Does Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet Work? Here’s The Truth!

Does Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet work?

As you may guess, it's another version of the Classic Carnivore Diet.

But is it any better than the rest? And is it anything helpful?

So with that, let's talk about some of its essential aspects:

• its weight loss effect
• the basics of this diet
• my experience with it

Well, the goal of this article is to help you understand the hidden secrets behind this diet.

Note: This article includes references and studies on Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet.

Who Is Kelly Hogan?

So who is Kelly Hogan?

Well – here are some details I gathered about her [1]:

• a mother and a teacher
• an advocate zero carb diet
• founder of MyZeroCarbLife website

In addition, she also mentioned that her carnivore diet lifestyle was created to help her overcome her health problems.

Some include excess weight, fertility problems and chronic dieting.

Now – there are other versions of the Carnivore Diet:

• Dr. Shawn Barker's
• Jordan Peterson's
• Dr. Ken Berry's
• Classic Carnivore Diet

I have actually tried a lot of them, but I was very disappointed because of their severe restrictions.

In terms of health and nutrition – they don't make any sense, to be honest.

So what makes Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet different?

We're going to find out some of its top features below.

How Kelly Hogan's Diet Works

First of all, Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet does not involve carbs.

This mean it won't include any carbohydrate-rich foods at all.

With that, the foods allowed should be very high in fats and calories.

Well – it perfectly makes sense why her website is called “MyZeroCarbLife.”

In addition, her guidelines and tips are very simplistic [2]:

• you don't need to count your calories
• allowed foods include only eggs, cheese and any type of meat (you can use them into several dishes)
• the rest of the food groups are eliminated (especially carbs sources)
• there are no time restrictions for eating (you can eat whenever you feel hungry)
• water is also important to help you stay hydrated
• you can also drink coffee and a non-sweet drink once a month 
• you're allowed to cook the foods or eat them raw
• spices to flavor your dish are also permitted (but in a limited amount)

Also – Kelly Hogan recommends trusting your body and not forcing things.

So if you're hungry, you can eat whenever you want until you're full.

Lastly – you should also choose a cut of meat that you prefer (but fatty meat is important, according to Kelly).

Overall, the main difference of this dietary approach is quite easy to understand.

And compared to most types of Carnivore Diet, it's also easier too follow.

Basically – you can only eat meat, eggs and cheese.

You should also stick to zero carbohydrate intake.

Since Kelly Hogan also offers carnivore coaching, you can go for this option as well.

Kelly Hogan VS Classic Carnivore Diet

As you can see, Kelly Hogan's approach is based on the Classic Carnivore Diet.

She modified it based on her preferences and what worked for her.

But after comparing both dietary approaches, I only found a few differences:

1. Kelly Hogan's Carnivore Diet highly discourages the consumption of foods with carbs.
2. The Classic Carnivore Diet permits foods with a very low carbs content.
3. Kelly Hogan's Carnivore Diet allows coffee and an unsweetened drink once a month.
4. Meanwhile, Classic Carnivore Diet emphasizes water as the only beverage.
5. Kelly Hogan's Carnivore Diet is not strict with food format (processed or not are okay).
6. On the other hand, the Classic Carnivore Diet suggests whole foods as much as possible.

Now – Kelly Hogan herself includes fast foods in her diet, as she mentioned in a podcast.

But the rest of the guidelines from the Classic Carnivore Diet are identical to Kelly Hogan's approach.

Again – all you have to do is to remove carbs and eat only meat, eggs and cheese.

Also, you can eat until you feel full with no time, calories and macros restrictions.

In other words, you should listen to your body because she believes that appetite changes each day.

So your food consumption won't be too consistent.

With that, here are the benefits of the dietary approach (according to Kelly Hogan):

• normal triglycerides and cholesterol levels
• decreased fertility issues
• weight loss and other issues' improvement (type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease)
• digestive benefits
• reduced cravings (especially for sweet foods)

In addition, Kelly Hogan doesn't require everyone to convert to this type of diet.

But she wants to share her success story as an inspiration.

However – if you want to make sure it's the diet for you, it'sbetter to consult a doctor.

In that way, you would be able to avoid unnecessary reactions related to the carnivore diet.

My Carnivore Diet Results

Firstly – I would say that I find Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet easy to follow.

Again, she urges the consumption of eggs, cheese and meat (regardless if they are processed or whole foods).

So before I share the results, let me give you a quick run-through of my goals before trying it:

• losing my excess weight
• boosting my digestion

As I said, I find it quite convenient to follow, since the quality of food is not a big issue.

So with that, I was able to follow the diet for a solid 2 weeks.

Now – here are my observations during my journey:

1. I lose weight (around 10 lbs).
2. Somehow, I found myself craving more food than normal.
3. My food intake was more frequent (compared to my routine before starting the diet).
4. I felt a little down and unmotivated for unknown reasons.
5. Also, I experienced bloating and it was hard to defecate.
6. I had headaches for the three days before I stopped the diet.

I didn't shed much weight with this diet compared to other versions of the Carnivore Diet.

Sure – the lost pounds were there, but I would lose them in a slower manner.

So here could be the reasons why:

• I only ate meat, eggs and cheese regardless of how they were  cooked.
• In some studies, foods that are high in fats and calories are not really that effective for weight loss [3].
• Also, removing carbohydrates completely may lead to nutrient deficiencies [4].
• Lastly, eating foods such as bacon, sausages and other processed meats can cause health complications [5].

With that, I stopped the diet after two weeks because I felt unhealthy (physically and mentally).

As I mentioned, Kelly Hogan doesn't strongly convert people to follow her diet.

We still have the liberty to choose whether to follow it or not.

So that's why I tried it and shared my experiences (which won't be the same for everyone).

Overall – I realized that there are better ways to achieve a healthy weight loss.

Part of them includes a balanced diet, proper exercise and better lifestyle routines.

So I won't really consider this dietary approach as the top solution.

Is It Effective And Worth It?

Now – we're going to talk about whether Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet is worth it or not.

But first, let me summarize my observations after I stopped the diet:

1. I had my normal appetite back.
2. My mental well-being lightened up.
3. I was having a regular bowel movements again and less bloating.
4. Also, my headaches were gone.

Although I find the diet a little bit easy when it comes to food choices, I wouldn't say it's worth it.

Sure – I lost some weight, but I didn't feel healthy.

Again, the views I stated above are based on my personal experiences with this dietary approach.

Some people will find it effective and beneficial for their health issues.

But in my case, I really felt something was wrong when I eliminated nutrient-dense food groups.

In general, a lot of healthcare professionals will recommend a balanced diet even if you want to lose weight.

So if that's your goal, Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet is not really at the top of the list.

Some studies mentioned that carnivore diets can cause long-term consequences (in most cases) [6].

Final Conclusion

Well – I don't consider Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet worth it.

Although the food selection is not very strict, my experiences were not the best:

• I lost some weight but not a lot (after 2 weeks of following the diet)
• During my whole journey, I didn't feel too well in general
• I also experienced side effects (bloating, headache and constipation)
• My cravings were more frequent and my energy was quite low

Again – Kelly Hogan doesn't aggressively convert everyone to follow her diet.

She just wants to inspire people who have the same issues as her.

So it's really up to you if you're going to try her version of the carnivore diet.

But if you ask me – I wouldn't do it again.

Well, it surely helped me lose weight (which was my main goal).

However – the diet didn't feel healthy and sustainable at all.

With that, there are better ways to achieve weight loss.

One major component you should stick to is a balanced diet.

But that's not the case at all for Kelly Hogan’s Carnivore Diet.

References:

1 – https://www.instagram.com/-kelly-hogan/

2 – https://myzerocarblife.com/category/-my-story/

3 – https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/-fats-and-calories/

4 – https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/-fnut.2021.702802/

5 – https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/hsph-in-the-news/-processed-meats/

6 – https://ipan.deakin.edu.au/2022/10/-carnivore-diet/