When it comes to weight loss and bodybuilding, diet is often number one on the list of ‘must dos’ above even exercise. However, due to the many diets that all promise the same results, it can be difficult to choose just one.
Finding a simple diet that doesn’t require too much fuss and produces results is a dream for many who are looking to change their bodies through healthier means. Enter the steak and eggs diet. Proponents of this eating plan claim that following this old-school eating plan can help you shed those extra pounds and even build muscle.
But is this true? Is the simple steak and eggs diet all you need to achieve your body goals? Let’s take a look.
The steak and eggs diet is an eating plan that simply involves steak and eggs that’s what you eat. Sources say that this eating plan was created back in the day by the popular bodybuilder Vince Gironda.
It’s important to note that there doesn’t seem to be a standardized way of doing/following the steak and eggs diet as different sources have different recommendations. However, the two recurring ones are as follows:
All you eat is steak and eggs. Vegetables, fruit, and carbohydrates, in addition to sweets and sugars, aren’t allowed at all on any day.
Unlike the above version that doesn’t allow any carbs, with this variation, you’re allowed to eat carbohydrates once a week. This is referred to as a ‘cheat day’ or a ‘refeeding day’ and it comes every sixth day of the diet. On this day, you’re allowed to consume carbohydrates with each meal.
Unlike other weight loss diets that recommend calorie counting, the steaks and eggs diet does no such thing. In fact, the notion of calorie counting is discouraged. However, it is stated that each meal consumed while on this diet should include 4 to 6 eggs and 0.75 to 1.5 lbs (340 – 680 grams) of steak.
Some other rules of this eating plan include
We can’t claim that steak alone is effective for helping you lose belly fat. After all, weight and belly fat loss don’t come from the consumption or elimination of one type of food. They actually come from eating a variety of foods – as part of a balanced diet and within a recommended calorie deficit. This diet is far from balanced, and whether it creates a calorie deficit will vary for every individual.
However, what we can say is that the protein found in steak and other high-protein foods can help you lose belly fat, an idea that has been confirmed over the years by scientific studies. Some of these studies include
Researchers suggested that diets consisting of protein intake of between 1.2 and 1.6 g protein per kg of body weight per day were better for improving appetite, body weight management, and cardiometabolic risk factors (5).
From these studies, we can say that consuming high-quality lean protein such as leaner cuts of steak as part of a well rounded and balanced diet could help with belly fat loss. Again, this particular diet doesn’t fit the description of well rounded and balanced.
Yes, it is. Steak and eggs are each complete proteins. Other sources of complete proteins include poultry, dairy, and fish, as well as plant-based options such as soy products, quinoa, and amaranth (7).
The steak and eggs diet doesn’t call for calorie counting. However, if you’d like to estimate how many calories you’ll be consuming per meal, here are some numbers. According to the USDA, 100g of beef steak has 229 kcal while 240g of the same has 550 kcal (8). One whole boiled egg (about 50g in weight) has 71.5 kcal (9).
As mentioned above, each meal on this diet calls for 340 to 680 g of steak and 4 to 6 eggs. So on the lower end of this diet (340 g of steak and 4 boiled eggs), you would be consuming around 1,065 kcal per meal.
340 g of steak (550 + 229) + 4 eggs boiled (71.5 x 4) = 1,065 kcal
This could mean that you’re consuming a total of approximately 2,130 kcal a day. On the higher end, you’d be consuming about 1,529 calories per meal and 3,058 per day.
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In this section, we’re going to look at the benefits of consuming eggs and meat separately.
Unless you’re vegan or are practicing another kind of vegetarianism that prohibits the consumption of eggs, you should definitely have eggs as part of your everyday diet. In a review published in Nutrients in 2022, researchers looking at the health benefits of egg protein stated that eggs are (10):
In another review published a year later in the same journal, researchers found the consumption of eggs to help with increased muscle protein synthesis and lower fat mass, and improve satiety, which could help with overall weight management. They noted that observational data suggests that eggs don’t increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in healthy people and that eggs have the lowest environmental impact among animal proteins (11).
From these two studies, it can be seen that eggs are a nutritional powerhouse that shouldn’t be ignored for your health and weight loss efforts. It’s also important to note that eggs are lower in calories and rich in protein, which makes them the perfect snack or meal option for someone who is looking for healthy weight loss foods (9).
In recent years, meat has gotten a bad reputation, and many people have started turning to meat substitutes. Some of those who still consume meat usually eat more white meat (fish, chicken, and turkey breast), and less red meat. But is red meat as bad as people make it out to be?
It is certainly true that beef is a fantastic source of high-quality proteins (12).
This animal protein also provides micronutrients such as iron, zinc, selenium, vitamin D, and a number of B vitamins. These micronutrients support your vision, memory, immunity, bone health, nutrient absorption, energy metabolism, and much more (12).
A review published in 2016 that looked at the effect of beef on human health stated that red meat is a fantastic source of key nutritional factors such as lipids, proteins with high biological value, trace elements, and vitamins. Researchers also stated that (13):
As we can see, beef can make positive contributions to the human body and health. However, very high intakes of red meat are associated with health risks. For this reason, it’s generally advisable to eat red meat in moderation and pick leaner cuts of beef/steak. Lean beef has a lower amount of saturated fats, which is better for the cholesterol levels in your body and better for your heart (14).
As seen from the above studies, both steak and eggs are incredibly rich in high-quality protein – a macronutrient that is essential in both fat loss and muscle building. Research has suggested that diets that are higher in protein can help with greater strength and muscle mass gains, particularly when combined with resistance training (15, 16).
Protein also helps with the prevention of muscle loss, muscle protein synthesis, and the building and repair of cells, which includes your muscle cells (17).
This suggests that including steak and eggs in a healthy balanced diet may have benefits for weight loss, muscle building, and more. However, eating only steak and eggs, as this diet suggests, is not a healthy balanced diet.
Read more: High-Calorie Foods for Bulking
The secret behind this diet goes back to protein. As suggested by the numerous studies mentioned above, this macronutrient helps boost satiety, metabolism, and calorie burning, all factors that can help with weight loss.
A diet that only relies on steak and eggs can also be classified as a ketogenic diet. When in ketosis, the body lacks carbs to burn and use as energy, which means it turns to fats, turning them into ketones for energy. Studies on ketogenic diets suggest that it can produce weight loss, but it has health risks and may also result in muscle loss (18).
If you follow ‘version 2’ of this diet but don’t want to eat too many carbs, you can have some keto sides with your steak such as roasted broccoli, roasted asparagus, cauliflower mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, and cauliflower steak.
Dive deeper into the keto sides for steak with our dedicated article.
Despite the potential benefits of beef and eggs, eating too much of anything can have its negative side effects, as can restricting your diet so severely. As the steak and eggs diet requires you to eat nothing but these foods for an extended period, here are some side effects you may experience:
Both red meat and eggs contain saturated fat, which can contribute to increased blood cholesterol levels (19, 20). As you have to consume large amounts of eggs and steak every day on this diet, it’s not a stretch to say that the amount of cholesterol in your body may be quite high by the time you’re done. Remember that high cholesterol increases your risk of chronic illness, particularly heart disease.
This is largely related to steak rather than eggs. Red meats such as beef, lamb, and pork have been classified as a ‘probable’ cause of cancer (21). One review published in the Journal of Internal Medicine found that consuming just 100 g of unprocessed red meat a day may increase the risk of colorectal, prostate, and breast cancers as well as stroke and cardiovascular mortality (22).
There’s no denying that these two products are nutritional powerhouses in their own right. However, a diet that is made up of only two things plus butter and salt isn’t enough to keep you healthy. A healthy diet must be balanced and include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, and other lean proteins such as fish and poultry, in addition to healthy fats. The steak and eggs diet doesn’t allow most of these, so after a while of following this diet, you may experience nutritional deficiencies or other adverse effects, such as constipation due to the lack of fiber.
Proponents of this eating plan say that you should follow this diet till you reach your desired body goals. However, we suggest that you don’t follow any part of this diet in the first place.
As seen from the side effects section above, the diet has more downsides than benefits. Instead, we suggest adding steak and eggs in moderation to your usual calorie deficit healthy eating plan. A healthy eating plan has the following main factors (23):
No sodas, energy drinks, and carbonated drinks, and no ultra-processed food.
Half your plate should be covered in vegetables, while the other half should be divided between complex carbohydrates and lean protein.
Steak and eggs aren’t your only protein source.
If you want to consume dairy, look for fat-free or low-fat dairy products.
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As there is no scientific research into the steak and eggs diet, it’s difficult to say how much weight you could lose on the steak and eggs diet without exercise, or even while still working out.
However, it’s best to remember that a healthy and sustainable weight loss is a gradual and steady one that allows you to lose 1/2 – 1 kg a week (24).
Remember that rapid or excessive weight loss could lead to side effects such as menstrual irregularities in women, headaches, constipation or diarrhea, fatigue, anxiety, mood swings, dizziness, gallstones, and depression (25).
Read more: Banana Trick for Weight Loss
You can have one cheat day on this eating plan. The cheat day comes every fifth or sixth day, depending on your preference. This is the one day where you can refill your carbohydrate intake for the week. You’re allowed to have any kind of protein as well as vegetables and carbs that you might have been craving.
Again, as there are no studies behind this diet, we can’t say how often you should or how safe it would be to work out on the steak and eggs diet plan. However, as you’re eating a high amount of protein and a moderate amount of fat, it’s a good idea to incorporate some exercises into your daily routine.
Some full-body workouts you could do include kettlebell swings, deadlifts, bear crawls, jumping rope, burpees, and mountain climbers. However, you should always remember to pace yourself. The lack of carbohydrates in this diet means you may not have as much energy to work out as you normally do.
Eggs are cheap, so you don’t need to worry about that. However, steak could cost you an arm and a leg depending on the cut. Some tips to combat this include choosing cheaper cuts, opting for beef on the bone, buying organ meats, and if you have a way to store it, buying meat in bulk when it’s on sale.
Yes, they do. These two are great sources of protein that are essential for bodybuilding. But they aren’t the only things they eat. They also typically consume whole grains and a variety of vegetables to keep their diets balanced.
According to the World Cancer Research Fund, you’re recommended to eat up to 3 portions of red meat a week and no more than that (26). The three portions should total approximately 350-500 grams (12-18 ounces) cooked weight for the week.
The side effects section above explains in detail why this is a terrible idea.
The steak and eggs eating plan is a variation of the carnivore diet.
No, it’s not. The fact that there’s no scientific research behind it should be the first thing to put you off it. While the creator, Vince Gironda, and his followers may look shredded while on this eating plan, it doesn’t mean that they’re healthy or happy. Such a restrictive diet doesn’t allow you to enjoy your meals and could potentially create an unhealthy relationship between you and food.
There are also much better ways to lose weight – ways that aren’t as extreme, restrictive, and don’t cut out entire food groups to help you manage your weight or build muscle. If you’re looking for one of these ways, don’t try the steak and eggs diet. Instead, we suggest that you talk to your doctor or a dietitian and they will be able to show you the best and healthiest way forward.
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