ABC’s new weight loss competition My Diet Is Better Than Yours pairs five average Americans with celebrity trainers to help them shed pounds. And after 30 days, we’re starting to see Kurt roar ahead with The Wild Diet.
How can you possibly drop fat eating chocolate, cheesecake, and bacon? And who has a dessert party the night before weigh in? And butter in your coffee?
While other contestants on ABC’s My Diet is Better Than Yours are practicing strict portion control, giving up their favorite foods, and exercising twice a day, Kurt is dominating the competition in style. He’s showing America that you can have a ton of fun with your food and get in the best shape of your life at the same time.
(If you’ve been tuning in, thanks for your support! If not, you can catch up on the show on Hulu or ABC Go.)
Spoiler Alert: Kurt has lost 37 pounds in four weeks on The Wild Diet!
After just 30 days, Kurt is now off of his prescription medications, has blood pressure and blood sugar in the healthy range, and he’s lost 4+ inches off of his waist!
Kurt’s incredible progress is proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that you can eat delicious food, have fun, and lose weight with minimal exercise.
Even though he’s 10 years older than other contestants, Kurt dominated the competition in Week #1, taking first in weight loss losing 16 pounds in one week! He also crushed it in the fitness competition in Week #2, taking first place and burning 414 calories.
(Keep in mind, “burning off calories” is the wrong reason to exercise. And “calories burned” were measured with a Fitbit, which is notoriously inaccurate. But I digress.)
After 4 weeks, Kurt, the 47-Year-Old Grandpa and salesman, shows no signs of slowing down. Ready for a recap? Me, too.
But first, great news—The Wild Diet is back in stock on Amazon! It sold out fast after the premier of My Diet is Better Than Yours, and shot up to the #1 book in Amazon’s Movers & Shakers category. Plus, the Fat-Burning Man show hit #1 on iTunes for the fifth year in a row! You can listen and subscribe for free here.
If you want to learn exactly what The Wild Diet is, how it works, and how you can use it to shed fat like Kurt, grab your copy now!
Don’t wait to make your fitness goals come to life. Get started today.
EPISODE 3 RECAP OF “MY DIET IS BETTER THAN YOURS”
At the end of week 2, Taj dropped her expert, Jovanka. Taj lost 0 pounds on week 2 of the vegan Wellness Smackdown Plan. Now she’s feeling a bit behind because she’s just meeting her expert for the first time—Jennifer Cassetta with her Strong, Safe & Sexy plan.
Because Jeff is giving Jay some resistance, Jay announces that he’s “moving in” to keep a closer eye on him. He’s camping in a tent in Jeff’s front yard to make sure he’s accountable for his 2x a day workouts.
Jennifer’s plan is a pescatarian, gluten-free diet combined with intense martial arts workouts. In this week’s fitness challenge, Jennifer will see what Taj is made of.
“STAIRS ARE NOT MY FRIEND!”
To prep the contestants for the half-marathon, trainer Anna Kaiser designed a stair-climbing challenge. Contestants race up and down a 250-step flight of stairs five times.
The stairs are lined with signs, each revealing one of the contestant’s personal goals. The first contestant to go up the stairs five times wins.
Kurt stays positive. He says, “Stairs are not my friend. But being on Abel’s diet, I eat the right amount of foods and protein… I won the first weigh-in and the challenge and I’m ready for this one.”
You may not realize this from watching him on TV, but Kurt is an enormous guy. He’s 6’5” and wears SIZE 17 SHOES!
The stairs in this challenge are literally less than half the length of Kurt’s enormous feet. So Kurt’s #1 focus is making sure that he’s moving safely up – and especially down – the concrete stairs. He’s going to need to avoid injury to finish that half marathon!
Kurt’s biggest motivation is getting healthy so he can be there for his grandchildren. La’Tasha wants to get back into her wedding dress. With Taj in last place, Jennifer is clearly frustrated because she wants to see her move faster.
Shaun and Anna root contestants on from the sideline to help motivate them—and the tension is high. Jasmin, who started out in the best shape of any contestant in the competition, finishes her first challenge to come in first place. Kurt powers through to finish in a well-earned second place.
On the No Diet Plan, Jeff needs to change his mindset. Jay says he’s going to “disrupt the pattern” and “implement positive ideas.” He has Jeff eating with chopsticks to slow down his meals, and encourages Jeff to wear red during workouts to spark his motivation.
In response, Jeff says, “This guy is like a box of crayons. He’s out of his freaking mind!”
But as he’s said before, you can’t argue with results.
In Taj and Jennifer’s first week together, they bake gluten-free egg muffins and hit the dojo.
In a particularly cringe-worthy moment, Jennifer clips Taj’s super-long, beautiful thumbnails. It’s really hard to watch.
But the good news is, now Taj can punch.
Kurt works out of his car, and I didn’t want him to use that as an excuse to eat junk. So, I teach him how to build a Wild Survival Pack.
KURT’S WILD SURVIVAL PACK: Green smoothie, coconut, mixed nuts, jerky, tuna, sardines, chia seeds, almond butter (for dipping veggies), and packets of hot sauce.
When it comes to eating right, you have to set yourself up for success. Many of us have tried diets where we can’t figure out what to eat on the road. So we end up grabbing the wrong stuff from the corner store or a chain restaurant. But not Kurt!
I encourage him to swap out ketchup (which is basically pure sugar) for spicy hot sauce which can stimulate the metabolism. (I’m surprised that got air-time since it’s kind of a “Superfood Swap.” Tee hee.)
Ketchup is basically pure sugar. I like to keep packets of hot sauce around, instead. #TheWildDiet Share on XCarolyn asks La’Tasha to try on her wedding dress, despite the fact that she knows it doesn’t fit.
On People, Shaun T says, “Oh my god, please don’t make her do that. We know she can’t fit it!”
La’Tasha smiles through it, but it’s an uncomfortable moment.
Later, they go on a picnic—but La’Tasha has to do squats in between bites. She thinks Carolyn’s quinoa salad is delicious, but the idea of taskercising 24 hours a day leaves her exhausted.
Carolyn and La’Tasha seem out of sync.
Jasmin and Dawn make green smoothie popsicles on the Superfood Swap plan… and Jasmin loves them! Jasmin is starting to jog and run much more than the other contestants. She seems to have a positive attitude which shows in the fitness competitions.
In order to drop fat while building muscle, I teach Kurt how to do a strength training workout in his garage with 5-gallon water jugs. Due to his past injuries and surgeries to his neck and spine, running isn’t an option for Kurt. So we’re focusing on getting fat loss from his diet. To improve his overall fitness, Kurt is walking outside on most days and getting a few minutes of functional strength training a week to build lean muscle.
You don’t have to go to a gym to get a great workout! The point of the Wild workout is to get outside, be in the sun, and experience nature and get moving every day.
“2 five-gallon jugs weigh 80 pounds, so I’m feelin’ it,” says Kurt. @kurtmorgan8 Share on X
THE WEIGH-IN WEEK #3
It can be tough to start a fitness journey. Your body is changing and adjusting, and sometimes it hurts. But focusing on your diet and pushing yourself in your workouts pays off. These contestants are all working hard—but only one will win. It’s weigh-in time.
| Contestant | Starting Weight | Week 3 Weight | Pounds Lost Week 3 | Total Pounds Lost | Total % Body Weight Lost |
| Kurt (The Wild Diet) | 352 | 320 | -11 lb | -32 lb | 9.09% |
| Jasmin (Superfood Swap) | 200 | 184 | -4 lb | -16 lb | 8% |
| Jeff (No Diet) | 359 | 341 | -1 lb | -18 lb | 5.01% |
| Taj (Strong, Safe, Sexy) | 213 | 203 | -4 lb | -10 lb | 4.7% |
| La’Tasha (cLean Momma) | 243 | 233 | -1 lb | -10 lb | 4.12% |
I’m telling you, Kurt could not contain himself when he saw that he lost another -11 pounds in a week!
He knew he felt good but had NO IDEA he’d lost so much fat! Kurt says that it is possible to lose weight and have fun eating delicious food like dark chocolate, big salads, chicken parmesan, and throwing in a Wild 7 Workout. (Don’t believe The Wild Diet works yet? Take a gander at the many success stories here).
EPISODE 3 RECAP OF “MY DIET IS BETTER THAN YOURS”
Shaun T explains that we’re starting to see great results from some of the plans, but this show isn’t just about losing weight. We want these contestants to be fit for life.
The Fitness Challenge: This week’s challenge is a fully body workout testing full body strength and cardiovascular endurance. First they’ll have to frog jump, then do seated crunches, spin, and hold a medicine ball over their head until exhaustion.
Jeff doesn’t like the challenge and throws a tantrum. He calls it “stupid.”
Shaun calls Jeff out on his negative attitude.
“When you throw out a challenge you’ll never sustain your weight loss or change your life.” – Shaun T (@ShaunTFitness)
The challenge begins and La’Tasha is pushing hard, but Kurt finishes his 30 jumps first! Taj is feeling “badass,” and then La’Tasha gets frustrated because she doesn’t think Carolyn is keeping count for her.
Kurt kicks butt on the exercise bike! In one of the best 2 seconds of Reality TV I’ve ever seen, Kurt screams “Woohooo Cheeseburgers!” at a pumped-up Shaun T. And I dab the sweat from his brow with a team red towel.
Then the medicine balls go up—and Taj takes it home in style with a stone-cold glare! Looks like Jennifer is helping her to build confidence. Kurt finished with an awesome attitude and burned 290 calories during the challenge.
Jeff’s negative self-talk isn’t healthy. Jay focuses on changing Jeff’s mindset by changing his environment and habits. When they box in the garage, Jeff lets loose and gets a great workout.
Afterwards, Jennifer takes Taj to the fish market for some clean wild caught fish for a healthier version of fish n’ chips. Taj says that she’s never seen fish in a store before. Not full fresh fish anyway. The fish she knows always comes in a bag. Taj asks, “Is tuna a fish?”
This is a powerful moment, and the unfortunate reality is that many Americans are disconnected from where their food comes from. (But we’re going to fix that.)
Jasmin fights the temptation of candy and sweets at her daughter’s karate graduation… and then Dawn takes the whole family to a trampoline park.
I had had a blast taking Kurt and Luna (his granddaughter) to the pool.
Kurt was watching Luna for the day, but I still wanted to get him moving. So we’re doing a Wild 7 Workout in the pool (which didn’t make it to camera), and some quality play time with Luna in the pool. Working out in the pool is low-impact and great for beginners—especially for someone recovering physically, like Kurt.
Kurt is 6’5”, and moving that amount of mass through the pool is great resistance training. His legs were sore, and he could feel it in his core and arms, too.
“Any time I can spend with my grandchildren, I want to spend with them. If I can exercise and they can have fun with me, that’s a win win.”
After the pool fun, we head off for a cup of butter coffee!
Jeff gets a surprise visit from Shaun T. Shaun is worried about Jeff’s negativity. He wants Jeff to succeed in the best way he knows how. It’s clear that Shaun has a big heart and clearly cares for everyone in this show.
Sleep. Eat correctly. Work out. Change your mindset. Share on XLa’Tasha invites Carolyn out to lunch… she’s still trying to figure out her nutrition plan. At lunch, she gets great advice to order a salad before anything else so you fill up on healthy greens!
The day before weigh-in is a rest day for Kurt, so I organize a standing dessert party with family and friends. To show people that you can have a lot of fun with real food, we make Wild Diet desserts: Mint Chip Ice Cream, Chocolate Cheesecake, Chocolate Pudding, and Choconut Cookies!
We use healthy, real ingredients like 85% chocolate and dates instead of a bunch of processed sugar…
Kurt’s friends and family love the delicious treats!
Ice cream. Cheesecake. “The Wild Diet is the best diet!” @kurtmorgan8 Share on XTHE WEIGH-IN WEEK 4
| Contestant | Starting Weight | Week 4 Weight | Pounds Lost Week 4 | Total Pounds Lost | Total % Body Weight Lost |
| Kurt (The Wild Diet) | 352 | 315 | -5 lb | -37 lb | 10.51% |
| Jasmin (Superfood Swap) | 200 | 182 | -2 lb | -18 lb | 9% |
| Jeff (No Diet) | 359 | 333 | -8 lb | -26 lb | 7.24% |
| Taj (Strong, Safe, Sexy) | 213 | 200 | -3 lb | -13 lb | 6.1% |
| La’Tasha (cLean Momma) | 243 | 232 | -1 lb | -11 lb | 4.53% |
Taj loves Jennifer’s plan, and Jeff is sticking with Jay even though his tactics are a bit unconventional.
But when she gets the opportunity to switch, La’Tasha dumps Carolyn’s cLean Mama plan and eliminates her from the show. More uncomfortable moments. Carolyn flashes Shaun T the “peace sign” on her way out.
La’Tasha says she isn’t seeing the weight-loss she’d like, and still can’t quite figure out the nutrition portion of the plan.
Of the original experts, only Dawn Jackson Blatner (Superfood Swap Plan), Jay Cardiello (No Diet Plan), and Abel James (The Wild Diet) remain. It’s getting ugly!
Tune in next week to see who La’Tasha will choose as her new trainer!
LEARN HOW TO DROP 20 POUNDS IN 40 DAYS WITH REAL FOOD
SHAUN T TRIES BUTTER IN HIS COFFEE & CALLS ABEL
And in other news around the interwebs, Shaun T was intrigued by the idea of putting grass-fed butter in his coffee.
So, he called me to get the science behind how The Wild Diet works.
Here’s what happened next.
“The first tip I tried was grass-fed butter in my organic coffee. Check out my video with Abel James (The Wild Diet) on Facebook. Oh yeah, I literally called Abel on the phone and had him drop the science behind it all.”
CAN THE WILD DIET HELP YOU DROP STUBBORN FAT, TOO?
Kurt lost 37 pounds in the first 4 weeks on The Wild Diet and remains in 1st place for total weight loss! Kurt’s blood pressure has dropped into the healthy range, and he’s off expensive prescription medications.
What will The Wild Diet do for you? There’s only one way to find out—give it a try for yourself.
To celebrate our success, I’ve dropped the price of The Wild Diet online program in half to just $27.
Don’t wait. You can get everything you need to get results right now.
Get The Wild Diet 30-Day Fat Loss System for 50% off…
It’s time to drop stubborn fat and take your health back! You can have instant access to all the techniques I’m using to help Kurt get into the best shape of his adult life with our Wild Diet 30-Day Fat Loss System.
How amazing will you look and feel in 30 days?
Get our proven program right now for 50% off to celebrate our incredible success!
Click here to claim your discount and get started today
Catch Episode 5 of My Diet is Better Than Yours next Thursday (1/21) at 9:00PM Eastern / 8:00PM Central on ABC. Comment below with your prediction for who La’Tasha will choose as her new trainer!
Thanks for the update! I have not been able to keep up with the show on tv (we run on Netflix alone primarily) but seeing this kind of news here is stellar! Super proud of Kurt, we all know he has the best plan to sustain him in the long term. Can’t wait to see final results!
P.S. I have been eating similar to the Wild Diet just by following what I have learned from your podcasts (haven’t bought the book yet) and am down almost 25 lbs. myself and feel great! Thanks for all the hard work you do to inspire and educate the world. You’re starting a Wild Revolution!
#yourperspirationisourinspiration
Thanks,
Jake
Fantastic, so glad to hear you’re down 25 pounds and feel great, Jake! Here’s to the Wild Revolution! 🙂
Keep it up Abel…you’re the reason we’re watching the show. Not only do we believe in this style of eating and moving, you are way more mellow and positive than the other coaches. Go “Wild Diet”!
I just caught up on this show on Hulu this weekend. I have to say, the average consumer would learn sooooo much more about health and nutrition if they watched this show vs other weight loss shows. I haven’t cringed as often about the health and wellness advice as I have watching other health reality tv shows in the past. I really like the format, where if your coach is failing you, the coach goes, not the person. It gives the person the power to find what works for them. It’s empowering instead of disenchanting. And I like that everyone is being taught all of this in the reference of their own home instead of being holed up on a ranch, and then good luck figuring this all out on your own when you’re done with the show. And it’s not all about exercise. People are leaning about many other aspects of health that affect weight loss and other health markers. I do have to say, I’m little saddened that the show is making your approach completely about meat, bacon, fat, and chocolate, when I know that vegetables are a huge part of what you do. (Although I did have to snicker (pun intended) a little bit when you fed your contestant desserts with no impact on the scale vs what happened to the other contestant. Hopefully we’ll see more veggies in the future episodes.Overall, a thumbs up!!
Love it! The advocacy you’ve been doing for years has been great, and i’m so thrilled to see you showing that this approach works well in such a public arena. Congrats! My only complaint is that my local grass fed guy has been out of soup bones and pastured bacon for weeks! Maybe a little less visibility till i get my freezer stocked 🙂
So proud of Abel James!! love the show and binge watched last night to catch up!! Abel is the best coach, love his enthusiasm and love seeing Kurt “get it”. It just makes such great sense!! I have been a huge follower of Abel and Allison and love everything they do… Podcasts, Creative Live courses and all the videos and literature I can get my hands on. The recipes are all amazing too. Allison’s coffee cake!! Wow.
Keep winning Abel and Kurt.
I LOVE BACON 😀
Hey Abel. To be honest, I haven’t watched the show because…well, frankly, shows like this make me cringe. BUT, I’ve been following Kurt’s progress (under your guidance) via Twitter & your blog, and I’m thrilled that this kind of approach to eating living well is getting national exposure. I can’t imagine how many millions of people are getting curious about cutting back on sugar & starch and eating … *gasp!* … meat, eggs, fatty pork chops, etc. And I wouldn’t at all be surprised if a lot of coffee shops start stocking up on butter for when people ask for it. Maybe Dave Asprey’s “Bulletproof” thing wasn’t enough to make it a big trend, but I somehow suspect a lot of the people tuning into this show are going to be curious. I love knowing that so many people are being exposed to the notion that they can eat all those formerly taboo/”forbidden” foods and LOSE WEIGHT. (Not to mention feel great, have more energy, get off their meds, etc.) So happy this is getting airtime. 🙂
Man Kurt’s fat is just MELTING off!!! It’s awesome what Kurt has been able to do over the past month, even more so because he’s the oldest contestant. The dynamic you two have is hilarious because there is no drama what so ever. He’s just a willing participant and totally up-beat. So happy for him the results have been so dramatic and substantial.
P.S. I watched that Shaun T butter coffee vid. You let that honey lady off the hook! You should of said “Hell NAW!!!”. Honey can have very nearly equal amounts of sugar per table spoon. Not to mention if it was made with high fructose OH THE HORRRROR!!! Don’t sabotage your hormones in the morning.
I have also started eating bacon and butter and steak but I work at a fast food restaurant and make minimum wage.
Can you suggest how I can source grass fed meat and butter
Hey Cap Miller,
If you search (and research) the local farms and farmers markets in your area you will likely find someone who is raising pastured livestock and you can buy direct from them. There are also online companies that sell grass fed meat and I’ve noticed that many of the groceries in our area are starting to stock some grass fed beef. You can save $$ by purchasing cuts like skirt steak, flank steak, minute steak, stew meat, roasts and organ meats. If raw dairy is legal in your area you might find grass fed butter locally, too. Otherwise Kerrygold butter is available in most grocery stores, and Organic Valley brand also has a grass fed butter.
I love this video! I am a Beachbody coach, LOVE Shaun T, and have read the Wild Diet and am following the plan. I am watching the show because of my interest in Shaun T. and Abel. I have also gotten the recipe book and am trying recipes daily. I am following the plan and using the New Hammer and Chisel workout plan from Beachbody, combined with outside exercise like running and walking the dogs on the beach like Abel suggests. I do workout everyday and follow the plan, listen to the podcasts, but have Hashimoto’s a Thyroid Autoimmune disease. I am not seeing the huge results that others have seen on this diet and am wondering if you have any pointers or resources for somebody with this disease on your plan? I love the idea, love all Abel’s podcasts and recipes etc and just really need help.
Congrats on everything! But…curious about 16 lbs in a week. Isn’t that incredibly unhealthy? I thought 1-2 was sufficient and healthy.
Can’t wait for tonight’s show. Abel has shown us that eating healthy and staying active isn’t hard. The body will heal itself if we let it.
Abel, I started reading your book and although I am apprehensive about some of the information presented I’m going to commit 100%. That being said, I do a 30-45 min intense strength training workout 5 days a week usually in the afternoon. After my workout would it be ok to have a post workout meal, like a piece of fruit and a source of protein on top of the normal two meals as outlined in your plan. This is the only thing that is a source of confusion with the Wild Diet. Thank you.
Congratulations Abel! I’ve watched every episode and I knew your diet format would kick-azz. I’m looking forward to the final results for Kurt. He has the right attitude and the right coach. This looks to be the stepping stone for your own TV show in the near future. Thanks for all your vast knowledge and inspiration. All the best to you. GO KURT!
Congratulations Abel & Kurt! I just watched this week’s episode (#5-6) and it was intense! I feel like you guys get less screen time than the other contestant/coach pairs, but maybe that’s just how I feel because I want to see more of you! That final weigh-in was amazing, what with Kurt losing another 6 lbs despite not eating 100% clean. I think the fact that he doesn’t seem to stress about his food that much is what makes all the difference. Abel, you should probably rename the plan into “The Chill-Out Diet”! Also was that sound bite of Jeff accusing somebody of cheating addressed to you guys? He sounds like a sore loser… Anyway, good going you guys!
Hey Abel,
Just catching up with the episodes now – but am only watching since I’m such a fan of yours. Generally try and steer clear of reality weight loss shows. 🙂 Anyway, had to write to say how great I think you come across. Just real and authentic. With real, practical knowledge and super simple food advice. Good god, can you imagine taskersizing or whatever that’s called every chance you get? Too complicated and unrealistic. So happy for you and all of your successes and well deserved exposure. Love it!
I love this coffee video!! Oh my gosh, you guys are all too cute and funny!! I bought the book two weeks Ho with the first show I watched. I first gained 4lbs due to the peanut butter cookies and fatty coffee… I’m know doing the fatty coffee but no cookies… I lost 9lbs… Thank you!!
Great to hear you’re down 9 pounds Nicole!