An intense exercise plan, workout routines, and a specific diet plan go hand-in-hand when it comes to weight loss and optimal physical health.
The David Goggins diet takes this balance to a whole new level by combining a keto diet with intermittent fasting and a physical training routine. Such a diet plan aims to bring people back on the right track for weight loss and improve their endurance and mental toughness.
Even though every individual often requires different diet and workout plans that specifically cater to their body, the David Goggins diet has been increasing in popularity due to its effectiveness. So, if you plan on losing weight and improving your body’s mobility and tenacity, you should follow David Goggins diet.
But how should you get started? Worry not – we’ll walk you through every detail of the David Goggins diet in this article to help you understand how this routine works. Read on!
Table of Contents
Who Is David Goggins?
Frequently known as the toughest man alive, David Goggins is a retired Navy SEAL, ultramarathon runner, motivational speaker, and author. The David Goggins workout routine is a direct result of his days in the navy seal training, where he had to undergo an intense training program and various difficult physical challenges.
However, to qualify for the Navy SEAL training, he had to lose a massive amount of weight, which he did by creating his diet plan. As a result, he lost a hundred pounds and successfully got into the Navy.
After Goggins completed Navy SEAL training, he further challenged himself by enrolling in Force Tactical Air Control and Army Ranger School training. And he’s the only person who completed all three!
During his time as a Navy SEAL, he served in Afghanistan and Iraq before returning to the United States, and he lost many friends and fellow soldiers along the way. He later went on a pull-up streak to honour his fallen friends in the Afghanistan helicopter flags. David Goggins now holds the world record for most pull-ups – completing 4,030 pull-ups in 17 hours!
Throughout his career, he was extremely focused on getting his body to thrive in the Navy SEALs training program. And since his personal success precedes his now famous David Goggins Workout Routine and diet plan, its popularity is not surprising.
David Goggins – Before And After
Before David Goggins came to be known for his fitness routine and the ketogenic diet, he suffered from a binge-eating disorder that developed from severe stress. But when he watched a Navy Seals commercial on TV, Goggins decided to make it into the program no matter what it took.
He needed to lose more than a hundred pounds to even qualify for the training – and he weighed 300 pounds before he started his workout routine. With intense focus and a strict diet, David Goggins successfully brought his overall body weight down to 191 pounds within two months.
This strict keto diet and workout program resulted in a chiselled body with lean muscle that contained zero unhealthy fats. He also became an elite athlete and marathon runner after completing his Army Ranger training. Since then, David Goggins’ weight loss has become an extremely popular and inspiring story among army trainees and athletes.
David Goggins Daily Routine – For Weight Loss and Strength
You must understand that to achieve valuable goals in life, you must put in that effort and follow a path of determination, discipline, and strict self-control. Before starting a journey like the David Goggins workout routine and diet plan, you’ll have to automatically say ‘no’ to things that tempted you before. But with practice, you’ll easily overcome the discomfort and reach your fitness.
Remember that this daily routine and extreme diet is quite intense, especially for beginners who have never gone on a diet. So, exercise caution and only follow this routine if you’re serious about sticking to it.
David Goggins Diet Plan
David Goggins firmly believes that combining the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting can expedite the weight loss process significantly.
A few fully balanced meals are enough to fuel your body and help it perform well in intense routines and basic day-to-day activities. And since this concept has proven to be successful for Goggins, many people are enthusiastic about trying his approach to diet and exercise. Let’s take a deep look at his recommended daily food consumption:
a) Breakfast
This diet routine puts sufficient emphasis on breakfast since it is the most important meal of the day and is significantly responsible for fueling your body.
Most people like to start their day with coffee, but Goggins recommends trying his ‘bulletproof coffee’ instead. All you have to do is add coffee, unsalted butter (preferably coming from grass-fed cows), and one or two tablespoons of MCT oil in the blender. The result is a high-calorie breakfast beverage that will give you the much-needed caffeine jolt.
Finish the rest of the breakfast with two fried eggs, and your total calorie intake will come to 470 calories.
b) Lunch
Have your lunch break at a particular time every day after you’ve completed cardio, regular work, and a workout routine.
Since you’ve already exhausted your body’s nutritional reserves with all these activities, the lunch needs to have sufficient calories while having low carbs. Begin with an arugula salad (20 calories) and hard-boiled eggs (150 calories). For the main course, eat some well-cooked ground turkey and low-fat dairy cheese (167 + 110 calories). Eat one diced avocado as a dessert to give your body some healthy fats.
c) Dinner
You’d need a solid dinner to fuel your body to regenerate and develop muscle while sleeping. That’s why it is extremely important to be mindful about what you eat at night instead of eating whatever you find close at hand.
Keep it simple – eat a single serving of pork chop, grilled beef, chicken, or fish, along with one cup of steamed vegetables. This simple meal will give you 438 calories packed with high protein, which are the building blocks of lean muscle.
d) Snacks
Three filling meals a day are usually enough to sustain the average person, but since you’ll be following the David Goggins workout routine along with the diet, you’ll need more.
If you want to keep your body moving and mind working efficiently, there should be a consistent food intake in the daily routine. Snacks can help fill in the gap if there’s any nutrient deficiency and act as a supplementary stage to provide protein, vitamins, and amino acids to your body.
A high-protein yet delicious snack option is full-fat yoghurt added to one cup of granola (preferably the keto variant). When eaten together, this simple snack will give you 305 calories, which is sufficient to fuel your body for the rest of the day.
David Goggins Workout Routine
No matter how well you follow a strict diet routine, you will not get the desired results without an intensive workout routine. While Goggins’ workout routine is immaculate, you might need to tweak certain aspects of the program to cater to your lifestyle, body weight, and shape. Also, consider consulting a doctor before you begin this intense training program.
The David Goggins Workout Routine has two categories – one is for extreme weight loss, and the other is for maintaining a lean body.
David Goggins’ Routine For Weight Loss
Wake up around 4:30 am to get started with your morning routine. Goggins spends an hour on the exercise bike after filling himself with a high-protein fruit like a banana. After a mini study session for the Navy Seal, Goggins spent 2 hours (8-10 am) swimming, followed by a full-body workout between 11 am- 2 pm.
Goggins recommends focussing on lifting weights and callisthenics-based exercises to improve mobility and target your entire body. After a lunch break, he would hop on the exercise bike again and split the remaining time till dinner with another study session.
Finally, he would have dinner at 7.30 pm sharp and finish his day with a mini session on the exercise bike before retiring to bed.
Daily Routine For Body Upkeep
Starting from 4 am in the morning, Goggins goes on a long run (10-15 miles), and then he bikes 25 miles to work. After the lunch break, he goes on a run again, and after work, he bikes back home. As you can see, even though he has work, Goggins manages to squeeze in some time for intense aerobic and cardio workouts.
Similarly, you must include at least three to four hours of exercise to follow up on Goggin’s strict dietary plan. If you want to reduce the time spent working out, you should include movements like pull-ups, push-ups, and swiss ball obliques. This exercise will also prevent keto flu – your body’s response to the lack of carbs, which can sometimes result in fever-like symptoms.
Final Words
Even though David Goggins’ diet is quite extreme and requires intense workouts to achieve desired results, it has gained popularity due to its effectiveness. His keto diet (low-carb, high-fat) helps your body achieve the state of ketosis, eliminating the need to consume carbohydrates. It also provides mental clarity, lower insulin levels, and lowers blood sugar.
So, if you want to lose weight and achieve fitness goals without compromising your body’s health and immune system, consider trying this intensive diet.
Founder of www.calisthenics-101.co.uk. Training calisthenics since 2012.
Currently working on: 30 second one-arm handstand, muscle-up 360, straddle planche.