Eating only Bacon for 30 days

[CyberB0b]

http://ketogasm.com/the-bacon-experiment-interview/

Dan: The biggest and most unexpected change was losing so much body fat in the 30 days. I lost 19.6 pounds by the end of the month and ate 60 pounds of bacon during that same time! Crazy right? My energy was good the entire time and my doctor was quite impressed with my blood work. I had a complete blood panel done before and after this experiment. My blood pressure dropped 30 points, my cholesterol numbers looked good, and my liver markers were perfect. My Dr. told me, “Keep doing whatever it is that you’re doing because it’s working!” I still eat bacon most days for breakfast.

 

[Jammer]

I've done the low-carb diets before with great results, but I would not have lasted more than a few days (if that) eating nothing but bacon. I'm one of the few people who think bacon is just "okay".

 

[Melonfeud]

My best bro dropped almost 40 lbs during his divorce eating only meat ( Adkins?)
I have an old time cowboy rancher/writer friend who turned me on to the art of frying up the whole damn package of bacon at one time then putting a half dozen slices in zip lock bags and throwing them in the freezer,,, ya, that didn't last long with me(3 days max.), as I would always stuff one in my shirt pocket heading out the door.
He's a cool old dude,once was a cattle rancher in old Mexico and flew his Cessna into the states , that was back and forth in the late 60's early 70's

 

[65fastback2plus2]

I did same (protein, no carb) diet a couple years ago for 2 months. I went from 185 to 165 and was eating over 3000 calories per day. My headaches disappeared too.

Its amazing how going to the right food helps so much...forget counting any calories, just eat good food.

 

[MichaelWinicki]

While I don't think a continued diet of eating bacon is the best thing due to the salt...

The real culprit in most of our diets are the carbohydrates... Just brutal what they do to the body when you consumer too many over the course of a day (which many do)...

We start off with a cereal or bread or bagel or donut loaded with carbs.

The for lunch we have pizza or a sub sandwich loaded with carbs.

Then for supper we have pasta with more bread which is loaded with carbs.

Then many partake in drinks & desserts that add to the carb overload.

Our weights balloon. Our blood sugar sky rockets. Our hearts fail.

It's a mess.

 

[Idgit]

That sounds disgusting, plus, you run the risk of turning yourself off of bacon permanently. That said, ketogenic diets are amazing. If you balance your macros properly and keep around 30-50g of carbs/day. The best thing about it is the consistent energy you get when you cut out the sugar swings. Plus, they work and are sustainable.

 

[LittleBoyBlue]

Oh boy

 

[viman96]

I've done the low-carb diets before with great results, but I would not have lasted more than a few days (if that) eating nothing but bacon. I'm one of the few people who think bacon is just "okay".

Keto is more than low carbs. It is high fat, low protein and very low carbs. Percentage wise the daily macros break down to this:

75-90% fat
5-15% protein
5% carbs

 

[punchnjudy]

As long as I limit myself to fruits and veges, carbs don't cause me problems. But the processed stuff...I could eat 2000 calories in one sitting, lol.

 

[Reality]

What I learned about going low-carb is that you cannot do it as a temporary diet, not if you need to lose a lot of weight permanently. You have to make changes to your permanent diet if you want to keep the weight off. Low-carb eating habits make losing weight a lot easier than working it off with exercise (still good to do both), but if you ever start eating carbs again, especially large amounts, the weight will eventually return.

While a low-carb diet can give you great results in the first 30 days, you have to treat it as a lifestyle change not a solution to a problem. It typically takes 2-4 days for your body to switch into ketosis (when your body uses fat for energy instead of carbohydrates), so once you get into ketosis and then you later decide to eat a pizza, pasta, cookies, donuts, etc., even just one time, your body will be quite happy to switch out of ketosis and return to carb-based energy.

The story in the OP is actually the smartest approach .. not bacon per se, but the strategy. The key with going low-carb long term is to find something you like and eat it a majority of the time. Your body adapts better to food consistency and it also makes it much easier to stay the course when it comes to diets. Some people need more variety and that's fine, but when you start to spend more and more time trying to figure out something new to eat, you inevitably see all of the food you love that you cannot eat and it makes what you can eat a lot less appealing.

My suggestion to anyone who considers a low carb diet is to do your research and find as many no/low-carb food items you like as you can before you start. Make yourself a list and keep it handy. That way, once you start your no/low-carb diet, you have a variety of options to choose from and when you go grocery shopping, you can go straight to the food you can eat rather than spend time looking at all the food you cannot eat.

 

[danielofthesaints]

Med student here.

First I thought something Reality said should be highlighted. The reason why most diets fail to work is due to the binge eating that happens once the diet regiment is over. If you can make it a lifestyle with no end date, you won't end up being surprised when the progress made over a 2 month long diet disappears in 1 week after the diet ends.

2) If OP only ate bacon for 30 days, they better be taking a vitamin supplement. It's easy to focus on the macronutrients, but the micros are very often overlooked. His feeling of "good energy" would not last very long once key micronutrients used up their remaining storage deposits in the body.

3) Dietary intake has very little influence over blood cholesterol levels. Research has shown that genetics is more influential. That being said, it wouldn't hurt to reduce the trans and saturated fats from your diet.

 

[viman96]

FWIW I have been ketoish and low carb for a little over a year and lost 50 lbs in 12 months. It is a lifestyle change and not a diet. I eat a lot of bacon, eggs and avocados Burgers are now eaten as lettuce wraps or get it as a salad. I still consume carbs and will have a reload day once every 1 to 2 weeks just depending how I ate that particular week.

If you like meat, healthy fats, green vegetables and if you have a sweet tooth using sugar substitutes then you can handle a keto diet. For me the hardest part was giving up bread but still allow for it once or twice a month.

 

[Tabascocat]

I am 6'2" and have been since I was a freshman in HS. I weighed about 155 then(tall and lanky) and weigh about 175 now(mid-40's). I hate veggies and the closest I get to that rabbit food is corn and an occasional salad with nothing more than cheese, croutons and ham on it

Basically, I eat mainly meat and potatoes with a lot of pasta and seafood. I have eaten this way since I can remember and I'm healthy as a horse with excellent blood work

I am 100% carnivore

 

[Sarge]

I personally enjoy the pizza diet. Eat as much as you like and buy new britches as needed.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

While a low-carb diet can give you great results in the first 30 days, you have to treat it as a lifestyle change not a solution to a problem. It typically takes 2-4 days for your body to switch into ketosis (when your body uses fat for energy instead of carbohydrates), so once you get into ketosis and then you later decide to eat a pizza, pasta, cookies, donuts, etc., even just one time, your body will be quite happy to switch out of ketosis and return to carb-based energy.

I think you meant 2-4 months?

 

[65fastback2plus2]

I personally enjoy the pizza diet. Eat as much as you like and buy new britches as needed.

lol

 

[Reality]

I think you meant 2-4 months?

It only takes me 2-3 days, but only when I go no-carbs.

From WebMD ..

For healthy people who don't have diabetes and aren't pregnant, ketosis usually kicks in after 3 or 4 days of eating less than 50 grams of carbohydrates per day. That's about 3 slices of bread, a cup of low-fat fruit yogurt, or two small bananas. You can start ketosis by fasting, too.

 

[65fastback2plus2]

It only takes me 2-3 days, but only when I go no-carbs.

From WebMD ..

Nice. I guess I mixed it up with how long people say it takes the body to fully adjust to a new diet.

 

[Bigdog]

The see food diet is the best diet around. I see food, I eat, lol.

 

[CyberB0b]

Nice. I guess I mixed it up with how long people say it takes the body to fully adjust to a new diet.

You can get into ketosis pretty quickly if you use up all of your glycogen stores early in the diet. Doing HIIT sprints, for example. Weight is all thermodynamics. If calories in > calories out, you will gain weight, and vice versa. People who do low carb drop weight quickly, but it is usually a lot of water weight. The biggest benefit to being in ketosis is that food cravings go away, and since you are eating food high in fat and protein, you feel fuller for longer and eat less calories.