Eat McDonald's, lose wight, set terrible example

autumnblade75 · January 2014

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I might be offended by the article suggesting that the cholesterol reduction in his bloodwork was due to his 45 minutes of walking, and not his improved nutrition.

I'm mostly curious about his satiety on this diet. I could eat his entire day's allotment for a single meal, and I would still be hungry.

He ate around 2000 calories (I think Mr Knight worked it out at 2100) over the course of 3 reasonably sized meals and you're worried about his satiety? Really?

Yeah, really. I can be full on 2000 calories, and I can be ravenous on 2000 calories. I don't think it matters how many meals he broke it into. I wonder if he felt hungry. I can't find an article that mentions it, anywhere.

walkinthedogs · January 2014

First of all, I think you are completely missing the point. It was a real life experiment, that the kids could get behind and actually learn something from. The point isn't to just eat McDonald's and lose weight. I think the whole point was to get the kids to think beyond the books and preconceived idea's about food and nutrition and to learn a lot in the process. Do you think they would have even come close to caring and learning as much if they would have read about this in a textbook? Nope, they wouldn't. He didn't say everyone should do this now. He was getting the kids in his class to actually care about the subject matter at hand and learn in the process, plus he got to eat at McDonald's and he lost 37 lbs. Sounds like a win all the way around to me. Common people use your own heads. I swear people just look for reasons to be pissed about **** they shouldn't be pissed about.

jofjltncb6 · January 2014

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I might be offended by the article suggesting that the cholesterol reduction in his bloodwork was due to his 45 minutes of walking, and not his improved nutrition.

I'm mostly curious about his satiety on this diet. I could eat his entire day's allotment for a single meal, and I would still be hungry.

He ate around 2000 calories (I think Mr Knight worked it out at 2100) over the course of 3 reasonably sized meals and you're worried about his satiety? Really?

Yeah, really. I can be full on 2000 calories, and I can be ravenous on 2000 calories. I don't think it matters how many meals he broke it into. I wonder if he felt hungry. I can't find an article that mentions it, anywhere.

"Satiety" is more of a convenience thing than essential for success. *Real* hunger from too large of a calorie deficit can (and honestly should) derail adherence, but lack of satiety is something that can be conditioned and "willpowered" through.

WendyTerry420 · January 2014

McDonald's sells a highly addictive product...

stupidest-thing-ive-ever-heard.gif?w=500

ninerbuff · January 2014

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I would argue that it was posted with the intention of creating a flame thread.

It was posted because I thought it would be something that would spark discussion and it has.

Personally, I feel that this teacher, however noble his intentions, is setting a dangerous example for this students. Fast food is TERRIBLE for you. It contains highly processed low grade food which over time leads to tons of health problems.

Using fast food to teach nutrition is like using Russian roulette to teach probability.

If this were really true, then our prison population should be much smaller since the food is of even lower quality and should have killed off a few thousand inmates who have been eating it DAILY for years.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Greytfish · January 2014

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HOw is this a terrible example? Isn't showing that you can make healthy choices and stick to a diet even if you are rushed for time or on a short budget a good thing?

This.

Except, those arent healthy choices. Healthier than, say supersizing a Big Mac meal? Sure. But healthier and healthy are not the same thing.

Being rushed for time or on a short budget are cop-out excuses. Nothing mentally healthy about being dishonest about motivations.

People eat fast food because they like it.

Greytfish · January 2014

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I would argue that it was posted with the intention of creating a flame thread.

It was posted because I thought it would be something that would spark discussion and it has.

Personally, I feel that this teacher, however noble his intentions, is setting a dangerous example for this students. Fast food is TERRIBLE for you. It contains highly processed low grade food which over time leads to tons of health problems.

Using fast food to teach nutrition is like using Russian roulette to teach probability.

If this were really true, then our prison population should be much smaller since the food is of even lower quality and should have killed off a few thousand inmates who have been eating it DAILY for years.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This might be true for some areas, but certainly not all.

_SABOTEUR_ · January 2014

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I don't know if anyone remembers the HBO series "The weight of the nation" (it's really really good) but they talked about certain parts of the country that had -I think they called it something like- fast food wastelands, where a large percentage of the population lives with fast food as literally their only choice. There are literally no grocery stores or places to buy fresh food within the local public transportation routes, and an abundance of fast food restaurants. People without their own transportation have to rely on fast food. They have some of the highest obesity rates and unhealthiest people in the country.

I think this story could translate to some hope for how people that live in these areas can turn their health situations around, despite the circumstances. A big part of the problem is accepting that if you don't have food availability, you're going to be fat and unhealthy.

Freakin BINGO!!!!!!

They're called "food desserts" and they do exist.

They are INCREDIBLY challenging to deal with.

As far as I'm concerned, this teacher did these student an incredible service, and selflessly.

Agreed.

Hornsby · January 2014

I ate/eat McDonalds 5 times a week usually. Their premium chicken wraps are perfect size and fit into my macros nicely.

twixlepennie · January 2014

Personally... I don't eat McDonalds. I'd rather eat real food. But... if you can't cook... don't care to.. and Love crappy fast food... I guess its good to know you can make better choices whilst you're there to keep youself from packing on the lbs. Their choice, their life. As long as they don't tie me to a chair and force feed it to me we're cool.

Oh good grief, now fast food isn't real food :huh: I can cook and I don't mind doing it, but I eat fast food a few times a week. because I LIKE the food. There's nothing wrong with a Big Mac and fries or a Whopper and fries, etc etc-I fit it in my calories and macros and enjoy the food I eat. I've done the whole labeling food 'good/bad' 'clean'unclean' and the only thing I got out of it was a brush with orthorexia. Been there, done that, not going back.

SofaKingRad_II · January 2014

I'm not bothered by it. I could care less what he did/does.

eric_sg61 · January 2014

Personally... I don't eat McDonalds. I'd rather eat real food. But... if you can't cook... don't care to.. and Love crappy fast food... I guess its good to know you can make better choices whilst you're there to keep youself from packing on the lbs. Their choice, their life. As long as they don't tie me to a chair and force feed it to me we're cool.

How is it not real food?

autumnblade75 · January 2014

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I might be offended by the article suggesting that the cholesterol reduction in his bloodwork was due to his 45 minutes of walking, and not his improved nutrition.

I'm mostly curious about his satiety on this diet. I could eat his entire day's allotment for a single meal, and I would still be hungry.

He ate around 2000 calories (I think Mr Knight worked it out at 2100) over the course of 3 reasonably sized meals and you're worried about his satiety? Really?

Yeah, really. I can be full on 2000 calories, and I can be ravenous on 2000 calories. I don't think it matters how many meals he broke it into. I wonder if he felt hungry. I can't find an article that mentions it, anywhere.

"Satiety" is more of a convenience thing than essential for success. *Real* hunger from too large of a calorie deficit can (and honestly should) derail adherence, but lack of satiety is something that can be conditioned and "willpowered" through.

I would rather not have to rely on determining the difference between *real* hunger and satiety. I'm just curious about how that played out in the experiment. And that's beside the point - weren't we arguing about what was offensive in the article?

From the article:
"What’s more, there’s not even strong evidence that losing weight is good for you. A meta-study published last month indicated that weight loss is not correlated with improvements in cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels. What has been shown to improve these metrics? Exercise. The majority of Cisna’s cholesterol improvement was probably a result of his new daily walking routine, not the McDonald’s diet. But the truism that exercise improves health is far too boring to attract the attention of morning-show producers."

Looking back, pretty much the entire last paragraph there is offensive to me. I think he improved his nutrition, and that had more impact on his numbers than a little walking. I don't even disagree that exercise improves health - I just don't think that's the major player in this story.

EplusThree · January 2014

I'm more bothered that he got FREE FOOD for three months.
Bothered = seethingly jealous

skullshank · January 2014

it's a GREAT example...

of calories in < calories out being the key.

great post!

SailorKnightWing · January 2014

The only thing I learned from this thread is that most people don't realize the phrase is "couldn't care less," not "could care less."

Hungry_Annie · January 2014

The whole point of it was to prove that you cant blame McDonalds and other "bad" food for gaining weight, you make your own choices. I think its an awesome story.

RunsOnEspresso · January 2014

I had mcdonalds last night. I came in under my calorie goal AND stayed full all night. I didn't have a salad either, although I had a subway salad for lunch and stayed full from about 11:30 until about 6:30 when I got dinner.

But fast food doesn't keep you full, right?

And I will probably die now because I had two meals of fast food yesterday!

ksuh999 · January 2014

The only thing I learned from this thread is that most people don't realize the phrase is "couldn't care less," not "could care less."

ninerbuff · January 2014

show previous quotes

I would argue that it was posted with the intention of creating a flame thread.

It was posted because I thought it would be something that would spark discussion and it has.

Personally, I feel that this teacher, however noble his intentions, is setting a dangerous example for this students. Fast food is TERRIBLE for you. It contains highly processed low grade food which over time leads to tons of health problems.

Using fast food to teach nutrition is like using Russian roulette to teach probability.

If this were really true, then our prison population should be much smaller since the food is of even lower quality and should have killed off a few thousand inmates who have been eating it DAILY for years.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

This might be true for some areas, but certainly not all.

That wasn't the point I was making. Person claims that eating low quality food will cause health problems which usually ends up with a higher mortality rate. For some reason it doesn't happen in prison. Why? Because they don't have a way to really overeat.
Obesity and health issues are due more to over consumption rather than the quality of food that people are eating. That's not to say that it's not important to eat nutritiously, but again eating fast food isn't causing lean people to have the same issues as obese and overweight people.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

skullshank · January 2014

And I will probably die now because I had two meals of fast food yesterday!

100% of people who eat fast food die.

truth.

RunsOnEspresso · January 2014

The only thing I learned from this thread is that most people don't realize the phrase is "couldn't care less," not "could care less."

Unless they actually think they could care less. Maybe they haven't decided their level of caring yet.

RunsOnEspresso · January 2014

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And I will probably die now because I had two meals of fast food yesterday!

100% of people who eat fast food die.

truth.

Oh great. I now need to go sit in the corner and cry over my impending death. Thanks, thanks a lot.

da_bears10089 · January 2014

I'm confused as to why this is setting a terrible example? I think this could help hundreds of people succeed with their weight loss! The mind set of "i must not eat this, or this, or this because it is BAD" will lead a lot of people to failing. I have learned to incorporate all types of food into my day without feeling guilty. I enjoy all types of food too much to deprive myself of any of them.

JoRocka · January 2014

I'm bothered by it.

I'm tremendously bothered by it.

I'm bothered by the fact he spent a lot of time and effort supporting an organization that as a corporate conglomeration supports anti-hand gun laws.

What a waste- couldn't he have supported some other rubbish big fortune 500 with his money.

BusyRaeNOTBusty · January 2014

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I think that it's totally possible to lose weight eating only McDonalds, it just depends on the caloric intake. You can choose to have a salad and water there for lunch, or you could choose the quarter pounder large meal with a large Coke. It just depends on the choices you make, showing that fast food restaurants are not as bad as they were made out to be, say, 10 years ago, because a lot of them switched to healthier menu choices, ex: no trans fat and no super sizing.
However, I think it was a bad idea to bring into the classroom. Especially of teenagers, many of them susceptible to eating disorders, and teaching them a "diet" at that age, making them plan meals for him, shouldn't be happening: it's his own business to lose weight.

So teenagers shouldn't learn how to moderate intake? It's a shame then that this is something taught in elementary...

Children SHOULD be taught about portion control and nutrient content. The earlier the better. "Diet" actually refers to the food people eat, not to a phase of calorie restriction. My children are 7, 5, and 3 and I already try to teach them what is "healthy" food, what are "good" snacks, what are "sometimes" foods and that eating too much is very "unhealthy". I don't ever mention a desire for them or myself to be "skinny". I don't ever warn them not to be fat. It's all about health, energy, etc.

Calorie restriction is a reality at any age. Eating within your calories is important for staying healthy. It doesn't have to be about being skinny. The teacher lost weight, improving at least one of his health markers. How is that not a valid lesson?

Given that being obese increases chances of all kinds of negative health effects, it might be something you want to consider mentioning to them. How you present the message so that it doesn't also give them an unhealthy relationship with food matters, and is not an easy task, but I don't think that means you shouldn't mention weight as a concern at all. It is a concern.

Oh, I also think that the teacher's lesson is valid. I eat fast food several times a week and am not overweight or unhealthy. I worked at McDonalds for 5 years through high school and college and was also never overweight (maybe a few pounds but that was beer not McDonalds).

And if the need ever arose for me to explain to my children that being "fat" does equal being "unhealthy" I would, but for now I"m okay with "unhealthy" and "healthy". It's hard to try to establish healthy food relationships with kids, but in my opinion the "obesity epidemic" is much bigger problem then teenagers with eating disorders. I think if we can establish health food relationships early, it will prevent both problems though. Food is energy. Food is nutrients. And yes, food is even enjoyable. But you have to have balance and pay attention to how much you eat.

Greytfish · January 2014

]That wasn't the point I was making. Person claims that eating low quality food will cause health problems which usually ends up with a higher mortality rate. For some reason it doesn't happen in prison. Why? Because they don't have a way to really overeat.
Obesity and health issues are due more to over consumption rather than the quality of food that people are eating. That's not to say that it's not important to eat nutritiously, but again eating fast food isn't causing lean people to have the same issues as obese and overweight people.

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

Your point is based on false assumptions. Prison (but not short term facilities like jails, which often serve McDonald's, actually) food generally meets standards that exceed those set for school lunches and you very much can overeat to obesity.

WendyTerry420 · January 2014

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"Satiety" is more of a convenience thing than essential for success. *Real* hunger from too large of a calorie deficit can (and honestly should) derail adherence, but lack of satiety is something that can be conditioned and "willpowered" through.

I would rather not have to rely on determining the difference between *real* hunger and satiety. I'm just curious about how that played out in the experiment. And that's beside the point - weren't we arguing about what was offensive in the article?

Interesting. learning the difference between *real* hunger and satiety has been my main goal over the last year. It's the key to how I've maintained my weight without logging my intake since August.

kaotik26 · January 2014

http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/01/06/mcdonald_s_diet_high_school_teacher_john_cisna_loses_37_pounds_sets_terrible.html

So this happened. Is anyone else really bothered by this??

No because he proved that if you watch your calories and exercise regularly your still doing better for yourself. Think what he could've done with good, fresh food though!!

mojohowitz · January 2014

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The only thing I learned from this thread is that most people don't realize the phrase is "couldn't care less," not "could care less."

Unless they actually think they could care less. Maybe they haven't decided their level of caring yet.

Unless they are being sarcastic, but whatever. I _could_ care less but I'm not going to waste my precious McDonald's calories doing it. I need those to fuel my efforts to prove my opinion is actually FACT.

truth.

Eat McDonald's, lose wight, set terrible example

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