March 3, 2025, 9:43 pm | Read time: 10 minutes

It’s a different kind of self-experiment — YouTuber Joseph Everett followed up on a rumor by bodybuilding legend Vince Gironda that 36 eggs a day could replace a steroid injection to build muscle. Find out how he fared and what FITBOOK nutrition expert Sophie Brünke thinks here.

Motivated By a Fitness Tip from the 60s

Over the past few decades, there have been a number of diet and fitness trends that we are lucky to have disproved and made obsolete. The food-combining diet of the 70s did not lead to weight loss but rather to a loss of pleasure. The aerobics trend of the 80s ignored the health benefits of muscle building, and let’s not even get started on the cabbage soup diet of the 90s. And, in the 60s, people used cigarettes to lose weight. Would you rate a tip from that time as “good” or at least “worth a try”? Well, Joseph Everett did it.

36 Eggs a Day — Steroid Injection Equivalent on Muscle Growth

Joseph Everett read about 1960s bodybuilder Vince Gironda, who claimed that consuming 36 eggs a day for six to eight weeks had the same effect as a mild steroid regimen. This seemed too good to be true, so he decided to experiment with himself as a guinea pig.

Preparing for the Egg Experiment

As befits a good influencer, the “before photo” was taken first, of course. But he also records his starting weight of 78 kilograms and his blood values for cholesterol, testosterone, and “a few other things” (at the end of the video, we learn that it’s creatinine).

Everett explains that he had previously mainly done CrossFit and some weight training. To determine improvements in his strength, he wants to test the “egg impact” on the “three big lifts”:

• Deadlift: (starting weight: 120 kilograms)
• Squats: (starting weight: 95 kilograms)
• Bench press: (starting weight: 100 kilograms)

Freestyle on the Nutrition Plan — Science Dribbled out

What He Should Eat

Bodybuilding pro Gironda’s original plan calls for eating 36 eggs a day for six to eight weeks. For this, all eggs should be drunk in a smoothie with “half-and-half milk” (an American product with 10.5 to 18 percent fat), banana, and protein powder.¹ For lunch, there is then a pound of “hamburger meat,” i.e., minced meat with salad, and in the evening, the same or double the amount of steak with steamed vegetables.

However, Everett says that this master plan, which is supposed to replace a steroid injection, is not to his liking. So, he has simply drawn up his own plan. I would classify this dryly as a “methodical weakness.”

What He Actually Ate

Be that as it may, what did Everett end up eating? Firstly, he reduced the daily number of eggs to 30 (perhaps because “900 eggs” sounds better in the video title than “1080”?). He usually ate the yolks raw so that the cholesterol they contained would not be oxidized by heat. The resulting oxysterols actually have a higher atherogenic potency, which means that they can contribute to the development of atherosclerosis (deposition of fatty substances in the walls of medium and large arteries). He ate the proteins either raw or sometimes cooked. But he did not lack creativity: he also experimented with a recipe for ice cream made from egg yolk and mango.

In addition to eggs and ice cream, a bowl of rice, some beef, yogurt, fruit, honey, and the occasional protein bar were also part of his daily diet. Everett claims that this gives him a calorie intake of around 3300 to 3700 calories per day. Of this, 2400 to 3000 calories are likely to come from eggs alone, assuming he is a size M.

Exceptions of the Influencer

As the YouTube business naturally never sleeps during the experiment, there is also an outlier day on which he tasted some yakitori in a video by a creator friend. These are Japanese barbecue skewers.

At the end of his video, we also learn that he drank an electrolyte drink — sponsored by an advertising partner — every day. Was this all Gironda’s idea?

Girlfriend Flees from Flatulence

From then on, Everett vlogged how he was doing on a daily basis in a very YouTube-like manner. The first event worth mentioning in terms of health occurred on the fifth day of the experiment. The YouTuber was struggling with severe bloating, which was so bad that his girlfriend asked him to sleep on the couch. For Everett, the culprit was quickly found: the mango — what else?

However, he really did feel better over the next few days. Had his body got used to the change? On day nine, the YouTuber reported that he was more focused, had a lot of energy and an increased libido. He also cited a number of studies that had previously suggested these effects. But it’s not just his fitness tips that Evrett seems to like to dig up from the past; he also prefers to base his scientific studies on the findings of the 20th century. Some of the studies cited were from the 1980s, while two others were conducted eight years ago.

Increased Energy and Libido

On the one hand, he suggests that the reduced tiredness could be due to the sufficient supply of vitamin D (here: 120 percent of the daily requirement) in his diet. I agree with this point. The sun’s vitamin is indeed important for sufficient energy. However, the calculation is not necessarily “the more vitamin D, the less tired.” This effect only occurs if there was previously a deficiency. With regard to his libido, he hypothesizes on the basis of his literature research that the high cholesterol could have raised his testosterone level, as the fat accompanying substance is a building block for the sex hormone. In his opinion, the increased intake of vitamin A (150 percent of the daily requirement) also drove up the conversion rate.

Plan Changes on Day 20

Everett would have liked to skip day 20. After eating his dose of 30 raw eggs, he developed constipation and severe abdominal cramps. He threw up and took a bath to settle his stomach. His assumption was that his stomach could no longer tolerate the raw egg whites. This is because they contain trypsin inhibitors, which can prevent the digestive enzyme trypsin from working. He, therefore, decided to cook the proteins for the last ten days.

There was also room for improvement in terms of training on day 20. A fitness-savvy friend helped him to optimize his amateurish training routine for hypertrophy, i.e., muscle growth. Everett admitted that the new training plan felt more effective.

The Big Before and After on Day 30

On day 30, Everett takes stock:

• On the scales, he records an increase of six kilograms
• Deadlift: increase from 120 to 140 kilograms
• Bench press: increase from 100 to 110 kilograms
• Squat: increase from 95 to 115 kilograms

All the protein and training allowed him to build up muscle mass and strength. He does not use comparative values for what would have happened with steroids during this time. However, you should stay away from them anyway.

He also has his blood values checked again by a doctor. To his own surprise, his testosterone levels had not changed. He stated that he had also slept less, which may have had a negative effect on his testosterone levels. There were also no significant changes in the “bad” LDL cholesterol. On the other hand, his HDL cholesterol climbed from the low to the normal range (from 37 to 45 milligrams per deciliter).

The triglyceride values also fell, but they were within the normal range both before and after the experiment. He is playing on the fact that he has disproved the theory that cholesterol from eggs is harmful to health. However, this effect has long been known in science, as the body can regulate its own cholesterol levels. Unfortunately, we also do not know what his diet looked like before. Everett also overinterprets the improvement in his kidney values. Although his creatinine level fell by a few points, it was not in the critical range before.

Expert Classifies Diet Plan “At Some Point He Turns the Color of Egg Yolk”

As a nutrition expert, it should come as no surprise that I recommend avoiding tips such as 30 eggs a day. But let me explain in more detail.

During his experiment, Everett exceeded the daily requirement for protein, vitamins D and A, and saturated fats. He was also probably not lacking in B vitamins. He was also deficient in vitamin C and fiber in particular. A lot of protein and little fiber is THE combination that causes bacteria to produce a lot of foul-smelling gas in the intestines and find their way out — Everett’s girlfriend had to experience this in practice. A vitamin C deficiency over a long period of time can lead to loss of body weight, unclear muscle and joint pain, and even bleeding under the skin, on the gums, and in the joints.

The excess B vitamins are water-soluble and are excreted again, which is why I consider this point to be less of a health risk. However, it is known that — at least with supplements — an overdose can also lead to stomach problems (perhaps it wasn’t the mango after all?). I consider the high amounts of vitamin D and A to be more serious in the long term. These are fat-soluble, and excess residues cannot easily leave the body. Severe side effects of high doses of vitamin D, such as kidney stones, are more likely to be caused by taking high-dose supplements incorrectly, but the permanently increased intake through food can certainly lead to nausea and vomiting — symptoms that Everett may be familiar with.

Finally, I would like to talk about vitamin A. The self-proclaimed study subject consumed one and a half times the daily dose through his diet. As vitamin A is also fat-soluble, unused residues are stored in the liver and — drum roll — the skin. However, this does not quite lead to a classic tan but rather a yellowing of the skin. Over time, Everett would, therefore, approach the shade of egg yolk.

More on the topic

TV star talks about health setback Ex-Bachelor Oliver Sanne: “I was close to being in a wheelchair”

Expert explains Nutritional recommendations for strength athletes – what and when you should eat to build muscle

Nutrition Expert Explains How the Portfolio Diet Works – and Who it is Suitable for

Everett’s Questionable Nutrition Tip at the End

It is important to note that Everett did not fully implement Gironda’s concept and thus did not accurately test it since he had established an alternative diet plan from the outset. After Everett ate a whopping 900 eggs in one month for the sake of muscle building (and clicks), he actually came to the conclusion that he would do it again if he wanted to gain weight. However, he would do one thing differently: Ditch the egg whites and eat more red meat instead. Aside from the sustainability aspect, everyone should have heard by now that eating too much red meat can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes.²

In summary, while the self-experiment served as excellent entertainment, it was fundamentally flawed in terms of health and scientific validity.