Four fitness addicts swapped their healthy diets for a week of junk food and no exercise – and they were all shocked by how quickly their bodies changed.
David Templer, 27, of Tooting, London, Paige Modeste, 25, of Stevenage, and James Tilley, 25, and his partner Emma Taylor, 25, of Devizes, Wilts, all struggled with weight gain, spotty skin, low mood, and a lack of energy after just a few days of eating nothing but sugary, salty and fatty foods.
They undertook the challenge to find out how quickly a drastic change in diet and exercise would affect them both physically and mentally.
Blogger and Harrods shop assistant Paige Modeste had clear skin before she started the challenge to eat nothing but junk food for seven days (left). But within just a few days, her skin became oily and she started to get spots (right)
All found that within just seven days of the challenge set by healthy online food retailer MuscleFood.com, they gained weight and went from being toned and muscular to spongy and undefined.
Their skin also became oily and all suffered from fatigue and changeable moods.
On day one of the challenge, all four fitness addicts swapped their usual meals of lean chicken and rice for kebabs, pizza, and fish and chips.
Their breakfasts changed from protein porridge and overnight oats to sugary cereals, pastries and fry-ups, while their snacks became crisps and chocolate bars instead of nuts and seeds.
The gym addicts then returned to their normal routines the following week.
Find out how each one got on below – and how their bodies drastically changed.
1. JAMES
Personal trainer and former Marine James Tilley lost definition in his six-pack after just a week of eating junk food (left, before the challenge, and right, after a week of eating fast food)
James Tilley, a personal trainer, found the challenge particularly hard because as a teenager, he was overweight, weighing 17 stone.
But after spending four years in the Royal Marines, he transformed his body and now maintains a healthy weight of 10.5 stone.
The prospect of eating nothing but junk food was therefore a daunting one for the strapping fitness addict.
He said his body changed almost immediately, with his abs less defined, and he felt very anxious because he couldn’t go to the gym.
James, who lives with his partner Emma, said: ‘I was anxious heading into the challenge because I’ve been there before. I ate a diet packed with takeaways and fast food and after transforming myself, have no intention of ever going back to that place.
James and his partner Emma both took part in the challenge and ate meals such as pie, mash with sweetcorn and peas
‘The first couple of days I enjoyed eating rubbish but then I noticed the change in my body. My abs were less defined, and my body felt spongy.
‘That really got me down mentally. I began to picture myself as that fat teen again and that left me feeling stressed and frustrated. Normally if I felt like that I’d head to the gym and train, but I couldn’t so the anxiety built up.’
He added: ‘Getting back to my stir fries, lean meats and high protein chicken in week two was the best feeling. My body felt full, I felt energised and my motivation was back. That anxiety I’d been feeling had vanished.’
2. EMMA
Emma Taylor lost definition in her abs after a week of eating nothing but junk food (left, before the challenge, and right, after seven days of eating fast food)
James Tilley and his partner Emma, both 25, with their week’s shopping for the challenge of eating nothing but junk for a week. Their haul includes (from left to right): milk, sugary cereals, butter, processed ham, bacon, chocolate bars, white baguettes, biscuits, sugary rice cakes, pot noodles, a pizza, frozen potato wedges, processed porridge pots and a huge bag of crisps
James’ partner Emma Taylor, a salon owner, said her body reacted badly to the increased amount of artificial ingredients she was eating.
She was left feeling sick, bloated and tired, and suffered from headaches.
She said: ‘I have a sensitive stomach so filling it with all those E numbers and sugary foods left me feeling sick and bloated. I was really lethargic and found I couldn’t concentrate.
‘Even the simplest tasks became tricky. I also suffered with a lot of headaches.
‘As soon as the clean eating kicked in, the headaches went, my energy came back and my concentration came back.’
3. PAIGE
Blogger Paige Modeste had clear skin before she started the challenge (left). But after seven days of eating junk food, her skin turned oily and she had spot breakouts (right)
Harrods shop assistant and blogger Paige Modeste was left with spotty skin, a four-centimetre gain around her waist and an overwhelming feeling of tiredness after eating junk food for just seven days.
She has always led a balanced lifestyle so eating processed foods for a week came as shock to her system.
Sugary porridge and pastries full of chocolate spread became a breakfast staple, with ready meals for lunch and dinner with no veg or salad.
Paige said: ‘I felt terrible by the end of week one. I had no energy, my skin was spotty and itchy, I had a constant feeling of nausea and huge bags under my eyes.
‘I couldn’t leave the house without make-up because my skin looked terrible. And I felt so tired. Regardless of what I ate I felt shattered.
‘I also put on a little weight but the biggest difference was my waist measurement. I went from 69cm to 73cm in just seven days.
‘Considering waist size over 80cm in a woman is now an indicator for type 2 diabetes, that’s a frightening amount to put on.’
Paige added: ‘I can understand why people get into the rut of eating unhealthy processed food. It’s easy to prepare, there’s no prepping and it does contain lots of addictive sugar which it can be hard to give up.’
4. DAVID
David lost definition in his six-pack after eating nothing but takeaways and junk food for seven days (left, before the challenge, and right after)
David had clear skin before taking on the junk food challenge. But after seven days, he started to get spots
David lived off takeaways such as a meat feast pizza from Domino’s during the challenge
Marketing specialist David Templer lives with three takeaway loving housemates in Tooting and decided to follow their diet plan rather than his normal healthy lifestyle for a week.
He started each day with high sugar cereal, and despite eating three times the recommended amount, he found himself hungry within a couple of hours.
Lunches were meal deals and dinner was often a takeaway or eating out with friends, all washed down with pints of lager.
David said: ‘Physically I felt tired, found myself getting out of breath walking up a couple of flights of stairs, began to develop spotty skin and I started to put weight on.
‘Mentally I felt demotivated and despite being a confident person, found myself doubting my decisions.
‘Staying away from the gym hit me mentally and physically. I use gym time to train but also to think, destress and gain some perspective. I didn’t realise quite how important that was to my mental health.’