A young man says he’s lost 11 pounds since vowing to eat an entire roast chicken a day.
James Ellis is downing the same dish daily in 2025, though he’s embracing variety through buying them from different places, including grocery stores and high-end restaurants.
He isn’t worried about any possible health issues and insists his previous diet was worse.
But one doctor says “long-term excessive consumption presents multiple health concerns.”
Ellis got the idea while working with a friend and watching him down a whole bird in one meal.
“We were doing this big project and at the end of one of the days, he went to IGA and got a roast chicken and six beers,” Ellis told news.com.au. “He just ate the whole chicken and drank all the beers in one sitting. I just thought it was the funniest thing ever.”
So, that inspired Ellis decided to try it — without the beer — after another friend suggested it to take part, post it on social media and “see what happened.”
The account, @dailyroastchook, has close to 10,000 followers. Ellis has appeared on TV and radio to talk about his adventure.
Ellis said the attention was cool, but he really wanted to translate it into “money in his pocket.” He’s taking the chance to raise the profile of his mural-painting business, 1300Murals.
He said in the last six weeks, he has mostly eaten roast chickens from different places. He has doubles up couple of times at Woolworths.
“I ate a really expensive one at a restaurant, and that was amazing. I can understand why it costs more,” he said.
“But from the Rock ‘n Roll Deli in Greenslopes and the Standard Market. Both of those have been standouts.”
Ellis said he has no health concerns.
“I have been reading the comments and I am just amused at all the armchair doctors who seem to think I’ll be dead in a month,” he said.
“I ate McDonald’s and a fast food diet and smoked 20 cigarettes a day for a decade. I’m not dead yet. I don’t think chickens will be what does it.”
Ellis said through a combination of his new diet, plus going to the gym and running, he’s lost 11 pounds. However, he said since eating the chickens the number of calories his body burns a day has gone down.
“It’s a bit frustrating, but what can you do,” he said.
Dr. Zac Turner however argues eating an entire roast chicken every day for a year poses “significant systemic and physiological risks, despite the potential short-term benefits for muscle growth or athletic performance”.
“While high protein intake can be beneficial in certain scenarios — such as short-term bulking phases or competition prep for elite athletes — long-term excessive consumption presents multiple health concerns,” Dr. Turner said.
He said that most people should eat around two grams of protein for every kilogram of body fat. But, he said elevated protein intake for a significant period of time could distress the kidneys.
He also warned of risks such hypertension, bone health, a lack of dietary fiber and liver stress.
“While consuming high protein in the short term, combined with adequate hydration, exercise, and balanced micronutrients, can be beneficial, a long-term diet of an entire roast chicken daily is not advisable. The nutritional imbalance, kidney and liver stress, cardiovascular strain, and lack of fibre would likely lead to severe metabolic and systemic health issues over time,” he said.
“If protein intake is to be increased, it should be done strategically and in moderation, ensuring a balanced diet with sufficient fibre, antioxidants, and diverse micronutrients to prevent long-term.”
