A self-trained chef and author dropped an astounding four-stone by following the controversial ‘carnivore’ diet.
TikTok sensation Courtney Luna, from California, US, managed to shed 55 pounds (nearly four stone), with 45 pounds melting away in just 10 months.
She credits the “majority” of her weight loss to her commitment to the carnivore diet, although she admits to incorporating intermittent exercise too.
This high-protein, fat-rich regime promotes the consumption of exclusively animal products and strictly excludes all carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables. Naturally, such a restrictive diet hasn’t escaped scrutiny from health experts.
Harvard Professor Walter C. Willett has voiced concerns about potential long-term health consequences from the diet lacking essential nutrients and fibre found in plant-based foods. Such elements support gut well-being and protect against chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
Courtney claims that the carnivore diet has been the “only thing that has been sustainable”
(Image: Courtney Luna)
Meanwhile, the NHS advocates for a balanced diet that includes five portions of fruits and vegetables daily, aligning with the ‘5 A Day’ initiative backed by World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The guidelines suggest that 400g per day can significantly reduce the threat of serious illnesses like heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers, reports Surrey Live.
Despite the backlash and health warnings surrounding her stringent dietary choices, Courtney insists that adhering to the carnivore diet is the “only thing that has been sustainable” for her weight management journey.
Courtney opened up about her 25-year struggle with “yo-yo dieting” and recalled how she started attending her first WeightWatchers meeting at the tender age of 13, despite not being “severely” overweight.
She revealed the profound impact the carnivore diet has had on her life, saying: “It’s the only thing that has been sustainable for me, that I’ve kept off; anything I’ve done in the past, like, I’ve lost 50 pounds.
“I think this is my third time, but this is the only time that I’ve kept it off. I’ve always gained it back. And again, that comes back to the abstainer versus moderator thing. When I was on keto, I was eating all these keto treats, like the sugar still had a hold on me.
“So, just having that, you know, realisation and that self-awareness. this is what’s been sustainable for me and I’ll just continue to do it until, you know, it doesn’t work for me.
Courtney says she endured 25 years of “yo-yo dieting”
(Image: Courtney Luna)
“I’ll have an open mind. I’m not going to be dogmatic, but yeah, it’s changed my life because now I don’t feel like cr*p every day. Previously, besides being overweight and feeling gross and that way, my mental health was atrocious.
“I was in a horrible, dark place. So, I feel like this gave me my life back. And, you know, I can be present with my kids and play with my kids and not want to lay in bed and cry every day, you know.”
The writer had previously lost 50 pounds for the third time postpartum through a low-carb diet, only to find herself entangled in what she termed the “anti-diet culture message”. She claimed that this movement suggests individuals should “be able to eat all things” to maintain a “good relationship with food”, but admitted that moderation wasn’t feasible for her.
Courtney recounted a four-month period of binge eating which led to a 40-pound weight gain, but a pivotal moment came when her husband shared TikToks from Dr Paul Saladino, known as the Carnivore MD. She said: “And after a while, I’m like, ‘Why are you sending me these? Should we not be eating vegetables? So, that was our intro into it, and I came at it just from a desperate place of wanting to lose weight and because I just felt like crap.
“And so not only did I get all the weight loss, but then I had all these health benefits that I wasn’t expecting because I kind of always just equated, if you are thin, you had a healthy body or are healthy.
Courtney says she endured 25 years of “yo-yo dieting”
(Image: Courtney Luna)
Courtney also shared her mental health improvements, saying: “I didn’t realise how much was actually linked to what you were eating. So, besides the weight loss, my mental health improved drastically. I was able to go off of my medication for anxiety and depression.”
She also noticed significant changes in her lifelong struggle with acne, stating, “I’ve had lifelong acne, but, you know, since I was a teenager, horrible acne; that cleared up. Yeah, I think those are like the big ones.”
Courtney suggested that cutting out processed foods and junk might have contributed to these benefits.
After initially experimenting with an ‘animal-based’ diet that included fruit, Courtney found herself stuck in a bubble of meat-induced satiety while craving blueberries. Despite the hunger for fruit, she decided to go full carnivore, and hasn’t looked back since, claiming her new dietary regime to be “easy and delicious”.
When asked if the whole family takes part, Courtney said: “My husband is carnivore, and I would label my kids as like animal-based because they’ll have everything we have, but then we do give them fruit. And then, like, occasionally, they get, control and power, if you will, to have whatever they want.
Courtney says she joined her first WeightWatchers meeting when she was just 13
(Image: Courtney Luna)
Courtney elaborated on the importance of giving her children the choice occasionally, especially when dining out: “If we go out to dinner, I tell them just order whatever you want. It gives them that feeling of control that I’m not demonising all these foods and saying, ‘No, no, no’, because I don’t want them to go to a friend’s house later and eat all the things. So, we try and find a little bit of balance with them, just so we don’t create food issues.”
Unfazed by the known health risks associated with red meat consumption, such as high cholesterol and bowel cancer, Courtney trusts there’s nothing to worry about.
What the NHS says
As well as its guidelines on eating five fruit and vegetables a day, the NHS also recommends limiting the consumption of red and processed meats to evade excessive saturated fats.
Consuming excessive amounts of processed and red meat can potentially increase the risk of bowel cancer, as well as high blood pressure due to high salt content. They advise those who consume more than 90g daily to reduce their intake to 70g.
Despite this, it’s important to note that meat is a rich source of protein, minerals, and vitamins, with red meat providing iron, zinc and B vitamins. Courtney, who claims her “labs are good”, commented: “Yeah, I don’t have any concern because it’s like I’ve never felt this good, so I don’t see how things could be going wrong when I’ve never felt better. And knock on wood, if something were wrong, well, at least I’m feeling great until I go, you know? ”
Courtney’s daily meal
- Breakfast – sausage, bacon and eggs
- Lunch – burger patties
- Dinner – burgers, steaks, ‘carnivore pizzas’, bacon cheeseburger soup or carnivore lasagne
You can buy Courtney’s cookbook, ‘Carnivore in the Kitchen’, via Amazon here .