Brian Shaw has given fans an in-depth look at the discipline behind his remarkable body transformation, documenting everything from a pre-dawn gym session to carefully planned meals while travelling across the United States.
The four-time World’s Strongest Man revealed one of the biggest milestones of his weight-loss journey before the day had even properly begun, admitting he had reached a body weight he never expected to see again.
Starting his day shortly after 4:30AM, Shaw headed straight to the gym alongside his wife, Keri, despite having an early flight to Arizona for a series of business meetings.
He explained just how significant that morning’s weigh-in had been.
He said: “I did hop on the scale this morning, and I am officially at my lowest body weight that I have been in, I don’t know how long. I was just under 350 lbs. That is a weight that I was not sure I was really ever going to see again on the scale.
“So, you know, I’ve been super dedicated to the diet, with the training, obviously, and getting up at this time of day to make it happen before we head out to the airport is just another example of that.”
Knowing it would be a hectic travel day, Shaw decided it was the perfect opportunity to show fans exactly how he stays on track when he’s away from home.
“I figured today would be a good day to show you guys how I stay on track, with travel, with food, and with all of it, and kind of bring you along for the ride.”
Before heading to the airport, Shaw completed 45 minutes on the incline treadmill while Keri trained beside him.
Breakfast preparation quickly became a team effort, with Keri joking about her husband’s timekeeping.
She said: “Brian likes to pretend that he cooks his own breakfast for the road, but as many strengths as he has, being early for travelling is not one of them. So, we’re going to make his breakfast.”
His breakfast consisted of potatoes, egg whites and fresh eggs before being packed into a container for the airport.
Once through security, Shaw explained how preparation removes the temptation to make poor food choices while travelling.
His homemade breakfast travelled with him, alongside water and a packet of Pro Bite, giving him everything he needed during the flight to Arizona.
After landing in Phoenix, another pre-planned meal was waiting.
Shaw had already packed protein powder into a shaker bottle before leaving home, allowing him to simply add water after arriving. That meal was paired with a banana before he headed straight to his first business appointment.
The next meal had also been prepared in advance.
One pound of shredded chicken with a serving of rice was ready to eat between meetings, but there was something particularly special about this meal.
He said: “I have to say this meal is special to me because right now I only get a serving of rice once every third day, and this is it.
“So, I’ve tried to save some rice for my last bite. I’m going to very much enjoy this bite. If you guys have followed me for any amount of time, you know that I love rice. Not having rice for multiple days on end, it’s not the funnest.”
After finishing the final mouthful, Shaw couldn’t hide his appreciation: “So good.”
The busy schedule eventually brought the pair to Outback Steakhouse, where Shaw admitted he had been eagerly anticipating his next meal.
He said: “We’ve been running pretty hard, several different meetings, but productive and now I am very excited because we are at Outback and my next meal is steak and potato and salad.”
Keri admitted she enjoys steak nights just as much: “I love when it comes time for your steak meal.”
The couple even joked about how travelling has turned finding the best steak, potatoes and rice into something of an obsession.
Shaw ordered two medium 9oz sirloins alongside sweet potatoes and salad, explaining that ordering two steaks was simply the easiest way to consume the amount of protein he needed.
However, the meal didn’t quite go to plan.
While the first steak was exactly what he had hoped for, the second quickly raised concerns.
“First steak was incredible. Second steak, I was trying to power through,” he said. “Not good. I just sense something bad about it. And I don’t, I really don’t think it was smart to finish it, so I definitely don’t want to get sick.”
Rather than complain or ask for compensation, Shaw chose to simply move on.
“This is nothing on Outback or service or anything. And maybe it’s just a bad piece of meat. But what I will say is when you are dieting, and you’re looking forward to a meal, and then it is a little bit of a letdown, it hits different.
“Normally that wouldn’t be such a big deal, but as you saw earlier, I was so happy about the rice. There are things that you look forward to when you’re going through something like this, and that was definitely something I was looking forward to.
“I could probably make a big scene and say, ‘Hey, I want that for free,’ or whatever. You don’t need to do that. It happens, unfortunately. So, we’re going to move on.”
The evening continued with a grocery shop, where Shaw stocked up on bananas, eggs, egg whites, ground beef, ground chicken, vegetables and green beans for the rest of the trip.
He also shared his thoughts on plant-based alternatives while reading ingredient labels.
Looking at one product marketed as eggs, he laughed before saying: “Water, mung bean protein, expeller pressed canola oil. Yum. That sounds disgusting. Yeah, we’re going to leave that one alone.”
Reading another label, he added: “Beyond beef… That shouldn’t be allowed to say beef.”
Because the couple were staying in a house rather than a hotel, Shaw was able to prepare meals for the following day himself.
He cooked chicken, weighed every portion using his travel food scale, packed green beans and bell peppers into containers and added organic sweet potato sticks to complete the meal.
He also revealed two items he never travels without.
“So, two things that I did pack to travel with. Food scale… And then just a can opener for the green beans. You never know. Food scale is obviously more rare to find, but you never know on a can opener. And if you get cans that need to be opened and you don’t have it, could turn into a big problem. I’ve been down that road before.”
After finishing his final meal of the day, Shaw reflected on the progress he had made during his transformation and admitted that the physical changes were finally becoming obvious.
“I feel at this point I’m starting to see more noticeable changes in my body which is motivating to me,” he said. “At the beginning of this process, you see the number changing a little bit on the scale, but maybe don’t recognize it as much physically. And now I’m starting to see that, which in a way is motivating me as well.”
Despite enjoying his new progress, Shaw admitted there has been a mental adjustment after spending decades intentionally building one of the biggest physiques in strength sports.
“It’s still a little bit weird mentally just after my career in Strongman working so hard to be big and strong. Truthfully, I love that it wasn’t hard for me to be big and strong. I really love that. So, this is a complete change of pace and also a change of mentality.”
Ultimately, Shaw wanted the video to demonstrate that consistency is possible regardless of how busy life becomes.
He said: “I just wanted to kind of show you guys that it is possible, number one, to make it happen. You may have to get up early; you may have to get it in and do a little bit of planning.
“You know, spend a little bit of time on the road, obviously hitting the store, doing a little bit of cooking, ordering the correct things at restaurants, etc. But it is possible 100% because today would be the day if I were going to make an excuse and say, ‘Hey, I’m travelling, whatever, I can relax a little bit,’ and today is the day that will make more difference at the end of this, and I truly believe that.”
With his weight now below 350lbs and visible changes beginning to show, Shaw ended the video by asking fans whether they think he can achieve his ambitious target of reaching around 10% body fat as his transformation continues.
Featured image credit: SHAWSTRENGTH / YouTube
