I went with 2 lbs of bacon a day for 30 days about a year ago. Usually had eggs and avocadoes with it. Lost 25ish lbs. 1 meal a day, no snacks, no carbs, no sugar (got my same coffee drink everyday, but that was it). No beer was the hardest part. After I hit where I wanted to be I went back to my previous eating routine, I've gained 10 lbs in a year.

LMAO, that's hardcore! Did you do this because you thought bacon was healthier than other meats? Or was it kind of a random challenge that you just wanted to try?

Cheap, easy and effective. I baked it on skewers in the oven, the bacon cost about $4/lb using Winco "economy bacon" from the deli and less using "ends and pieces". Read about it, seemed like it got results. And it did for me.

Wow that's crazy. Did you smell like bacon all day?

MadPick is right, that's hardcore.

Congrats on losing 25# tho.

Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with it.

I friend of mine is has been on keto for about a year and swears by it.

I've been on a high protein (about a gram per pound per day) low carb, lots of raw veggies/fruit plan combined with regular daily exercise for about two years now.

I'm 44, not on any meds, have no health issues and Im in the best shape of my life.

Hey, I saw this video today and thought of you, Jeffro.

I went keto (mostly, allowing a cheat meal every two weeks) for about a year and dropped 50lb--the goal starting in Feb 2019 at 240lb was "40lb by my 40th birthday" in June 2020, back to the nice even 200 of my college days rater than the weight of a similarly-built frat brother six inches taller. Man, that Olive Garden lasagna never tasted so good knowing that I had EARNED it... I'm a little heavier than I'd like again so I'm tacking back into my steaks/chicken/protein-and-salads routine, but my usual pattern is to set two weights as "floor" and "ceiling"--when I hit or break the Ceiling weight (200lb) I go back on the keto/carb-managed until I get back to the floor or under (190lb for now though aiming for 185), then eat as I like until I hit the ceiling again.

BIG CONGRATS STEVE!
My parents have been on pretty hardcore keto (using a ketone meter occasionally to ensure they stay in ketosis) for 4 years now. It seems some people can eat more carbs and stay in ketosis. My dad has to stay at 20g / day or less, but my mom can be up around 40g / day. It has been great for their health so far. My dad had not weighed under 200 lbs since I can remember back in my childhood, usually up around 220. He wore size 44 pants. He was on 4 different blood pressure meds. In his mid-70's, he couldn't walk more than about a 1/2 mile before his legs caused him pain and he had to rest. In the last few months my dad decided to go more carnivore and said he feels even better.
His new stats at age 79:
Weighs 175
Wears size 36 pants
Went from wearing a lot of size 2x tops, to mostly larges
Has eliminated all but 1 BP med, and that's at the lowest allowable dose
Can walk at least a mile, probably farther, but untested
*Huge side benefit - he'd had late onset food allergies at around 60 yrs old for shrimp, avocados, and cantaloupe. Keto has erased them!

I'm still not entirely sold on Keto for myself long term, as I engage in some hobbies requiring physical endurance and am not sure I could make it work. But I think I will be trying it for short term weight loss and hopes of a bit of a metabolic reset.

Chip, that's great news about your parents!



Yeah, that seems to agree with my understanding . . . keto is great, but carnivore is even better, health-wise, for many people.



I'm old and lazy enough now that I no longer have such hobbies , but I've heard this concern expressed by a number of people. I've also heard some of the well-known keto/carnivore docs say that it's not a concern at all. Dr. Anthony Chaffee is probably the one I've heard from the most on this topic; he's an athlete himself (rugby) and he has listed a number of world-class athletes that eat a carnivore diet and are successful.

Y'all might find Stephanie Laska's Dirty Lazy Keto cookbooks worth the read, and Rocco Dispirito had a couple on Keto and Low-Carb adaptations of Italian ccuisine that were good too.

Since my gal is Celiac nd can't have gluten, I spliced this together for her from two of RDS's aforementioned books:

Spinach Pasta - The Negative Calorie Diet p.191

Ingredients
Olive oil cooking spray
2tsp chopped garlic
heaping 1/2 cup basil leaves
crushed red pepper flakes
one 20oz bag washed spinach
1/4 cup egg white powder
1tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 350d F.
2. Lightly coat large saucepan/skillet with cooking spray. Place skillet over medium-high heat, add 2tsp of garlic. Cook the garlic, stirring, until golden brown. Add basil leaves, a pinch of red pepper flakes and the spinach. Cook until the spinach has wilted and all the excess water has evaporated.
3. Place the spinach mixture in a bowl over ice water to chill it down quickly. Once chilled, squeeze out any excess water and put the spinach and egg white powder into a blender and blend until smooth.
4. Place a pice of parchment paper or silpat liner in a baking sheet. Spread out the spinach mixture in a thin layer over the sheet and bake until cooked through, about 5 min. Let cool slightly. Remove the paper and spinach mixture from the baking sheet, then gently peel off the paper from the now solid spinach layer. Rpeat with any remaining mixture. Carefully roll up the mixture and cut into thin pasta-like strips.

Mama's Keto Meatballs - Rocco's Keto Comfort Food Diet p.215

Ingredients

Marinara Sauce
--1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
--1 clove garlic, crushed through a press
--2tbsp finly chopped yellow onion
--3/4tsp tomato paste
--red pepper flakes
--Celtic or other sea salt
--Freshly ground black pepper
--1 16oz can tomato puree
--1/2 16oz can crushed tomatoes
--1/4 cup chicken stock
--1.5 cups water
--1/8tsp liquid stevia (optional for sweeter sauce)
OR 1 jar of a store-bought good low-carb marinara

Meatballs
--Olive oil or avocado oil cooking spray
--1/3-cup chicken stock
--1/4 yellw onion, roughly choppd
--1 clove garlic, peeled but whole
--1/2 lb ground beef
--1/2 lb ground pork
--1/2 lb ground veal
--1/3 cup parmesan crisps
--2 large eggs
--1/4 cup grated Parmiggiano-Reggiano cheese
--1tsp red pepper flakes
--1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
--1tsp Celtic/other sea salt

Noodles
--1tbsp extra virgin olive oil
--spinach noodles from above
--Celtic/other sea salt
--Freshly ground black pepper

For serving, 1/4 cup grated Parm-Reggiano

Make the Marinara:
1. In a saucepot, heat olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until the garlic is tender and the onion is translucent, about 5 min. Add the tomato paste and cook for 30 seconds. Season with red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper to taste.
2. Add the tomato puree, crushed tomatoes, chicken stock and water to the pot along with the liquid stevia (if using) and stir to combine. Bring to simmer, season with salt to taste, cover and simmer 25-30 mins. If sauce is too thin, simmer uncovered 2-3 mins. If sauce is too thick, add a little water. Sauce should be fairly thin and very smooth, but not watery.

Meanwhile, Make the Meatballs: (if using jar sauce start here)
3. Preheat oven to 400d F. Coat a sheet pan with cooking spray.
4. In a food processor/blender, combine the chicken stock, onion and garlic and puree. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and add the meats, crisps, Parmigiano, pepper flakes, parsley and salt. Mix with hands until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
5. Grease hands with olive oil and form mixture into 12 balls a little smaller than golf balls.
6. Arrange meatballs on sheet pan and bake until browned, at least 18 and up to 20 minutes.
7. Transfer finished meatballs to marinara sauce and allow to simmer for 10-15 mins.

Noodles:
8. In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add spinach noodles and cook until tender[?], at least 2 minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
9. Serve meatballs and sauce over noodles sprinkled with grated Parm.

That could change with enough weight loss and restored energy levels!

Shit. Let's hope not.