A ‘meatfluencer’ mum claims she has shed 4st (55lbs) by following the extreme ‘lion’ diet, which consists entirely of meat and animal products.
Courtney Luna decided to try out the restrictive diet two years ago after finding herself “overweight, lethargic and addicted to sugar and carbs”.
She even ate sardines for 10 days straight just to cut the sugar cravings.
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The 39-year-old says that she has reaped incredible benefits, including significant weight loss, increased energy, no more acne, and improvements to her mental health.
As well as more standard foods including beef burgers, steaks, eggs, salmon, chicken, bacon, butter and pork rinds, Courtney also indulges in organ meats like liver, heart, and pork tongue.
The diet means she hasn’t eaten vegetables in more than 700 days, and snacks on things like sticks of butter and raw eggs – something she is often criticised for.
“People online can’t seem to fathom that I can ditch the veggies and thrive,” Courtney, a home-schooling mum based in California, US, told Need To Know.
“It really upsets them to see me going against everything we’ve been told.
“That being said, my friends and family are very supportive and many of them have even switched to this way of eating after seeing how well I’m doing and all the health benefits I’ve had.
“I have been eating this way for two years.
“I started because I was sick and tired of feeling sick and tired.
“I was overweight, depressed, addicted to carbs and sugar, felt lethargic and overall just awful.
“I was willing to try anything to get my life back.”
Since adopting the largely meat-based diet – which is often called the ‘lion diet’ – the mum-of-two says she feels like a new woman.
Courtney, who boasts 116,000 on Instagram (@itscourtneyluna), said: “The biggest one [change] would be my mental health.
“I was able to go off of my medication for anxiety and depression.
“Many people don’t realise that their diet affects their mental health.
“I have cleared up 25 years of acne, lost 55lbs, have zero gas and bloating, tons of energy, and just overall feel so happy.
“My lab work is great, and I am no longer pre-diabetic.”
The mum says the interesting diet has also allowed her to develop a better relationship with food.
She is currently on a ‘sardine fast’, eating only sardines for 10 days, in a bid to focus on hunger cues rather than mindless eating – which she says works because she would never binge on sardines, or strongly desire to eat them.
She said: “Many people think you need to be able to eat all foods in moderation to have freedom, but for me, that’s not the case.
“Being free from the hold that certain foods had over me was mentally draining and exhausting.
“I would either try to moderate or I would have one and binge.
“Now you can have a plate of doughnuts next to me and there is zero desire to have one.
“Knowing that I am an abstainer and not a moderator was life-changing for me.
“In the same way, an alcoholic can’t moderate their drinking, I also can’t moderate my carb and sugar intake – so I abstain.”
Despite assumptions that it must be an expensive lifestyle, Courtney insists her grocery bill hasn’t changed.
She said: “Eating this way can be done very cheaply.
“Grocery store meat and eggs are still very nutritious if someone can’t afford grass-finished beef and pasture-raised eggs.
“If done on a budget, I can spend about $7 a day on my food.
“But some days I can spend more depending on the cuts and if I’m adding in extras that are pricey, such as egg wraps or meat chips.
“We spend roughly $300 a week for a family of four.”
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