Evaluation of the Clean Carnivore Challenge

I had started the Clean Carnivore Challenge on July 1, 2020. The challenge started as a beef and salt and water healing diet. I had asked on social media, mostly within the “type one diabetic carnivores” fb group for friends to join-in with me and I set up a FB messenger group. Who wanted to join me in the month-long challenge of using a beef and salt and water to see if we could reduce our insulin and attempt to possibly get off insulin injections and to heal type one diabetes. We were a small group in the beginning that included 5 type one diabetics who had already been successful in getting off insulin injections. Eventually the group grew to 45 individuals and the decision to keep going after the month  was over was made. 

Today is September 16. Most of us had to quit coffee, eggs, dairy, stevia, butter, other meats,  like I did. We also realized that we could add lamb as well because it is a ruminant animal like cows. 

The whole reason for starting such a challenge is that I had met someone on line who had been able to discontinue insulin injections by eating only fatty beef, someone who had been taking insulin for type one diabetes for 13 years, and she was still free from insulin injections for an entire year. The REASON why this simple diet works is partly because a person could have sensitivity to almost any other food besides a ruminant animal like beef and lamb, the most nutrient dense single food,  and the fat is added for keeping you in a state of nutritional ketosis in order to facilitate healing.

So, it’s been two and a half months and I thought it would be a good time to check-in.

Many of us were able to reduce our insulin doses, including me. So far I have reduced my insulin from 14-16 total units to about 8-10 total units. Many nights I was able to not even take my overnight basal shot, and still wake up with very good blood sugars. My only cheat was a few decaf americano coffees, which I think was responsible for causing me to need overnight insulin again, just one unit, though. I did drink decaf this last week, but realized that it caused my blood pressure to be too high, so I’m back off.

Right now, for a few days, I’m eating some eggs and bacon, because I missed them so much! The psychological pressure of denying myself was really getting to me. My husband commented that I was “white knuckling it”. Maybe not the best way to heal! I’ll be watching my blood sugars over the next few days and if they go up, I’ll go back to complete Clean Carnivore or fatty ruminants. 

I haven’t had the kinds of improvements that I was hoping for, yet. Is it possible for me, someone who was diagnosed 49 years ago, to produce new beta cells, to produce enough insulin to keep good blood sugars? I have reduced my insulin by about a third, I feel amazing and  my body has lost a few pounds of fat. My last A1c a measurement of average blood sugars for the last 120  days, is 5.6, better but not as good as I would like, it should be somewhere between 4.6- 5.3. I won’t introduce any other additional foods until I evaluate eggs and bacon.

Here’s a testimonial from one of our challenge members, Lori, who’s had a type 1 for 45 years, almost as long as me:

“I started this challenge after 1.5 years carnivore.  I gave up eggs, pork, fish, poultry, butter, raw cream and coffee.  Earlier in September I had pork and coffee two times but I'm going to continue beef only for the rest of the month.  October 1st I'll have labs to determine how the diet has affected A1C, etc.  Then I plan to add eggs for a few weeks, then pork, etc,  giving each addition a good trial before adding another.  I've had reduced joint inflammation and lost 8 pounds.  I lowered insulin levels by half with much less protein but could not sustain it.  Currently I'm taking a total of 10 to 11 units insulin daily, about 20% less than I started with.  The biggest benefit I've seen is stabilization of BG when I eat the same foods in the exact same amounts everyday.  I have developed leg cramping at night, a slight headache and feel more tired than usual the past few weeks.  I started electrolytes and iodine which seemed to help initially but then had  cramping last night and a headache this morning, not a usual occurrence for me.  I'm not really wanting to supplement so I'll add other carnivore foods and then may even try small amounts of avocado, lettuce, fermented cabbage, we'll see.”

So, here I am, after my break, going back to all beef and lamb and these animal’s fat, and salt and happy to be here at least until the end of September! And I’ll be blogging again around the first of October with my results!

679 Days Carnivore

Now, who doesn’t want a delicious ribeye with all of the fat?

Perfect blood sugar is possible on a zero carb diet!

Eating out at a restaurant in NYC is no problem! Lamb chops!!

I’m not too proud to chew the bone in public!