Joe Wicks Fires Back with Shirtless Selfie, Claims He’s ‘In the Best Shape of My Life’ After Sugar Criticism

Joe Wicks hit back at recent criticism with a shirtless selfie on Wednesday and insisted he was ‘in the best shape of my life.’

The fitness mogul, 39, was recently slammed for ‘demonising’ sugar, after revealing his daughter pleaded with him for a sweet treat last week. 

Many fans said he was failing to promote balance, while others insisted he was encouraging negative attitudes to food. 

Standing his ground in a defiant post to his Instagram Story, Joe posed for a photo in his home gym and detailed his diet. 

He wrote: ‘This year I’ve been so much more consistent with my food. I’ve been eating way less sugar than I used to and I’ve stopped snacking between meals.

‘I’ve stopped drinking fizzy drinks. I’m batch cooking more and I’m really starting to see healthy food as a reward after a stressful day and not chocolate and sweets.’

Joe concluded: ‘I feel I’m in the best shape of my life and not because I’ve trained any harder but because I’ve focused on my food choices and been much more consistent.’ 

Last week, the PT shared a lengthy post detailing a trip to the soft play with two of his children; daughter Leni, three, and son Dusty, 15 months. He also shares Indie, seven, and Marley, six, with wife Rosie. 

Joe voiced disdain over the fact that all food at the play area was sugar-packed, to which he bemoaned: ‘Nothing will ever be more appealing to them than the sugar and it’s just a battle you face multiple times a day when you are out with little kid’.

He then regaled: ‘After explaining to her that I had some fruit for her she said “Daddy why do all the other kids get to eat sugar?”. 

‘It’s such a hard thing to explain to a 3 year old and in that moment it really just left me feeling like I’m a s**t dad.’

Joe’s comments centered around UPFs [ultra processed food] and the ready availability of sugar to young children.

The star, who soared to fame as a wellness guru under the name The Body Coach, has spoken in the past about going on sugar detoxes and the harmful nature of ‘sugar dependance’ – leading to discussion around moderation.  

His caption read: ‘I took Leni and Dusty to a soft play yesterday in a Leisure centre. The first thing you see as you walk in the door is vending machines full of sugar…’ 

He added: ‘After saying not now darling we got to the soft play and there was a cafe selling the lot, all at eye level to the kids. Chocolate bars, crisps, muffins, fruit shoots, fizzy drinks, fruit pastilles, cakes and slushies….

‘The food menu was the usual deep fried stuff and jam sandwiches with cartons of sugary juice which just reinforces to parents that kids eat kids food and that’s it…

‘We did have some fruit with us and I had made them both a healthy lunch at home before we arrived but nothing will ever be more appealing to them than the sugar and it’s just a battle you face multiple times a day when you are out with little kids…

‘After explaining to her that I had some fruit for her she said “Daddy why do all the other kids get to eat sugar?”. It’s such a hard thing to explain to a 3 year old and in that moment it really just left me feeling like I’m a s**t dad…

‘I think the snack culture is where we have gone wrong the most with our diets. We do not need to be snacking and grazing all through the day especially on foods which spike blood sugar levels & increase our appetite and cravings…

‘I mean sugar is literally everywhere everyday and it’s in almost every single processed product on the shelves. It’s impossible to avoid…

‘Has it always been this way or am I just noticing it more because I’m trying to help my kids eat healthier. My kids do eat sugar…

‘They do have treats but it’s not an all day everyday thing which we have become accustomed to. It’s just sad that this is something we all have to face and navigate through as parents and it never feels easy…

‘What’s the answer? I don’t bloody know. I wish I did. I just know it’s something I’m trying my best to figure out every day as a parent. What’s your opinion and thoughts on this?’

Followers objected to Joe’s attitude, with users writing: ‘Your kids are going to nose dive into a bag of sugar soon as they’re old enough to physically do so…

‘The more you force this no sugar on them the more they’ll crave it as they get older, trust me. I was a rebellious teenager when my parents tried to force things on me. You’re going to create monster…’ 

His latest post comes after Joe faced criticism from personal trainers, nutritionists and dietitians after he claimed he has ‘relapsed’ from his sugar-free lifestyle.

The fitness coach has been sharing his journey on social media as he tries to eliminate sugar from his diet altogether, including natural sugars found in fruits.

However, the online fitness community has raised concerns that he is sending out ‘irresponsible’ messages about disordered eating to his millions of fans.

Joe, who has 4.8 million followers on Instagram alone, posted an update video on his sugar-free journey and confessed he had ‘smashed a whole packet of Jaffa Cakes’.

He said the moment of weakness occurred while he was filming the celebrity special for BBC game show series Gladiators, and led to him eating more sugar in the form of brownies and various fruits over the next few days.