Dmitry Nuyanzin, 30, a fitness influencer with over 43,000 Instagram followers, died after eating 10,000 calories a day during an extreme junk food challenge
08:30, 13 Sep 2026Updated 08:31, 13 Sep 2026
Dmitry died a little over a month into his challenge(Image: Instagram/dmitryfit)
A 30-year-old influencer tragically died in a shocking challenge to put on 55lbs by eating 10,000 calories before shedding it all again as part of an extreme fitness challenge.
Dmitry Nuyanzin decided to eat 10,000 calories daily – nearly four times the recommended 2,500 daily intake for men, all to try to promote his weight-loss programme.
The fitness guru, who had amassed more than 43,000 Instagram followers, wanted to demonstrate his programme’s effectiveness, vowing to pay $100 to anyone weighing over 220lbs who managed to drop 10 per cent of their body weight by New Year’s Eve, according to Perth Now.
Gorging on burgers, pizza, chips, pastries, and dumplings slathered in mayonnaise, Dmitry managed to pile on at least 28lbs in just one month, ballooning from 202lbs to 231lbs in around a month.
He called it his junk food ‘marathon’. Launching his plan at the end of last year, Dmitry told his followers: “Friends! My WEIGHT LOSS COURSE is starting very soon, where you can win awesome prizes and, most importantly, build a beautiful body, learn how to eat well, and enjoy working out! I’ll be losing weight with my students, so it’ll be doubly exciting!”
The influencer wolfed thousands of calories over the recommended limit a day(Image: Instagram/dmitryfit)
During the challenge, Dmitry regularly updated followers on his progress, sharing snaps of himself devouring high-fat meals. Outlining his eating regime in one post, Dmitry, who lived in the Russian city of Orenburg, said: “I am currently gaining weight for my weight-loss course, and this is my 10,000-calorie diet.
“For breakfast, I have a plate of pastries and half a cake. For lunch, I usually eat 800 grams of dumplings with mayonnaise. During the day, I may snack on crisps, and for dinner, I have a burger and two small pizzas, either at a café or delivered.”
In his final Instagram post, shared on November 18, the influencer was pictured holding a packet of crisps while rubbing his stomach, accompanied by the caption: “I wanted it, and I got it!” Devastatingly, according to reports from the Ostorozhno Novosti channel, Dmitry suffered cardiac arrest while sleeping and died.
He ate a range of junk food(Image: instagram.com/dmitryfit)
He was determined to pile on the pounds(Image: instagram.com/dmitryfit)
This happened just one day after Dmitry cancelled his gym sessions, telling friends he was feeling unwell and intended to see a doctor. He has reportedly been laid to rest in Orenburg, with touching tributes pouring in for “an amazing person”, remembered as “bright” and “positive”.
One social media user wrote: “It is better to prove such theories not in practice. Rest in peace.”
Another added: “It’s true. If you’re not used to junky fries, fast food, it will indeed make you sick” A third person noted: “Well, if ever there was a cautionary tale, then this has to be it.”
He said he was feeling unwell before his tragic death(Image: instagram.com/dmitryfit)
The British Heart Foundation warns that carrying excess weight can pose serious dangers to your heart. According to their website, “It can lead to fatty material building up in your arteries (atherosclerosis), increase your risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. These are also risk factors for heart disease.
“If the arteries supplying blood to your heart become damaged and blocked, it could result in a heart attack. If this occurs in the arteries supplying blood to your brain, it could lead to a stroke or vascular dementia.”
Dmitry was a graduate of the Orenburg Olympic Reserve School and the National Fitness University in St. Petersburg, as reported by Mail Online. During his career, he is said to have coached members of the Russian elite and inspired his vast online following.
Reports suggest that Dmitry was married and did not have any children. At this time, his official cause of death has not been revealed.