Health Coach | Speaker | Writer | Welcome to my digital diary! I'm here to help you blend life & fitness to find your health & happy! Thank you for being part of my family & allowing me to add value to your journey!
5 years ago, I wrote a journal entry about my ongoing struggle with Crohn’s disease, binge eating, unhealthy addiction to exercise, & poor body image.
I detailed longstanding struggle with my seemingly endless appetite & f*cked up addiction to stuffing huge amounts of food in my face, struggling with gut flares & drowning in a black cloud of self loathing & frustration.
I had no “cures” as of yet, but I was now out of the closet getting REAL with living in a “haunted house.”
Since writing that entry, I chose to turn that pain into something constructive. I created a community here simply sharing my life in hopes of helping others living a similar nightmare.
I wrote a super informative blog on my healing & carnivore story here that will answer the majority of your questions what I went through transitioning & how I healed via a meat based, “carnivore” lifestyle.
I’ve received hundreds of messages asking about the journey of recovery from disordered eating, poor body image, food addiction, orthorexia, & Crohn’s disease.
Living decades with these devils on my shoulders since the age of 8, I’ve learned a lot.
After going “carnivore” with diet & changing my perspective on health & fitness, I never binge & am healthier than ever at 40 years old & med free in remission. I want the same for you.
How did I crack the code? Brain dumped as many resources as I could in this blog for you.
First, I stopped looking outside myself for solutions, online & advice from friends, doctors, & latest fads. Instead, I decided to compassionately look inward & get curious on what life & fitness meant to me.
I started observing myself to understand my thoughts & actions.
I found without exception, I binged in response to 3 different situations that left me hungry physically & mentally:
When “restricting” & trying to eat like everyone else instead of ME
When avoiding an emotion or lacking purpose
When neglecting my own pleasure & needs
My priorities now are: Great food in the form of animal based nutrition — quality sleep & exercise — simple joy & inner peace.
I’ve learned to consider fitness a lifestyle I love, not a chore.
A CHAMPION means to be someone that loves the work of becoming one more than the idea of becoming one.
Hope these tips help you! Feel free to swipe, tag, save, & share any post of mine on IG freely! That’s all that I ask of you is to share anything that has helped you or will help someone else! What’s mine is yours!
***Disclaimer: This is in no way, shape, or form medical advice, I am simply sharing what has helped me***
You could have picked a bunch of other people to follow & allow influence into your lives, but you chose me. Thank you for giving me a platform & portals to share with you my thoughts, experiences, & life through my lens. Thank you for being my most incredible supporters & being part of my digital family. Cheers to many more years of health, happiness, abundance, community, & choosing to live life on our own terms!
Y’all wanna know what most people get wrong when it comes to dieting in general? Not dieting.
I remember feeling like sh*t, no energy no matter how many coffee or Bangs I shoved down my pie hole, chronic constipation, bloating, no body comp changes – THAT was my normal back in the day.
I committed every sin I’ve talked about here on the interwebs. I used to CrossFit my a$$ off hours a day 7 d/wk on 1500 calories, eating sugar & diet foods which were wrecking me mentally & physically.
I wondered why I could never recover or look “jacked” like other female athletes that weren’t working “half as hard” & eating 2x as much.
Fast forward today, my 40 yo self finally fit the puzzle pieces together & learned not to fear food, not to see it as something I had to earn or burn off & simply eat food that made me feel good.
I’m 5’1, 105lbs. I workout 5 d/wk, I lift & CrossFit, I walk a lot, AND I eat ALOT. I avg 2000 calories most days, primarily ground beef & eggs.
You can read about how I healed my gut, quit binge eating, lost 55lbs & put my Crohn’s disease in remission via the Carnivore Diet HERE. It’ll answer your questions & hopefully give you hope to heal yours too!
Reminder, maintenance calories are how many calories we can eat in a day & maintain optimal body function without seeing any changes to muscle & fat composition. In other words, chillin like a villain.
I have a whole Meat & Macros EGuide in the link in my IG bio that will give you your answers! With recipes & dedicated sections to disordered eating, dieting, and reverse dieting for any diet camp!
Some things you may not want to hear: ⁃ A healthy body loses body fat & any weight you gain in the process of gaining health is weight you needed to gain. ⁃ It may take years to get the body you want going through numerous periodization cycles. ⁃ There is a cost to being a certain level of lean. That athletic body you covet just may weigh more than you think. ⁃ Unless you’re a newbie & never worked out before or dieted, fat loss takes a calorie deficit, muscle gain takes at least maintenance & more likely surplus. Pick one.
If you refuse to eat more when you need to restore your health, you have far pressing more important issues than looking good in a bikini.
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
I was talking with a client today about the things that were holding her back from her weight loss goals.
As we dove into the conversation, the common denominator was the people she was surrounding herself with. Her environment was toxic & not supportive.
Sometimes it’s the energetic & emotional weight that is actually holding you guys back. That takes doing the inner work, cutting cords, & most often spending time alone to center & find clarity.
I have personally learned that sometimes it’s helpful to have empathy for some people from afar & prioritize myself.
We tell others how to treat us. We give them our user manual, make sure you’re writing that user manual from your heart.
Healthy boundaries & clear expectations/intentions help build a solid foundation to successful relationships.
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
Imagine having one life to live, yet f*cking it up.
Yikes, right?!
I know a few things about starting over. I have done it more times than I want to admit including health problems with my Crohn’s disease, eating disorders, getting myself into debt, romantic & friendship break ups, including 2 divorces. Yup, Double Divo Club…carb toting member.
The main thing about starting over is that you are not starting from zero. It is impossible to do that, given that we are complex creatures with memory & experience.
The best way to start over is to reflect on goals, your memories & experiences, and think about what drives you, your purpose in life, your reason for living.
The change of life means changing your approach! Listening to older mentors helped me “start over” without being angry at myself.
Working out more & eating less wasn’t going to help me. Shrinking my body & punishing myself with restrictions & addictions weren’t going to help me, but changing my lifestyle & mindset to include the things that worked positively FOR ME, did.
I’m 40. Happiest, healthiest & most fit I’ve ever been & here’s how…
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
No matter what your profession or relationship status, effective communication is imperative.
I’ve worked in healthcare, sales & consulting, & as a nutritionist for almost 18 years. I’ve learned much from every experience & person I’ve met along the way. They’ve helped me not only learn more about myself, but others & in turn “get what I want.” Because let’s not bullsh*t ourselves, at the end of the day we want to get what WE want, right?!
I learned I needed to recognize & understand someone’s energy &/or read a room in order to better help & serve.
What most people don’t know is that when you change your energy & learn to communicate well, you change your life!
Your perceptions & energy are powered by your thoughts, emotions, experiences & how you see the world.
So if you want to feel happier in life, you need to communicate well, be present & assertive, raise your vibration, learn how to portray yourself in the way you desire to be interpreted — & vice versa with other people.
The 1st step of any change or observation is awareness. When you become aware of your own energy, then you can start to transform it. Moreover, raising your energy & self awareness will help you recognize that of others.
This is helpful in business, parenting, dating & relationships (platonic or romantic) because you’ll have a better idea of who & whose energy you want to be around & boundaries you need to put in place.
The power of observation is a necessary tool in learning how to read people. In these situations, nonverbal cues (posture, body language, clothing/hair, personal style, habitual behaviors, gestures, facial expressions) will give you more information than verbal or written cues.
And remember, while your interpretation of someone may or may not always be accurate, I’ve found when you’re solid in trusting yourself & observing WELL, your intuition is rarely wrong.
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
Something my life journey has shown me is that the more I heal & love myself as I am, the more grounded & peaceful life becomes.
A hard lesson I learned 👉how & when to adjust. It’s hard because often times as painful af & you don’t wanna do it.
The older I get, the less I feel the need to perform.
the less I feel the need to shrink & settle.
the less I feel the need to chase.
the less I feel the need to overextend & over-explain.
The older I get the more I realize that I’m not interested in things or relationships that are not physically, mentally, emotionally nourishing, stimulating & rooted in authentic loving intentions.
MOOD: I’ve changed & evolved into a better version of myself. I’m choosing different & walking tall with fresh energy. I attract all that I desire to my highest alignment. Healing & self awareness are my superpowers. Growth is good to me. I love me, my body, my mind, & spirit. I now choose to stand in my power for good.
Let’s start at the beginning. Because we know the statistics.
We know that obesity has quadrupled since the 1950s.
We know that diabetes has increased from around 1.5 million people in the 1950s to over 34 million today, 90% or more of whom have type 2 diabetes, which is preventable.
We know that roughly 50% of American adults have cardiovascular disease and 70% of American adults are on some kind of prescription medication.
We know that we get 1.5 to 2 hours less sleep per night than a hundred years ago.
We know all of this stuff, because we are constantly bombarded with these statistics, hammered over the head with them until they lose their meaning.
But what we don’t talk much about (& we should), is the inner root cause of WHY these statistics exist.
“Losing weight” or “getting in shape” repeatedly score the top ten of people’s New Year’s resolutions. If you, too, have declared that you “finally want to get fit in 2023,” then it’s time to look at where you’re at.
Have you changed? Or have you given up on your fitness goals again — like so many years before?
If you have been trying to become a fitter, healthier version of yourself & repeatedly failed, you might need to come to grips with a few uncomfortable fitness truths.
If you take them to heart & act accordingly, you are well on your way to becoming the fittest & healthiest you can be. Let’s dive in!
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
I don’t know one person that wouldn’t want to know the secret to the foundation of youth. As one living with Crohn’s Disease & lived 40 years of struggles ranging from obesity, bulimia & anorexia, cervical cancer, renal stones, having my gallbladder removed to any color of 50 shades of f*cked up & addictions you can imagine…I’d try & experiment with anything to look & feel my best.
You can read more about my healing and transformation journey here. Disclaimer: these are what have worked for me. Take what you need, can, believe in, whatevs, & chuck the rest. You do you. You are more than welcome to DM me with questions. No unsolicited advice here. Aholes not welcome. Everyone is entitled to eat, workout, & live in a way that makes them feel amazing & a badass. I’m simply journaling my experiences as a resource for you to be your own health advocate & do your own life admin. **All links & discount codes available in IG bio & highlights** Biohacking is a term simply used to describe do-it-yourself biology. It involves people making incremental changes to their bodies, diet, & lifestyle to improve their performance, health, & well-being. Some types of biohacking have been around for many years, such as intermittent fasting. Biohacking ranges from efforts to improve brain function, treating dis-eases & disorders, looking more youthful, to faster weight loss. Some favorites I incorporate into my life & success routine include things like: Red Light Therapy @emrtekinc Grounding (Earthing) Meditation & Writing Cryotherapy Infrared Saunas Blue Blockers Organic & Natural Products vs Conventional (beauty products, cleaning supplies, cooking products, coffee, water, teas, etc) Supplements @nuethix_formulations Intermittent Fasting Functional Crossfit @3kings_athletics Restore Hyper Wellness @rhw_fishers A Meat Based primarily Carnivore Diet (I call myself a Liberal Carnivore. I’m not dogmatic about it) Colon Hydrotherapy You’ll wanna save & share this resource!
I stopped obsessing over fat loss & focused on holistic health.
The biggest one in my opinion. Excess weight & inflammation come from not only physical triggers but also mental & emotional triggers. Unpacked trauma, habits, & addictions manifest as both physical & emotional inflammation.
I believe the secret to having it all is believing abundantly you already do. Those that choose to walk along the path of abundance experience a completely different life. Opting to live life to the fullest, exuding happiness, generosity, creativity, fulfillment, inspiration, & joy.
Your physique, energy & overall health will never flourish or look/feel the way you want if you do not get healthy first & stop obsessing over numbers like the weight on the scale, body fat %, excessive number of steps you get in a day, & how many calories you restrict.
Master your emotions & circle or you become a prisoner to them.
I eat optimal protein, calories, & foods that nourish my body, mind, & spirit.
Due to my autoimmune allergies, Crohn’s disease, past disordered eating, & addiction to food/carbs/sugar, I experimented & found a meat based “carnivore” WOE (way of eating) worked best for me. Been carnivore for 3+yrs
I generally eat between 1g-1.5g of protein/lb of body weight. I’m 5’1 & 105-108lbs on avg. I trust my body, eat what I crave & do whatever form of exercise it feels like doing that day. I do not punish myself for eating. I do not earn, burn, or use food as a treat. It is honored with respect & literally the life fuel we are made of.
I eat mindfully, slow, chew thoroughly & until I’m 80% full. I wait 20 minutes after eating to allow my satiety cues to let me know I’m full. Eating enough food also helps balance hunger & satiety cues. I maintain my weight on 1850-2100+ calories/d after giving my body time to heal. That meant initially gaining 15lbs during a reverse diet & adaptation period. Took me a year to lose that weight. Be patient.
I embraced aging is inevitable, but living well with a young spirit & nourished vessel is a choice.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Eat the right way for you & in appropriate doses.
Get exercise & quality sleep everyday.
Stress your body optimally. Challenge=Change.
Track your data if things aren’t working.
Avoid fake, processed, sugary drinks & foods.
Its never too late for dietary & lifestyle changes.
Mind your thoughts & circle or they’ll mind you.
Saunas, red light therapy, grounding, & cold therapy are fabulous for longevity, recovery, anti-aging, & detox.
Get out in the sun, avoid toxins as much as you can.
Live for metabolic & hormonal health, aesthetics will follow if you’re good to your body.
SLEEP & WALKING: Anyone can do this. Sleep as much as you can. Take naps. Walk in the morning, take breaks during the day, walk after meals, walk as a night cap. Gtfu & move. We weren’t made to live like sloths.
GRATITUDE, Positive Affirmations, Abundance Mindset: basically loving MY life unapologetically, doing shit I love, & giving less fux. Try it. I lovingly dare you.
Not CHRONICALLY DIETING: eat enough optimal food for daily function & activity consistently to be a badass, eat at least at maintenance the majority of the time, eating daily optimal protein at every meal, getting in daily optimal healthy animal fats. Choose to eat the right way for YOU.
Digestion Support: Intermittent Fasting especially on work days. Occasional Omad. Nuethix Formulations Utilyze Digestive enzymes. (Code: lilbitoffit) Chewing food thoroughly, eating slowly, not stuffing myself, stopping when I am about 80% full. Walking after meals.
Reducing Caffeine & Alcohol: Duh. Leaving this one here, you guys are smart you know why. Stress + hormone balance. Keep caffeine in the mornings.
Meat Based Diet: I eat mainly meat, seafood, eggs, & dairy in moderation (butter/cheese/milk), organic coffee, tea, water. Minimizing/removing processed, artificial foods. This has allowed me to reduce gut flares, put my Crohn’s in med-free remission, lose fat & maintain my weight loss, & feel/perform my best. My specific story & healing protocol is in the link in my IG bio. It’ll answer all your questions on trigger foods, disordered eating, gut healing & carnivore! AGAIN, eat the way that serves YOU best!
Organic Coffee:@bulletproof@foursigmatic@lifeboostcoffee Coffee is one of the most chemically treated plants produced. Organic reduces toxins, chemicals, & molds. Tastes better imo.
No Tap Water: Reduces toxins. Contaminants in our water can lead to health issues, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, neurological disorders, & autoimmune conditions.
Personal Development: be a forever student of life! Read, write, therapy, workout, eat well, listen to educational podcasts, YouTubes, audiobooks, learn new skills, invest in yourself! Use your time wisely! A list of my favorites are here on Instagram!
Reduce Toxic Products: Beauty products. Fragrance. Plastics. Cleaning products. Microwaving. Cooking products, etc. Use cast iron skillet, Airfryer paper liners from @amazon Love Physician’s Formula & BeautyCounter.
Circadian Rhythm Routine: reducing electronic use. Sleeping more. Blue blockers (Discount Code: lilbitoffit20) Getting outside for sun & grounding especially in the morning. My prescription glasses + blue blocking lenses I got from Eyeglass World. I use them during the day & a pair of amber ones at night before bed.
Red Light Therapy: pads off @amazon, @Emrtekinc Light. (Discount Code: lilbitoffit20) Benefits include: Reduces oxidative stress, inflammation & joint pain, Increases muscle recovery, collagen production & tightens skin, Reduces fine lines & wrinkles, Increases hair growth, Increases energy, Increases wound healing, Improves memory & vision quality, Increases testosterone production, Improves sleep & can aid in fat/weight loss. Use mine at least 20 minutes per day.
Grounding: Mats/Pads & getting outside in nature. Involves doing activities that “ground” or electrically reconnect you to the earth to help with pain, inflammation, fatigue, depression, sleep, & numerous dis-eases & conditions. Got my mats off @amazon I sleep on one & use the pad at work.
Supplements: @nuethix_formulations Cort-Eaze Cortisol Balance Support, Estro-Cort Estrogen Balance Support, Utilize Digestive Enzymes, Nu-Multi Multivitamins, Relax Liposomal Sleep Support. Electrolytes: @goultima, @drinklmnt Tea: Green tea, Matcha, Herba Mate, Red Rose Teas off amazon
Portable Infrared Sauna: got min off @amazon. Love it for detox, recovery, reduces inflammation & pain, & positive hermetic stress. Hormesis is a dose-response phenomenon characterized by low-dose stimulation & high-dose inhibition, & has been recognized as representing an overcompensation for mild environmental stress. The beneficial effects of mild stress on aging & longevity have been studied for many years.
Wellness Treatments & Services: I utilize Restore Hyper Wellness @rhw_fishers Services include Red Light Therapy, IV Therapy, Compression Therapy, Cryotherapy, Infrared Sauna, Etc.
Colon Hydrotherapy & Enemas: flush bowel of toxins, relieves constipation, helps with digestive motility for my Crohn’s disease, gastroparesis, & impaired gastrointestinal motility. I have a home in-shower enema system from @amazon Colonics I do quarterly, enemas as needed. I go to Brandy Mason in Carmel, IN with Carmel Colonics & Terri Hawkins with Natural Rejuventation in Indy.
This is my home shower unit from Amazon
Hope this was helpful! If you like this, you can follow me on Instagram here!
P.S. Grab your copy of the Cook With Coach K Carnivore Made Easy Recipe Book Here!
P.S.S. Grab your copy of the Ultimate Meat & Macros guide Here!
It was like getting glasses & actually seeing for the first time. Those “blobs” – they were trees. They were flowers & so much more. Most people spend the first half of their lives collecting and the second half choosing what to keep.
“So now that you’re 40, which lessons do you plan to carry with you?” A friend asked me this question on my 40th birthday. At the time, I didn’t have a great answer. Actually I think my eyes glazed over a lil bit from the enormous amount of information running through my brain. Looking back, I realized the reason I write to y’all is so you can learn from not only what I have learned, but from my mistakes & experiences so that you can be a better human faster than I was. THAT is being a good leader. It’s not about acting like you know everything or being “sugar & spice & everything nice.” “Nice,” in my opinion, is telling the truth & that doesn’t always make you the most popular, but it does make you someone who stands for something larger than themselves & accountable. I started my fitness, nutrition coaching, & social media journey 15+ years ago. During that time, I’ve written & shared thousands of blogs, posts, & videos, most rooted in life lessons learned & weeding out what matters from what doesn’t & what’s gonna help the most people out there. Here are more lessons the world — and the amazing people (like you) I’m lucky to have along with me for the ride — have taught me that I plan to carry with me as long as the Universe will have me here. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you’re in motion. The less time you spend thinking and the more time you spend doing, the closer you’ll get to the life you want. Try some of these on for size and just run with’em. Report back to me when your life is awesome. I’m grateful for each & every one of you that read, share, & unpack your bags of life right beside me. oxox Coach K
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.
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.
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!
