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One of the most controversial bodybuilding techniques is the steak and eggs diet by Vince Gironda. A diet of only steak and eggs, and eggs and steak may sound wicked in the media and that it should be nowhere near a good fitness regimen. However, you'd be surprised at what the diet can do for you.
What is this steak diet exactly? What can it do? Is it safe? Moreover, is it EFFECTIVE?
Vince Gironda is a legend in the bodybuilding world. His methods went against prevailing ideologies of his time. Even today, his methods are often at odds with popular techniques such as an emphasis on carbs for muscle growth.
However, his methods have been proven to work, and are still proven on a daily basis, decades later. He also had his own amazing physique as proof that he knew what he was doing, as well as the other bodybuilding greats such as Arnold Schwarzenegger who benefited from Gironda's training.
Their bodies were amazingly ripped. They had the classic body, not the over-pumped and unnatural steroid bodybuilders of today. They achieved this without injecting themselves with synthetic anabolic steroids. It was all natural, done through proper diet and exercise routines.
Impossible, many modern bodybuilders would say, but diet and training are all you need to get a ripped, lean physique and excellent body fat profile. That is what Gironda's ways stood for, and he was right.
What Is the Infamous Steak and Eggs Diet?
This diet is not some special diet that requires exotic ingredients, stringent calorie counting, or strict meal plans. It's simple, straightforward, and highly effective in burning fat and building muscle. It can help you get in the best shape of your life faster than any other bodybuilding or fat-burning method.
The steak and eggs diet does not involve calorie counting (that's right boys, devour that steak with pride!). There are no macros counting, food measuring, or meal schedules.
All you have to do is to eat a reasonable amount of steak and eggs two times per day. Next, you hit the weights, then watch your body transform, fat melt of and eventually acquire a ripped physique.
According to the Iron Guru, Vince Gironda, this diet creates maximum muscle definition and at times he called it "The Maximum Definition Diet". His clients, actors, and bodybuilders alike, got ripped faster than anyone. This diet was a mainstay in his routine.
The steaks and eggs diet promotes optimum fat burning. There is no carbs which means that you aren't likely to store any fat. The fats and protein contained in steak and eggs will burn slowly. This enables your body to perform better, last longer, and achieve more.
Gironda and his clients got their amazing results without the aid of anabolic synthetic steroids, just nutrition and hard work. Gironda repeatedly said that bodybuilding is 85% nutrition.
Steak and eggs are high protein foods. Anabolism (muscle building) needs adequate protein. If you want to build muscle faster, make sure you're consuming enough protein. 100-150g per day minimum is good for most.
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What Are the Incredible Benefits of the Steaks and Eggs Diet?
The main advantage of this diet is getting shredded fast without losing any muscle mass. There are plenty of other benefits as well, such as:
- Fat Burning and Weight Loss
Your muscles will be more visible if you lose excess body fat and fluids. Also, your body will switch to burning fats to fuel the muscle building process so that you continue to build even while you sleep or fasting in-between meals. - Eat as Much While Also Getting Results
It is possible to enjoy eating while also losing fat on this diet, you don't have to feel like you are starving yourself.
Meals will always be filling, and you won't feel deprived. Also, it is all no-carb meals which isn't going to disrupt your blood sugar levels, meaning you will be able to have full control over your cravings and appetite. - Benefit From the Testosterone Boost
This diet is high in healthy saturated fats and cholesterol, meaning you have plenty of building blocks for your testosterone production. - Simple
No calorie restriction needed like most weight loss diet plans. It's just eggs and steak. Simply steak and eggs, and eggs and steak. And then some more steak...
How to Do the Steaks and Eggs Diet
Like we said, it's REAL simple:
- You eat steaks and eggs.
Broil, pan-sear, grill, or bake steaks, any way you want it done. You can even eat it raw if you want if you like it hardcore Paleo.
You can have your eggs in any way you want too. Have them fried, sunny-side-up, over-easy, scrambled, or poached. You may also drink them raw or mixed in another of Gironda's iconic methods for muscle gains, the Hormonal Precursor Shake (think of Rocky's fresh eggs drink). - You do not have to eat steak only.
You can have beef in any form. You can have sirloin steak, or minced beef (the cheaper choice) with eggs. Both are okay. You can have your red meat in any way you want. Just pair it with eggs, in any way you want. Also beef liver is a great way to get plenty of extra nutrients in and Gironda was a big fan of eating liver in any form.
Butter and seasonings like sea salt and pepper, may be added to your steak and eggs to make them taste better. Experiment with different herbs and spices for both the meat and the eggs. You can add sauces, or change the way you cook these foods, just make sure to keep the carbs at zero. - Eat two of these meals a day.
You can eat these meals at any time, as long as you eat two each day. You can choose to have breakfast and dinner, lunch and dinner, or whatever works for you.
The timing of your meals does not matter as long as you eat steak and egg every day. What works with your schedule is enough. This diet also works well with Intermittent Fasting. - Don't worry about counting calories.
In a nut shell, you can eat as many steaks and eggs per meal as you want because the body would just excrete excess proteins, where as if you ate carbs, your body is likely to store them as fat.
Your body will naturally adjust to steak-and-eggs per meal. We are hard-wired for these things. Many of our ancestors ate all meat and animal foods diets. It was the primary sustenance in the era before agriculture.
Eggs deliver the minerals, healthy fats (such as omega fatty acids), and vitamins that our bodies need to function normally. But in case you need variety, a cheat meal is ok on the 5th day of each week. - Cheat day
Aside from trying numerous spices to keep your meals more interesting, you can get a break on steaks and eggs 1 day per week. Your cheat day is every 5th day on the diet. This day is your opportunity to fill up on other foods. This is the day you replenish the glycogen stores in your muscles through eating some carbs. You also get to replace the essential minerals and vitamins.
Fill up on vegetables and fruit. Enjoy some flavors to give your palate a break. Take this time to eat more of the foods that promote other processes contributing to lean muscle mass building. Take a look in our guide to foods that improve testosterone levels.
Load up on fiber during your cheat days. Fiber is vital because it keeps your digestive tract functioning well. It absorbs the toxins and makes defecation easier. Eating all that protein can do some unpleasant things to some peoples bowel movement. Some will experience hard stools, possibly constipation, if you do not watch your water intake. Eating fiber helps move your bowels more regularly as well do water.
You can eat anything on your cheat day. There are no limits, no calorie restrictions. If you want to eat an entire pizza with all toppings possible, go ahead. If you want to eat three plates of pasta, that's fine. If you want to go to Taco Bell, then go to McDonald's and after go grab a huge cone at Dairy Queen's on the way home? There is no stopping you. It's your cheat day after all. Don't worry about counting calories! - Drink black coffee and water only.
Except on cheat days. On non-cheat days, have eggs, meat, and water. Dieting also means watching what you drink. On the steak and eggs diet, your only beverages will be water and black coffee. Drink lots of water. No matter what diet you are on, water is crucial. If you want to drink anything else, black coffee is okay.
On your cheat day, drink anything you want. Dirty martini? Pop? Anything.
Why Should any Bodybuilder Try the Steaks and Eggs Diet?
This diet is great for recomp since it improves body composition quickly. This is when the body rids fat and gain muscle at the same time. This is a challenging process, but this is what makes it the diet perfect for bodybuilding.
The best results are often seen within four weeks.
A Final Important Reminder
The steak and eggs diet is adequate, as long as you get high-quality ingredients. Not all eggs and meats are equal. Some are from commercially raised animals that were exposed to loads of artificial hormones and toxins. Loading up on food tainted with these will do more harm than good.
Your eggs should be from organically raised free-range chicken. Your steaks should be grass-fed beef. This will ensure you get the optimum results.
Also, you may further increase your gains by supporting the building process with natural steroids. Eating that contains compounds that support anabolic activity and help raise steroid hormone levels, such as your testosterone levels. This will significantly increase the gains you get from following the Steak and Egg Diet by Vince Gironda.
Concerning the eggs & steak diet:
Hello,
On the non-cheat days, what does one eat for the 3rd meal? Is there a 3rd meal? You said 2 meals as eggs & steak and then what? This wasn’t clear enough. Please explain. Thank you.
Hi Andre,
No there is only two meals on this diet. Since you get to eat as much as you want (until you’re completely full) at each meal, and since this is a diet high in healthy fats and protein, you will see that you won’t feel hungry for a 3rd meal. Also having a longer window between meals such as skipping breakfast will help you burn even more fat since its intermittent fasting which has many benefits as well.
Really the only reason we today eat 3 times a day minimum is because our meals are so high in carbohydrates. Carbohydrates only provide energy for a short amount of time and while eating them your body is not primed for burning fat. The steak and eggs diet will sustain you for longer, get rid of blood sugar problems as well as switch your body to burning its own body fat when needed.
Let me know if you have any more questions.
Regards,
Alex
Hi Alex,
This is a great post, I started this diet this week. I have a few questions to make sure I’m following the Steak and Eggs diet correctly.
1. Is it okay to eat mushrooms on none cheat days? I like to fry them in the fat and drippings left in the pan after I cook my steak.
2.Is this diet 4 days on 1 day off? or is it 5 days on 1 day off? Sometimes the wording of things throw me off.
3.Can I split up the steak and eggs into separate meals (eggs for lunch, steak for dinner), or do they need to be eaten together?
4. Do you have to eat 2 meals each day? Some days I find I’m just not hungry after eating my first meal.
Thanks for your time, I really appreciate the info.
~Brandon
Hey Brandon,
Thanks for the feedback and glad to hear you trying the diet. It can be though in beginning but make sure you stick with it, after the initial 2 weeks it gets easier since your body adapts.
1. I would say it depends how many mushrooms you eat. I am a fan of mushrooms too (especially with my steak), but they do contain carbohydrates. Check how many using MyFitnessPal or a similar app. The steak and eggs diet is a ketogenic diet, and hence any carbohydrates run the risk of decreasing its beneficial effects and ketone production. Usually, if you keep carbs under 20-30g per day, you will be fine eating those mushrooms. However, I strongly suggest you skip the mushrooms the first 2 weeks on the diet to make sure your body adapts faster to running without carbs. It will greatly speed up the arrival of the beneficial effects such as weight loss and increased mental performance.
2. Either one is fine, usually after 2-3 weeks on the diet you can tell from your workout performance which day is the optimal for you to refuel carbs. I prefer a longer window of once a week, but a mate of mine does every Wednesday and Sunday. Go with your feeling here. For just weight loss, no carb up days are needed, they are strictly for workout performance.
3 & 4. Yes you can eat once a day if you like or any amount of times per day you want. You will quicky learn as you get used to running your body on fat that the considered ‘normal’ 3 meals a day are strictly an side effects from the high amount of carb consumption in todays world. Running on animals food only, you simply don’t need it. Just look to nature, does the lion eat 3 times a day? No. This is the same way paleolithic humans survived just fine for hundreds of thousands of years. We will be publishing more posts in the future on animal based diets and evolution, stay tuned!
Amizing to things its halfy to try eting all life steak and eggs secend we dond need vegtebols thank you very much
Amizing to no i kan eat all life stake and eggs secend we dont need to eat vegetbols thanks alot
is this a practical diet for women? what if you are not a bodybuilder but need to lose body fat?
Yes no problem, the weight loss effects are the same. Make sure you only do it for a few weeks at a time though or you will lower your metabolism. The diet is not suitable for long term.
Gioranda was a genius, way ahead of his time. It is amazing to see how these diets and training protocols come full circle.
Just one thing, Gioranda was against steroid use, but Arnold and Larry Scott both took steroids. You kind of implied that Arnold got big without “enhancement” and that was clearly not the case.
Hi, great article and gonna give this a go. I’m age 41, male, 69kg 5′ 7″ – how many eggs a day as don’t want to put liver into overdrive and also whole eggs or is there a whole eggs to egg whites ratio?
Thanks,
Kez
WOW you have Vince’s diet wrong. I have it right in front of me in his book Unleashing the Wild Physique. You eat THREE times a day, eggs and meat of any kind no limit, and every 4th or 5th day you have a high carb meal for replenishment. As well he lists a bunch of vitamins and supplement to take every day. It is NOT ‘Just’ steak and eggs. If you recommend a diet then get it right.
This is no different from the carnivore diet. Some people have stuck with it long term and testify to amazing results!
How many weeks should you stay on this diet? Should you take a break and restart up?
You stay on a diet for a maximum of 3 months.
Good morning. I’m trying to understand this diet completely before I start. This last question by a female was asking if it was okay for women to use the same diet. You answered yes, but for only a few weeks at a time or it will lower your metabolism and it’s not intended for long term use. Are you saying that is the way to do the diet for men to? Or we can continue to do the 5th day cheat day and stay on the diet long as we want. Thank you in advance
voici la sutiation de perds de poids
You can eat this way indefinitely until you die. I would set the bar for 12 weeks= 3 months at a time though. Yes do your cheat day every 5th or 6th day but when you really get used to it, & really feel the benefits of being lighter stronger & more defined you won’t even want a cheat day. But, you must have a salad/some form of rufage or fiber to stay regular/intestinally clean, drink over 1 gallon of water a day to avoid protein poisoning, & have a quality multi vitamin daily. If you want to carb up more & have a slight variety keep the same clean diet by using other leaner meats like turkey, chicken, fish (1gram-2grams of protein=your body weight) & eat 1 bag of testosterone increasing veggies like sweet potatoes with cauliflower & kale. Lastly, remember these truths:
All fruits are a dessert!
Milk/dairy is for babies!
Some veggies are very high in natural sugar & like fruit for the ancient peoples was consumed only in the autumn months to put on fat to survive long winters when meat was scarce & weather temperatures were way lower than most places are now!= corn, peas no please!