> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.themeatmafia.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Zack Strength on Building Muscle Eating Meat: Slow Carb to Low Carb, Meals Around Lifting, No Food Stress - URL: https://www.themeatmafia.com/episodes/zack-strength-build-muscle-eating-meat/ - Published: 2026-11-04T23:22:43.000Z - Updated: 2026-11-04T23:22:43.000Z - Description: Former college athlete Zack Strength on cutting carbs gradually, eating around his training days, when he tracks, and why he won't let nutrition control his life. - Author: Harry Gray - Tags: Carnivore & Animal-Based, Metabolic Health, #blog, #episode, #noble-mention **By The Meat Mafia (Harry Gray and Brett Ender)** *If you follow Zack Strength on X, you know the photos: steak, eggs and fish plated by his apartment window. The story behind them starts with a big college athlete trying to lean out after football.* He'd read that you could lose weight eating eggs, bacon, butter, and bunless burgers wrapped in lettuce. His reaction was basically: wait, I'd rather eat those foods anyway. But he didn't go extreme on day one. He cut impulse candy bars first, then the rice and quinoa, so slow carb became low carb. Then he went full keto and started tracking. He knew the first weeks might feel rough: > "if you want something, it's not going to come easy" ([\~18:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K3Iqz-XuHE&t=1080s)) He says it took about a year to go from 293 to 201 pounds at 6'5". Then he decided that was too thin and built back to around 220. Today his eating follows his training. On a rest day, he has black coffee, then a pound of steak with avocado, and one more meal. On a lifting day, after training before sunrise, he eats three meals. And when he wants an exact result, like dropping under 10% body fat, he tracks again. What stood out to us most was his attitude: > "I'm not going to let nutrition control my life" ([\~41:00](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K3Iqz-XuHE&t=2460s)) He enjoys sushi carb-ups and cheesecake on his birthday, and doesn't feel the need for cheat meals. Healthy eating, for Zack, is a tool for living better. This is his experience, not medical advice. (Timestamps are approximate.) [Listen to the full episode](https://share.transistor.fm/s/6088a349) · [Watch on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1K3Iqz-XuHE) **TL;DR:** After his football career ended, Zack Strength didn't flip a switch. He went from cutting simple carbs, to slow carb, to low carb, then keto, and he says he lost 92 pounds over about a year. Now he eats two meals on rest days and three on lifting days, mostly steak, eggs and fish. He tracks when he's chasing a specific goal, and he refuses to let food run his life. This is his experience, not medical advice. **Who is Zack Strength?** A former college baseball and football player, known for his animal-based meal photos on X. He coaches private clients. ## Key takeaways - He transitioned gradually: no simple carbs, then slow carb, low carb and keto (\~17:00). - He says he lost 92 pounds over about a year, then built back to about 220 (\~18:00 to \~23:00). - On rest days he eats two meals and on lifting days three (\~23:00 to \~24:00). - He doesn't wait until the afternoon for his first meal on training days (\~24:00). - He tracks when chasing a specific body-fat goal (\~28:00). - He enjoys occasional carb-ups without guilt (\~41:00). ## Gradual, not extreme Zack knew going all-in overnight trips a lot of people up, so he cut carbs in stages before going keto and tracking in an app. SAVE & SHARETHEMEATMAFIA.COM [![Infographic titled Zack's Muscle Plan from Zack Strength on Meat Mafia episode 354: go gradual, two meals on rest days, three on lift days, track for goals, steak eggs fish, food serves life.](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/74/a7746fb4-f95a-43c9-80de-d89d93cfaf68/content/images/2026/11/zack_strength_card.png)](https://storage.ghost.io/c/a7/74/a7746fb4-f95a-43c9-80de-d89d93cfaf68/content/images/2026/11/zack%5Fstrength%5Fcard.png) Zack'S Muscle Plan, from Zack Strength on MMP #354\. Tap to open the full-size card (1080×1350) to save or share. ## Eat around your training On rest days he eats fewer, bigger meals. On lifting days he eats earlier and more, and adds calories on days he gets 20,000 to 30,000 steps. ## Food serves life He's flexible at social events and enjoys sushi or cheesecake occasionally. His goal is to live better, not to be controlled by food. ## FAQ **How did Zack Strength transition?** Gradually: no simple carbs, then slow carb, low carb and keto (\~17:00). **How often does he eat?** Two meals on rest days and three on lifting days (\~23:00). **Does he track food?** When he's chasing a specific goal, like dropping under 10% body fat (\~28:00). ## Related on The Meat Mafia - [Judy Cho on food sanity](https://www.themeatmafia.com/episodes/judy-cho-food-sanity-carnivore-emotional-eating/) - [Michael Kummer on fasting and cravings](https://www.themeatmafia.com/episodes/michael-kummer-fasting-cravings-bison-liver-part-two/) - [More on Carnivore & Animal-Based](https://www.themeatmafia.com/health/carnivore/) - [Browse all episodes](https://www.themeatmafia.com/episodes/) **Get the free guide: 100 Books to Transform Your Health.** Join the Meat Mafia email list and we'll send it to you. [Sign up free →](https://www.themeatmafia.com/100-books/) --- *Disclosure: Meat Mafia hosts Harry Gray and Brett Ender co-own Noble Origins, a grass-fed beef protein with organs. We mention it where it is relevant, so weigh our take with that in mind.* *Not medical advice. This post summarizes a podcast conversation for education. The views are the guest's own. Talk to a qualified clinician before you change your diet, supplements or any medication.*