Breaking a Weight Loss Stall on Carnivore (My Reset Plan)

As of today, I’ve been back on the carnivore diet for one full month. Unfortunately I haven’t lost a single pound.

I weighed myself this morning, and I’m exactly the same weight I was when I started 30 days ago (151 lbs). I’m a little disappointed. But this just means I have to reflect on what I’ve been doing and how I can improve going forward.

And no, I haven’t cheated AT ALL. I’ve stayed committed and on-track, but I think there are a few reasons my weight didn’t change. In this post, I’m going to walk through them and share how I plan to reset for the next thirty days.

Healing Comes First

After years of dieting and struggling with PCOS, insulin resistance, and inflammation, my body is still healing. Weight loss isn’t always the priority, and it’s often a by-product of deep internal repair.

Carnivore works, but it’s not always linear (as much as we want it to be). Sometimes your body needs to calm inflammation and restore balance before it feels “safe” to drop weight. My hormones are still rebalancing, and my body might be holding onto weight for now as it focuses restoring my metabolic health.

I also quit drinking alcohol when returning to carnivore this time, and I know drinking must have caused a lot of damage to my body. So, I believe this is where I’m at right now – the healing phase.

Too Much Restaurant Food

This past month, I went on several trips, had a birthday celebration for my partner, and I was dealing with some general life chaos. That meant more restaurant food than usual for us.

Even though I ordered carnivore meals (plain meat, no sides, no sauces, etc), the reality is you never really know what’s in restaurant food. You could be eating seed oils, or marinades and seasonings with added sugar. It adds up and can absolutely stall progress, especially for someone with insulin resistance like me.

The first time I went carnivore back in 2022, I was thriving and I never ate at restaurants. I cooked all my food at home, and I really believe it made a big difference.

Pork, Chicken, and Cheese

Even within the scope of carnivore, not all animal foods affect me the same. I feel my best when I stick to the simplest approach, also known as BBBE:

• Beef
• Butter
• Bacon
• Eggs

I’ve been relying more on pork, chicken, and cheese lately. While those foods are technically carnivore-friendly, they don’t seem to work as well for my body when it comes to fat loss. I feel more satiated and see better results when I stick to primarily ruminant meats and keep things simple.

I also drink 8 ounces of coffee with heavy cream every morning. I did this before when I was losing 100 lbs and it didn’t seem to affect me, so I’m going to keep doing it now too. We’ll see how it goes after thirty days.

Increased Exercise

This past month I’ve also been running and hiking regularly, which makes me feel amazing. But it’s possible the scale is reflecting water retention, muscle growth, or just the normal flux that happens with increased activity.

The scale doesn’t always show fat loss, especially when you’re exercising. Your body composition can change even if your weight stays the same. (I have to keep reminding myself of this when I feel disappointed about my progress.)

My Reset Plan for the Next Month

To break through this stall, I’m going back to basics and doing a BBBE reset for the next 30 days. Here’s what I’m doing:

• Beef, butter, bacon & eggs only
• Eating until I’m comfortably full at every meal (no tracking)
• No pork, chicken, or cheese (with the exception of bacon)
• No restaurant food (everything cooked at home)
• Tracking measurements instead of just weight
• Taking before/after pictures so I can see progress
• Continue with regular exercise (3-5 times a week)

I’ll eat the foods that work best for my body, and track my inches lost. This is an experiment to remove variables, simplify my meals, and see how my body responds. I’ll re-evaluate my approach after 30 days (and I’ll update here on the blog with my results, so stay tuned).

The Bigger Picture

Carnivore is not some crash diet for me. It’s how I plan to eat for the rest of my life. I see this as a lifestyle and a long-term approach to health. That means stalls and plateaus are bound to be a normal part of the process.

If you’re experiencing a stall and feeling frustrated, remember this:

• The scale is not the only metric. You might be losing inches, healing inflammation, gaining energy, or reparing internal systems you don’t even know need to be repaired.
• And don’t be afraid to experiment. Use this as an opportunity to take inventory of what you’ve been eating:
  • Are you eating too much dairy? Or is dairy affecting you negatively?
  • Are you eating more restaurant food?
  • Are you over-relying on processed carnivore snacks?
  • Could you benefit from a simple BBBE-style reset?

Weight loss is not always linear, especially on a healing diet like carnivore. Plateaus and stalls happen. Your body might be recomping (losing fat while gaining muscle).

I actually tried on a pair of shorts yesterday that didn’t fit me a month ago – and now they do. So something is shifting, even if the scale hasn’t caught up yet.

Starting this week, I’m also tracking my measurements. (I wish I would have done this from the beginning, and I highly recommend it if you want a more realistic picture of your progress.) I also know from experience that the scale doesn’t always tell the whole story, especially for women with PCOS.

I also took some very embarrasing pictures of myself in underwear today. And let me tell you – there’s nothing more motivating than taking pictures of yourself in your underwear. 😅 I plan to continue these “before” pictures once a month so I can really see the difference over time.

Celebrating NSVs (Non-Scale Victories)

While the scale hasn’t budged this month, I’ve noticed so many other improvements. To me, these are just as important (if not more important) than weight loss.

These little improvements are called NSVs (non-scale victories) and they’re a huge part of the carnivore journey. This is especially true in the beginning, when your body is still healing and recalibrating.

Here are just a few of mine from this past month:

• I’m fitting into clothes that didn’t zip up last month
• I’m sleeping through the night and waking up rested
• My skin has cleared up
• My hair is growing back thicker (I have androgenic alopecia due to PCOS)
• My joint pain is almost completely gone
• My mental clarity is off the charts
• I feel peaceful, happy, and calm (no anxiety or depression)

These are the wins that matter and the things that remind me carnivore is working, even if the number on the scale doesn’t show it (yet).

Don’t Give Up

I also want to remind you to not give up. If you’re not losing weight but you know you’re doing everything right, don’t quit! Just stay the course and make small tweaks as needed. You’ll never reach your goals if you quit (or worse, don’t even try).

You have to keep showing up for yourself, because you’re the only one who can do this. Remember that weight loss is a side effect of good health. As your body gets healthier, it will let go of the weight.

What’s Next for Me

I’m definitely not giving up. This is just a minor bump in the road on a long journey forward. I know from experience that carnivore works if you stick to it. So I’m choosing to trust the process and give it another month of consistency.

I’ll report back next month with a full update on my progress – including my updated weight and measurements. Here’s where I stand right now:

• Starting Weight: 151 Lbs
• Current Weight: 151 Lbs
• Waist: 34 inches
• Hip: 42 inches
• Thigh: 23 inches
• Arm: 14 inches

Good luck out there!

PS. If you want to see me speak more in-depth about my stall and reset plan, check out the YouTube video below: