Buddy introduced me to the vertical diet in May, and have watched tons of Stan's videos since. The Vertical Diet is INCREDIBLE, and there is a reason for everything in the program.

What I really like is that it's not just for powerlifting and bodybuilding, but to maximize overall health with improvements in performance as seen in the emphasis on sleep (c-pap) optimizing hormones through nutritional sources (bloodwork), focusing on micronutrients, gut health (utilization & absorption) etc. I also really enjoy how he obliterates some of the things the health and fitness industry takes for granted, (such as red meat, whole eggs, and sodium are bad for you) and promotes VERY little supplementation (just Vitamin D and Magnesium, which are difficult to get in optimal quantities through diet).

This thread has so much misunderstanding and misinformation; while the OP does a great job explaining most things, even he gets it wrong with the emphasis on "meat & rice". The emphasis is actually building the foundation of the diet based on the foods that will maximize micronutrients, optimize hormones, etc, and filling in with the meat and white rice as needed (that's the vertical part). Obviously, most of the protein is meant to come from red meat, but you can be 100% compliant with the diet eating no rice, and keep your carbs 100-200 grams if that's what you wish to do.

Bottom line: Stan has done the diets for some of the top athletes in the world, from world's strongest man competitors to crossfit champions. And I personally feel AMAZING on this diet - look better, improved performance, etc, and I really just marvel at that because I'm a damn sloth and continue to eat tons of chocolate and ice cream (wife is pregnant lol). I honestly think that supplementing with Vitamin D, iodine (cranberry juice) and the post meal walks are game changers, and are helping immensely even though I'm taking in those excess junk calories a few times a week.

Thanks for the post. I have changed some things around back and forth as I've been on the diet.

1.) Gone to Grass Fed Ground Beef (85/15) instead of Sirloin (grain-fed). I know the differences, but I was curious if it really made a difference in how I felt. I will say Grass Fed tastes better reheated. I seem to feel better too, but very subjective.
2.) Added 20g of spinach to 4 meals a day instead of 80g in one meal. Again, don't see much difference but it adds a nice tastes with the red peppers.
3.) Using Organic Bone Broth instead of Stock. Been much better for digestion personally.
4.) Eating oranges instead of orange juice. No difference at all, was doing it to save calories on cut.
5.) I eat 4 eggs only 3x a week now. It seems any more than that and they really upset my stomach. I can only handle every other day or so.
6.) Haven't had Salmon in awhile, it's hard to get line caught stuff around me.

I went off the diet for 4 weeks or so, and the difference was drastic. Immediately went back to it. I will say that my BP has been elevated however, but that is most likely due to other factors that cannot be discussed here.