Super Size Me

[trunks2k]

Has anyone else seen or heard of this movie?

It's a documentary on the eating habits of Americans and the effects of fast food on our diets. A focus of the movie is to see exactly how bad fast food is for you. The guy who does the documentary decides to spent a month eating nothing but McDonalds. His rules are he can only consume things that are sold at McDonalds, he must super size his meal when and only when he is asked by an employee, and he must have everything on the menu at least once. He's also not allowed to walk more than a mile or something every day (because that's the average an american not living in the city walks per day).

They track is health for the month and meanwhile just look at the overall effects of fast food on our eating habits as well as some other general health issues.

I saw this movie last night and it was really amazing. It was really funny as well as scary. I think my favorite part is where he is showing a group of young kids pictures of different famous people, including characters like Ronald McDonald. The kids did a lot better at picking out the characters like Ronald McDonald than people like George Washington. One picture he showed all the kids and none of them knew who it was, one kid answered "George W Bush". The guy then shows the camera who he's been showing everyone and it's a picture of Jesus.

 

[Wroth]

I've heard of someone doing something similar to this but his doctors ordered him off it within a week because his life was in jeopardy because of the amount of grease/fat and other junk that he was putting into his mouth.

Where did you get the movie from? I'm interested in seeing this one.

 

[PeeLaPear3K1]

It's in theaters.

The guy who did this movie had real problems.

He has doctors examine him before the experience and throughtout the movie run some tests and find that he is really healthy.

During the movie, he puts on weight, has cravings, depression, and his girlfriend says that his sexual performance suffers. At one point, the doctors him urge him to stop because they think that he might suffer from permanent liver damage!

 

[trunks2k]

Where did you get the movie from? I'm interested in seeing this one.

It's out in theatres, limited release. http://www.supersizeme.com/

I've heard of someone doing something similar to this but his doctors ordered him off it within a week because his life was in jeopardy because of the amount of grease/fat and other junk that he was putting into his mouth.

*slight spoiler*


The guy in the movie started off in excellent health. He had 3 doctors plus a nutritionist tracking his "progress". The doctors were expecting that due to his age and health, a month of the diet would raise his cholesterol a little bit and make him gain weight. They didn't expect such drastic results. By the end of the first week he had gained about 10 pounds, and all his cholesterol levels and the like went from low to high. By halfway through the second week, his doctors were serisiously concerned for his health and suggest that he go off the diet as quickly as possible. But he stuck it out. By the time it was over, his cholesterol levels were incredibly high and he had a liver that functioned like that of an alcoholic.

 

[Subtotal]

I hope I get to see it. It sounds fantastic.

 

[Fineous_Reese]

haven't had a chance to see it yet but i've read a bit about it and it sounds decent. his gf is a vegan chef if memory serves and so if he was at least a vegetarian his system was going to really be affected by a month of McDonald's, more so than a regular Joe.

there's a definite problem with obesity in America but if this movie is another in a line of thinking that the problem lies with the McDonald's of the world then once again the logic is upside down. we need to take responsibility for our own choices (like this gent and his gf did by previously adhering to strict diets and exercise) and stop playing victim. as long as we're blithely paying McD's for fattening Big Macs they'll keep selling them. taking them to court only knocks them out of the competition and folks have to move to the next fast food junker.

[/soap box]

trunks, no comment on the Jesus pic (they never get the skintone dark enough anyway)
-Fin

 

[SuzQ]

I saw this movie last night and it was really amazing. It was really funny as well as scary. I think my favorite part is where he is showing a group of young kids pictures of different famous people, including characters like Ronald McDonald. The kids did a lot better at picking out the characters like Ronald McDonald than people like George Washington. One picture he showed all the kids and none of them knew who it was, one kid answered "George W Bush". The guy then shows the camera who he's been showing everyone and it's a picture of Jesus.

Egads! How scary is that!! Not that I don't support our current President, but NO comparison there! LOL! What's even scarier is when my son & I saw a commercial for that stupid Charles Manson movie the other night, and the actor made up to look like him could pass for Jesus, too! YUCK!

I agree that McDonald's is not soley to blame for America overreating. Unless the movie gives any indication to this kind of food being "addicting"?? Just curious.

 

[mathias1979]

someone on another website I visit made the point that there are many ways you can restrict your diet and your health is going to go downhill. If you eat just fruit for an entire month, it's probably going to do some funky things to you as well. I'm not saying I think McDonald's is healthy...but sounds as though this documentary is a bit exaggerated. I'm sure you could eat McDonald's a couple times a week and still maintain good health. Are there seriously people out there who eat fast food for nearly every meal?

-Matt

 

[tqpix]

I work at McDonald's, and since I get 50 percent off for being an employee, I eat their food regularly.

 

[trunks2k]

I agree that McDonald's is not soley to blame for America overreating. Unless the movie gives any indication to this kind of food being "addicting"?? Just curious.

It does hint at it, but it doesn't come out and say it directly. He mentions that he feels symptoms of a person addicted to something (depression and general sickish feeling when it's been a while since he's eaten and happiness when he does eat), they also make mention that several of the chemicals found in fast foods have properties similar to that of some addictive drugs (blocking some neural receptors).

 

[SuzQ]

It does hint at it, but it doesn't come out and say it directly. He mentions that he feels symptoms of a person addicted to something (depression and general sickish feeling when it's been a while since he's eaten and happiness when he does eat), they also make mention that several of the chemicals found in fast foods have properties similar to that of some addictive drugs (blocking some neural receptors).

WOW! Very interesting.... Thanks for that insight. I used to think the people who wanted to sue McD's were silly - maybe someone WILL be able to effectively sue McDonald's some day, especially if their research department is aware of that & can really be proved in court.....

 

[arnegrim]

My understanding is that he ate the equivalent of 9 Big Macs a day calory-wise.

Who won't suffer problems from that?