The 2017 World’s Strongest Man (WSM) Eddie “The Beast” Hall is among the most iconic strength athletes ever. His legendary strength feats, gigantic personality, and matching appetite have served him well as a media personality post-competitive-strongman retirement.
On July 30, 2024, Hall’s supposed 16,000-calorie strongman diet was examined by 2023 WSM Mitchell Hooper. Hooper shared his own full day of eating for comparison four days later. Check out Hooper’s analysis of Hall’s diet below:
[Related: Are You Doing Progressive Overload WRONG? Mitchell Hooper Teaches the Right Way]
How Many Calories Did Eddie Hall Need Per Day?
At six feet, two inches tall, and 450 pounds during the peak of his career, Hall required roughly 5,312 calories per day to maintain his size, per Hooper’s estimations. To gain two pounds per week, he’d need 6,312 calories. That’s roughly 10,000 calories less than Hall’s claimed diet.
By the laws of thermodynamics, [Hall] would have been absolutely exploding in size.
At six feet, three inches tall, Hooper maintains his 330-pound frame by eating between 5,000 and 5,500 calories daily. Below is a meal-by-meal analysis of Eddie Hall’s eating routine when he competed:
Eddie Hall’s Breakfast
The only “normal” meal in Hall’s bulking diet was his conventional English breakfast:
- Orange juice
- Mushroom caps
- Two eggs
- Four bacon slices
- Four pieces of toast
Hall’s breakfast macros: 49 grams of protein, 82 grams of carbs, and 23 grams of fat
Hall claimed his breakfast was 2,000 calories. However, Hooper’s breakfast, with more than twice as much protein and carbs plus nine more grams of fat, is 1,553 calories. So the Moose downgraded that calorie estimation.
Hooper’s Breakfast for Comparison
- 1 cup of orange juice mixed with half a cup of plain Greek yogurt.
- Raisin bread with margarine spread
- Homemade protein balls
- 1.5 cups of Reese’s Puff cereal w/protein shake poured over
Hooper’s breakfast macros: 118 grams of protein, 197 grams of carbs, and 32 grams of fat
Hall’s Breakfast Part Two
“This is when the insanity starts,” said a shocked Hooper after seeing Hall’s ridiculously high-protein, high-fat lunch comprised of:
- 100 grams porridge + full fat milk
- Raisins + honey + Nutella
- 1 banana + 2 kiwis
- 1 bag of beef jerky
- 4 scoops of protein + full fat milk
Hall consumed 171 grams of protein from this meal, which Hooper says is “unequivocally an indigestible amount of protein to have in one sitting.” Hooper says it’s better to consume smaller servings of protein over more meals. He criticized Hall’s high fat intake of seventy-three grams or 650 fat calories, which increased throughout the diet.
“Fat slows digestion,” says Hooper, which is not ideal when you have to eat another meal a few hours later. However, the Canadian was okay with the full-fat milk as he believes dairy is a good option.
The Beast’s Pre-Workout Feast
While most people eat one meal or snack before training, Hall downed a full meal and then some. His first snack was cashews and cranberry juice to carb up, which works for Hooper, who praised the combination as an effective strategy for slow and steady energy release to sustain workouts.
Lunch
Hall’s pre-workout lunch was 300 grams of steak and 500 grams of pasta with 200 grams of veggies and mayo. That’s roughly one kilogram of food with 700 calories from animal fat and 144 carbs. “I can’t imagine this being useful pre-workout,” says Hooper. He did, however, credit Hall for eating many veggies and whole foods.
Hooper recommends swapping steak for a lower-fat protein as it’s faster to digest before a workout. While carbs are pre-workout gold, he thinks Hall ate way too much.
“If you have too many carbohydrates, too much glucose, too much anything in your system, it will be shuttled straight into fat for a fuel source for later use.”
Pre-Workout Dessert and More Snacks
Hall wasn’t done, squeezing in a decent-sized cheesecake, which Hooper estimated at 1,400 calories. Hall inhaled two tuna sandwiches, oat bars [flapjacks], and two energy drinks a little later.
Eddie Hall’s Pre-workout feast contains 500 grams of carbs. “It’s simply not going to go to a productive energy source,” says Hooper.
Hooper prefers a much lighter pre-workout meal. He fuels up with eight ounces of extra-lean ground beef, two cups of white rice, and beef broth. His beverage is one cup of orange juice mixed with three-fourths cup of Greek yogurt.
For perspective, Hall consumed 421 grams of protein in his pre-workout smorgasbord compared to Hooper’s 91 grams before a training session.
Gym Snack and Post-Workout
During training, Hall ate beef slices which he suggested were a good energy source. Hooper strongly disagrees. “The only real good fuel source in short bursts of energy like lifting weights is in carbohydrates,” said Hooper.
Hall had four scoops of protein with full-fat milk immediately post-workout. Hooper also likes protein shakes right after training.
Dinner
“This is the most over-the-top, absurd, absurd,” Hooper exclaimed before analyzing Hall’s last meal of the day. Dinner included 500 grams of pasta, 500 grams of minced meat, and a full-sized garlic bread. That’s a behemoth 215 grams of fat and 275 grams of carbs.
While the fats were excessive, Hooper would rather Hall replace a portion of animal fats with salmon and other omega-3 fatty sources to support heart health.
[Related: Why Omega-3s are extra helpful for strength athletes]
“If you eat that much food you cannot absorb, it’s just going in and wreaking havoc on your digestive system,” Hooper says.
Hooper eats a more balanced portion of macros at the dinner table. His wife Ashley usually prepares the following:
- 8 ounces chicken breast
- Red sauce
- 3 ounces cheddar cheese
- 300 grams of roasted potatoes
- Handful of asparagus
That’s 87 grams of protein, 90 grams of carbs, and 100 grams of fat.
Hall’s Pre-Bedtime Snack
Lastly, Hooper gave Hall’s pre-bedtime protein bar a thumbs up as they usually contain decent macros. The former also indulges in sweet treats before bed.
Eddie Hall’s Total Daily Bulking Calories and Macros
Hooper tallied Hall’s total calories and macronutrients during his bulking routine. Those numbers came out to:
- Calories: 12,399
- Protein: 704 grams
- Carbs: 1,111 grams
- Fat: 571 grams
While Hall didn’t quite hit the claimed 15,964 daily bulking calories, according to Hooper’s calculations, he still consumed an ungodly number of calories.
I’ve never seen a diet this crazy and this over the top.
Hooper would’ve taken a different approach to add size. He’d eat eight or nine meals rather than eat so much protein in one sitting. The muscles could utilize the protein much better this way.
Hooper would schedule less fat and most of his carbs around workouts for better absorption into the muscles. “Having a high carbohydrate, low-fat meal, get that through your system really quickly will help your muscles recover, grow, and repair,” Hooper explains.
Hooper’s Total Daily Bulking Calories and Macros
Hooper’s current daily bulking calories and macros are included below from his most recent full-day eating update. His numbers are nearly half of what Hall consumed in a day:
- Calories: 6,272
- Protein: 440
- Carbs: 533
- Fat: 239
Hooper wasn’t without his self-critiquing. He was well over his ideal protein intake and plans to aim for 300 grams daily while increasing his carbs and decreasing his total fat intake.
The only thing that truly tells you how much you’re eating, how much you’re moving, is the scale.
In closing, Hooper suggests everyone look at the dial to assess their efforts honestly.
Featured image: @mitchellhooper on Instagram
