I started the keto diet in 2016 after my bariatric surgery in 2015. I remember scanning Pinterest daily for amazing recipes. The keto diet allowed me to eat all of my favorite foods but in a healthy version. The fact that I was “allowed” keto treats made it even better! Years later I realized keto never helped me get rid of my sugar addiction.

However, I am very grateful that I started keto which made the transition to carnivore that much easier.

I started following all of the keto experts and influencers in 2018! I watched some of them transition to carnivore while others focused on meat-heavy diets with a few fruits and veggies. I’ve watched them transform their health and lives with keto and carnivore.

In February of this year, I heard about a conference where all of these people I’ve been following for years would be under the same roof speaking about diet and health! Bryce told me to buy a ticket without hesitation. I booked my hotel, and flight and splurged on a VIP Ketocon 2023!

I arrived in Austin, TX on Thursday, April 20th around 11 am. I dropped my suitcase off at the hotel and then sought out some Texas BBQ. I discovered Iron Works BBQ which was 0.8 miles from the hotel. In 90-degree weather, it felt like I walked two miles.

The meat at Iron Works is ordered by the pound. I got beef ribs and brisket. The beef ribs were sinful while the brisket was a little dry and not as fatty as I’d like. After lunch, I walked along the Austin river walk another mile while I waited for my hotel room.

A friend from Instagram text me about meeting up shortly after I arrived at the riverfront. Amy and her friend Cindy flew in from Atlanta for the conference. Amy is a keto coach for her business- Health Coach of the South. There’s a breathtaking trail along the river called the Ann and Roy Butler Trail. We walked another three miles together!

That night the three of us went to a “Meat Up”. This was a pre-celebratory event for the conference. The event was catered by a carnivore chef! We feasted on roasted beef shoulder, beef cheek (Barbicoa), tallow baked chicken wings, chicken skin crisps, protein jello, and beefy brownies. I’d give anything to have those beefy brownies recipe! They included chocolate beef protein, butter, eggs, keto chocolate, and organ meat.

Friday kicked off Ketocon! I picked up my VIP swag bag and started exploring the vendor booths in the exhibition hall.

Red light therapy, IV therapy, vitamins, carnivore, and keto snacks, farms, cold water plunge, saunas, and ozone therapy were a few of the booths. I was very overwhelmed by all that was offered so I walked the loop a few times without really stopping.

Multiple speakers were talking at once on various stages. I printed out the schedule and highlighted the talks I wanted to attend. Ketocon also did an awesome job of providing an app that had an interactive schedule on it. On Friday I listened to the Success Stories Panel at 9:45, Jonathan Shane at 11:10, Sally Norton at 12:00, Dr. Mindy Pelz meet and greet, Reed Davis at 12:50, Kara Collier at 2:30, Dr. Susan Wadia-Ells meet and greet at 3:20 and then the BIG finale- the Carnivore For Women panel at 4:30.

I learned so much on day one but the Carnivore panel was by far my favorite. Elizabeth Bright, Dani Conway, Laura Spath, and Judy Cho made up the panel. I’m very familiar with and am a HUGE fan of Laura and Judy but I’m so thankful I got to hear Dr. Bright. She specializes in hormones! I got to chat with Dr. Bright a few times over the weekend.

One of the doctors I chat with on a regular basis pushes OMAD for everyone. Deep down I never felt I could handle one meal a day, especially since I had bariatric surgery. Dr. Bright confirmed my gut intuition. She said women trying to heal should not be eating OMAD as it can affect hormones.

Friday night was the VIP dinner. There I chatted with Dr. Kiltz and met an amazing couple from North Dakota who are on a carnivore journey. I also got to meet Laura Spath and Judy Cho! I got to thank Judy for her advice on carnivore and not getting the covid shot. She helped provide me with the knowledge I needed to stay healthy while taking care of patients in 2020.

Saturday was an amazing day for me. Speaking of OMAD, I accidentally fasted for 24 hours on Saturday (oops?). The breakfast at the hotel made me sick Friday. The meat had a good amount of sugar in it and who knows where the eggs came from or if they were even real. Saturday I decided to skip breakfast. There are three to four speakers every 40 minutes which meant no lunch break. Maybe it was mind over matter but I never got hungry for lunch! Maybe it was the excitement over the day?

Saturday kicked off with an Entrepreneur Mastermind. I’m not sure where this blog will take me but I’d love to run my own business one day to help people improve their health through diet and natural healing.

Next was Priming, Feasting, and Fasting with The Steak and Butter Gang who thank carnivore for their success. At 11:10 was a talk by Ben Azadi and Mindy Pelz about reducing inflammation. 12:00 was a VIP talk with Dr. Annette Bosworth. 12:50 was a meet and greet with a sex specialist- Susan Bratton. I wasn’t planning on going to that but am so glad that I did! I’ve struggled with my libido ever since I started fertility treatment. Susan has written many books on libido and orgasms! She and I had a long chat about how lifestyle, meds and stress can affect sex. Thankfully her books provide solutions.

I decided to change it up and attend a 1:40 DNA talk by Kashif Khan. I’ll be buying one of his DNA test kits when I’m able to. 2:30 was a brilliant talk in the VIP room by Dr. Ken Berry. He went over his talk by an hour which didn’t bother any of us! After that, I rushed down to a meet and greet with Dr. Stephen Hussey. He wrote a book about the heart called Understanding the Heart. Dr. Hussey had a heart attack that wasn’t caused by clogged arteries. In his book he discusses that varies causes of heart attacks and how they can be prevented naturally.

Saturday for dinner was a hoedown. Dinner at 7:30 concluded my 24-hour fast! I had about a pound of meat which included chicken, sausage, and the best brisket I’ve had in my life!

Sunday morning kicked off with a bang with the carnivore panel! This panel consisted of 5 doctors who have been eating carnivore for years. Each shared their story and how they’ve been so successful. Dr. Shawn Baker, Dr. Robert Kiltz, Dr. Elizabeth Bright, Dr. Lisa Wiedeman and Dr. Kevin Stock were the speakers. Dr. Ken Berry took the stage next to discuss the proper human diet. The next speaker, Dr. Amie Hornaman, piqued my interest quite a bit and had me asking a lot of questions about myself. I actually completed one of her hormone surveys last night and emailed her. She is an expert on thyroid and hormones. How long have I actually been suffering from hormone imbalances?

What could my treatment look like naturally?

What issues am I having could be related to my hormone imbalances? All of them????

How quickly could I address and fix my issues?

I was quite exhausted after Dr. Amie so I decided to walk around and check out the vendors from 1-2:30. I sampled and purchased a bunch of Carnivore Snax for our upcoming trip to Hawaii.

I looked at multiple options for liver supplements. I had purchased some “Savage” shirts from Robert Sikes so I picked those up.

At 2:30 Dr. Shawn Baker took the stage to discuss meat-based nutrition. Dr. Baker, an orthopedic surgeon, is in his 50s, is drug and hormone free and has been eating a carnivore diet for years. He promotes treating diseases with nutrition.

Ketocon wrapped up with Dorian Greenow who discussed his Keto Mojo Glucose testing device. I had tested my glucose and ketones the day before at his booth and was intrigued by my numbers. I actually just bought a Keto Mojo today! I’m excited to see what affects my glucose.

I went all out for dinner once the conference ended. I walked across the street to finally try Terry Black’s BBQ. They have 6 meat choices you can choose from: brisket, pork ribs, beef ribs, chopped beef, turkey, and sausage. You can order by the pound. I chose a full pound of the brisket! That served as dinner and breakfast the next day on the plane.

The four days I was at Ketocon were life-changing for me.

I learned to ask more questions. I met even more brilliant people who discussed topics I didn’t even know existed. I got out of my comfort zone and tried foods I usually wouldn’t (beef cheeks!) and approached people I normally wouldn’t.

Most importantly Ketocon fueled my passion even more to stay on this path to optimal health so that I can live my life to its fullest!