The Real-Life Diet of Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino, Who Finally Got His Abs Back

November 11, 2025 / Kevin harson /

“I’m happy to report we are shredded right now,” says Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, as he logs on to Zoom for our interview, radiating a palpable glow. The man who launched into the zeitgeist in 2009 alongside his crew of Italian-American friends on the inescapable Jersey Shore was a well-known partier, going clubbing seemingly every night while MTV cameras filmed on. Now, the pride of Staten Island is creeping up on a full decade of sobriety. Not only that, but he’s sticking with a very complex, very modern supplement diet.

The motivation behind it all? Restoring his trademark abs—the titular situation—after they faded away during his hard-partying days. Now, he’s proud to announce that the six-pack has returned. With his legal troubles in the past—in 2018, he was charged with tax evasion and sentenced to eight months in prison—The Situation has a new lease on life.

When going through all the steps that took him from a 28-year-old megastar who referred to unattractive women as “grenades” to the 44-year-old we see today that is a consummate family man, The Situation explained how things like lion’s mane and dandelion root have replaced Percocet and Valium, his method for losing 25 pounds, and why he always brings four towels with him to the tanning salon.

GQ: What’s the routine that helped you get The Situation back?

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino: Sometimes life is about balance. I always thought to myself, can I ever get my Situation back? Can I get my abs back? So recently, I set out on that journey. It’s been 12 weeks. My routine has been five days a week, usually a little slightly under two hours. I don’t like to work out over two hours. I feel like that could be overtraining, so usually it’s between 90 minutes and two hours, five days a week.

I throw in either a red light sauna or a dry sauna two to three times per week. At the very minimum, we will be doing a session of 20 minutes. 20 minutes, 10-minute break, and 20 minutes again. I’m tapped in. Also, I’ll go to my vitamin regimen, which is quite thorough.

Please do!

Upon rising, I usually have lion’s mane, which is for the brain. Also, I do Alpha BRAIN as well.

What is Alpha BRAIN?

It’s Joe Rogan’s brand of brain vitamin. I also have resveratrol and dandelion root. I supplement with NAD three times a week, Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays. Once I go downstairs, I have a pre-biotic. I use Promix Debloat. I also use Coconut Cult. You know what Coconut Cult is?

No, you’re teaching me a lot right now.

Look it up. Coconut Cult is a coconut yogurt that’s a probiotic. I have two tablespoons of that, two tablespoons of sea moss. I start the day with Baja Gold sea salt on the tongue. Then I do my ginger, lemon, cayenne shot every morning. Now, with that ginger, lemon, cayenne shot, I usually add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, a tablespoon of black seed oil, and usually about four-to-six drops of oil of oregano.

But wait, there’s more! There is one clove of garlic that I smash on a cutting board and I let that clove of garlic release allicin, then I take a teaspoon of Mānuka honey. I have a Mānuka honey teaspoon with the smashed garlic. Now, this is early in the morning, first thing when I wake up. Then, as I walk to the kitchen, I’m having my moringa gummies. You know what moringa is?