After years of repeatedly losing and regaining weight, Boue Marks decided to take on one of the most divisive diets in the wellness world.
His plan was simple but severe: eliminate almost every food except meat and eggs for at least 100 days.
The 39-year-old Brisbane resident described the experiment as extreme, but said an almost exclusively carnivorous diet has changed far more than his weight. He believes it has also reshaped his mindset, boosted his libido and altered his relationship with food.
Standing 6ft 3in (190cm), Boue estimates his peak weight was above 180kg (396 lb). He cannot be certain of the exact figure, however, because his scales stopped registering at 170kg (375 lbs).
More than five months into the change, he is now hovering below 100kg—the lowest weight the marketing professional has reached since his late teens.
‘I’m approaching 99.9kg, which is the first major goal,’ Boue told Daily Mail.
Before the change, his diet was built around takeaway meals, ice cream, chocolate, lollies and chips. Food had also become closely tied to his emotions, and stress would often trigger an automatic search for something sweet.
Then, in April, frustrated by years of shedding weight only to regain it, Boue decided to draw a line under his old habits. He committed to 100 days of carnivore eating and began sharing the experience on social media.
After years of yo-yo dieting, Boue Marks (pictured) turned to one of the most controversial eating plans around—the carnivore diet. At 6ft 3in (190cm), he weighed about 180kg (396 lb) at his heaviest and decided it was time to regain control of his eating habits
More than five months later, the Brisbane marketing professional is weighing in at just under 100kg—the lightest he has been since his late teens
His striking physical change is the most visible result, but Boue says the highly restrictive plan has delivered other benefits. He claims it has reduced his persistent thoughts about food, sharpened his concentration and brought an unexpected change to his sex life.
‘I’ve definitely noticed an increase in libido since carnivore,’ he said.
‘This diet really clears the mind so you can think clearly. I feel super focused, alert and mentally sharp throughout the day.’
Boue said weight had been a struggle for most of his life. He had not seen the scales drop below 100kg since before his 18th birthday.
‘I just had way too many calories for how little I was working out.’
This was not his first successful attempt to lose weight. Five years ago, he reached 130kg, but eventually returned to familiar routines, including binge eating.
‘I think that it’s very easy to maintain discipline for a short amount of time. Everyone can do a three-week diet, but it’s hard to stick to.’
Determined to make himself accountable this time, Boue began documenting his progress on Instagram, knowing it would be harder to give up if other people were following along.
Although Boue’s dramatic weight loss is the most obvious result, he says the restrictive plan has calmed his constant preoccupation with food, strengthened his focus and delivered one surprising bedroom benefit: a higher libido
Boue turned to carnivore eating because its rigid rules eliminated what he calls the ‘monkey chatter’ surrounding food, as well as the decision fatigue that had undermined earlier diet attempts
He was also drawn to carnivore eating because its strict framework silenced what he calls the ‘monkey chatter’ in his mind about food and removed the ‘decision fatigue’ that had contributed to previous setbacks.
Instead of debating whether he should eat an apple, a pie, chicken, salad or steak, his choices became deliberately limited, plus, he just really likes meat.
Of everything he gave up, however, ice cream was by far the hardest.
‘You could tell that I was made of just ice cream before,’ he joked.
What he eats in a typical day
Despite describing his diet as carnivore, Boue is quick to acknowledge he isn’t a strict purist, estimating he follows it around ’98 per cent’ of the time.
He doesn’t eat fruit or vegetables, but does consume Greek yoghurt, a lower-sugar barbecue sauce and vitamin supplements, while also taking fibre tablets day-to-day.
Breakfast consists of four scrambled eggs with Mingle Better’s Tangy BBQ Sauce ($5.95), which contains just 0.6g of sugar per serve, while lunch is half a Nando’s barbecue chicken and dinner is two beef patties from a $13.99 four-pack of Coles Grill’d Signature Beef Burgers.
He also enjoys one Pauls Plus Protein Yoghurt Pouch Lemon Cheesecake ($3.15) to satisfy his sweet cravings after dinner, even though it has no added sugar.
Boue’s breakfast consists of four scrambled eggs with Mingle Better’s Tangy BBQ Sauce ($5.95), which has only 0.60 grams of sugar per serve
His lunch is half a Nando’s barbecue chicken and dinner is two beef patties from a $13.99 four-pack of Coles Grill’d Signature Beef Burgers
Rather than cooking everything at home, he walks to collect much of his food each day, helping him clock approximately 10,000 steps, while he also completes one personal training session a week.
‘I walk to the food shops so that I’m actually getting exercise.’
When he first started, Boue said the weight began falling quickly, with a couple of kilograms (4.4lbs) disappearing during the first week before eventually settling at roughly one kilogram (2.2lbs) a week.
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However, changing his diet so dramatically also brought some unexpected effects.
He initially found it harder to fall asleep because he felt unusually alert, while constipation also became an issue as his digestion adjusted to the dramatic dietary change, prompting him to take fibre tablets daily.
His sex drive, meanwhile, has noticeably increased, although Boue said he hasn’t experienced the bad breath often associated with very low-carbohydrate diets.
He also enjoys one Pauls Plus Protein Yoghurt Pouch Lemon Cheesecake ($3.15) to satisfy his sweet cravings after dinner, even though it has no added sugar
The challenge isn’t over
Perhaps the biggest shock came when he recently looked back at himself in footage and old photos.
For years, he had avoided being photographed or appearing on camera and hadn’t fully appreciated how dramatically his appearance had changed until revisiting his ‘day-one’ diet videos.
‘I had such a moon face, but I look so different now,’ he reminisced about his noticeably rounder face shape in April this year.
After completing his original 100-day challenge in July, Boue decided to continue to 200 days, but insists he doesn’t believe carnivore is the answer for everyone.
‘If GLP-1’s [weight loss injections] are the answer for you, maybe that’s the move. If going vegan is the answer for you, that’s the move. If carnivore is the answer, that’s the move,’ he said.
‘I don’t think that it’s about one size fits all.’
And for him, the bigger challenge will be proving that this transformation lasts.
After years of successfully losing weight only to regain it, he eventually plans to move away from such restrictive eating and focus on maintaining his results without falling back into his old habits.
‘In six months I want to be able to make a video about the fact that I actually maintained this weight.’
Despite Boue’s remarkable transformation, health experts have warned that the restrictive carnivore diet can pose significant health risks, particularly when followed long-term. ‘If something is too extreme… then avoid it at all costs,’ dietitian Hayley Stathis warns
What the experts say about the carnivore diet
Despite Boue’s remarkable transformation, health experts have warned that the restrictive carnivore diet can pose significant health risks, particularly when followed long-term.
Australian dietitian Hayley Stathis strongly advises against eliminating entire food groups, warning that doing so can affect digestion and deprive the body of essential nutrients.
‘The carnivore diet is a ridiculous idea and an extremely dogmatic approach that I would never advise anyone to follow,’ she says.
‘Without vegetables and fruits, people aren’t getting enough fibre which causes issues with digestion and gut microbiome.’
Amelia Phillips, a nutritionist and exercise scientist, also warns the carnivore diet can dramatically increase LDL cholesterol and triglycerides to a dangerous level
Meanwhile, nutritionist and exercise scientist Amelia Phillips warns that the diet can dramatically increase LDL cholesterol and triglycerides in some people, potentially raising their risk of cardiovascular disease.
‘This can increase heart disease risk and considering heart disease is the number one killer of Australians, understanding where your risk levels sit is very important before embarking on carnivore diet,’ she says.
Given Boue has not undergone blood tests during his transformation, the impact on his cholesterol and other health markers remains unknown.
‘If something is too extreme and cuts out whole food groups like vegetables, then avoid it at all costs,’ Hayley warns.
Anyone considering significant dietary changes should consult their GP or an accredited practising dietitian beforehand.
