Training & Nutrition - Woman loses 37 pounds on McDonalds' Diet

Updated: 07:39 PM EDT
People Try to Lose Weight at McDonald's
By VALERIE BAUMAN, AP

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.

"I thought it's two birds with one stone - to lose weight and to prove a point for the little fat people," Morgan said. "Just because they accidentally put an apple pie in my bag instead of my apple dippers doesn't mean I'm going to say, 'Oh, I can eat the apple pie."'

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.

One person went so far as to make her own independent film about dieting at McDonald's. "Me and Mickey D" follows Soso Whaley, of Kensington, N.H., as she spends three 30-day periods on the diet. She dropped from 175 to 139 pounds, eating 2,000 calories-a-day at McDonald's.

"I had to think about what I was eating," Whaley said. "I couldn't just walk in there and say 'I'll take a cinnamon bun and a Diet Coke.' ... I know a lot of people are really turned off by the whole thought of monitoring what they are eating, but that's part of the problem."

As might be expected, McDonald's also objected to the impressions left by Spurlock's film. Walt Riker, the company's vice president of corporate communications, said Oak Brook, Ill.-based company is pleased - but not surprised - that some customers have lost weight eating only at the fast-food giant.

Spurlock's film "really spurred a backlash based on common sense," Riker said.

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.

"It feels great," she said. "Because, the truth of the matter is that beauty is power, and if you're fat, or your overweight, then people don't really take you seriously."

Dawn Jackson Blatner, a registered dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, agreed that a low-calorie, McDonald's-only diet can help people lose weight but said it may not offer enough long-term variety. Whatever an individual does to lose weight, they need to do for the rest of their life, she said.

Morgan said she hasn't decided if she will stick with the McDonald's-only plan to reach her goal of 150 pounds. But she does have one complaint about McDonald's.

"If I could suggest anything to McDonald's, I would suggest the McMargarita," Morgan said. "Dine-in only, of course."


08/11/05 19:36 EDT


Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.

You can also lose weight eating sh*t sandwiches, but it still doesn’t make it good for you.

Seriously, losing weight is a simple matter of burning more calories than you take in. You can do this with most any food source, but nutrition is also a factor in terms of a healthy diet. In other words, if the calories you take in are not balanced in terms of their nutritional value, you will lose (more than just weight!) in the end. :)

it says she ate both french fries and burgers. Well those burgers may only have 400 calories in them but I'm sure they're loaded with hydrogenated oils, sugar (in the buns), and other crap. The fries? Deep fried fat right there. Oh and those salads. Yum, week old iceberg lettuce or CANDIED (yes coated in sugar) walnuts. I enjoyed Super Size Me, especially when he visited the school cafeterias. Our country's sense of nutrition is going straight to hell. I also respect what she was trying to point out though in that it's all in the choices we make. Just never choose McDonald's ;)

What you don't seem to want to acknowledge is that if you watch the totals, you can control your weight on literally any food there is. Saying "yeah, but she still ate hydrogenated oils and starches, so there!" doesn't refute her point. Her point is that Morgan Spurlock won fame and fortune (and a TV pilot) for supposedly pointing out the evil callousness of a big, bad corporation that didn't care if it was causing people to be obese.
He did NOT expose what he claimed to, but he still got the fame and fortune, and McDonald's (and thousands of McD's employees) took the fall. Having had some experience with being beaten up by Michael Moore (not personally, only as an NRA member, shooter, etc.) I can tell you that it's not quite so funny when someone is lying about you and everyone reacts by saying "yeah, but, come on, you must be doing something evil!"

There is no way that she lost 36 lbs on a McDonald's diet. Come on! The article didn't say that she ate McDonald's food AND rode in the Tour de France? She's a normal person and normal people don't lost 37 lbs at McDonald's.

It's no wonder she lost so much weight. She was only eating no more than 1,400 calories a day! I eat more calories than that for lunch! She was starving herself.

I'd like to see how much she weighs a year from now. She'll probably be back to 227 lbs or more.

You can also lose weight eating sh*t sandwiches, but it still doesn’t make it good for you.

:roflmao: That just made my night. Thanks.

What you don't seem to want to acknowledge is that if you watch the totals, you can control your weight on literally any food there is. Saying "yeah, but she still ate hydrogenated oils and starches, so there!" doesn't refute her point. Her point is that Morgan Spurlock won fame and fortune (and a TV pilot) for supposedly pointing out the evil callousness of a big, bad corporation that didn't care if it was causing people to be obese.
He did NOT expose what he claimed to, but he still got the fame and fortune, and McDonald's (and thousands of McD's employees) took the fall. Having had some experience with being beaten up by Michael Moore (not personally, only as an NRA member, shooter, etc.) I can tell you that it's not quite so funny when someone is lying about you and everyone reacts by saying "yeah, but, come on, you must be doing something evil!"
huh? I'm not refuting that at all. I know all too well that someone can eat any kind of food and lose weight as long as they maintain a caloric loss. What I was saying is that what she was eating may have helped her lose weight, but she can't really say she was healthy. Trans fat, high amounts of sugar, saturated fat, etc. were all present in her "diet". Eventually if she kept on with that diet, she would become diabetic or would need bypass surgery. I mean, you can be a bean pole and still have clogged arteries as long as you eat hamburgers and french fries. Same thing with high amounts of sugar. Diabetes doesn't discriminate against skinny people.

And I even said what she was trying to get across is a good message. It's just unfortunate that people may see what she did and think the Walnut Salad or Apple Dippers are a healthy option when in fact, they aren't.

It's no wonder she lost so much weight. She was only eating no more than 1,400 calories a day! I eat more calories than that for lunch! She was starving herself.

I'd like to see how much she weighs a year from now. She'll probably be back to 227 lbs or more.


My wife recently quit working for McDonald's which was a running joke in our family as we are both avid vegetarians (very close to being vegan actually) and we found that the only thing on the entire menu that was edible was their fruit salad, minus the yogurt and the candied walnuts.

Our theory: If you actively monitored your intake 24 hours a day on a diet consisting only of McDonald's and used endurance-type aerobic activity (probably no less than 1 hour a day at extremely slow speeds) which are well known to burn fat, not calories then yes, even the most obese of folks could lose weight. The reality is, as others have said, that the weight loss would be, and is fleeting.

Lifestyle change is the only way to permanently manage weight loss. One of the more difficult things I've faced now that I'm back to normal as I define it (under 180) is keeping a variety of foods that are nutritious and taste good in my diet.

I'm 100% positive that if I added any fast food back into my diet I'd gain weight fast!

I'll give the weight of my backing to Super Size Me, its far more accurate based off what I see on a daily basis as far as people's habits of eating; I have yet to meet someone who is so committed to losing weight that they monitor everything and thing ahead enough to come up with menus, etc. to keep on top of their weight.

I'll give the weight of my backing to Super Size Me, its far more accurate based off what I see on a daily basis as far as people's habits of eating; I have yet to meet someone who is so committed to losing weight that they monitor everything and thing ahead enough to come up with menus, etc. to keep on top of their weight.
you should meet me :D I'm already thinking of what I'm gonna have for lunch tomorrow. :lol:

But Cheeba, your the exception - not the norm :)

The average person just rolls through the day stuffing their face, and if they're slightly active, might actually put in a mile or 2 'jog' or walk.

Maybe I should mention to them my 3500-4000 calorie a day diet and I haven't gained a single pound and convinently leave out the fact that I bike 25 miles a day.

I'm so glad she did that! The corporate giants need defending.

Maybe I should mention to them my 3500-4000 calorie a day diet and I haven't gained a single pound and convinently leave out the fact that I bike 25 miles a day.wow, I do the exact same thing. 25 miles a day, 3500 calories a day. Good to know I have a twin :D

It's no wonder she lost so much weight. She was only eating no more than 1,400 calories a day! I eat more calories than that for lunch! She was starving herself.


It also says she was a "construction worker", which implies that she has a MUCH more active lifestyle than the typical American. (The daily hell of raising two kids on the side may contribute in that way, as well.)

I'm so glad she did that! The corporate giants need defending.

That is a very interesting point. Why would someone with no vested interest in McDonalds do this? My sceptical mind tells me there may be more to this story.

what person would want to defend Mcd's anyway well besides lawyers (G)

Was she payed?? I think Supper Size Me is much more the norm of what Americans do when they eat out. I would love to see sales data from McD's to the contrary, Showing that what this woman did was the norm.

As my Air Force Father always says "Liers can Figure and Figurers Can Lie" I see this more as a McD's PR.

Was she payed?? I think Supper Size Me is much more the norm of what Americans do when they eat out. I would love to see sales data from McD's to the contrary, Showing that what this woman did was the norm.

As my Air Force Father always says "Liers can Figure and Figurers Can Lie" I see this more as a McD's PR.

I'd second this assessment.

It also says she was a "construction worker", which implies that she has a MUCH more active lifestyle than the typical American. (The daily hell of raising two kids on the side may contribute in that way, as well.)

And yet still 225 lbs. Imagine if she were a desk worker...

You can also lose weight eating sh*t sandwiches, but it still doesn’t make it good for you.
My old man was always worried about getting an upset stomach at school (he's retired and takes classes for fun - I think he just wants to oogle at the college girls :) ) and ate a low calorie diet. He walked every day and lost weight... The problem is that he didn't get the proper nutrition from the foods he ate and ended up in the hospital this month with diverticulitis (http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw251743) and had major surgery to remove part of his colon. :eek:

I'm all for free-market and free-enterprise, but our country has gone way, way, way beyond that with politicians backing special-interest groups, etc. Most of the advertising we see today is nothing but lies, lies, lies.

Was she payed?? I think Supper Size Me is much more the norm of what Americans do when they eat out. I would love to see sales data from McD's to the contrary, Showing that what this woman did was the norm.

As my Air Force Father always says "Liers can Figure and Figurers Can Lie" I see this more as a McD's PR.


no crap...do you think Morgan Spurlock overate and didn't exercise "for money"
?
LOL

Geee...we wouldn't want ayone making an independant film now would we?? LOL!! :rolleyes:


One person went so far as to make her own independent film about dieting at McDonald's. "Me and Mickey D" follows Soso Whaley, of Kensington, N.H., as she spends three 30-day periods on the diet. She dropped from 175 to 139 pounds, eating 2,000 calories-a-day at McDonald's.

I'm so glad she did that! The corporate giants need defending.


Yes, it's McDonald's fault that people stuff their fat faces...LOL

What percentage of daily McDonald's customer count their calories?

I wouldn't be surprised if Merab Morgan quietly regained her 37 lost pounds...and then some.

The whole Spurlock thing dumbs down McDonald's and America's obesity issue way too much. Obviously the people eating McD's every day are not the most active, so yes, it's their fault. On the other hand, being that it's cheap and supersize is 'such a great deal' it encourages overeating. There are issues on both sides that need to be looked at closer than anyone has done so far (anyone being Spurlock and those who try to prove him 'wrong').

Plus, 1400 calories a day of McDonald's is probably like two hamburgers and half a chicken nugget.

Hmm... half a chicken nugget.

One of the most interesting factoid things I've ever run across is that there is more stored energy in a chocolate chip cookie than in the equivalent mass of dynamite. The energy is more easily released in dynamite, but there's still more potential energy in a cookie.

What Spurlock did was demonstrate that overeating... especially carb-heavy, trans-fat laden junk... is bad for you. He "Supersized" every time they asked him. The movie is really more about overeating is than how bad McD's can be.

I ain't a nutritionist, but from what I have read the (only) way to lose weight is to burn more calories than you take in. The rest... boosting your metabolism, burning fat vs. glycogen... that I don't understand very well. I think basic metabolic function requires about 1800 Calories for an adult male, 1650 for a woman. That's if you do nothing... just sit in bed and take up space. Those Calorie numbers may be off... but it's around there. If you exercise, have an active lifestyle and all that, you obviously burn more Calories.

So it is entirely possible that someone could eat exclusively fast food and lose weight. This says nothing to the quality of the filmmaker's diet.

You can lose weight by eating bad food. You can gain weight by eating stuff that's good for you. I could lose weight by eating nothing but Twinkies for a month. I could gain weight by eating nothing but organic, free range Tofu. And no... I don't want to try either, and I don't have a film in the works.

There are some valid points in the movie that does put McDonald's in a bad light.

McDonald's after all, is a primarily hamburger restaurant. Therefore it will market its hamburger. Also it has a marketing strategy to make extra money with fries and drinks, especially with their "Super-size" campaign. McDonald's tries to appeal to consumers with "super-sizing" as if it's a good thing.

One thing McDonalds could do to improve its image is to substitute salads for fries. I wonder if that's ever going to happen.

The guy in the movie could have used a second guinea pig to see what happens when you eat McD's but less every day. But still, as someone says... calories are one thing, the quality of the calories are another just like the number of calories from carbs are one thing, and the quality of the carbs are another. Ditto with protein.

A great deal of McDonald's food has been streamlined for production and processed. Common sense says that can't be all that good.

The guy in the movie could have used a second guinea pig to see what happens when you eat McD's but less every day. But still, as someone says... calories are one thing, the quality of the calories are another just like the number of calories from carbs are one thing, and the quality of the carbs are another. Ditto with protein..


Do you think a doctor could tell if your fat gut came from dining on fine French cuisine, Mickey Dee's, or Tofu and salad if you gained 20 pounds from eating any of the three?

Do you think a doctor could tell if your fat gut came from dining on fine French cuisine, Mickey Dee's, or Tofu and salad if you gained 20 pounds from eating any of the three?

Only when you burp in his face.

A side note---McDonalds and other fast foods have no nutritional value . You'll be better off eating soggy cardboard soaked in fat, flavored with salt and preservatives, and then lattered with a gallon of sauce.

I got sick after eating McDonalds for a week.

You can't blame restaurants like McDonalds for making people fat

If anybody made their own hamburgers and fries at home and ate that everyday, they will get fat too.

A side note---McDonalds and other fast foods have no nutritional value . You'll be better off eating soggy cardboard soaked in fat, flavored with salt and preservatives, and then lattered with a gallon of sauce.

I got sick after eating McDonalds for a week.


How is a hamburger from McDonald's really that different from one you make at home, nutritionally speaking?

I could really go a hamburger right now.

Gosh, she must've been SO f*ckin' hungry...

Do you think a doctor could tell if your fat gut came from dining on fine French cuisine, Mickey Dee's, or Tofu and salad if you gained 20 pounds from eating any of the three?

Doctors don't read minds. That's why they ask questions. But if you think that gaining 20 lbs from eating fatty foods is no different from gaining 20 lbs from a balanced diet, more power to you!

The original point has nothing to do with a fat gut or gluttony. This has to do with one's own personal choices and what one chooses to eat. Some people choose to eat organic foods although the non-organic foods have similar nutritional value.

How is a hamburger from McDonald's really that different from one you make at home, nutritionally speaking?

Because McDonald's supposedly puts taste chemicals in their burgers... and there's more on this if you want to read/believe "Fast Food Nation."

Doctors don't read minds. That's why they ask questions. But if you think that gaining 20 lbs from eating fatty foods is no different from gaining 20 lbs from a balanced diet, more power to you!

The original point has nothing to do with a fat gut or gluttony. This has to do with one's own personal choices and what one chooses to eat. Some people choose to eat organic foods although the non-organic foods have similar nutritional value.
Minus the toxins, that is.

How is a hamburger from McDonald's really that different from one you make at home, nutritionally speaking?
Take a 1/4lb of organic-fed ground beef, make it into a pattie, cook and eat.
Then buy a McD burger and eat.
Any further questions?

It's no wonder she lost so much weight. She was only eating no more than 1,400 calories a day! I eat more calories than that for lunch! She was starving herself.

I'd like to see how much she weighs a year from now. She'll probably be back to 227 lbs or more.
Plus, Spurlock had frequent blood work done. Do you think her blood work would come back smelling of roses. I don't think soooooooooo

Plus, Spurlock had frequent blood work done. Do you think her blood work would come back smelling of roses. I don't think soooooooooo


You must not have read the article.

This guy did the McDonald's diet and had blood work done:

http://www.truthinfitness.org/projects/mcDonalds/journal.html

Greetings to all,

Well, it’s been a week since “The McDonald’s Diet” officially ended and the results are in. However, before I get into that, I’d like to thank all the individuals that donated their time and effort to help out on the project – Mike, Carlos, and Michele for their great work on the web site and postings, Rosalie for keeping my schedule together and keeping me on track, Scott for making sure the integrity of the project was sound, Jessie & James for their creative filming and the incredible documentary that is coming soon, and all the rest that played a part in the project – Thank You…

The project was fun and I had a great time doing it – sounds funny given the results that Morgan Spurlock claims to have had from only McDonald’s food. We both (Spurlock & I) knew exactly what we were doing. The difference was that Spurlock was/is playing on the misinformation that the public has in order to make a profit; I was/am interested in educating in order to stop the acceleration of obesity in America. However, am I looking to get something for my efforts? Yes – psychic benefit, a term in economics, which is more valuable to me than monetary benefit.

Spurlock will move on to host a TV show, Truth In Fitness will be starting a new project this month. We’ll be coaching a 55 year-old, obese woman, whom is diabetic, to a new life, and you will be able to track her every step on the web site. We’ll keep a journal, just as before, with pictures and comments from her. The introduction to this new project will have the full story.

Okay, here are the results:

Weight – I started at 222lbs and in thirty days I dropped 8lbs of “body fat”, ending the thirty days at 214lbs.
Blood Pressure - I started at 111/71, a bit low, and ended the thirty days at 121/81 which is optimal.
Cholesterol – this is where you need to understand about cholesterol!
My HDL (the good cholesterol) improved 80%.
My LDL (the bad cholesterol) went down 2 points. That’s an improvement!
My overall cholesterol went up 6% because of my HDL improvement, however this is an improvement overall.
My Triglycerides improved 42%
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: I am saying that exercise was the reason for my improvements and not the fact that I only ate McDonald’s food for 30 days. If you were to take exercise out of the equation, I would have gained 30 to 40 pounds of body fat, and I can not tell you how my cholesterol would have reacted; This is where education becomes very important.

Many people have asked me if it matters where their calories come from. At the most basic, eating exactly the number of calories that you burn and if you are only talking about weight, not fat loss, the answer is no -- a calorie is a calorie. A protein calorie is no different from a fat calorie -- they are simply units of energy. As long as you burn what you eat, you will maintain your weight; and as long as you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight. But if we're talking nutrition, it definitely matters where those calories originate. We will be posting information regarding nutrition soon.

Again, thank you for your support and encouragement.

Sincerely,
Chazz

You must not have read the article.

This guy did the McDonald's diet and had blood work done:

http://www.truthinfitness.org/projects/mcDonalds/journal.html

Greetings to all,

Well, it’s been a week since “The McDonald’s Diet” officially ended and the results are in. However, before I get into that, I’d like to thank all the individuals that donated their time and effort to help out on the project – Mike, Carlos, and Michele for their great work on the web site and postings, Rosalie for keeping my schedule together and keeping me on track, Scott for making sure the integrity of the project was sound, Jessie & James for their creative filming and the incredible documentary that is coming soon, and all the rest that played a part in the project – Thank You…

The project was fun and I had a great time doing it – sounds funny given the results that Morgan Spurlock claims to have had from only McDonald’s food. We both (Spurlock & I) knew exactly what we were doing. The difference was that Spurlock was/is playing on the misinformation that the public has in order to make a profit; I was/am interested in educating in order to stop the acceleration of obesity in America. However, am I looking to get something for my efforts? Yes – psychic benefit, a term in economics, which is more valuable to me than monetary benefit.

Spurlock will move on to host a TV show, Truth In Fitness will be starting a new project this month. We’ll be coaching a 55 year-old, obese woman, whom is diabetic, to a new life, and you will be able to track her every step on the web site. We’ll keep a journal, just as before, with pictures and comments from her. The introduction to this new project will have the full story.

Okay, here are the results:

Weight – I started at 222lbs and in thirty days I dropped 8lbs of “body fat”, ending the thirty days at 214lbs.
Blood Pressure - I started at 111/71, a bit low, and ended the thirty days at 121/81 which is optimal.
Cholesterol – this is where you need to understand about cholesterol!
My HDL (the good cholesterol) improved 80%.
My LDL (the bad cholesterol) went down 2 points. That’s an improvement!
My overall cholesterol went up 6% because of my HDL improvement, however this is an improvement overall.
My Triglycerides improved 42%
IMPORTANT TO NOTE: I am saying that exercise was the reason for my improvements and not the fact that I only ate McDonald’s food for 30 days. If you were to take exercise out of the equation, I would have gained 30 to 40 pounds of body fat, and I can not tell you how my cholesterol would have reacted; This is where education becomes very important.

Many people have asked me if it matters where their calories come from. At the most basic, eating exactly the number of calories that you burn and if you are only talking about weight, not fat loss, the answer is no -- a calorie is a calorie. A protein calorie is no different from a fat calorie -- they are simply units of energy. As long as you burn what you eat, you will maintain your weight; and as long as you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight. But if we're talking nutrition, it definitely matters where those calories originate. We will be posting information regarding nutrition soon.

Again, thank you for your support and encouragement.

Sincerely,
Chazz
The original posted article did not mention blood work. I read it just perfectly. This is a different article!!!

The original posted article did not mention blood work. I read it just perfectly. This is a different article!!!


Yes and his blood work was just fine....which discredits the point you were trying to make.

Yes and his blood work was just fine....which discredits the point you were trying to make.
Reread your second article at the IMPORTANT TO NOTE section near the end. Do we know if the housewife exercised? If she had, I think they might have mentioned it? If not, well......

Quote: The project was fun and I had a great time doing it – sounds funny given the results that Morgan Spurlock claims to have had from only McDonald’s food. We both (Spurlock & I) knew exactly what we were doing. The difference was that Spurlock was/is playing on the misinformation that the public has in order to make a profit; I was/am interested in educating in order to stop the acceleration of obesity in America. However, am I looking to get something for my efforts? Yes – psychic benefit, a term in economics, which is more valuable to me than monetary benefit.

Well, calories are calories... You could lose weight eating only sugar... But you will end up with diabetis. That is the difference between quality/quantity.

Difference between quality-ingredients home-made burger and McD burger is in number of cancerogens in your stomach and toxins in your liver.

Point a lot of people tried to make here, yes, you could get slimmer but 30 day evaluation is too small to surface long term effects such as diabetis, sclerosis, osteoporosis, you name it...

Difference between quality-ingredients home-made burger and McD burger is in number of cancerogens in your stomach and toxins in your liver.

...

Which "carcinogens" and toxins are you talking about exactly??

How is a hamburger from McDonald's really that different from one you make at home, nutritionally speaking?

Have you seen the Grade R beef they use? Holy moses.. I wouldn't touch that with a pole.
At least my burgers, I can get my meat at the shop fresh, get fresh vegetables, fat free dressing, etc.

It's like a walmart bike and a colnago? They both have wheels, pedals, and every part necessary to ride. Is there really a difference?

1/4 pounder patty= 18 grams fat
homemade with 96% lean beef 4 grams of fat

Hamburgers can be made healthier at home. While I applaud Morgan Spurlocks efforts in making his movie as it made fast food and obesity a front burner issue(even if nothing positive comes from it awareness helps) I still group him in the same catagory as Moore. Movies fiction or non are not interesting without a evil villain. He obviously went to great lenghts to make himself as unhealthy as possible for the benifit of the storyline.

Yeah, it's not just the food, but how much you eat. Did you see the portions that Spurlock was consuming in his movie? Double-fisting SuperSized drinks along with shakes! Who in their right mind can even eat that much? Unless you're training for eating contests or somethin'. For a while there when I was working full time in office and going to summer-school and didn't have much time for lunch, I'd grab a quick medium chocolate shake at Mickey's and run off again. I actually lost about 20-lbs that summer! :)

I can also sit around the house, never exercise and eat a tonne of the leannest choicest beef you can get, the most gourmet holistic naturally grown organic foods and I can also gain weight!

As John implied, weight is a poor indicator of health anyway. Total body-fat % would be a better indicator combined with LDH/HDL ratio, blood-pressure and resting heart-rate. If you improve those indicators, the weight-loss is pretty much automatic and guaranteed.