Can a carnivore diet help you lose weight? Many people around the world have turned to low-carb diets to help them lose fat and have done so successfully, so a zero-carb, all-meat diet like The Lion Diet or standard carnivore diet must be even better, right?
Well, a quick Internet search can show you how people’s bodies have transformed doing the carnivore diet and should provide enough evidence to give you an answer.
Can a carnivore diet help you lose weight?
Yes, a carnivore diet can help you lose weight for various reasons.
- You don’t consume any carbs, which means your body will become fat-adapted over time and switch from burning carbs as its main source of energy to fat.
- It’s a very high protein diet. You won’t struggle to consume enough protein in a day if you’re on a carnivore diet. Protein is very satiating and can decrease your chances of overeating and it can also help you build muscle if you train properly. Having more muscle means will make your body burn more calories at rest, and you’ll also have a better body shape when you do lose the weight. You can build muscle and lose some fat at the same time, but it just might not be a lot of muscle in a short amount of time.
- It’s a low inflammation diet. You’re not really consuming inflammatory foods on an all-meat diet. If your body is inflamed, it’s going to be harder for you to lose fat because it affects your insulin sensitivity.
- It reduces temptation. If you only have meat in the house, your chances of going to the cupboard and snaccidentally eating a cookie are basically zero. If you want to eat something, you have to cook it, and you’re not going to eat an entire steak if you just feel like snacking. It’s a good test to do. If you’re not willing to eat a steak or plate of ribs or something, you’re not that hungry.
- It’s a very nutrient-dense diet. I firmly believe that if you give your body the nutrients it needs and you’re as healthy as possible, it will be easier for your body to burn fat. Meat is very nutrient-dense and if you eat enough organ meats, your body will get more than it needs. Organ meats like liver are some of the most nutrient-dense foods in the world. In fact, liver is the king. It’s number one.
A carnivore diet can help you lose weight for various reasons, as you can see. But keep in mind that in order to lose weight, your calorie intake is still important, but when you’re on a diet like the carnivore diet that is ultra satiating, it becomes much easier to not overeat.
If you’re on a weight-loss journey, I hope you give the carnivore diet a try.
Sources:
Saladino, P., 2020. The carnivore code. Houghton Mifflin.
McPherron AC, Guo T, Bond ND, Gavrilova O. Increasing muscle mass to improve metabolism. Adipocyte. 2013;2(2):92-98. doi:10.4161/adip.22500
Hardy OT, Czech MP, Corvera S. What causes the insulin resistance underlying obesity?. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2012;19(2):81-87. doi:10.1097/MED.0b013e3283514e13
Murphy SP, Allen LH. Nutritional importance of animal source foods. J Nutr. 2003 Nov;133(11 Suppl 2):3932S-3935S. doi: 10.1093/jn/133.11.3932S. PMID: 14672292.