Just one year ago, Patrick Ensley weighed around 300 pounds.
The size of his belly was almost too large to be measured with a measuring tape and his depression was debilitating.
Patrick, an HVAC technician in Milford, Nebraska, transformed his life when he adopted a full-carnivore diet, eating a 16-ounce steak, a pound of ground beef and a half-dozen eggs every day.
Since then, Patrick has lost 140lbs, he has more energy to play with his son, and his depressive cloud has lifted. The diet changed his life, he said, and he’s never felt healthier.
The carnivore diet has become trendier by the year, with advocates like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson saying it improved their mental and physical abilities.
Yet a gap is opening between what followers of the diet report about their health and the science.
Increasingly, studies have linked a diet high in red meat to higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer.
Some doctors say those studies don’t differentiate between whole red meats like steak and lamb chops and junk food like hamburgers and hot dogs.
Patrick, pictured with his son in 2022, lost 180 pounds over a year thanks to a highly resistrictive carnivore-only diet
Patrick, an HVAC technician in Milford, Nebraska, transformed his life by adopting a full-carnivore diet, eating a 16-ounce steak, a pound of ground beef, and six eggs daily
Before embarking on his all-carnivore journey alongside his wife Caitlynn, Patrick’s chest measured 51 inches. It has since shrunk by 13 inches.
His belly shrunk 19 inches from 57 inches, and his hip circumference dropped from 49.5 inches to 37.
‘I still have about 15 to 20 more pounds left till I hit my goal but the difference between then and now is insane,’ he said in a YouTube video documenting his journey.
Before his weight-loss journey, Patrick would come home from work with completely sapped energy levels.
He would lay on the couch until he fell into a fitful sleep.
‘But now I come home, and I’m able to throw around my 2-year-old son on the couch and swing him upside down and play trucks and trains and all the fun stuff he likes to do and still have energy left over from my family.’
His sleep used to be marked by terrible snoring that sent his wife to the couch most nights, saying he would ‘rattle the walls.’
He went from zero motivation to overflowing with it, now able to ‘get things done,’ like housework and mowing the lawn.
He said: ‘I woke up several times throughout the night.
‘I’d wake up in the morning; even if I had 10 hours of sleep, I’d wake up just not wanting to get out of bed.
‘I’d be sore and stiff. My ankles and my back and my knees would hurt, and I’ve just been miserable.’
The diet can become pretty monotonous, Patrick said, so to mix it up he’ll sometimes eat sauteed shrimp or air-fried chicken wings
‘But now I no longer snore. I don’t wake up as frequently in the night, and I just have better quality of sleep. I wake up feeling refreshed, energized, and ready to start the day, and I’m not in pain anymore,’ he said.
His work performance also improved. Before, he struggled to do his job because he weighed over 300 pounds.
He would get out of breath just climbing a flight of stairs or a ladder, and his size made it hard to fit into tight spaces.
Now, he can climb four or five flights of stairs before feeling winded, ladders are much easier to navigate, and he can fit into tight spaces without a problem.
His depression and brain fog also disappeared.
‘It’s a lot sharper now, and my words come out the way they’re supposed to.
‘I’ve struggled with depression, and I used to feel like a prisoner in my own body because I was so big, heavy, and unhealthy. It held me back from doing the things I wanted to do.
‘Even after the first month or two, I noticed a huge change in my mood, ambition, and positivity. I felt better mentally almost right away. This experience has completely changed my life, and I’ve found my purpose again.’
Patrick’s success on the carnivore diet, along with others like Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson, contrasts with evidence of its risks. A 2023 Harvard report found that eating just two servings of meat per week increases the risk of type 2 diabetes
Patrick’s great success on the diet, and the fact that Joe Rogan, Jordan Peterson, and other carnivores have maintained fit, healthy physiques, doesn’t match up with the expanding amount of evidence pointing to its harms.
For instance, People who eat just two servings of meat per week are at an increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes, according to a 2023 report by public health researchers at Harvard University.
The research, based on data from over 216,000 participants followed for up to 36 years, revealed that those who ate the most red meat had a 62 percent higher risk of type 2 diabetes compared to those who ate the least.
Meanwhile, researchers at Oxford University analyzed data from over 1.4 million people across thirteen different studies and found that higher consumption of red meat increased the risk of heart disease by 18 percent with each additional 50 grams eaten per day.
Unprocessed red meat (e.g., beef, lamb, pork) raised the risk by 9 percent per additional 50 grams per day.
But not all experts are in agreement.
Dr Aseem Malhotra, a British cardiologist, suggested that red meat has been unfairly demonized and that there is ‘no evidence’ that it increases these conditions
He said: ‘I tell my patients, ‘I don’t care how much red meat you eat…’ the evidence is only there for processed meat, not red meat.’
Dr Malhotra agrees with other experts who have pointed out that many studies on meat and cancer risk fail to distinguish between different types of meat.
He has highlighted the paradox that while red meat is often vilified, refined grains like white bread and pasta continue to be recommended in US dietary guidelines.
However, the American Heart Association still advises moderating the consumption of red meat and other foods high in saturated fat, such as eggs.
Mainstream medical science says red meat is bad because it is typically high in saturated fat, which can raise your LDL (‘bad’) cholesterol levels.
Over time, this cholesterol clogs up the arteries, causing inflammation and damage to blood flow.
Some doctors have challenged this theory, saying that sugar is the main culprit when it comes to heart disease and cancers.
Patrick used to come home from work completely drained, collapsing on the couch until falling into restless sleep. Now, he comes home full of energy, playing with his 2-year-old son while still having energy left over
Patrick’s first piece of advice for those toying with the idea of going all-carnivore, is to remove all non-meat items from your home to avoid temptation. If it’s in the house, he and Caitlynn said, you’ll eat it.
He also recommended filling your kitchen with convenient, carnivore-friendly foods like boiled eggs, homemade meatballs, pork rinds, string cheese, meat sticks, beef jerky, salami, and pepperoni. At the same time, he said it’s important to develop a meal plan to avoid too much snacking.
Then, he said to write down your ‘why’. For him, it was to see his young son grow up.
He said: ‘Post it somewhere. For me I put my wallpaper as my son on my phone so I saw it every day. Put it somewhere where you’re going to see it’
He also advised viewers to track their progress. Take ‘before’ pictures and measurements, even if it feels uncomfortable. Track changes regularly to monitor your progress. Finally, Subscribe to channels or communities offering encouragement, recipes, and motivation.
The carnivore diet is extremely restrictive. While Patrick suggests the keto diet as a manageable stepping stone to going meat-only, some doctors warn that its potential health risks may outweigh the benefits
‘Take ‘before’ pictures, even if it feels uncomfortable, because months down the road, you’ll look back and say, ‘Wow, I’ve changed so much.’
‘You’ll see how much weight you’ve lost and can track progress, like losing 20 inches off your belly. When the scale stalls, those photos and measurements will remind you that you’re still making progress, so you don’t lose motivation.’
It’s a good idea to speak with your doctor before embarking on this major life shift.
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Experts have warned that the diet could lead to heart disease, the ancient sailor disease scurvy — and even colorectal cancer.
Jane Clarke, a UK-based specialist bowel nurse, warned that a diet restricted to meat products strips away vital nutrients like vitamin C and fiber, while loading up on harmful cholesterol.
A carnivore diet can lead to eating excess amounts of protein, or protein poisoning. This is excessive protein intake without carbs and fat to balance out the nutrients.
In these cases, the kidneys cannot properly filter out all of the protein and strain to keep up, which can lead to kidney damage, especially those with pre-existing kidney conditions.
Jane Clarke, a UK-based specialist bowel nurse, also warned recently: ‘When your diet is just plate after plate of saturated fat and cholesterol, you are putting immense strain on your heart,’ Ms Clarke said.
‘Eating a carnivore diet long-term will increase your risk of heart attacks and strokes.’
Joe Rogan regularly cycles on and off a carnivore diet, citing benefits like improved energy, weight loss, and mental health
Dr Malhotra, meanwhile, has also argued that red meat, despite its long-standing association with heart disease, does not actually increase the risk of heart disease.
The restrictive diet only allows consumption of meat, poultry, eggs, seafood, fish, some dairy products, and water. It also excludes vegetables, fruits, grains, legumes, seeds, and nuts.
‘When you’re on a strict elimination diet, it gets very monotonous, so what I eat in a day is really boring [but] it definitely worked for me,’ Patrick said.
Patrick says the keto diet is a doable onramp to meat-only, but it has also been shown to carry certain health risks that some doctors advise outweigh the benefits.
Animal fat is primarily saturated fat, the unhealthiest type. It raises levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol, a waxy substance that clogs arteries and impedes blood flow to the brain and heart, raising the odds of a stroke or heart attack.
Other long-term concerns include kidney stones, gout, and osteoporosis.
At the same time, the diet has its benefits. It completely eliminates high-sugar and ultraprocessed foods, well known to increase the risk of severe obesity, heart disease, dementia, and increased risk of early death overall.
