Losing Weight At McDonalds

Kudos to the OP for finding a way to make lemonade with the quick and inexpensive "lemon" options available. While there is no disputing that home food, well prepared, from known and fresh unprocessed ingredients will always be the best choice, not everyone can (or would want to) eat that way at every meal. Informing yourself about the readily available restaurant options you can choose when "out and about" is a great idea and it seems clear that the OP has researched and thought this through well. More power to him.

Exactly... reason i dont eat out

Oh good... another post where a bunch of body builders/ huge men/ women who don't have much to lose try to convince us all that McDonalds/eating poorly is okay and laugh at the attempt to eat healthy/clean.

Actually, the people commenting that it's OK aren't actually "eating poorly" - they're making very wise choices at the fast-food places.

Fast food doesn't have to be synonymous with eating poorly. Most people just don't actually make informed decisions when they eat it.

True. Though I would have to argue that a McDonalds salad/wrap can't hold a candle- nutrition wise or taste wise to the things that I can make at home.
What annoys me is when commenters "show off" (not sure if thats a good term) at how much/bad they eat like everyone should eat the same. "Pffft.... your eating just a cheeseburger? Well, I eat a triple Whopper with extra cheese supersized!" Really? This is your everyday meal? (no.. obviously not. ) When I ate like this all the time, I gained 70lbs...I understand eating like this on a rare occasion- but for me it wouldn't be realistic.

It would really depend on their calorie goal for the day if they eat that way everyday. If someone is working out almost daily and burning about 1200-1300 calories and they are working on bulking or even maintenance and can maintain on about 2500-3000 a day, then yeah, they can score a double Whopper with cheese everyday if they want. It's all about goals and exercise and calorie count. To assume that they don't eat that way everyday or they will get fat is a huge assumption based off your own goals and not taking into account the goals of others.

If I eat a double Whooper with cheese all the time along with everything else I would eat back in the day, then yes, I would gain because it was sitting to watch tv, sitting in the car to work, sitting at work, sitting to go home, laying in bed, wash, rinse, repeat. However, now I'm more active, so I can eat more...and even more when I start to maintain.

I have lost 62 lbs at this point keeping within my calorie/macro goals about 85% of the time. I still have, and always will have, pizza, McDonalds, buffets, Chinese, donuts, cookies, cupcakes, Pop Tarts, and a host of other "bad for you" foods. I'm healthier, more active and feel better than ever...and still losing.

Your first and second paragraphs are making my point. Of all the women that I have on my friends list, very rarely, do any of them ever burn 1200 calories in a work out. Most people aren't trying to bulk up- its not really the norm. What I am trying to say is kinda what you said :
"To assume that they don't eat that way everyday or they will get fat is a huge assumption based off your own goals and not taking into account the goals of others."
Okay....likewise, to assume that I will get thin by eating that way everyday is a HUGE assumption based off of their own goals and not taking into account the goals of others.

Good job on the weightloss. I lost my weight/am losing by staying away from those "bad for you foods" and only indulging in those things on occasion.

One thing to keep in mind is that there are lower-calorie options at fast food places than double quarter pounders with cheese and bacon. You can easily go to McD's, Subway, Taco Bell, etc, and get a filling low-calorie high-protein meal.

we absolutely agree on this.
please look at jonnynathan's diary to see what you're defending. we're not talking about once every few weeks.

Yes, he does eat more processed food than I would. Yes, his sodium intake is higher than mine. Yes, he's eating processed and fast-food every day, albeit (and you must admit this) not the worst choices in processed or fast food. His diary would actually indicate he's getting recommended amounts of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals but seems a little light on antioxidants. Johnny - eat a little more berries, mmm, k?

... and there are literally hundreds of millions of people on this earth that do the same thing every day with no health issues. It's annoying (heck, I can't eat 1/2 a donut with my blood glucose skyrocketing to the moon) but true.

I'm not so much defending it as I am stating that there really is no science that contradicts his way of eating as unhealthy.

I don't know this man, and cannot judge his lifestyle (although I must admit I do enjoy his sense of humour). It may be that he doesn't have the time (or even facilities) to prepare meals in advance like I do, or like I'm guessing you do. It may well be this is currently the BEST way he can eat and still make time to exercise, rest and do his work/school/whatever he does. I don't know and refuse to judge.

What I can say is he appears fit - his profile picture shows him at a healthy bodyfat % and it's taken in a gym to boot - meaning that regardless of how little time he may take preparing whole foods - he at least makes the time to exercise.

We KNOW the incredible protective effects exercise has on our bodies and you can't deny that someone that eats a healthy caloric intake (even though their intake of processed food and sugar seems 'high' to a "clean" eater) with proper nutrients, AND regularly exercises is healthier than 95% of the population in the USA. OK, 95% is an estimated and possibly exaggerated statistic with no way to verify... but it wouldn't surprise me.

Antioxidants are everywhere these days, and there's little to no real evidence they do much of anything for us.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2013/03/09/do-you-really-need-antioxidants?page=2

And BTW in case you're wondering, I lift (5x3x1 big but boring plus a couple of accessories) and play a lot of tennis and racquetball.

Doesn't going to McDonalds and ordering a side salad defeat the object of going in the first place?

I go to McDonald's to have someone hand me food I can eat right away.

I guess if the object of going to McDonald's is to consume as many calories as possible, then a side salad does defeat that purpose. But I just go there to eat :laugh:

we absolutely agree on this.
please look at jonnynathan's diary to see what you're defending. we're not talking about once every few weeks.

Yes, he does eat more processed food than I would. Yes, his sodium intake is higher than mine. Yes, he's eating processed and fast-food every day, albeit (and you must admit this) not the worst choices in processed or fast food. His diary would actually indicate he's getting recommended amounts of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals but seems a little light on antioxidants. Johnny - eat a little more berries, mmm, k?

... and there are literally hundreds of millions of people on this earth that do the same thing every day with no health issues. It's annoying (heck, I can't eat 1/2 a donut or a wrap or burger bun without my blood glucose skyrocketing to the moon) but true.

I'm not so much defending it as I am stating that there really is no science that contradicts his way of eating as unhealthy.

I don't know this man, and cannot judge his lifestyle (although I must admit I do enjoy his sense of humour). It may be that he doesn't have the time (or even facilities) to prepare meals in advance like I do, or like I'm guessing you do. It may well be this is currently the BEST way he can eat and still make time to exercise, rest and do his work/school/whatever he does. I don't know and refuse to judge.

What I can say is he appears fit - his profile picture shows him at a healthy bodyfat % and it's taken in a gym to boot - meaning that regardless of how little time he may take preparing whole foods - he at least makes the time to exercise.

We KNOW the incredible protective effects exercise has on our bodies and you can't deny that someone that eats a healthy caloric intake (even though their intake of processed food and sugar seems 'high' to a "clean" eater) with proper nutrients, AND regularly exercises is healthier than 95% of the population in the USA. OK, 95% is an estimated and possibly exaggerated statistic with no way to verify... but it wouldn't surprise me.

There actually is science to back it up, but it'll have to wait till I'm at a computer again.

Antioxidants are everywhere these days, and there's little to no real evidence they do much of anything for us.

http://health.usnews.com/health-news/health-wellness/articles/2013/03/09/do-you-really-need-antioxidants?page=2

Quick FYI the article is based around studies on supplemental antioxidants, not antioxidants naturally occurring in our food.

It is accepted by medicine and science in general that antioxidants in fruit and vegetables do lower the incidence of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Unlike hypotheses such as the lipid hypothesis or closely-related diet-heart hypothesis, the role antioxidants play is not a theory, but substantiated in all scientific studies done.

There is, however, no consensus that SUPPLEMENTING with antioxidants has any beneficial effects - which is why the FDA doesn't allow any antioxidant supplements to be labeled with claims they prevent disease, etc.

So from one old science guy to you - eat yer berries. Your choice of course

Meh. I hate berries

Meh. I hate berries

There was this old joke from when I was a kid who's punchline was...

'Doctor say you gonna die, Johnny!'

I love berries. It's 90%of my fruit intake...which admittedly, being high in sugar, isn't much.

Has anyone here actually educated themselves about nutrition at all? Honestly, myfitnesspal isn't about dieting, it is about making a lifestyle change. And a proper lifestyle change doesn't include vegetables imported from halfway around the globe that weren't allowed to ripen on the vine naturally, that are likely GMO, with flour in the "healthy" tortilla wraps and batter on the chicken that is processed beyond belief, covering antibiotic rich, steroid pumped chicken that has been processed and pummelled into oblivion.

You can go to McDonalds. But please understand that it does not matter if you only eat 1200 calories a day if you eat 1200 calories of ****. If you eat McDonalds five days a week, your insides will be a ****show no matter what you might think. Your body will be acidic instead of alkaline, and you may as well buy yourself a casket now because cancer cells love to grow in acidic environments. Cheers everyone.

Oh and p.s. - diet coke is one of the worst things you could possibly ingest - more than containing aspartame and a million other ingredients you wouldn't give to your worst enemy, it actually stimulates the hunger region in the brain, which could cause you to eat more than if you had just drank water. So it literally does you no good whatsoever.

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. Thank you, Victoria.

(For the record, my fiancee drinks 1 diet coke every single day, it doesn't 'stimulate her hunger' or any of that other BS. Do I think artificial sweeteners are the world's best thing? Nope. But do I use them? Sweet 'N Low every time I have iced tea, baby. Have for my whole life. Still waiting for that cancer to show up.)

Like I said, I don't trust any food that looks the same after 3 months in my body. If I want fast food there are better places to go with better ingredients.

You'd better never make a hamburger at home, or eat bread, then.

I you make and cook a hamburger patty at home and then toss it on a plate, it'll look the same in a year. Same with bread: put a slice on the counter, and if the cat doesn't run off with it it'll look the same in about a year.

What?? Unless the temperature of this counter is below freezing, this is nonsense.

It's not nonsense at all. Read this:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

Besides, why would a burger from McDonald's age differently from one you cook at home? There are no special ingredients. The only thing in a plain McD's hamburger is a regular bun, ground beef, and some salt and pepper. Period, end of story, that's it. There are no magic preservatives that make the McD's ground beef different from supermarket ground beef.

Bottom line: if you prepare a hamburger at home, and don't put condiments on it, and let it sit on a counter: it will simply dry out.

And grow mold and bacteria and eventually decay like everything organic does. That link you provided is blocked at my office for "social networking" so I'm guessing it provides no legitimate data. Unless your food is pumped full of some pretty hefty preservatives, it's going to change in a year. In fact, it will look significantly different in just a few days.

IDK what McD puts in their beef or how it differs from the various types of beef available in a supermarket , but I'm sure it would look different in a year also. It sure tastes a lot crappier than the ground beef I use at home, though.

It provides legitimate data. They bought some ground beef, made a burger, and showed it dries up and doesn't mold just the same way as a plain McDonald's burger.

You are simply wrong in your statements. Period, end of story.

Like I said, I don't trust any food that looks the same after 3 months in my body. If I want fast food there are better places to go with better ingredients.

You'd better never make a hamburger at home, or eat bread, then.

I you make and cook a hamburger patty at home and then toss it on a plate, it'll look the same in a year. Same with bread: put a slice on the counter, and if the cat doesn't run off with it it'll look the same in about a year.

What?? Unless the temperature of this counter is below freezing, this is nonsense.

It's not nonsense at all. Read this:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

Besides, why would a burger from McDonald's age differently from one you cook at home? There are no special ingredients. The only thing in a plain McD's hamburger is a regular bun, ground beef, and some salt and pepper. Period, end of story, that's it. There are no magic preservatives that make the McD's ground beef different from supermarket ground beef.

Bottom line: if you prepare a hamburger at home, and don't put condiments on it, and let it sit on a counter: it will simply dry out.

And grow mold and bacteria and eventually decay like everything organic does. That link you provided is blocked at my office for "social networking" so I'm guessing it provides no legitimate data. Unless your food is pumped full of some pretty hefty preservatives, it's going to change in a year. In fact, it will look significantly different in just a few days.

IDK what McD puts in their beef or how it differs from the various types of beef available in a supermarket , but I'm sure it would look different in a year also. It sure tastes a lot crappier than the ground beef I use at home, though.

It provides legitimate data. They bought some ground beef, made a burger, and showed it dries up and doesn't mold just the same way as a plain McDonald's burger.

You are simply wrong in your statements. Period, end of story.

How did the beef dry up and look exactly the same?

By drying up.

If you cook a plain piece of ground beef that's fairly thin like a McDonald's burger patty, and let it sit on the counter, it dries up before it can be taken over by mold. That's the long and the short of it.

Ever leave a piece of bread on the counter? It doesn't get moldy. It dries up and becomes a big crouton. Bread in the package gets moldy because the package maintains moisture.

Like I said, I don't trust any food that looks the same after 3 months in my body. If I want fast food there are better places to go with better ingredients.

You'd better never make a hamburger at home, or eat bread, then.

I you make and cook a hamburger patty at home and then toss it on a plate, it'll look the same in a year. Same with bread: put a slice on the counter, and if the cat doesn't run off with it it'll look the same in about a year.

What?? Unless the temperature of this counter is below freezing, this is nonsense.

It's not nonsense at all. Read this:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

Besides, why would a burger from McDonald's age differently from one you cook at home? There are no special ingredients. The only thing in a plain McD's hamburger is a regular bun, ground beef, and some salt and pepper. Period, end of story, that's it. There are no magic preservatives that make the McD's ground beef different from supermarket ground beef.

Bottom line: if you prepare a hamburger at home, and don't put condiments on it, and let it sit on a counter: it will simply dry out.

And grow mold and bacteria and eventually decay like everything organic does. That link you provided is blocked at my office for "social networking" so I'm guessing it provides no legitimate data. Unless your food is pumped full of some pretty hefty preservatives, it's going to change in a year. In fact, it will look significantly different in just a few days.

IDK what McD puts in their beef or how it differs from the various types of beef available in a supermarket , but I'm sure it would look different in a year also. It sure tastes a lot crappier than the ground beef I use at home, though.

It provides legitimate data. They bought some ground beef, made a burger, and showed it dries up and doesn't mold just the same way as a plain McDonald's burger.

You are simply wrong in your statements. Period, end of story.

How did the beef dry up and look exactly the same?

By drying up.

If you cook a plain piece of ground beef that's fairly thin like a McDonald's burger patty, and let it sit on the counter, it dries up before it can be taken over by mold. That's the long and the short of it.

Ever leave a piece of bread on the counter? It doesn't get moldy. It dries up and becomes a big crouton. Bread in the package gets moldy because the package maintains moisture.

My bread gets moldy, but I do live in a humid area. But, how did they know the meat had dried up. Some sort of test to measure the water content?

Like I said, I don't trust any food that looks the same after 3 months in my body. If I want fast food there are better places to go with better ingredients.

You'd better never make a hamburger at home, or eat bread, then.

I you make and cook a hamburger patty at home and then toss it on a plate, it'll look the same in a year. Same with bread: put a slice on the counter, and if the cat doesn't run off with it it'll look the same in about a year.

What?? Unless the temperature of this counter is below freezing, this is nonsense.

It's not nonsense at all. Read this:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

Besides, why would a burger from McDonald's age differently from one you cook at home? There are no special ingredients. The only thing in a plain McD's hamburger is a regular bun, ground beef, and some salt and pepper. Period, end of story, that's it. There are no magic preservatives that make the McD's ground beef different from supermarket ground beef.

Bottom line: if you prepare a hamburger at home, and don't put condiments on it, and let it sit on a counter: it will simply dry out.

And grow mold and bacteria and eventually decay like everything organic does. That link you provided is blocked at my office for "social networking" so I'm guessing it provides no legitimate data. Unless your food is pumped full of some pretty hefty preservatives, it's going to change in a year. In fact, it will look significantly different in just a few days.

IDK what McD puts in their beef or how it differs from the various types of beef available in a supermarket , but I'm sure it would look different in a year also. It sure tastes a lot crappier than the ground beef I use at home, though.

It provides legitimate data. They bought some ground beef, made a burger, and showed it dries up and doesn't mold just the same way as a plain McDonald's burger.

You are simply wrong in your statements. Period, end of story.

How did the beef dry up and look exactly the same?

By drying up.

If you cook a plain piece of ground beef that's fairly thin like a McDonald's burger patty, and let it sit on the counter, it dries up before it can be taken over by mold. That's the long and the short of it.

Ever leave a piece of bread on the counter? It doesn't get moldy. It dries up and becomes a big crouton. Bread in the package gets moldy because the package maintains moisture.

My bread gets moldy, but I do live in a humid area. But, how did they know the meat had dried up. Some sort of test to measure the water content?

Yes, that's exactly what they did. They recorded the weight of the burger every day:

"We can prove this by examining the weight charts between the regular burger and the Quarter Pounder. Take a look:
This chart represents the amount of weight lost from the burgers through evaporation every day (both starting weights have been normalized to 1). As you can see, by the end of 2 weeks, both the regular burgers and the Quarter Pounders ended up losing about 31% of their total weight and are pretty much stable. They are essentially burger-jerky."

Here are the samples they used:

Sample 1: A plain McDonald's hamburger stored on a plate in the open air outside of its wrapper.
Sample 2: A plain burger made from home-ground fresh all-natural chuck of the exact dimensions as the McDonald's burger, on a standard store-bought toasted bun.
Sample 3: A plain burger with a home-ground patty, but a McDonald's bun.
Sample 4: A plain burger with a McDonald's patty on a store-bought bun.*
Sample 5: A plain McDonald's burger stored in its original packaging.
Sample 6: A plain McDonald's burger made without any salt, stored in the open air.
Sample 7: A plain McDonald's Quarter Pounder, stored in the open air.
Sample 8: A homemade burger the exact dimension of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder.
Sample 9:A plain McDonald's Angus Third Pounder, stored in the open air

Here are some snippets of results:

"Turns out that not only did the regular McDonald's burgers not rot, but the home-ground burgers did not rot either. Samples one through five had shrunk a bit (especially the beef patties), but they showed no signs of decomposition"

"The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot? Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above."

"The burger doesn't rot because it's small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well. It's not really surprising. Humans have known about this phenomenon for thousands of years. After all, how do you think beef jerky is made?"

Pancakes with little to NO syrup and half a pat of butter. STAY away from those sausages!!!!! I still get to go out for breakfast and a walk will burn those few calories off in little time!

Like I said, I don't trust any food that looks the same after 3 months in my body. If I want fast food there are better places to go with better ingredients.

You'd better never make a hamburger at home, or eat bread, then.

I you make and cook a hamburger patty at home and then toss it on a plate, it'll look the same in a year. Same with bread: put a slice on the counter, and if the cat doesn't run off with it it'll look the same in about a year.

What?? Unless the temperature of this counter is below freezing, this is nonsense.

It's not nonsense at all. Read this:
http://aht.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/11/the-burger-lab-revisiting-the-myth-of-the-12-year-old-burger-testing-results.html

Besides, why would a burger from McDonald's age differently from one you cook at home? There are no special ingredients. The only thing in a plain McD's hamburger is a regular bun, ground beef, and some salt and pepper. Period, end of story, that's it. There are no magic preservatives that make the McD's ground beef different from supermarket ground beef.

Bottom line: if you prepare a hamburger at home, and don't put condiments on it, and let it sit on a counter: it will simply dry out.

And grow mold and bacteria and eventually decay like everything organic does. That link you provided is blocked at my office for "social networking" so I'm guessing it provides no legitimate data. Unless your food is pumped full of some pretty hefty preservatives, it's going to change in a year. In fact, it will look significantly different in just a few days.

IDK what McD puts in their beef or how it differs from the various types of beef available in a supermarket , but I'm sure it would look different in a year also. It sure tastes a lot crappier than the ground beef I use at home, though.

It provides legitimate data. They bought some ground beef, made a burger, and showed it dries up and doesn't mold just the same way as a plain McDonald's burger.

You are simply wrong in your statements. Period, end of story.

How did the beef dry up and look exactly the same?

By drying up.

If you cook a plain piece of ground beef that's fairly thin like a McDonald's burger patty, and let it sit on the counter, it dries up before it can be taken over by mold. That's the long and the short of it.

Ever leave a piece of bread on the counter? It doesn't get moldy. It dries up and becomes a big crouton. Bread in the package gets moldy because the package maintains moisture.

My bread gets moldy, but I do live in a humid area. But, how did they know the meat had dried up. Some sort of test to measure the water content?

Yes, that's exactly what they did. They recorded the weight of the burger every day:

"We can prove this by examining the weight charts between the regular burger and the Quarter Pounder. Take a look:
This chart represents the amount of weight lost from the burgers through evaporation every day (both starting weights have been normalized to 1). As you can see, by the end of 2 weeks, both the regular burgers and the Quarter Pounders ended up losing about 31% of their total weight and are pretty much stable. They are essentially burger-jerky."

Here are the samples they used:

Sample 1: A plain McDonald's hamburger stored on a plate in the open air outside of its wrapper.
Sample 2: A plain burger made from home-ground fresh all-natural chuck of the exact dimensions as the McDonald's burger, on a standard store-bought toasted bun.
Sample 3: A plain burger with a home-ground patty, but a McDonald's bun.
Sample 4: A plain burger with a McDonald's patty on a store-bought bun.*
Sample 5: A plain McDonald's burger stored in its original packaging.
Sample 6: A plain McDonald's burger made without any salt, stored in the open air.
Sample 7: A plain McDonald's Quarter Pounder, stored in the open air.
Sample 8: A homemade burger the exact dimension of a McDonald's Quarter Pounder.
Sample 9:A plain McDonald's Angus Third Pounder, stored in the open air

Here are some snippets of results:

"Turns out that not only did the regular McDonald's burgers not rot, but the home-ground burgers did not rot either. Samples one through five had shrunk a bit (especially the beef patties), but they showed no signs of decomposition"

"The final two burgers I tested were a McDonald's burger and a regular homemade burger of the same dimensions placed in plastic zipper-lock bags side by side. Hopefully the bag would trap in enough moisture. The question: Would they rot? Indeed they do. Within a week, both burgers were nearly covered in little white spots of mold, eventually turning into the green and black spotted beast you see above."

"The burger doesn't rot because it's small size and relatively large surface area help it to lose moisture very fast. Without moisture, there's no mold or bacterial growth. Of course, that the meat is pretty much sterile to begin with due to the high cooking temperature helps things along as well. It's not really surprising. Humans have known about this phenomenon for thousands of years. After all, how do you think beef jerky is made?"

And yet they looked the same. Wow, that is a truly amazing story. What did it taste like when they ate it? I mean, if it's unchanged after a year surely they didn't waste a perfectly good burger.