Woman Loses 33 lbs. Eating McDonald's

[ecstatic]

"Super Size Me," the Oscar-nominated documentary by Morgan Spurlock that showed the inherent health dangers of eating too much fast food, angered Henderson, N.C. resident Merab Morgan so much she decided to prove it wrong. Like Spurlock, she decided to eat nothing but McDonald's food for 90 days. Unlike Spurlock, she limited herself to 1,400 calories a day.

The results? By day 67 she had lost 33 pounds, reports the Raleigh News & Observer. Morgan is 5 feet, 9 inches tall and now weighs about 195 pounds. She hopes to lose between 40 and 60 pounds. Her dress size dropped from a 22 or 24 to a 15. She says she feels great, despite other people worrying about the effects of Sausage Burritos and Filet-O-Fish sandwiches on her cholesterol.

What's next for Merab Morgan? She wants to become to McDonald's what Jared Fogle is to Subway.

http://channels.netscape.com/new/html/live/scoop/np/1.html

[MisterP]

1. "Supersize Me" ANGERED her? Wonder if she had mucho stocko.

[Flying Dream Blues]

2. 1400 calories...is that 1/2 an order of fries?

[Massacure]

7. A large fry order has 520 calories.

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.categories.exchanges.index.html

Here is a count of the calories in most, if not all, of McDonald's food.

[Stephanie]

35. A Value Meal can have 1300 calories

I checked this recently re: Wendys. My friend had large fries, burger & a coke. I had a mediterranean salad and a diet coke. (unblock I am talking to you!!!)

I looked it up when I got back to the office. His calories: around 1300, IIRC. My calories, around 400.

[unblock]

50. locking. moderator callout :)

:hi:

hey, i had a DOUBLE quarterpounder with cheese, but it was plain, they put all the calories in the glop ;)

besides, i never can finish it all! they don't make a three-eighths pounder :)

also if you're gonna report on my calorie intake you should also report that i'm officially at the "normal weight" for my height (bmi 24).

[Stephanie]

51. I will attest that despite the humongous lunch that you didn't finish

You are at a perfectly normal weight for your height, in very good shape. But I seriously did compare the calories when I came back and I was amazed. That's a day's worth of calories for the average woman.

[rzemanfl]

3. If she takes some Immodium, she can gain it right back. n/t

[waldnorm]

4. Filet o Fish Sandwich Diet?!!

On Filet O Fish sandwiches? That's not nutritious. Her as a spokesperson would be like when Kentucky Fried Chicken claimed the chicken was a low-carb, and thus healthy food. Sounds like she's as much opportunistic as the Wendy's finger lady, she's just doing it more within the realms of "legitimacy.

[linazelle]

9. Can you spell m-e-r-c-u-r-y?

Not to mention malnutrition.

And with today's media being what it is, we will never know if she was paid for this stunt.

[XemaSab]

56. I am under the impression

that the filet o' fish is one of the most calorie-intensive things that they serve.

[Beaverhausen]

5. She is eating way fewer calories than he did or than she used to

that is why she is losing weight.

How stupid do they think we are?

[thinkingwoman]

10. they think we're morans. nt.

[blondeatlast]

15. He ate way more calories than necessary, is there a difference?

I make no judgments on either, but it's manipulation either way.

[shugh514]

23. He ate was offered to him

that was the point. To bring attention to the Supersize portions that these fast food outlets are pushing on their customers. That many calories are not necessary!

The result was they stopped promoting the Supersize portions.

[blondeatlast]

25. He knew he was eating unhealthy portions. As I say, I make no judgments;

they both were manipulative, neither one more than the other, IMHO.

I enjoyed "Super size Me," but it was manipulation. Documentaries usually are, that's what makes them interesting.

[Stephanie]

38. doesn't negate the point though

you could choose the low-calorie option. Ideally, they would only offer healthy options.

[lady lib]

6. "Needless to say, health experts are horrified."

"Barry Popkin, director of the Interdisciplinary Obesity Center at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and a professor of nutrition and public health, told the News & Observer that eating nothing but McDonald's is not healthy since it will not provide needed vitamins, minerals, fiber and dairy. The only reason Morgan is losing weight is because she's limiting herself to 1,400 calories daily."

And I wonder how her liver enzyme levels are doing.

[mcscajun]

13. You have to wonder how long she'll keep it up...

...and how long before she winds up in a hospital for malnutrition.

I remember a woman I worked with 30 years ago; she ate nothing but prepared frozen foods every single day (*I don't know WHAT she ate for breakfast*). She was skinny, pale as a ghost, and actually did wind up in the hospital with a severe case of malnutrition.

This woman on her self-created "McDonald's Diet" is proving absolutely nothing...except perhaps her extreme stubborness and innate stupidity.

[blondeatlast]

26. Let's again broaden our thinking, is that any worse than what Spurlock

did?

IMHO, no.

[punpirate]

8. The only way you could stay under 1400 calories a day

eating McDonald's food would be to eat the grease-stained containers.... :P

[PA Democrat]

11. "Poor man's diet" at $9 to $11 per day?

Seriously folks. I can feed my family of 4 much healthier and nutritious food for less than $280 per week.

[lady lib]

14. PA Democrat: Do tell how.

Please, do me (and probably a lot of others) a favor and start a thread in the lounge with your secrets to inexpensive meals.

I would be REALLY grateful. :)

[unpossibles]

28. fresh vegetables and basic ingredients

(such as dry beans and rice) go a long way and are cheap. The prep time on the other hand, adds to the cost....

[XemaSab]

64. I'd be down for a lounge thread

Vegetable curry is wicked cheap and wicked good.

Ditto for homemade burritos. If you want to get student-cheap, homemade mac and cheese is VERY cheap, but not as wicked good.

Either way, fast food is expen$$$ive compared to many healthier foods. Even a homemade sammich and a piece of fruit is healthy and very cheap.

[Julius Civitatus]

12. Did McDonalds pay her to pull this stunt?

It wouldn't surprise me if this is a PR stunt orchestrated by McDonalds to counter the bad publicity they got from "Supersize Me."

Remember, McDonalds freaked out about the movie, and even changed their entire menu as a consequence. They have been pumping lots of PR money into convincing Americans that eating their garbage is not that bad for your body.

I'm willing to bet this is part of their PR operations. Remember, this is America, and McDonalds is a massive multinational corporation. They basically rule this country and can do as they please.

PS: Notice that she limited her daily diet to a minimum, given that a regular McDonalds meal packs almost twice her entire daily caloric intake. In the end, her stunt doesn't prove shit, as her McDonald's diet is NOT REPRESENTATIVE of the average McDonald meal, by a long shot. It's too well thought-out not to be a corporate PR stunt.

Using that methodology, I can prove to you that I can lose weight by eating only and exclusively Twinkies. Just reduce my diet to half a Twinkie a day... you'll see me losing 30 or 40 pounds in a few weeks.

[FreedomAngel82]

16. Uh yeah

Okay. Did she even know anything about the film? The guy at nothing but Super size me stuff and didn't watch his weight. Duh!! It doesn't really do anything if you watch your calories. I mean c'mon! Get real!

[ooglymoogly]

17. was it the one near her house....

well concrete block and stucco don't have any carbs to speak of and no calories. bit heavy on the stoumach...guess she'll be sh*tin bricks for a while.

[1932]

18. It would be as funny as hell for McD's to have 200 lb woman as example

of how great their food is.

Incdientally, there was a point in SSM when Sperlock lost weight because he was losing muscle and replacing it with fat that's lighter). Then he gained more weight.

It would be more interestng if this woman limited herself to 1600 calorie diet of McDs and then one of anything but fast food and then subjected herself to medical tests.

The media should not be promoting this story without pointing out these issues, BTW.

[Phoonzang]

19. I say good for her...

McDonald's tastes good... I didn't exactly get what Spurlock was trying to say in that movie. I understood the whole cultural message, about how we were a nation of fatties, but why should I stop eating McDonald's occasionally? I mean all food that tastes really good is going to be bad for you. Why should I suffer and eat that nasty stuff Spurlocks vegetarian girlfriend was serving him in the beginning. I mean...yuck.

You could tell that he loved the stuff, even though he puked after eating a Double Quarter pounder (pussy...:P). Ok he ate McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day and got sick....DUH! Of course you'll get sick really quick eating that stuff. The key is to watch what you eat and get exercise. No need to burn down the McDonalds (delicious, delicious McDonalds) and eat only leaves...

[Julius Civitatus]

20. You obviously didn't get the point

and the entire message of the movie flew way over your head.

Sorry, but he wasn't out to burn McDonald but to prove a point about fast food consumption.

:hi:

[Phoonzang]

22. Look again

Wow that was quick. But I expected it...

Read my post again. I said I got that part of the movie. What I didn't like is how it made it seem like I'm supposed to feel ashamed whenever I go get a big ol' Burger. What can I say? I love the stuff. I'm an addict! The movie just annoyed me...

I know it was a great look into our culture and everything but I'm just telling you how I felt about it.

[Stephanie]

42. Can I get a job where you work?

It seems really easy. What do they pay?

[Phoonzang]

44. I work for charity....

I suppose that was supposed to be an insult. *sigh*
Listen, I agree that people need to be educated on the dangers of unhealthy food like McDonalds. I also think that these places need to start offering more healthy options. But the fact is some people are still going to occasionally want that kind of food. Fast food outlets are a place that serves that....er...need.

[mr blur]

60. The point of the film wasn't just that Americans are "fatties",

but that McDonald's food is unhealthy garbage. Of course it tastes "good", if they didn't do something to make it taste like that then who the hell would eat it?

A giant Coke - carbonated chemical crap containing over 20 spoonfuls of sugar - yum!

[GeekMonkey]

61. except that mcd's food tastes nasty

[Lefty48197]

21. 1400 calories per day of McDonald's food?

That's like 5/8 of a double quarter pounder with cheese.
Or a big mack, with 3 sips of coke. Or a biggie fry and two fruit cups (hold the yogurt). Or it's 4 biggie coke's.

[spanone]

24. Don't tell me, she lost her appetite?

[ClintonTyree]

27. Oh shit, not another "Jared".............

every time I see that numb-skull's face on the TV I want to hurl. I won't eat at Subway until they come up with some new commercials. "Jared" has outlived his welcome. :puke:

If I have to put up with another one of these "fast food is good for you" assholes, I'll smash my TV. TV certainly is a vast wasteland.

[ecstatic]

31. LOL ... but the subway diet works!!

But McDonald's dare not try to go that route. I mean, come on? The sad part is many greedy Americans would believe and try it.

[entanglement]

29. anorexia or bulimia? n/t

[Gold Metal Flake]

30. All you people hate America!!!!

If you do NOT love giant corporations, you are traitors!!!

She will eat BurgerPax every day and in six months she will look like Courtney Cox BELIEVE IT!!!11

ZIK ZAK

Know Future!

Total Market Domination!!

[Phoonzang]

32. I don't apparently...

The psychoactive mind-controlling drugs they put in the French Fry (I mean Freedom Fry:eyes:) batter has turned me into a burger eating, grease dripping corporate drone. :crazy:

[Gold Metal Flake]

34. Exxxcelent!

I thought the drug had weakened since we switched to our S.E.Asian source. We started using ground mugwump back in '02, and you didn't even notice did you? Bwahahahahaha!!

Sorry, I can't pull out a punchline right now. :-(

[Phoonzang]

41. Well I did start to feel...

More of an urge to complain about "how them dirty liberals are ruining America". Sometimes I would wake up in a cold sweat screaming about commies getting gay-married and taking away our guns. I'd have to run to the 24 hour burger place and stuff a quadruple cheese burger in my mouth just to stop the shaking. Good job with that particular mixture. B-)

[HughBeaumont]

33. The food she's eating is still shitty and bad for her.

Calories or not, the fried crap is still free radicals, harmful to most people's lipid levels.

I'm still not getting why Big Food and it's worshippers are pissed at this movie and feel they have to defame it for some reason. It's more a commentary about consumption, the effects of advertisement and addiction than an insult on the way someone eats. If that was his intent, why would he feature Don Gorske, who has a cholesterol level of 140 despite consuming 20,000 Big Macs over a lifetime? Everyone's body processes food differently. One could replace the Big Mac with television, cigarettes or the military, it's the same thing. Each object, via advertising or other influence, catches the potential consumer young and hooks him/her once they try it. Roles, habits and diets for a lifetime are created in this very fashion, but with food, we don't often see it.

Seems to me that generally the same people who hate Michael Moore hate Morgan Spurlock, for whatever reason. Man, it's not like he's preaching veganism on you guys - Morgan himself is a dyed-in-the-wool omnivore and pork fiend.

[quinnox]

36. lol, funny story

Bet she is a right winger.
I like eating fast food too but I'm not dumb enough to pretend it will make people lose weight or that it's good for you.

[mattclearing]

37. Watch her die of a heart attack.

Something tells me McDonald's will fail to make her their Jared after that.

[shockra]

39. There's a new movie out about McDonald's.

Called McLibel.

Synopsis

McLibel is the true story of a postman and a gardener who took on McDonald's and wouldn't say "McSorry," in a legal battle since described as "the biggest corporate PR disaster in history."

McDonald's loved using the UK's libel laws to suppress criticism. Major media organizations like the BBC and The Sun had crumbled and apologized. But then McDonald's sued penniless activists' Helen Steel and Dave Morris.

In what became the longest trial in English legal history, the "McLibel 2" represented themselves against McDonald's USD$19 million legal team.

Every aspect of the corporation's business was cross-examined: from junk food and McJobs, to animal cruelty, environmental damage and the company's advertising to children.

more...

http://www.cinemalibrestudio.com/mclibel/McLibelSynopsis.html

[Stray Roots]

40. What does she eat the kid's meal?

?

[Endangered Specie]

43. this is irrelevant...Its just not calories and weight that count

Eating nothing but processed food that doesnt come close to meeting the food pyramid is, in the long run, bad for you, and not easily measurable on a scale.


I could, in theory, lose weight by eating nothinng but 1000 calories of chocolate bars, but I bet that would ruin my health in the long term.

Further more, losing the weight is half the goal, KEEPING it off is the main battle, and that requires lifelong good eating habits.

If I may bluntly suggest to her trying to eat that way for 5 years, lets see what happens then, she is none too bright and has obvious motives for this little scheme.

[AlCzervik]

45. if you eat 1400 calories of chocolate a day you'll lose weight

same gores for Crisco-lard style. Get your blood work done and then tell me how great it is for you.

[fob]

55. Exactly, it makes no difference that it was mickey-d's food, the issue

is she CUT BACK her food intake to 1400 calories, and since she chose such "healthy" food, she should have perfectly healthy cholesterol, blood pressure etc. Will she release that as well?

[mainer]

46. They do sell salads, you know.

I'm partial to the taco salad.

[true_notes]

47. Sounds like this Tramp

Is piggy-backing corporatism. EVERYONE KNOWS MICKY D'S IS HORRIBLE FOOD,WHY SELL YOUR SOUL TO PROVE OTHERWISE?

[Scout]

54. how is she a tramp? that was uncalled for. n/t

[redqueen]

63. Well, she's female, and doing something objectionable...

so of course the sexist slurs are the best way to share your disagreement.

:sarcasm:

[GeekMonkey]

65. well, she IS whoring for McD's

pretty trampy in my opinion

[im10ashus]

48. Let her.

I don't care if they were giving away food there. I wouldn't darken their corporate doorway. For too long they have poisoned humans with their rendition of nutrition.

[goodboy]

49. so what did she eat? doesn't say?

[Swede]

52. A balanced diet is important,no matter the source.

If she can motivate herself this way,well good for her.

[durutti]

53. But it's very hard to *healthily* eat 1,400 calories a day on McDonald's.

Sure, you can eat McDonald's and lose weight -- but you'll have a hard time getting all of your essential nutrients.

[rniel]

57. Maybe she'll be the next Jared from Subway

I'd love to see that

[BiggJawn]

58. How about I eat 3 sticks of Butter a day?

THAT would be only about 1400 calories.

BUT....Would it be HEALTHY????
I seriously doubt it.

A "Number One Value Meal" with a "Hot Apple Pie" is 1450 calories.

ONE Big Mac

ONE medium Fry

ONE medium Coke

And a "Apple Pie"...

That's ALL you get for the WHOLE day.

[rniel]

59. Who eats 1400 calories at mcdonalds

Any one of their 6 meals is more than 1400 calories alone I believe.

[MissB]

62. Wow. Bet her heart is thanking her.