Todd Bockness couldn’t walk on his own. He had supplemental oxygen tubes protruding from his nostrils and his eyesight was impaired.
At more than 700lbs, Mr Bockness was at an extremely heightened risk of death, but he had tried several diets – keto, Jenny Craig, fasting – and none helped him achieve lasting weight loss.
Desperate and swayed by online success stories, he limited his diet even further. Now, Mr Bockness eats only eggs, bacon, beef, lamb, butter, salt, and vinegar.
After six months, he lost 205 pounds, mainly due to fluid loss from his inflamed condition. He also said his health issues disappeared; his heart rate decreased from 107 to 68 beats per minute, and his severely swollen calves recovered. He’s ultimately lost 270lbs since 2022, bringing his weight down to around 450.
But this diet isn’t for everyone, and even his doctor wasn’t convinced it was a sustainable way of life, and in fact believed it would be fatal. Mr Bockness added his medical team was ‘astounded’ when the diet didn’t kill him.
Relying solely on meat for nutrition deprives the body of key nutrients in produce and whole grains. It means eating a lot of saturated fat, which raises cholesterol. High cholesterol, or the waxy, fatty substance that builds up in the arteries, increases the odds of suffering a heart attack and stroke.
But the highly restrictive diet – which eliminates all sugar, refined grains, and processed foods – is exceedingly popular for helping people feel full while still losing weight, because the lack of carbohydrates forces the body to burn fat for energy rather than glucose.
His doctors told him he would likely die because of this, but Mr Bockness, of Bozeman, Montana, said: ‘If I hadn’t done carnivore, I would already be dead, I wouldn’t have made it this far.’
At more than 700 lbs,Todd Bockness couldn’t walk on his own. He had supplemental oxygen tubes protruding from his nostrils. His eyesight was impaired due to intractable insulin problems
The carnivore diet excludes all carbohydrates, contributing to weight loss and improving insulin levels. A diet high in protein helps the body feel fuller for longer and requires more energy to digest, translating to more calories burned
Bockness had struggled with food and his weight his whole life, having been obese as a child.
He said: ‘My weight fluctuated up until I was about 38, and then my health started catching up on me. I got pretty sick.’
At one point in 2021, his body began retaining fluid as a result of inflammation throughout his body and potential liver or kidney damage. It caused him to gain 84 lbs.
He said: ‘I ballooned to well over 700 pounds, couldn’t move, couldn’t breathe.’
After first trying the keto diet, which includes plant-based foods, Bockness became a full-fledged carnivore in 2022.
‘I only drink water or carbonated water. I only eat eggs, bacon, beef, lamb, butter, salt, and vinegar,’ Mr Bockness said.
For half the week, he eats one or two meals a day. The other half, he fasts, using his body fat for energy.
The carnivore diet has exploded in popularity in recent years, with more than 3.5billion views on TikTok as of February 2025.
Mr Bockness lost about 270lbs while following an all animal protein diet for about three years
Bockness is pictured before embarking on the carnivore diet, when, at his highest, he weighed over 700lbs
Hundreds of thousands of Americans have reported the diet spurs weight loss, alleviates joint pain, improves energy levels, reduces bloating and IBS symptoms, clears acne, and improves sleep.
Bockness, for his part, saw his vision fully restored. High blood sugar over a long period of time can damage the eyes, causing vision to become blurry.
After dropping about 200 lbs, he was able to walk again. He was also able to breathe better and no longer needed supplemental oxygen.
But his doctors were still concerned about the myriad of documentable health risks of eating an animal protein-only diet.
He said: “[My doctor] wasn’t happy. He just said, “Oh, I’m worried about your diet.” That was the first time that guy had ever mentioned my diet when I was over 700 pounds on oxygen.
‘I was breathing on my own and was able to walk again. He said he was worried about my diet.’
The carnivore diet excludes all carbohydrates, contributing to weight loss and improving insulin levels.
Its benefits are largely anecdotal, as most available research comprises small studies and case reports.
In six months, he lost 205 pounds, mostly from fluid due to inflammation. His health improved—his heart rate dropped from 107 to 68, and his swollen calves healed. He eventually lost 270 pounds, reaching about 450
Bockness had struggled with food and his weight his whole life, having been obese as a child
A diet high in protein helps the body feel fuller for longer and requires more energy to digest, translating to more calories burned.
The associated weight loss could come at the expense of the person’s health, though. A primary concern with the carnivore diet is the potential deficiencies in crucial nutrients including fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.
A 2025 nutritional analysis of 2,000 people following the carnivore diet showed certain nutrients, such as riboflavin, vitamin B12, and zinc, were at recommended levels.
But they were deficient in key nutrients, including thiamine, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C, and folate.
An all-meat diet also means a high intake of saturated fat, which causes a build up of cholesterol, posing risks to cardiovascular health.
As cholesterol builds up in the blood vessels, it restricts blood flow to the heart and other organs. Over time, cholesterol buildup on arterial walls creates unstable plaque that inflames the area around it.
These plaques harden over time, further stiffening the arteries. In some cases, the plaques can rupture, causing a blood clot that can block the artery completely, causing a stroke or heart attack.
Mr Bockness is not convinced of the risk, though, and will keep on with the carnivore diet until he reaches his goal weight of 280 lbs, saying that ‘the medical schools… all these companies that own all these drug companies paid for all the epidemiology studies.’
