All the science of the day suggested it was the healthiest route. Wife and I both did it for close to 5 years.

And here is the hard part. There is no moment you start feeling bad. In fact you initially feel a lot better. Over time, for me at least, my b12 and iron dropped and energy slowly bled away.

Hormones dropped. Testosterone dropped and I was depressed with no libido. Didn't even understand any part of this until blood work showed what was going on.

Iron infusion. Fixed iron. B12 infusions simply would not work for more than a month and b12 would drop again.

TRT fixed test levels...I am 51 for reference here.

I realized this was an absorption issue and likely a gut microbiome issue for the b12.

So I went full carnivore, now mind you I had already left vegetarianism by now. But the damage was done. Even with normal meat in my diet my body was not reseting. This is why I feel it was a microbiome issue. Years on a veggie diet switched my gut bacteria... just a theory that I have no proof of...

So anyway 60 days of literally no carbs, beer or alcohol and my life came back. I eat 6 eggs a day and 2 lbs of grass ground beef a day. God I was sick of it!

Libido, energy, and depression faded. I knew things were different well before bloods a month later confirmed it.

Now I can eat normal...though I stick to a meat first diet most of the time and feel good.