Reversing the Stack: A 6-Week Carnivore Recalibration Experiment
Not a conversion story. A personal experiment for clarity, visibility, and signal.
I’ve had a terrible year for my health’s trajectory.
Up 15-20 pounds. Left shoulder nearly frozen. Back constantly achy. With my history of Crohn’s, staying on this path is how I invite problems I’ve worked hard to avoid.
So I’m doing a 6-week carnivore-ish reset starting Monday, Jan 6th. And I’m documenting it publicly through a weekly livestream series on YouTube. First one this weekend, subscribe to the channel to get notification.
But this isn’t about watching me lose weight or hearing another carnivore conversion story.
Here’s What It’s About
Most carnivore content falls into two camps: religious zealots or influencers selling supplements. Neither answers the practical questions that matter.
I’ve used SCD, keto, and carnivore as tools on and off for 25 years. I know what works, what the failure modes look like, and what people consistently get wrong. Over six weeks, I’ll show you:
How to tell if it’s working beyond the scale. Inflammation, sleep quality, mental clarity, gut state. The signals that matter more than weight.
What the cognitive shift actually feels like. When do cravings quiet down? What does food noise sound like when it’s fading? How do you know you’re not just white-knuckling it?
How to track without surveillance. Simple daily signals that rebuild body literacy instead of creating metric dependency.
What adaptation looks like in real time. The timeline nobody talks about. What changes first, what takes longer, what fluctuates.
The mistakes I’m making and how I’m adjusting. You’ll see the mechanics, not a highlight reel.
What I’m Actually Testing
The physical outcomes are real: inflammation, shoulder mobility, weight, energy. But the deeper test is stacked.
Physical: inflammation, pain, energy, sleep.
Cognitive: mental clarity and how loud the craving thoughts get.
Identity: whether I can be visible online without performing, and stop hiding from work that matters to me.
Here’s how the stack works in practice. When I avoid the identity and visibility work, I reach for Chinese food. When cognitive noise dominates, I lose the signal from my body. When I can’t hear my body, inflammation follows.
If I can reverse the stack, the physical tends to follow. You’ll see whether that holds true.
Questions You’re Probably Asking
What will you actually eat day to day?
Beef, butter, bacon, eggs. That’s the foundation. I’ll add salmon, sardines, maybe some chicken for variety. Simple, satisfying, and fatty enough to actually work. I’m also layering in strategic gut support during adaptation: flavonoids, probiotics, possibly glutamine, and definitely electrolytes and minerals.
The goal is recalibration, not suffering through it.
What about restaurants, travel, real life?
Steak and hamburger patties exists everywhere. I’m not making this complicated or making it everyone else’s problem. At restaurants I order meat, skip the sides, and move on. 10 years ago people questioned if I really asked for a burger without the bun. Today, I can usually just say “low carb version,” and it’s not too unusual to just ask for “4 plain patties.”
That being said, I do not beat myself up if I falter. I just keep in mind it extends my adaptation phase, and that often keeps my thought patterns in line.
Is anyone else in your family doing it?
My wife is doing a lower-carb version. My 21-year-old son is recalibrating as well. But we’re each working with our own physiology and context. I’m not recruiting anyone or making this a household religion.
How do you know if it’s working?
I’m watching daily signals: clarity, craving noise, sleep quality, gut state, energy stability, body comfort, mood. Not scale weight or weekly measurements. Ill measure my waist just a few times over the six weeks. The question is whether I can read my body’s signals again, not whether I hit arbitrary numbers.
What happens after 6 weeks?
Honest answer: I don’t know yet. If my shoulder mobility is back, weight is down, and the craving voices are quiet, I’ll probably keep going. Last time i did this, I felt so good, it lasted about 16 months. If something isn’t working, I’ll adjust. This is an experiment, not a permanent identity shift.
Don’t you have to manage your Crohn’s?
I haven’t had to for more than 10 years. Biopsies show no signs of recurrence. I don’t manage Crohn’s anymore. I manage my lifestyle by recalibrating to signals and getting back to myself.
By focusing on health, I find I don’t need to manage Crohn’s, despite of a dire prognosis 20 years ago.
Are you trying to convert me?
No. I’m testing what works for my physiology and documenting what I learn. Your variables are different. Watch if you’re curious. Steal techniques that might help you. Ignore the rest.
How I’m Tracking It
Simple daily signals: clarity, craving thoughts, sleep, gut state, energy stability, body comfort, mood. Context notes when they matter: stress, movement, electrolytes, strictness, ketones.
No weekly weigh-ins. No performance metrics. I’m watching for signal, and I’ll show you how to read it.
Format and Follow-Along
Weekly livestreams starting Monday, Jan 6th (this is subject to change. Follow YouTube to be notified). Each week I’ll cover:
What changed (and what didn’t)
What I’m learning about the mechanics
Your questions answered live
This is what I’m testing for my physiology and context. Your variables differ. But the principles and mechanics transfer.
Watch. Ask questions. Steal what works.