Bodybuilding legend Dorian Yates has completely transformed his approach to nutrition since his Mr. Olympia days.
The six-time champion recently opened up about his dramatic dietary shift—and why eating less frequently might actually be better for long-term health.
In a candid discussion, Yates revealed how he went from consuming 6,500 calories daily across six meals to intermittent fasting with just two meals per day.
His insights challenge conventional bodybuilding wisdom and offer a fascinating glimpse into what happens when elite athletes prioritize longevity over mass.
Jump to:
The Mr. Olympia Eating Protocol: More Was Always More
During his competitive years throughout the ’80s and ’90s, Yates followed what was considered gospel in bodybuilding circles: frequent, high-protein, high-carbohydrate meals with moderate fat intake.
Mr. Olympia days, competitive bodybuilding, frequent meals, so like six meals a day, not real big ones, but six, so it’s very consistent, every 2 and 1/2 3 hours, like high protein.
The macronutrient breakdown was staggering by today’s standards.
Yates consumed approximately 450 grams of protein daily when competing at 300 pounds—roughly one to one-and-a-half grams per pound of bodyweight. Carbohydrate intake reached up to 1,000 grams per day, while fats remained deliberately moderate due to the prevailing belief that all fats were unhealthy.
The Low-Fat Mistake of an Era
Like many athletes of his generation, Yates fell victim to the anti-fat hysteria that dominated nutrition science for decades.
I’d have like 12 eggs in the morning, but I’d only have like two or three yellows, and the rest just whites because that’s what we thought at the time, was not correct.
This practice—discarding nutrient-dense egg yolks in favor of pure protein from whites—seems almost comical now given current nutritional understanding. But it perfectly illustrates how even elite athletes can be misled by prevailing dietary dogma.
By his off-season peak, Yates was consuming between 6,000 and 6,500 calories daily to maintain his massive frame and support intense training.
Post-Competition: When Old Habits Die Hard
After retiring from competitive bodybuilding, Yates initially continued his high-frequency, high-carbohydrate eating pattern purely out of habit.
But reality eventually forced a reassessment. At 250 pounds with elevated blood pressure, he knew something had to change.
The Plant-Based Experiment That Went Too Far
Yates dove into research about reversing heart disease through plant-based nutrition—an approach that initially felt promising.
I think for 6 to maybe 12 months, it felt real good because I was eating less, I felt lighter, started to lose weight.
However, the honeymoon period didn’t last. Over time, negative effects emerged that Yates himself didn’t initially notice.
His wife observed concerning changes in his mental focus and mood. Muscle loss accelerated beyond what was healthy. The bodybuilding champion was wasting away on a protocol designed for sedentary heart patients—not retired elite athletes.
My wife was telling me like you should I think you should eat more protein and fat because I didn’t notice, but she noticed my focus and my mental and mood was not so good.
Within weeks of reintroducing adequate protein and fats, Yates felt dramatically better. The lesson was clear: extreme dietary restriction doesn’t work for everyone, especially those with substantial muscle mass to maintain.
Current Approach: Intermittent Fasting and Nutrient Density
Today, Yates follows a drastically simplified eating pattern that would shock his younger self.
He practices intermittent fasting, typically not eating until 1:00 or 2:00 PM. Morning consists only of water and perhaps coffee. Then he trains—often on a completely empty stomach.
I used to believe, “Well, I need to Before I go to the gym, I need to get big breakfast in.” And you know, it made no difference. I had good energy, in fact, better energy going to the gym on an empty stomach, I feel.
What’s Actually on the Plate
Yates now eats just two meals per day, occasionally supplemented with a protein shake. His consistent staples include:
- Whole eggs (no more discarding yolks)
- Grass-fed beef
- Avocado
- Sweet potatoes (moderate amounts)
- Vegetables and fruit (limited quantities)
His macronutrient profile has completely flipped from his competitive days. Now it’s protein and fat-based with moderate carbohydrates—approximately 150-200 grams of protein daily, a fraction of his former intake.
The psychological shift proved easier than expected.
Now, I could go all day without eating and I’ll feel fine cuz I got used to that as well.
The Carbohydrate-Heart Disease Connection
Perhaps most striking was Yates’ discussion about why bodybuilders and endurance athletes both suffer from surprisingly high rates of heart disease.
During a conversation with a medical specialist on his podcast, a fascinating pattern emerged. The specialist, himself a triathlete, noted that several of his “healthy” endurance athlete friends had experienced heart attacks—despite presumably not using anabolic steroids.
The common denominator? Constant carbohydrate consumption and glucose spiking.
The stress of exercise combined with a continual spiking of the glucose with carbohydrates because you know, these guys that do endurance sports, they’re whacking in a lot of carbohydrates all day long, as same as the bodybuilders do, constantly spiking insulin and glucose, and this damages the lining of your arteries.
This arterial damage accumulates over time, eventually contributing to cardiovascular disease—even in athletes who appear to be the picture of health.
Yates acknowledges the uncomfortable truth: the diet optimal for building maximum muscle mass may not align with the diet best for long-term health.
Supplements: Then and Now
Yates has remained fascinated by supplementation throughout his entire career, watching the industry evolve from basic protein powders to sophisticated formulations backed by clinical research.
The Early Days
When Yates started training in the early-to-mid 1980s, options were extremely limited. His first supplement was a basic milk and egg protein powder—used primarily for convenience while working physically demanding jobs.
He was among the first to experiment with powdered branched-chain amino acids in the early ’90s. Creatine entered his regimen after studies conducted in the UK—interestingly, first proven effective in racehorses before human athletes.
Those horses are worth a lot of money, man. And they were using creatine for the speed and everything in horse racing.
Surprisingly, Yates didn’t notice significant effects from creatine during his competitive years—likely because anabolic steroids already maximized his ATP levels and muscle saturation. However, after discontinuing performance-enhancing drugs, creatine’s benefits became unmistakable.
Current Non-Negotiables
Today, Yates identifies three supplements as absolute essentials for anyone training seriously:
- Whey protein — The gold standard for protein supplementation
- Creatine — Now recognized for cognitive and mood benefits beyond muscle building
- Vitamin D3 — Actually a hormone, not a vitamin, with profound health implications
The vitamin D revelation particularly excited Yates. He discovered historical records showing people were given 400,000 IUs daily in the 1930s—with hospital admissions notably decreasing as a result.
They discontinued it, apparently, because the hospitals were not busy.
Yates now personally experiments with 20,000 IUs daily, far exceeding conventional recommendations. He believes the fear around vitamin D toxicity has been vastly overstated.
What He Wishes He’d Had
Looking back, Yates identifies several modern supplements he would have absolutely used during competition:
- Antioxidants to combat oxidative stress from intense training
- N-acetylcysteine (NAC) for liver protection against oral steroids
- Cardiovascular support formulas to protect arterial health
- Selenium to prevent electrolyte imbalances and sudden cardiac events
These weren’t available—or known about—during his competitive era. That knowledge gap partially motivates his current work developing comprehensive supplement formulations through DY Nutrition.
Life Beyond Ego: The Mental Shift
Perhaps more impressive than Yates’ physical transformation is his psychological evolution.
Losing significant muscle mass devastates many retired bodybuilders who built their entire identity around size. Yates approached it differently.
I didn’t start bodybuilding from a point of insecurity. I started it because I thought that I can be good at this sport and I can I can be good at it and I can earn some money and I love to train.
This foundation—building muscle from passion and purpose rather than insecurity—allowed him to let go gracefully when priorities shifted.
While others expressed concern about his “getting skinny,” Yates remained unbothered. He engaged in deliberate self-observation, monitoring his emotional reactions to physique changes and noting how others projected their expectations onto him.
Everyone else was like, “Oh, man, he’s getting skinny. Darn, you’re getting skinny.” I don’t give a [ __ ] I really don’t. I’m doing what I need to do.
His philosophy extends beyond bodybuilding into a broader life perspective worth considering.
This is your life, man. This is your story. This is your book. This is your movie. What do you want? How do you want to be remembered? This is your chance, man. Give a [ __ ] what anyone else thinks.
The Takeaway for Modern Athletes
Yates’ journey offers valuable lessons for anyone balancing performance with longevity.
Extreme approaches serve extreme goals. The 6,500-calorie, six-meal-per-day protocol made sense for building championship-level mass. It doesn’t make sense for maintaining health in retirement.
Your body adapts to what you consistently do. Yates once needed food every three hours or experienced shaking from blood sugar crashes. Now he comfortably fasts until afternoon. Neither state is inherently “correct”—they’re adaptations to different feeding patterns.
Nutritional science evolves. The low-fat dogma that had Yates discarding egg yolks has been thoroughly debunked. Today’s certainties may become tomorrow’s myths.
Health and performance aren’t always aligned. What maximizes muscle growth may compromise cardiovascular health. Honest assessment of priorities becomes essential.
Most importantly, Yates demonstrates that releasing attachment to a former physique doesn’t mean giving up on health, training, or excellence. It means redefining what those concepts mean at different life stages.
From 6,500 calories to intermittent fasting. From six meals to two. From chasing size to optimizing health.
The Shadow’s transformation continues—just in a different direction than anyone expected.
