1) GOMAD - Gallon of milk a day. This is exactly what it sounds like. You drink one whole gallon of milk every single day for a specified period of time. Why would anyone do such foolishness? To put on weight, of course.
Does GOMAD work?
Yes and no.
Let's start at the beginning. When I decided to embark on this experiment I was pretty dang lean. I had just dieted down and I wanted to pack on some mass.
I had been reading about G.O.M.A.D. for a number of years, had always had an interest in it but I do not drink pasteurized milk so I never tried it. As luck would have it I found a local farm that sold fresh, raw unpasteurized milk (at only $8 per gallon) so I was in business.
Every single day for 6 weeks I forced a gallon of raw milk down my throat. No matter what. When I went to underground poker games I brought a gallon of milk and a glass with me. If I still had a half gallon of milk left and it was time for bed I would stay awake and finish it all. There was not one single day in this 6 week period that I did not drink an entire gallon of raw milk.
What happened?
One thing that happened is that my strength shot through the roof. It really did. I got stronger than I ever was before (but keep in mind I was also training for strength for the first time).
I did put on weight, about 25 lbs to be exact. At the end of my experiment I was lifting at the gym and a guy came up to me and said “Don't you workout with that Asian dude? Man you got HUGE! You were always big but you got way bigger. How much do you weigh?” etc.
Sounds great! What are the downsides?
The downside is that I got pretty dang fat. Not fat compared to an average person but pretty fat, too fat. I definitely put on muscle, but once the shirt came off you couldn't see it.
I also had to wake up roughly 6 times per night to urinate. Every single night. For 6 weeks.
I also spent $8 per day on milk in addition to the food I still ate. That's $400 for 6 weeks. That's as expensive as a steroid cycle and about 1/10 as effective.
What's the verdict?
GOMAD is not worth it - UNLESS you are extremely underweight and are lifting like a maniac 6 days per week. Anyone else shouldn't be doing this. If you don't have access to RAW milk I cannot recommend it to anyone. Pasteurized milk will get you fat (and probably sick) pretty dang fast.
2) Eating Raw Paleo - The paleo diet is a new fad diet in which you eat the way your ancestors supposedly ate. Lots of meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts. Not a bad idea. Of course I like it extreme so I took it one step further and did RAW paleo. I did this for three months but stopped when I wanted to put on some extra weight.
What is Raw Paleo?
Raw Paleo is when you eat a Paleo diet (Meat, Veggies, Fruits and Nuts) but you do not cook anything. You eat everything completely raw.
Surely you didn't eat raw meat?
I sure did. Every single day I ate raw beef, and sometimes raw Lamb or raw Buffalo meat in addition to the many raw vegetables and raw fruits I was consuming. Mostly I ate tomatoes, apples, oranges, some “raw” cashews (they use heat to open the cashew shell, not exactly raw). That's pretty much what I ate, with some raw Liver thrown in once in a while.
[DISCLAIMER: I REALLY Don't recommend you eat raw meat.]
How does raw meat taste? and doesn't it make you sick?
Raw Beef tastes pretty dang good. It's a weird feeling at first, but after you get used to it you like it very much. Raw Steak fat is especially delicious. I never once had a problem eating raw beef but raw buffalo did give me diarrhea once.
When you cook meat you denature the proteins with too much heat. If the meat isn't heated it isn't denatured. So A) You don't need to eat as much and B) Your body utilizes much of what you eat. You'll notice that bowel movements are just a shell of their former size when you utilize everything you eat.
What happened?
When I was eating nothing but raw I felt like superman. I felt invincible. I felt so great I stopped wearing a seatbelt, I thought nothing could hurt me. My bodyfat was just coming off like nothing and I was barely working out at the time. I got in the best shape I had been in at that time and I was lifting maybe 3 days per week with not much intensity.
What's the verdict?
Give it a try - if you've got the stomach for it!
3) Celibacy - No sex for 8 (eight!) months. My least favorite experiment. I had been reading about guys like Nikola Tesla who were celibate geniuses and I already knew about the power of Transmutation of Sexual Energy so I bit the bullet and decided to give it a try.
What happened?
Nothing good came of it. I could literally feel my testosterone sapping away. During this time I wasn't especially productive or happy. Probably because I didn't outlaw masturbation, only sex - big mistake. I felt like those guys that have never had a girlfriend and spend all their time playing world of warcraft. I was just in a bad mood all the time.
What's the verdict?
Not worth it! In fact, to get great results you should reverse this experiment - no masturbation but plenty of sex!
4) Keto dieting combined with Intermittent Fasting - A keto diet is one where you eat nothing but protein and fat - no carbohydrates - in an effort to lose bodyfat. Intermittent Fasting is where you eat for part of the day and fast (don't eat) for most of the day. In this case you eat for 8 hours per day and fast for 16 hours per day.
There are plenty of health benefits and reasons to eat and not eat, feast and fast, detailed here. I did this diet to burn off all the extra bodyfat I put on drinking a gallon of raw milk per day.
What was your diet?
For lunch I had steak and eggs cooked in butter. For dinner I had bacon and eggs. That's it. I did this Monday through Friday. Saturday was my cheat day and I could eat anything I wanted, usually I ate a whole blueberry pie with french vanilla ice cream. On Sunday I ate moderately. I did this diet for 4 weeks, every single Monday-Friday was nothing but Steak, eggs, butter and bacon.
What happened?
I burned off a whole bunch of that bodyfat that I put on while doing GOMAD. But I had some other, even better side effects - constant energy levels. I never had a dip in energy, I never had to take a nap, I didn't even feel the need to eat - that's because I didn't eat any carbohydrates and I never had an insulin spike.
On my Saturday cheat day I would ALWAYS have to take a nap and I wouldn't feel too great on top of that. During the week I felt like a million bucks, never bloated, never hungry, no ups and downs in energy levels - just calm, cool, steady and collected. It was a great feeling.
What's the verdict?
Definitely worth doing! Lose some bodyfat and keep energy levels steady - it's win-win!
I am interested in incorporating some raw meat into my diet. How would you recommend transitioning into this? To me, cutting a steak into small pieces and freezing them in a zip-lock bag for 2 weeks before eating seems favorable. Would you agree? Maybe it’s not necessary to freeze the meat first, but i have read that this kills any possible parasites.
A quote taken from the UDSA website says:
“Trichina and other parasites can be destroyed by sub-zero freezing temperatures. However, very strict government-supervised conditions must be met. Home freezing cannot be relied upon to destroy trichina. Thorough cooking, however, will destroy all parasites.”
So, just an fyi there could technically be some risk - not sure if most home freezers get cold enough.
Many bacteria and other microbes are not killed by freezing though. They are inactivated when frozen, but can “wake back up” when thawed.
I hear that most steak we get is pretty safe. Ground beef has more likelihood of bacterial contamination than a steak.
the way i started i just bought a lean cut of steak, told the guy i rented a room to in my house he may need to call 911, cut it up, put a little sea salt on it and ate it. turns out it tasted pretty good. i especially like it with salted sliced tomatoes. after a while i started getting fattier cuts, the fatty ones are the best. raw fat doesn’t seem like it would taste good, but it does. freeze it if you want. i never did and had no issues. i’d wash it in the sink at least if i were you. good luck and let me know how it turns out.
Victor, what is your current diet? is it how you eat most of the time?
2 meals per day, meat, coffee, and basically whatever else I want.
doing the protein and fat thing how much calories were u having and did u keep count of calories ?? or how much portion u were having at that time each meal?
When doing keto I don’t count calories. Typically I was having two meals per day. Meal 1: Steak and 6-8 eggs. Meal 2: 4-8 pieces Bacon and 6-8 eggs.
Victor, what about true celibacy? No Sex no masturbation or emissions.
Transmutation via meditation …ejaculation is one of the most detrimental aging factors to the male body …I have tried this as well and. It seems moderation,so sexual non ejaculatory orgasm through tantric ritual would be best.
I want to try the total celibacy for a while and see if it works.the lo best I have gone without ejaculating is two months. I was lifting like a beast up in the oil patch…I was ravenously horny and finally seduced a housekeeper and fucked her. But i think I was on to something. I noticed increased intensity intelligence and crazy primal ness in the gym.
* AND amazing recovery. Muhammad Ali was celibate leading up to his fights
Hey Victor,
What do you mean by “I did this for three months but stopped when I wanted to put on some extra weight.” I am planning to add muscle mass and working on getting a killer diet down. I was thinking about eating raw paleo, what did you do after raw paleo to gain extra weight? gomad?
thanks,
Scott
very fun to read
“Raw Steak fat is especially delicious.”
Please clarify. Are you saying that you eat the entire steak, fat and all? After reading your posts, I’ve started eating steak cooked in butter, but still raw on the inside regularly, but I can’t imagine eating all the giant globs of fat along with it. Should I be? (I’ve put on some unwanted fat since I’ve started lifting/eating like crazy, but I am far from “fat” by “normal” US standards. After drastically reducing my carb intake to avoid putting on fat, my energy and muscle gains have fallen).
PS: I’m going to try out this raw milk tomorrow when the nearby farm is open (if they have it in stock)!! Not to drink in excess, but just a bit to take post-workout based on some other information I read on the web after re-reading this post! (admittedly those claims are unsubstantiated, but worth a shot)
Victor,
I got a question. I have a pair of 4 pound dumbbells. How much sets do I need to accomplish gain muscle. I’m skinny I’m thinking about the 2 meals a day thing. Give me a recommendation to gain weight and muscle without going to the gym. I’m a slim guy 137 pounds , about 5’11 and i’m 18 years old. Plus does chicken work? Because I don’t know if i could eat steak and eggs all the time.
You can’t gain muscle with 4lb dumbbells and at your weight you don’t need to diet, you need to eat, eat, and eat.
If that’s the case then what should I eat? I have a high metabolism and for some reason my legs are thicker than my arms are. I think that’s sort of weird. But I need to know. I eat food a lot I snack when I need to snack and I eat whenever I have the chance to eat but I weigh the same.
^^ Everybody’s legs are thicker than their arms. Eat calorically dense foods like beef, eggs, chicken, potatoes, rice on top of the snack food you eat etc. and lift weights.
Alrighty then. Then how much pounds of weights should I use/how heavy the dumbell should be? And how much will it cost me because i’m broke right now.
You can do pushups / pullups / situps / and body squats.
Okay Victor, A couple of days ago I brought your 30 days of discipline. I did a Pre 30 days of discipline the workout part before I start doing the real thing and i tried one day this week i think it was a Monday. Anyways I got sore. The weights didn’t do much but the 100 squats and 100 situps were challenging but was certainly not as painful as the pushups that same day (I started in the afternoon by the way) I couldn’t even go up to 100. Heck today I woke up at 4am on a saturday morning watched some tv, ate some cereal , did 100 squats and situps (painful by the way) pushups ……I did 3 sets of 10 and stopped. Well not just time wise but I make the position and I feel the pain from the floor to my arms the pressure. I just want to know what can do to make my pushups less painful. And by the way im going to join the military and I need to know how to do quick, engaging pushups without feeling like i’m going to die
“My copy of the Holy Bible is worn through from so many readings, do you know where the bookstore is? My t-shirt has split at the biceps and I need to buy a larger one, do you know a good clothing store?”
Goddamn it I reread that almost 4 times. Golden.
Why did you stop eating raw paleo?
Originally I stopped to gain weight (which turned out to be all fat I gained).
Did you do the 2 week transition phase to get into a ketogenic state or did you dive right into it with it?
Dove right in.
Say.. one question to anyone that feels like answering.. if I’m doing keto and intermittent fasting (only eating from 1-9 pm as above), on cheat day can i eat anything at any time or is it restricted to the same schedule (1-9 pm)?
Thanks in advance!
I have the same question as Frank, what are the guidelines for cheat day. And could you also give a rough example as to what “eating moderately” on Sundays would entail?
What do you think of incorperating raw meat into the ketogenic + intermittent fasting?
Not a problem IF! you can handle raw meat.
Do you think the results would be even better than regular keto+ IF?
I agree that masturbating while abstaining from sex is of no benefit. Masturbation saps a man’s energy, makes him weak and dull, and degrades his spirit. Quitting masturbation was the best thing I ever did in my life.
I think quitting masturbation permanently is the first step in real self-improvement. It gives you energy and willpower to improve your body, mind, finances, and spirit. I started as a wretched weakling and improved myself dramatically. I will never masturbate again in my life.
My Arab friends got me into eating kibbie its raw lamb and spices. Its actually great!!!!
Hi Victor,
Firstly, I commend you on your will power and daring spirit.
I’m great believer in testing something for myself (within reason of course), before making any definite conclusions on it. The fact is there are always 2 sides (if not more) to every claim.
I just wanted to say the claimed benefits you listed for celibacy require NO masturbation of sex in order to be realised.
Brother, that’s no easy task! I’ve been wanting to try it for years, and haven’t had the elf-control to achieve it as yet. I’m currently making another attempt at it now in fact, I’m bloody determined to find out (one way or the other)! hahaha
Peace
Can you grow muscles on keto diet?
Awesome artcile ! can you describe the benefits that you experience from raw paleo a little further ? (strength increase ? invicible feeling ? digestion ?)
Not really Henry, your comment sums it all up succinctly. Digestion was terrific. Just felt overall healthier, though I don’t particularly recommend this diet I still felt great on it.
Vic, you are like a father figure to me. I can never regret being a reader of your blog. I’m 18 but i am too broke to go to the gym so I decided to lift logs of wood. I think it weighs 17lbs. do you think it can give me results? concerning the keto diet, is boiled eggs and beans going to cut it? i am in nigeria and things are way harder for me to acquire than in america. i barely know what a steak would look like when i see one.
Sam, eggs and bean should be fine as long as you’re getting enough protein and calories. Check out Vic’s post of inmates getting muscular. They do it on less than optimal diets as well.
I don’t think 17 lb logs will give you much results by themselves. Stick to the big exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and squats. If you want to use the logs try explosive movements like throwing them.
Hey thanks for writing this!
Went from being a vegetarian to a meat eater…never felt so well
Has been more than a month abstaining from porn and masturbation but having plenty of sex.
To the mix I have also added intermittent fasting once a week…
I am accesing my prime, that´s all I can say.
Hey Vcitor just wanted to know that whenver you went for low carb diet, how was your sleep quality because for me its nightmare when on low carb
No difference in sleep quality for me.
I’ve never had any problems with sleep on low carb diets but I hear it’s pretty common. Do a search for “carb backloading”. It’s essentially low carb all day and then you have your carbs at night after your workout. Should put you right out.
Hi victor,
How much was approximately the weekly cost of keto diet with intermittent fasting?
For the quantity of steak,eggs,bacon and butter you consumed.
I don’t know. Food is food, I just buy it.
So why don’t you recommend the raw paleo if you felt great on it?
I have the same question because I would like to do that experiment myself.
I would like to know that aswell Victor please do not ignore this one.
If you feel so great on raw paleo why wouldn’t you recommend it to other guys?
Changed my mind on it, don’t feel it’s that healthy (knowing what goes on in slaughterhouses, what animals are fed, how unclean they are kept etc).
This is an old article but I am hoping this will be seen. Having tried all that you have tried what do you think about doing primarily raw milk and intermittant fasting. Separately they have interesting results. My interest is in dropping some weight but also the health benefits of raw milk ( specifically it is reported to reset/( cure) a multitude of things.
Hormone leveling, blood sugar leveling, skin hair teeth
Love raw milk and intermittent fasting. The protocol works wonders. I’d add some meat though.