Week 15 Carnivore Diet blog - thoughts expanded

I've been exploring a carnivore diet for the past 3-4 months as part of my efforts to lose weight and achieve optimal health. I've been documenting that journey on my YouTube channel. I realized that I was missing an opportunity by not expanding upon my videos by writing my thoughts. Check out the video below.

Extended Thoughts

I still love thanksgiving because of positive memories of being with family. But as I reflect on my weight loss journey I think about how much of thanksgiving memories are associated with being uncomfortably full and bloated.

The tendency with family get togethers has been to feast. There is a natural desire to feed your loved ones and share happiness with an excess of eating and drinking. It might be natural and come from a good place but it isn't a healthy tradition.

Can we change these traditions? Can we break these habits of associating fun times with loved ones with gluttony?

I certainly am not going to exhort people to try and change traditions but I want to change those traditions for me and my family. I would like to have this be the first thanksgiving where I keep my belt on until I go to bed.

I'm a big fan of the idea of little nudges. Making small but conscious changes in behavior towards a larger goal. Thanksgiving and the holidays are a good opportunity for me to make a few nudges towards conscious behavior and better habits.

I think a few reasonable nudges towards a better thanksgiving might include:

Working out before I get together with family - going to the gym before we meet for lunch would rev up the metabolism and help with the day
Going for a walk right after dinner - there seems to be some evidence that walking after dinner helps to regulate blood sugar. I don't really need a scientific paper to tell me that walking after eating a lot can help me feel better but it is good to have some back up to encourage me when it is cold and I don't really feel like going out.
Standing up more during the day - it is really easy to spend all of thanksgiving day on the couch. Socializing while standing up isn't going to make a huge difference calorie wise but I suspect that the collective habit of standing up more will be beneficial in the long run.
Intermittent fasting and protein snacking - these are going to be the two most important things that I will for thanksgiving. These are an extension of my commitment to a carnivor-ish diet.
One dessert - this is a tough one but I will commit myself to one dessert even if there are three or four desserts. Better than going for all of it!

I don't want to promise too much but if I commit to working out, intermittent fasting and conscious eating I will consider thanksgiving a victory. These nudges will offer an opportunity for conscious eating while not making the day feel like an exercise in willpower.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Love to you all!