How much does Eddie Hall have to eat? A Breakdown by Career Phase

January 13, 2026 •

3 min read

At the peak of his strongman career, Eddie Hall reportedly consumed up to 16,000 calories daily, a monumental figure far exceeding the average person's needs. To sustain his massive physique and immense training loads, the World's Strongest Man champion needed to eat an extraordinary amount of food, a stark contrast to his later dietary habits.

Quick Summary

Former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall's diet has varied significantly over his career, ranging from 16,000 daily calories as a strongman to around 10,000 during his carnivore diet phase, all to fuel extreme training demands.

Key Points

Peak Strongman Diet: At his strongest, Eddie Hall consumed up to 16,000 calories daily to fuel his massive body and intense training sessions.
Dietary Shift: For his transition to combat sports, Hall significantly reduced his caloric intake and adopted a temporary carnivore diet to shed body fat.
Carnivore Caloric Intake: His later carnivore diet plan still consisted of a massive 9,800-10,000 calories per day, primarily from meat and dairy.
Meal Frequency: During his strongman days, he ate up to 10 meals and snacks a day, even waking up to eat to meet his calorie goals.
Different Goals, Different Diets: Hall's nutritional strategy proves that an athlete's diet must be adapted for specific goals, whether it's gaining maximum mass or improving athletic performance while cutting fat.
Cheesecake and Junk Food: A key feature of his strongman diet was relying on high-calorie, and sometimes less-clean, foods like family-sized cheesecakes to hit his targets.
Hydration is Key: Regardless of the diet, Hall emphasizes the importance of staying hydrated with plenty of water and electrolytes.

The Strongman Era: A 16,000 Calorie Colossus

To become the World's Strongest Man in 2017 and deadlift a record-breaking 500kg, Eddie Hall required an astronomical energy intake. His diet during this phase was less about clean eating and more about sheer caloric density, aiming to fuel constant training and recovery. He would consume between 8 and 10 meals and snacks a day, sometimes waking up in the middle of the night just to eat.

Staple Foods in the Strongman Diet

Eddie's strongman diet was famously dense and high in carbs and protein. His meals were loaded with meat, pasta, and dairy to meet his energy requirements.

Breakfast: A full English breakfast with multiple sausages, bacon slices, and eggs, alongside fried bread, beans, and black pudding.
Second Breakfast: Porridge with fruit and whey protein, plus a side of beef jerky.
Lunch: Large steaks with a pound of pasta, vegetables, and mayonnaise.
Snacks: Cashew nuts, flapjacks, and frequent protein shakes.
Dinner: Minced meat with pasta and garlic bread.
Dessert: He famously admitted to eating a family-sized cheesecake daily, often split between lunch and dinner.
Liquid Calories: The calorie-dense foods were often supplemented with juices and whole milk.

The 20,000 Calorie Experiment

In an extreme bid to pack on weight, Hall once tried to hit 20,000 calories in a day by incorporating a liter of double cream. The experiment backfired, causing extreme sickness and showing even his body had limits.

The Transition: Boxing and MMA

After retiring from competitive strongman, Hall transitioned to combat sports, including boxing and MMA. This required him to shed a significant amount of weight and body fat. His diet shifted from a pure mass-building regimen to a more controlled, though still high-calorie, plan focused on maintaining muscle while getting leaner.

During his training for his MMA debut, he famously adopted a carnivore diet for a period, eating roughly 9,800 to 10,000 calories daily. This diet focused entirely on meat, eggs, and dairy, eliminating plant-based foods.

A Day on the Carnivore Diet (circa 2024)

Breakfast (approx. 1,500 calories): Salmon, five eggs scrambled in butter, cottage cheese, and a milkshake.
Lunch (approx. 3,700 calories): A large ribeye steak, more eggs, and another milkshake.
Mid-workout Shake (approx. 600 calories): A protein shake during training.
Afternoon Snack: Biltong for additional protein.
Dinner (approx. 2,600 calories): Two ribeye steaks, two eggs cooked in butter, and a dessert.
Dessert (approx. 1,200 calories): A milkshake, broth, and protein powder with yogurt.

Comparison: Strongman vs. Combat Athlete Diet

To understand the vast difference in his nutritional approach, here is a comparison between his two prominent dietary phases.


Feature	Strongman Diet (Peak)	Combat Athlete Diet (Carnivore Phase)
Daily Calories	Up to 16,000 calories	Approximately 9,800-10,000 calories
Frequency of Meals	8-10 meals and snacks	Multiple large meals and snacks
Macronutrient Focus	Carbs and fats for mass; protein for repair	High protein and fats for muscle maintenance and satiety
Primary Food Sources	Steak, eggs, pasta, bread, dairy, fruit, cheesecake	Steak, eggs, salmon, cottage cheese, milk, broth
Key Goal	Maximum mass and raw power	Weight loss (fat), retaining muscle, and increased fitness

The 'Why' Behind the Insane Intake

For an athlete of Hall's size and activity level, the massive caloric intake was a necessity, not an indulgence. His body required immense fuel to sustain muscle mass and power explosive movements during training. As he told Prep Kitchen, his intake always aligned with his specific training goals. In his strongman days, the goal was pure mass and strength, demanding an almost constant influx of calories. In contrast, his move to combat sports required a cleaner, more controlled approach to reduce body fat while maintaining power, a transition aided by his carnivore phase.

Conclusion: Fueling the Beast, Then Sculpting the Beast

How much does Eddie Hall have to eat? The answer is not a single number, but a dynamic figure that has changed dramatically with his athletic ambitions. During his strongman peak, his intake soared to 16,000 calories to maintain his colossal size for raw strength, a process he admits was sometimes a chore. In his recent career shift toward boxing and MMA, his diet changed to a more strategic, albeit still huge, 9,800-calorie carnivore-based plan to shed fat and improve fitness. Eddie Hall's dietary journey is a testament to the immense and specific fueling requirements of elite-level athletes across different disciplines. His willingness to adapt his diet, from calorie-dense bulking to a restrictive carnivore plan, highlights the meticulous planning and discipline required to perform at the highest level.

Learn more about Eddie Hall's dietary evolution and training at Mail Sport.

Frequently Asked Questions

At the height of his strongman career, Eddie Hall reportedly consumed as much as 16,000 calories per day to maintain his enormous size and training demands.

After his strongman career, Eddie Hall adopted a carnivore diet for a period to help him lose body fat and transition to combat sports like boxing and MMA.

Yes, during his carnivore diet phase, Eddie Hall ate close to 10,000 calories daily and still managed to lose body fat, crediting the diet with helping him get leaner while maintaining strength.

As a strongman, Eddie Hall ate a diet high in carbs and protein, featuring large amounts of steak, eggs, pasta, milk, and even calorie-dense foods like cheesecake.

To meet his extreme energy needs, Eddie Hall would eat up to 8-10 meals and snacks a day, sometimes waking in the night specifically to consume more calories.

During his strongman days, Eddie Hall considered an entire family-sized cheesecake a regular part of his diet, often split between meals.

He adopted the carnivore diet to improve his health, reduce inflammation and joint pain, and efficiently lose body fat in preparation for his career in combat sports.