The Lioness in Me

I stated a few days ago that I would be sharing my carnivore lifestyle. This is a lengthy read and I do apologize, but I wanted you to get a better picture of how I got to this place in my life. I know several people have been wondering about me.

My life began in a rather difficult way. My dad was stationed at Fort McPherson, GA. I was born on the base in 1961, nine months and two days after my parents were married. Why are you laughing? Doesn’t every kid try to figure this out?

As I describe my birth, I am recalling the details told to me by my mother. I was Mom’s first baby. Mom said that nuns ran the army hospital. The doctor wasn’t called yet, but Mom told the attending nun-nurse that it was time and that the baby was coming. Without checking Mom’s progress, the nurse told her no, it wasn’t time yet. Mom told her again that the baby was coming and that she wanted to push. The nurse told her no again. Mom kept insisting. The nurse had had enough and slapped Mom across the face. THEN the nurse (I use the term loosely) decided to check Mom’s progress and saw that I was indeed crowning. They hurriedly gave Mom a spinal block so she couldn’t/ wouldn’t push and I was just stuck there for who knows how long. Explains a lot, doesn’t it? The doctor finally arrived and I was born.

But then as Mom was nursing, she developed a staph infection in her breast. In that day and age, patients were quarantined with staph infections. I was immediately taken away from Mom and she was quarantined for 2 weeks. She noted there was a little window on the door where they would pass her food tray to her. My dad took me home and he and his army buddies took care of me. They fattened me up quite a bit on formula in those two weeks. Mom didn’t even recognize me. How sad for her as a new momma. As a mom myself, I cannot imagine the pain of separation with my child. We didn’t have cell phones or FaceTime back then. Even developing film from a camera took time. So Mom had no way of watching my progress. Just awfully painful to think about.

During my young years, I had difficulty with food. Everything disrupted my gut. My young tummy would bloat and get painfully hard. No, it wasn’t constipation. Finally, my parents took me to a doctor. I did the barium thingy and they took X-rays. Doctors didn’t know much about nutrition back then. I’m not sure how much schooling they even have today in nutrition.

The doctor finally told my parents that I needed to eat toast with crunchy peanut butter. THE worst foods possible for me to eat.

I remember back in high school and how by the time I got on the bus to go home, I’d have to undo at least the top button on my jeans. Sometimes the zipper, slightly, if I wore a large sweatshirt or coat. I was in constant agony.

It just didn’t get better in my early adulthood. I did figure out what foods triggered the most pain, but it was food that we were told was the best to consume for good health. I wanted to be healthy, so I ate the nuts, milk, and milk products, veggies, fruits, pasta, and breads.

My gut was in a bad way. Anything and everything upset it. I remember once when I was working for a chiropractor, I decided to try Slim Fast even though I didn’t need to lose weight. But in my mind, I thought it would make an awesome, healthy meal replacement. Well, I was taught a huge lesson in about 20 minutes. I dropped to the floor in the hallway between patient rooms and curled up into a ball because of the intense pain. Lesson learned.

I continued all through my adulthood eating and being miserable. I tried raw milk instead of heavily pasteurized milk. While I know it’s ideal for most, I just couldn’t. I ate gluten-free foods. Nope. Salads tore my gut up even with varying the dressings I used. A big problem too was that I cooked for a large family. I wanted to eat what I made for them. Going out to eat was a treat from cooking, and I loved it, but I always suffered later.

I ran out of options to eat if I removed all that upset my gut. Except for meat. Meat never bothered me unless it was heavily seasoned or smothered in gravy or sauces. I always wondered about that. But who could live on just meat?

Then during the holiday season in 2022, I knew I had to make a change because I wasn’t going to live long if I didn’t.

I had made promises to each of my girls to do my best to get healthy but I wasn’t keeping my end of the deal. My demeanor was very poor by the end of 2022. I was broken, sick, very overweight, and depressed. I was in bad shape.

So I prayed that God would help me find an answer that I could live with. I earnestly prayed for help. On New Year’s Day, 2023, I ran across something. Honestly, I cannot even tell you if it was an email or something on YouTube. All I know is I found Dr. Kiltz and it really doesn’t matter how. Dr. Kiltz is a fertility doctor…and a carnivore. A lion. A meat-eater. His article drew me in. The very question that had been subtly hiding in the back of my mind all my life was being answered. Yes, you can eat meat only…and live. I was overjoyed.

I knew what I had to do. On January 3rd, I became a lioness and started my journey. I joined the Kiltz keto/carnivore support group. There I could find resources and answers for the questions I had. YouTube has an abundance of information as well. Dr. Ken Berry, Doctor Kiltz, Dr. Anthony Chaffee, and videos of many others who have been carnivore for years. This isn’t a diet per se. Not in the sense of I’m going on a diet diet. It is a lifestyle change.

What do I eat being carnivore? I eat mostly fatty red meat, eggs, lots of grass-fed butter, and a lot of salt. Good quality salt. I also eat chicken, pork, and bacon. I’m not a real fish eater but when I do, I only eat wild-caught fish and seafood. The only food I eat that comes from a plant is coffee.

An excerpt from A Guide to Animal Based Diets, by Doctor Kiltz, December 31, 2023:

It’s worth noting that greens are high in oxalic acid, a naturally occurring plant toxin. Oxalates contribute to intestinal and digestive problems and can interfere with the absorption of vital nutrients like zinc and calcium.

Chronic exposure to plant toxins such as oxalates, histamines , phytohormones, salicylates, trypsin inhibitors, and antinutrients like lectins can cause numerous allergies, leaky gut autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammation.

Amen to all of that! My body is well aware of all of the above.

So what have I noticed since going carnivore? Within three days my arthritic pain was about 95% gone. Even without exercising, I was able to move about more freely. I felt I had young, athletic legs again.

My weight started coming off. But even better than weight-loss was the fact that my body shape was changing even during the times I wasn’t losing weight. The best I can describe it is that my body was being sculpted. My clothes were fitting better all the time.

My mood was much happier as depression left. It didn’t fluctuate much and I stayed more consistently happy.

Those are just a few of the benefits I felt.

I say all that in past tense because I did fall off carnivore about 8-9 months in. That was my own fault. I was not doing well with the passing of my friend. I simply introduced sugar into my diet one weak day and it reactivated my emotional eating and my sugar addiction came back in a rage. It was horrible. I thought I was far enough away from those bad things to ever be controlled by them again. But no. I realize I have a severe issue with both emotional eating and a sugar addiction.

But I’m back on carnivore and I feel the same benefits as I did the first time. I will get back to OMAD (one meal a day) and intermittent fasting as well. I am just so happy to be eating meat!

As far as meat providing all the nutrients needed for good health, I do not have doubt. The doctors listed above provide research and facts about nutrition found in good meat. Ruminant meat is the best for carnivore, like beef and lamb.

I won’t say I am on the same page with everything that is presented by carnivores. I personally do not believe the earth is millions and millions years old. I do not believe that the only people who lived were cave people and that they only ate meat. I believe the Bible as truth. I believe that God created the earth in seven days and that the earth is approximately six thousand years old. I believe that he provided plants, milk, honey, and the fatted calf for us to eat. But I also believe that we humans think we are pretty smart. Chemicals were created to increase the productivity of farmland. But when adding toxic, lab-created chemicals into nature not a whole lot of positives can come out of that equation. We’ve depleted our lands of nutrients. We’ve poisoned our water systems. We kill bees and butterflies. We pollute the air. (And no, I’m not into climate change. Everything God created, cycles in his design.) So it’s no wonder the food quality of today is not the same as in Bible times. And quite frankly, I cannot eat the food the earth provides. And today if I eat plants raised organically, and with the best of intentions, my body is so damaged that I cannot tolerate it. I’d certainly enjoy it as I ate it but my gut would let me know otherwise later. Don’t get me wrong. I love food. And I love the fact that family and friends gather together around food. I love every aspect of that fellowship. But this is how my world works right now.

I’m not going to say that I won’t cheat every now and then, but if I do, it would be my choice, my decision. I love food just like anyone. But I also know how I might suffer later with each food I ingest and that’s totally on me. This is an individual decision I’ve made for my own wellbeing. Just as you own the reasons and excuses why you eat what you do.

I will not tell anyone that carnivore is the only way to good health. I do believe that every person would benefit in some way though. And I would love to see some people in my world try it because I believe it could help them in more ways than one. But that is my opinion and I simply want the best for those I love. I do believe it’s worth the research though. And while I’m still learning, scientific research is ongoing as this way of life is becoming more and more popular. We each need to make our own decisions on how to make the best out of this life we live…spiritually and physically.

I love the lioness in me because I finally feel the way I should have been feeling all my life! ♥️

Andi

If you have any questions you are more than welcome to reach out to me and I will give you a way to privately message me.