Autoimmune | Gut Health | Hormones | Candida

Right then. It’s time for an update.

For anyone who read my last post, you’ll know I decided to go all-in with a strict carnivore diet.. I was at a point where even my usual keto approach wasn’t cutting it. The skin on my body was fucking horrid, I was clawing at it until it bled, and the 1am-3am wake-up calls from my liver going into meltdown were relentless. Something had to give. I realised that my hormones might be playing a significant role in this struggle.

So, I started. And it’s now been two weeks.

The headline result? I’m 12lbs down.

A quick note before we get into it: I’m not adding loads of images to these journey posts. This is a raw, real-time diary, and I want the focus to be on the words and the process itself, not on creating a polished photoshoot. This is about the nitty-gritty, not the gloss.

Why I Had to Do This (A Quick Reminder)

Let's be clear. This wasn't a casual diet change. This was an act of desperation. My body was screaming at me. The itching was unbearable, the fatigue was bone-deep, and I knew, with every fibre of my being, that I was dealing with a deep-seated inflammatory issue that needed a nuclear option.

I had to remove every single potential trigger. I had to starve the beast that is Candida Overgrowth

The Tangible Results: What's Actually Working

So, what has two weeks of eating nothing but meat, fat, and eggs actually done? Honestly, the changes have been rapid and profound.

• My Shoulder Can Move: My long-standing frozen shoulder issue has continued to improve. The freedom of movement I'm getting back is incredible. It's just another sign that the systemic inflammation is finally being dealt with.

• The Weight Loss: Let's start with the obvious one. 12lbs (or 5.4kg) has vanished. And I know this isn't just "weight." This is inflammation. It's the puffiness, the fluid retention, the angry swelling my body was holding onto. Seeing it drop off so quickly is a massive confirmation that I've finally stopped pouring fuel on the fire. It’s a wee Brucey Bonus, and a bloody good one at that.

• My Skin is Healing: This is the big one for me. The relentless, maddening itch has subsided by about 90%. I’m no longer waking up in the middle of the night wanting to claw my own skin off. It’s not 100% gone, but the difference is night and day. The angry, weeping patches are calm.

• The Lightbulb is On: For weeks, I’d been feeling like a dim bulb. The energy just wasn't there. About five days into this, it felt like someone flicked a switch and a proper 100-watt lightbulb went on in my head. The energy is clean. It's stable. I’m sleeping right through the night again, and that alone is worth everything.

OOOh, and did I mention that my hormones have completely balanced out again? Woo Hoo, not one hot flush, not even a glimmer of the creeping, tingly feeling I normally get before one comes, NOTHING!

"My body was screaming at me for years. I just finally learned how to speak its language. The 12lb drop isn't a diet success; it's my body finally sighing in relief.

The Dairy Experiment & The Stall

This has not been a walk in the park, and it hasn't been a straight line down. After about nine days of being incredibly strict, I decided to conduct a little experiment. I introduced some dairy back in, a bit of cheese here, some cream there. I stayed 100% away from plants, but I wanted to see how my body would handle another animal product.

Well, that and the fact that I could literally have eaten myself, haha. A strict carnivore diet is not for the fainty hearted, as I have said many times before. And even though I had been building up to it for around 3 months, jeezo, my cravings got the better of me.

I watch a lot of Dr Ken Berry, and I kept hearing his voice, "If you're going to have something, have something Keto." So that is what I did.

The result? The scale came to a dead stop. I did not lose a single pound again until this morning. I also did not gain anything, which is its own piece of data, but the rapid progress paused completely. A bit of the achiness returned, and the skin healing, while still good, didn't feel as rapid.

I don't regret it for a second. I didn't "fail" or "cheat." I ran a successful experiment, and I got a clear result: for my body, right now, dairy is an inflammatory trigger that's significant enough to halt healing. I used it as a tool to get me through the initial, toughest part of the transition, and now I have the data I need to remove it again.

On top of that, the mental challenge is real. There are moments, usually in the evening, when I could almost eat myself. The cravings for something, anything different, can be intense. I’ve also given up alcohol completely for this period. Some days, it’s just about getting through it, one meal at a time.

The Process of Fat Adaptation is a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Another part of this process, and what also may have stalled the weight loss for a few days, is that true fat adaptation is more than just producing ketones. It's a deep, cellular-level change where your body becomes incredibly efficient at using fat for fuel. This process can take anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks, or even longer for some individuals.

I am at the two-week mark. This means I am likely out of the initial "keto flu" phase (which, to be honest, I did not get anyway as I fuelled my body properly), but I am right in the middle of this deeper adaptation.

Here's what's happening in my body that can cause a stall:

1. Hormonal and Fluid Shifts: As my body fine-tunes its new operating system, there can be fluctuations in hormones like cortisol and aldosterone, which control sodium and water balance. It's very common to have a temporary "re-balancing" where the body holds onto a bit of water after the initial whoosh. This can easily mask ongoing fat loss on the scale for several days.
2. Metabolic Recalibration: My body is literally building new metabolic machinery. It's upregulating enzymes needed to transport and burn fat, and your mitochondria are becoming more efficient. This is an energy-intensive process. During this recalibration, the body can be a bit "confused" and may prioritise these internal renovations over shedding more weight for a short period.
3. The "Energy-for-Healing" Principle: I am not just on a diet; I am on a deep healing protocol. My body is also dealing with:
   • The stress of a major dietary change.The toxic load from the Candida die-off.The inflammation from the dairy.The process of repairing tissues.

Faced with all this, my body might intelligently decide to "hold onto" resources (including water and a bit of energy) to manage these healing crises, rather than continuing rapid weight loss. It's a protective mechanism, and our bodies are kind miraculous in the way they deal with everything.

There is No Failure, Only Data

I need to be absolutely clear about something, because it’s the most important lesson I teach my clients and the one I live by myself.

When I talk about the stall from the dairy, or the cravings, or the mental challenge, please know that I do not see any of it as a failure. Not for a second.

The words "failure," "cheating," or being "bad" have no place in a healing journey. That language is toxic. It creates a thought process of shame and self-blame that we are fundamentally trying to heal from, especially when it comes to our relationship with food.

"I never look at it like I'm doing something wrong, and I never tell my clients that either. it creates a thought process that we are fundamentally trying to work on. food addiction and the psychological aspects of that too.

There is no failure here. There is only data."

So, Why is This Working?

This isn't magic. It's science. By eating this way, I did three crucial things:

1. I gave my digestive system a complete rest from processing any plant matter.
2. I starved any pathogenic overgrowth (hello, Candida) of its fuel source.
3. I removed every single potential inflammatory trigger, allowing my body to calm down.

The stall from the dairy proved the theory perfectly. It showed that even a "keto-friendly" food can be inflammatory if it's a trigger for your specific system.

This is my personal, extreme protocol for my specific situation. I don't expect everyone to jump straight to carnivore. But the principles behind it, finding your unique inflammatory triggers, calming your nervous system, and giving your body the tools it needs to heal, are universal.

If you're ready to stop guessing and become your own health detective whilst learning to live a healthier lifestyle. I can walk that path with you step-by-step.

Click Here For More Info

Further Reading From Other Sources

What Is Fat Adaptation? And How to Achieve It - Link Here

What Chronic Inflammation Really Does to Your Body - Link Here

Linda McClure

Cut the Bullshit

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