Regular Size Me
Many of you have heard me foam at the mouth at Morgan Spurlock’s spurious documentary and many of you have laughed at me, called me names and generally derided me because your sheep-like bleating of Spurlock’s ideas on diet reinforced the hippie notion that McDonalds is evil. Merab Morgan agrees with me though and proved it — more than I was willing to do — by losing 33 pounds eating only at McDs.
20 Responses to “Regular Size Me”
Comment from jank
Time July 15, 2005 at 2:58 pm
60% baby.
I’m down close to 30 lbs for the year, and I eat fast food for lunch most days.
Comment from etrigan
Time July 19, 2005 at 3:37 pm
Attacking the woman as “trash” seems odd. Do you know her personally?
As for a “profile of nutrition”, I believe (as several doctors do) that we get most of the vitamans (and water) we need from normal food intake. Taking extra steps to get better nutrition is probably only neccesary if you are training for a strenuous athletic activity like a marathon or the Tour de France. However you are free to disagree, Dr. Fat.
As for the cost, I challenge you to find a cheaper meal on the go. That’s one of my biggest beefs with the anti-McDs elitests: an urban single-parent dual-job family does not always have the time (or even the facilities) for cooking at home. Finding take-out that approaches the cost of home-cooked food is difficult.
You are correct, though, that McDs is not at fault for people being obese. McDonalds has had dietary menus readily available longer than a lot of fast food restaurants.
(Good for you, Jank! I may actually get around to losing weight soon.)
Comment from 9% Body Fat
Time July 19, 2005 at 7:35 pm
Ok – I hardly attacked her – anyway – I don’t think she reads your blog so her feelings should be still in one piece.
Your point about getting the vitamins and water from normal food intake – I agree with you 100%. However I wouldn’t call McDonalds “normal food”
As for the cost – challenge accepted. If you look at the list of food items below you will see that it works out to being less than the approx $80 this woman spends on her slop. I think even you will have to agree that this stuff isn’t hard to put together. However, if she lives in a trailer with no cooker and fridge then I cant help her :)
The list below gets a bit squished with the cut and paste but it should show up as the item x quantity x price. She has MORE than enough to keep her going for over a week.
Total price comes to $66.15
Apples Golden Delicious x 6= $4.14
Bananas Yellow x 7= $2.31
Potatoes Red Baby Bliss x 3 LB BAG = $2.99
Salad Dole Greener Selections Romaine & Iceberg 2 × 12 OZ BAG = $5.58
Perdue Chicken Whole Fryer APX 5 LB x 1= 8.95
Pork Chops Butterfly Boneless – APX 1.5 LB x 1= $8.98
USDA Choice Steak Top Round 1/2” APX 1 LB x 1=$4.99
Dean’s Milk 2% Reduced Fat 1 GAL x 1= $3.79
Kefir Cultured Smoothie Low Fat Strawberry 2 × 32 OZ BTL =$ 5.98
Green Giant Seasoned Vegetables Garden Vegetable Medley 1× 19 OZ Bg=$ 3.79
Country’s Delight Bread 100% Whole Wheat 24 OZ PKG x 1= $1.89
Quaker Old Fashioned Oats 42 OZ CAN x 1= $3.99
Barilla PLUS Multi-Grain Pasta Spaghetti 1 × 16 OZ BOX= $1.99
Bella Vita Pasta Sauce Spicy Tomato Low Carb 26 OZ JAR x 1=$3.29
Bumble Bee Tuna Chunk Light in Lemon Water 6 OZ CAN x 3=$2.97
Total price comes to $66.15
Comment from etrigan
Time July 19, 2005 at 11:29 pm
Now factor in the cost of taking hours from one or another job to make dinner and clean afterward.
Comment from 9% Body Fat
Time July 20, 2005 at 10:08 am
The fact that you’ve mentioned needing to lose weight a couple of times says it all. I have no further questions – the prosecution rests its case.
Comment from KMc
Time July 20, 2005 at 10:11 am
People, people…
Can’t we at least agree that all problems can be solved by unnecessary, space-consuming, single-purpose kitchen gadgets?
(via engizmodgeto)
Comment from etrigan
Time July 20, 2005 at 12:31 pm
the prosecution has body image issues like most americans.
I may need that device but only because Becky loves poached eggs and I love toast.
Comment from KMc
Time July 20, 2005 at 1:07 pm
You might also try this device.
It’s only $10, stows easily, is cheap to operate, will cook eggs and toast every possible way, and will last a lifetime.
Comment from etrigan
Time July 20, 2005 at 2:11 pm
Pshaw! Try making a reasonable poached egg in a skillet and get back to me.
Comment from KMc
Time July 20, 2005 at 3:46 pm
Comment from cynsmith
Time July 20, 2005 at 4:14 pm
In order to better undermine my husband’s diplomatic efforts, I would like to point out that our friend 9% up there completely missed John’s point – McDonald’s is PREPARED food.
Although that handy-dandy shopping list looks much like mine, nearly everything on it requires preparation (however easy). It is precisely that activity that most McDonald’s customers are trying to avoid.
I would also add that 9%‘s condescending, pretentious, classist attitude doesn’t help his case with me, an overweight person who prepares the majority of their own (fairly healthy) food, so I can’t imagine it helps with anyone else.
Comment from etrigan
Time July 20, 2005 at 7:03 pm
ok. that’s just creepy.
AIR TIMES:
- July 20, 2005 10:00 PM ET/PT
- July 21, 2005 2:00 AM ET/PT
- July 22, 2005 7:00 PM ET/PT
are you channeling the food network or what?
Comment from bt
Time July 20, 2005 at 8:20 pm
This whole thing has me really confused. Up top, it seemed that my college roommie was furious with the assertion that eating only Big Macs and getting no exercise made Morgan sick and overweight.
That works for me.
Then the discussion seemed to turn into some sort of cost-benefit-analysis regarding the time and expense of preparing your own food. It seems axiomatic to me that, if you have the time and the inclination to prepare your own food, your diet will be healthier and cheaper because of your efforts.
So, other than the tone of some posts, what exactly is the issue?
Comment from etrigan
Time July 21, 2005 at 9:34 am
Spurlock doesn’t posit that eating Big Macs for 30 days makes you unhealthy he posits that eating McDonalds for 30 days makes you unhealthy. (and then proceeds to eat super sized Big Mac meals for 30 days.) I find his argument common of the type the nation faces today (i.e., “Republican good, liberal bad! Grunt!”) especially in it’s veracity, and he presents this concept and his film as if he were doing a scientific study then lays out data that is wholly irrepresntative of his hypothesis. This woman proved that you can eat sensibly at McDs for a month and lose weight.
And it all parallels a point I’ve made many times that several targets of health nuts including McDs aren’t pure evil. They provide quickly acquired food approaching cook-at-home costs that when eaten in a sensible manner is not bad for you. It is common and blinded to assume that everyone has the resources to prepare a well cooked meal. McDonald’s provides an alternative, and I think that was always the mission of Ray Croc.
Comment from etrigan
Time July 21, 2005 at 9:05 pm
back to the gadget thing: I will concede that a reasonably poached egg can be made without a specific gadget after watching that episode, but I have to bring up a couple points.
- Alton specifically requires a non-stick skillet for his technique and I’m betting the cast iron won’t do.
- Following his technique properly (practice, practice, practice) would make a pretty provencial poached egg but a perfect orb-shaped ovum needs a gadget.
Comment from KMc
Time July 22, 2005 at 2:17 pm
Dude, when the shit goes down, you’re going to be begging me to poach you an egg.
Comment from etrigan
Time July 22, 2005 at 2:30 pm
and I’ll be glad to trade some of my rooster and peacock.
Comment from KMc
Time July 22, 2005 at 4:13 pm
I think we’re going to need to find a hen (or a peahen).
Comment from etrigan
Time July 25, 2005 at 12:36 pm
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Comment from 9% Body Fat
Time July 15, 2005 at 6:26 am
ok – so lets look at what we might have here.
1) The woman is trash. She could easily go out and buy quality raw ingredients and prepare herself some simple food each day that would give her a much better profile of nutrition. I wonder how her vitamin and mineral intake looks on this junk diet. According to the news stories on her she spends close to $80 per week on this dog slop. Sad. I dread to think what her 2 children have to eat. I’m guessing thats another $100+ per week on crappy slop.
2) I dont hold McDonalds in any way responsible for peoples obesity issues. If you are dumb enough to not watch what you eat and not get regular exercise then GREAT! The more these people get fat from hanging out in front of the TV eating junk the more space there is outside for fit and healthy folks to enjoy. Just watch my ankles at HEB when you fat lazy buckets of lard trundle around on your electric chairs.
3) 2/3 of Americans are obese. Shame on us. Where did our pride go as a nation. Why do we allow ourselves to look like crap and buy more and more bulk food thats low quality and making some corporate gick bandit richer. Last time I went to Walmart late at night for some batteries I was shocked at how many fat people were trundling around buying LARGE packets of everyhing. Probably bad example – anyone who buys bulk groceries in Walmart deserves an ass probing.
People need to educate themselves. Stop looking for quick fixes like carb free diets, Atkins etc and just eat good, decent clean food. Get out and exercise. I’m sick to death having to look at fat ass lazy MF’s in Austin.
Etrigan – get away from the computer screen and go exercise!! And drop the Doritos on the way out the door ;-)