In today’s interview I get to speak with husband and wife carnivores, Laura and Chris Spath, who lost a total of 250 pounds of excess weight.
Laura and Chris have tried numerous diets between them and have even had some success in getting the weight off. However, the problem was keeping the weight off long-term.
When a serious health scare inspired Chris to take ownership of his health, he decided to try the carnivore diet, and soon after Laura joined him.
Today, we talk more about how the positive experiences and incredible results they saw after making the switch to an all meat diet encouraged them to adopt this lifestyle long term.
- What was different about the carnivore diet vs other diets they tried
- Why the carnivore diet worked for keeping the weight off long term
- What are some benefits to health Chris experienced on this diet
- How to manage family life and growing kids when going carnivore
- Why consistency is key
- Tips for people who want to try the carnivore diet but don’t know where to start
- Tips on sourcing and cooking different cuts of meat
Then this interview is for them.
I really enjoyed this interview with Laura and Chris who are a great inspiration to anybody who might be struggling to find something that works, but are unsure if the carnivore diet is something worth trying.
Special thanks to Laura and Chris for joining me on the show.
Enjoy the episode!
Listen to The Podcast Episode
Hear episode 104 interview directly on your favorite podcast app by clicking a link below:
Guest’s Links
Follow, or find out more about Laura and Chris on these official links:
Show Notes with Timestamp Links
Find summarised highlights of what we talk about during the interview.
Use the clickable timestamp links to jump directly to those points in the audio file below:
[00:19] – Introducing married couple Laura and Chris Spath. They both lost over a 100 pounds of excess weight by following the carnivore diet.
[02:05] – Between the two of them, Laura and Chris have previously tried veganism, ketogenic and low-carb diets. They explain the key differences they found with each diet and why they are sticking to the carnivore diet. Not being hungry was a big plus!
[04:04] – One of the big differences is that the carnivore diet takes away the treat option available on other diets. Laura explains how over time your tastes change on the carnivore diet and you desire cleaner, simples options.
[05:04] – After yo-yo dieting together and doing low-carb and keto diets, Chris found people doing carnivore diet and sharing information online. Chris made the switch and Laura realised she also felt better on the carnivore diet.
[07:43] – Males seem to be more likely to jump on to carnivorism, however, women tend to need more convincing. Are they more likely to try the carnivore diet with a women mentor like Kelly Hogan, Pamela Kenney and Amber O’Hearn?
[10:27] – Showing people what is possible long-term and knowing the struggles people face keeps Laura motivated to provide encouragement for others.
[11:47] – Many diet success stories tend to be on an individual basis but Laura and Chris achieved this together and have children. Laura hopes they are an inspiration to other families who are thinking of integrating this into their lifestyle.
[12:48] – Laura’s mom has also had success on this diet and has inspired a lot of post menopausal women to think of trying an all-meat diet for their health.
[13:58] – Laura reveals how they explain their one meal a day (OMAD) carnivore diet to their kids who still get breakfast, lunch and dinner. They talk to their kids about a healthy approach to food so that it keeps your body strong and healthy.
[17:46] – Laura’s mum is also a carnivore now and, growing up in a rural environment, they ate fresh, whole foods. From late high school onward however, Laura’s diet shifted to processed and fast food. She explains they both started putting on weight as a result of some personal hardships.
[19:36] – With Christmas and other events it has been good to learn to make memories that don’t revolve around food.
[20:52] – Chris shares a little of his background of having always struggled with weight and reaching 250 pounds by the time he finished high school, being diagnosed type 2 diabetes and necrotising fasciitis.
[24:39] – After about 30 days on the carnivore diet Chris went off his diabetes medication as his blood sugar normalised. He also stopped using his blood pressure, cholesterol and anxiety medications as well as his sleep apnoea machine.
[25:43] – When Chris resolved his diabetes with diet it reinforced the idea that a lot of disease is diet related. Weight reduction was a small part of the benefits they experienced on the carnivore diet, more important were the improvements to health.
[29:00] – Laura explains that while they were able to lose weight before, they were never able to keep it off long term or resolve their health issues with other diets.
[29:30] – Generally there is a period of adjustment most people have to go through when switching to a new diet before they see result. It is not easy, but Laura encourages people to push through as consistency is key (30 days min).
[31:20] – Now that they have achieved their goals Laura and Chris have made the carnivore diet their lifestyle and plan to do this forever.
[31:40] – It is hard to predict how much physical adaptation each individual will have to go through as it depends on where they are coming from and how much healing their body needs.
[32:15] – Laura and Chris prefer to eat beef but will on occasion have pork, eggs or other meat.
[33:28] – From a cost perspective Laura and Chris tend to save more money than previously as they shop sales and eat less frequently. They also tend to save money on snacks while out and about.
[35:51] – Laura explains how she sources her meat while travelling. This involves anything from settling on a fast food burger patty or just not eating until she can get a hold of something suitable.
[37:22] – Chris used to be the primary chef in the family but Laura has taken to grilling as of late and loves to teach other women easy ways to prepare steak on the grill.
[38:32] – Laura’s Cooking Tip: Cheaper cuts of meats taste better if cooked lower and slower e.g. reverse searing. Laura shares some other tips for cooking the best tasting steaks.
[41:16] – People often ask about the blood type diet and how it relates to the carnivore diet. Laura explains this is not a factor that affects success on this diet. Chris shares tips on starting out as it can be challenging to begin with.
[45:58] -When people new to this ask about supplements and organ meat Chris advises them to keep it simple to begin with. Eat meat that you enjoy as often as you like! Down the road reassess how you feel and start thinking about other things.
[47:25] – For anyone wanting to find out more and get in touch with Laura and Chris the best place to start is YouTube. Laura and Chris are also both on Instagram @lauraespath and @chrisjspath.
