Trigger Warning: Brief mention of eating disorders.
With Spring Break and Summer just around the corner, it’s easy to understand why there is an increased interest in the internet’s favorite crash diet: the 75 Hard. For those who are not aware, the 75 Hard is a lifestyle change/diet that challenges you to follow a diet of your choice, cut alcohol and all other substances, drink one gallon of water every day, perform two 45-minute workouts a day (one of which must be outside), read 10 pages of a nonfiction book every night, and take regular progress photos… for 75 days straight. To make it even worse, if you mess up for even one day you have to restart the entire challenge.
Despite the difficult nature of the challenge, it has been trending for months. However, there is little evidence to show that the 75 Hard is actually good for you. In fact, the creator of the challenge, Andy Frisella, has no medical background, nutritional education, or fitness background. Additionally, a lifestyle challenge based entirely on being “perfect” and following strict dietary rules and physical requirements creates a perfect setting for eating disorders to develop.
Regardless of the massive red flags presented by the 75 Hard, I (alongside my boyfriend) still completed the challenge this previous summer and it is safe to say that I will never do it again. In my experience (and the experiences of many others), the 75 Hard was incredibly unsustainable. It is not realistic to expect perfection in diet and exercise every single day. While I may not have had classes at the time, I was still working six to eight hours a day. This does not leave much time to home cook a healthy and balanced meal three times a day (on top of 90 minutes of vigorous exercise). To make things more difficult, I previously suffered from an eating disorder and found that the strict diet/exercise rules of the challenge put me in a similar mindset to that of the one I had while sick. Additionally, cutting all alcohol from my diet left me feeling out-of-place and envious of others at events I attended throughout the summer. While I am a strong supporter of sobriety, it is an admittedly hard thing to do in a social scene as active as that of a college student. Due to these reasons, the 75 Hard was incredibly limiting and difficult on a mental level and nearly drove me away from my fitness journey entirely. While I did survive and finish the 75 Hard, the results were short-lived. Despite continuing to exercise and (mostly) watch what I ate, the indulgence and “freedom” mindset I adopted following the unsustainability of the 75 Hard caused me to gain back most of the weight that I had worked so hard to lose — defeating the entire point of the challenge in my eyes.
I will give the challenge a few positive notes. First, I admire its push for increased water consumption. Far too many people disregard the importance of hydration — especially when working out and eating higher amounts of protein and fiber through an improved diet. I also enjoyed the challenge’s push to exercise outside. I completed this requirement in the form of evening walks, and found it to be a very beneficial exercise in clearing my mind after difficult work shifts. Finally, I enjoyed the challenge’s reading requirement. As someone who enjoys reading and personal education, I admire that the challenge pushes people to develop their minds alongside their bodies.
Overall, I do not believe that the 75 Hard is a positive challenge, and its lack of scientifically-backed benefits demonstrates a cause for concern regarding its viability as a diet and lifestyle improvement. For those interested in starting a fitness and wellness journey, I would argue that it is significantly more important to focus on following a well-balanced and intuitive diet, as well as daily (and sometimes gentle) exercise.
