Hey man, have you ever tried DMT a calorie deficit?
Joe Rogan claims the Carnivore Diet was responsible for him losing 12 pounds, but that isn't really what happened.
The man behind the hit Spotify show
The Joe Rogan Experience recently posted about the supposed benefits of the Carnivore Diet on Instagram.
As the name implies, this diet is characterised by chowing down on animal protein only.
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Rogan began his post by stating "January is 'world carnivore diet' month. I did it last year, lost 12 pounds."
There's no denying the 53-year-old looks in good shape following his recent weight loss transformation, but it's not the Carnivore Diet that is responsible for this.
He lost weight because he was in a calorie deficit - consuming fewer calories than his body needed to maintain weight.
Before, Rogan was probably scoffing too much scran in general.
In adopting the Carnivore Diet, he has simply eliminated an entire food group from his diet. When you do this, you are obviously going to lose weight by virtue of consuming fewer calories.
It's really simple science.
Rogan added that, when following the Carnivore Diet, he "really felt great (other than having ruthlessly explosive diarrhea for the first couple weeks)".
Dropping a couple of pounds when you're slightly overweight will make you feel healthier, happier and fitter. Regardless of the particular diet you're following.
To illustrate this point,
consider a study conducted by
Professor Mark Haub from Kansas State University back in 2010.
For around 10 weeks, Haub lived on a diet of Twinkies, Oreos and crisps. This might strike you as unhealthy, but Haub factored all this food into his daily target of 1800 calories.
He lost 27 pounds, but more impressively saw his blood cholesterol levels improve.
Does this mean you should eat cookies and ice cream all day? No. It just means your physique and wellbeing levels are more to do with how many calories you're consuming relative to bodyweight - and not the specific food you eat.
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Going back to Rogan's original point, having "ruthlessly explosive" diarrhoea doesn't
really sound like a selling point for the Carnivore Diet.
The UFC commentator rounded off his message by claiming the Carnivore Diet had a "remarkable" effect on his energy levels.
Again - lose weight when you're needing to drop a few pounds and, hey presto, you'll feel fitter and more energised.
You might be reading this and thinking
'Does it matter that Rogan credits his weight loss to the Carnivore Diet?'
To an extent, any diet that helps you get into a calorie deficit will lead to weight loss - regardless of the food it has you eating. What matters most is how sustainable your diet is. It needs to be something you can adhere to, if you are to be successful.
The problem is, the more extreme you are with the foods you eliminate, the less likely you are to stick to that diet. If you've spent your entire life eating a particular food, and actually enjoy eating it, cutting it out completely is going to make matters difficult.
With Rogan's platform, he may also fool millions of people into thinking they need to ditch vegetables entirely. This isn't necessary, and in most cases may do more harm than good.
As omnivores, humans have evolved to consume both animal and plant produce. Why not continue in that vein, but just keep an eye on calories instead?
