By the end of day 2, Dr. Mike had eaten 40 burgers in two days, on the same 20-patties-a-day protocol he started on day 1. He told the camera he felt fine so far, but the film suggests his appetite was already dropping faster than either of us expected, even with 18 more patties waiting for him that day.
What happened on day 2 of the 40 burgers in two days experiment?
This is day 2 of the 30-day series. I’m telling days 1 through 29 here on the blog; day 30, the last day and the final bloodwork, only exists in the film. Day 1 is already up if you want the full setup — 20 Burgers a Day: Day 1 of the 30-Day Experiment covers the drive-thru order and the first bite.
The protocol didn’t change for day 2: the film shows Dr. Mike sticking to 20 Burger King patties a day, water only, no seasonings, no buns. Two days in, that puts him at 40 burgers in two days — the same daily count from day 1, just doubled. He says on camera he feels fine so far. No complaints yet, no hesitation reaching for the next patty.
How did Dr. Mike space out 20 patties a day?
On day 1, the book records the split as 12 burgers for lunch and 8 for dinner, and the film shows that same lunch-heavy pattern holding into day 2. It’s not random. Front-loading the bigger chunk at lunch gives him the rest of the day to work through the smaller dinner count without stacking all 20 into one sitting.
That spacing matters more than it looks. Twenty patties without a bun, without any starch or vegetable alongside, is a lot of food to move through in two sittings, and the film shows him treating the lunch order like a job to get through rather than a meal to enjoy.
The fight wasn't against hunger. It was against volume — a man not wanting food, eating it anyway.
Did his appetite really drop that fast?
Here’s the part that surprised both of us. The film suggests Dr. Mike’s hunger was already dropping by the second morning, even though he still had 18 more patties to eat that day. He wasn’t chasing the food. If anything, the job on day 2 was closer to forcing down a meal his body wasn’t asking for.
That’s an interpretation, not a lab reading — I want to be clear about that distinction. Individual results vary, and one man’s appetite curve on 20 burgers a day isn’t a prescription for anyone watching. But on camera, the pattern was visible almost immediately.
What does the evidence say about protein and appetite?
Dr. Mike’s own on-camera macro count put his intake at 180 grams of protein a day from the patties — his estimate, not a lab assay, but a real number he worked out from the packaging. Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, and the evidence says diet-induced thermogenesis — the energy cost of digesting food — runs about 5 to 15% of daily energy expenditure and is highest after protein, lowest after fat, according to a review by Westerterp (2004). That’s a mechanism, not a guarantee, but it lines up with what the film shows: appetite dropping while the plate count stays fixed at 20.
Separately, a cross-sectional survey of people self-reporting a carnivore-style diet found high rates of reported satisfaction and few adverse effects at six months or more — but that’s self-reported data with no controls, per Lennerz et al. (2021). It describes what long-term carnivore eaters say about themselves. It says nothing about a man two days into 20 burgers a day.
What was it like filming a man who wasn't hungry but still had burgers to eat?
In my experience, that’s the strange part nobody warns you about going in. You’d think 40 burgers in two days would be a fight against hunger. It wasn’t. The fight was against volume — a man not wanting food, sitting down to eat food anyway, because the protocol said 20 and 20 means 20.
I kept the camera rolling through the part where nothing dramatic happens: him working through a burger, then another, without urgency and without much visible enjoyment either. That flat stretch is exactly what the numbers in the film are supposed to capture — not the reaction, the routine.
What was the first snag on day 3?
Day 2 closed out clean. Day 3 didn’t stay that way for long. I’m not going to give it away here — the running total by day 3 is in the film, and so is what changed. If you want the fuller build-up on why hunger, sleep and mood all move together on a protocol like this, I go into that on why keto works differently for you than for others.
Frequently asked questions
How many burgers had Dr. Mike eaten by day 2?
By the end of day 2 he was at 40 burgers in two days, on the same 20-patties-a-day protocol shown in the film.
Did he feel sick on day 2?
No. On camera he says he feels fine so far; the rough stretches came later in the 30 days.
How did he split up 20 burgers a day?
The film and the book show a lunch-heavy split, 12 at lunch and 8 at dinner, rather than eating all 20 at once.
Does eating only meat really lower appetite that fast?
The film suggests it did for Dr. Mike by day 2, and protein's higher thermic effect is one plausible mechanism, but individual results vary and this isn't medical advice.
Where can I see what happened after day 2?
Days 1 through 29 are told here on the blog; day 30 and the final bloodwork are only in the film.
The Bottom Line
Day 2 was routine on the surface — 40 burgers in two days, no complaints, appetite already dropping. That’s exactly why it matters: the film is tracking what happens before anything dramatic shows up, not just the headline moments. If you want to see where the numbers go from here, including what his bloodwork looked like across all 30 days, the film has it, and the book that started this whole thing is the deeper day-by-day account.
Watch The Keto Project and read 600 Burgers in 30 Days to follow the rest of the experiment.
Sources
- Westerterp 2004 — Diet induced thermogenesis
- Lennerz et al. 2021 — Behavioral Characteristics and Self-Reported Health Status among 2029 Adults Consuming a Carnivore Diet
This article is for information only and is not medical advice. Individual results vary. Speak to a qualified clinician before changing how you eat.
The whole experiment is in the film. 600 burgers, 30 days, every blood test — and the ending we never post.
Watch The Keto Project on Amazon