies/histamine responses to certain meats & dairy. Macro ratios matter like high fat/mod protein vs higher protein/mod fat. Try spreading meals & protein quantities out equally through the day. Experiment!

Satiety Cues

If you’ve struggled with disordered eating/chronic dieting & can’t “feel” true hunger/satiety cues, slow down when you eat. We should be able to distinguish between true physical hunger & emotional hunger & habits. Meals should be large enough to keep you full for 4+ hrs. High fat carnivore can pose a challenge to volume eaters & lead to overeating. Make sure to get quality sleep always!

Blood Glucose & Ketones will Vary Person to Person

Lifestyle, health status, & activity level matter when it comes to both set of numbers. People who are highly active, avid exercisers, athletes, & fully fat adapted may not have high ketone numbers because their bodies are efficient at utilizing fat & ketones as fuel & there may not be as much concentrated in the blood. I am one of those people. I lift, CrossFit, & get 15k steps/d & still lost 20lbs with ketones averaging around .6. My glucose also tends to run around 85-90 fasting.

On the other hand, if you are more sedentary & getting higher blood glucose numbers & low ketones, this could be an indicator you’re consuming too much protein & not enough fat, maybe your meals are too large at a sitting, maybe you can try different fasting windows to get these to optimize. I find our largest meal should be post workout for most for optimal recovery & digestion. I’ve seen the best fat loss results tapering meal sizes later in the day, fasting 12-16 hrs overnight.

Fasting

Once fat adapted, it is natural to lean more towards longer fasting periods. I can easily fast 20 hrs. If you fast & feel great & your numbers improve, fasting may be beneficial & more aligned to you & your lifestyle. I find more sedentary people do better with fasting & longer periods of fasting.

In contrast, if you are highly active, an avid exerciser, athlete, lifting weights, getting 10+k steps/d, & live a higher stress lifestyle, overly fasting can do the opposite & put more stress on your body causing glucose numbers to rise & fat gain in many cases. Hormones matter, be good to them & work with your body.

Fasting too long, over caffeinating, & over exercising while eating too little can also cause higher glucose numbers due to excess stress & a rise in cortisol. You may need smaller more frequent meals & shorter fasting windows to balance blood glucose & hormone levels.

80/20 or higher fat carnivore

May NOT work great for you if:

  • You have trouble digesting high fats. For ex: I don’t have a gallbladder & cannot optimally tolerate digesting large quantities of fat without digestive issues like reflux, slow digestion, constipation/diarrhea, & nausea.
  • You are lactose(dairy)&/or egg intolerant. Often times egg yolks, butter & dairy like cheese are added to meals to increase fat, If you cannot digest these well, they will cause challenges & inflammation.
  • You are active, an avid exerciser, or athlete lifting weights & focusing on muscle building. We typically have protein higher requirements to build & maintain this tissue.
  • You are a volume eater & cannot feel full or satisfied on a higher fat approach which makes it hard to sustain, adhere to, & leads to overeating.
  • You feel sluggish, digestion is off, & start putting on excess body fat with higher quantities of fat.

Experimentation & data tracking is the only way to know!

Higher protein/mod fat carnivore

May NOT work great for you if:

  • You are more sedentary. Your protein & calorie needs are likely lower than a more active person.
  • You are encountering higher fasting glucose numbers & lower ketone numbers consistently.
  • You don’t feel well eating higher protein quantities. For ex: low energy, constipation, high fasting glucose numbers, low ketones, peeing more frequently, lethargic, slow motility digestion(feeling like your food is just sitting there & vice versa for high fat too), ravenous hunger, never feeling full & satisfied, excess thirst.
  • You’ve tried higher protein & aren’t seeing any fat loss results. It may be time to switch it up & try a higher fat approach. You may need a diet break or try fat cycling higher fat days in with lower fat days.
  • You simply may need to eat more & reverse diet if you’ve been chronically under eating. To increase calories on a carnivore approach, you have to increase your fat. Don’t fear the fat! Experiment!


You can read more about how I healed my gut, disordered eating, & fat loss story here. This will answer the majority of your questions as well as provide products & supplements to help!

Happy carnivoreing!

oxox Coach K

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My simple guide to losing 55lbs on the carnivore diet & keeping fat loss off forever

carnivore simple guide to fat loss

The carnivore diet is simple. It worked for me. I’m not here to tell you it’s right for everyone but I want to share my story in hopes of helping at least one person out there that has also struggled with weight, gut issues, & a poor relationship with food & self.

carnivore simple guide to fat loss

As long as you are eating exclusively animal products, you’re on a carnivore diet, or a meat based diet as I like to say.
⁠
I simply hope that everyone that finds a solution that helps them feel & look their best!

carnivore simple guide to fat loss

Tips:

🥩

 Make fatty red meat from ruminant animals the staple of your diet. Ground beef is my go to & it’s a budget buy! They can also be from steaks & roasts. Eating leaner cuts can be okay too on occasion but you’ll want to add more fat (butter, tallow, etc) to make sure you’re getting in enough calories.
⁠

🧈

 I love to dip my meat in butter. It tastes delicious, is anti-inflammatory, & is a cheap/tasty/easy source of fat-soluble vitamins. Tallow & other real animal fats are great too!
⁠

🥚

Eggs are magical & contain a powerful punch of healthy nutrients we need to function at our best including protein, healthy fats, iron, phosphorus, selenium, & vitamins A, B12, B2, B5, etc.
⁠

🧀

 Dairy is also a source of healthy fat & protein as well. Consume obviously only if you don’t have a sensitivity to it. Read your labels & choose those low in carbs & zero sugar. The more natural the better.
⁠

🐷

 Non-ruminant meats like seafood, chicken & pork are a great affordable option for many too. They taste great & offer versatility. Pork can be a trigger food for gut issues & histamine responses for some. Just pay attention to how you feel after you eat any food. It’s a trigger for me & I have to consume in moderation. Seafood can be good as well, but are generally too lean.
⁠

🧠

 Organ meats are without a doubt the most nutrient dense foods on earth. Once a week is more than enough, eat as needed. Try out different animal organs, some taste better than others.⁠ I personally don’t like them & take a beef organs supplement from @ancestralsupplements

Swipe & share on IG if this helped you!

  • carnivore simple guide to fat loss

Let’s crush those goals!
Oxox Coach K

Coaching, guides, discount codes & free content here!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, executive assistant, motivational speaker & writer, & brand growth consultant working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit

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Hard Truths About Why You’re Not Seeing Fat Loss On The Carnivore Diet And How It May Be Harming You

carnivore hard truths and why you can't lose body fat

Do you know there are people that would trade years of their life to be skinnier?

Hi. It me🙋‍♀️

The FORMER version of me.

You have to get to a point of metabolic & hormonal health to become more flexible with your diet & macros. That may mean scaling back over exercising. That may mean moving more if you are more sedentary. That may mean eating more food & gaining weight in the process.

I gained 15lbs when I started the carnivore diet over 3 years ago & it took me an entire year to adapt & finally lose weight.

carnivore katie kelly indiana lilbitoffit
Katie kelly fishers indiana lilbitoffit carnivore fat loss journey

Do the hard things. If you keep doing what you’ve always done you’ll always get what you’ve always gotten.

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  • carnivore hard truths

You CAN eat too much protein, be under nourished & under fueled. Food is fuel. Fat is fuel. Carbs are fuel too if you prefer them as an energy source. We need to start thinking about food in terms of fuel instead of a treat or reward or diet camp.

Machines are all different, right?! They take different fuel sources & parts, right?! Why do you think humans are any different?!

Fat is super important. Protein is not an optimal fuel source. You won’t feel great eating lean meat all the time. If you think I’m full of sh*t, why don’t you eat skinless boneless chicken breast for 2-3 weeks & tell me how you feel (please don’t do that but it will be a rude awakening).

You can’t eat all the meat you want without some educated decision making to nourish your body properly & get the results you truly want. Same with your workouts. If you want to have a certain physique, you have to eat & work out appropriately to get that physique so choose wisely.

Eating as little as possible is not a badge of honor. A toddler can’t survive on 1200 calories a day. Are you a toddler? Have you been conditioned & chronically dieting/under fueling your entire life? The importance of reverse dieting & getting healthy are not emphasized enough over dieting.

Please prioritize getting healthy & reverse dieting first. It will be one of the best things you ever do for your body & I promise the results will follow. Most active women getting at least 10,000 steps/day & working out 3-4 times/week average 1800 to 2100+ calories/day for maintenance levels for perspective. What are you crushing? I crush about 2000/day & I’m 40 years old, 105lbs at 5’1.

indiana lilbitoffit maintenance calories chart carnivore reverse diet katie kelly

You cannot look like me. I built my physique via CrossFit & lifting which may be different from what you prefer. It took me over a decade to get the physique you see today.

Not everyone likes the same workouts which will change the way your body looks. Not everyone has the same story, we didn’t grow up the same way, with the same experiences & same level of health or relationships with food & exercise.

katie kelly crossfit indiana carnivore lilbitoffit
I discovered CrossFit at 31 years old. Prior to that I had never touched a barbell in my life. I am 40 years old today and haven’t been healthier or happier!

Not everyone can eat high-protein & thrive. This all goes back to getting metabolically & hormonal healthy FIRST before most people can be metabolically flexible with their macros & diet approaches. Experiment, track data like macros/ketones/blood glucose if things are not working. Take the emotion out of it, you’re doing this from a place of health. They’re just tools to help you. Learn to be objective. Mistakes are how we learn & find solutions.

Here’s an informative video about different troubleshooting with versions of carnivore.

Not everyone can incorporate carbs, sugar, & alcohol & be a moderator. This all goes back to your emotional & physical relationship with food. Not everyone can include plants, fruit, or honey into their carnivore diet because it spikes blood glucose, causes cravings, binge eating, & other physical ailments. These are a drug for many. We don’t tell alcoholics just to have one drink, right?! Sugar & carbs are addictive. Determine if you’re an abstainer or a moderator. Over time you may be able to moderate certain things once you establish a healthy relationship with a substance.

Here’s a blog on how I stopped binge eating, bulimia, & healed my relationship with food!

It’s OK if you have a poor relationship with certain foods or carbohydrates. I do, openly, have a poor relationship with sugar & carbs, which is why I abstain. They also cause physical ailments for me due to my Crohn’s disease an autoimmune condition. My peace of mind & my health takes precedence above all. Which means I do what works for me & I give zero fux if other people judge me for it because I am my healthiest, happiest, & most peaceful & that’s all that matters.

Here’s why I don’t eat plants & changes I made to lose 55lbs!

carnivore diet fat loss transformation guide

Carbs are not the devil. They are beneficial if you are an athlete or avid exerciser to blunt the cortisol (stress) response & help with recovery. They can also help you sleep better when timed & applied appropriately. We must learn to work with our bodies & food to optimize our body function to live our best lives. Work with your body not against it.

Protein sparing modified fasting is not appropriate for everyone. Feasting & fasting is not appropriate for everyone. Extended fasting is not appropriate for everyone. High intensity workouts are not appropriate for everyone. Eating carbs is not appropriate for everyone. Eating vegan or carnivore or whatever diet camp you want to put here is not appropriate for everyone. Again, get healthy first. Pick an approach that is easy for you to implement in life & one that you enjoy. Be willing to make mistakes & embrace a different way of doing things. I promise you will find your solution to diet, exercise, relationships, & life in general.

Why fasting may not be working for you

You will never regret walking. You will never regret eating optimal protein & fat. You will never regret quality sleep. You will never regret being kind. You will never regret eating slowly & mindfully. You will never regret eating the right foods for you no matter what someone else thinks. You will never regret therapy. You will never regret a gratitude attitude & abundance mindset. Set your high value nonnegotiables in life. This includes everything you consume including the people you surround yourself with.

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel you just have to follow a way of eating & a way of living that suits you❤️

oxox Coach K

Coaching services, guides, discount links & more here!
bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, executive assistant, motivational speaker & writer, brand growth consultant, & connection maker working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to organize/optimize life for better health, increased wealth & happiness!
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
Katie currently resides in Fishers, IN where she has worked in the health, sales, and nutrition field for over 17 years.
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These 4 Simple Changes Helped Me Lose 55lbs via the Carnivore Diet!

carnivore diet fat loss transformation guide

In the 40 years of my life, I’ve attempted to get into “better shape” & been a plethora of different shapes & sizes depending on what season of life I was in.

I had more than enough phases that sadly, fizzled out in a few weeks. Either because the fad diet wasn’t sustainable &/or I fell right back into my disordered eating habits again.

But this time, something was different. My motivation & drive were at an all-time high. I was sticking to my plan perfectly, & most importantly, the carnivore WOE (way of eating) was turning into my new lifestyle.

  • carnivore diet faq's for fat loss

**Swipe for common FAQ’s & 4 things changes that changes the game!

***I also have a 354 page Meat & Macros Guide where I documented everything I have learned throughout this journey. Click the link in my Instagram bio to snag yours!

Was this journey easy? No.
Did I feel great all the time? No.
But what did happen within a couple weeks, my carb cravings were gone, I was satiated after meals, I was no longer binging & purging, my inflammation & gut issues had all but disappeared & I embraced stepping into my new chapter of life!

What was so different this time?

I started listening to my body & intuition instead of what everybody else was doing.
I put my health first over aesthetics.

I committed to doing the hard things like:
⁃ tracking food & steps diligently
⁃ tracking my weight from an objective point of view instead of letting my emotions get the best of me
⁃ eating more food
⁃ gaining weight
⁃ making mistakes & experimenting with different foods & macros to find my sweet spot.

These 4 major changes over my 1st year on carnivore resulted in 20lbs of weight loss & the ability to consume more calories than I ever thought possible:

  1. I stopped eating sugar, plants, processed foods, fiber, nuts & seeds. Due to my autoimmune & Crohn’s disease I do not digest these well without gut issues.
  2. I eat meat, animal fats, eggs, & seafood.
  3. I don’t binge, purge, or obsess over restrictive calorie counting & dieting anymore.
  4. I eat when I’m hungry, stop when I’m truly satiated, & fast when I’m not hungry.

Notes: I initially gained 15lbs on the carnivore diet but stuck with it & adapted. It took a whole year of experimentation to find my calorie & macro sweet spot. Been meat based for 3+ years. I have lost 55lbs in my lifetimes, I’m 40 years old, been all shapes & sizes. I’m 5’1, & maintain 105lbs +/- a few lbs on 2000+ calories/d.

trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore
trigger food gut lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana carnivore

My weight loss did not happen overnight & you do not always feel fantastic, it’s not linear & requires a lot of patience.

weight loss transformation carnivore diet
I’ve lost 55lbs over my lifetime!

Common Carnivore FAQ’s

What do I eat? Do I need to buy expensive, organic, grass-fed meat? No. buy what you can afford & enjoy. Eat meat, eggs, & seafood. Ground meat & eggs are cheapest, buy what’s on sale. I would eliminate dairy, cheese, pork rinds, & artificial sweeteners the 1st 30-90 days. Most have gut or emotional issues with these things. Drink water, coffee black, unsweet tea, electrolytes.

What are high fat & low fat meats? Your higher fat meats will be your ribeyes, beef chuck roasts, ribs, waygu beef, 75-85% ground meats, pork sausage, pork butt/shoulder roasts, salmon etc. 85% ground meats are my sweet spot. Low fat favorites are shrimp, scallops, fish, 90-93% ground meats, Perdue ground chicken. Grilled chicken breast, egg whites, & chicken thighs without skin are also leaner options.

Can I use seasonings or eat other things besides meat & eggs? I’m all about freedom of choice & flexibility, if you want to use seasonings or consume other foods like carbs, fruits & veggies & they don’t cause any negative physical or mental issues – go for it. It’s YOUR diet. 1st 30-90 days, I’d stay more rigid so you know what works & what doesn’t.

Why did I lose my period? The biggest reasons I see are under eating, not eating enough fat, overly fasting, & over exercising. Keep your stress as low as possible.

I have loose stool, is this normal? I experienced this when I 1st started. Digestive enzymes will help. Take these 5-10 minutes before eating or mid meal. Try reducing meal sizes, increasing meal frequency, & lowering fat/meal. Don’t add extra fat to meals. When we reduce carbs & fiber we loose the “bulk” in our stool paired with the higher fat/protein content in meals our gallbladders release more bile to compensate to digest our meals.

I’m constipated, why? See this most often with clients when they’re consuming too lean of meat, too many processed meats & dairy, & not drinking enough water/electrolytes. Deli meat, pork rinds, dairy & sausage can be culprits, minimize these. Eat natural meat, increase fats by choosing fattier cuts like 80-85% ground beef vs chicken, increase water, & electrolytes. You should be drinking at least 1/2 your body weight in oz of water/d. Always being in a stressed out state can do this too as well as not getting enough sleep. Also, if you’re not eating enough, your digestion naturally slows too. Track your food, make sure your calories &macros are appropriate.

Having leg cramps/muscle soreness? Make sure you’re recovering properly by managing stress, sleeping 7-9 hrs/night, getting in electrolytes & magnesium (I use Ultima Replenisher, link in IG bio), & staying hydrated.

How do you order when you eat out & travel? I typically stick to plain beef patties if I eat out, especially fast food. I’ll order 4 plain quarter lb patties from McDonalds for example. Also enjoy shrimp, scallops, salmon fillets, occasional steaks, plain/naked wings. BBQ places I go for the plain beef brisket. Ask how they cook their food & ingredients. They will custom cook your food. I ask for no oil & no seasonings. At Mexican restaurants I order the fajita meat only, no oil, no seasoning. I travel with my Instant Vortex 6qt airfryer & pack ground meat in a cooler for meat bars. I always book at hotel with a fridge, microwave, & fitness center. Cook your meat ahead of time and keep it in a baggie &/or in a cooler. At gas stations, they usually have hard boiled eggs & a microwave if you need to heat your food. Go to the grocery & stock up when you reach your destination. On the go, I enjoy rotisserie chickens, check the ingredients. In a pinch, most airports have restaurants to order meats & have hard boiled eggs.

What do I do when people question me? Use it as chance to educate on why you’re eating a meat based diet. Most people are just curious. Don’t let it trigger you, if they do give you sh*t, it is because of the way they feel about themselves, not you.

How many meals do you eat? Do you snack? During a 12hr shift work day in the ER, I eat 2 meals/d. An off day I can get away with OMAD post fasted workout. I eat around 2lbs of meat per day. I do not snack, “treat” myself, or earn food. Some days I like higher fat, others days I eat leaner. I trust & listen to my body.

How much protein should I eat/what do you eat? I will preface this with we are ALL DIFFERENT. I thrive on higher protein, I also strength train & CrossFit, have an active job, & get 15k steps per day. I avg 140-175g of protein/d. Most do well on 1g protein/ lb of body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. I find most females do well around 120-150g of protein daily & keep a leaner physique. Others prefer a 70/30 or 80/20 approach.

Protein per meal? Most do well around 30-60g on avg of protein/meal if you’re consuming at least 2-3 meals/day.

How do I increase fat? Choose fattier cuts of meat like 75-85% ground meats, ribeye, beef chuck, pork belly, & ribs. If you have to you can add some butter, bacon fat, & tallow to meals. Ask your butcher for fat scraps or skins.

How do I know if I’m eating too much protein? The most common symptoms: waking up in the middle of night, sh*tty sleep, peeing all the time, lack of energy, hungry all the time, & excess thirst. Protein thresholds will be different for us all, it is helpful to track your food.

I feel tired all the time, why? Again, track your food. Often times you’re actually not eating enough calories. You may also not be consuming enough fat & too much protein. Most active females who workout 3-4 times per week, avg 10-15k steps/day, & lead an active lifestyle should be consuming around 1800-2100+ calories daily for general maintenance levels. Also take your electrolytes, you excrete more water & lose electrolytes during the transition.

What macro ratios should I start with to find my maintenance calories? I recommend most starting with a 1:1 ratio of protein:fat. For example, I started around 150g Protein:150g Fat then made adjustments off of that foundation. Use the TDEEcalculator.net to help you find your maintenance calories, then set your protein around 1g/lb of body weight or goal weight, then set your fat grams. You just have to experiment.

I can’t tell when I’m full! This happens often in those who come from a background of under eating, chronically dieting, orthorexia, & disordered eating. One of the biggest reasons is chronic dieting. It imbalances our natural hunger & satiety hormones (leptin & ghrelin), causing us to lose “sense” of what our body’s needs & are trying to tell us. We lose sensitivity to true stomach hunger, & get it confused with a multitude of other signals & needs like emotions, thirst, under recovery, boredom, stress, numbing, etc.

What can I do to help me feel when I’m full?

  • Eat regularly scheduled meals: they should be large enough to keep you satiated 4+ hrs. Protein (ex: meats & eggs) should be the center of your meals & around 30-60g of protein/meal. Daily goal around 1g/lb of body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. (leaner individuals even up to 1.5g/lb for some) **Everyone’s preferences, thresholds/goals will be different as far as daily grams of protein. These are GENERALITIES! Some like higher fat approaches like 70/30 & 90/20 carnivore. Go your own way. I hope whatever you choose you feel AMAZING! 🙂
  • Do not skip meals, allow yourself to get “hangry,” & chronically under eat: especially if you tend to binge &/or emotionally eat. If you cannot control your eating when you’re overly hungry, I do not suggest intermittent fasting or doing extended fasts either. Eat slowly. It takes 20 minutes for your body to sense fullness.
  • Avoid trigger foods: mentally (causes emotional eating, binges) & physically (causes gut flares, bloat, energy crashes, etc) triggering foods like sugar, carbs, highly palatable & calorically dense foods like cheese, nuts, nut butter, bacon, ribs.
carnivore fat loss transformation

Will I gain weight on Carnivore? It depends on the level of healing you need to do metabolically & hormonally when you start. Also, what is your story? Have you chronically been dieting your entire life? If you’re starting from a place of under eating, you will most likely gain some weight when you start eating more food. Its basic science & will happen with any diet you choose.

We should be eating our maintenance calories the majority of the year, not dieting more than 1-2x/year for no longer than 12-16 weeks. You can use the TDEEcalculator.net to find your maintenance calories. Any weight you gain through making changes for better health & healing was most likely weight you needed to gain. Yes, you will lose the weight more easily & optimally the next time you try to diet after going through this period of taking care of yourself, eating more, focusing on muscle gain, & repairing any downregulation & imbalances from the years of undereating.

I hope there is something you can take out of this read!
Good luck on your journey wherever it may find you!

oxox Coach K

All coaching, services, free content, guides, & discount codes here!

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, executive assistant, motivational speaker & writer, & brand growth consultant working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com

Posted on

If you’re lost in the information, here’s your reminder & simple guide to stick to the nutrition basics.

men and women working out simple nutrition guide

Y’all things aren’t as complicated as you think they are. Get healthy first. I promise everything else falls into line when you put your health first over aesthetic fat loss goals.

You just need a WOE (way of eating) that serves you best mentally & physically & is easy to implement into your lifestyle & stick to.

The big rocks rule:
-getting good, restful sleep
-getting sunshine & outside
-getting daily movement
-eating nutrient dense, whole, unprocessed foods
-managing stress
-cultivating nourishing relationships
-setting boundaries & knowing it’s ok to say NO
-reducing your toxin load & exposures as much as possible
-drinking pure, natural water

Each person is unique & will require a different balance of macronutrients for optimal health, which can change throughout one’s life.

But, there are general guidelines for both men & women, which is a great starting place & should be helpful for most people.

➡️I personally believe you should earn your carbs through activity. Not everyone chooses to eat carbs & that’s OK too.

➡️Research has shown that the body can use (burn or store) about 40g of carbs after a meal. Your body uses carbs more efficiently if/when you’re active. Meals that exceed 40g require more insulin & often times extra carbs to be converted into fat for storage.

➡️High-quality protein is the bomb 💣 & foundation. 1g/lb of ideal body weight for most. Experiment, you can go higher if you want.

Always listen to your body, keep track of how you feel & enjoy the journey!

Swipe, share and save this post on Instagram here

  • simple fat loss guide

General simple Guidelines & Tips to Help You

Pick a WOE (way of eating) that serves you best mentally & physically, is easy to implement, adhere to, & stay consistent with.

Carbs are determined & “earned” through activity level & physical needs & preferences. I find most don’t need more than 100g if you’re fueling properly with appropriate quantities of protein & healthy fats.

Keep meals under 40g of carbs if you choose to eat carbs. Some of us prefer a meat-based “carnivore” approach & that is ok too. Goes back to point #1.

Most do well with meals around 30-60g of protein. Protein I personally like around 1-1.2g/body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. Leaner, smaller individuals can typically get away w/ranges up to 1.5g/body weight. Ex: I’m 105lb & eat around 170g P/d. Go your own way & experiment, we’re all different.

Fats, depending on your carb intake should be at least 25-35% of our daily calories. A general goal is .7-2.2g/kg of body weight. Those doing high fat carnivore may be around 80% fat/20% protein. Others that choose higher protein carnivore may be around 70/30, 60/40, or even 50/50 fat:protein as far as macro ratios. Experiment to find where you thrive & feel your best.

Choose a meal frequency that works for you. Some like OMAD, some like 2 meals/d, most stick to 3 meals/d.

Most of us should be fasting at least 12hrs overnight. No snacking & making sure our meals are protein centric with adequate healthy fats. No low quality veggie oils.

Gratitude Attitude & Get Outside: red light therapy, walks in nature, get outside at sunrise. Mindset & thoughts matter. You can’t be a negative Nancy & a Positive Patty at the same time. Who would you rather hang out with?

Realize you can eat more than you think you can & maintain a healthy weight. You do not need to eat 1200 or even 1600 calories/day to lose/maintain your weight. I have maintained my weight on around 1800-2000+ calories per day for almost 2 years. Please reverse diet if you’ve been chronically under eating. It’ll be the best thing you’ll ever do for your metabolism, hormones, health, mood, energy, sex life – everything! You’ll quickly discover life doesn’t suck when you finally start eating more than a toddler.

Focus on the big rocks: Sleep 7-8 hrs, shoot for 10k steps/d, eat your meat, drink water, minimize stressors. Being stressed to the titties is not a badge of honor. EX: sh*tty sleep, over exercising (1hr/d, 5 d/wk is enough), too much HIIT (waking 10k/d is a standard goal), under eating (most active females require 1800-2100+ cal/d for maintenance), overly fasting (12-16hrs overnight is sufficient), over caffeinating (<300-400mg/day).

Find your maintenance calories if you don’t know using the calculator on tdeecalculator.net This is what you should be consuming the majority of the year for optimal health & function. Shoot for these calorie goals 1st. I suggest getting comfortable with this before playing around with sexy stuff like fat loss cuts, fasting, & fat cycling. Especially if you come from a place of chronic dieting & disordered eating. This may mean you need to reverse diet & handle your relationship with food first before heading into a fat loss cut.

How to handle food pushers: Use this as an opportunity to educate them on why you require specific foods for your needs, preferences, dis-ease, etc. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, a simple, “No thank you, & I appreciate you.” is all you need to say. You do not owe anyone an explanation of your needs. You are in charge of what you put in your body.

Cut toxicity from your life: Control what you consume. What you focus on will have an enormous impact on your mindset, attitude, perspective, & what you attract into your life. It is mostly a result of 3 things: What you consume (what you eat, read, listen to or watch), Who you hang out with, Your inner dialogue & self-talk. I like to refer to it as “garbage becomes garbage.” We truly become what we consume physically, mentally, & emotionally. To have a healthier life, take responsibility for what you consume.

Bring your own food to social functions, eat before, or custom order. Check the menu ahead of time. Most places always have meat. Ask them to cook your food the way you need. I ask for my meats to be cooked in no oil with no seasonings. Skip sauces & dressings or have them on the side. Skip pan-fried, breaded, creamed, dipped, scalloped, slathered, etc. Lower cal will be grilled, steamed, baked, roasted, broiled, seared.

If you’ve struggled with disordered eating/chronic dieting & can’t “feel” true hunger/satiety cues, slow down when you eat & stop fasting too long. This one – HUGE. You should be able to distinguish between true physical hunger & emotional hunger/habits. Meals should be large enough to keep you full for 4+ hrs, they should be protein/fat centric, & you should not be snacking in between meals. We numb emotions with food, we eat too fast, we eat our kids food, we eat in front of the tv, we wire our brains to think these self sabotaging habits are normal. You can choose to change those habits & re-write your story.

Realize the adaptation period takes a lot longer than you think. It’s a journey! Ya gotta give it more than 2 weeks to a month y’all. I gained 15lbs initially on the carnivore diet because my body needed to heal. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but I knew & always say any weight you gain trying to gain HEALTH is weight you NEEDED TO gain.

Have patience & commit to doing the hard things that are right things to give you long-term health & longevity.

If you’re looking for more guidance, coaching FAQs & helpful guides/content are in the link in my IG bio.

Oxox
Coach K

bio carnivore lilbitoffit katie kelly indiana fishers
Hoosier farm girl & Purdue University grad, Katie is a multifaceted girlboss! She’s a nutritionist, radiologic technologist, personal coach, executive assistant, motivational speaker & writer, & brand growth consultant working with individuals, businesses, organizations, & executives.
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!

You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com