Could there be a more aptly-named diet for an athlete with the moniker “The Beast” than the carnivore Diet?
Eddie Hall does not consume carbs. Or, rather, he didn’t when he needed a mental and physical reset. The 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) champion recently embarked on a 90-day journey of eating almost exclusively meat and animal foods.
Joining the #carnivore movement, at least for a three-month stretch, Hall offered insight into some of the pros and cons of this trendy diet on Nov. 27, 2024. Hall peeled back the curtain on everything from what he ate in a day, how his body and bloodwork changed, and why he added fruits and vegetables back into his diet after completing the three-month journey.
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The Decision to Go Carnivore
In his first full year since retiring from strongman, Hall admittedly fell off track to “a bit of a bad place.” Feeling lost with his training and struggling with a bad relationship with food, the 36-year-old felt compelled to change his life. Enter: the carnivore diet.
Among the many types of diets, carnivore essentially eliminates everything except animal-based foods. In other words, expect plenty of red meat, chicken, eggs, and yogurt.
Theoretically, cutting out carbs, sugar, and essentially everything except healthy fats and protein should lead to a leaner physique. While Hall’s decision to go the ancestral eating route did spark some impressive results, it also raised some concerns about the long-term viability of the carnivore lifestyle.
Before and After: Eddie Hall’s Results
At the start of the experiment, Hall weighed 167.9 kilograms (370.1 pounds) and had 27.1% body fat. By most standards, that falls just outside the range of a healthy body fat percentage for men.
At first, his 90-day experiment of “eating nothing but steak, eggs, salmon, bacon, cheese, milk, and basically anything meat and dairy” seemed to have been a success.
After all, the numbers from Hall’s DEXA scan speak for themselves:
- Lost 9 kilograms (19.8 pounds) in about 13 weeks
- lowered his body weight from 167.9 kilograms (370 pounds) to 159 kilograms (350.5 pounds).
- Reduced his body fat percentage by 7.2%, from 27.1% to 19.9%.
- Added 0.5 kilograms of muscle, bringing his lean mass to 122.9 kilograms (270.9 pounds).
Anecdotally speaking, the Hall also experienced tremendous benefits in the gym. “My strength has gone through the roof,” Hall explained. “This is the strongest I’ve been in four years.”
Some of Hall’s training feats include shoulder pressing 100-kilogram dumbbells, bench pressing 200 kilograms for reps, squatting 260 kilograms for reps, and deadlifting 320-340 kilograms for reps.
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Some Reasons for Concern
“It’s one of the best diets I’ve done by a linear mile,” Hall affirmed. That stamp of approval was met with some reservations from Phil Richards, a high-performance strength and conditioning coach who’s worked with Hall for 15 years, analyzing his bloodwork and stool samples.
Dubbed the “blood doctor” by his famous client, here were some of Richards’ takeaways after looking at the data:
- Hall had “very high” levels of triglycerides, which can correlate to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and cause cardiovascular issues.
- The bloodwork showed plaque buildup, attributable to increased LDL cholesterol in the blood, which Richards likened to a crowded expressway with too many cars.
- Hall had high ferritin levels — an indicator of excess iron, which can be attributed to eating significant quantities of red meat.
Luckily, Richards said Hall’s issues are 100% reversible. He recommended increasing vitamin K, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin C intake and reducing daily food consumption.
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A Full Day of Eating on Carnivore
To give perspective on just how much meat “The Beast” put down, here’s a full breakdown of everything he ate:
Meal One
- 2 x 100 grams of salmon — 280 calories, 46g protein
- Cottage cheese — 280 calories, 35g protein
- Blueberries — 115 calories
Total: 675 calories, 81 grams of protein
Shake One
- Contains fiber, greens, whey protein, and creatine
Total: 300 calories, 21 grams of protein
Meal Three
- 2 x 500 grams of steak — 2,328 calories, 192g protein
- 3 eggs — 210 calories, 18g protein
- Protein shake — 601 calories, 60g protein
- 15g butter — 108 calories
Total: 3,247 calories, 270 grams of protein
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Pre-Workout Snack
- Beast Biltong
Total: 113 calories, 24 grams of protein
Pre-Workout Shake
- Creatine
- Pump
- Stim
- Hydro (electrolytes)
Total: 50 calories
Meal Four
- 500g steak — 1,164 calories, 96 grams of protein
- Three eggs — 210 calories, 18 grams of protein
- 15g butter — 108 calories
- Potatoes — 110 calories
Total: 1,592 calories, 114 grams of protein
Snacks
- Protein shake — 601 calories, 60 grams of protein
- 450 grams of yogurt — 418 calories, 41 grams of protein
- Two scoops of whey protein — 452 calories, 42 grams of protein
- Bone broth — 81 calories, 14 grams of protein
Meal Total: 1,326 calories, 157 grams of protein
By the end of a mostly carb-free day, Hall consumed 7,904 calories, including a whopping 727 grams of protein. He plans to incorporate more fermented and prebiotic foods to support better digestion and overall gut health.
And when you’re crushing steaks like “The Beast,” anything you can do to keep things flowing smoothly seems like a sound strategy.
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Featured Image: @eddiehallwsm
