SupersizeMe - Counterdocumentary

[Kent]

I have expressed my dismay at the legitmacy of the SupersizeMe phenomenon, but this woman took to a new step by making another documentary. Check it out here. While I don't agree with the premise that weightloss comes down to calories in vs. calories out, it at least points out the fallacy that McD's is wholly or even primarily responsible for obesity by its patrons. I thought the 8 minute video trailer was interesting as another side of the story.

[shmooziecat]

Hi Kent, darn...I could not open it. What player do I need to play it on...it did not work on windows media player. Thank you. Trish

[Kent]

It worked on my Windows Media Player (version 10) - it might be codec related for it not working. Here is a direct link to the video:
mms://www.fednetvideo.net/CPF/CEI/cei052605.wmv
As for fixing the codec issue, I always download the latest K-lite Mega Codec pack, but installing codecs is no trivial thing.

[Effie]

I personally loved SuperSize Me, so here are my thoughts on the counterdocumentary:

I don't think it disproves Morgan Spurlock's theory at all. I think he would probably wholeheartedly agree with what this woman seems to be saying. She's saying that McDonald's doesn't have to make you fat as long as you eat the right amounts & exercise. What Spurlock said, maybe in too much of an over-the-top-Michael-Moore kind of way, was that if you didn't KNOW what was healthy, and you didn't know you were supposed to exercise, you would overeat & become very unhealthy. I didn't think SuperSize Me was as much as a criticism of McDonald's, but more on the habits of Americans in general (or maybe that's just what I wanted to get out of it). Unfortunately, many people in our society don't know what constitutes a healthy diet, and if they ate what they thought was a normal meal (a supersized value meal), they probably would end up eating way too many calories and gaining weight. Is this McDonald's fault? No, not entirely. They're in the business of making money, so they're going to try to sell the most amount of food to each customer in order to make a profit. Do I think people should be allowed to sue anyone for their obesity? No. I totally agree with this woman that it is all about personal responsibility. If each person was personally responsible for everything that happened to them, well then, this wouldn't be America and we'd have thousands of lawyers out of jobs and millions of people off of welfare and having to (gasp!) work. </cynicism>

[Effie]

Oh yeah, one more thing.

Spurlock featured that man who ate a Big Mac every single day, sometimes twice a day, for I don't know how many years. He was relatively thin. He did admit that he rarely, if ever, ate the fries. Spurlock knew, and wasn't trying to hide the fact that you could eat McDonald's every day and not gain 25 pounds in a month if you chose the right foods.

[Iapetus999]

Ooohhh boooooyyy :smackhead

Interesting. She had a HUGE incentive to "prove SupersizeMe wrong"
So she eats less than 2000 calories a day and exercises.
Don't know what her menu looks like.. Said she made "healthy choices."

They are so full of themselves and smug it makes me sick. :vomit

Are they really solving anything? Are are they just complicating the issues? Do they really believe McDonalds is a good choice for everyone?
I guess they did it to ward off anti-fast food legislation or something.

I was in a McDonalds for a kids party the other day and damn if there weren't a lot of large people in line. I mean look at the results...people regularly overeat fast food and the more you eat it the more of it you want to eat.
To be "accurate" she should really eat what the average person eats on a trip to McDonalds and then see what happens...not her fancy schmancy "healthy" menu which hardly anyone eats.

You want skeptical? I can give you skeptical.

[Iapetus999]

Oh yeah, one more thing.

Spurlock featured that man who ate a Big Mac every single day, sometimes twice a day, for I don't know how many years. He was relatively thin. He did admit that he rarely, if ever, ate the fries. Spurlock knew, and wasn't trying to hide the fact that you could eat McDonald's every day and not gain 25 pounds in a month if you chose the right foods.

Like he planned to gain that much weight....
From what I remember pretty much everyone was shocked.

[Kent]

Like he planned to gain that much weight....
From what I remember pretty much everyone was shocked.

<cynicism mode on>Someone who eats a extra size value meal, fries, shake, and a sundae for multiple meals per day, and doesn't expect to gain weight? yeah right. <cynicism mode off>

He went out and created an intentional hatchet job on a corporation. It was the only way he was going to have his documentary played anywhere near the big screen was to sensationalize the damage of McDonalds. He certainly did that in spades.

[Effie]

He went out and created an intentional hatchet job on a corporation. It was the only way he was going to have his documentary played anywhere near the big screen was to sensationalize the damage of McDonalds. He certainly did that in spades.

It may have been over the top, but I think that was his point. A lot of people in this country are getting out of control with their eating habits, and they're NOT trying to prove a point. I work with a woman who buys her kid McDonalds almost every single day. This is not healthy, no matter whose documentary you watch. Without the hard slap in the face that Spurlock delivers, no one is going to get the message.

We've been reading for years that you need to eat right & exercise, but until we experience our own personal ah-ha moment, that message never sinks in.

[Iapetus999]

Like he planned to gain that much weight....
From what I remember pretty much everyone was shocked.

<cynicism mode on>Someone who eats a extra size value meal, fries, shake, and a sundae for multiple meals per day, and doesn't expect to gain weight? yeah right. <cynicism mode off>

He went out and created an intentional hatchet job on a corporation. It was the only way he was going to have his documentary played anywhere near the big screen was to sensationalize the damage of McDonalds. He certainly did that in spades.

Dude...that's what people eat at McDonalds.
That's the point...it's not what they should eat...it's what they do eat.
And there were lots of parts of that movie that were complimentary to McD's.
Are you seriously going to tell people, "hey if you're trying to lose weight, McDonalds is a good choice."
Give me a break.

[Kent]

Are you seriously going to tell people, "hey if you're trying to lose weight, McDonalds is a good choice."
Give me a break.

And if I told someone else to eat 2 or 3 McD's double cheeseburgers (the lunch I regularly ate) to lose weight the same so-called experts would say the recommendation was just as foolish and misguided. Mc Donald's and the government for that manner isn't there for determine its patrons' or citizens' most appropriate eating pattern. If either was, it is doubtful I would have lost the weight.

As for where to go to lose weight, send them to McD's. You can make just as appropriate choices there as you can elsewhere. Fact is I did it, so I feel quite ready to make the recommendation. Make yours whereever you feel comfortable. McD's wasn't there judging me, but apparently some of my fellow patrons might have been.

[Iapetus999]

Do you work for McDonalds or something?

I guess I was just wrong about it.
If you and this other woman can lose weight at McD's I say go for it.

Hey Jared lost a ton of weight so Subway must be on the "good" list too!

I guess I'm biased because even before Atkins I thought McD's food sucked...BK and Wendy's are much better. :P

You can make just as appropriate choices there as you can elsewhere.

Yeah I'll have the McSalmon please.
There is way more healthy food out there than what's on the McD menu.

And now I'm going to watch Spurlock's new show on FX.

[Kent]

Do you work for McDonalds or something?

Yeah I'll have the McSalmon please.
There is way more healthy food out there than what's on the McD menu.

Nope, I am just sick of the glorification of so-called experts with mock science.

Enjoy the show -- living at minimum wage is tough and might require two jobs, who knew?

[Isabeau]

What I took from Supersize me was not that McDonald's is evil. If I recall correctly he did make the point that he was eating there way more then anybody does (then he talked about how the corporation actually has labels for 'users', 'heavy users' etc.). What disturbed me the most was the incidious nature of crap food for profit. School lunch programs, pop vending machines in schools etc. It is all 'food for thought' so to speak.

[Alienore]

Having recently seen the Supersize Me documentary on tv here in the UK I remember being appalled at what that guy did to his bloodwork - scary - and his body overall. I know the point was to be extreme about it all to demonstrate the damage you can do if all you eat is crap but it was a major eye-opener for me too.

One of the other things I remember about that documentary is how long it took him to lose the weight he put on - does anyone know if he's still on a healthy eating regime? I'd think after messing himself up that badly his metabolism would not appreciate any form of excess....


Deborah