An overweight man who was missing out on the best years with his kids and fell into the depths of depression has spoken out about how a radical change to his diet helped him shed some serious pounds.
Patrick Ensley couldn't measure his own midriff with standard measuring tape, but following a switch to a 'full carnivore diet', eating just red meat and eggs, he's now feeling healthier than ever.
Patrick's weight kept ballooning until it became too much to bear in 2023 when hitting his peak of 300 pounds (21.4 stone).
So he finally decided to take matters into his own hands and went full caveman.
Advert
This diet is now all over people's social media feeds; typing it into the likes of TikTok or Instagram will bring up dozens of similar videos of people munching on meat, eggs and milk - sometimes even raw - while cutting out foods like vegetables and anything else that doesn't come from an animal.
HVAC technician Patrick, from Milford, Nebraska, US decided to give the diet a go, strictly sticking to a pound of beef and six eggs per day. Patrick's results spoke for themselves and he shed 140lbs (10 stone) in a year, half of his full weight at the start of the diet. He additionally lost 19 inches from his 57-inch stomach.
Detailing his progress on YouTube at the end of 2024, he said: “I still have about 15 to 20 more pounds left till I hit my goal but the difference between then and now is insane.”
'I can keep up with my son'
His life before this major change saw him unable to play with his young son, aged just one-year-old at the time, as he was regularly fatigued.
“But now I come home, and I'm able to throw around my 2-year-old son on the couch and swing him upside down and play trucks and trains and all the fun stuff he likes to do and still have energy left over from my family,” Patrick said.
The dad also added that he would be up every night in pain and would still be tired even after a long night's sleep. But now, he's 'refreshed' with the pain gone. In a follow-up YouTube video shared in April this year, Patrick broke down his diet, but also admits he will still have to battle food cravings going forward.
He commented: "I had to change the way I eat, but more importantly I had to change my relationship with food. Food has always been there for me, it's an addiction I will live with for the rest of my life. It's something I turn to for that dopamine hit, or find comfort in if I'm having a bad day and need a pick-me-up. That's something I know I'm going to struggle with for the rest of my life."
The carnivore diet was made famous by several influencers, most notably the 'Liver King' - real name Brian Johnson, from the US.
Johnson promoted a 'ancestral lifestyle' including the regular consumption of raw meat, claiming it was responsible for his chiseled physique.
But it was revealed by Buzzfeed News in 2022 that Johnson had in fact spent up to $11,000 a month on performance enhancing steroids, despite his previous denials.
With these varying reports of whether the carnivore diet is actually beneficial, it's important anyone wanting to attempt it should research the subject and speak to a healthcare professional before drastically changing their diet.
Topics: Food And Drink, Health, YouTube
Ellis Whitehouse