I Tried the World's Strictest Diet for 20 Days
In a Nutshell
The lion diet of only beef, salt, and water for 20 days delivered peak energy, better sleep with vivid dreams, improved mood, and 10 pounds of weight loss. The strict regimen proved easier than the broader meat-eater diet, with ruminant meat acting as a filtered source of nutrients due to cows' multiple stomach systems. The creator's four-year meat-based diet previously reversed severe health issues including congestive heart failure, arthritis, and mental health struggles.
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Completed 20 days on the lion diet adopted from Dante Frigano. The diet consists solely of ruminant meat, salt, and water. The lion diet is a stricter version of the meat-eater diet followed for nearly 4 years, which resulted in losing 100 pounds from maximum weight, overcoming depression, anxiety, arthritis, irritable bowel syndrome, and reversing congestive heart failure.
Property is not owned through wealth or inheritance. When purchased 12 years ago, it had been abandoned for approximately 3 years and remained on the market for 2.5 years because no one wanted it. Multiple small income streams support the farm: Airbnb rentals, dog boarding business run by daughters, and the Montello Theatre business. When cinema business is slow, income comes from other sources and vice versa.
Chickens are fed a proper chicken diet consisting of bugs, caterpillars, insects, and anything they can find naturally rather than grain. Grain often contains chemicals like glyphosate that end up in meat and eggs. The chickens are considered the cleanest possible because they have only one stomach to filter contaminants, unlike ruminant animals.
The lion diet consists solely of ruminant meat - beef, salt, and water. Any animal with a ruminant digestive system qualifies, including lamb. Only beef is consumed on this diet. The diet works because ruminant animals function as multiple filters through their sophisticated digestive systems with multiple stomachs. When a cow processes plant material, it extracts minerals and nutrients, which are then passed to the meat, protein, and fat consumed by humans.
Meat-based diet followed for nearly 4 years completely saved life by eliminating multiple health problems through a healthy human diet. Lion diet periods were attempted multiple times previously with improved results, but stopping the diet led to feeling worse. The lion diet is recommended for people with autoimmune disorders or more serious health problems who tend to do better with the stricter approach.
The diet proved extremely easy - easier than the meat-eater diet despite being more restricted. Mostly ate ground beef, with burger patties also consumed. During the past seven days, ground beef was eaten on six of those days. Energy reached peak levels and mood improved significantly. Sleep quality improved with vivid dreams that could be remembered, which is rare.
The property has been owned for 12 years. A fire pit area that was previously a big sandy mess has been improved with cement and installed lights. The doghouse is a small, four-compartment, off-grid structure built several years ago with help from father, Jane, and the girls. The dog boarding business operates from this structure for Airbnb guests and people vacationing in Wisconsin Dells.
A 19-year-old lawnmower purchased when buying the old house remains the most reliable piece of equipment ever owned. Two furnaces exist at the Montello Theatre, two ovens in the house and Airbnb loft, plus an oven at Dodge's house requiring filter changes. An inspection was scheduled for the day of filming.
Only beef, salt, and water are consumed. Ground beef forms the primary food source with burger patties as secondary option. A piece of shoulder meat was slow-cooked on low heat during filming. The diet represents the purest way of eating because cows have multiple stomach filters that process environmental contaminants before the meat reaches human consumption.
Weight loss occurred but exact measurement was pending scale reading. Sleep quality improved, which significantly enhanced overall mood. Daily gratitude practice was implemented during the diet period, taking deliberate time to appreciate nature, health, family, fresh air, and the hope and healing found through the diet.
Jane cannot follow the lion diet personally, needing to eat cheese with burgers and sometimes pickles. She has been vegetarian her entire life, making the transition very difficult. She observed significant mood improvement in her husband, noting increased kindness, compassion, and attentiveness to her needs during her period of physical change related to less frequent menstruation.
The family of six lived entirely in the small upstairs apartment when first moving to the property. The space includes a living room, large kitchen, and washing facilities. Both the Dodge House and Montello Theatre properties are owned. The Dodge House was purchased a few months prior to filming and operates as Airbnb accommodation while maintaining late 19th century character.
The Dodge House dates to 1893 and was previously owned by Frank Dodge who ran the adjacent cinema. The property was formerly a commercial kitchen but lacks a stove or refrigerator. A meat-eater retreat is planned for December 3-6 with only five people accepted. Two reservations were already made at time of filming. Activities include Tomahawk Rib Eye steaks prepared via sous vide method, cooking demonstrations by Emma, farm visits, and optional Saturday morning hikes with fresh eggs.
The Montello Theatre has been operated for 4 years. A Victrola record player was purchased at a low price and operates mechanically without batteries. Solar-powered lights purchased from the dollar store for $1.50 each were installed throughout the Dodge House property for a pumpkin carving party.
The Bluetti Elite 300 portable power station was provided as video sponsorship. The device serves as backup power for the off-grid farm with chickens, goats, and ongoing projects. It can operate the electric outdoor wood-burning stove with two electric pumps, run refrigerators during power outages, and power the off-grid doghouse with lights and fans. Features include phone charging outlets, four 120-volt AC outlets, a large three-pronged port, and DC input for solar panel charging. The device operates silently compared to fuel-powered generators, making it suitable for Airbnb guests who want to sleep late.
Sleep quality improved and 10 pounds of weight were lost during the 20-day period. A DEXA scan was performed on day one with a follow-up scheduled for day 30. Plans include potentially extending the lion diet for life or continuing for an additional 30 days with fermented yogurt to assess further benefits. The only regret mentioned was not consuming fermented foods during the strict lion diet period.
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