As Doug approached his mid-forties, he decided it was time to focus on his health and reduce the adverse effects of aging. As a competitive athlete, Doug had previously followed conventional wisdom around carb-loading and frequent meals. However, his lifelong struggle with debilitating migraines and the onset of joint pain caused him to seek the benefits of a meat-based diet.
Doug’s Transition to a Meat-Based Diet for Health and Aging
“My cousin started the carnivore diet three months before me,” Doug recalls. “He and I had some of the same influences, and we both started following Mikhaila and Jordan Peterson’s stories on Joe Rogan’s podcast.” Doug soon discovered Dr. Shawn Baker’s channel and was intrigued by how he broke fitness records in his fifties. “My cousin noticed he could easily get out of bed in the morning and told me how wonderful he felt. So I decided to give it a shot.”
While preparing for a competition, Doug implemented a “water cut” technique to lose 12 pounds the week before his event. Like a carnivore diet, the protocol removes all sugar and starch and emphasizes fat and protein. “That morning, I decided to just stay with it. I had bacon and eggs, skipped the hashbrowns, and had a good day at the contest.” That was a year and a half ago, and Doug has continued with the diet ever since.
The Benefits of a Carnivore Diet for Migraines and Joint Pain
Doug is happy with all the ways a carnivore diet has improved his health and the overall aging process. For years, he had dealt with debilitating migraines that frequently landed him in the hospital. “Getting rid of my migraines was the number one benefit for me,” Doug shares. “I’ve only had four headaches since starting carnivore, and they are the kind that goes away quickly with an Advil.”
Additionally, Doug has found a meat-based diet offers the energy and workout recovery he needs to stay competitive. “There was no hindrance to my competitive ability,” he notes. “My starting weight was around 237, but I had to drop down to 198 pounds to qualify for nationals. I made that goal easily in four months on carnivore.” At 6’1” and fueled by meat, Doug effortlessly maintains a healthy weight of 205 pounds when not in competition.
Competitive Edge With a Carnivore Diet and Intermittent Fasting
Doug incorporates intermittent fasting into his carnivore lifestyle and plans to experiment with longer fasts to see if he can reap additional benefits. His carnivore staples are fatty ribeye steaks and burger patties. Doug finds that upping his fat intake gives him the stamina to enjoy hunting in the hills of his beautiful home in Canada. His recovery time is much faster, and he no longer has “creaks and cracks” in his joints.
At the gym, this adventurous carnivore continues to beat his personal lift and bench press records. “My lifts increase with every workout,” he shares. “In my forties, I shouldn’t be able to do that!” What started out as simply an effective strategy to train for a competition has become a way of life for Doug. He was most surprised to learn that most of the advice he received in the weightlifting world wasn’t necessarily true. “Without carbs, I have steady energy, and I feel good all day long!”
