When you’re eating to fuel a 400-pound, 6-foot-9-inch strongman body it’s a full-time job. And for Hafthor Bjornsson, who in 2018 became the very first to win the World’s Strongest Man, Arnold Strongman Classic, and Europe’s Strong Man all in the same year, he certainly knows a thing or two about how to properly fuel himself.
Hafthor Bjornsson, also known as “The Mountain” in HBO’s Game of Thrones, shared on YouTube the first of a two-part series of what he eats in a day. He was accompanied by his strength coach, Sebastian Oreb, who tried to match him meal for meal.
At first glance it’s pretty obvious that Bjornsson needs to eat a lot of food, but just how much? In the YouTube video Bjornsson explains that he eats six meals a day. Bjornsson made two separate videos, with the first featuring three meals, and the second his final three meals of the day.
Breakfast for Bjornsson has to include eggs. “I’ve been eating eggs for at least 10 years,” Bjornsson said over breakfast in the video. “I don’t take days off, breakfast is very important to me, so I don’t skip it.”
Meal One
- 6 Eggs (scrambled)
- 6 Pieces of bacon
- 1 Cup of oatmeal with 1 scoop of whey protein, 1/2 tsp hemp seeds, 1/2 tsp sunflower seeds, 1/2 tsp pumpkin seeds, 1/2 tsp flaxseeds, 1/2 tsp chia seeds, 1/2 banana, 1 tsp honey
- 330 ml Orange juice
Toal calories: 1,413
After completing his first meal, Bjornsson likes to do some work on his computer and take a walk, noting that he likes to take three walks a day for about 10 minutes each.
“It helps with my digestion, increases my appetite, and helps with recovery,”Bjornsson said in the video. “Those three things are very important in my day, which is why I do it.”
[Better digestion is one of these 6 underrated reasons walking is the best exercise.]
Meal Two
- 200 g Ribeye steak
- 1 cup Basmati rice
- 1 tbs Butter
- Chicken stock
- .2 Cup of carrots
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 1/5 Cup red bell pepper
- 1.5 tbs Dextrose
- -330 ml Coconut water
Total calories: 1,042
In his second meal, Bjornsson also points out why he incorporates coconut water into his diet.
“I choose coconut water because it’s high in potassium, and I try and consume 5 grams of potassium a day.”
(The National Institutes of Health recommend about 3.4 grams per day of potassium, an electrolyte that’s important for hydration and muscle contraction.)
By meal three, Bjornsson had consumed 2,455 calories, and there are still four meals to go. At this point, Oreb was seriously struggling to find any more room to eat.
Meal Three
- 200 g Ribeye steak
- 1 Cup basmati rice
- 1 tbs Butter
- Chicken stock
- .2 Cup of carrots
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 1/5 cup Red bell pepper
- 1.5 tbs Dextrose
- 5 Baby white potatoes
- 1 Banana
- 1.5 Cup orange juice
Total calories: 1,154
After three meals and 3,609 calories, Bjornsson’s first video ends and his second begins. Here’s what makes up the rest of his calories.
Meal Four
- 200 g Ribeye steak
- 1 Cup basmati rice
- 2 tbs Butter
- Chicken stock
- .2 Cup of carrots
- 15 Potatoes
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 1.5 tbs Dextrose
- Tomato
- 330 ml Orange juice
Total calories: 1,149
We know, it doesn’t look like he had fifteen potatoes in that tupperware. They might have been baby potatoes, or it might be a typo on 1.5 potatoes.
Meal Five
- 200 g Ribeye steak
- 2 Cups basmati rice
- 1 tbs Butter
- Chicken Stock
- .2 Cup of carrots
- Red bell pepper
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 1.5 tbs Dextrose
- 330 ml Orange Juice
Total calories: 1,117
Meal Six
- 200 g Ribeye steak
- 2 Cups basmati rice
- 1 tbs Butter
- Chicken stock
- .2 Cups of carrots
- Red bell pepper
- 100 g Baby spinach
- 1.5 tbs Dextrose
- Orange
- 330 ml Coconut water
Total calories: 1,142
After meal six, to close out the day Bjornsson also sucked down a liter of full-fat milk, 64 g of casein vanilla, and 1 banana. That added another 1,011 calories to his day, and really was a seventh meal.
How Many Calories Does Thor Bjornsson Eat?
So that’s 8,028 calories, and yes, all of his meals after breakfast are pretty much the same with minor changes to what he drinks and how many carbs he consumes.
We’re actually a little surprised that he “just” eats 8,000-ish calories. Bjornsson weighs roughly the same and stands an inch taller than fellow strongman Brian Shaw, who eats 12,000 per day, and in a viral post he made in 2016 Bjornsson said that he eats about 10,000 calories a day. At least, that’s what news outlets estimated when he shared this day of food:
6:50: Morning workout! Cardio + CORE for 30min BCAA, Glutamine + handful of almonds
7:30: 8 eggs + 200gr Oats + blueberries & strawberries + avocado
9:30: 400gr Beef, 400gr Sweet potatoes, handful of spinach & greens
11:50: BCAA, glutamine
12:00: 400gr Chicken + 400gr potatoes, greens + some fruits
14:00: Blender = 150gr oats or sweet potatoes, 2 bananas 150gr kelloggs rice krispies, frozen berries, handful almonds, peanut butter and glutamine
14:30: Training strongman, BCAA, glutamine, Vitargo
17:30: 60gr protein + 2 bananas
18:00: 500gr beef + potatoes, greens
20:30: 500gr salmon + 500gr sweet potatoes
22:30: 50gr casein protein or 6 eggs + avocado + 30gr almonds + 50gr peanut butter
[Check out our list of the best BCAA supplements here.]
Maybe Thor is trying to cut weight, or maybe he realized he just doesn’t need that much food.
He’s said in some articles that the hardest part of competing is the diet — “I think sometimes, ‘Is this worth it?’ I’m always eating and I’m never hungry. I’m always eating and working out” — but he says in today’s video that he enjoys his food.
Editors note: This story was published after Bjornsson posted the first video and updated a few days later when part 2 was published.
Featured image via Hafthor Bjornsson on YouTube.