{"id":25696,"date":"2026-07-27T08:41:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:41:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:41:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:41:11","slug":"mike-mentzers-fat-loss-formula-how-the-bodybuilding-icon-got-shredded-without-giving-up-treat-foods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696","title":{"rendered":"Mike Mentzer’s Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up ‘Treat’ Foods"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

In the last few years, I’ve come around to the idea that bodybuilding<\/a> is an extreme sport. The training is extreme, the physiques are extreme and, perhaps more than anything else, the nutritional protocols required to step on stage with barely any discernible body fat are extreme. <\/p>\n

That typically equates to Tupperware tubs full of plain chicken and rice, boiled fish, steamed broccoli and absolutely nothing that could be mistaken for enjoyment. Eating this way is as integral to bodybuilding as gloves and gumshields are to boxing.<\/p>\n

While we know that fat loss is driven primarily by maintaining an energy deficit<\/a> \u2013 consistently consuming fewer calories than you expend \u2013 we also know that food quality is still paramount for your energy, mood, training performance and long-term health, which is why many bodybuilders eat this way. <\/p>\n

However, in theory, you could lose body fat while eating almost anything, provided your calorie intake still adds up.<\/p>\n

This knowledge wasn\u2019t nearly as mainstream during bodybuilding\u2019s golden age. But then again, the king of high-intensity training \u2013 Mike Mentzer<\/a> \u2013 was rarely accused of being mainstream.<\/p>\n

Discussing his preparation for the 1979 Mr. Olympia, the famously analytical champion claimed that during the final two weeks he was eating more than 200g of carbohydrates per day, including pancakes three times a week and ice cream \u2018almost every day\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t do this recklessly,\u2019 Mentzer added. \u2018I kept my daily caloric intake below 2,000 and was very active.\u2019<\/p>\n

In other words, Mentzer wasn\u2019t claiming that ice cream had some secret fat-burning effect. He simply understood that it could fit inside the calorie budget required to get lean. Even ‘champion bodybuilder’ lean.<\/p>\n

Once again, he appeared to be several decades ahead of the fitness industry.<\/p>\n

\n

What You Can Learn from Mentzer’s Approach<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n

Of course, this is an extreme example, performed by an extreme athlete. Our advice is still that your diet should be built predominantly around whole, minimally processed foods, with plenty of protein<\/a>, fruit, vegetables and fibre. <\/p>\n

But research suggests that flexible dietary control \u2013 making room for foods you enjoy rather than dividing everything into \u2018good\u2019 and \u2018bad\u2019 \u2013 is associated with better weight control, fewer cravings and greater dieting success than rigid, all-or-nothing restraint.<\/p>\n

Hopefully, that will ease any concerns you may have around sinking the occasional pint of H\u00e4agen-Dazs.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the last few years, I’ve come around to the idea that bodybuilding is an extreme sport. The training is extreme, the physiques are extreme and, perhaps more than anything else, the nutritional protocols required to step on stage with barely any discernible body fat are extreme. That typically equates to Tupperware tubs full of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":25697,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25696","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nMike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Mike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the last few years, I’ve come around to the idea that bodybuilding is an extreme sport. The training is extreme, the physiques are extreme and, perhaps more than anything else, the nutritional protocols required to step on stage with barely any discernible body fat are extreme. That typically equates to Tupperware tubs full of […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\"},\"headline\":\"Mike Mentzer’s Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up ‘Treat’ Foods\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696\"},\"wordCount\":406,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696\",\"name\":\"Mike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":600},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=25696#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Mike Mentzer’s Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up ‘Treat’ Foods\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo\",\"caption\":\"World Bodybuilding News\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=3\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Mike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Mike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"In the last few years, I’ve come around to the idea that bodybuilding is an extreme sport. The training is extreme, the physiques are extreme and, perhaps more than anything else, the nutritional protocols required to step on stage with barely any discernible body fat are extreme. That typically equates to Tupperware tubs full of […]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00","author":"World Bodybuilding News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"World Bodybuilding News","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696"},"author":{"name":"World Bodybuilding News","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2"},"headline":"Mike Mentzer’s Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up ‘Treat’ Foods","datePublished":"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696"},"wordCount":406,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png","articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696","name":"Mike Mentzer's Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up 'Treat' Foods - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png","datePublished":"2026-07-27T08:41:11+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/07bc9109-46a1-4743-8ccf-94cc405cbad2.png","width":1200,"height":600},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=25696#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Mike Mentzer’s Fat-Loss Formula: How the Bodybuilding Icon Got Shredded Without Giving Up ‘Treat’ Foods"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/d84bf475351cac13351c44d62b00dcd2","name":"World Bodybuilding News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/f3a97dc2b632583ef0db5105000be61b101080263520a02b1a9096e649f18e5e?s=96&d=initials&r=g&initials=wo","caption":"World Bodybuilding News"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=3"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25696","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=25696"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25696\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/25697"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=25696"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=25696"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=25696"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}