Lion Diet, Here We Go by Roxana Soetebeer MHP PHC
Lion Diet, Here We Go
Why on earth would I go on a restrictive diet like the lion diet?
For health reasons, of course.
I have been on a very low carb or ketogenic diet since October 2019. Just before the pandemic, which was kind of lucky for me, because I was able to focus on healthy nutrition instead of doubling down on junk food.
Read more about my journey here.
Clean keto and daily intermittent fasting have improved my health immensely. I've reversed several metabolic conditions: NASH (non-alcoholic steatohepatitis), type 2 diabetes, elevated blood pressure, compromised kidneys, and obesity.
Well, not everything is perfect. Although I feel a million times better, I still struggle with inflammatory arthritis (misdiagnosed as rheumatoid arthritis 30 years ago) and Hashimoto's. Believe me, the pain from swollen joints is excruciating. While I tweak my diet and make progress, I have never been able to knock out the flares and still require frequent 7-day courses of cortisone.
So, I looked around. What are my options? What have others with debilitating autoimmune issues tried and tested?
There is plenty of good information on the internet. Not so much from so-called health organizations, but from people who lived the experience and improved.
Mikhaila healed severe autoimmune conditions. Like her testimony, I saw countless anecdotes of people reporting significant improvements if not complete reversals.
I tried the lion diet before but made too many modifications. I wasn't ready. This time, I wanted to give it a fair try. No modifications. No exceptions. No excuses.
Eat like a lion? Not quite. On the menu are ruminant meats (beef, lamb, goat, bison, elk, etc.), salt, and water. That's it. No coffee, no sweetener, no spices. And no, I don't have to eat my meat raw, even though lions do.
My advantage is that I love beef. I have a freezer full of beef, which is my convenience food.
But I do admit, a week into the lion diet, I wish there was a little more variety. I am not needy, but some homemade treats would be great. I have grown quite fond of my homemade chocolate.
I started a challenge in the PHD community (Proper Human Diet) created by Dr. Ken Berry. I am one of the coaches in his community with my own coaching group. During one of my weekly member Zooms, I talked about my idea to try the lion diet, and before I knew it, we set a date, and I committed.
I am a sucker for challenges. So now, there is no going back.
Lion diet, here we go.
— Roxana Soetebeer, PHC, MHP (@REV_Insulin_Res) June 9, 2024
Starting day 1 with homemade smoked beef. #beef #water #salt #reclaimingMyHealth pic.twitter.com/kBFL5y4zSQ
I was ill-prepared. I started the challenge on Sunday and thought I would just eat beef. I did not think about cooking oil. Obviously, butter, ghee, lard, coconut oil, etc., are out. What I needed was beef tallow, but there was none to be found in nearby stores. We live remotely.
So I warmed up some homemade smoked beef (still had some in the freezer) and used some lard to cook a blade roast in its own broth. Still a great day. And I had leftovers for the next day.
How Did I Feel?
Mixed. I just started another course of cortisone. As a stress hormone, it had me all riled up. But energy-wise, I was doing good. I was bothered by a slight headache, though.
I bought some suet from the butcher, naively thinking it was ready-to-use cooking fat. Nope, it is the fat found around a cow's kidneys. It's very high in nutrients—but it needs to be rendered. Blog on how to make it coming up. I messed up a little but still got a few jars of great beef tallow. It has a more intense taste, but I happen to like it. It makes everything taste better, almost like bacon grease. I cooked up some prime rib.
Sweet cravings were hitting in the morning. It didn't help that I was on cortisone, which always makes me ravenous. But I am in the challenge, for better or worse.
Here is my rather boring meal: hamburger in bone broth. I was lucky I had some bone broth in the freezer. Weight is dropping quickly, but I was very puffy from the plane trip and the exhaustion of the last weeks of my work trip. So I know most of it was water weight. Regardless, I felt better. Still craving the sweet stuff.
Finally, no more sweet cravings. I felt completely content and full of energy. I had a serving of hamburger beef with broth and added a bit of the homemade tallow. I think the added fat really did the trick. It also enhanced the taste by a lot. The aftertaste left a little to be desired, though.
I was in the mood for another before and after pic. My breakfast: bison fried in homemade beef tallow seasoned with salt. Absolutely delicious.
I started my day with smoked beef, drenched in tallow. Eating it like that is much more satiating. For supper, I made this yummy blade roast.
I am not a cook, but this is an easy recipe. I seared it in beef tallow, added salt, and then stuck it in the oven after filling up the pan with water (about half), and baked it for 3 hours at 350 degrees. The meat basically fell apart without being dry. It was delicious, and I have plenty of leftovers.
Check out my macros today. I ate like this for the past 5 days and lost 9.4 pounds. Don't get me wrong, 9.4 is mostly water weight. My knees were about double in size. That's what inflammation does.
Another day with leftover blade roast. To my surprise, the cooled broth was jiggly like bone broth. I didn't expect that after cooking the blade roast for only 3 hours.
I will give this challenge a try for at least 3 months, ideally 6 months. In the months to come, I will update you on this blog and on social media.
A massive weight drop. I lost 10 pounds in one week. Yes, most of it is water loss. But just pause for a moment and think why my body let go of the water when I switched to the lion diet. Inflammation is painful. After a week, my knees returned to normal size. They shrunk by half. Even my grown kids noticed. Boys, they hardly notice anything.
Great glucose levels despit being on a high dose of cortisone. That blew me away.
Blood pressure went to my normal lower range again. After a 4-month work trip overseas, it had crept up quite a bit. Not high, but elevated. Check out these numbers now. Images courtesy of the Withings app and the Withings Blood Pressure Monitor. A quick note on the monitor: it measures while inflating, so it does not cut off your arm first to then painfully slowly release the pressure. This is quite a relief for people with lipedema like myself.
Improvement in energy. But, to be honest, the increase in energy almost feels overwhelming, as at the same time the high-stress job had come to a sudden end. I know I'll get used to it, but it does feel unsettling at times.
Finally, I thought while eating exclusively red meat, or to be more precise, ruminant meat, checking my cholesterol levels might be a good idea.
Here are my thoughts I posted on social media.
My lipid levels this morning. I am in active weight loss—9.6 pounds in 6 days. Yes, mostly water.
— Roxana Soetebeer, PHC, MHP (@REV_Insulin_Res) June 14, 2024
I'm not too concerned about my numbers. Here's why:
- I'm following a very low-carb diet, always under 20g carbs, often zero carbs.
- My LDL particles are pattern A.
- My CRP is… pic.twitter.com/bEXhO5fa7E
Final Thought:
If you want to give the lion diet a try, be sure to check in with your medical provider first.
Written by Roxana Soetebeer, MHP, PHC
Published June 15th, 2024
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