Exact Numbers – Carnivore for Slim Recomp

Daily calories: 1,700‑2,000. Macronutrient split: Fat 65%, Protein 35%, Carbohydrates 0%. At 1,850 calories: Fat 133g, Protein 162g, Carbs near 0g.

Minimum daily protein: 130g. Sources: beef (especially fattier cuts like ribeye, ground beef 80/20), lamb, pork, chicken thighs, salmon, sardines, eggs, and some hard cheeses if tolerated.

What you eat: All meat (beef, lamb, pork, poultry, game), all fish and seafood, eggs, bone marrow, organ meats (liver provides the vitamins lacking elsewhere – include it weekly), butter, tallow, and limited hard cheese.

What you eliminate: All plant foods. No vegetables, no fruit, no grains, no legumes, no nuts, no seeds, no plant oils. Coffee and tea are debated – strict carnivore excludes them; a more lenient version allows them.

Electrolytes (critical): Sodium 4,000‑5,000mg, Potassium 2,000‑3,000mg, Magnesium 300‑400mg. As with keto, the carbohydrate restriction causes electrolyte loss.

Organ meat note: Eat beef liver once weekly (about 4 oz) to obtain vitamin A, folate, and other micronutrients that muscle meat lacks. This is the single most important practice for nutritional adequacy on carnivore.

Water: 90‑100 ounces daily.

One‑Day Sample Meal Plan (1,850 calories)

Breakfast: 3 eggs cooked in butter, 4 strips bacon – about 450 calories, 28g protein

Lunch: 8 oz ribeye steak – about 640 calories, 50g protein

Dinner: 6 oz salmon + 2 eggs, cooked in butter – about 550 calories, 48g protein

Once weekly, replace one meal with: 4 oz beef liver – about 190 calories, 30g protein, plus dense micronutrients

Who Should Consider This (And Who Should Not)

If you are not sure whether carnivore is right for your situation, here is what to look at. First: if you have a diagnosed autoimmune or inflammatory condition that has not responded to other elimination diets, carnivore may be worth a supervised trial. Second: if you have a healthy relationship with food and no history of disordered eating – carnivore’s extreme restriction can be triggering for those with a restriction history. Third: if you are willing to monitor bloodwork (lipids, micronutrients) with a physician. If you do not meet these criteria, the high‑protein protocol delivers most of carnivore’s benefits with far more nutritional completeness and sustainability.

Timeline

Week 1: Adaptation period – fatigue and digestive changes as fiber is removed. Electrolytes are essential. Water weight drops.

Week 4: Fat adaptation complete. Many women report reduced inflammation, stable energy, and reduced cravings. Bloodwork should be monitored.

Week 12: If symptoms have resolved and bloodwork is healthy, some women maintain. Most transition back toward a broader diet, having identified that animal foods agree with them. Carnivore is best used as a diagnostic extreme, then liberalized.

For the training protocol to run on carnivore’s fat‑adapted metabolism, see the glutes protocol. For a more sustainable approach, compare with the keto protocol, which allows some plant foods. Take the XPL Archetype Quiz to confirm your archetype.

I train clients in person in Houston, Texas and work with people across the US, Canada, and the UK online through XPL. Take the XPL Archetype Quiz to get your exact protocol, or visit xperformancelab.com/plans-pricing to work with me directly.

The standards behind the standards. — Xavier Savage, XPL Xesthetic Performance Labs, Houston, TX