THE CARNIVORE DIET BENEFITS
The carnivore diet is a radical shift from the standard American diet, which is loaded with processed foods and very carb-heavy. Instead, you’ll focus just on eating animal-based products: meat, eggs, and in certain cases, dairy.
It sounds restrictive, but that’s the whole point. Removing plant-based foods and forcing your body to turn to fat as fuel can support a healthier inflammatory response, easier weight management, mental clarity, and more.
As you look to start your own carnivore journey you might be wondering, how many calories on carnivore diet should you eat daily? Do you count calories on carnivore diet in the first place?
The concept of carnivore diet calories is interesting. In looking at the carnivore diet rules there is nothing stating you have to eat a certain amount of calories. That’s the beauty in the diet - you can eat intuitively. Eat when you’re hungry, stop when you’re full. It’s that simple.
That being said, maybe you’re more interested in carnivore diet weight loss, or on the other side of the spectrum, you want to gain weight through a bodybuilding carnivore diet. In these cases where you have a specific body composition goal in mind, calories matter much more.
So follow along as we talk about how many calories to eat on carnivore diet with tips on increasing or decreasing your intake as needed. First, what is the carnivore diet exactly?
The Basics of the Carnivore Diet
The carnivore diet is as simple an approach to nutrition as there is: eat only animal-based foods, eliminate everything else. It’s that straightforward. Follow the approved carnivore diet food list, and you get to dictate how much you eat and when you eat.
You’ll consume just meat, fish, eggs, and animal fats, although some adherents continue to consume dairy. As long as milk, cheese, and butter don’t cause problems for your digestive system, they technically fall under the umbrella of “animal-based.”
What you won’t eat anymore includes vegetables, fruits, grains, or processed products. So why is the diet so restrictive? After all, you’ve probably been led to believe some of these foods are good for you.
The truth is, though, they’re packed with dietary irritants like sugar, fiber, and antinutrients found in plants. Cutting them out can alleviate gut imbalance, systemic inflammation, and many other problems associated with the traditional American diet.
Eliminating carbs also kicks your body’s energy production process away from glycogen over to fat for fuel. This leads to more stable energy levels without the spikes and crashes. It sets the foundation for reduced inflammation, and often, effortless weight loss.
Meanwhile, high-protein, high-fat meals naturally regulate hunger hormones. Most people can simply eat until they’re satisfied without the need to count carnivore diet calories. That being said, do you count calories on carnivore diet or not?
Do You Count Calories on Carnivore Diet?
So do calories matter on carnivore diet or not? This is a very individualized question. The vast majority of people don’t need to be bothered with calorie tracking on the carnivore diet. The simplified approach to nutrition naturally regulates hunger levels.
Further to that point, most of your carnivore diet dinner ideas or carnivore diet snack ideas are going to be high in protein - which promotes satiety. You’ll feel full faster and stay full for longer. Just listen to your body to gauge when you’ve had enough.
NOW - there are situations where carnivore diet calories should be more closely monitored. Maybe you’re wondering, why am I not losing weight on carnivore diet? You could be overeating without even realizing it!
So if you’re not seeing the results you want, it might be time to get more structured in how you eat. This isn’t just for those trying to lose weight but for those trying to gain muscle or improve performance in any way, shape, or form.
Part of what makes the carnivore diet meal plan for beginners so appealing is you can rotate the same meals over and over again to simplify things without getting stale.
In this sense, you can count calories for a few weeks to get a sense of how much you should eat to meet your goals, and then, get back to eating intuitively without logging every single bite into a fitness tracker.
In the meantime, though, how many calories on carnivore diet should you aim for on a daily basis? Let’s get into it below along with tips on how to get enough calories on carnivore diet and ways to control overconsumption depending on what you’re struggling with.
How Many Calories on Carnivore Diet Should You Eat Daily?
Figuring out how many calories on carnivore diet to aim for comes down to your unique goals. You’ll either want to consume a deficit for weight loss, a surplus for weight gain, or stick to your baseline daily needs to maintain your weight.
But how do you count calories on carnivore diet? It starts with understanding your baseline needs.
Determining Your Ideal Caloric Intake
Body weight, activity level, metabolic health, and your specific goals guide how many calories to eat on carnivore diet. Here’s a general rule of thumb for different goals:
- Weight Loss: 10-12 calories per pound of body weight
- Maintenance: 15-16 calories per pound of body weight
- Muscle Gain or Strength Training: 17-20+ calories per pound of body weight
So imagine you weigh 180 pounds and want to lose fat. Your target intake would be somewhere between 1,800-2,100 calories per day depending on how aggressive you want to be in your weight loss efforts.
On the other hand, you’d need to eat upwards of 3,000 carnivore diet calories daily to gain weight. There will likely be some trial and error as you try to find the sweet spot. Listen to your hunger levels and take note of body composition changes, then, adjust accordingly.
Fat-to-Protein Ratio and Caloric Density
Not all calories are created equal. You need to find the right balance between fat and protein to make the most of this diet. Fat provides 9 calories per gram while protein delivers just 4 calories per gram.
So, what does that mean for you? Most carnivore dieters follow one of two macronutrient ratios:
- High-Fat (70-80% Fat / 20-30% Protein): Best for fat loss and ketosis.
- Moderate-Fat, Higher Protein (60% Fat / 40% Protein): Best for muscle-building and performance.
If you eat lean meats (chicken breast, sirloin, etc.), you’ll end up consuming fewer calories since protein is less calorie-dense than fat. In contrast, fattier meats like ribeye and pork bellow - or meals made with lots of butte or tallow - will inevitably increase your calorie intake.
How to Get Enough Calories on Carnivore Diet if You’re Falling Short
Now, can you gain weight on carnivore diet? Definitely! It’s just a matter of getting into a slight calorie surplus and staying consistent. This is something we see pretty often as people are interested in building muscle on carnivore diet.
That being said, you may struggle to eat enough calories on the carnivore diet because protein makes you so much more full than the carb-heavy meals you’re used to.
So, what can you eat on the carnivore diet to help you consume more calories and meet your goals? The best meats for carnivore diet in this case are going to be fattier varieties. Here are some tips to reach your goals without feeling like you’re force-feeding yourself:
- Swap chicken breast for chicken thighs, choose ribeye over sirloin, and opt for ground beef with at least 80/20 fat content
- Add butter, tallow, or ghee to your meals
- Eat smaller meals more frequently instead of eating large portions all at once.
- Cheese, heavy cream, and Greek yogurt (if well-tolerated) are great ways to boost calories effortlessly. Just be aware these may contain carbs and could kick you out of ketosis.
- Try drinking your calories. Blending bone broth with butter or tallow creates a calorie-dense drink.
In general, following a high-fat carnivore diet is the easiest way to get more calories in. now, what if you have the opposite problem and are consuming too many carnivore diet calories?
How to Control Carnivore Diet Calories if You’re Overeating
While some find it difficult to reach their calorie intake goals for building muscle mass, others find it easy to overeat when trying to lose weight. Really, it’s as simple as favoring lean meats over fattier foods like cheese, butter, and bacon.
So if you’re not losing weight or feel sluggish from eating too many calories, try making these adjustments and see if they do the trick:
- Follow a 30-day carnivore diet meal plan consisting mainly of sirloin, chicken breast, lean ground beef, and white fish.
- Limit liquid calories from butter coffee, heavy cream, and bone broth as these can drive up intake fast without really making you feel all that much more full.
- Cheese and cream are calorie-dense and can stall weight loss, so consider cutting back on dairy even though it’s technically animal-derived.
- Slow down and eat mindfully. Protein and fat are going to make you feel fuller than carbs, but you might not get the hint from your body if you eat too quickly and don’t pay attention.
- Carnivore naturally regulates appetite, but constant grazing on cheese, pork rinds, or fatty meats can keep calorie intake too high
Speaking of snacks, remember that our meat chips are the perfect choice for satisfying cravings without compromising on your goals. They’re made with just two ingredients: meat and salt.
They taste amazing, though, with a light, airy crunch that quickly transitions into melt-in-your-mouth goodness. Plus, they’re sourced from elite, ethical regenerative farms right there in the USA so you can feel good about treating yourself.
We have leaner chicken chips, lamb chips, and steak chips if you’re trying to keep carnivore diet calories in check. Or, indulge in fattier varieties like our ribeye chips, beef chips, brisket chips, and pork chips. There’s something for everyone at Carnivore Chips!
Bringing Our Carnivore Diet Calories Conversation to a Close
In closing, do you count calories on carnivore diet? Technically you don’t have to, as carnivore diet is more about what you eat (or perhaps don’t eat) than how much you eat.
That being said, there are situations where you want to keep a closer eye on calorie intake - including when you’re trying to lose weight or gain weight. We hope you feel confident in how many calories on carnivore diet you should aim for and how to raise or lower your intake.
Whether you need more fuel or need to rein things in, the right food choices make all the difference, and snacking smart can help you stay on track. So, spoil yourself with the best low-carb snacks at Carnivore Snax today!
