Watch to find out more about this man’s addiction to ketchup.
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Everyone has their addictions, and it’s only the strength of these addictions that determine if they are a negative influence in our lives. A taste for good wine isn’t really a problem unless one happens to drink several bottles a day, for example.
However, one young man had a peculiar addiction that was made all the more bizarre because of what he was addicted to. Mike Rwigema, 23, from Birmingham, was so addicted to ketchup that he’d spread it over everything he ate, even rice and bananas.
But his love for the condiment caused his weight to balloon to 257 lbs and doctors warned him that he had to cut down because his heart couldn’t keep up. Giving up on ketchup managed to lose him 84 lbs.
With a diet composed mostly of fruits and vegetables, Mike thought he was eating healthy. However, the extra calories from the ketchup that he put on everything he ate meant he was taking in as much as 2,000 extra calories each month just from the ketchup alone.
Mike said: “My eating habits were very weird.
“Growing up I used to eat a lot of ketchup, it started when I was a child and it never stopped.
“I would eat literally everything with ketchup.
“I’d spread it on toast, dip a banana into it – I’d even drizzle it on top of bowls of rice.
“Any fruit or veg I’d eat, I’d always add ketchup.
“I’ve even eaten ketchup on tomatoes.
“I thought I was on a healthy diet because if you think about tomatoes, they’re actually healthy.
“But I didn’t realize what else is in a bottle of ketchup.”
A routine visit to the doctor at age 20 soon dispelled Mike’s mistaken assumptions because the doctor said his heart was struggling with his size.
He added: “I used to be asthmatic due to my size and I went to a doctor for a check-up an was told I have a small heart for my weight and I needed to reduce my weight and be more careful.
“When I was at my heaviest, it got too much for me, I wouldn’t fit in any clothes, go shopping – it was a depressing moment for me.
“I didn’t look big but my weight was affecting my health.
“I would never want to be out on a beach or on holiday.
“I had no idea how to start losing weight because I thought I was eating healthily anyway, so I signed up to a diet.”
That diet was from the Cambridge Weight Plan called the 1:1 diet. A consultant helped Mike rationalize his meals and convinced him to give up on the ketchup.
It turned out Mike was consuming one bottle of ketchup every week which translated to 281.23g of sugar per month.
After ditching the condiment and joining a gym, Mike has gotten his weight to a healthy 173 lbs.
Mike said: “Within a month of me joining I had lost 1st 5lb.
“Within three months I was within the recommended goal- I was trying to drop about a pound a week.
“I would have oatmeal or milkshakes for breakfast, eat more protein and vegetables.
“The key is moderation and water- especially water helped me a lot in my weight loss.
“I am very cautious about my calorie intake, I tend to watch a lot what I’m eating rather than what I used to do before, and I’m very aware of calories in sauces and condiments.
“I have meals three times a day and if I need a snack I ‘ll have some almonds or make myself an ice lolly with lemon.”
While Mike still eats some ketchup, he only does so occasionally and in smaller amounts.
He added: “The problem is, people think ketchup is all made from tomatoes but it’s actually not- half of the bottle is sugar and sweeteners and maybe 1% is tomato. I generally don’t eat ketchup at all anymore – but occasionally I do still treat myself to a little squirt.”