Sustainable Fat Loss with Ease and Pleasure on Animal Foods

Chris uses an animal-based carnivore diet to achieve sustainable fat loss and healthy body composition. He loves how his body is healing and regenerating! Chris is a positive influence to many others, inspiring them to eat more quality meat and feel better for it.

I hope you as inspired as I am after reading Chris’s story!

Please introduce yourself briefly with your name, general location, age, height, and current weight.

My name is Chris Baker, and I live in the greater Houston area. I am 32 years old, I am 5’7, and I currently weight 182 lbs.

How long have you followed a carnivore diet?

I have been following a less than strict carnivore diet for a little over a year now, with periods of significant strictness, and other periods where my personal rules were a bit looser. Even still, no carbohydrates from grains, only a few have occasionally come from vegetation (usually sprouts or broccoli, for gut healing reasons), and some probiotic yogurt, and some cheese every so often. As I said, some time periods were much more strict, others more loose. Just depended on my goals, or what I was trying to achieve. What will not change or fluctuate is the fact that I will utilize this WOE for the rest of my life.

How did you hear about carnivory and the zero fiber approach?

I had started following Sv3rige, actually. I enjoyed his videos and his combative nature with vegans. But the more I read into the science of eating exclusively animal products, the more people I searched out. I came across Primal Edge Health, Dr. Paul Saladino, Dr. Shawn Baker, and others in the keto, intermittent fasting, and carnivore community, who helped to provide a wealth of information. I’ve since bought books, subscribed to further youtube channels, read blogs, and have happily been a part of this community, learning, helping people (I work in fitness), passing along what others have so graciously shared with me.

What was your first impression of eating animal foods exclusively?

I think some people, when first introduced to this, think that for some reason it’s crazy, or a fad. I never thought like that. To me, it immediately made a lot of sense, especially from an epigenetic standpoint, as well as food anthropology, both fields I’m studying as a hobby. 

What made you want to try this WOE for yourself? Where were you coming from at the time?

Well, at the time, I had been experimenting with dirty keto, the bacon diet, vegetarianism, and wasn’t particularly serious. But a change in employment and a desire to take my career in a vastly different direction caused me to really evaluate these various diets and buckle down and get serious. 

Was the beginning hard? Were there any unexpected flare-ups or side effects?

Absolutely not. In fact, I found it to be quite easy, and enjoyable. I had already been trying to minimalize in my life, and I am big on creating a positive and utilitarian mindset. I approach the carnivore woe the way all those genius’s do when it comes to clothes – you know, the ones who wear only one outfit, every single day? Carnivore allowed me to simplify my food options. Plus, it’s just so much better for my body. Because of this, the only side-effects I had were weight loss and a much better body composition!

Did any symptoms get worse before they got better?

Nope, still losing weight, and getting stronger. 😉

Where did your motivation to keep going come from?

My wife and kids, and wanting to do right by them. By getting my body healthy again, I am one step closer to being able to achieve my long term career goals. So there’s a health aspect, wanting to live longer and better, but also, there’s a desire to just be a better version of myself, for my family’s sake. That’s my motivation, in a nutshell. 

How long until you saw results? What is your marker of “healing”?

Well, when I first started, I simply changed how I ate. I ate about 95% carnivore, the other 5% being dairy (cheese, primarily, and some cream in my coffee), and with no exercise whatsoever, I dropped 14lbs in 2 weeks flat. In addition, I could tell that I wasn’t as tired or sluggish come midday, and I was sleeping better. Adding those things together, I knew something positive was happening. 

Were your family and friends supportive of your choices?

Oh, definitely. It’s been hard to argue with the results. In fact, since then, although I am still the only person in my immediate and extended family who is following a carnivore diet, my eating habits have definitely rubbed off on them, and they are eating more – quality – meat.

What other diets have you followed, how long were you on them, and what were the results?

Well, a few years ago, because of my then-religion, I decided to try vegetarianism. (I couldn’t go all the way to veganism; I like cheese too much). I eventually transitioned into vegan juicing due to the documentary “fat, sick, and nearly dead.” My wife and I did that for around 3 months. As for weight/fat loss, there weren’t any results. We felt fine, no hiccups or side-effects or anything like that. But we didn’t feel healthier. Our sleep was the same, which at that time, was quite poor. It didn’t improve. So while we don’t have anything necessarily bad to say about vegetarianism/vegan juicing, I don’t really have anything positive to say either.

Afterwards, I didn’t really care about what I ate, and during that time, I gained entirely way too much weight. A few years later, I decided it was time to lose some weight, and read about some people who had done the bacon-only diet. I started by going and getting my blood-work done. I had my bloodwork analyzed, and long story short, all the bad markers were elevated, and all the good markers were low, or almost non-existent. I did the bacon diet for a month (about 2lbs of bacon per day), and although I didn’t lose a single pound, when I had my bloodwork done, my attending physician asked what I had done. I told him I spent the last month eating bacon, and he deadpan looks at me and says “…get out of my office.” He told me that all of the medical literature he learned in med-school said such a thing shouldn’t have been possible. That was my first foray into all meat eating. And although I still love bacon, I wasn’t sure I could go much longer eating exclusively bacon. 

What did you use to eat before turning to animal-based nutrition?

The SAD diet, mostly. Omnivore kind of stuff. But still sprinkled with things that were entirely too palette stimulating, high energy, low nutrition type of foods. Up to that point, nothing worked the way I had hoped for, and aside from positive blood work, I wasn’t seeing weight loss results. I resigned myself to thinking that I was just going to be fat or chubby for life. 

What do you eat now? Are you strict meat only? Do you eat poultry, pork, or seafood? Do you eat eggs or dairy (raw or pasteurized)?

If you go to my Instagram account, you’ll get a pretty good idea of what I eat now (@animalbasedpaganguy) I quite enjoy showing people what I eat, because of accountability reasons, but I’m a real person. I’m eating real food. And I like to show people that they can do it, too. But for the most part, I am about 90-95% animal based, all the time.

As for what meats, I eat all cuts, beef, chicken, pork, fish, eggs, etc…I also try to eat a pound of liver per week, or every 2 weeks. I do still have dairy, in the form of A2 milk/creamer for my coffee, and use organic erythritol for my sweetener. I occasionally still eat cheese. I will also infrequently utilize probiotic yogurt, and I love kefir.

My point is to eat with purpose. Regardless of what I am eating, I eat with specific goals in mind. I tell clients all the time to eat with purpose. Food isn’t just what you shove down your throat. Food is fuel. And whatever the mission is, you fuel correctly. Food is a tool. If I need to shovel snow off my driveway, I’m not going to use a gardening shovel. Likewise, if I’m gardening, I’m not going to use a snow shovel.

In my experience, before people can really start to understand the mechanics behind sustained weight-loss, it’s important that they reevaluate their relationship with food. Most eating is done mindlessly. I like to try and help people recognize that food is an input, and if they are looking for a certain output – performance, weight/fat loss, body composition, etc… – they need to change how they eat. 

Do you ever use culinary herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc) or spices (cinnamon, ginger, hot peppers)? Do you ever add a plant-based condiment like mustard or salad dressing, etc? 

Herbs, yes. Condiments, no. For me, I am of the opinion that meat is food. Vegetation is seasoning or medicine.

Do you track macros or calories?

1gram of protein/lb in body weight. Sometimes a little higher. That’s the only macro I count.

Do you supplement with anything?

With weight loss as the goal, no.

What is your current view on vegetables and plant foods?

Vegetation is seasoning or medicine. You only take medicine when you are sick. Take too much medicine, unnecessarily, and you can become even sicker. Take it in the appropriate amounts when sick, and you can heal. Aside from healing a specific ailment or condition, meat is sustaining enough.

Do you ever think of reintroducing plant material to your diet? Would you perhaps do so in the future? (Could be anything from herbs to white rice to mushrooms to berries, etc) If you have reintroduced something, what was it and what happened?

Again, only as medicine or seasoning. Do I generally have vegetables as a side with my meals? Definitely not. I’ve found that eating vegetables comes with too many negative strings attached, and try to limit them as much as possible unless there is a specific reason I might include very specific plants.

That said, vegetation – like nightshades – I will permanently avoid for the rest of my life. I generally don’t eat fruit anymore, seasoning, medicine, or otherwise, at all.

I’ve accidentally had some things that utilized tomatoes, or gluten, and almost instantly regretted it. Heartburn, chest pain, joint aches, (it appeared as gluten intolerance in the wheat-based thing I accidentally ate), etc…Never again. Happily so.

Do you ever miss a specific food, meal, or texture?

I’ve always been a fan of the food composition of bread, meat, and cheese – so burgers, burritos, kolaches, etc… And with kolaches being one of my all-time favorite foods, I find myself missing those. That said, I can, and do, without them. And I’m a better person for it.

What does a typical day of eating look like for you? What did you eat today?

If we’re talking exclusively food, I pretty much eat only meat. It can be some kind of combination of ribeye, NY strip, brisket, chicken breast, bacon, eggs, salmon, trout, ahi tuna, canned chicken/tuna, etc…I also still enjoy my daily coffee and tea drinking, and I drink an absolute ton of water. Carbonated, if I can help it. 

Do you practice fasting or OMAD? 

I have been doing OMAD for the majority of the time I have been on this woe, but have recently switched to 2 meals a day, putting my fasting routine somewhere in the 16/8 to other stricter times that fall just short of a 24 hr fast. I sprinkle a few longer fasts in every now and then each month, as well.

Would you recommend a carnivore diet to someone else and why?

I absolutely would, and I have. And to those who’ve taken the advice, really dived head in, they’ve seen great results as well. It’s been tremendously fulfilling seeing them succeed here, where other ways of eating failed them. Especially with how excited they are now that they’re losing fat, and healing their body. 

What would you say to someone 2 weeks into a carnivore diet who is having a hard time?

I would say, stick with it. Every body is different. You can’t heal 27 years of poor eating habits with 2 weeks of changes. Some people have dramatically good results. Some people need more time. It takes 4 year to earn a college degree. But nobody after a single semester says “man, I can’t believe I don’t have that degree yet…”

If someone wants to learn more about your health journey or contact you, where is the best place for them to go?

Instagram or facebook. My IG account is @animalbasedpaganguy, and my Facebook page is Christopher Bryce. I love connecting with people on a health and healing journey, and who either want advice or just someone to talk to. Especially if, like me, you like talking about the intersections of health, wellness, and native spirituality. 

Read more Carnivore Diet results.

Are you ready to try animal-based nutrition for yourself?