In this video, Lucas Wilhelm Hedenbäck argues that the carnivore/animal‑based diet is detrimental to athletic performance and overall health. He recounts his own experiments with a strict steak‑and‑eggs regimen, noting an initial boost followed by severe fatigue, hormonal imbalance, and metabolic dysfunction. He explains why total testosterone numbers are misleading, emphasizing that zero‑carb diets raise sex‑hormone‑binding globulin (SHBG) and suppress free testosterone. He details how carbohydrates are the preferred fuel for mitochondria, supporting the electron transport chain and Complex I; prolonged carb restriction leads to down‑regulation of these pathways, metabolic inflexibility, reduced ATP, increased oxidative stress, and impaired recovery. Hedenbäck asserts that no elite athlete has built a prime physique on a zero‑carb diet, distinguishing maintenance from building, and cites his own Ironman performance as evidence that carbs are essential for high‑output endurance. He critiques seasonal mismatches, warning that consuming tropical fruits and juices in cold, low‑light Nordic winters confuses the body’s hormonal and thyroid regulation. Using client case studies (e.g., Sebastian) he shows rapid improvements in muscle mass and hormone health after re‑introducing carbs. He then outlines his “Superhuman Nutrition Philosophy,” a balanced, whole‑food, seasonal approach that includes quality animal protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrate sources like roots, fruit, and honey. Finally, he promotes his one‑to‑one coaching program (the Superman Protocol) that leverages these principles to restore energy, hormone balance, and performance for high‑performing men.
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Carnivore is one of the worst health trends when it comes to performance, and I'll explain exactly why. Because despite what you've heard, most of the guys pushing this movement, they're struggling with low energy, hormonal imbalance, and metabolic dysfunction, and no one's being honest about it. Why do I say this as well? Well, because I've tried. I've done the carnivore. I've done the steak and eggs. I've done the animal-based. Steak, steak with more steak, eggs, steak and eggs, raw milk, steak and eggs, steak. I've tried this, and then in the beginning I felt amazing. I felt really, really good. But as time went by, I started feeling absolutely terrible. I've tried probably every single diet— carnivore, animal-based— and now My nutrition philosophy looks something along or something like this. Yes, steak and eggs, but also roots, veggies, sourdough, onions, fruit, roots, berries. You get the point, right? A well-balanced, whole food, seasonal approach. And here is where I'm thriving. This is my physique on the superhuman nutrition philosophy. This was my physique on steak and eggs. I know which one I prefer, and it's definitely this one. So let's start with the testosterone argument because that's what everyone wants to talk about. The carnivore influencers love to show off their total testosterone numbers, and they'll say, "Look, my test is sky high. I feel amazing." But here's what they're not showing you. Free testosterone, and that's the number that actually matters. When you go zero carb, insulin signaling drops, and when that happens, your sex hormone binding globulin skyrockets. SHBG binds to your testosterone and makes it unusable. So yeah, your total test might look impressive on paper, but your free test, the stuff your body can actually use, is often in the gutter. And I love this analogy. It's like having a garage full of supercars But you have no access to the keys. You can't drive them; they're just parked. And that's exactly what what's happening inside these guys' bodies. Let's dig even deeper. Carbs feed the mitochondria's preferred fuel system, the electron transport chain. This is where your body produces the bulk of your ATP, your energy currency. When you cut carbs for too long, your mitochondria downregulate the proteins and complexes involved in this pathway, especially. Complex I, which processes glucose-derived NADH. You force your cells to rely on fat oxidation alone, a slower, less efficient fuel in high-output scenarios. Over time, this creates mitochondrial rigidity. Your cells lose the ability to quickly shift between fuel sources, which is called metabolic inflexibility. And the results of that? Decreased ATP production, increased reactive oxygen species, mitochondrial stress, slower recovery, lower thyroid output, and a body that starts running on backup power. You're not fat adapted; you're underpowered. The one thing as well is that most of these guys preaching all these or preaching carnivore is that you know they didn't get shredded on carnivore. Here's what no one tells you: none of these guys built their physique on carnivore. They got lean, jacked, built the muscle, then switched to carnivore and started selling it. And there's a massive difference between maintaining a physique and building one. If you think you're going to build real muscle, recover properly, and perform at your peak with zero carbs, you've been sold a lie. There isn't a single elite-level performer or athlete who built their prime physique on a zero-carb. Carnivore approach, not one. And I have a very tangible example of this right now because when I completed my Ironman earlier this year, it was the same thing there. Like you, if there's one thing all the endurance guys has gotten wrong is that you know carbs and sugar and fast acting stuff is your body's preferred. I like to view it as shield against stress. Because stress, training, endurance, all these things is stress for your body, right? But how can you put up a shield and how can you make sure something is being used against that stress so you don't destroy your hormones, destroy your body, all these things as well, right? My goal with doing my Ironman was, you know, obviously I didn't do exactly how all the triathletes preach and went crazy on all the process stuff and this and that, right? I did it the superhuman way. But I wanted to show up on race day looking like I was heading towards a bodybuilding show, and I definitely accomplished that. Another example of this as well is actually my client Sebastian, who came to me earlier this year as well. So like on the left here, Sebastian was completely sold on the steak and eggs. We actually had a pretty interesting call about this, or checking call about this the other week. He was sold on the steak and eggs. Of course, he had— he was already— he was in good shape. He had Definitely got some results, but nowhere close to where he wanted to be. And he had this belief that you know steak and eggs and fruit is is what's going to make him make him healthy, and that's the most important thing for him. Fast forward a couple months, I think we're seven kg up on the scale on this picture to the right. Seven kg difference. Body composition is the same, still as lean, which means that that has mostly went through muscles. And the main Change that we did after Sebastian came to me is introducing carbs, introducing carbs into the diet. That is the main change. Of course, it's it's a lot more to it, but I'd say the biggest leverage change we did was that obviously well structured around training and everything as well. But that's the main thing. Another problem with the animal-based stuff, it's you know it's not just about carnivore; it's about seasonal alignment as well. A lot of guys online are pushing the animal-based model: tons of meat, eggs, fruit, and fruit juice. Sure, it sounds clean, but context matters. If you're in a Nordic country or anywhere with a real winter—cold, dark, minimal sun exposure—and you're pounding mangoes, pineapples, and orange juice every single day, you're Asking for metabolic confusion, your body interprets those tropical foods as signals that it's summer: high sun, high output, high metabolism. But you're in the you're not in the tropics; you're in two degrees Celsius with three hours of sunlight if you're lucky, and no vitamin D production. That mismatch crashes your thyroid, disrupts your circadian rhythm, and pushes your body into stress mode. Seasonal eating is the missing. layer no one is talking about. What grows around you now is what your body is designed to process now. Roots, tubers, fermented foods, stews, warming fats. Not melons and tropical juices. When you align your food with your season, your hormones stabilize, your metabolism syncs, and your energy feels grounded. Not wired and burned— burnt out. This also ties back to the problem with a lot of these guys online. Let's take Paul Saladino as an example. Everyone knows who Paul Saladino is, or most people know. Preaching steak, eggs, animal-based, a lot of fruit juice, orange juice works fantastic for him. He's located in Costa Rica, tropical year-round, sun year-round. If you try to copy his Nutrition philosophy. If you're living in a Nordic climate, winter, snow, meat, fruit juice on Christmas Eve and New Year's, you're gonna feel absolutely terrible. I've done it. I've tried it. I was sold that lie as well. I thought that was the optimal way—the carnivore and animal-based. The thing with nutrition is that it's such a complex subject, and there's no one size fits all. There's so many things that we have to bring into the equation because what works for someone on the other side of the planet or closer to the equator is not gonna work for someone that is located at the complete opposite of or a complete other place on the planet or the complete other side. It simply will not work. Nutrition is seasonal and it requires context. There is not a one size fits all. Therefore, the best thing you can do—if I can leave you with one thing here—that is going to make your your approach to nutrition super duper easy—is as I say here: just eat what you can find around you. It's literally that simple. That's how you're going to feel the best. That's how you're going to stay sharp. That's going to how you're going to stay vital year round. Because trust me, if you start to mix in tropical stuff when you're in peak winter in a Nordic climate. You're gonna fuck up your hormones, your metabolism, your thyroid, and your whole body. I've done the mistake once again. Let me be your your mistaker and don't repeat it. So what actually works then? Well, now don't get it twisted. I'm not anti meat. I love steak. I love eggs, as you saw in the pictures about around my philosophy as well. Animal-based nutrition is powerful when done right, but the keyword is when done right, because you need carbohydrates, especially from sources like fruit, roots, honey—things your body was designed to metabolize efficiently. Seasonal touch on this as well, of course. Combine that with quality animal protein and healthy fats. Now you've got the foundation for real metabolic health, optimal hormone production, and consistent high. Level energy. That's what works, that's what builds, and that's what performs. Not just short-term but long-term, because consistency will always compound as well. So if you're done with the gimmicks, done with half-truths, and you're ready to actually feel powerful in your body, not just look lean for Instagram, you can apply for my one-to-one coaching using the link in the description as well. This year alone, I've helped hundreds, hundreds of of high-performing men rebuild their energy, restore hormone balance, and unlock real vitality using my Superman Protocol. It's built on seasonal eating, hormonal optimization, metabolic precision, and real human biology, not bullshit trends. So if you're ready to stop guessing, stop bouncing between extremes, and start building a body that works with you, not against you, let's talk. Let's rebuild your biology from the ground up together. This is just a couple of the clients that I've helped with this as well. Obviously, this is me, as you see. Sold the classic fitness lie. Superhuman nutrition philosophy. Tonda, same thing here. Was working out 5 to 6 times per week, no structure around nutrition. 3 to 4 workouts, seasonal eating, managing stress levels. Entrepreneur having a very busy life and then also running his own Podcast on on the side, so you know a lot of high stress load managing everything. Four months later, this is how it looked. Edvard, same thing here, had been working out for a good amount of years, but no real structure nutrition-wise. Feeling, you know, looking not the best. On the right, couple months later, absolutely jacked, looking fucking like a million bucks. You can just see the amount of confidence that's steaming from this. Guy compared to this, you know, two completely different persons. Same thing here. Joel, entrepreneur, tech startup, had been working a bit too much and not taking care of his his health. Dialed in, absolutely shredded a couple months later. Same thing with Javier. Same thing with Leo. Same thing with Rasmus. Bloated, still looking good. Carnivore, steak and eggs. Proper fuel: carbs, fruit, honey. Absolutely diced hormones. You can just see how much healthier this person looks compared to this, not just from a physique perspective but from a hormonal perspective. Here, a bit of acne. You can see it in the face. Here, clear skin, feeling good, looking good. So if you're ready to take your health to the next level, go on the first link in the description, take a look, apply for the one-to-one coaching, and I'll see you there. If you have any questions as well, you can always shoot me a message on IG. In the DMs, I'll get back to you as soon as I can. And if not, I just hope you enjoy this video. I hope you are a bit more woke and that you're going to stop eating your steak and eggs and add back in some carbs because it's going to massively improve your life. I can guarantee you that. Guarantee. Align that with seasonal eating as well, and you're going to be on your way to feel absolutely amazing. So let's absolutely finish this year strong. Let's crush the beginning of 2026, and I'll catch you in the next one. Ciao.
