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Puck The Texan
Joined: 05 Jan 2004 Posts: 5596
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 10:52 am Woman tries McDonald's Diet - and Drops 37 Pounds |
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CNN.com
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McDonald's diet? Some say it works
RALEIGH, North Carolina (AP) -- Inspired by the documentary "Super Size Me," Merab Morgan decided to give a fast-food-only diet a try. The construction worker and mother of two ate only at McDonald's for 90 days -- and dropped 37 pounds in the process.
It was a vastly different outcome than what happened in the documentary to filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, who put on 30 pounds and saw his health deteriorate after 5,000 calories a day of nothing but McDonald's food.
Morgan, from Henderson, North Carolina, thought the documentary had unfairly targeted the world's largest restaurant company, implying that the obese were victims of a careless corporate giant. People are responsible for what they eat, she said, not restaurants. The problem with a McDonald's-only diet isn't what's on the menu, but the choices made from it, she said.
"I thought it's two birds with one stone -- to lose weight and to prove a point for the little fat people," Morgan said. "Just because they accidentally put an apple pie in my bag instead of my apple dippers doesn't mean I'm going to say, 'Oh, I can eat the apple pie."'
Spurlock, who turned his surprise-hit movie into a TV show on the FX network, isn't talking about Morgan or the many other McDieters who have criticized his film and found success losing weight by eating healthy foods off the McDonald's menu, said his publicist, David Magdael.
One person went so far as to make her own independent film about dieting at McDonald's. "Me and Mickey D" follows Soso Whaley, of Kensington, New Hampshire, as she spends three 30-day periods on the diet. She dropped from 175 to 139 pounds, eating 2,000 calories-a-day at McDonald's.
"I had to think about what I was eating," Whaley said. "I couldn't just walk in there and say 'I'll take a cinnamon bun and a Diet Coke.' ... I know a lot of people are really turned off by the whole thought of monitoring what they are eating, but that's part of the problem."
As might be expected, McDonald's also objected to the impressions left by Spurlock's film. Walt Riker, the company's vice president of corporate communications, said Oak Brook, Illinois-based company is pleased -- but not surprised -- that some customers have lost weight eating only at the fast-food giant.
Spurlock's film "really spurred a backlash based on common sense," Riker said.
Morgan used nutritional information downloaded from McDonald's Web site to create meal plans of no more than 1,400 calories a day. She only ate french fries twice, usually choosing burgers and salads. Those choices are a stark contrast with those made by Spurlock, who ate every menu item at least once.
At the end of the 90 days, she had dropped from 227 to 190 pounds.
"It feels great," she said. "Because, the truth of the matter is that beauty is power, and if you're fat, or your overweight, then people don't really take you seriously."
Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agreed that a low-calorie, McDonald's-only diet can help people lose weight but said it may not offer enough long-term variety. Whatever an individual does to lose weight, they need to do for the rest of their life, she said.
Morgan said she hasn't decided if she will stick with the McDonald's-only plan to reach her goal of 150 pounds. But she does have one complaint about McDonald's.
"If I could suggest anything to McDonald's, I would suggest the McMargarita," Morgan said. "Dine-in only, of course."
Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Birdy Socialist
Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 13502 Location: Here.
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 11:05 am |
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Yeah, we all know it's possible to lose weight and only eat McDonalds; my question is; Is it healthy? Do you get all the vitamins and minerals you need, are you eating too much fat or suger? I wonder...
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 12:56 pm |
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Sure, it's not healthy to eat McDonalds straight-out for every meal--but who normally does that? But this article blows away the "SuperSize Me" movie in a lot of ways, and so those people that no longer eat there because of that movie are just crazy. What's wrong with fast-food once a month, hmmm? Nothing.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Leo Wyatt Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 19045 Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 1:11 pm |
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I don't believe you can loose weight eating from McDonalds. I gain weight each time. Plus their food make me sick anyway.
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 1:15 pm |
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Leo Wyatt wrote: | I don't believe you can loose weight eating from McDonalds. I gain weight each time. Plus their food make me sick anyway. |
Well, I would never suggest going on a McDonalds diet, no, of course not, but this just proves that it's okay to occassionally eat McDonalds.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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Jeremy J's Guy
Joined: 03 Oct 2002 Posts: 7823 Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 1:41 pm |
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I'm worried about what she was eating earlier...
Nah, it would be possible for it to happen, but you would have to do stuff like the salad and so on, rather than big burgers and chips. I would go elsewhere for that though.
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madlilnerd Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 5885 Location: Slough, England
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 3:12 pm |
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When Supersize Me came out McDonalds did not have the healthy range they have now.
And did you know that a McDonalds chicken salad has more salt than a big mac? That's appalling!
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Link, the Hero of Time Vice Admiral
Joined: 15 Sep 2001 Posts: 5581 Location: Kokori Forest, Hyrule
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:05 pm |
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Quote: | Spurlock, who turned his surprise-hit movie into a TV show on the FX network, isn't talking about Morgan or the many other McDieters who have criticized his film and found success losing weight by eating healthy foods off the McDonald's menu, said his publicist, David Magdael. |
As Madlilnerd has already said, It wasn't until after the movie came out that Micky D's decided to integrate heart healthy foods into their menus.
What this woman did, was not doing a true McDonald's diet and eating what he ate for 30 days. She ate all the new items, therefore her conclusion is biased making it null and void
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:43 pm |
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Link, the Hero of Time wrote: | Quote: | Spurlock, who turned his surprise-hit movie into a TV show on the FX network, isn't talking about Morgan or the many other McDieters who have criticized his film and found success losing weight by eating healthy foods off the McDonald's menu, said his publicist, David Magdael. |
As Madlilnerd has already said, It wasn't until after the movie came out that Micky D's decided to integrate heart healthy foods into their menus.
What this woman did, was not doing a true McDonald's diet and eating what he ate for 30 days. She ate all the new items, therefore her conclusion is biased making it null and void |
Well, that's a good point. However, I would say that even the SuperSize Me movie is not valid, because WHO in the world would eat McDonalds 30 days in a row!? NO ONE in actuality would. Maybe some crazy person, but most people don't. What that movie proved was that having it so many days in a row is bad, but NOT that having it every once in a while is bad.
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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IntrepidIsMe Pimp Handed
Joined: 14 Jun 2002 Posts: 13057 Location: New York
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Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:58 pm |
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McDonalds has had those Salad Shaker things for yeaaaaaars.
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"Nelly, I am Heathcliff! He's always, always in my mind: not as a pleasure, any more than I am always a pleasure to myself, but as my own being."
-Wuthering Heights
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Jeff Miller Fleet Admiral
Joined: 22 Nov 2001 Posts: 23947 Location: Mental Ward for the Mentaly Unstable 6th floor, Saint John's 1615 Delaware Longview Washington 98632
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 12:05 am |
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Congrats to her for losing that weight, however she did it. she should be proud.
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Dirt Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 2086 Location: a tree
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 1:41 am |
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Duh, ofcourse she can lose weight at mcdonalds, she just had to look at what she's eating. HowEVER imvho you could lose weight in a healthier way.
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Leo Wyatt Sweetest Angel
Joined: 25 Feb 2004 Posts: 19045 Location: Investigating A Crime Scene. What did Quark do this time?
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 3:20 am |
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I agree with Dirt on this one. McDonalds food is really not healthy. Some friends really made me pay attention more about fast food places. Thanks Birdy and Annette. I say just go to the grocery store, buy healthy foods and excercise daily. That's the way to loose weight. McDonalds, yeah is ok every once in a while. But, not all the time.
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Birdy Socialist
Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 13502 Location: Here.
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 10:24 am |
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Leo Wyatt wrote: | I agree with Dirt on this one. McDonalds food is really not healthy. Some friends really made me pay attention more about fast food places. Thanks Birdy and Annette. I say just go to the grocery store, buy healthy foods and excercise daily. That's the way to loose weight. McDonalds, yeah is ok every once in a while. But, not all the time. |
Cool that we have such an influence on you Deb! I'm really happy about that that you've started to think about that. Remember, you're teaching your kids how to eat too,
Once in a while some french fries or a burger is no big deal, just as long as you don't do it 3 times a week it's ok
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Republican_Man STV's Premier Conservative
Joined: 26 Mar 2004 Posts: 14823 Location: Classified
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:20 am |
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Leo Wyatt wrote: | I agree with Dirt on this one. McDonalds food is really not healthy. Some friends really made me pay attention more about fast food places. Thanks Birdy and Annette. I say just go to the grocery store, buy healthy foods and excercise daily. That's the way to loose weight. McDonalds, yeah is ok every once in a while. But, not all the time. |
Well, you could probably only do that with a sub place anyways
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"Rights are only as good as the willingness of some to exercise responsibility for those rights- Fmr. Colorado Senate Pres. John Andrews
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webtaz99 Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 1229 Location: The Other Side
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 11:33 am |
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First off, I could eat sawdust and loose 37 pounds.
Second, isn't eating only McFood just like having bulimia?
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"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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Birdy Socialist
Joined: 20 Sep 2004 Posts: 13502 Location: Here.
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:07 pm |
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webtaz99 wrote: | First off, I could eat sawdust and loose 37 pounds.
Second, isn't eating only McFood just like having bulimia? |
No, bulimia is when you eat too much food and throw it all up later.
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Seven of Nine Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001 Posts: 7871 Location: North East England
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 2:09 pm |
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Lollypop
Has anyone got any tips on how to put weight on? I don't live near enough to McDonalds to go everyday...
In truth though, no matter where or what you eat, it's all down to calories. If you take in more calories than you use, you'll put on weight. If you use more calories than you take in, you'll lose weight. You can do it so you're healthy (taking in the right amount of nutrients and stuff), or so you're unhealthy (not having enough vitamins and stuff). It's possible to both lose and gain weight by living on a McDonalds only diet, but I doubt you'll be getting all the nutients you need doing it that way. Now, if only I could figure out how to put on weight without making myself ill...
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Starbuck faster...
Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 8715 Location: between chaos and melody
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 7:15 pm |
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Its also possible to loose 10 lbs on this little diet I like to call the stomach flu.
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webtaz99 Commodore
Joined: 13 Nov 2003 Posts: 1229 Location: The Other Side
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Mon Aug 15, 2005 7:37 pm |
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Birdy wrote: | webtaz99 wrote: | First off, I could eat sawdust and loose 37 pounds.
Second, isn't eating only McFood just like having bulimia? |
No, bulimia is when you eat too much food and throw it all up later. |
Bulimia is when you throw up to lose weight. Or when you eat at McDonald's.
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"History is made at night! Character is who you are in the dark." (Lord John Whorfin)
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Dirt Exercise Boy
Joined: 19 May 2003 Posts: 2086 Location: a tree
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Tue Aug 16, 2005 3:23 am |
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He's right you know, Burger King is so much better
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borgslayer Rear Admiral
Joined: 27 Aug 2003 Posts: 2646 Location: Las Vegas
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Tue Aug 16, 2005 6:09 pm |
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Losing weight at mcdonald is all about choices. If I eat nothing but mcdonald salads for 30 days I would lose weight. But if I eat a big mac meal everyday mcdonalds then my weight would probably increase by 50 pounds.
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madlilnerd Duchess of Dancemat
Joined: 03 Aug 2004 Posts: 5885 Location: Slough, England
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Wed Aug 17, 2005 9:56 am |
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Seven of Nine wrote: |
Has anyone got any tips on how to put weight on? I don't live near enough to McDonalds to go everyday...
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I'll give you a masterclass. You'll need a whole lot of chocolate, a stack of movies and a pot noodle three times a day. Oh, and make sure you get your daily quota of MSG
McDonalds is not nutrionally viable. They go on about their fresh ingredients, but the food still has too much salt and bad trans fats in it.
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Seven of Nine Sammie's Mammy
Joined: 16 Jun 2001 Posts: 7871 Location: North East England
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Wed Aug 17, 2005 4:28 pm |
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Hummm... but I'm already eating a family size (200g) bar of chocolate a day, and still don't seem to be able to put it on
I'm letting Sammie have a happy meal once a month or so... she likes chicken grills, Fruit Shoots (which I have at home for her anyway for taking out), and a fruit bag in her Happy Meal I like the toy
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