Carnivore Diet Month 8 Health Update

Contents

• Changes I Made
• Weight
• Sleep
• Resting Heart Rate
• Gym Performance
• Hair Loss
• Menstrual Cycle
• Autoimmune Update
  • ITP: Stable Platelet Count with Lower Dose
  • Lupus: Some days stiff hands and knees
• My Understanding of Health
• Next Steps

Changes I Made

• Added more complex carbs to my diet, such as sweet potatoes, kabocha squash, and potatoes.
• Added more vegetables to my diet, such as broccoli.
• Eating fruit along with meals to reduce insulin spikes.
• Limiting butter and animal fat intake, only modest amounts.
• Stopped eating pork; focusing on beef, fish, lamb, and eggs.
• Fasting according to the menstrual cycle, not the same every day.
• One eating window with no snacking between 2-3 meals.
• 5-minute deep breathing exercise during the day to measure resting heart rate.

Weight

Since making these changes, my weight has fluctuated less over the month—around ±1 lb. It used to fluctuate by ±3 lbs.

Since I started observing my weight around the cycle, I noticed that I often lose weight at the beginning of the final phase of the cycle (luteal phase), and gain weight in the ovulation phase.

Weight this month

Sleep

Overall, my sleep is improving. I can fall asleep faster, and deep sleep is more consistent. I tend to feel sleepy earlier now, around 9 p.m.

The only issue is that I wake up early, around 5 a.m.

I do a 5-minute deep breathing exercise during the day to measure my resting heart rate. If it is around 60, I can expect a good night’s sleep. If it is around 70, I need to figure out the cause, usually electrolyte imbalances or too intense a workout.

There was one instance when my heart rate was low, but I still couldn’t fall asleep immediately. The likely cause was an intense workout, especially strength training, which triggered a fight-or-flight response. Cortisol levels were likely high as well.

Resting Heart Rate

In October, my resting heart rate was below 60. Over the past six months, I lowered it from 75 to 55—a sharp decline and a huge improvement in cardiovascular health.

Resting Heart Rate trend over the past 6 months

I’m not sure how this will translate to autoimmune health; I’ll see after the next blood test.

Gym Performance

Since adding more complex carbs and vegetables, my energy during cardio has improved. For example, I used to constantly check the time on the elliptical. Now, I feel powerful and motivated to keep going.

My 4-pack is starting to show. I don’t focus on it. If it comes, great; if not, I’m not chasing it. Health is more important than looks.

My 4-pack is starting to show

Hair Loss

My hair loss has stopped! At church, someone even commented that I had beautiful hair—it was a nice confirmation.

This improvement is likely due to adding carbs back into my diet, fasting according to my cycle, or both.

Menstrual Cycle

The cycle has been stable. In the past few months, I experienced spotting—very light bleeding at the beginning of my period lasting for a few days. This issue was absent in my most recent cycle. My theory is that adding carbs during the luteal phase, as suggested in the book Fast Like a Girl, helps boost progesterone production, which reduces spotting.

Autoimmune Update

ITP: Stable Platelet Count with Lower Dose

This month, I lowered my dose to 20 mg every 3 days. My platelet count was 99k, slightly lower than the previous 101k. Considering the 11% dose reduction, this is very good.

I like the consistency of my platelet count—it’s stable, which makes management easier.

I informed my hematologist that I had been tapering my dose. After reviewing my results, he didn’t seem concerned and told me to follow up with his assistant, which shows confidence in my treatment.

Since my count is not 100k yet, I plan to continue the current dose of 20 mg every 3 days and see if my platelet count rises next month. This will be an important data point: can the platelet count actually increase with the same dosage?

I’m very interested to see!

Lupus: Some days stiff hands and knees

I notice stiffness in my legs and hands on some days, especially in the afternoon. Possible triggers:

• Too much exercise
• Being hungry

The stiffness usually fades after a shower before bed.

I have been off HCQ for almost 5 months now. No major flares and no worsening symptoms—a good sign.

My Understanding of Health

(I find my understanding of health is evolving. So I will use this section to track my thoughts.)

• Eat clean, moderate, and less frequent meals
• Sleep well
• Move more
• Manage stress
• Get sun exposure on the whole body

Next Steps

• Maintain 20 mg Doptelet every 3 days until the next blood test
• Continue strength training, focusing on pliability rather than numbers
• Keep pork intake low. Eat beef, fish, lamb, and eggs.
• Eat clean, sleep well, get sun exposure
• Manage low heart rate