A fitness model tried the 4,000-calorie-a-day Wolverine diet, but he didn't end up ripped like Hugh Jackman (2024)

That's spread out over 6 meals, but there's one more catch — the diet also incorporates intermittent fasting, a strategy that limits food intake to a set period of time, with some evidence it can boost fat burning ability.

Recently, 24-year-old fitness Youtuber Aseel Soueid decided to try Jackman's eating plan for himself as part of series on celebrity diets.

He said that while it could definitely fuel muscle-building, that kind of high-calorie diet isn't for everyone. It took a lot of time and effort to cook and eat so much food in such a short period.

How to eat like Wolverine — protein at every meal, lots of veggies, and healthy fats from nuts, olive oil, and avocado

Jackman's used the 8/16 fasting routine, meaning all those calories and nutrients have to be consumed within an 8-hour window of time (than fasting the other 16).

Soueid chose between 2 pm and 10 pm for his eating window:

Meal 1: He kicked off the Wolverine diet with a big bowl of oatmeal and blueberries and two eggs.

Meal 2: A few hours later, before his workout, he had a 10-ounce steak, a sweet potato, one cup of steamed broccoli, and a Greek salad with peppers, feta cheese, and olive oil.

Meal 3: After a session in the weight room, he had chicken breast, brown rice, more Greek salad.

Meal 4: Shortly after, it was a snack of a protein shake and 1 cup of mixed nuts.

At this point, Soueid was feeling pretty tired of eating. "I'm already getting super full because the eating window is so small," he said. But there was still dinner to finish.

Meal 5: For dinner, Soueid sat down to a steamed tilapia fillet, fresh avocado, and even more steamed broccoli.

After 5 meals, the final snack was hard to get down

The last meal of the day was more of a hearty snack, just two more servings of mixed nuts to round out the right fat and protein balance for the day.

Soueid was so full he could barely finish this final snack before his 8-hour eating period was over.

"It's a really good thing nuts are super calorically dense because I couldn't do almost 400 calories of a super clean meal," he said.

While the meals were well balanced and nutritionally dense, the 8-hour window made the amount of food seem much larger than if it were spread out over a longer period, he said.

"It honestly felt like I ate over 5,000 calories today," he said.

This diet could boost muscle-building if you're Hugh Jackman, but it's not realistic for most people

4,000 calories a day might have gotten the Wolverine actor both huge and jacked for his film role, but it takes a lot more than just six meals a day to turn the average person into an action hero.

"Don't copy Hugh Jackman's diet plan thinking you're going to look exactly like him. That's just not going to happen," Soueid said.

In addition to eating strategically, Jackman is also known for his intense workout regimen, and he preps at least three months in advance for shirtless scenes, Insider previously reported. His exercises include lifting weights and undergoing grueling sessions at the exclusive Dogpound gym in New York City, but the star is also known to be a talented and agile dancer.

Jackman has also spoken about the severe dehydration he underwent to look extra lean and shredded for his film roles, which he warns against.

So, while it can be helpful to make sure you're eating plenty of protein, and maintain a slight calorie surplus if you're trying ot build muscle, it's going to take a lot more than one day or even a few weeks of chicken and rice before you'll be sporting an iconic six-pack or enviable arm muscles like Logan's.

Read more:

How to burn fat without losing muscle, according to a keto bodybuilder

How to get Halle Berry's 6-pack abs without spending 4 hours a day at the gym

Intermittent fasting may be a bad idea during the coronavirus pandemic, according to experts