A fitness enthusiast noticed some dramatic changes to his body after switching to a 30-egg-a-day diet in a bid to build muscle, but the egg-streme challenge was far from easy
Although it may not sound like the most appetising meal plan to some, one fitness fan has sworn by chowing down 30 eggs a day, and quickly noticed a number of dramatic changes to his body.
Having heard that this diet could have muscle-building effects comparable to taking potentially harmful steroid injections, Joseph Everett, from Tokyo, Japan, set himself the challenge of eating nearly 1,000 eggs over the course of one month, documenting his progress in a YouTube video.
Before beginning his egg-speriment, Joseph took note of his starting weight – 78kg – and his prowess in four weight-based gym activities – barbell lifts, deadlifts, squats and bench presses. He also underwent blood tests to record health indicators such as testosterone production and cholesterol levels and snapped a ‘before’ selfie.
It was then time to begin chowing down 900 eggs in just one month, which Joseph managed by packing them into smoothies, egg-white omelettes, and meals made up of raw egg and rice. He supplemented this with beef, yoghurt, some fruit and honey, and the occasional protein bar.
All in all, Joseph consumed around 3,300 to 3,700 calories per day—significantly higher than the 2,500 daily calories usually recommended for men. He also ate most of the egg yolks raw, explaining that he “didn’t want to oxidise the fat content in it”. He either ate the egg whites raw or cooked.
By day five, Joseph’s new egg-based diet began to take a toll, and he shared with viewers how he’d had “so much gas [he] couldn’t sleep”. It got so bad that his girlfriend even asked him to sleep on the sofa. With 750 eggs to go, however, Joseph pushed on…
After an internet search, Joseph realised that it could well be the mangos in his mango and egg ‘ice cream’ that was messing with his gut, and after forgoing this, his stomach “felt fine”.
Outlining the health benefits of eggs in his video, Joseph told followers: “30 eggs give me 190 grams of protein, my daily amount of vitamin A, 120 per cent of my vitamin D, tons of B vitamins. These arguably support muscle growth in one way or another.”
However, he also cautioned that 30 eggs a day could provide an enormous amount of cholesterol – 2,100 per cent the daily value – on top of the potentially risky 45g of saturated fat. As per the NHS, adult men should stick to a daily limit of 30g of saturated fat per day so as to keep weight gain-related diseases, such as heart conditions, at bay.
With this in mind, Joseph argued his body would be able to convert these fats into the male hormone testosterone, which can help boost muscle growth when paired with strength-based exercises. He explained: “We only hear bad things about cholesterol, but it’s actually necessary for producing hormones like testosterone. In a 2017 review, the author said that the reason that people see a rise in testosterone on a ketogenic diet may be because of the increased intake of cholesterol.”
By day nine, Joseph was feeling “pretty great”, telling viewers: “I felt more focused, had tons of energy in and out of the gym, my libido was higher, and I was a bit more driven and unrestrained. I usually procrastinate on my writing, but on the first ten days of this egg diet, I had written eight different posts on my Substack.”
Joseph also found that he was getting much stronger in the gym and was pleased with the progress he was seeing. By day 20, however, he found himself “stuck in the bathroom for over an hour”, suffering from painful cramps and constipation, all while feeling the need to vomit.
Further research led Joseph to believe his latest digestive problems were due to a substance called trypsin inhibitors, high levels of which can be found in raw eggs. After cooking his egg whites again, Joseph found he was back on track, however, he found the cooked egg whites to get far more filling that the raw one, adding an additional hurdle to the final run of his challenge.
At the end of the experiment, Joseph had gained 13lbs (6kg) worth of muscle mass, and had also seen significant gains in his gym performance – being able to lift up 20kg (44lbs) more than when he could at the beginning. Blood tests showed no notable increase in ‘bad cholestrol’ levels, and also found he had lower levels of triglycerides in his blood – a dangerous type of fat connected to a higher risk of stroke and heart attacks.
Interestingly, although Joseph had theorised that his positive behavioural changes were due to a rise in testosterone, blood tests showed there had been no such spike. Joseph reflected: “I think I would just do this again if I needed to bulk up”.
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