Not Losing Weight on the Carnivore Diet? A Dietitian Explains Why

Many people have ditched veggies and tofu in favor of steak and bacon, chasing ketosis and hoping to shed body fat like melted butter.

As the name suggests, the carnivore diet is a dietary pattern that consists solely of eating animal products. It’s very low in carbohydrates, high in fat, and moderate in protein.

But if the scale just isn’t budging, is your meat-heavy diet to blame? Or is there another reason why the carnivore diet isn’t working for you?

In this article, get a Registered Dietitian’s take on the carnivore diet, including the pros and cons and some real reasons you might not be losing weight, even when you’re eating nothing but meat.

Reasons You Might Not Be Losing Weight on a Carnivore Diet

First, it’s important to note that there is no single “perfect” diet or eating style for everyone. We all have unique bodies and lifestyles, which means that even if a diet works wonders for your spouse or neighbor, it might not work for you. 

Some people thrive on a diet that includes more meat and fat, while others feel better on a moderate-fat diet that includes plenty of vegetables, beans, whole grains, and plant-based protein. 

If you’ve tried the carnivore diet and feel sluggish, constipated, or just “off,” it might be time to switch to a more balanced eating approach. 

That said, if you want to continue on a carnivore diet and need some advice as to why you aren’t losing weight, here are some potential reasons: 

1. You’re Eating Too Many Calories

Calories still matter on a carnivore diet, and if you’re binging on butter and bacon all day, you’re probably going to be eating more calories than your body needs. 

While the quality of your food still absolutely matters for health, at the end of the day, you need to be in a caloric deficit to lose weight. 

Fatty meats are notoriously high in calories, which are often recommended on the carnivore diet. However, if you don’t know how many calories you need to take in for weight loss, it’s easy to overdo it. 

As the carnivore diet is similar to a keto diet, it’s very high in fat. Fat is the most calorically dense macronutrient, with 9 calories per gram, compared to 4 calories per gram for protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, calories add up faster when they’re coming from fat.

2. You Aren’t Moving Your Body

Along the same lines as the previous point, moving your body is key for weight loss to expend calories, gain muscle, and promote metabolic health. 

It can be difficult to lose weight, even on a restrictive diet like the carnivore diet, if you’re not moving enough (whether through exercise or simply being more active throughout the day).

Exercise, combined with diet, helps create the necessary energy imbalance for weight loss. Along with cardiovascular exercise, strength training is essential for maintaining muscle mass, which can help keep your metabolism working efficiently while you lose fat.

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Start losing weight with a science-backed calorie & macro plan, built for your life.

Talk to an RD

3. Not Enough Protein

The carnivore diet is high in fat and moderate-to-high in protein, but some people still don’t get enough. 

Protein is essential for preserving lean muscle mass while losing weight. If you’re not getting enough protein, you could lose muscle instead of fat, which can slow your metabolism and hinder weight loss. 

Plus, protein helps with satiety, meaning you’re less likely to overeat.

4. Too Much Protein

On the flip side, you might be eating too much protein on the carnivore diet. If your goal is to achieve ketosis, consuming too much protein will impede that process.

The body can convert excess protein into glucose through a process called gluconeogenesis, which may potentially stall fat loss or lead to weight maintenance. You need the correct balance of protein for your body, which is why speaking to a Registered Dietitian (RD) can be beneficial to figure out your exact needs.

5. Lifestyle Matters

Lifestyle factors, like sleep and stress, can play a huge role in whether or not you lose weight. Even if you are eating the “perfect” diet for you, if you are consistently getting poor sleep and have high stress levels, you will have a hard time losing weight. 

Research shows that people who sleep less than 7 hours per night and have chronic stress are more likely to be obese.^1,2 

This is because chronic high stress levels can elevate cortisol, a hormone linked to weight gain, especially around the waist. 

Similarly, poor sleep can increase cortisol levels, disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and satiety, and trigger cravings for high-calorie, unhealthy foods, making it even harder to stick to your eating plan. 

6. Too Restrictive

For some people, the restrictiveness of the diet, which eliminates entire food groups like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, can make it challenging to stick to. Social situations, dining out, and family meals can make it feel isolating or difficult to adhere to, potentially affecting emotional well-being.

Plus, feelings of deprivation can be mentally and physically draining, often leading to “cheating” on the diet or binging on “not allowed” foods. This can cause weight loss to plateau or even backfire completely.

Are There Benefits to the Carnivore Diet?

Shawn Baker, an orthopedic surgeon known as the “Carnivore King,” popularized the carnivore diet in 2016, citing ancestral groups such as the Inuit and certain traditional African groups that survived primarily on animal foods.

Baker and other carnivore advocates believe that modern society’s chronic health issues, such as obesity, heart disease, and metabolic syndrome, are due to a diet rich in plant-based or processed foods, and that eating only animal foods can help reverse them. 

However, this view is controversial. 

While it’s true that some indigenous populations thrived on a diet mostly of animal foods, the argument that they were free from health issues is debatable. Health problems in these populations were often not well-documented before the establishment of modern healthcare systems, and life expectancy was generally shorter. This may have meant that some chronic diseases did not have the opportunity to develop.

That said, a carnivorous diet may have some potential benefits, including weight loss and improvements in conditions such as inflammation, digestive disorders, and metabolic dysregulation.

A key reason for these benefits may not be what’s included in the carnivore diet, but rather, what’s excluded: ultra-processed foods. 

The carnivore diet eliminates foods with low nutritional value, such as refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, alcohol, fast food, and processed snacks, that can contribute to obesity and chronic health issues. 

This may be a leading factor behind why people feel better on the carnivore diet. It might not be the additional beef and bacon that improve their symptoms, but rather the removal of sugar, refined grains, alcohol, sweetened beverages, snack foods, fast food, and other ultra-processed foods.

Another mechanism behind the carnivore diet is ketosis, a different metabolic state that our bodies typically do not use. In ketosis, the body uses fat for fuel rather than glucose. It only occurs when restricting carbohydrates, but it is also affected by protein intake. High protein intake can inhibit ketosis, so whether or not you enter ketosis on the carnivore diet can vary.³

Are There Downsides to a Carnivore Diet?

The short answer is yes: there are several potential negatives to eating a meat-only diet. Here are some things to be aware of when starting a carnivore diet: 

Digestive Issues

One major downside to the carnivore diet is that it contains zero fiber, a macronutrient found only in plant foods. Fiber is known to support digestion and bowel regularity, so some people on the carnivore diet can experience bowel issues like constipation or diarrhea.

That said, other people, such as those with digestive issues like SIBO, bloating, Crohn’s disease, or IBS, may experience improvements in their guts because fiber can be aggravating in these conditions.⁴ 

Fiber is also known to help with weight loss, boost satiety, and reduce the risk of heart disease and colon cancer, so removing it long-term is likely not a good idea.

Fiber-rich foods facilitate the growth of short-chain fatty acids and increase the diversity of your gut microbiome, which are linked to just about every organ system, including heart, brain, immune, metabolic, and skin health.⁵ One review found that high-protein, low-carbohydrate diets increased the risk of gut inflammation and dysbiosis.⁶

Low Antioxidant and Nutrient Intake

Plant foods are rich in antioxidants—including phytochemicals, flavonoids, and polyphenols—as well as essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber.

While animal products like fish, shellfish, eggs, dairy, red meat, and organ meats provide key nutrients that are limited or absent in plants (such as vitamin B12, heme iron, zinc, and bioavailable protein), they are generally low or deficient in vitamin C, vitamin E, fiber, and polyphenolic compounds.

Polyphenols—found in foods like herbs, citrus fruits, berries, leafy greens, mushrooms, and cruciferous vegetables—have been repeatedly shown to benefit metabolic, brain, cardiovascular, cognitive, and immune health.⁷

Since no single food group contains all the micronutrients and beneficial compounds our bodies need, a diet that balances both plant and animal foods is most supportive of long-term health and disease prevention.⁸

High Saturated Fat Intake

Saturated fat is certainly not the villain that the 1990s media made it out to be—but it’s probably still not the best idea to overconsume it. 

Due to genetic differences, some people may benefit from moderating their intake of saturated fat, which is found primarily in the diet in foods like red meat, dairy, and coconut oil.⁹

Several genes are involved in lipid metabolism, and some people with specific genetic variants are less able to metabolize higher levels of dietary saturated fat. Therefore, people on the carnivore diet who have these genes may be increasing their risk of cardiovascular conditions.¹⁰Similarly, some people are cholesterol hyper-responders, meaning their blood cholesterol levels rise significantly in response to dietary cholesterol.¹¹ For these individuals, a high intake of animal products could potentially increase their risk of cardiovascular complications.¹²

Cancer Risk and Kidney Problems

High intakes of meat—especially red meat and processed meat—have been linked to an increased risk of colon, rectal, or colorectal cancers in population studies.¹³

A number of reviews and meta-analyses also suggest potential associations with other cancers, such as breast and lung cancer, although these findings are less conclusive.¹³ Processed meats—like bacon, sausages, and deli meats—pose the highest risk and have been classified by the World Health Organization as carcinogenic to humans.¹⁴

While some argue that the type of meat—such as grass-fed versus conventionally raised—may influence outcomes, current research doesn’t clearly differentiate their long-term cancer risks.As for kidney health, high-protein diets like carnivore can place additional strain on the kidneys in people with pre-existing kidney disease. For those with healthy kidneys, the body typically adapts.¹⁵

How an RD Can Help

If you’re having trouble losing weight on the carnivore diet, there are several areas to assess, like your exercise, sleep, and stress levels, caloric intake, and protein consumption. 

Overall, the carnivore diet may only be beneficial for a short-term elimination of ultra-processed foods, which can help with weight loss, inflammation, and certain metabolic conditions. 

However, it’s an extreme and restrictive diet that is typically not sustainable for the long term.

Additionally, even if you feel better immediately, health issues such as those caused by a lack of fiber, inadequate phytochemicals, or excessive consumption of red meat or saturated fat may arise over time.⁸ 

If you’re confused about the carnivore diet or want to transition to a more balanced approach, consider consulting a Registered Dietitian (RD) for personalized advice—book a virtual appointment with one of our RDs today!