Anita Breeze, The Ketogenic Woman, to talk all things carnivore weight loss, what changes as we get older, and what actually works when the scale just won’t move.
We talk about Anita’s incredible weight loss journey, the lessons she’s learned along the way, common mistakes that can stall fat loss, protein and fat, getting older, breaking through plateaus, and why your approach may need to change over time.
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Weight loss after 50
- Weight loss after 40 is possible; hormones around perimenopause and menopause can make it harder, and substantial weight loss can still occur after menopause.
- Anita has lost about 150 pounds overall, with normal fluctuations around that number, without counting temporary lows as additional weight loss.
From low carb to carnivore
- About 15 years ago Anita started with Dr. Atkins: meat, about two cups of vegetables a day, and 20 net carbs while tracking; roughly 80–100 pounds were lost in that first low-carb period.[1]
- After her father died in 2017, about 40–50 pounds returned, followed by a move into keto; for years the total loss moved between roughly 80 pounds and just over 100 pounds.
- Keto was easy to follow, but frequent keto sweets carried food addiction into the diet; 30-day carnivore challenges gradually shifted eating toward meat, with about four years as a carnivore.
- Removing foods such as nuts and almond flour helped produce roughly another 50 pounds of loss, and simple meals such as steak on a plate became preferable.
- Strict carnivore eating is not necessary all the time: seasonings, an occasional pickle, or a keto-style celebration dessert can fit because the diet has to remain sustainable for life.
Protein, fat, and dairy
- Close tracking is no longer used, but at age 68 protein gets more attention, with a target of about 120 grams a day and "protein first" even when the target is missed.
- No single fat-to-protein ratio has worked permanently: high-fat, low-fat, and middle-ground carnivore have each worked for a period and then stabilized, while high fat improved mood without breaking the weight stall.
- During a 31-day dairy-free August experiment, body weight stayed roughly within a two-pound range while waist size fell by three inches; whether the change was body fat, bloating, or something else is unknown.
- Dairy can make this way of eating much easier to sustain, so permanent "never again" rules are not used; occasional dairy will continue to be tested for individual effects.
Ageless living, muscle, and daily habits
- Carnivore for Ageless Living has more than 120 recipes, with a blueprint for simplifying life through morning light, movement, stress management, sleep, circadian rhythm, community, and small intentional habits.
- Weight training currently occurs twice a week and previously occurred three times a week; for people over 50, maintaining or rebuilding muscle is a major priority.
- Sarcopenia is a real problem in older adults, and severe muscle loss was common among nursing-home residents eating soups, puddings, cookies, and too little protein.
- Maintaining muscle requires enough protein, and rebuilding lost muscle requires resistance exercise as well; declining appetite with age can make getting 120-plus grams of protein harder.
- Sleep also needs deliberate attention with age, and resistance training helps with bone strength and protection when falls happen.
- Hal Cranmer runs assisted-living homes using ketogenic and carnivore-style food, movement, and individualized care, and some residents have improved enough to return home.[2]
- Vascular dementia in Anita's mother made brain health personally important; heart and metabolic health are linked with brain health, with omega-3-rich foods, B vitamins, folate, and vitamin D prioritized, and vitamin D supplementation used after testing showed a low level.
- Creatine for brain health remains an area for further investigation, without enough evidence reviewed to speak confidently about it.
Sardine fasting and regular sardines
- A sardine fast is not mainly a weight-loss tool; Dominic D'Agostino's sardine-fasting approach uses sardines to create a large energy deficit while still providing dense nutrition.[3]
- Sardines strongly suppress appetite and provide omega-3s and dense nutrition, with perceived benefits for brain and joint health.
- After the first few sardine challenges, Anita's knee pain improved enough to leave the replacement-surgery waiting list, although severe arthritis remained and a later fall caused more damage.
- Courtney's own sardine fast clarified hunger versus emotional eating; she lost a few pounds, ketones rose, glucose fell, and calorie intake was probably very low on some days.
- A sardine challenge is not required: sardine pâté and other recipes can be eaten regularly, and mixing sardines with foods such as tuna is an easier way to keep them in the diet.
References
- [01:56] Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution — https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/342511/dr-atkins-new-diet-revolution-by-atkins-dr/9780091889487
- [21:54] Revolutionizing Assisted Living: Hal Cranmer's Ketogenic & Carnivore Approach to Senior Wellness — https://www.metabolicmind.org/resources/news-views/podcasts/metabolic-mind-podcast/revolutionizing-assisted-living-hal-cranmers-ketogenic-carnivore-approach-to-senior-wellness/
- [25:27] Dr. Dominic D’Agostino — All Things Ketones, How to Protect the Brain and Boost Cognition, Sardine Fasting, Diet Rules, Revisiting Metformin and Melatonin, and More (#825) — https://tim.blog/2025/09/03/dr-dominic-dagostino-all-things-ketones/