7 Day Keto Carnivore Fast: How to start, what to eat and how to transition back
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Carnivore is all about meat, right? Well not only. At least not the way I did my 7 day fast.
But first things first: I’ve been eating Keto for almost 4 years. Sometimes tracking. Sometimes not. With great weightloss initially and a flatter curve - or to be honest - zigzags after.
While I have the regular way of eating Keto figured out, I’ve been intrigued by fasts.
In December 2020 I did my 2nd Keto Egg fast and shared the detailed report in the Egg Fast Blog post.
The fast was very successful and when friends asked me if I’d join a carnivore one, I was game.
Especially because of the type of Carnivore we would do. Yes, there are people who do Carnivore and only eat meats and allow as the only dairy, butter so that the meat is easier to cook. We however decided on Carnivore where all animal products are permitted.
Imagine an inverse-Vegan. Vegans don’t eat animal products. We would eat only animal products.
The great thing is, that all animal products - in their original form - have no carbs. Meaning this is super Keto friendly! More on traps and hidden carbs later though!
I’m going to walk through (click on title to skip to a section):
Why consider a carnivore fast or any fasting?
How to start a carnivore fast
Meal Plan for a carnivore fast, simple carnivore fast recipe and snack ideas
BEWARE - Hidden sugars and carbs
STOP! Slow transition out of the carnivore fast and back to your usual diet
My unexpected results throughout my 7-day carnivore fast
Success story! Read about Maria’s experience
Challenges you may encounter and lessons I’ve learned
Ready? Let’s go!
1. Why consider a carnivore fast or any fasting?
Fasting - as in, not eating for a while - allows your body to fully process the food and fuel you’ve given it. From slowly digesting to resting before receiving more. Without knowing it, you already fast. The time between your last meal or foods of the day to breakfast is a fast in itself. “Breakfast” = “break” + “fast” .
In recent years, Intermittent Fasting has gained in popularity
Rather than not eating during 10-12 hours over night you extend it to 16 hours without eating and eat your meals in the remaining 8 hour window.
For me that means I have my last meal and food for the day around 6.30pm and then the next day my first food around noon. I only eat lunch and dinner and try to avoid any snacks.
A carnivore fast doesn’t focus on WHEN you eat but WHAT you eat!
As mentioned in the intro, one can assume that carnivore means ‘meat’ but as you’ll see when reading on, you have MANY more options than meat if you try a fast like the one I followed.
BONUS: With Carnivore there are no limits as to how much you eat. Just eat the right foods until full!
Why would you temporarily only eat animal products?
By eating this way you’re basically going ZERO carbs. With Keto you usually try to stay under 20-25g net carbs to get into Ketosis. More on Keto in the Keto 101 section.
During the carnivore fast - very much like the egg fast - you’re at zero if you keep it strict.
Now, up until I tried this myself, I assumed that this would mean instant Ketosis. Deep Ketosis. Again, like I had experienced during the egg fast. Unforunately, that is not how it worked for me. But more on that later.
Here are some of my personal Why’s:
Reset eating habits
Curb cravings (I have a weakness for ChocZero chocolates and Hazelnut spread these day)
Reduce inflammation
Lose a few pounds
Challenge myself
Satisfy my curiosity of different ways of eating
Document my experience for others / you
If you have food sensitivities you can also use the transition period to slowly reintroduce different foods and observe how your body reacts.
2. How to start a Carnivore Fast
You will find many different versions of carnivore fasts online. What they all have in common is that for a certain amount of days you will eat animal products. Where they differ is whether sweeteners are ok. Only meat or all animal products. Dairy or not.
This is an overview of how I chose to do my carnivore fast
Results can be found further down (spoiler alert: unlike the egg fast, this did not work for me BUT it worked for a friend who was kind enough to add a testimonal for us!)
Duration: 7 - 10 days
What to eat:
All animal products:
Meats like Bacon (watch ingredients), Chicken, Beef, Pork, Lamb…
Seafood: Think shrimps, scallops, oysters, mussels - more on these under ‘hidden carbs’
Fish: Salmon, Cod, Tuna…
Dairy: Butter, Cream, Cream Cheese, Sour Cream…
No sweeteners and sugars
When to eat:
Continue with whichever schedule you’re on. For me: intermittent fasting and 2 meals a day
If hungry in between meals: stick to carnivore snacks - more below
Drinking:
96oz+ of water / day
No alcohol
Once you’ve decided on what version of the carnivore fast or diet you want to do I suggest the following steps:
Decide how long you want to do it for
Going in I was planning for at least 7 days with the option to extend to 10 days
Others who did this with me aimed for 14 days and some people eat this way permanently
Decide when you want to start
Check your calendar and find consecutive days where there are limited plans to eat out and where you can see yourself eating this way
If you do eat out, places like Fogo or Texas de Brazil that are all about meat are great. Or italian restaurants that serve Cozze (Mussels). Japanese works well too if you stick to Sashimi or any place with Wings and ask for them naked.
Also plan for 4-5 days of transition time where you still will not be eating ‘normal’
Find friends or people to do it with
This was one of my biggest learnings after my egg fast in December. Fasting with a group of people is AMAZING. You get inspiration for dishes. Can share up and downs. Ask questions. Share what side effects you might be attributing to this but aren’t sure….
Social Media is a great way to find people to do this with and quickly turn strangers into friends.
If you’re flexible with when you want to try this, check out the Keto Mini Challenges on Instagram as there will be a Carnivore one.
Go shopping
Initially I thought I would just navigate with what I had in the fridge but 2 days in I changed my mind and headed to the store for a Keto carnivore haul.
Keto Carnivore Shopping Haul Aldi
3. Meal Plan for a Keto Carnivore Fast and simple Keto Carnivore fast recipe ideas
This is what I ate during my 7 days of Keto friendly Carnivore fast. I don’t mind repetitive but satisfying meals. As my 7 days might be too repetitive for you I included meal ideas based on what the others who did this with me ate!
Also, as noted above, the first days were about getting rid of left-over and I then went shopping
Don’t forget to drink a LOT of water and make sure to have enough salt
Day 1:
Lunch: Stir fry of left-overs with Chicken Breast (7oz), Pancetta (1.5oz), Queso (2oz) and Butter (1 Tbsp)
Afternoon: 1oz of Sharp Cheddar Cheese
Dinner: Stir fry of left-overs with Egg Whites (2), Bacon (4 slices), Heavy Cream (3 Tbsp), Queso (2oz)
Day 2:
Lunch: Ribeye (10oz) and Brie Chicken with Chicken Breast (4 oz), Brie (1oz) and Heavy Cream (5 Tbsp)
Dinner: Wings (10oz) and Sharp Cheddar Cheese (2oz)
Day 3:
Lunch: 2 beef burgers covered in Sharp Cheddar (2oz) cooked in Butter (1 Tbsp)
Afternoon: Crunchy Cheese and Simms Beef Biltong (1oz)
Dinner: Lots of Tuna Sashimi with a ‘dessert’ of cheese
Day 4:
Lunch: 2 Eggs, a beef burger covered in cheese and a cheese ‘dessert’
Afternoon: Simms Beef Bilton (1oz)
Dinner: Wings, a hard-boiled egg with mayonnaise
Day 5:
Lunch: Beef burger covered in cheese (told you I don’t mind eating the same thing over and over and over ;) ), chicken breast with Cheedar Folio Cheese wrap chips
Afternoon: Just the Cheese - Grilled Cheese snack bar
Dinner: Brie Chicken (Chicken breast, Heavy Cream and Brie sauce) with a bit of Mozzarella
Day 6:
Lunch: 2 eggs, bacon (3 slices), Old Amsterdam and Trader Joe’s Pavé Cheese (2oz)
Dinner: Beef burger covered with egg - sunny side up and packed in a shell of Cheddar Folio Cheese Wrap - this did not work as well visually as I had imagined ;)
Day 7:
Lunch: 2 eggs, bacon (4.5 slices) and Crunchy Cheddar Cheese Bites
Dinner: Bacon (1 slice), with Brie Chicken ( Chicken breast, Heavy Cream and Brie Sauce) with a cheese ‘dessert’ with Old Amsterdamer and Port Salut (2oz)
Other meal options and ideas:
Chaffles:
There are many recipes for Chaffles out there. I like to keep it simple and mix 1 egg with 1/2 cup of cheese and seasoning to your liking. Butter your chaffle / waffle maker. Cook the mix until crunchy and enjoy.
Any egg dish, like deviled eggs, egg salad, poached eggs, omelett with bacon
Rôtisserie Chicken
Salmon
Charcuterie and Cheese board - watch for hidden sugars in your Charcuterie though
Ribs, Brisket - with dry rubs
For more pictures of Carnivore meals, check out the Instagram profiles of friends who did this with me. Check for posts in the first 2 weeks of January 2021!
@thatketosis -> more from her and her success with Carnivore below!
@kristis_ keto_kitchen —> She did 2 weeks! Wooohooo!
@keto_mandicraft —> She managed to do this while staying with non-Keto or carnivore friends. That deserves extra kudos!
Carnivore and Keto friendly Snack ideas:
Pork Rinds with a cream based dip
Shrimps to dip in mayonnaise
Crunchy Cheese or other cheese snacks
Meat sticks or Beef Jerky - watch ingredients if you’re also avoiding sweetener / sugar.
4. Beware! Hidden sugars and carbs
One thing I was reminded of when shopping for my Carnivore fast was hidden sugars!
I chose to eat Carnivore without any sugars or sweeteners. Meaning not just no Keto friendly sweeteners like Erythritol or Monkfruit or Stevia but also no Dextrose, Fructose, Maltose, Sucrose, Sucralose…
Which foods have hidden sugars and carbs?
Many Beef Jerky’s - yep, check the ingredient list here
Most Hams, Salami’s and other meats you’d put on a charcuterie board. I reviewed ALL at Aldi - where I do my weekly shopping - and they ALL had Dextrose :(
Sausages like Brats, Wieners
Bacon - yes, another one where you need to check the ingredient list
Cheese with fruits or that are flavored
Sauces - most have sugar in some way too
Seasoning - do you know how hard it is to find sugarless seasoning in stores? I’ve since tried Primal Palate through a friend. Sugar free and their Bae seasoning is amazing!
Shredded cheese - while not sugar it does have hidden carbs from the starch that is used to keep it from clumping.
If you want to keep it zero carb, careful also with imitation crab, mussels, sour cream, some cream cheeses
I’m actually planning a separate blog post all about hidden carbs, because the list goes on. The above are the ones relevant for a Carnivore way of eating when trying to also stay Keto.
5. STOP! Slow transition out of the egg fast and back to your usual diet
I learned in previous fasts that your body gets used to a certain way of eating really quickly and if you then suddenly reintroduce a bigger variety of food it might not go well. I know that my body is super sensitive, so similar to my egg fast, I gave myself a few days to transition out of carnivore.
What does it mean to do a slow transition?
For me it means reintroducing other foods one by one, starting with easily digestible ones. Usually on the first day I would still eat like my fast and add 1-2 new foods. This time, somehow, I thought I could add a few more in very small quantities which then backlashed with stomach rumblings and unease :/
This is what I ate on the first day after ending carnivore fast:
Lunch: 3 oz Chicken Breast cooked in 1 Tbsp of butter, 3oz fresh asparagus in cream sauce with a 2 cucumber sticks and a bite of avocado.
Afternoon: Crunchy Cheese Cheddar. See discount collection if you want to try it.
Dinner: Small slice of crustless Lou Malnati’s Pizza (it basically has a crust made of sausage) with 4oz Chicken Thighs in a cream and queso sauce with a cheese ‘dessert’
New additions were Asparagus, tiny bit of cucumber and avocado as well as the sausage crust pizza.
What amazes me every time is how I thoroughly enjoy foods after a fast. Those few bites of cucumber were amazing. The texture, the freshness, the taste!
After a few stomach rumblings I took it slow the next days. Day 2 brought zucchini and steak. Day 3, Spinach and a few raspberries. Day 4, my favorite chocolate from ChocZero and so on.
I consciously stayed away from bloating foods like broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts for another 4-5 days.
6. My unexpected results throughout my 7-day carnivore fast
After tracking everything during my egg fast and enjoying seeing the results and progress this way I decided to do it again during carnivore.
Not just weight but also level of Ketosis.
The unexpected effects of the carnivore fast on me
I went into this fast believing that with it being close to a zero carb diet, I would once again reach deep Ketosis and maybe also loose more pounds. That didn’t quite work out for me and even the opposite :/
Weight lost during the carnivore fast
I have a Renpho SmartScale that I adore which was my trusted companion throughout this fast. Use code KETOANYWHERE10 to save 10% on one. They are only between $25-35 and measure weight, water, muscles and much more!
I do not usually weigh myself daily, but will do so for science ;) Here are the results of the daily weigh ins during the carnivore fast and a few in the days after.
By the 7th day - the day I decided not to go for 10 or 14 days I had lost 1.78lbs to be exact. After doing the egg fast where on day 5 I was 5.5lbs down, this was discouraging to say the least. I did end up loosing a bit more during transition which I attribute to mindful and slow eating. Overall, the weight-related results for me were underwhelming but ok. Fine.
What actually made me stop after day 7 were my levels of Ketosis! See below.
Level of Ketosis during the carnivore fast.
Since doing the egg fast my usual - eating fairly clean Keto - level of Ketosis was in the 1.1 to 1.5 range. So I wasn’t too surprised when on the day of starting I was already at 1.5 and I was excited to see if - similar to the egg fast - I would get up to 4 and higher. After all, eating carnivore is also amost zero carbs.
Quick interruption: To read more about whether exogenous Ketones helped me get into Ketosis check out my Ketones self-study
I measure with my Keto-Mojo - which is a blood based measuring device that syncs to their app and also calculates a Glucose-Ketone-Index. You can get 15% off your Starter Kit purchase when buying through this link.
If you’re not sure what 1.1 or 1.5 or 4 mean, here are the awesome Keto-Mojo Infographics. I’ve been refering to Ketone levels but this device also measure Glucose and then calculates your GKI = Glucose Ketone Index:
Here are my results!
What do we see here?
I mentioned above that my usual level of Ketosis is between 1.1 and 1.5. Looking at the yellow line you can see that for the first 4 days that stuck and then it dipped. What you can’t see well here on the yellow line is that it dipped to the point where I was out of Ketosis. The grey line however shows that very clearly. Anything above a 9 there means I’m out and I went up to 12.
Unfortunately, since, I have not been able to get back to my pre-Carnivore levels of Ketosis of 1.1 to 1.5.
I’ve continued tracking to make sure I’m making the right choices and am joining in Mini Challenges - Blog post to follow soon - which will help me get that back up.
What happened?
To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I brainstormed with my friends and one first thought we had was that I was too high on protein and too low on fat.
I went back to MyFitnessPal to enter my foods and check my Macros:
When you eat Keto you want your Macros to be: 5% Carbs, ~30% Protein and 75% Fat.
A saying goes that Carbs are a limit (so staying lower is fine and great), Protein are a goal (so you should meet or exceed it slightly) and Fat is a lever. Meaning you don’t have to force yourself to hit it. Fat helps with satiety. If you’re full and a bit high on protein but low on fat that is fine.
Looking at my stats I had a ‘high protein’ day on day 3 which I only realized after the fact and I do wonder if that maybe triggered me getting kicked out of Ketosis although my carbs stayed super low.
I did more research and found out that it does happen that Ketoers who do the Carnivore fast get kicked out of Ketosis. Out of my group of about 6 friends who were doing this together, 2 of us lost minimal or no weight. And 2 of us did not get the Ketone readings we expected.
7. Success story! Read about Maria's experience
I’ve been mentioning the friends I did this with and in particular, I’d like to introduce you to Maria aka @thatketosis on Instagram.
I met Maria on Instagram and we quickly became friends. She has the most amazing energy. Is positive, encouraging and just an absolutely wonderful human being. She is also the one that got me to do my 2nd egg fast, after being pretty firm after my first one that I wouldn’t do that again lol
While we were doing the egg fast, she mentioned carnivore and there we were a few weeks later, doing another fast together and while we did carnivore…yes…you guessed it…we ended up deciding to fill 2021 with Mini Challenges. More on those soon or on Instagram if you’d like to join! Open to all and free!
Back to Maria: Her Carnivore Fast was a success! She went strong for 7 days and then decided to continue for another 7 while reintroducing some Keto snacks here and there but keeping the majority of her diet carnivore.
I asked her to share her experience to give you another perspective and view on how this way of eating can be a huge success.
Thanks Girl, for sharing this with us!
“Ok let’s talk CARNIVORE!!
Here’s my experience in a nutshell - 7 full days of strict Carnivore, followed by 7 days of Carnivore for my OMAD (One Meal A Day), but allowing back in some keto sweet treats and snacks.
Overall I really enjoyed Carnivore!! It’s obviously DELICIOUS and I had no trouble finding variety in my meals. And everything had so much flavor!! I also dropped weight FAST (-7.3lb total in 14 days). I felt full for my entire fasting window and stopped having those pesky late night sugar cravings that I gave into over the holidays.
My ketone levels stayed pretty consistent. Readings on track with my normal keto low carb lifestyle.
Personally I’d say it was a great reset for my body and definitely something I would do again should I ever need to break a stall!! “
Incredible, right? 7.3lbs in 2 weeks and she maintained her eating habit of doing one meal a day.
Want to know what else?
She even ate out while doing this!
For a special occasion the family was looking for a way to celebrate and she suggested a Brazilian Grill place. GENIUS!!
She shared her meals online so feel free to look her posts up from January 4 to 18ish.
8. Challenges you may encounter and lessons I’ve learned
Clearly, you may encouter what I experienced: Not lose as much weight as you hope and get kicked out of Ketosis. Or what Maria experienced: Great weight loss and consistent Ketone and Glucose readings.
Here are a few further insights into my experience that may help you decide if you want to give it a go:
MINDSET: After doing the egg fast that required a lot of mental strength I felt like the Carnivore fast allows much more freedom and less restraint. If you’ve never faster before though, this might be different for you.
I recommend making sure that you’re in an ‘ok’ place mentally. No need to be on a high but if you’re feeling very low then it might be better to do this another time.
ENERGY: With the egg fast I was tired a lot in the evening. With carnivore I kept my high energy levels. Easy to continue working out. Staying up late. Getting up early. None of the others have commented on it either so I believe the carnivore diet shouldn’t disrupt your routine too much. @kristis_ keto_kitchen reported that she felt like post-workout recovery times were shortened, so that might be another plus you experience!
DIGESTION: For me - similar to the egg fast - my digestion slowed and then once I reintroduced vegetables aka Fiber all went back to normal.
OTHERS NOT ON THE CARNIVORE FAST: If you live with people who are not eating Carnivore you can usually still prepare similar meals and you just skip the vegetables like you would previously skip the carbs. As you saw in the mealplan we did one Sashimi night where we all ate fish and the kids also had a ramen soup.
HUNGER: I usually do not snack and you might have noticed in my meal plan that I did have a daily afternoon snack. The awesome thing with Carnivore is that quantities are not limited. So if you feel hungry, have a snack that is on plan.
STAY STRONG: Set yourself a time frame e.g. 7 days and stick to it. If you see success, extend! if not, stop. But do give it at least 7 days to make up your mind.
WEIGHT & MEASUREMENTS: While I focused on weightloss I would recommend also taking before and after pictures and if you can, measurements. That will show you more how inflammation and bloating reduces.
DRINK UP: Use these fasts to get into the habit of drinking A LOT. If needed, get yourself one of those 1 Gallon water bottles on Amazon and set yourself the goal to have it empty by end of day! Also, do not underestimate the power of a pretty cup. If you feel like taking it with you everywhere, you will drink more!
LESS STRICT: I went strict by saying ‘no’ to sweeteners which meant also no sauces. Others in the group did the fast with sweeteners and were successfull.
I’d love to hear if you give it a try.
If you’re looking for friends, as part of the Mini Challenge series, there will be a kick off to Carnivore Keto on May 3rd 2021.
Send me a message on Instagram, TikTok or Email and I’ll happily add you to the Group Chat through which we coordinate all Mini Challenges and you can opt into the Carnivore one when we get to it!
Read more about the Mini Challenges here.
If you feel like you may need more individual help, check out the Keto Anywhere Coaching offering that’s more like talking to a friend!
Keto on!
Céline
Founder of Keto Anywhere