‘My body turned toxic in 28 days’
We know binge drinking and junk food are bad for you, but just how much damage can they do?
Binge drinking and junk food can harm your health - no surprises there. But combined, they're so lethal that thousands of young British women are dying because of their lifestyles.
Heart disease, liver failure and diabetes used to be concerns for middle-aged men only. But earlier this month, the World Cancer Research Fund said thousands of women's lives could be saved if they adopted healthier lifestyles - eating less junk food, drinking less alcohol and exercising.
It's claimed this would prevent around 18,000 deaths a year from breast cancer alone.
The number of women dying young from alcohol-related illnesses such as liver failure has almost doubled since the '90s, while obesity is linked to cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
And worryingly, four weeks is all it takes for a toxic diet to start attacking your body.
We challenged 20-year-old twins Katie and Emma Bowden from Harrow, Middlesex, to put a toxic lifestyle to the test for a month. One sister would live like a sinner, the other like a saint. The results were shocking...
THE SINNER
EMMA BOWDEN, 20
Job: Receptionist
Relationship status: Single
Smoker?
No
Height: 5ft 5in
Weight before: 8st 2lb
Weight
after: 8st 9lb
Weight gain: 7lb
Dress size
before: 6
Dress size after: 8
EMMA'S CHALLENGE
- Have less than six hours sleep each night.
- Eat only junk,
processed or convenience foods.
- Drink alcohol freely (14 units
is the recommended weekly limit for women).
- Do no exercise.
- Drink less than two litres of water a day.
EMMA'S TYPICAL DAILY 'SINNER' DIET
Breakfast: Sausage and bacon roll with ketchup.
Lunch:
Chicken burger with chips and a large cola.
Dinner: Burger and
chips, pint of cola.
Snacks: Packet of crisps, chocolate
bar, sweets.
Drinks: One to three large glasses of wine.
WEEK ONE
Alcohol units: 36
Calories: 3,537 a day
"Within
two days of starting my new 'diet', I feel bloated, uncomfortable and
lethargic. I'm dehydrated, and despite eating a lot of food, I still feel
hungry all the time and can't stop thinking about what I'm going to eat
next! When I get up I feel tired and emotional before the day even starts.
And I'm finding it hard to concentrate at work."
WEEK TWO
Alcohol Units: 43
Calories: 4,282 per day
"I
just want to curl up and go to sleep after work every day. My body's already
bloated, and my face is looking greasy.
I have a big drinking session with my cousin. We start on gin and move on to white wine. I'm not usually a heavy drinker so I'm really struggling. I cry off at 10.30pm and head home to watch a film in my room. I feel nauseous, but I'm not actually sick. I pass out at 2.30am with the TV still on."
WEEK THREE
Alcohol Units: 41
Calories: 3,758 a day
"I've
been having crippling stomach pains for the past couple of weeks. I feel
like I want to go to the loo, but when I do, nothing happens. It's really
disrupting my sleep too - I'm only getting about four or five hours and I
wake up feeling exhausted. My stomach is huge - I want my old tummy back! I
bought a skirt yesterday and my belly is so bloated, it actually hangs over
the top of it!"
WEEK FOUR
Alcohol Units: 40
Calories: 4,340 a day
"My
friend Greg tells me how bad my skin's looking. I'm shocked, but he's only
telling the truth. I'm blotchy and spotty - great! And I've had chocolate
cravings all week, too.
I go out clubbing with a mate one night, but I feel really uncomfortable in my too-tight skirt - nothing fits me any more.
I have fun - alcohol gives me a confidence I don't normally have - but that's the only plus point. My health has really suffered. I have no energy, I feel worn out and I look terrible. Plus I can't stop going to the loo now - the opposite problem from the first few weeks.
No matter how much make-up I wear, my skin looks pasty. And I can't believe how fat my face has become. My eyes look permanently bloodshot and my hair is dreadful - no matter how much I wash it, it's greasy, brittle and out of condition. Now I've developed dandruff too.
I look and feel dreadful. I can't wait to detox - I just hope my skin, body and brain can recover!"
THE SAINT
KATIE BOWDEN, 20
Job: Children's learning assistant
Relationship
status: Has a boyfriend, Adam
Smoker? No
Height:
5ft 5in
Weight before: 8st 2lb
Weight after: 8st
1lb
Weight loss: 1lb
Dress size before: 6
Dress
size after: 6
KATIE'S CHALLENGE:
- At least six hours sleep each night.
- Five portions of fruit and
veg a day and no junk food.
- No alcohol.
- Exercise
four times a week.
- Drink at least two litres of water a day.
KATIE'S TYPICAL 'SAINT' DAILY DIET
Breakfast: Bowl of cereal with fresh apricots, 1 pot of natural
yoghurt, 1 banana.
Lunch: Innocent vegetable pot, fruit
smoothie, water.
Dinner: Salad with balsamic vinegar and
olive oil, beef and vegetable stir-fry with noodles, water.
Snacks:
Almonds, 1 apple and raw vegetable sticks.
WEEK ONE
Calories: 1,916 a day
"I miss my snacks and feel more tired
without a sugar rush during the day. I face my first real challenge when I
go to my friend's hen night - and stay sober! But I have fun and it makes me
realise how awful some girls look when they're drunk."
WEEK TWO
Calories: 1,897 a day
"Already, my new regime is making me
feel more awake and relaxed during the day. And it's having a good effect on
my sex life! My energy levels are much higher and I feel more confident
about my body."
WEEK THREE
Calories: 1,955 a day
"Adam and I are in Lake Garda for a
week's holiday. Seeing people sitting outside enjoying a beer or a glass of
rosé is hard, but I can really see the benefits of my healthy living. My
body looks great because of all the exercise, and my skin is really clear
and fresh. Adam tells me I should stop wearing so much make-up and keeps
complimenting my figure. It's really good for my confidence."
WEEK FOUR
Calories: 1,850 a day
"I feel like a different person - my
hair is shinier, I have more energy, and my skin looks amazing. Having
observed how other people behave when they drink, it's made me question
whether I really need alcohol to enjoy myself. I'm definitely going to stick
to my new regime!"
THE DOCTOR'S VERDICT
Nutritionist Dr Adam Carey* assessed Katie and Emma's weight, BMI, cholesterol levels and liver function, and says that if Emma carried on living like this, she may:
- Need a new liver in the future
- Be obese in two to three years
- Suffer high blood pressure
- Risk serious heart disease
"Emma's liver function has got worse over the month," says Dr Carey. "If she carried on like this, she'd begin to show signs of serious liver damage within three to six months. Fat would start to be deposited on her liver, which means it would become clogged up and wouldn't process alcohol properly, or filter and cleanse the blood. If she carried on drinking aggressively like this, liver failure could occur in the future.
In just a month, Emma's cholesterol has gone up from 4.4 to 4.8, and her body fat has gone up from 20.1 per cent to 20.7 per cent. Drinking this amount regularly, while eating all that refined sugar, salt and fat, would result in her piling on more than a stone a year, and she'd be obese within two or three years. This would help her blood pressure to go up and she'd be at risk of serious heart disease within a decade, as her arteries become clogged with cholesterol deposits.
In contrast, Katie's cholesterol levels have dropped. She's become more athletic, she's dropped about 2lb of body fat and gained about 2lb of lean body mass. This is fantastic - she seems very happy and more confident."
Zoë Harcombe, author of "The Harcombe Diet: Stop Counting Calories & Start Losing Weight", gave Emma a nutritional consultation to reverse the effects of living like a sinner.
Zoë says: "The main advice I gave Emma was to go back to her previous lifestyle - lots of walking, eating good food and being naturally healthy and sensible with her food choices.
Emma's biggest complaint was that her stomach was bloated, so I recommended Phase 1 of The Harcombe Diet. The rules are simple - eat unlimited meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, salads, natural live or bio yogurt and brown rice for five days. This will help rid the body of any white flour and sugar, which can cause cravings and bloating.
Eating so much junk food definitely upset Emma's healthy bowel routine, so I suggested she take 500mg of vitamin C one day, double it the next and up the dose to 1500mg on day three. The body can't store vitamin C, so expels it once a sufficient amount is in the system and normal movement is restored."
For more information about Zoë Harcombe visit theharcombediet.com
PHOTOGRAPHY: LANCTON, PHOTOLIBRARY.COM HAIR & MAKE-UP: SARA BOWDEN TOP PHOTO: EMMA (LEFT) WEARS: TOP, NEW LOOK; JEANS AND SHOES, DOROTHY PERKINS KATIE WEARS: TOP, NEW LOOK; JEANS, ASOS; SHOES, NEW LOOK; BOTTOM PHOTO: KATIE (LEFT) WEARS: DRESS, MISS SELFRIDGE EMMA WEARS: DRESS, MISS SELFRIDGE; BELT, TOPSHOP *VISIT DR CAREY'S WEBSITE AT CORPERFORMANCE.CO.UK
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