How MasterChef contestant Reece Hignell transformed himself
In just two years, MasterChef contestant Reece Hignell totally transformed his look, losing 35kg in a stunning transformation that has left him almost unrecognisable. Find out how here.
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MasterChef contestant Reece Hignell is unrecognisable on the cooking show’s latest season, with the cake maker turning to calorie counting and a plant based diet to shed a whopping 35kg.
Hignell placed sixth in season 10 of the cooking show and even though that was only two years ago, the 30-year-old is unrecognisable – so much so that when he came back to film Back To Win, nobody recognised him.
“I lost quite a bit of weight which was great, but to be honest it was so annoying when I first came back because people were like … ‘who’s that guy?’” he said.
“No one knew who I was. I think I just looked like some lanky guy standing in the corner.
“Now the show is out people are remembering who I am.”
While the transformation is also thanks to embracing a bare scalp and trendy new frameless specs, the weight loss has changed Hignell’s appearance dramatically – not an easy feat for a professional cake maker who is literally referred to as “Cakeboi”.
Hignell said the words nobody who wants to lose weight wants to hear – there was no big secret, it all came down to lifestyle changes, balance and hard work.
“The show was so stressful I didn’t see my health as a priority, I was more focused on the show rather than my health,” he said.
“When I came off it took some time to readjust to my life.
“What I normally do is log what I eat, I find that’s the best way to keep me accountable.
“I have a little diary in my phone and I eat to a certain number of calories and try my best not to overeat.
“Fitness and exercise is hard in isolation when there are no gyms, it’s hard to get motivated.
“My time out of the house is my run, I go for a run and get fresh air and chill out.”
Hignell also turned to a plant-based diet for health reasons and says it has been so effective for him, even if he doesn’t exercise his way stays constant.
“I took up the plant based diet so now I’m not really putting on weight even if I’m sometimes not exercising,” he said.
“When I reflected on what I was eating I realised a majority of the bad things were animal based products so I was trying to cut them out.
“My general health has been crazy good after I switched.”
MasterChef continues Sunday – Thursday at 7.30pm on Channel 10.