Big Mac anyone?

[Ryan]

Makes me want to head over to the Golden Arches for lunch...

January 22, 2004 -- LAST February, Morgan Spurlock decided to become a gastronomical guinea pig.
His mission: To eat three meals a day for 30 days at McDonald's and document the impact on his health.

Scores of cheeseburgers, hundreds of fries and dozens of chocolate shakes later, the formerly strapping 6-foot-2 New Yorker - who started out at a healthy 185 pounds - had packed on 25 pounds.

But his supersized shape was the least of his problems.

Within a few days of beginning his drive-through diet, Spurlock, 33, was vomiting out the window of his car, and doctors who examined him were shocked at how rapidly Spurlock's entire body deteriorated.

"It was really crazy - my body basically fell apart over the course of 30 days," Spurlock told The Post.

His liver became toxic, his cholesterol shot up from a low 165 to 230, his libido flagged and he suffered headaches and depression.

Complete article

[Ed 1]

There was another study done where the guy that did all the eating just like the guy you wrote about.  However he exercised regularily and he lost weight at the end of the month.  The study you discussed the guy did nothing but eat McD's and sleep.  If you did that with any food over a month's time you'll gain weight just the same.  I heard about this other study on AM620 this morning.

[Ryan]

It was a nice balance. However, there were more significant differences than just activity level. The original person, the one I brought up, ate like most people who go to McDonald's do. Big Mac, fries, Coke, all the fat, greasy, sugary, nasty stuff. The second person chose the more healthy (less unhealthy?) options that people give lip service but I have yet to have witnessed anyone actually order at a fast food place.

Both are extreme cases and not ones that the average person is likely to actually come close to. However, the first does offer a glimpse into the health risks of an unhealthy diet, just as the second offers a glimpse into how important factors other than diet are. Both hopefully things that all of us here already realize.

Of course, if all Americans would just take a little personal responsibility for themselves and care about their health, neither of these "studies" would have even been done because the topic would not be an issue. Too bad people would rather blame someone else for their problems rather than take responsibility for their own actions.

[runnerdude]

A friend of mine saw the movie they made out of this guy's "experiment" and highly recommends it.

[Scattershot]

Both are extreme cases and not ones that the average person is likely to actually come close to. However, the first does offer a glimpse into the health risks of an unhealthy diet, just as the second offers a glimpse into how important factors other than diet are. Both hopefully things that all of us here already realize.

I don't know if you meant to imply otherwise or not, but one thing I did take away from years of powerlifting is that, all things being equal, diet is the most important aspect to your training.  If you're trying to get big, it's not going to happen if you're eating crap.  If you're trying to cut, same deal.  Also, a poor diet will interfere with the efficacy of just about any supplement.

Except caffeine.  Nothing can screw caffeine up.