The number of overweight people has risen sharply in recent years, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. Where in 2000 it was still 43 percent of the population of the Netherlands, in 2021 this is already 50 percent. Of these, 15 percent are overweight or obese.
Ask for attention
Dimitri was shocked when he saw these numbers. That was why he had been living as unhealthily as possible for two weeks. “It’s meant to be an eye-catcher,” he tells Editie NL. “Not for crushing overweight people.” He joined FC Groningen in the project. “A friend of mine said that the club said in its political plan that they wanted people to move more. That’s why I contacted them.”
Before trying it, he himself did not always eat healthy food. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m 23 and I eat everything that’s loose and sticky. But the point is, you don’t go too far. And I work out during the week. I think it’s about a healthy balance.”
But now it has become difficult to find that balance for two weeks. For example, he should move no more than twenty minutes a day and drink a maximum of half a liter of water. “When I wake up in the middle of the night with a dry mouth, I open a bottle of Fanta.”
effect so far
This hits hard. “I’ve gained three kilos and really feel like a wreck. I was really shocked. I knew I was going to see differences, but it still hit hard.” He also has a lot of downs. “Every time I eat, a sugar spike follows. But I can’t move much, so during such a rush I have to sit still. And then I feel very groggy.”
Not only physically he suffers from it. Dimitri’s performance at work also deteriorated. “I’m easily distracted. My focus is gone. I also speak faster than I realize. Sometimes I don’t make complete sentences.” Plus, he sleeps badly. “I often wake up three times a night, and I’ve never had this before. I feel so unwell.”
New lifestyle
Now that the two weeks are up, he’s going to change his lifestyle again. This was a requirement for FC Groningen to take part in the trial. “I will now show how to eat healthy and exercise again afterwards. The club only wanted to cooperate if I also showed how I could get out again, with the help of a sports coach and nutrition plan.”
FC Groningen
“What Dimitri is doing now is of course very excessive, but he points out what unhealthy eating can do, hardly any exercise can do to your body,” says sports scientist Mies van der Linde from FC Groningen. “That’s why it’s good to bring attention to this children. “, as well as adults, still know very little about this. Especially from the club, we think it is important to point out that enough exercise and a healthy lifestyle have a significant impact.”