Carnivore Diet Before and After: See the Incredible Weight Loss Transformations of Women Over 50

Over 1.5 billion people have viewed social media posts about the carnivore diet—and it’s left a lot of folks wondering: Is this another passing fad or can eating like a lion really make our health and metabolism roar? We got answers from a top doc, including tips on how to tell if a carnivore diet might transform your body. Better yet, we have astonishing carnivore diet before and after photos from women who’ve used the strategy to shed up to 145 pounds. Prepare to be inspired!

What exactly is the carnivore diet?

The carnivore diet is essentially the opposite of a vegan diet. While vegan dieters cut out animal foods, carnivore dieters eat plant foods at all. Carnivore staples are meat, fish, eggs and some dairy. Many carnivore dieters relax the “no plant” rule and include items like coffee, spices and stevia—but carnivore purists skip even though options, drinking only water or broth and seasoning food only with salt. In general, carnivore eating means no veggies, fruit, grains, nuts or even olive oil.

Is the carnivore diet safe?

“When I first tried carnivore, my metabolic health improved so much that I did research to see if it was okay to skip veggies long-term,” shares Ken Berry, M.D. , author of Lies My Doctor Told Me . “I learned that for millennia, cultures have thrived eating carnivore-style .” Dr. Berry has followed a mostly carnivore diet while maintaining great health and a 65-pound weight loss for years. While little clinical testing has been done on carnivore eating, Harvard experts recently decided to conduct a survey of thousands of carnivores . A small sampling of what their report revealed: About 93 percent of carnivores lost weight, 97 percent resolved GI trouble, 96 percent reported better mental well-being and 93 percent experienced lowered blood pressure. The list of benefits goes on and on.

Of course, there’s a mountain of research that shows eating fruits and veggies does amazing things for our bodies. If you’re on a diet that includes plants and you’re happy and fit, there’s no need to change a thing. “But if traditional diets aren’t working or you want next-level results, consider carnivore,” Dr. Berry says. However, always consult with your doctor before starting the carnivore diet.

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Paleo and the carnivore diets are both very meat-centric, however, there are key differences between the two.

Reasons the carnivore diet works so well

The carnivore diet is a plant-free version of the keto diet. Both reduce carb intake to a point at which we no longer make enough blood sugar to be our primary fuel. “Your body will begin turning fat from food and from fat cells into an alternate fuel called ketones,” Dr. Berry explains. Research shows ketone production burns fat on the belly, hips, and thighs up to 7.5 times faster. And carnivores tend to make the most ketones. That’s because—while there are small amounts of carbs in eggs, shellfish and cheese—when you go carnivore, “carb intake drops very low without you having to keep track,” says Dr. Berry.

Another reason you don’t have to track anything is that ketones are appetite suppressants . So when you go carnivore, “the hunger control is remarkable,” Dr. Berry adds. “Some people only eat one or two meals a day because it’s all they want.” Basically, you eat very few carbs and less food overall without stress—which is a recipe for amazing results.

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Paul Saladino, MD: “It blows other diets out of the water.”

Another huge potential carnivore advantage: “You’re eliminating a lot of foods that may be inflammatory specifically for your body,” notes Dr. Berry. That can include anything from almonds or artificial sweeteners to tomatoes or spinach. As inflammation decreases, you shed excess water weight. Plus, Dr. Berry says inflamed tissues release compounds that block weight loss and put stress on various body systems . So as inflammation drops, you shed pounds far more easily and you heal from head to toe. “It’s the big reason carnivore improves health so much,” he says. And you can get great results no matter your starting point. “We see people in their 50s, 60s, even their late 70s use carnivore to look and feel decades younger.”

Carnivore diet before and after: Paula Kish, 54, lost 5 sizes

As Paula Kish got closer and closer to menopause, she began having debilitating migraines that didn’t respond to any treatment. “I also had joint pain, brain fog, fatigue, autoimmune symptoms,” recalls the Michigan grandmother, 54. “It was lots of trips to doctors, physical therapy, ankle and wrist braces, medication.” One doctor said a vegan diet might help. It didn’t. Neither did WeightWatchers.

“I had switched to a Mediterranean diet and was still in pain when I heard Dr. Berry talk about keto and carnivore on YouTube,” she shares. “I went to the grocery store and completely transformed my diet that day.”

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It worked for Sharrell Kline, 64: She lost 100 lbs and got off all her meds!

At first, Paula ate a more traditional keto diet, keeping carbs low but not limiting plants. But as she watched more videos on YouTube, she shifted to meat-based menus with simple fare like eggs, breakfast meat, chicken, steak, pork rinds, beef sticks and cheese. “I usually only got hungry around 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. I didn’t have cravings.”

She also stopped having migraines, just like that. “I haven’t had one in three years! My arthritis is almost completely gone too,” she says. “I stopped all my treatments, all the therapy, the injections, the pills.” Her energy soared and her hot flashes cooled. And through it all, excess weight disappeared. As her health stabilized and she shrunk from a size 20 to a 10, Paula even found she was able to add some plant foods back to her diet. “My health has completely turned around. I just feel so good! It has been my miracle.” For more, follow @low_carb_revelation on Instagram or LowCarbRevelation on YouTube .

Carnivore diet before and after: Ruth Hovsepian lost 105 pounds!

At 265 pounds, “I had a slow thyroid, my rheumatoid arthritis and gout caused a lot of pain and my hot flashes were miserable,” recalls Ruth Hovsepian , 59. She tried keto but didn’t feel much better. “I heard about carnivore on a podcast. The expert said it helps with thyroid and menopause. It seemed like she was talking to me,” recalls the Montreal mom.

Ruth switched to meals made with ingredients like eggs, salmon and steak. “It instantly became clear that veggies and fruit had been triggers for me.” Her hunger, cravings, fatigue, depression, hot flashes and pain disappeared; she also shed up to 5 pounds a week. “The healing is amazing, and the weight loss is immediate.” Ruth, who loves recipes in The Essential Carnivore Diet Cookbook, is down 105 pounds, her energy sky-high. “This diet has been such a gift!”

Carnivore diet before and after: Sharrell Kline lost 100 pounds!

Since age 20, “I was either gaining weight or dieting. I did shakes, Atkins, WeightWatchers,” recalls Washington state retiree Sharrell Kline , 64. “My carb addiction always won.” It wreaked havoc on her health too. She developed a connective tissue disease, migraines and psoriasis so severe it left her hands bleeding. Then meds prescribed for her hands made her hair fall out.

Frustrated and exhausted, Sharrell began searching for a natural solution. “That’s how I found carnivore,” she says. Sharrell was thrilled when her husband, Andrew, agreed to try it with her for moral support. The pair began phasing out processed food, carbs and most plants. New mainstays: bunless burgers, air-fried chicken, salmon and the occasional rib eye. She was stunned by how quickly a rotation of these simple foods quieted her once-constant cravings. The difference was so powerful, “I found that two meals a day is usually plenty for me. I don’t even need snacks,” Sharrell marvels.

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She was also amazed by how quickly her fingers were noticeably better. After six weeks, “I finally felt brave enough to buy a scale.” Though she’s not quite sure of her starting weight, she was down over 20 pounds. All told, she shed 100 pounds in about a year—and Andrew’s down 70. Sharrell sometimes still wants donuts, but the trade-off is more than worth it. “We’re at our high-school weights and take no meds at all anymore. We’re thankful every day we started when we did!”

Carnivore diet before and after: Anita Breeze lost 145 lbs!

Anita Breeze says caring for her late mom drove her own health journey. “As bad as my mom’s health got, the hardest part was watching her struggle to do everyday things because of her weight,” recalls the British Columbia bookkeeper, 65. “I didn’t want that to be my future.” So when Anita hit plateaus on the keto diet, she experimented.

One of her greatest successes was Dr. Berry’s “BBBE challenge,” an ultra-simplified- version of carnivore eating that includes just butter, beef, bacon and eggs. “Fewer choices is just easier. Plus, it’s inexpensive and really kills your appetite,” says Anita. She even came up with a version of keto bread using only BBBE ingredients . (Find many other recipes on KetogenicWoman.com or Y ouTube’s Ketogenic Woman channel.) “It’s nice to be able to eat a sandwich and still see the scale moving!” All told, Anita is down over 145 pounds and is off the acid reflux meds she took for 15 years. “I highly recommend BBBE, whether you’re new to keto or just need a boost. It does amazing things!” (Click through for more on the BBBE diet .)

For more on what a Carnivore diet can do for you

Additional reporting by Kate Arcell

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