How Long Does it Take to See Results on the Carnivore Diet? Full Guide

It’s the question on every new carnivores’ lips! How long will it take to see results on the carnivore diet?! It was certainly one of my first questions before I started eating this way…

Some people on the carnivore diet will notice weight loss & improvements in mood or energy levels within the 1st week, while others require a longer period of adaptation before experiencing noticeable benefits. The timeline can vary depending on metabolism, overall health, dietary history, etc.

We all want to see results as quickly as possible, but it’s important to understand why some people see faster results than others and how this affects your own expectations. In this article, I’ll cover:

• Why some people see quick results and others take time
• What affects the timeline
• What you can do to help speed things up

Let’s first consider what you can generally expect in terms of timeline to start seeing results on the carnivore diet…

When Should I Expect to See Results on the Carnivore Diet?

For someone going on the carnivore diet for the first time, there is an adaptation phase that you will have to go through first, where your body is going to be adjusting to the new way of eating. (I have more information about the adaptation phase in my article here).

Generally, most people will not see benefits during this phase, as the body will be going through some uncomfortable side effects from all the carbohydrate withdrawal. Side effects can include:

• fatigue
• headaches
• digestive issues
• skin rash
• sugar cravings

The adaptation phase usually lasts between 1 and 3 weeks, after which, most people start to see some benefits on the carnivore diet.

These benefits can include:

• better mental clarity
• better energy levels
• weight loss

Most people will see benefits such as mental clarity, higher energy levels, and better mood much earlier than seeing weight loss results, but again, this will differ depending on the individual. And there also seems to be a general difference in how long it takes females to lose weight vs males.

We’ll discuss which factors are at play in more detail in a bit, but first, let’s take a look at a rough timeline of when you may see which benefits…

Weeks 1 to 3: Expected Results on the Carnivore Diet

As I mentioned earlier, the first few weeks will be your body adjusting to the new style of eating. This also known as the adaptation phase. If you jump on the scale during this time, you will most likely see some weight loss, but it will be water weight, rather than fat loss due to the lack of carbohydrates in the diet.

This part of the diet will be tough for most, as it is a big mental and physical adjustment to make. For more information on how to handle the adaptation phase, check out my article here, where I discuss effective strategies to help handle sugar cravings and other issues during this adaptation phase.

Apart from the initial water weight, you may not see too many benefits yet, (although some lucky individuals can start to see benefits such as better mental focus within a few days).

Likely benefits in weeks 1 to 3 of the carnivore diet:

• initial weight loss (water weight)

Weeks 4 to 6: Expected Results on the Carnivore Diet

By this time, most individuals will be leaving the adaptation phase behind them, and many of the initial symptoms will have started to subside. This is great news, as it means you can start to see some real benefits!

Likely benefits in weeks 4 to 6 of the carnivore diet:

• sugar cravings will subside
• feelings of more consistent energy levels
• improved mental clarity and focus
• possible start of weight loss, or body shape improvements
• generally feeling more satiated and less hungry
• improved skin
• improved digestion

TOP TIP: It is common on the carnivore diet to notice body recomposition before weight loss. Measure your body on a weekly basis rather than keeping an eye on the scale. You may be pleasantly surprised!

Weeks 6 to 8: Expected Results on the Carnivore Diet

Your body has now adjusted fully and you will have probably begun to develop some kind of routine around this way of eating. By this point you will likely start to notice some improvements in your body shape even if you haven’t yet seen any movement on the scale.

Most people will notice a definite improvement in the way they feel by this point, both physically and mentally.

Likely benefits in weeks 6 to 8 of the carnivore diet:

• Improved energy levels
• better mood
• better focus and motivation
• improved body composition
• some weight loss
• clearer, younger looking skin
• good digestion

Weeks 9 to 12: Expected Results on the Carnivore Diet

This is the period where you will most likely become convinced that you love eating this way! You’ve been through the hardest part of the journey and although you haven’t reached all your health and/or weight goals just yet, you’re now feeling better than you have felt for a long time!

Likely benefits in weeks 9 to 12 of the carnivore diet:

• Started to learn true hunger signals (rather than cravings)
• More settled appetite
• significant improvements in mental clarity and focus
• significant improvement in mood
• body continuing to improve its shape
• weight loss is well under way
• significant improvement in skin, hair and nails

Month 3 to 6: Expected Results on the Carnivore Diet

For people who have been dealing with sugar addictions or really strong sugar cravings, this is the period where they will start to completely disapear. You’ll also be well on your way to feeling and looking amazing by this point and won’t want to look back!

You’ll potentially start seeing minor improvements in any autoimmune conditions you may be struggling with.

Likely benefits in month 3 to 6 of the carnivore diet:

• Lingering sugar cravings start to disappear
• Appetite and hunger signals balance and settle
• Confidence increases
• Weight loss continues
• Well-being continues to increase
• Autoimmune conditions may start to improve

Month 6 to 12: Expected Results on Carnivore Diet

This is the period where you likely see the biggest benefits. Up until this point, your energy has come leaps and bounds, you’ve finally freed yourself from those sugar cravings and insatiable hunger, and you feeling like you’re on top of the world.

But the 6 to 12 month mark is where you can expect to understand what it feels like to be at your best. Your body has had enough time to adjust, cravings may feel a thing of the past, and you will start to see real healing from autoimmune conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and others.

Weight loss, if still needed, will start to feel a little more effortless as you may be able to naturally start increasing the time in between meals without much consequence to your energy or hunger levels.

Mood will be fairly stable and positive and you will notice a pretty dramatic body transformation in terms of definition, composition, and weight loss.

Depending on where you were to begin with, you may continue to see more improvement and benefits well after the 12 month mark.

Likely benefits in month 6 to 12 of the carnivore diet:

• Marked improvements to autoimmune conditions
• Major body recomposition/transformation
• Mental and physical health will peak and continue to rise
• Able to go longer between meals without consequence to hunger and/or cravings

TOP TIP: Keeping a journal of all the different benefits you have noticed as time has gone on, will help keep you motivated, and remind you how far you have come. We all respond differently, and reminding ourselves of how far we have come is a great way to stay on track and trust that your body is healing!

Beyond 1 Year on the Carnivore Diet

If you make it to one year on the carnivore diet, you’ve officially become a long-term carnivore! At this point, many report to actually continue to see further benefits in terms of how they feel!

Likely benefits after one year on the carnivore diet:

• Body will stabilize to a healthy and sustained weight
• Recovery time after exercise will be minimal
• Sustained energy and productivity will the new normal
• A good mood and feelings of calmness will be the new normal

Now that you have the above timeline as a rough guide, it’s super important to remember that individual results vary!

We’ve all heard and seen the amazing testimonials of people losing an insane amount of weight or healing their auto-immune disease in what seems to be super quick time, but there are several things that affect how quickly you may or may not see results.

Let’s take a look at what actually affects the speed at which you start seeing benefits, to help you get an indication of where you may fit in to the above timeline…

What Factors Affect How Quickly You See Benefits on the Carnivore Diet?

As I mentioned earlier, things like metabolism, general health, and even your biological sex can make a difference to how quickly you see benefits. Let’s look at what can affect how fast or slow it takes for you to see results…

Metabolism Affects How Quickly You See Results From Carnivore Diet

Your metabolism will be unique depending on several factors, and this will have a direct impact on how quickly (or slowly) you see results on the carnivore diet.

Metabolism is the transformation of nutrients from food, into energy and other essential building blocks for the body. Each person will have a unique metabolic rate, depending on how efficient the body currently is. Having a faster metabolic rate means the body is working more efficiently.

There are many things that affect your metabolic rate, such as:

• age
• sex
• body composition
• genetics
• diet
• physical activity
• sleep patterns
• stress

Some of those things, you won’t be able to control. For example, you will generally have a slower metabolic rate if you are:

• older
• have less muscle mass
• if you are genetically pre-disposed to a lower metabolic rate
• if you are female (female hormones have an impact on metabolic rate)

So, if you fall under any of those categories, you may see a slower result than someone who is for example young, male, with high amount muscle mass.

But there are also things that can help your metabolism, such as physical activity, better sleep, and reducing stress. And it’s a great idea to bear these in mind when on the carnivore diet and are wanting faster results.

FUN FACT: One of the benefits of the carnivore diet, is that it naturally increases your metabolism due to an increase in protein intake and nutrient dense foods!

Your Previous Diet Will Affect How Fast You See Benefits on the Carnivore Diet

Your previous way of eating, and how long you were eating this way will have an impact on how long your body takes to adjust to the carnivore diet. And therefore, it can affect how long it takes you to see results.

The following ways of eating can mean it takes longer not only for your body to adjust, but also to see positive results:

• Vegan
• Vegetarian
• High carbohydrate
• High amount of processed and/or artificial foods
• Very low in fat
• Very low in animal products

You’ll notice that these ways of eating are in direct opposition to the meat-only diet. If your body was used to any of the above ways of eating, then it can a little longer than usual for you to start seeing results on the carnivore diet.

And generally speaking, the longer you were on those diets, the longer it may take for your body to adjust and/or see improvements to your body and health.

On the other hand, the following diets can mean an easier transition to the carnivore diet, and faster results:

• Lower carbohydrate
• Whole foods
• Meat heavy
• Ketogenic
• Paleo

These diets share some similarities to the meat only diet, so your body will have to work less to make the transition, and you will tend to see faster results.

TOP TIP: If you want to reduce symptoms during the adaptation phase, consider removing certain items, such as processed foods or high carb veggies before moving onto the carnivore diet. This will help make the transition easier on your body, and can reduce the likelihood of symptoms.

Your Current State of Health Will Affect Quickly You See Results on Carnivore Diet

If you are already in pretty good shape, and only need to lose a few pounds, or want to simply further improve your health and fitness, you are far more likely to see results much faster.

If, however, you have a number of health conditions, you can expect it to take longer to see the benefits of the carnivore diet.

I personally came from very poor health (bed-ridden), and I started to see slight improvements such as better skin, better mental clarity early on (around 2 months), but didn’t see any significant healing from my major health issues until about the 6 month mark.

And the healing was not linear either. I felt like I was going backwards sometimes, but I stayed consistent with a meat based diet no matter how I felt, and slowly but surely, I started to see some healing, along with some weight loss at around the 5 month mark, with more marked improvements after 6 months.

You may not see these benefits until even further down the line than me, but stay on course, and focus on the small wins, such as your skin improving, mood being better, or being able to focus more than you used to.

When it comes specifically to weight loss, generally speaking, the heavier you are, the faster you will see initial weight loss. But if you have a bunch of underlying health conditions, your body may well to prioritize healing before it lets go of excess weight.

Check out my article, “Is the Carnivore Diet Good for Weight Loss?” for more information. I discuss some of the reasons why some people may struggle with weight loss when they go on the carnivore diet, and what they can do to speed things up.

How Strictly you Adhere to the Carnivore Diet Will Affect Results Timeline

This one is fairly obvious, but if you are veering off the diet often, and allowing yourself to eat high carbohydrate foods regularly, then you will see slower results, because your body will constantly be trying to adapt different fuel sources.

There will also be a steep learning curve that will come with having a zero, or almost zero-carb diet. You will be re-learning hunger signals and changing your relationship with food. It may not be easy at first to understand whether you are hungry or not, as you may be used to eating when you crave sugar, rather than when you are actually physiologically hungry.

For tips on dealing with this, check out my article, “19 Effective Ways to Deal with Sugar Cravings on the Carnivore Diet”

TOP TIP: Being really strict during the adaptation phase/beginning of the carnivore diet journey will help speed up your results. Your body will adjust to the diet far quicker, and your relationship with food will also adapt faster.

We’ve discussed here, the potential results of being on the carnivore diet for up to a year, but if you’re wondering beyond that, you might want to check out my article, “Is the Carnivore Diet Sustainable Long Term?“. I discuss the potential long term implications of being on the carnivore diet.

Many people report continuing to see benefits beyond the 1 year mark. Although I haven’t been on the carnivore diet for that long yet (I’m currently at 6 months). I’ll make sure I keep you updated here.

What Can I Do to See Faster Results on the Carnivore Diet?

If you’re getting impatient, there are a few things you can do to help along the way, but these things must only be done once you have passed the adaptation phase and are already starting to feel better. Do not do what your body isn’t ready to do yet, as it can have the opposite effect!

Having said that, here are 6 tips to help you see faster results on the carnivore diet:

TIP: If you’re looking specifically for faster weight loss results on the carnivore diet, check out my article, “Is the Carnivore Good for Weight Loss?”. I offer tips that help specifically for weight loss.

#1: Include Fasting as Part of your Lifestyle

Fasting tends to be a lot easier when you are on the carnivore diet than when you are eating other foods that contain carbohydrates. Including fasting in a safe and sustainable way can be a great way to boost healing and weight loss.

Check out my article here, where I compare the carnivore diet to the fasting lifestyle to see which one comes out on top!

#2: Reduce Dairy Intake

Dairy can be a tricky food group for many people. Some people can eat it just fine. But for some, it can trigger inflammation, hinder weight loss and/or slow down healing. It’s possible that cutting out dairy may help speed up results for you.

#3: Increase Fat Intake

Increasing your fat intake will help on several levels:

• keep you fuller for longer
• keep your blood sugar levels regulated
• help balance your hormone levels

These things in turn will help your carnivore journey speed up.

#4: Reduce Stress

Stress can have a huge impact on both weight loss and healing. Stress increases certain hormone levels, such as cortisol which hinder weight loss and healing. Your body essentially takes priority to deal with stress rather than heal or lose weight.

The less stress you have, the more your body is able to deal with healing and/or weight loss.

#5: Prioritize Sleep

Sleep is another big factor in both weight loss, and healing that is often underrated. If you don’t get enough sleep, your body tends to try and run on adrenaline rather than true body energy, which will then slow down your results.

Make sleep a priority to help speed up your carnivore diet results.

#6: Increase Physical Activity

As your body starts to feel better, try and increase your physical activity, or if you were already quite active, then increase the intensity of exercise. Sometimes simply adding a 5 to 10 minute walk to your daily routine can be all it takes to start seeing faster results.

Don’t forget that an outdoor walk may also have a positive effect on your stress levels, and help you sleep better.