The carnivore diet curbs obesity by cutting out sugar and carbohydrates. That drives fat loss without counting calories. Its heavy protein load also curbs appetite through satiety (fullness) hormones. And it tends to push people into time-restricted eating.
Obesity has become rampant in recent times. It is said to affect almost 50% of Americans. It has been called a leading cause of chronic illness and poor health. The carnivore diet has become very popular as the new way to lose weight, stay healthy and ward off disease. A major draw of this diet is how it melts away the fat. How well does it work against obesity? Do its effects last? Here we look at the role this diet can play in curbing obesity.
- What is obesity?
Obesity is a complex disease that involves too much body fat. Obesity isn’t just a cosmetic concern. It is a medical problem that raises your risk of other diseases and health problems. These include heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. There are many reasons why some people have a hard time avoiding obesity. Usually, obesity comes from a mix of inherited factors, the environment, and personal diet and exercise choices.
- What is the Carnivore diet?
The Carnivore Diet is a strict diet that only includes meat, fish, and other animal foods like eggs and certain dairy products. It cuts out all other foods, including fruits, vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts, and seeds. Its supporters also recommend cutting out dairy, or limiting it to foods low in lactose, such as butter and hard cheeses. Lactose is a sugar found in milk and dairy products.
A good number of people on the carnivore diet report faster weight loss, clearer thinking, better digestion, and even better athletic performance. Some have also reported remarkable relief from disabling chronic health problems where usual treatments did not work.
- What does one eat on the carnivore diet?
This is what you are likely to eat if you are on the carnivore diet:
–Below is the Green List that is, food you should be eating all the time with an emphasis on fattier cuts of meat to take in enough calories:
- Meat: beef, chicken, turkey, organ meats, lamb, pork, etc.
- Fish: salmon, mackerel, sardines, crab, lobster, tilapia, herring, etc.
- Other animal products: eggs, lard, bone marrow, bone broth, etc.
- Low-lactose dairy (in small amounts): heavy cream, hard cheese, butter, etc.
- Water
Generally, salt, pepper, and seasonings with no carbs are allowed.
– Below is the RED list of what you should NOT be eating:
- Vegetables: broccoli, cauliflower, potatoes, green beans, peppers, etc.
- Fruits: apples, berries, bananas, kiwi, oranges, etc.
- High-lactose dairy: milk, yogurt, soft cheese, etc.
- Legumes: beans, lentils, etc.
- Nuts and seeds: almonds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, pistachios, etc.
- Grains: rice, wheat, bread, quinoa, pasta, etc.
- Alcohol: beer, wine, liquor, etc.
- Sugars: table sugar, maple syrup, brown sugar, etc.
- Beverages other than water: soda, coffee, tea, fruit juice, etc.
Some people include some of these foods, but a true Carnivore Diet does not allow them:
- Milk
- Yogurt
- Cheese
Coffee and tea: These may be plant-based, but some people keep these in the diet.
The carnivore diet can be seen as a fad. Is there evidence that any traditional peoples ate this way?
- What effect might the carnivore diet have on obesity?
On a carnivore diet, all you eat is meat, meat and more meat… Now and then you could have some eggs and cheese and maybe a cup of coffee. At a glance, what about this diet could help fight obesity?
How does the carnivore diet work?
- Cutting out sugar and carbohydrates
With no sugar and carbohydrates, fat comes off fast and stays off, without the need to count calories. Carbohydrates are hard to store. They are actually harmful if left in your system too long. So your body always wants to use them up first.
Your body releases insulin to move blood sugar into muscles. To make sure the sugar gets used up first, insulin also tells your fat cells to store any fat you eat. It also tells them not to release stored body fat for hours afterwards. If you eat a lot of fast-absorbing carbohydrates, your body releases a ton of insulin in response. Too much insulin can then pull too much sugar out of your blood, causing hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). The fastest way to bring blood sugar back up is to eat more carbs. That puts people on the carb roller coaster to weight gain.
The carnivore diet does away with all this by cutting sugar and carbohydrates out of your diet entirely.
- Eating a lot of protein suppresses appetite
One way protein controls appetite is through the amino acid phenylalanine. Protein you eat is broken down into amino acids so the body can absorb it. Multiple studies have shown that phenylalanine suppresses appetite. It even improves mood and helps you burn stored fat. One study found that phenylalanine increases the release of a gut hormone called cholecystokinin in humans. This hormone tells the brain you are full after eating. It also leads you to eat less at the next meal. A mouse study found that a single dose of phenylalanine raised another satiety hormone called GLP-1. It also lowered levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin.
- Increase in dopamine
Protein foods are built from amino acids (including tyrosine), which are vital for making dopamine. So it has been suggested that eating more protein may also boost dopamine without raising appetite. Dopamine is seen as the reward hormone. Raising its levels in your brain helps make your weight loss diet less unpleasant.
- The carnivore diet “imposes” time restricted eating
The carnivore diet tends to lead people to time-restricted eating patterns on their own. Studies show that eating at night is a common cause of obesity. Junk food actually makes you prefer late-night eating. Sugar and fat together act as a trigger that locks in the unhealthy habit of late-night eating. Worse yet, your body runs on an internal clock called circadian rhythms. These do more than set your sleep and wake times. They also set when you digest food and use energy. We’re meant to eat during the day and sleep at night. When you eat at night, your body doesn’t want to process those calories. Instead they sit there and cause metabolic dysfunction.
Protein does not seem to trigger a desire for late-night eating. So the carnivore diet also helps curb that unhealthy habit. Late-night eating also lowers the quality of your sleep, and poor sleep leads to poor eating the next day. Less sleep also raises stress and anxiety. So cutting out late-night eating does more than improve weight loss. It also helps your mood and overall sense of well-being.
- Does the carnivore diet stave off obesity?
There is a link between the Carnivore diet and lasting weight loss. In the absence of carbohydrates, fat can be kept off for long periods of time. The question is how safe it is to do the carnivore diet long term. More studies on this need to be done. In the meantime, this diet is one of the best at keeping obesity and its associated diseases at bay.
Related reading
References
- Mayo Clinic (2019): Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/obesity/symptoms-causes/syc-20375742
- NCBI (1994):L-phenylalanine releases cholecystokinin (CCK) and is associated with reduced food intake in humans: evidence for a physiological role of CCK in control of eating. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8201963
- NCBI (2012):The Carnivore Connection Hypothesis: Revisited, Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3253466/
- Lolo (2018):Carnivore Diet: Fad or the Future? Retrieved from http://unity.lolofit.com/blog/posts/carnivore-diet-fad-or-miracle-diet
- Healthline (2019):All You Need to Know About the Carnivore (All-Meat) Diet. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/carnivore-diet
Medically reviewed by Dr. Gurpreet Singh Padda, MD, MBA, MHP
Interventional pain physician, addiction medicine specialist and obesity medicine diplomate.
Licensed in Missouri and Illinois.
Last reviewed June 18, 2026
