A man shed a staggering 210 pounds—almost half his bodyweight—by eating a diet consisting of just meat and eggs.
After tipping the scales at 434 pounds and being told his weight might be causing fertility issues, the 28-year-old decided to change his lifestyle.
Isaiah Caldwell now weighs 224 since sticking with a carnivore diet, which includes anything that come from animals—meat, fish, eggs, bone broth, and dairy.
The 6-foot-4-inch salesman from St Louis, Missouri, says he’s now happier and healthier—and hopes to jumpstart his family with his wife Amanda.
“Having a baby became an obsession of ours—we were really excited about it,” Isaiah recalled. “We started trying for a year before we began to suspect that there might be some issues fertility-wise.
“I knew if there was anything I could do to give us a chance, I would do it.”
He decided to ditch all food groups except for meat, eggs, and dairy, and found out that it was pretty easy to lose weight.
“People think there’s some magic to it, but the reality is you’re just eliminating overeating—as it’s really hard to binge eat meat.
He lost 21lbs in the first month by eating steak and smoked brisket—and said he was “blown away”. He decided to stay on the carnivore diet for another month, and lost another 18 lbs, so continued on it.
“I felt unbelievable even one week; psychologically I felt so much better, my brain fog was totally gone. I felt a million times better.”
He knew he wasn’t going to be able to keep it up forever, just eating meat, and after months, he expanded his diet to include some fruit.
After ten months he had lost a mammoth 118 pounds.
Once the weight loss began to slow up, Isaiah decided to start a training regime used by bodybuilders and began meticulously tracking his calorie intake.
He lost another 35 pounds, and now continues his calorie counting.
“If anyone is thinking maybe they can’t do it, they should know that I felt exactly like that too. It felt impossible and hopeless, but everyone is capable of it.”
He admits that because it is a very restrictive diet, it’s “probably not for everyone.”
There is little scientific research on the carnivore diet, but plenty of anecdotal reports of lowered blood pressure and joint pain, and better sleep. One 2021 study based on a self-reporting survey of 2,029 adults concluded in a paper published by the American Society for Nutrition that adults consuming a carnivore diet experienced “few adverse effects and instead reported health benefits and high satisfaction”.
Many professionals in the nutrition industry would prefer—because the full range of effects from the carnivore diet have not been studies—that people follow carb-limiting meal plans, instead—such as the ketogenic (keto) diet which hyper-restricts carbohydrates (flour, sugar, grains, and most fruits) and loads up on proteins and fats, like meats, cheese, avocados, and nuts.
As for Isiah and Amanda, they are due to go back to the doctors in the coming months to see if his efforts have had an impact on his fertility.
“We’re really optimistic,” said the newly-fit hubby. “I’m going to get testing done, but I’ve increased odds from zero to at least something.
“I’m in best shape of my life and we are excited to find a way to be parents no matter what.”