Carnivore Diet Month 5 Health Update
Posted by Mira on July 22, 2025 in stories
I started carnivore diet on February 24, 2025, so it has been 5 months now. During the 5th month, I have been traveling through Japan (see my food log in Japan) and Australia (see my food log in Australia). Despite being on the road, I tried to keep my diet as clean as possible.
I also began incorporating more healthy carbs into my meals — avocado, pumpkin, and fruits like apples, bananas, kiwis, and tangerines. Some might say this is no longer strictly carnivore, but for me, it's about using carnivore as the foundation and adding a few whole-food carbs on top.
At the very least, I no longer rely on electrolyte supplements.
Contents
Improvements
No Joint Pains for Many Days
After we arrived in Sydney, I experienced many days without body pain.
Since being diagnosed with ITP and Lupus, this was the first time I felt absolutely no pain for many days. So far, I'm not sure what contributed to that. It could be one of the following, or a combination:
- Stopping HCQ
- Overall reduced inflammation
- Low UV index in Sydney
I still have some hand muscle pain and knee pain at the moment of writing. I suspect it’s due to my recent running and strength workouts using the rowing machine and Captain's Chair.
Improved ESR
While in Sydney, I was able to get a Full Blood Count (CBC) test with ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) included for the same price. I found that my ESR had decreased to 19 from 25 (April 2025), despite stopping HCQ.
ESR means how fast red blood cells settle at the bottom of a test tube. Elevated ESR is often associated with inflammation and autoimmune conditions. A lower ESR is better.
This suggests that my inflammation is decreasing — a good sign.
Improved Platelet Count
This month, my platelet count climbed from 132, to 201, to 270 — all with the same dosage — so I’ve started lowering the dose for the first time in a while.
I had been on 20mg daily since the very beginning of taking Doptelet. There was a time I had to increase the dose when my platelet count dropped due to H. pylori treatment. This is the first time I’ve been able to reduce the dosage.
A jump from below 150 to 270 within a month is significant. It makes me suspect that the increase may be due to stopping HCQ, since improvements from general health changes are usually more gradual.
Improved Cardiovascular Health
My Apple Watch shows some possible improvements in cardiovascular health as well:
VO₂ max improved
VO₂ max is a measure of aerobic capacity, or how well your body can use oxygen during exercise. The higher your VO₂ max, the better your cardiovascular health.
Cardio recovery improved
Cardio recovery is a measure of how quickly your body returns to its resting state after exercise. The faster your body recovers, the better your cardiovascular health.
Resting heart rate decreased
Resting heart rate is a measure of how many times your heart beats per minute while you're at rest. The lower your resting heart rate, the better your cardiovascular health. Usually the athletes have lower resting heart rate than non-athletes.
You can see my resting heart rate continues to trend down to the level in February 2025.
Possible contributing factors include:
- Stopping HCQ (which had previously worsened all these metrics when I started it)
- Adding some carbs (as others on X have suggested this may help)
- Overall improvement in my health
Problems
Weight Gain
By the time I left Japan, I noticed my cheekbones were disappearing — often an indicator that I had gained weight. I didn’t have access to a scale, but I concluded the weight gain was due to eating too much high-fat beef (like Wagyu). After reducing my fat intake, my cheekbones reappeared.
This taught me that calorie intake still matters. Some foods — like Wagyu beef or liquid fats — are easy to overeat. Wagyu’s higher fat content means it’s more calorie-dense. For example:
- 100g Wagyu ribeye: 300–400 calories
- 100g lean U.S. Choice ribeye: 200–250 calories
If calorie control is a priority, leaner U.S. cuts may be preferable.
CICO (Calories In, Calories Out) still holds true in my case. I now track what I eat and try to keep it in check.
Lack of Energy
As I mentioned above, after reducing my fat intake (eating less fatty beef and butter), I noticed a drop in my energy levels and a negative impact on my mood.
To address this, I now make sure to include enough fats in my first meal of the day — in Australia, that usually means avocado or butter. For my second and final meal, I focus more on protein. So far, this approach seems to help, but it still needs more experimentation.
(Haha, when it comes to diet, it’s constant tweaking for energy!)
Hair Loss
I started experiencing daily hair loss, and it hasn't stopped yet. I'm not sure what’s causing it. I’ve heard that a lack of carbs or sudden dietary changes or detoxification can lead to hair loss.
I don’t know what really causes mine, but I’ll wait and see if it resolves on its own.
Autoimmune Updates
ITP
It was a surprise that my platelet count jumped to 270 while still taking 20mg daily. I can now reduce it to half the dose — 20mg three times a week. Looking back at my ITP treatment journey, this is a huge improvement.
I got poked on both arms for the blood draw in Sydney.
I have been doing weekly blood tests since February 2025. The phlebotomist in Sydney said my right arm is overused. 🥺 Most phlebotomists can't find a working vein in my left arm. I hope to stop weekly blood draw madness soon, God willing.
Lupus
So far, I’ve been off HCQ for more than a month. No lupus flare-up yet.
Right now, I’m in Australia. In July, Sydney’s UV index is around 3 at most, so I haven’t felt any photosensitivity. I’m not sure yet whether stopping HCQ has helped — I’ll see once I return to the U.S., where the UV index is higher.
Other improvements in my markers have led me to believe that stopping HCQ may have helped overall.
