Home | The Challenge | Diary | Statistics | Links | Contact

The Challenge

Spurlock's approach

Morgan Spurlock claims that his approach - eating only at McDonald's, always supersizing if asked, and no excercising, only represents the behavior of the average American.

While I doubt that the average American always supersizes when asked, I find it an interesting idea to copy "average" lifestyle habits and see what's going to happen, although it's quite predictable as more than 60% of the Americans are either overweight or obese.

But then, I think, consistently Spurlock should point his finger on the "average" American lifestyle and not McDonald's. Actually, I don't remember him blaming McDonald's explicitly, but considering the whole setting and promotion of the movie it is no wonder that many people who've seen the movie or heard about it say that "it's about a guy who ate only at McDonald's for 30 days and it nearly killed him!"

I think it's ok to be provocative and controversial, because it can bring an issue to the public discussion. (Just imagine how much attention this movie would have attracted without the absurd diet and targeting at McDonald's.)

One could question if Spurlock is the best candidate to raise the issue of manipulating people into eating unhealthy things, if you know what he did with his Show "I bet you will". It could make you think about Spurlock's motives, but it does not affect the actual movie.

So it's ok to start a discussion by doing absurd things and attacking an easy, but well-known target, but then it should become a real discussion, I think. But if people only blame McDonald's for the results of an ignorant lifestyle, this would be even more ignorant.

I would like to direct the focus more to the unhealthy lifestyle. If it's clear that it's not eating only at McDonald's that affected Spurlock's health, then it has to be what? - Overeating plus not excercising!

I am not the only one who thinks like that. There are at least 3 websites documenting such approaches. Interestingly, all the participants eventually lost weight.

I did not know about them when I decided to take on my own "McDiet", and when I found out I already liked the idea so much that I don't want to stop. (Well, - yet!) I would like to lose some weight, and it should be easy and tasty at McDonald's, as the food is easily available and so are the nutrition facts.

The Rules

• Eating only McDonald's products for 30 days
  "McDonald's product" means either I bought it at a McDonald's restaurant, or it is available there. The latter refers especially to the drinks. Currently, I have 1.5 litre bottles of Coke light and Evian Mineral Water and 250ml packs of Milo stored in my fridge.
  

• One vitamin pill per day is the only supplement
  I'll take one Eunova pill every day, as I did it for years. Why should I try to balance dozens of vitamins and minerals by combining food if I can have it in a pill?
  

• I'll exercise
  I would not start exercising for this challenge, but I don't want to stop it either. And not exercising is nothing that could be blamed on McDonald's.
  

• I will not upsize the meals when asked.
  I will upsize only if I feel like. It's ridiculous to let somebody else decide if you upsize or not, or to use some kind of silly principle for the decision. (As a matter of fact, for a long time it has been my principle to upsize everytime. But I've learned...)
  

• Will I eat all the items available at least once?
  Probably not. This is another silly principle that contradicts a conscious and reasonable choice. OK, I'll have all the burgers at least once, but I won't necessarily try all the desserts and soft drinks, because in almost 20 years of McDonald's experience I rarely or even never had them. And if I would have to push all the ice creams and sodas - and, currently, the floats - into 30 days, it would just spoil the idea of a reasonable nutrition.
  (Well, of course, eating only McDonald's products could be considered a silly principle itself. And in fact it is silly - but not necessarily unhealthy, and that's what I'm going to prove.)
  

• I will keep the receipts
  I will keep the receipts. I will not let "witnesses" sign them. If somebody doesn't want to believe me, I don't mind.

This site is neither endorsed nor supported by McDonald's, the food industry, or Morgan Spurlock.