Yo: Super-Size THIS, Spurlock

[Bark Bark Bark]

Just a little reminder that, while one should keep an open mind, one shouldn't accept every anti-corporate, conventional-wisdom media event--like Spurlock's Super-Size Me--at face value, but rather take each one with a grain of salt.

http://my.netscape.com/corewidgets/news/story.psp?cat=50200&id=2005081123110001383189

RALEIGH, N.C. (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 Raleigh, 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.

...

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.

...

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.

[MrScorpio]

1. We all know that the corporations have our best interests at heart, right?

Let's let them all off the hook.




Who's with me?

[WCGreen]

4. Sigh, in this day and age of equaltiy and freedom,

You would thubk that the corporations would get a break now and again..

[Bark Bark Bark]

12. By all means, let kneejerk reaction and snark trump thought

All big companies are evil? I suppose Wal-Mart and CostCo are exactly the same, then.

Spurlock: "I ate 5000 calories a day...and got fat! It's all McDonald's fault!!"

Sheeple: "We worship you, Spurlock! You've proven that it's not OUR fault!!"

Non-Sheep: "Uh, yeah, it is, actually. Here, I'll prove it."

Sheeple: "Liar! Fake! Corporate shill! LA LA LA LA LA LA LA LA!!!"

[terrya]

14. It isn't just the food.

Come on...you know how WalMart and McDonald's treat their employees. McDonald's pays their employees ridiculously low wages while zealously stamping out any attempts at unionization. And WalMart's policies aren't any better.

These two corporations are NOT benevolent entities. Far from it.

[MrScorpio]

16. Any large mega-corp, who is motivated by profit is my friend....

What's good for Mickey Death is good for the ol' US of A!!!

[Bark Bark Bark]

46. Repeating the question...

All big companies are inherently evil? I suppose Wal-Mart and CostCo are exactly the same, then?

[Dogmudgeon]

19. You tell 'em!

It's all those bad fatties' fault!

They must be punished!

And plenty of people will line up to swing the whip.

Morgan Marab is one of them. Her project has been underwritten and promoted by "responsibility" conservatives.

The "non-sheep" you describe seriously need to read the literature in bariatry.

--p!
Help me lose weight -- pay my meat bill.

[RandomKoolzip]

21. Thanks for pointing this out.

Morgan Spurlock is an idependent filmmaker.

Morgan Marab had her study funded by some right-wing think tank, so expecting a non-spun outcome would be REALLY naive.

[Spinzonner]

2. It's a Kroc

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

20. Boo! Hisss

I love it.

[flvegan]

3. The key here is the 1,400 calories a day target.

I believe that she stated she kept her diet under 2,000 calories. As a construction worker (active) weighing 220 lbs (female), 37 pounds wouldn't be an uncommon weight loss, regardless of where you eat.

Caloric intake v. caloric expenditure.

[MrScorpio]

5. Check your PM

I sent you something

[terrya]

6. How much money did McDonald's pay this woman?

Bull and Shit, says I about that. LOSING weight eating McDonald's?? Maybe if she ate just salads all the time without any salad dressing she might lose weight. But is she seriously expecting people to believe that she lost weight from eating Big Macs (she claimed that she did eat burgers)?

Yes, personal responsibility does enter into it. But you KNOW you're not getting healthy, nutritious meals when you eat at a McDonald's.

[vi5]

9. Oh come on. American's LOVE McDonald's salads!

Everyone knows that. I mean isn't the most beloved McDonald Land character Sally McSalad? Or is it Annie Appleslice?

[TimeChaser]

42. Feh, Wendy's has better salads anyways...

[Nikia]

45. I eat salads from McDonald's

My husband likes their cheese burgers and Mcnuggets so we probably eat there at least once a week. When I eat a salad from there, that's all I usually eat. We usually don't order french fries. When we do, we share them and sometimes still throw some away.
I am thinking maybe her point was to make a point to people that perhaps eat fast food every day for convience that you can eat reasonable there. Most fast food places don't have enough variety, especially as far as veggies, so it isn't a good idea to eat all your meals there.

[vi5]

49. My wife eats salads from there....

She is a vegetarian. But the idea that the main thing McDonalds is selling are Salads is absurd.

Plus, a lot of the healthier fare at McDonalds (no supersizing, apples, fruit salads, etc.) came about AFTER Spurlock's movie. If there was nothing wrong with the options at McDonalds to begin with, then why did it take his movie for them to offer some of this stuff?

Super Size me was not even necessarily an anti-McDonald's movie. Spurlock's message was just as much that people's food choices that they make are really shitty as it was "McDonald's bad!".

In fact the MAIN point was that people's food choices that they make are shitty, but McDonalds MARKETS to that fact rather than trying to maybe offset it.

[LynneSin]

13. If you eat 1400 calories a day and have an active life

you will lose weight even if it is McDonalds.

Plus thanks to Spurlock, I've noticed McD and other fastfood restaurants adjusting their menus to include healthier foods. Morgan (the gal who lost weight) lost because she planned her diet and stuck within a caloric limit. Spurlock gained because he ate the way most people eat at Fast Food - big, junkie and supersized.

If anything the gal that lost proves that Spurlock was sucessful with his movie and getting fast food to cater towards having healthier options on their menu.

[SoCalDem]

22. If she ate ONLY that once meal at mcDonalds she could have

salad & water once a day even with dressing :)

[KG]

7. uh, huh.

and we all know, everything that comes from the MSM is true.

[vi5]

8. The point of Spurlock's movie wasn't whether you COULD

eat healthy at McDonald's. It was mirroring the average american's diet when they DO eat at McDonald's. What do you honestly think most american's order when they go there? Salads? C'mon. The movie was just as much about advertising and marketing and american's choices that they make over their own bodies as it was anything else.

This idiot's counter movie was just another example of the right wing not being able to do anything themselves and having to make everything a "counter attack".

[Systematic Chaos]

10. I bet I could lose a lot of weight just eating butter

About 4 ounces a day of butter would provide me with around 2,000 calories, which at my weight would be a safe intake. But, in less than a week I'm sure I'd wish I were dead, so why would I want to? If I tried to meet my calorie requirements off a Mac and Don's-only diet, I'd spend most of the time feeling like I were starving to death. Even one of their premium salads has as much fat as a Big Mac after you add the dressing, so what's the point?

I think I'll stick mostly to low calorie, low fat starches and have the ability to lose weight even though I can eat as much as I want to within reason. Much healthier that way.

[LynneSin]

17. Wrong - her losing weight is a postive reinforcement of Spurlock's movie

http://www.mcdonalds.com/app_controller.nutrition.index1.html

I don't eat much at McDonald's but I have read that they, along with many other fast food restaurants, have started to add more low-cal and healthy choice products on their menu

That link is to McDonald's nutritional value of their products

I could get a Grilled Chicken Salad (6grams fat) and add Newman's Own Low Fat Italian dressing (2.5 grams of fat) and get a side of the Apple Dippers (0 grams of fat without the low cal carmal dip, which is 5 grams). Add in Ice Tea I'll sweeten with a low-cal sugar substitute and I just put together a healthy meal from McDonalds with only 8.5grms of fat. BTW, that's 305 calories total. I have food from the vegetable group (I'm assuming the Caeser salad is made with Romaine Lettuce - the standard Casear green), Meat - Chicken and Fruit - Apple. I'm sure a piece of bread or croutons come with the meal which may add a few more calories.

Will I rush off to McD and start eating this? Probably not, but the thing is, before Morgan Spurlock's movie this couldn't be done because McD and other fast food restaurants made fatty, sugar-laden meals. Now we have healthier choices and if I'm stuck ordering at McDonalds I have good choices to make!

[LynneSin]

11. Most important thing was she planned healthy meals from McDs

From the article and btw, Morgan happens to be her last name:

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.

If you notice, McDonalds has made drastic changes to their menu since SuperSize Me came out including more health related salads. She did NOT lose 30lbs eating like Morgan Spurlock but eating what she should eat - a healthy, reduced calorie meal using McDonalds. They do have salads and fruits offered at McDs now you know. Spurlock made it a point to eat everything off of the menu and supersized it when they offered it to him. He was not eating 1400 calories a day but probably twice that - hence why he gained and she lost.

[Name removed]

15. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[StopTheMorans]

23. ain't it strange how they never show profiles?

:shrug:

[RandomKoolzip]

26. I noticed that too,

I mean, it's not like it's that difficult to LIE in your profile.

[Bark Bark Bark]

44. What I've Noticed

...is that certain people unable to actually debate a point, for whatever reason then proceed to demand my profile details and then act as if the lack of same proves some underhanded motive on my part. (I'm assuming that's what the deleted post was about.)

Of course, the fact that it's so easy to lie in one's profile makes that pretty stupid and pointless in the first place. I suppose they're just fishing for some means to harass someone they've disagreed with--a name, an e-mail address, whatever.

In the end, they just get in trouble with the mods.

[Shoeempress]

18. And just because some woman said it and the MSM reports it, it

must be true. By the way, I have some great land in Florida you should buy.

[AlCzervik]

24. Once again she could eat 1400 calories of crisco a day and lose weight

it's calories in and calories out.

[RandomKoolzip]

25. Ah! Okay, that makes sense....

Eating greasy, fat-laden food at every meal makes you LOSE weight. And, as we all know, multinational corporations would NEVER EVER hire PR flacks to lie to us.

[LynzM]

37. On the other hand, 5000 calories a day

... of ANY food, unless you are a marathon runner or full-time hiker, will cause you to gain weight and become less healthy. Both sides have a valid point.

How 'bout we all agree, too much McD's is not good for you.... but, everything in moderation, and try to avoid too much of the things that aren't especially good for you :)

[Deep13]

27. The problem is that the poor people have too much power.

Multinational corporations are pure and innocent creatures who shit streams of daffodils. They are at the mercy of the state and the army of well-funded social justice and environmental lobbyists who wine and dine legislators until they get what they want. Plus the FCC's iron fascist truth-in-advertising rules prevent any real media campaign to drum up customers who don't even know these products exist. After paying union wages and health benefits, company officers barely have enough left to furnish their ski chalets in the French Alps. What is more is that these powerful "mom and pop" type businesses are constantly forcing national chains to close stores and restaurants. McDs and Walmart just can't compete against that kind of pressure.

:donut:

Huh? What are we talking about? I was napping.

[RandomKoolzip]

28. Can we nominate individual posts?

Huh, Skinner, huh? Can we?

[gizmonic]

30. Makes sense to me, Deep13

How could I be so naive?:sarcasm:


"Multinational corporations are pure and innocent creatures who shit streams of daffodils." Priceless! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[ghostsofgiants]

40. You sunk my battleship

(I've decided to use other board game phrases the way others would use checkmate in a situation like this. Clever, I know.)

[Deep13]

41. You bought the Park Place hotel!

Doesn't have the same ring.

Left foot blue!

nah.

[ghostsofgiants]

43. Give it a while, it'll catch on

[MisterP]

48. and THAT, ladies and gentlemen is the CATO Institute in a nutshell

[cmf]

29. I think it's sad when people feel compelled to defend corporations

Does she think McDonalds gives a shit about her? What a tool.

[Dukkha]

31. She was already obese to begin with

a 227lb female is most definitely overweight. Anyone that heavy will lose weight on 1400 calories a day, no mater what it is.

She is full of shit anyway. How pathetic she must be to to defend a multi-national corporation. People how keep attacking this documentary desperately need to get a life!

Just another right wing-nut trying to put a spin on their usual "personal-responsibility" hypocrisy. They just can't stand alternate lifestyles & opinions.

[Deep13]

32. The personal responsibility thing apparently only applies to victims.

No one ever holds big business to the same standards.

[ghostsofgiants]

38. Which is ironic...

Since corporations have the same rights and legal protections as individual persons.

[ghostsofgiants]

35. But the anti-corporate people are teh evil!

We have to love teh corporations!!!1

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

33. So what? YOu could eat only twinkies for 30 days and lose weight

that doesn't mean your health will improve.

[miss_kitty]

34. Construction work is a high calorie burning activity

I have a friend who was a sheet metal worker who started out rather overweight. She lost about 75 pounds in a matter of a few months, without a change in her diet.

Merab Morgan was also conscious of her caloric intake and worked toward maintaining low caloric intake.

Tell me she lost that kind of weight eating exactly as Spurlock did. THEN I'll be somewhat impressed.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

36. Oh, gee, McDonald's is soooo good for me

I guess I'll run out and get some, then! :sarcasm:

[4_Legs_Good]

39. I think Mr. Spurlock made the rules perfectly clear

in the film. Of course one can eat at McDonald's for 90 days and not become obese. Hell, if I just drank their free water I'd lose weight AND save money!

I do doubt, though, that anyone's overall health can improve by eating McDonald's for every meal for 90 days. Their most nutritious item is their salad which is mostly nutrient-free iceburg lettuce with a few 20 year old carrots and a tomato slice or two.

david

[Mizmoon]

47. I don't hate McDonald's

I know it's not fashionable to say that, but I don't. In fact I have very happy memories of fries and McDonaldLand playgrounds and whatnot.
I thought Spurlock was being a drama queen all through that movie. I thought his vomiting was obviously contrived and was unconvinced by the whole thing.

I also think eating salad at MickyD's is ridiculous. Eating a calorie-drenched meal with a fake-dairy shake once in a while isn't going to kill you. It's tasty and it's fun when it really is a rare treat. It's all about self-control.

This is my second post mentioning self-control today. Sweet Jesus help me - I sound like a Libertarian :)