THE CARNIVORE CHALLENGE WEEK 3

Weigh in day and I hold my breath as I step on the scales.

I am now 16st 2lb, that’s a loss of 10Ibs in two weeks.  Now it could be that I am actually a dieting guru due to the fact that I am not even exercising and the weight continues to drop off OR what is far more likely it can be attributed to the fact that I am not drinking beer or “liquid calories” as it’s more commonly known.  Also I’ve been advised that a lot of this could be water weight which has been dropped.

This week I plan to explore some different meats to see how my body reacts, Fresh fish venison and turkey legs instead of the standard beef and pork that I have been eating.  There is a limit to the amount of steak that even I can eat.

I thoroughly enjoyed my fish supper.

I actually found myself craving fish this week. The smell of fresh fish on a charcoal grill transported me to the Algarve Portugal where I spent many a happy holiday.  Mrs Shack looked on disapprovingly as I chomped away and picked the tiny bones out of my teeth.  I think she’s getting pissed off with this diet now.

Let’s talk about cost, could you afford this life style on a long term basis?

I have been lucky enough to have been gifted some lovely cuts of meat during this month long process including steak, chicken, lamb ribs and sausages.  Plus I do have access to the meat market for anything else. As I am not buying little treats for myself like sugar free monsters, crisps, sweets our food bill has been drastically diminished by almost half.

Realistically the average person wouldn’t be able to afford steak every day but things like chicken thighs and pork belly are cheap like the budgie, fatty and will keep you satisfied. I reckon I am at the stage where I could probably take out a meal, tomorrow I will have butter coffee for breakfast, lunch and then dinner.  See what happens.

I did it. Today I only had butter coffee for breakfast, followed later by lunch and dinner.

So essentially I am now on the Intermittent fasting (or IF) Gravy train.   I didn’t need the extra meal I normally have, I felt a little hungrier towards 19:00 but an early pork chop supper sorted that out.

Started to plan what I am going to eat when the 1^st August rolls around, pic n mix, pizza and orange fizz.  Definitely asking Mrs Shack to make her lemon drizzle cake. Not sure about the rest of the meals though.  It seems I’m mostly thinking about sweets!

I reckon I will keep to a semi-carnivore diet after that a Keto type diet perhaps, meat only for breakfast and lunch, then some veggies added with my meal in the evening.

So I mentioned yesterday about possibly carrying this experiment on

just in a less restrictive manner moving into the world of Keto as August approaches and I have my blow out celebration on the 1st.

The Ketogenic (Keto) diet consists predominantly of keeping your fats high and your carbohydrates low and when I say low they recommend between 20g and 50g per days.  This is basically just some green vegetables.  You may remember some years back when the Atkins diet was all the rage – this was basically Keto with some branding thrown in for good measure.

The Keto diet forces the body to burn fats rather than carbohydrates. Normally, carbs in food are converted into glucose which are then used by the body for fuel.  By eliminating carbs from your diet, the liver converts fat into ketone bodies replacing glucose as an energy source.  To know if you have reached this state of ketosis and effectively burning fats can be measured through the ketones in the blood stream.

There are various claims of mental clarity, better mood a digestion ec.  What is interesting that I’ve read however is that on the Carnivore Diet you don’t necessarily have to be in Ketosis in order to get the benefits.  One article I read claims that the Liver may be supplying just enough Ketones at a low level.  So just for shits and giggles I thought I would test my blood ketone levels to see if I am in fact registering levels of Ketosis, 0.5mmol or above….

Hmmmmm,  interesting.  I’ll do a bit more digging on Keto and keep y’all informed.

As I draw into the final week of this challenge I am starting to waver.

I’ve still not broken but it would be quite easy now to have a can of drink or lick the spoon when I am baking etc.

I enjoy the meat eating in the week and I stopped putting a lot of thought into what I am going to eat but when a social occasions role around I become a social leper.

Today we have friends visiting from America and we are having a chicken feast planned. Three whole chickens, bacon wrapped wings and chicken lollypops are drenched in lovely Traeger BBQ sauces, but I had to have mine plain, no beer, no dessert which includes Mrs Shack’s homemade white chocolate blondies with Jammie dodgers stuck in them AND orange and rosemary scones. Is she taking the piss?  None for Jacky boy as the yanks tuck in and exclaim how good they would taste with a nice cup of tea.  Wankers.

So what is the round up this week my meaty brethren’s?

• Although I’m still enjoying myself and losing weight AND have not cheated (no not once, Mrs Shack would most definitely take pleasure in grassing me up all over Social Media), my mind does wander to sweet treats especially my sugar free fizzy drinks which I get a lot of pleasure from;
• I do wonder how this may affect in the winter as me and the Old Dear love a stew or a chilli to warm us up, not sure how difficult this lifestyle might be in winter months and I often eat cold cuts of meat for my lunch at the moment;
• Moving towards thinking about  a Ketogenic approach which may be a little more sociably acceptable and a way in which I can enjoy meals with Mrs Shack again whilst still getting the benefits of a lower carb lifestyle and still getting to eat lovely fatty cuts of Barbecued meats whilst still enjoying some variety;
• People are now noticing that I have lost weight in my face and on my waist line, still this is no replacement for beer!