Former World’s Strongest Man winner Brian Shaw has revealed exactly what he is eating as he attempts to reach the leanest physique of his life.
The legendary Strongman shared a complete breakdown of his daily nutrition while documenting what he described as a major transformation phase, with the ultimate goal of dropping below 10% body fat.
For a man long associated with enormous calorie totals and huge meals, Shaw admitted this latest approach is a serious adjustment.
The day started in a way that felt far more countryside than bodybuilding prep, with Shaw heading straight to his chicken coop to collect fresh eggs for breakfast.
“One of my favorite ways to start the day,” he said while gathering eggs from the coop.
Shaw even pointed out one particularly tiny egg, explaining: “So, I think we had one just start laying. So, when they lay their first egg, it’s always super tiny like that.”
Breakfast itself was built around high protein and controlled carbohydrates. Shaw combined four fresh eggs with 10 egg whites, six ounces of bison and roasted potatoes.
“And that is meal number one,” he said after plating everything together.
Alongside the meal, Shaw added a Provite vitamin pack and some hot sauce before explaining how meticulously he is now tracking everything he eats through the Shaw Elite app.
“So what this will do is this will tally every single meal that I eat,” he explained. “I’ll be able to see that and then see the total for the day. So that’s how I’m going to stay on track.”
The Strongman icon also revealed that cardio has now become part of his routine as the cut intensifies.
“I’m going to start every workout now on the treadmill,” he explained. “So, I’ll do some incline walking to get warmed up.”
Following training, Shaw kept things simple with a fast-digesting post-workout meal consisting of whey isolate and a banana.
Meal three saw Shaw move into a much more structured bodybuilding-style setup, with smoked chicken tenderloins and rice forming the centrepiece of the meal plan.
The chicken was seasoned using zero-calorie sauce and smoked carefully to avoid drying it out.
“These are really easy to overcook,” Shaw explained while monitoring the internal temperature.
Once finished, Shaw admitted the result exceeded expectations.
“Well, that meal was absolutely delicious,” he said. “I actually brought over some sugar-free barbecue sauce to use, and I didn’t even need it at all.”
Despite the stricter nutrition setup, Shaw repeatedly stressed that flavour still matters to him, and he appeared genuinely pleased with how satisfying the meals remained despite the calorie reduction.
Meal four featured sirloin steak, mashed sweet potatoes, salad and sauerkraut, with Shaw carefully weighing every component to stay accurate with his macros.
When the steak slightly exceeded the exact target weight, Shaw laughed: “I’d rather be just a touch over.”
Even so, the reality of the transformation was beginning to become clear by the evening meals.
Meal five removed almost all carbohydrates entirely, consisting of chicken and vegetables only.
“As you saw, carbs are basically out,” Shaw admitted. “There’s a little bit of carbohydrate in the vegetables, but very minimal there. And the carbs are out for the rest of the day.”
The final meal was another protein shake, this time combined with psyllium husk for additional fibre before Shaw revealed the full nutritional totals from the day.
“That brings my totals for the day to 4,325 calories,” he explained.
“Under 5,000 calories for me is very low.”
Even while dieting, Shaw’s intake remains enormous by normal standards, with the full day including:
527 grams of protein
246 grams of carbohydrates
101 grams of fat
Shaw admitted the biggest changes have come from reducing carbohydrates and cutting back significantly on red meat.
“Carbs right now much lower than I have been eating for sure,” he explained. “And then fat is also lower right now just because we’ve taken out a lot of the red meat that I was eating.”
The transformation marks what Shaw described as “phase one” of the process, with the retired Strongman fully aware of how difficult the challenge ahead may become.
“This is definitely phase one of this transformation,” he said. “Big change for me. I’m not going to lie.”
And while Shaw appears fully committed to getting leaner, he jokingly admitted the diet isn’t exactly easy mentally either.
“I wish that we were ending the last meal not with a shake and with some cheesecake,” Shaw admitted. “I’m not going to lie about that.”
Still, Shaw made it clear that his long-term goals are bigger than temporary cravings.
“But we’ve got to get lean and I’ve got goals that I’m going after,” he said. “So I’m going to stay on this. Be super dedicated with it.”
As the video came to a close, Shaw threw the question out to fans watching his transformation unfold.
“Do you think I’m going to survive?” he joked. “Do you think I’m going to get down under 10% body fat? We’re going to find out, and we’re going to have fun along the way.”
The full transformation journey is expected to continue through the Shaw Elite app and Shaw’s ongoing video updates as fans track whether one of strength sport’s most iconic figures can successfully reach single-digit body fat for the first time in his career.
Featured image credit: SHAW STRENGTH / YouTube
