Carnivore Mindset – why it’s important
Mindset is so important for lots of things and is definitely important when it comes to any diet. Your mindset will directly affect how you adhere to your chosen diet. I find it particularly important though, for the Carnivore Diet.
The Carnivore Diet is viewed as probably the most extreme, most restrictive, most heart-disease and cancer-causing diet in the world (strangely enough, it’s viewed as even more extreme than a strict vegan diet). Of course, you and I know that’s not true but it is the commonly held belief by the masses.
It can be difficult to stick to your convictions when it seemingly goes against the grain of everything that most people hold to be true. Do you notice your family taking not-so-secret glances at your plate and rolling their eyes? Are you a little bit embarrassed eating lunch in front of work colleagues, or school friends? Do you get lectures on the importance of vegetables and fiber? Is it hard to be the only person at the party not indulging in sugar-laden sweets and cakes? These little things are minor, but they add up and it is hard work to maintain discipline.
Mindset: Choose Your Hard
So, today’s mindset topic comes to us courtesy of Nutrition with Judy, and it’s a saying I like to keep in the back of my mind.
Choose your hard.
Is it hard to say no to sugar and other overly processed foods? Is it hard to stick to the Carnivore Diet and pass on the carbs? Yes, of course it is (though I promise it does get easier over time). If you think it’s too hard, then I encourage you to think of the reasons that brought you to the Carnivore Diet in the first place. Most people come to the Carnivore Diet looking to resolve health issues. I would suggest that dealing with those issues on a daily basis is likely quite hard also.
This weekend is Easter, and like most households, there will be an abundance of Easter treats around from my in-laws and my nieces and nephews. There will be plenty of chocolate, hot cross buns, probably some kind of cakes or cupcakes and more. It’s a whole weekend of temptation so what is there to do?
We choose our hard.

Option 1: Say no to all the garbage. Stick to our diet plan. Probably use maximum willpower for the day. Maybe deal with comments about how to lighten up and how one little treat won’t hurt. Hard.
Option 2: Say yes to all the garbage. Indulge and enjoy with everyone else. Very easy in the moment and after all, everyone else is doing it right? But then you can enjoy suffer the after effects such as headaches, bloating, and renewed sugar cravings to work through for the rest of the week. With all the remaining Easter treats in the house, those sugar cravings and temptations are going to be incredibly powerful. Also. Hard.
There is no easy.
You see, some might tell you it’s hard to stick to a diet, and it’s hard to go against the grain. But we need to flip our thinking and realize that the so-called “easy” path is not that easy either. The long-term effects of taking the “easy” path when it comes to your diet can lead to weight gain, diabetes and other metabolic diseases, autoimmune diseases etc.
There is no easy. Do the hard thing and maintain discipline or don’t maintain discipline and suffer the hard consequences. Your choice.
So, this weekend I will choose my hard. I know from experience how hard it is to get back on the bandwagon once I’ve fallen off. I know from experience how hard it is to combat sugar cravings and temptations when I have just a tiny bit. And I know from experience the actual physical discomfort I now feel when eating highly inflammatory foods. So I choose to stick to the Carnivore way of eating even in the face of baskets of chocolate. I will use some tried and true strategies to make the day as easy as possible. Because for me, choosing the right hard is what makes me feel the best and the happiest with myself.
Final thoughts: Choose your hard.