A YouTuber decided to do the unthinkable and live off protein bars for a week just to see what it would do to his body.
As you might imagine, living off just protein bars isn’t quite how you manage to have a healthy and balanced diet.
It is true protein bars can have their benefits, you get a big dose of protein in a tasty treat that likely has less sugar than your normal chocolate bars.
That being said, they are not a perfect super food with absolutely no drawbacks and certainly aren’t a substitute for proper meals.
But just to see what would happen, YouTuber Colin Murray from Wisconsin, decided to survive on them for a full week, while still continuing his vigorous calisthenic workouts.
Colin Murray decided to eat only protein bars for a week and the impacts were surprising (Colin Murray/YouTube)
As you can imagine, it wasn’t an easy week for Murray and he detailed all the health issues that arose as a result and the impact it had on his body.
He said overall the diet made his workouts ‘sad’ and his body ‘weak’.
As well as this, at times, he felt dizzy and bloated, losing some of the definition on his six-pack abs.
After the first day, he said he enjoyed not having to cook so much but by the end of the first day, was already regretting the decision, having eaten 6 protein bars – two for each meal.
He said: “I think I’m pregnant, my stomach’s broken. I’m already starting to get sick of this food.”
On day two, he admitted there was an unsuspected problem that had arisen… my man hadn’t gone to the bathroom properly.
He said: “I ate a lot of protein bars but nothing has come out yet, so that’s a little bit alarming.
“I haven’t pooped in three days. That is a long time and to be honest it is kind of starting to freak me out a little bit.”
Eventually, Murray had to break the challenge to eat some blueberries and apples to get things moving downstairs.
He returned to protein-bars only diet on day four, but said he was suffering from more side effects.
Murray said his workouts got worse and he felt constantly bloated(Colin Murray/YouTube)
He commented: “I’ve been tired this entire day and my stomach still makes that noise.
“I normally always have a six-pack [too], but since I’ve been doing this diet, I’m like always bloated. I also smell.”
As he reflected on day five and six, he commented that he felt both exhausted and restless and that his workouts hadn’t been as fruitful as he felt weak.
By the end of the week his attitude towards protein bars had completely shifted, saying he now felt guilty that he had been consuming them for years.
He concluded: “I feel. It feels like I’ve been poisoning myself for the past like five years, cuz I’ve eaten these a lot — especially this week.
“’Processed food [like protein bars] really just kills your energy, is kind of what I’m noticing… when you eat processed food it really messes you up.
“This past week, I haven’t gotten sleep, I haven’t been able to do anything… They should be an every now and again snack.”
Every now and again as a snack certainly sounds like more of a shout than an exhausted poop-free week.