How to Lose Weight Well viewers slammed ‘unenthusiastic’ dieters who appeared on the programme last night, accusing a pair of burly truckers of acting like ‘drama queens’ over eating healthy food.
Friends Gerry and Aiden, from the Midlands, said they were determined to lose weight and were each given a different diet to try while appearing on the Channel 4 programme.
But viewers were left unimpressed when Gerry said he was ‘speechless’ after being asked to eat seeds, while Aiden called a mushroom burger ‘the worst thing I’ve ever eaten’.
One commented: ‘These people are such drama queens when trying new foods. You want to lose weight, and be grateful that you have a choice of food.’
How to Lose Weight Well viewers were left unimpressed by dieters on last night’s programme, suggesting they acted like ‘drama queens’ when asked to eat new foods (pictured, Aiden, from the Midlands, trying a mushroom burger)
Another wrote: ‘I don’t know why I watch these programmes. The participants are nearly always unenthusiastic and act like a child being force fed a sprout.’
Truckers Aiden and Gerry, who work for the same company call themselves ‘two peas in a pod’.
Both admitted they have a tendency to grab fast food and unhealthy snacks on the go as they travel in their vans.
Viewers were left unimpressed by the dieter’s efforts, with some suggesting they acted like children and ‘didn’t seem committed’ to the diet
Aiden, who weighed 22st 1lb at the start of the diet, said he wanted to lose weight to improve his health for himself and his family.
Meanwhile Gerry, who weighed 23st 5lbs, said he wanted to lose 5st while undertaking the four month long diet.
Presenters and dieticians Hala El-Shafie and Dr Xand van Tulleken revealed both men would be going on different diets, to see which could lose the most weight.
Dr Xand placed Aiden on the ‘Here’s One I Prepared Earlier’ diet, which involved preparing and cooking every meal at home before taking it out with him in Tupperware.
Truckers Gerry and Aiden called themselves ‘two peas in a pod’ ahead of the diet, suggesting they were keen to lose weight for health reasons
It meant the truck-driver had to avoid grabbing food on the go, and should be more conscious about what he was consuming.
The dietitian explained that for the first two weeks he was allowed to eat whatever he wanted, but after that there was an 1,800 calorie cap.
He said he hoped the diet would change his eating habits for good.
But Aiden was immediately unimpressed after being presented with a vegetarian lasagne with a side-salad.
The men suggested they had a tendency to grab fast food and unhealthy snacks on the go as they travelled in their vans
He appeared sceptical about the diet, before trying some salad leaves and saying: ‘No, I don’t like that.’
Meanwhile Hala revealed Gerry would be trying the ‘service station diet’, which meant pairing a good exercise schedule with grabbing convenience food on the go.
She went on to say despite preconceptions about service station food, there was now a wide range of healthy food available at stops along the road, pointed to boxes of grapes, seeds and chicken salads.
Gerry was permitted to eat whatever he wanted, as long as he stayed under 1,800 calories.
The truckers could barely contain their giggles after they were presented with their diet plans, with both turning their noses up at salads and seeds
But he was immediately unimpressed after a range of healthy service station food, including pots of seeds and chicken salads, was placed in front of him, saying: ‘I’m speechless. Seeds?’
The men couldn’t contain their giggles as they tried some nuts with Gerry saying: ‘It’s like eating rubber.’
And after being told he would need to build up his exercise, he said: ‘I hope it’s better than this.’
The men were both presented their diet plans, but Aiden said he was astonished by some of the ingredients he would be cooking with, admitting he had ‘never heard’ of red lentils or ground tumeric.
Gerry was astonished to learn his diet would include seeds, admitting the thought of eating the snack left him ‘speechless’
All of his meals had to be prepared from scratch, filling up on complex carbs and using a calorie log app.
He was banned from eating at service stations and tried his best to cook at home, impressing his wife with his first ever homemade lasagne.
But despite the success of the first meal, it wasn’t long before he started struggling.
He admitted within the first week he was tempted to give up the diet, saying: ‘Listen, I’m struggling. I need some different food. I can’t eat lasagne and salmon all the time. It’s killing me.’
It wasn’t long before Aiden admitted he was struggling with the new diet, and within days said it was ‘killing’ him
Meanwhile Gerry appeared to have a little more success on the service station diet, stocking up on plenty of egg pots and tuna salads, before taking a brisk walk and stretching on his break.
By week three, Gerry could be seen taking to the exercise regime like a duck to water, swimming several times a week and gradually increasing the amount of lengths he was doing.
And knowing Aiden was struggling with the diet, Dr Xand gave the dieter a call, suggesting he try making a delicious mushroom burger for some fake ‘fast food’ relief.
But Aiden said he was astonished by the concept, saying: ‘Mushroom burgers? With no meat. How do they work that one out?’
Aiden said he was disgusted at the thought of a mushroom burger, calling it ‘the worst thing I’ve ever eaten’
And after chowing down on the homemade burger, he appeared unimpressed, saying: ‘I can honestly say that’s the worst thing I’ve ever eaten.’
Gerry also phoned his friend at home to offer some much-needed encouragement, and showed him a homemade curry he was cooking with his wife.
But Aiden said he was unimpressed with the meal, calling it ‘horrible’, before Gerry admitted he was just trying to find ways to ‘hide vegetables’ in his food.
Despite their reservations about the diet, by the end of the four months, both men showed off an incredible weight loss.
The men both lost a substantial amount of weight while trying their respective diets, with Aiden (left) dropping 1st 3lbs, and Gerry (right) losing 3st 3lbs
At their final weigh in, Aiden’s weight had dropped to 20st 1lb, losing 1st 3lbs on the diet.
He said he was ‘over the moon’ with what he’d lost, saying: ‘I’m proud of myself, I really am.’
Meanwhile Gerry lost 3st 3lbs, and admitted he was chuffed, saying: ‘That’s a big achievement for me that.’
Aiden admitted it was unlikely he’d carry on with the diet, saying: ‘When we first got the diet plan I thought, “This is easy” . But as time went on I got bored.
Aiden admitted it was unlikely he’d continue with the diet after the programme ended, saying some of the meals he cooked he would never make again
‘Some of the stuff I’ve cooked, I’ll tell you what I won’t be cooking it again.’
But while the truckers were happy with how much weight they had lost, some viewers were left unimpressed.
One said: ’20 minutes in and thus far…it’s not improved, mainly because the people taking part don’t seem committed.’
One added: ‘Stop pulling a face like you are eating a s***. They are vegetables.’