Why Did Tristyn Lee Quit the Carnivore Diet? A Bodybuilder's Nutritional Shift

October 15, 2025 •

4 min read

After reaching dangerously low body fat levels of 3-5%, Tristyn Lee revealed why he quit the carnivore diet, explaining that its restrictive nature was holding him back from his bodybuilding goals. This critical decision to pivot his nutrition was driven by a need for better performance, energy, and overall health.

Quick Summary

Tristyn Lee ended his carnivore diet due to plummeting performance, difficulty gaining muscle mass, and digestive issues resulting from the restrictive, high-protein, high-fat intake. He switched to a high-carb plan to improve energy, recovery, and overall health.

Key Points

Unhealthy Body Fat: Tristyn Lee quit the carnivore diet after reaching dangerously low body fat levels of 3-5%, which was unsustainable and detrimental to his overall health.
Performance Stagnation: The zero-carb nature of the diet limited his energy, hindering his ability to gain muscle mass and progress in his bodybuilding training.
Digestive Issues: The extremely high intake of fat and protein on the carnivore diet led to significant digestive discomfort and inflammation.
High Satiety: He found it difficult to consume enough calories for a bulking phase because the high protein content of the carnivore diet left him feeling too full.
Reintroduction of Carbs: Under the guidance of his coach, Jared Feather, he successfully transitioned to a high-carb diet, incorporating rice, potatoes, and vegetables to fuel his workouts and support recovery.
Improved Well-being: His switch resulted in significant improvements in performance, energy levels, sleep quality, and overall well-being.
Sustainable Approach: Lee now follows a balanced nutritional philosophy that prioritizes long-term health and performance over extreme, short-term dietary restrictions.

Tristyn Lee first rose to prominence in the fitness world for his incredibly lean and shredded physique, often attributed to his extremely low-carb dietary approaches. Initially following a ketogenic regime, he later adopted the carnivore diet, famously showcasing his meat-heavy meals. While this strategy initially yielded impressive aesthetic results, Lee's nutritional journey took a critical turn when he realized the carnivore diet was no longer serving his long-term health and bodybuilding aspirations.

The Carnivore Diet: Initial Success and Highs

For some time, the carnivore diet seemed to be the perfect fit for Lee's pursuit of extreme leanness. The diet, consisting exclusively of animal products like meat, fish, and eggs, allowed him to maintain a very low body fat percentage, a key factor in his social media fame. By eliminating carbohydrates, his body relied on fat for energy (ketosis), which helped him shed body fat rapidly. His discipline and commitment to this restrictive protocol were undeniable, even creating a 17,000-calorie "Carnivore Big Mac" recipe during a bulk phase. However, as his career and training goals evolved, the limitations of this approach became more apparent.

The Unintended Consequences of Extreme Leanness

The main trigger for Lee's departure from the carnivore diet was the unhealthy and unsustainable level of leanness it produced. In a candid video, he explained that he dropped to an "unhealthy" body fat range of 3-5%, a state that negatively impacted his daily life and well-being.

Stalling Progress and Caloric Intake Challenges

For a bodybuilder, gaining muscle mass is as important as cutting fat. Lee found that the carnivore diet's high protein and fat content led to extreme satiety, making it nearly impossible to consume the high number of calories needed for muscle growth. His inability to progress in the gym became a major frustration. The diet, which was once effective for cutting, was now a significant obstacle to his bulking phases. As his coach, Jared Feather, later explained, the need for more carbohydrates was crucial for increasing Lee's training volume and recovery.

Digestive Distress and Inflammation

Another significant issue Lee faced was digestive problems. He revealed that the immense quantity of fat he was consuming on the carnivore diet began to cause digestive distress. Furthermore, a high-fat, high-protein, zero-fiber diet can negatively impact gut health and inflammation, issues he became acutely aware of. He has since noted the importance of good gut health for nutrient absorption, a concept he now addresses with a more varied diet.

The Shift to a Performance-Based Diet

Under the guidance of his coach, Lee strategically transitioned away from the carnivore diet, focusing on a more balanced and sustainable approach. This involved the gradual reintroduction of carbohydrates, especially for fueling intense training sessions and aiding recovery.

His new diet includes a wide array of foods beyond just animal products, focusing on nutrient density and performance. His meals now incorporate a variety of carbohydrates and vegetables. Post-workout meals, for example, feature fast-digesting carbs like jasmine rice alongside beef and vegetables. Other staples include sweet potatoes, cucumbers, avocado, and mushrooms, demonstrating a complete overhaul of his nutritional philosophy.

Comparison: Carnivore vs. New Diet


Feature	Carnivore Diet (Past)	Performance-Based Diet (Current)
Macronutrient Focus	High protein, high fat, zero carbs	Balanced protein, moderate fat, high carbs
Caloric Intake	Limited by high satiety	Designed to meet high caloric needs for muscle growth
Energy Source	Ketones from fat	Primarily glucose from carbohydrates
Training Performance	Impaired due to lack of glycogen	Significantly improved with proper fuel
Body Fat Levels	Extremely low, unhealthy (3-5%)	Managed for better health and performance
Digestion	Issues due to high protein and fat, no fiber	Improved with fiber and a variety of foods
Overall Health	Detrimental in the long term	Focused on sustainability and nutrient diversity

Conclusion: A Shift Toward Sustainability

Tristyn Lee's journey away from the carnivore diet highlights a crucial lesson for many in the fitness community: while extreme diets can produce short-term results, they often fail to support long-term, sustainable health and performance goals. His experience underscores that nutrition is not a one-size-fits-all approach and must evolve with an athlete's changing needs. By incorporating carbohydrates and a wider variety of whole foods, Lee not only addressed his digestive issues and caloric intake challenges but also unlocked a new level of performance and well-being. This shift from an overly restrictive model to a performance-focused and balanced plan serves as a powerful example of prioritizing long-term health and functional progress over extreme, and potentially harmful, dietary dogma.

For more details on Lee's current nutritional plan, you can find a comprehensive breakdown on BarBend.

Frequently Asked Questions

Tristyn Lee quit the carnivore diet primarily because he became 'too shredded,' dropping to an unhealthy 3-5% body fat, which was unsustainable and hindered his bodybuilding goals. He also experienced digestive issues from the high fat and protein intake and couldn't consume enough calories to gain muscle.

Lee's athletic performance and muscle-building progress stagnated on the carnivore diet. He noted that the lack of carbohydrates, which are the body's primary fuel source for high-intensity exercise, negatively impacted his training volume and recovery.

He reported experiencing digestive distress due to the high amount of fat he was consuming on the carnivore diet. The lack of fiber also contributed to issues, and he has since emphasized the importance of gut health for nutrient absorption.

His coach, Jared Feather, played a key role in helping him transition off the carnivore diet. Feather guided him in slowly reintroducing carbohydrates and other food groups to improve his performance and health.

Lee now follows a high-carb, balanced diet to fuel his bodybuilding. His meals include a variety of starchy carbs like jasmine rice and sweet potatoes, along with meat, fish, and vegetables.

His old carnivore diet was extremely restrictive, focusing only on animal products with zero carbs. His new diet is balanced and sustainable, incorporating a wide variety of whole foods, especially carbohydrates, to optimize training performance and recovery.

While it served a purpose for his extreme fat-loss phase, Lee does not express regret but acknowledges that it was not the right long-term solution for his evolving goals. He recognizes that what works for one person may not work for another.