The Beef and Butter Fast Experiment

But what does it actually do? Is it sustainable? And with beef prices soaring, is it even affordable?

Let’s break it all down:

Why Would Anyone Do This?

1️⃣ Rapid Fat Adaptation & Ketosis Boost – You’re eliminating every possible source of carbs, which means your body has no choice but to burn fat for fuel. You’re basically forcing your metabolism into a boot camp it never signed up for, and I’m not going to lie, it’s probably going to hurt.

2️⃣ Simplicity! Say Goodbye to Decision Fatigue – You don’t have to think about what to eat, because it’s literally just beef and butter. It’s like a minimalist wardrobe for your stomach. No tracking, no meal prep stress—just cook some beef, add butter, and eat until full.

3️⃣ Cravings & Appetite Control – If you’ve been inhaling keto treats like a toddler who found the snack drawer – or you’ve completely gone off the rails and need to rein it in, this can break the cycle and get you back on track with your goals.

How? Beef is super satiating, and when you remove carb heavy foods, cravings for sweets and snacks tend to disappear. (eventually 😅)

Potential Risks & Challenges

🔹 Boredom & Beef Fatigue – If you’re someone who thrives on variety, eating beef in different textures and forms is key to making this sustainable for the week, without turning against beef for life. (More on that below!)

🔹 Micronutrient Gaps – Since you’re eliminating all plant foods, you’ll be missing out on fiber, vitamin C, and other micronutrients. A one-week fast won’t cause deficiencies, but if you (and/or me) decide to go for more than a week, then supplementation of missing nutrients might be wise – unless you’ve always wanted to see what scurvy feels like.

🔹 Electrolyte Loss = Excruciating Keto Flu – Without carbs, your body flushes out electrolytes like it’s spring cleaning. Salt your beef aggressively, drink plenty of water, and consider supplementing with magnesium and potassium. Otherwise, hello headaches, heart palpitations, and muscle cramps – just to name a few.

🔹 Digestive Changes (Or… a Lack Thereof) – You may experience fewer, um, transactions in the bathroom. It’s normal. Your body is just using everything instead of wasting it. If you experience major discomfort though, that’s not normal, and magnesium supplementation as mentioned above can help things along.

Breaking up the Monotony: Meal Ideas

To keep things interesting, you’ll want to mix up your cooking methods and textures. Since this is an experiment and also last minute, I didn’t have time to work up actual recipes, but here are a few methods and ideas to keep your week interesting and avoid beef burnout:

Pan-Seared Butter-Basted Ribeye – Classic, juicy, and packed with flavor – it’s the gold standard. Sear it, baste it, enjoy your best steak-loving life. 🥩

Butter-Smashed Burger Patties – Crispy edges, buttery goodness—basically steak’s low-maintenance, cheaper cousin.

Crispy Butter-Fried Beef Crumbles – Cook ground beef until crispy, then toss with butter and pretend it’s popcorn. It won’t work, but at least it’s crunchy. 😭

Steak Bites with Browned Butter Drizzle – Cut steak into cubes, grill or pan-sear, then drizzle with browned butter. Bonus points if you put it on a skewer, because who doesn’t love food on a stick?

Beef & Butter “Chips” – Cook thin slices of beef until crispy for a fun, snackable texture that won’t resemble chips in the slightest, but we’re getting an A for effort. ⭐️

Roasted Eye of Round – Season and roast it in the oven until medium rare and tender. Slice thin and eat hot, or take cold slices and spread with butter and salt and roll them up. Eating them cold will be an interesting textural and sensory difference that will be a welcome change!

Brown Butter Basted Meatballs: Roll salted ground beaf into meatballs, cook them in browned butter. The end.

Beef Jerky – Salt and pepper thin strips of lean beef, cook in the oven for 4 hours or so at about 175 degrees. Not as good as marinated teriyaki versions, but still flavorful and great for snacking on the go.

Shredded Buttered Beef (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot) – Tender, melt-in-your-mouth goodness, with very little hands on cooking time. You can modify this recipe by leaving out the balsamic vinegar.

Butter-Infused Beef Bone Broth – Sip on this to warm up and keep electrolytes balanced. Make sure it’s made without veggies.

What Seasonings Can I Use on the Beef & Butter Fast?

One of the biggest questions about the Beef & Butter Fast is: Can I season my food, or am I stuck with just bland beef and sadness?

Good news: You can add seasonings—but within reason. The goal of this fast is to keep things simple, reduce potential inflammatory triggers, and avoid anything that could cause cravings or digestive issues.

To keep it flexible, here are two seasoning options depending on how strict you want to be.

If you’re using this fast as a true elimination reset (especially for autoimmune issues or gut healing), you’ll want to keep your seasonings as basic as possible.

✔ Sea salt, Himalayan salt, or Redmond Real Salt

✔ Black pepper (optional—some strict carnivores avoid it)

✔ Smoked salt (adds depth without plant-based spices)

If you want to try the fast but you aren’t dealing with health issues or sensitivities, you might branch out into some other seasonings like paprika, chili powder, cumin, and dried herbs like basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary.

My plan is to start simple, but if, as the week goes on, I NEED some variety in flavors then I may branch out. I don’t recommend garlic or onion powder though, because they contain carbs and also are in the allium family, which can be problematic for some.

Also, more herbs and spices becomes a slippery slope – the next thing you know you’re making bone broth hot chocolate because “cocoa powder is just a spice, right?” 😂

The key to success with the Beef & Butter Fast is simplicity. Whether you choose strict carnivore or a slightly relaxed approach, the goal is to reset cravings, balance digestion, and let your body thrive without distractions.

👉 When in doubt, stick to salt and butter.

But Beef is soooo Expensive!

Beef isn’t cheap, but you know what’s also not cheap? Fast food, snacks, overpriced keto treats, and all the other nonsense we buy. 

Let’s compare:

Now, let’s look at a week of budget friendly beef & butter:

🔹 Ground Beef (~2 lbs per day at $6/lb) = $84 per week
🔹 Butter (~1 lb per week at $5/lb) = $5 per week
🔹 TOTAL: ~$89 per week

That’s a savings of $50 – $160 per person per week, depending on how you usually eat.

Even if you upgrade to ribeye or higher-quality cuts on some days, you’re still looking at under $150 per week, which is far cheaper than eating out or buying a mix of processed and fresh foods.

💡 Pro Tip: Buy beef in bulk from local farms or wholesale clubs to bring costs down even further. For more shopping tips, see this post about saving money on groceries in 2025.

Other Questions

(Plus “Questions I Wish No One Would Ask But I Know That They Will” —because we all know it’s coming. 😂)

1️⃣ Can I use ketchup or BBQ Sauce? 🍅

No. Absolutely not. Ketchup is mostly sugar with a side of nightshades and BBQ sauce is literally sweetened meat syrup – these are the very things we are trying to cleanse from on this fast. Even the “no sugar added” versions are a no no. Put the bottle down. Walk away.

2️⃣ Can I have mustard?

Technically, plain yellow mustard has zero carbs, so if you absolutely cannot survive without it, a tiny bit won’t ruin you. But let’s be real—why are you trying to slather your steak in mustard? Nobody is that desperate…are they? Ask me again in five days. 🤷🏼‍♀️😆

3️⃣ Can I drink coffee and tea?

OK, this one is up for debate. Some B&B purists say no to both. Personally, for my experiment I am not giving up my coffee – and possibly will enjoy a cup of herbal tea in the evening. If I continue past the first week I might eventually refine it and try it without caffeine, but for now? It’s more than I can handle. 😅 But you do you on this one!

4️⃣ Can I just add a splash of heavy cream to my coffee?

Listen, I get it. Black coffee is sadness in a cup. But we’re keeping this clean and simple—no dairy except butter. If you can’t handle black coffee, try butter coffee instead (blend a little butter into it for a creamy texture). Personally, I’m going to be drinking espresso for the week.

(If this is a dealbreaker for you, then I kindly invite you to do the Beef, Butter, and I’m A Rebel Who Does What I Want Fast™. 😂)

5️⃣ Can I Drink Alcohol on the Beef & Butter Fast?

For the purpose of this experimental week – NO.

Why not?

• Alcohol slows fat burning. The entire point of this fast is to turn your body into a fat-burning furnace. Alcohol? It’s like throwing a wet blanket on that fire.
• Alcohol messes with your hunger cues. Ever eat an entire pizza after a few drinks? I see you. Now imagine what will happen to your all beef resolve after a few hard seltzers.
• Alcohol causes water retention. So instead of waking up feeling lean and energized, you’ll wake up feeling like a bloated sea cucumber. Nobody wants that.

What about zero carb drinks, surely those can’t be bad?

False – it’s still alcohol, see reasons above.

Let me make this crystal clear in language you can understand…

• Hard seltzer? Straight to jail!
• 0 carb beer? Jail.
• Whiskey? Also jail.
• Wine? Maximum Security Prison.
• Frozen Margs? LIFE SENTENCE, NO PAROLE (and no, the salted rim doesn’t make it legal 😂)

Now some long term beef and butter advocates have added vodka without negative results. But that was after they had eliminated everything else, healed their gut issues, and experimented with what works for them without triggering any problems. How will you know for yourself what works and doesn’t if you don’t go without for awhile?

Stay the course, reap the benefits – your favorite tipple will still be waiting for you when the week is over.

6️⃣ Can I have eggs? 🥚

OK, I love eggs as much as the next person, but this is the Beef & Butter Fast, not the Beef, Butter & Eggs Fast – which IS a thing, but for now I’m sticking with beef and butter. That being said, it’s not completely off the rails to add eggs (it’s still carnivore) so go ahead and try it if you are confident that eggs aren’t a trigger for you, and also if you are independently wealthy because eggs are sooo spendy right now. 😭

(Otherwise stick with beef and butter and save the eggs for after your one week reset! 🥩🔥)

7️⃣ Can I have cheese? 🧀

Also no. I know, I know—cheese is amazing. But dairy (aside from butter) can stall weight loss and trigger cravings. You’ll survive without it for a week. I promise.

8️⃣ What about bacon? 🥓

I get it, bacon is technically meat, but it’s cured and often contains sugar. Plus, this isn’t the Beef, Butter & A Side of Bacon Fast. (I mean, I’d totally do that fast too, but this isn’t it.)

9️⃣ Can I have sparkling water? 💦

Yes, as long as it’s plain (no sweeteners, flavors, or sneaky “natural flavors” that might trigger cravings).

🔟 Can I just add a little keto-friendly sweetener to my coffee?

Nope. Not even “just a little” and not even “stevia, because it’s natural.” The goal here is to eliminate triggers and reset taste buds—even zero-calorie sweeteners can keep those cravings alive. You’ll survive one week without it.

(I believe in you. 💪🏼)

Here’s the thing: If You Have to Ask, the Answer is Probably No

This is a short-term reset. The simpler you keep it, the better your results will be. If you find yourself trying to loophole your way into extra ingredients, ask yourself:

🧐 Am I really hungry… or am I just trying to make this more exciting because I miss junk food?

Also, remind yourself of your “why” – if you don’t see it through, you won’t ever know what the results could have been!

Keep it clean, keep it simple, and know that it gets easier over time.

To summarize:

✅ If you need a reset, struggle with cravings, or just want to see if you can survive on two ingredients, this is for you.
✅ This reset is surprisingly affordable, despite beef prices being higher than your blood pressure after seeing the price of eggs this month. 🙈
✅ The key to sticking with it for a week is mixing up textures and preparation methods, but also to keep your seasonings simple!
✅ As with any restrictive plan, listen to your body, stay hydrated, and don’t push past discomfort if you’re feeling truly unwell. And if you have any serious health issues, ask your doctor before you give this a go!

So, Are you In?

Ready to join me for a week of beef, butter, and yet undetermined results – with a side of mild suffering? 😅🥩🔥

Or are you just here to watch us suffer from the sidelines, while you revel in your wine and cheese? Honestly, I can’t say that I blame you, it’s bound to be seriously entertaining! 🎬

Either way, let us know what side you’ll be on in the comments!

WE RIDE AT DAWN… on Monday, February 17, because I need the weekend to prepare myself. 😆

Speaking of preparing ourselves, I just published a post how How to Prepare for the Beef and Butter Fast that is chock full of things you can do a few days in advance to prepare for the challenge and set yourself up for success. Be sure to check it out!

I’ve also created a Facebook group for this challenge so that we can chit chat and commiserate during the week. I’ll be posting daily over there with tips, recipes, and motivational (and demotivational 😂) humor to keep us all going through the challenge. Because if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry!

So sign up for updates and to follow along during what is sure to be a wild and beefy ride.

I’ve also got a few more blog posts lined up on this topic as we get closer to Monday and motivational content that I’m working on to get us through the loooooong beefy week ahead, so stay tuned for that coming up!