I lived on baby food for a WEEK - what it did to my body shocked me

Daily Mail​

2 days ago

A YouTuber has gone viral after claiming he lost a dramatic amount of weight in just five days—by eating nothing but food and drinks designed for babies.
San Diego-based Michael Alves, a former college football player, tried the so-called 'baby food diet' in a self-imposed challenge posted to his YouTube channel, Killdozer.
The video has racked up more than 820,000 views and documents the 26-year-old surviving on pouches, purees and formula drinks for the best part of a week.
Before starting, Alves lays out strict ground rules: everything he eats must be made for babies or toddlers.
Drinks must come in child-sized bottles, and all meals must be consumed using baby utensils—including a novelty cow-shaped 'spork'.
By the end of the experiment, Alves claims he dropped from 18st 2lb (254lbs) to 17st 10lb (248lbs)—almost half a stone—adding that the experience made him feel constantly hungry, demoralised, and at times physically unwell.
'This challenge sucks,' he says in the video at one point. 'I really don't want to eat any more baby food.'
Alves, who has gained more than 500,000 subscribers for his humorous gaming and lifestyle content, appears shirtless at the start of the video for a weigh in and 'physique check'.
He is optimistic, claiming baby food 'must have loads of protein because children need protein... I think.'
But his enthusiasm quickly dissipates. 'There's no protein in anything here,' he says in disbelief while shopping the baby aisle at Target. 'Do babies not need protein?'
Over five days, Alves samples everything from toddler snacks to infant formula and squeezable meat purées—with mixed and mostly negative results.
Many of the meals left him visibly recoiling. The mashed carrots, he said, were 'diabolical,' adding: 'Zero flavour at all. And they almost melt immediately in your mouth.'
The macaroni and cheese fared little better: 'The noodles immediately disintegrate... and the cheese? Not very flavourful.'
Even the infant formula drink he chose proved unbarable. After one sip, he grimaced: 'What the hell are we giving our kids? This tastes like poison.'
Only one dish—mashed potatoes with beef and gravy—earned faint praise. 'It still tastes like baby food, but it also does taste like beef. So it's a double whammy.'
He adds: 'These meals taste like they were made by aliens.'
Alves did, however, enjoy toddler crisps, including a packet of garden salsa puffs which he awarded 9.2 out of 10, calling them the best thing he ate all week.
To supplement the low-calorie meals, he also added regular exercise—taking part in hikes wearing a weighted vest, gym sessions and long walks, often with his wife Jessica, 27.
Although the final weigh-in confirms he's 6lb lighter, Alves says he suspects much of the weight loss may be water rather than fat.
With barely any salt or carbs, the baby food diet left his body flushing out water and burning through its energy reserves.
He adds that the sheer lack of flavour in most of the products he consumed made it impossible to overeat.
'I'm starving,' he says at the end of day five.
He gives the overall experience a score of 3/10, noting: 'If I didn't have the snacks or Pedialyte [baby formula rehydration drinks], it would've been a one.'
Nutrition experts would be unlikely to recommend the plan.
Baby food is designed for small children with developing digestive systems and contains limited salt, spices and fibre—not to mention little in the way of protein, unless fortified.
Alves notes that even the baby yoghurts he tried were labelled as 'not containing live cultures,' meaning they were shelf-stable and lacked the gut-friendly bacteria found in regular yoghurt.
'I really thought this would be better,' he says. 'Even the formula tastes like poison. What are we giving our kids?'
The challenge ends with Alves rewarding himself with a burrito, saying: 'We've got to start giving these to babies.'
Alves has seen a rapid rise in fame over the past year, transitioning from sport to streaming.
As a former offensive lineman for UCLA, he began posting gaming content and challenge videos under the name Killdozer in early 2025.
His fanbase – known affectionately as 'Dozer Purists' – have praised the video's humour, but even die-hard supporters seem unlikely to replicate the diet themselves.
'Please do not do the baby food diet,' he says. 'I'm so glad I only did five days and not seven.'
The baby‑food stunt follows another extreme diet challenge that made waves earlier this year.
Alves himself has previously gone viral, after consuming nothing but protein shakes for a week.
And Oklahoma City based YouTuber Joshua Allard, 25, gained attention after attempting to eat 150 eggs in five days.
Allard said the egg-only diet left him bloated, tired and eating up to 30 eggs a day, but also noted unexpected benefits such as improved sleep and reduced appetite.
The challenge sparked huge interest online, along with warnings from nutritionists who said such restrictive eating plans are unsustainable and lack essential nutrients.
Like Alves's baby food challenge, it showed how extreme diets can lead to short-term weight loss—but may come with side effects and should not be taken as health advice.