Aly

Are you currently Keto or Carnivore?

Carnivore

How long have you been keto/carnivore?

4.5 years keto, now carnivore/ketovore

Describe what a Typical Day of Eating Looks like for you.

Breakfast/pre workout – thick bacon, sausage links and/or egg bites, occasional almond butter

Lunch – fatty meat

Dinner – fatty meat (brisket is my fave)

Describe the health changes you have experienced since going keto/carnivore.

No more thyroid medication, sleeping better, more energy, better mood, no more knee pain/inflammation.

Your Keto/Carnivore Story

Kiltz – I ABSOLUTELY love your podcasts, and my goal is to one day be able to share my story with you and others.  I don’t have the blue checkmark yet on my Instagram (@faithmeatsnutrition) BUT!  I have a story, and as you always say, it is important to share it.  I truly believe we were put on this earth to help others, and that is what I am bound and determined to do.

I grew up in what I like to call the “Snack Wells” era.  The 90’s, where fat was the bad guy and the food pyramid with seven servings of grains daily was the norm.  (No wonder I was always hungry, right?)  My dad was a marathon runner and super health conscious.  We always had vegetables from our garden and our meals consisted of the usual “carb, fat, protein.”  I took to running like he did on and off throughout my early childhood, continuing on through highschool.  I wasn’t a “fat kid” but being the “tall girl” throughout elementary and then nearing six foot tall by age 16, I always felt like the “big girl.”
I remember at around 9 or 10 years old my parents sitting me down and telling me that I needed to be more aware of what I was eating.  I felt so ashamed, as if I was in trouble.  My mom chimed in with the idea of Weight Watchers and calorie counting, and from then on I felt like I was always being watched and they were counting every little morsel I put into my mouth.  I struggled on and off with “dieting” for a while, and when I reached high school, I had a teacher make a comment about my height and weight.  I didn’t show it at the time, but I was so hurt and so embarrassed that I decided right then I would do whatever it takes to be “skinny.”

I began starving myself (500 calories a day) and running three miles a day.  It was a mind warping game, and by my senior year I felt like I had “won” because my hip bones were starting to show without sucking my stomach in.  After they became concerned with my dramatic weight loss, I would lie to my parents and tell them what I ate that day, when in fact, I didn’t eat.

I went to college “skinny” but my body finally revolted and it became harder and harder to restrict food.  I began bingeing.  It was vicious.  It was a miserable, depressing cycle that followed me for YEARS.  I felt as if I was trapped in chains that I was meant to be in for the rest of my life, as if it was punishment.  I couldn’t figure out why, even when I “ate healthy,” I was always so hungry and always felt like I needed more or needed to binge.  I prayed.  I prayed so hard for God to take the bingeing away.
I went on through college, hiding my dark secret, although gaining and losing weight over and over was the norm.  I became accustomed to it.  My husband and I were married not long after we graduated college, and I continued with the struggle of weight and food, all while feeling I needed to exercise constantly.  I had a very “all or nothing” mindset, and it was tearing me apart.
I had been on thyroid meds since college because, according to my labs, my thyroid was on the “low side.”  Sure Doc, whatever you think.  I wasn’t ever asked about my diet, lifestyle, etc, which I know now are ALL factors that can affect thyroid function.  I just wish I had known it then.
Fast forward to 2019.  I had my second baby girl, and soon afte, Ir began having “tummy troubles.”  It was then that my doctor (who is amazing, and had a wakeup call himself), advised me to cut out wheat and dairy.  The tummy troubles soon went away.  I felt better.  I had more energy.  I realized that potatoes and some starches (although often gluten-free) just didn’t make me feel good, so I cut those out and essentially fell into a ketogenic diet.  I cut out sugar too, in all forms, and lost about 30 pounds.  I felt amazing.  The binges were gone.  I wasn’t hungry all of the time.  I was free.
However, about a year in, I started noticing the tummy troubles started coming back.  I felt like my gut was so inflamed, and I felt bloated all of the time.  I started having intense cravings and desires to binge.  I could eat an enormous amount of meat and veggies but then be starving two hours later.  I knew this wasn’t normal, so I started doing some research.  I went to my doc, obgyn, and everyone in between, insisting something was off with my hormones.  I went down every rabbit hole imaginable, even to the point of thinking I had an insulinoma.  No matter what I did, I just could not get full.  I prayed so hard for God to give me answers and to take away this INSATIABLE hunger.  I promised Him if he would help me heal I would share my story one day so others could heal, too.

After listening to so many of your podcasts and reaching out to Crystal Sikes via messenger, I had an epiphany.  I thought maybe, just maybe, “what if I healed my ‘low” thyroid on my own when I went keto, and now this medication I am on is making my thyroid overactive, causing all of the hunger?”  Even with “normal labs,” was this even possible?  It was like God gave me the answer.  This was it.  I was going to do a “hormone reset” on my own.  I weaned myself off of my thyroid medication and decided to go straight carnivore.

BOOM!  This was a GAME. CHANGER.  In a matter of two days, being on zero medication and cutting out vegetables, I lost four pounds of inflammation.  I didn’t feel puffy anymore.  I didn’t feel sluggish.  I was sleeping better almost instantly, and at this point I realized I was right, and there was no turning back.  I am happy to say I don’t take any prescriptions whatsoever.  In fact, I enrolled in Functional Nutrition school because my goal is to get my husband off of his meds, too, after he had a health scare back in 2021.  I want to help my family, and as many others as possible.
I want to thank you so much for all of your content that you share, and for opening my eyes to the carnivore community.  I have been able to take away something from each of your guests that you have interviewed, and it has really changed my life.
THANK YOU, Doc.
Aly Caulder

What is the best (or top 3) pieces of advice you could give someone starting their keto/carnivore health journey?

-DO NOT be afraid of fat
-Love yourself and have patience – each person has their own pace
-Have faith and pray