Will Tennyson traveled thousands of miles to visit a town known as the ‘fattest in the world’ and challenged himself to eat like the residents.
Eighty percent of people in the UK town of Ebbw Vale in southeast Wales are considered overweight or obese and the California content creator spent a day indulging in their favorite meals.
Upon on arrival, Tennyson, 30, immediately noticed the smell of different foods wafting in the streets and counted at least 15 kebab houses as he walked.
He said 73 percent of restaurants in Ebbw Vale are considered fast food restaurants, ‘which is ridiculous. That is the most in the UK.’
In the UK, approximately 26.5 percent of adults are classified as obese.
Meanwhile, in the US, the obesity rate is higher, with around 42 percent of adults considered obese.
During his 24-hour stint in Ebbw Vale, Tennyson indulged in a number of high-calorie treats including a donut, sausage roll, pizzas and a fried breakfast.
While these were novelties for him, he learned these fatty foods are common staples in the Welsh town of close to 20,000 residents.
Will Tennyson, 30, from California, visited Ebbw Vale in southeast Wales, where 80 percent of the population are overweight or obese
The first stop on his tour was the popular British bakery chain Greggs. One of the first things he notices is the lack of fresh, healthy food options, and the only salads he can find are pasta salads.
He does, however, find some chopped fruit.
At the counter, he orders a sausage roll – one of the most popular Greggs items – and a worker also suggests he get a caramel custard donut and lemon meringue muffin.
The three items, he estimates, come in at more than 1,000 calories.
Next up, he ventured to another popular food spot in Ebbw Vale called Frenchie’s.
After reading rave reviews online about the Acafe’s ‘Big Daddy’ breakfast, Tennyson puts in an order for one and he is astounded by the size of the morning platter.
His plate contains four sausages, three hash browns, four pieces of bacon, several fried eggs, baked beans and two helpings of black pudding.
It also comes with a ‘tray of toast’ topped with a ‘diabolical amount of butter,’ Tennyson showed off in a YouTube video.
He said: ‘Look at that! That is crazy… we’re like well over 2,000 calories for sure.
‘Absolutely it doesn’t even look like I got this at a restaurant, looks like I served myself at a buffet. Like this isn’t an English breakfast, this is a full empire. I’m going to get high school acne for a week after this man.’
Between his bakery stop and behemoth breakfast, Tennyson has already consumed more than 3,000 calories.
The average recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 for women and 2,500 for men, but individual needs vary based on factors like age, activity level, and body size.
Defeated by his two heavy breakfasts, Tennyson goes for a walk around town to work them off and talk to some locals about their views on diet and fitness.
Many people reveal that there are high unemployment rates in the area and money is a struggle, therefore fast food is a cheap and easy convenience.
Along with kebab stores, McDonald’s appears to be a very popular spot.
One man Tennyson speaks to says he ate McDonald’s up to five times a week when he weighed 266lbs but he has since tried to cut back.
Tennyson ventures to another popular food spot in Ebbw Vale called Frenchie’s. After reading rave reviews online about the cafe’s ‘Big Daddy’ breakfast, Will puts in an order for one and he is astounded by the size of the morning platter
One man Tennyson speaks to says he ate McDonald’s up to five times a week when he weighed 266lbs but he has since tried to cut back
In the local McDonald’s, Tennyson finds long lines at the drive-thru during a lunchtime rush and it is packed with customers inside.
One of the workers says that she has many repeat customers during the day, and some people come in up to four times to have meals from dawn to dusk.
Reflecting on why Ebbw Vale has been plagued by obesity, one local woman says: ‘Obesity is normalized, everybody’s obese.
‘It’s a lack of education and social normality in the environment that you’re living in.’
Meanwhile, the receptionist at the hotel Tennyson checks into, muses: ‘There isn’t a great deal around here other than kebab shops and vape shops.’
After popping into McDonald’s, where he resists the urge for a familiar taste from home, Tennyson ventures to Southern Fried Chicken for lunch which has a bountiful selection of foods on the menu.
Tennyson says: ‘They’re known for pizza, burgers, kebabs and fried chicken. That’s an elite lineup back where I’m from.
‘If a place served up all those things I would see that as a warning and I’d probably never go but here I think that just means there’s a master at work in there.’
Tennyson gets a buy one get one free pizza deal and he opts for one with chicken and another with a cheesy beef topping.
He is impressed by the amount of meat that the pizzas are dressed with, and the store owner also throws in some fries and soda.
The fitness enthusiast doesn’t give a calorie estimate for the meal but a whole pizza typically contains up to 3,000 calories, while a serving of fries typically contains an average of 300 calories.
Throwing in two cans of Pepsi (150 calories per can), brings the lunch to more than 6,000 calories.
Concerned about his high calorie intake, Tennyson finds a gym in town but he is too full to get any serious exercise in.
He is surprised to see a few people in the gym but he notes that it is still fairly quiet considering it is a ‘peak time’.
‘Everything’s sloshing around,’ the fitness influencer says, as he goes for a run on the treadmill.
After a gym session, he looks for somewhere for dinner to round out his day and he settles on an Indian restaurant.
After popping into McDonald’s, Will ventures to Southern Fried Chicken for lunch which has a bountiful selection of foods on the menu. He opted for BOGO pizza
In total, Will consumed more than 5,000 calories after day of dining in Ebbw Vale
He estimates his meal of chicken and rice contains around 1,500 calories.
This brings his daily total to more than 10,000 calories.
But back in his hotel room, Tennyson can’t resist ordering dessert.
A sweet medley eventually arrives and he shows off his picks; a melted ice cream, a ‘brownie explosion tray’, and a ‘Biscoff heaven’.
In total, it’s estimated that Tennyson consumed more than 11,000 calories after a day of dining in Ebbw Vale with baked goods and a fry up for breakfast, pizza for lunch, Indian for dinner and a medley of desserts in bed.
The foods also served up more than 300g of fat.
For a balanced diet, most adults should aim to get 20-35 percent of their daily calories from fat, with a focus on unsaturated fats.
For a 2,000 calorie diet, this translates to roughly 44 to 78g of total fat.
A high calorie, high fat diet generally leads to people becoming obese, especially when no exercise is factored in.
Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing various serious health problems, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.
It can also lead to sleep apnea, liver disease, kidney disease, and pregnancy complications.
Research showed that adults living in the most deprived areas in Wales are about 50 percent more likely to have obesity than those in the least parts.
Blaenau Gwent, which is the county Ebbw Vale sits in, has higher than average rates of both heart disease and cancer, particularly when looking at premature deaths.
Touching on his experience of the town, he concludes: ‘You know, [spending] around 24 hours in the UK’s most obese town was eye opening.
‘People here are kind of trapped they have limited choices to healthy food.
‘Breaking the norm is extremely difficult and when financial troubles are in the mix, it isn’t about health it’s purely about survival and putting food on the table.’
