Jay Cutler got his protein almost entirely from shakes? (Podcast w/ Roman Fritz)

specter · May 23, 2026

Shelby said:
I always did 3 whole food meals and 3-4 shakes when I was competing.
I'm hardly Jay Cutler, or Roman Fritz, or anything like that though.

Dave Palumbo (one of the first truly super freaks at 300+ lbs and very lean, definitely an accomplished bodybuilder regardless of aesthetics)
has posted this as an offseason diet of his at some point - definitely a lot of liquid meals
(yes he was sponsored by Met-RX then, but that also meant he got a ton of product for free, so maybe not pure shill)

Originally Posted by huge285
If most people tried to eat what I ate, you'd be a fat shit!

MEAL #1: 10 whole eggs with 1 cup oats-- eat cooked
MEAL #2: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #3: 6 McDonalds Cheeseburgers with Fries and 2 Apple Pies
MEAL #4: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #5: 12 whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 1 cup apple juice, 40g whey protein-- BLEND and DRINK
MEAL #6: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #7: Chicken (8oz) with 1 cup rice
MEAL #8: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #9: 12 Whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 1 cup apple juice, 40 g whey-- BLEND and DRINK
MEAL #10: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #11: (middle of night: 3am) 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #12 (middle of night: 5am) 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)

Im not a fan of AI.. but if this anywhere to close.. Dave was eating like what 30% then a 400lbs strongman during the day... really...

A rough estimate puts this diet at ~13,000–15,000 calories per day depending on the exact products, fry size, and how the shakes are mixed.

Here’s the approximate breakdown:

Meal	Estimated Calories
Meal 1 – 10 eggs + 1 cup oats	~1,000
Meal 2 – 1.5 Met-Rx + 100g carbs	~950–1,100
Meal 3 – 6 cheeseburgers + fries + 2 pies	~3,000–3,500
Meal 4 – same shake	~950–1,100
Meal 5 – 12 eggs + oats + juice + whey	~1,600–1,800
Meal 6 – same shake	~950–1,100
Meal 7 – 8 oz chicken + 1 cup rice	~500–700
Meal 8 – same shake	~950–1,100
Meal 9 – same blender meal	~1,600–1,800
Meal 10 – same shake	~950–1,100
Meal 11 – same shake	~950–1,100
Meal 12 – same shake	~950–1,100

Estimated Total:

≈ 13,500 calories/day

Could realistically range:

Low end: ~12,500
High end: ~15,000+

This is an extremely high-calorie mass-gaining diet — the kind sometimes associated with elite strongman/bodybuilding bulking phases. The repeated Met-Rx + carb drinks are doing a huge amount of the calorie work.

Flex500 · May 23, 2026

Saw jay many times at the gym in flamingo in Vegas (great dude and would talk to anyone as long as his workout was over).

I literally quit drinking shakes back then because he told me a key to some of his success was getting almost all protein from real food va shakes especially in his early career.

I love jay. He is the man. I don’t think he has any nefarious intent but this dude has so many stories that contradict each other it’s crazy.

SouthernMuscle · May 23, 2026

specter said:
Im not a fan of AI.. but if this anywhere to close.. Dave was eating like what 30% then a 400lbs strongman during the day... really...

A rough estimate puts this diet at ~13,000–15,000 calories per day depending on the exact products, fry size, and how the shakes are mixed.

Here’s the approximate breakdown:

Meal Estimated Calories
Meal 1 – 10 eggs + 1 cup oats ~1,000
Meal 2 – 1.5 Met-Rx + 100g carbs ~950–1,100
Meal 3 – 6 cheeseburgers + fries + 2 pies ~3,000–3,500
Meal 4 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 5 – 12 eggs + oats + juice + whey ~1,600–1,800
Meal 6 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 7 – 8 oz chicken + 1 cup rice ~500–700
Meal 8 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 9 – same blender meal ~1,600–1,800
Meal 10 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 11 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 12 – same shake ~950–1,100

Estimated Total:

≈ 13,500 calories/day

Could realistically range:

Low end: ~12,500

High end: ~15,000+

This is an extremely high-calorie mass-gaining diet — the kind sometimes associated with elite strongman/bodybuilding bulking phases. The repeated Met-Rx + carb drinks are doing a huge amount of the calorie work.

This was supposedly Palumbo’s diet? Might be the cause of the condition named after him if this is true……

luki7788 · May 23, 2026

specter said:
Im not a fan of AI.. but if this anywhere to close.. Dave was eating like what 30% then a 400lbs strongman during the day... really...

A rough estimate puts this diet at ~13,000–15,000 calories per day depending on the exact products, fry size, and how the shakes are mixed.

Here’s the approximate breakdown:

Meal Estimated Calories
Meal 1 – 10 eggs + 1 cup oats ~1,000
Meal 2 – 1.5 Met-Rx + 100g carbs ~950–1,100
Meal 3 – 6 cheeseburgers + fries + 2 pies ~3,000–3,500
Meal 4 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 5 – 12 eggs + oats + juice + whey ~1,600–1,800
Meal 6 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 7 – 8 oz chicken + 1 cup rice ~500–700
Meal 8 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 9 – same blender meal ~1,600–1,800
Meal 10 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 11 – same shake ~950–1,100
Meal 12 – same shake ~950–1,100

Estimated Total:

≈ 13,500 calories/day

Could realistically range:

Low end: ~12,500

High end: ~15,000+

This is an extremely high-calorie mass-gaining diet — the kind sometimes associated with elite strongman/bodybuilding bulking phases. The repeated Met-Rx + carb drinks are doing a huge amount of the calorie work.

Does anyone really believe Palumbo's stories..? With all due respect to him

buck · May 23, 2026

I tend to think the more varied the sources of nutrition the better. Always ate protein from 3-4 sources a day. Different carbs as well. Fats were more what was ever in the food i choose but with some extra omega 3's thrown in. Grew well, got strong and went years at a time without a day sick. The less time i spent sick the more days i had to grow. I would rather recover from workouts then from something else.

As for what people say. My experience in all areas of life is that they way a person remembers things is not necessarily the same way that others around them remember the same thing.

As for Lee Priest he may well think that doing rec drugs and feeling good at that time was worth it, where as the downside of steroids wasn't. I am pretty sure Lee's value system and mine are not the same.
Same with a lot of other people too.

specter · May 23, 2026

luki7788 said:
Does anyone really believe Palumbo's stories..? With all due respect to him

The guy who got caught selling fake GH ? nope..

Serotoninskeptic · May 24, 2026

Shelby said:
I always did 3 whole food meals and 3-4 shakes when I was competing.
I'm hardly Jay Cutler, or Roman Fritz, or anything like that though.

Dave Palumbo (one of the first truly super freaks at 300+ lbs and very lean, definitely an accomplished bodybuilder regardless of aesthetics)
has posted this as an offseason diet of his at some point - definitely a lot of liquid meals
(yes he was sponsored by Met-RX then, but that also meant he got a ton of product for free, so maybe not pure shill)

Originally Posted by huge285
If most people tried to eat what I ate, you'd be a fat shit!

MEAL #1: 10 whole eggs with 1 cup oats-- eat cooked
MEAL #2: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #3: 6 McDonalds Cheeseburgers with Fries and 2 Apple Pies
MEAL #4: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #5: 12 whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 1 cup apple juice, 40g whey protein-- BLEND and DRINK
MEAL #6: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #7: Chicken (8oz) with 1 cup rice
MEAL #8: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #9: 12 Whole eggs, 1 cup oats, 1 cup apple juice, 40 g whey-- BLEND and DRINK
MEAL #10: 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #11: (middle of night: 3am) 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)
MEAL #12 (middle of night: 5am) 1.5 Met-Rx Packets (white packet) with 100g carb (ultrafuel)

Dante Trudel (A.K.A Doggcrapp) has posted a bulking diet of his once that seemed to include a lot of protein drinks/liquid calories as well.

Breakfast: oatmeal(5) with soy grits and ground flaxseeds on top (23) a little bit of milk(2) in the oatmeal and a protein drink (55)=85grams

After-workout snack: two potatoes(7) and a double serving protein drink in cranberry grape juice (110) =117grams

Lunch: (quick one because of my work)-can of ravioli (11) and protein drink(65) (cup of water cup of milk in there) =76grams

Snack: two 99cent big Macs(54) and 2 cups of milk (20)=74 grams

Dinner: 1lb of hamburger (100) cooked drained and then washed off with water thoroughly (to remove as much fat as possible)with condiments and noodles (4) =104grams

Night-time meal: six egg white omelet with peppers or peas(20) or roast beef cold cuts with half water half milk protein drink (65) =85 grams

He does mention that he was busy because of work, needing a quick lunch. So im sure he didnt eat exactly like this every day. But, considering he aims for very high protein (often up to 600g) I can see how the shakes would be helpful.

DOGGCRAPP · May 25, 2026

Serotoninskeptic said:
Dante Trudel (A.K.A Doggcrapp) has posted a bulking diet of his once that seemed to include a lot of protein drinks/liquid calories as well.

Breakfast: oatmeal(5) with soy grits and ground flaxseeds on top (23) a little bit of milk(2) in the oatmeal and a protein drink (55)=85grams

After-workout snack: two potatoes(7) and a double serving protein drink in cranberry grape juice (110) =117grams

Lunch: (quick one because of my work)-can of ravioli (11) and protein drink(65) (cup of water cup of milk in there) =76grams

Snack: two 99cent big Macs(54) and 2 cups of milk (20)=74 grams

Dinner: 1lb of hamburger (100) cooked drained and then washed off with water thoroughly (to remove as much fat as possible)with condiments and noodles (4) =104grams

Night-time meal: six egg white omelet with peppers or peas(20) or roast beef cold cuts with half water half milk protein drink (65) =85 grams

He does mention that he was busy because of work, needing a quick lunch. So im sure he didnt eat exactly like this every day. But, considering he aims for very high protein (often up to 600g) I can see how the shakes would be helpful.

Just for reference i think this was I believe late 90's and i was working in a building materials place (shucking concrete bags and cement blocks all day) with a lot of laborious work, and hardly had any time to get down meals. I was pounding calories (I was 280 to 296 during this time) and even with that kind of food intake it was virtually impossible to put on any weight due to energy expenditure. But yes there is probably nobody on this earth that has put down more protein drinks than me. There were times I had no other choice but to get a quick meal down. I never missed meals and still dont. And there were days of 3-4 protein drinks and even today I drink 2-3 protein drinks every day. (But I have that luxury due to my occupation and I know not everyone does).

SouthernMuscle · May 25, 2026

DOGGCRAPP said:
Just for reference i think this was I believe late 90's

that was my first thought when i saw .99 Big Macs

Siggy · May 26, 2026

Flex500 said:
Saw jay many times at the gym in flamingo in Vegas (great dude and would talk to anyone as long as his workout was over).

I literally quit drinking shakes back then because he told me a key to some of his success was getting almost all protein from real food va shakes especially in his early career.

I love jay. He is the man. I don’t think he has any nefarious intent but this dude has so many stories that contradict each other it’s crazy.

I really like that LVAC location, it was my main gym during my last stint in Las Vegas last year. Lived 2 miles away.

Siggy · May 26, 2026

Serotoninskeptic said:
I have some unfortunate news for you...

Ugh....Dont get me wrong , I eat absolute garbage too, but I make sure its actual good tasting garbage like Tiramisu, PBJ sandwiches, Applie Pie, Cherry Pie, etc.

Cereal is like the worst dog shit ever perpetuated in the arena of breakfast foods and just food in general.

luki7788 · May 26, 2026

I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all here, and with all respect to everyone, this is only my opinion, but these old-school “bulking” diets were exactly what caused things like distended guts, Palumboism, and similar problems.
With diets like this, the main thing people build is inflammation and terrible gut microbiome changes, leading to problems like SIBO and similar gut issues.
Pretty much everyone I’ve seen with these kinds of digestive problems also had terrible eating habits. Either they had binge-eating tendencies, or they followed very dirty diets full of heavily processed food and junk food. That type of eating creates huge amounts of inflammation and all the negative consequences that come with it. Basically everything that is worst for a bodybuilder or an athlete.

Flex500 · May 26, 2026

Siggy said:
I really like that LVAC location, it was my main gym during my last stint in Las Vegas last year. Lived 2 miles away.

Man...that place was GREAT! I had to work in vegas 10-12 weeks of the year back then and always went there. So much fun.

gains4000 · May 26, 2026

luki7788 said:
Does anyone really believe Palumbo's stories..? With all due respect to him

Hard to believe a guy who sold Fake HGH…have to be a real piece of shit to do that to a fellow bodybuilder.

Serotoninskeptic · May 26, 2026

luki7788 said:
I don’t want to sound like a know-it-all here, and with all respect to everyone, this is only my opinion, but these old-school “bulking” diets were exactly what caused things like distended guts, Palumboism, and similar problems.
With diets like this, the main thing people build is inflammation and terrible gut microbiome changes, leading to problems like SIBO and similar gut issues.
Pretty much everyone I’ve seen with these kinds of digestive problems also had terrible eating habits. Either they had binge-eating tendencies, or they followed very dirty diets full of heavily processed food and junk food. That type of eating creates huge amounts of inflammation and all the negative consequences that come with it. Basically everything that is worst for a bodybuilder or an athlete.

Do you think its more of a problem with high(er) fat junk foods? Roman for example has always kept a tight waist, despite eating what some might consider heavily processed "junk foods." Things like refined sugar, kid's cereals, and gummy candies. In a recent Instagram comment he mentioned that it is not uncommon for him to go through a whole bag of Haribos a day

. If you notice the trend with these however, they all have close to zero fats.

One possible theory is that fats tend to slow digestion, creating that distended look. And they are more likely to be partioned as fat when compared to carbs, particularly visceral fat around the organs.

It is also important to note, Roman goes to great lengths to maintain his waist size. Including training abs/vacuums daily, wearing a waist trainer, and keeping overall food volume as low as possible.

Perhaps it is the sheer volume of food, along with the strain it puts on digestion that's responsible for distention. Not the food quality itself?

I dont disagree with you, but just throwing some ideas in the air.

luki7788 · May 26, 2026

This just shows how much the internet can mislead people.

Roman does not eat junk food all year round. He does not normally eat sugary cereals or stuff like that. Ironically, he only does that during contest carb loading. Before competitions he may eat McDonald’s or sugary cereals, but only because he needs to push extremely high amounts of carbohydrates.

During the year he normally eats no less than 1000 grams of carbs per day. And most of it comes from clean sources like rice, cream of rice, fruits, and things like that. Around the workout he may add some gummy candy, but honestly what is bad about Haribo gummies? Nothing. It is just pure sugar, the same as drinking dextrose or glucose. So what exactly is bad about that?

Roman can literally eat three bags of rice per meal. I mean 300 grams of uncooked rice in one meal. And 300 grams of dry rice becomes around 1.5 kilograms of cooked rice. So imagine that.
Roman does not eat junk food. What some people here are saying is complete nonsense. They are only looking at his contest carb loading phase, where he eats 2000 grams of carbs per day or even more. At that point, of course he needs easier sources like maple syrup or sugary cereals, otherwise it would be physically impossible to eat enough food. He would literally need to eat buckets of rice, which would be terrible for stomach volume, especially right before a competition.

johnjuanb1 · May 26, 2026

I lived on one food meal and 9 protein oat shakes a day when I was my biggest and most shredded. Every two hours slam a shake. This allowed me to work 60 hours a week at two jobs.

Kreatine66 · May 27, 2026

specter said:
The guy who got caught selling fake GH ? nope..

I like how he says in his Species commercial: "I put my name and reputation on every bottle of Species"? You mean your reputation of selling fake products??
Feces Nutrition..

AllOkJumpmaster · May 27, 2026

luki7788 said:
Roman can literally eat three bags of rice per meal. I mean 300 grams of uncooked rice in one meal. And 300 grams of dry rice becomes around 1.5 kilograms of cooked rice. So imagine that.

I cannot even fathom eating that amount of food in a singular meal, especially from rice.