Day 1 Carnivore Recalibrate
When I focused on these internal signals, my motivation was measured in years. That is what I want back.
This is a 6-week carnivore-ish reset. Not a challenge, not medical advice, a recalibration to get back to being in touch with my body’s signals.
Tonight covers the what: what I’m eating, how the 6 weeks are structured, what I’m tracking, and the hypothesis I’m testing.
If you’re curious, follow along. It’s a different way of thinking about any “diet.”
What I’m Eating: Beef, Butter, Bacon, Eggs
The template:
Beef as the base (fatty cuts prioritized)
Eggs as a flexible add-on
Bacon as an optional tool, not the foundation
Butter/tallow as the “fat lever” when energy or satiety needs help
The “carnivore-ish” boundary:
Mostly animal-based, minimal variables
Keep ingredients simple so cause-and-effect is visible
Why simplicity matters: I’m stripping down inputs so I can actually see what my body does.
Meal structure:
1-3 meals per day
No snacking (goal: eat to satiety)
Hydration + salt baseline
The 6-Week Structure: 3 Phases
Phase 1: Days 1-4 — Withdrawal
The objective: Get through the acute adaptation period without making it harder than necessary.
Why strict from day 1: My primary challenge is quieting craving thoughts. I don’t moderate well. A slow taper sounds reasonable, but it isn’t sustainable for me. Cold turkey is actually the stable plan.
What to expect:
Craving thoughts may spike before they drop
Mood, sleep, energy may wobble
The non-negotiable support: Electrolytes/minerals early and aggressively because of my history of palpitations and cramps. If I don’t do this, the experiment becomes “how bad can I feel” rather than “what does carnivore do for me.”
Phase 2: Days 5-14 — Rebalancing
The objective: Stabilize symptoms and energy. Keep cravings trending down.
What I’ll tune:
Continue electrolytes/minerals and adjust based on symptoms
Fat prioritized to keep energy stable (aiming toward 70-80% calories from fat)
What I’m watching for:
Palpitations/cramps: do they reduce as hydration/electrolytes stabilize?
Energy stability: fewer crashes and wired-tired swings
Craving thoughts: less frequent, less urgent, less sticky
Phase 3: Days 15-42 — Fat Adaptation
The objective: Become genuinely fat-adapted and predictable.
What I’ll tune:
Dial protein to the amount that feels best (satiety, digestion, sleep, energy)
Keep fat high enough that I’m not running on stress hormones
Reduce supplementation if the body no longer needs it (don’t keep props longer than necessary)
What success looks like:
Steadier energy and mood
Clearer thinking
Craving thoughts no longer driving choices
Physical inflammation trending down
Expectation-setting: This isn’t linear. The trend matters more than any single day.
My Goals
Goal 1: Drop ~15 lbs of fat
That’s the number people relate to, and I won’t pretend it doesn’t matter. But it’s not my steering wheel. It’s a lagging indicator.
Goal 2: Shoulder inflammation reduction
I want pain low enough that putting on a coat isn’t a problem.
What I’ll observe:
Range of motion comfort
Pain as a limiter in daily movement
Goal 3: Freedom from craving thoughts
Not “never wanting food.” I mean the end of compulsive food chatter. Less scanning, less urgency, less bargaining.
The Hypothesis
My hypothesis is that outcome goals are downstream and unstable. Signal calibration is upstream, self-reinforcing, and durable.
What “downstream” means: Weight loss, pain, and performance are often lagging indicators. When people aim directly at lagging indicators, they tend to:
Miss the real levers (sleep, stress load, satiety, energy stability, craving thoughts)
Rely on willpower and surveillance
Rebound when life friction rises
Never rebuild the internal guidance system that makes change stick
What “signal calibration” means: Instead of chasing an outcome, I’m rebuilding my ability to read my body accurately. If the signals normalize (clarity, satiety, stable energy, quiet cravings), weight tends to follow.
Why the experiment is designed this way: I’m making the inputs simple and the tracking simple. I’m not trying to win a diet. I’m trying to regain my baseline.
What I’m Tracking
Daily signals (simple check-ins):
Mental clarity
Craving thoughts
Sleep (waking state)
Energy stability
Gut state
Mood stability
Body comfort
Eight Simple sliders to reinforce what needs to be the focus:
Optional Context tracking (only when relevant and I typically keep this section collapsed):
Electrolytes/minerals
Stress load (if notable)
Movement load (if notable)
Strictness (simple note)
Ketones (starting around Day 7)
This is not about tracking the scale, tape measure, or carbs.
Tracking thoses had a tendency for me to focus on an external source and my motivation lasted weeks.
When I was focused on these internal signals instead, my motivation was measured in years. That is what I want back.
Signals, not scores.
What’s Next
Tonight was the what. Next livestream will be the why: Why I have this approach. Why I chose carnivore as the “control.” Why, or if, it matters to you. I will also do a quick check-in and what you may expect if you do the same.
If you read the above, then you don’t need to watch the below (plus, it’s my first livestream and I need practice to be interesting).