Supersize Me.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 7:45 pm

I'm surprised no one posted about this movie! Anyway, I'm sure everyone knows what this movie was about. For those of you who don't, here's some of the major highlights:

Supersize Me is a movie all about how McDonald's (and just about all fast food except for Subway) is bad for you. This guy decided to put his life on the line and eat nothing but McDonald's for a month. He did not eat anything that he couldn't order at Mcdonald's. He also enlisted not one, but three doctors to monitor him every week. What happened? He gained something like 17 pounds over the course of the month, had liver damage equivilant to that of a chronic alcholic, reduced spirm count and reduced sex drive, cravings for more Mcdonald's, a bit of depression even though is an all around happy guy, and his chloresterol and sugar levels were through the roof.

This movie was supposed to come out three or four years ago, but it got delayed because Mcdonald's took a shit fit over it. What are your thoughts on this movie and the lifestyles of Canadians/Americans as outlined in the movie?

There was a case once in my city where this woman spilled coffee on herself and sued Mcdonald's for it. But there's lots of other cases where people sue Mcdonald's because their food made them fat. It's retarded. Nobody made you go to Mcdonald's at gunpoint, so you need to start taking responsibility for your own actions.

But I also think there's no reason why Mcdonald's can't be selling healthy food. Before I saw the movie, I thought their parfaits and lighter choices menu were heathy, but it turns out they're just as bad as the regular burgers which contain three times the daily fat you need. Like with their happy meals, they could still make a good profit on those if they introduced a healthier menu and kept the original toy.

Since I saw this movie, I have not ate Mcdonalds. I now either eat at home or a real restaurent and when I do go eat 'fast food', I go eat subway (limiting the sauces of course) or sushi.

But I could go on and on. If I did that, then there'd be nothing left to discuss. What do you guys think?

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 7:59 pm

I saw that awhile ago with my family. I liked it. I thought it was very informative.

Regarding the whole "personal responsiblity" thing, I found this very intersting point on imdb

Sure, adults can, but children have no say in where their parents take them to eat. Few peope suddenly become obese at age 25. It starts with toddlers being hauled in for the happy meal.

While personal responsibility is important, it's not always an option for people, especially children. If parents keep taking their kids to McDonald's, they're obviously going to get over weight, and it'll carry over into adulthood when they're finally able to fully choose what to eat.

Jumbled Thoughts · Post by **MarioKnight** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 8:53 pm

I haven't seen the movie yet, but I definetly have my thoughts on fast food and lifestyles in general. Basically if you're worried about getting fat and unhealthy and such, DON'T EAT FAST FOOD. Simple as that. It's FAST food for a reason, anything worh getting is worth waiting for and healthy food is no exception. People have no arguements in saying that any fast food chain made them fat, it's their decision to eat there all the time, live with it. What I find funny is that it is actually quite a bit cheaper to buy better food from a grocery store and make it yourself, in which I have yet to spend any more than half an hour on any given meal, minus holiday means and other special occasions. If people are too lazy to take, let's say an hour a day, to make their own meals, then yes, they're going to get fat since they're probably too lazy to do anything else. There is no "quick and easy" way to eat healthy, much less for anything else.

On top of that, if people are worried about being fat, outside of what's mentioned above, they should do some excercise. If you do a little bit each day then you're golden. Right now, I wouldn't consider myself much of a healthy eater since I work fast food and save money by eating my free meals, and I'm getting better at making my own meals at home more often, though I would say at present time I eat more fast food than preparing my own food, and I am at around 150 lbs. There's a reason for that and I hate it when people say it's because I have a high metabolism. While that may be true, I don't take it for granted. I walk pretty much anywhere I need to go, or just go for long walks on occasion, jog when the weather is nice, and play DDR for a good few hours total a week. It's really minimal what I do, and half of that (walking without a set destination and DDR) I don't even do for the excercise so much. I don't see how anyone can be so busy to not at least walk for a short period of time.

To sum things up, I have no sympathy for people who are fat and bith about it, since it's your own damn fault. It takes minimal effort and time to keep your body decently healthy, and to think that there's any sort of a "quick fix" to cheat the system is just plain stupid. The point about children not having the choice as much is a very good point, and I feel sorry for those kids whose parents are too lazy to at least try to bring their kids up decently healthy since they themselves are a lost cause already. And don't even get me started about low carb diets.

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:06 pm

MarioKnight

And don't even get me started about low carb diets.

I don't get what a low carb diet is exactly? What can't you eat? My drama teacher is on one of those all the time. He's always saying how, if you want to lose weight, you should count carbs, not calories, where as I'm always hearing it the other way around.

Artemis · Post by **Artemis** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 12:01 am

XD I loved Supersize Me. It was funny and really disturbing at the same time

SailorSpace · Post by **SailorSpace** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 12:35 am

It's disturbing because it's true. And it could happen to anyone if they aren't careful.

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:40 am

Peach: A low-carb diet is basically to cut down on starches (bread, pasta, potatoes), simple sugars (cakes and cookies) and even fruit sugars like pineapple. The theory is that the body flushes out meat fats easier than the fats it makes from unused carbs. Too many people think low-carb=no-carb though, and run out of energy.

Now, big rant:

I've seen excerpts from this movie and I've read articles on the subject, and it seems to me that a series of important facts are always left out of any discussion on health and weight and nutrition. The facts are so simple and self-evident, but no one wants to point them out. So here they are in large letters:

Eating junk and fast food is fun.
Eating healthful food like vegetables is not.
Excerising hurts--it makes you out of breath and your muscles ache.
Lying around being sedantary is fun.

This almost without exception. Taking nutrition out of the equation, you can always find more value somewhere. You can get more food at a McDonalds for $5 than you can at a nice restaurant. Plus you don't have to cook or do dishes. But if all you're concerned about is health, then as I see it here are the rules to follow:

Always eat the food that tastes worse.
Cook, never order out.
Spend more to get fresh ingredients that spoil in 1 day as opposed to canned goods that you can use when you want.
Eat less, even though it kills your personal economies of scale.

Or, in one Golden Rule of Health:

If it's good for any other part of you, it's bad for your health.

Now, it will be bad enough if it's true, but movies like this and health articles try to force you to accept that it isn't. "Exercise gives you more energy! Vegetables can taste good!" Bullfeathers. You can steam and season your vegetables till hell freezes over and it still won't be as good as a cookie right out of the package. Exercise could come with a wave of euphoria at the end and it still wouldn't be as fun as sitting around playing video games.

Now, while movies like this are convincing some people to reorganize their lives, but I think a backlash is starting to occur, where people are saying, "If 2/3 of people are overweight, maybe it isn't a horrible sin or a weakness in me, but something that's normal, so I'm going to ignore all the sanctimony and just eat what I want."

And the most important thing in the battle of nutrition is not to get people to change their lifestyles but to find a way to make their lifestyles work. Whether it's a miracle fat-killing drug or food-ingredient substitutes like Olestra or just producing some food that's cheap, tastes good, requires no preparation and is still nutritious, something has to break this cycle. Because as long as movies like this send the message "If you like it, it's bad and you're weak for liking it," it's going to be perceived not as health but as Puritanism, and it's going to get worse.

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 2:12 am

Sailorasteroid

Peach: A low-carb diet is basically to cut down on starches (bread, pasta, potatoes), simple sugars (cakes and cookies) and even fruit sugars like pineapple. The theory is that the body flushes out meat fats easier than the fats it makes from unused carbs. Too many people think low-carb=no-carb though, and run out of energy.

...N-no bread?...No potatoes?...NO COOKIES??!! Those are like the only things I eat. Peachy loves her toast and potatoes and cookies T_T. That is a diet straight from the seventh level of Hell.

Seriously though, it seems like most people think fast food=fatty, unhealthy food. There are plenty of fast food places that give healthy food that actually tastes good. I know it's not in America, but Tim Horton's* here in Canada has some really healthy and really good sandwiches. Pretty much all of their food choices are healthy with the exception of Timbits* and even those aren't greasy or deep fried or anything (I think). They have lots of sandwiches, soups, and coffee drinks that probably aren't to fattening. Hell their Icecaps, though good, are mostly water.

I guess what I'm saying is that there are places that will give you quick food and are good for you. The golden arches aren't your only option.

*Tim Horton's: A Coffee store in Canada/Canadian church. On average, there are no less than 10 of these in a town.
*Timbits: Tiny cake/donut treats that come in a varitey of flavours. Are very non-greasy.
*Icecap: Tim Horton's addictive iced cappacinos that melt quickly and get very watered down.

Celexa · Post by **Celexa** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 10:30 am

I really liked this movie, I found it informative. (I haven't eaten at a fast food place since I saw the movie either!) The guy was really brave to put his health at risk to show us what eating fast food for a month straight does, IMO

Slrjoecool · Post by **Slrjoecool** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 12:55 pm

peachvampiress wrote:...I know it's not in America, but Tim Horton's* here in Canada has some really healthy and really good sandwiches....

Actually, we do have Tim Hortons here. It's owned by the same company as Wendy's.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 1:02 pm

Slrjoecool wrote:
peachvampiress wrote:...I know it's not in America, but Tim Horton's* here in Canada has some really healthy and really good sandwiches....
Actually, we do have Tim Hortons here. It's owned by the same company as Wendy's.

But the commercials up here made it look like Tim Horton's was a uniquely Canadian company. Yet, I haven't seen those commercials on lately. Maybe that's because they brought it to the US? All I can say is wtf?

Slrjoecool · Post by **Slrjoecool** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:32 pm

I don't know, but Tim Hortons merged with Wendy's in 1995. Here is the link to the Tim Hortons website, in their history pages where is states this merger.

http://www.timhortons.com/en/about/history_1995.html

Anyway, McDonald's stopped having the Supersize option to their meals after this movie was released. I thought that was kind of funny. "If we take away Supersize, and deny that we ever had it, the movie will not make us look bad, right??"

The only thing McDonald's has that is really healthy is their salads, and that's if you order them with the grilled chicken instead of the fried, or go without the chicken at all.

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:55 pm

I have seen the movie and was just wondering something about it since I remember a vaaaaague statement basically bashing the movie because of something along those lines : "no wonder the guy was sick and all because of the diet: he has been used to a vegetarian diet by his wife for years before!" or something like that.

Anyway, I also feel sorry for the kids who grow up only eating fast food. I mean, my Mom takes my two little sisters to Macdonald's but it's no more than once a month or something o.O ...

I myself know I'm what's considered medically obese (though some people roll their eyes when I say that cause they don't think I look obese anyway) and it's not entirely because of fast food... I mean, it's not what you eat, it's how you eat it.

Cause, let's face it: perfect eating pattern would say "NO FAST FOOD" but if you do everything right, what bad can once or twice a month in a fast food do ? What bad can brownies do if you don't pig out on brownies all day but just eat one once a week instead ? You know, stuff like that.

Exercising a minimum is good, too. I myself don't, but that's more because of the environment and because I have no bike, for example. There's no swimming pool nearby, and I hate them anyway (it's not that I don't like my body, but I hate it when people stare at you for whatever reason). So I just walk when I can.

So I'm not going to stop going to Macdonald's. I'll go on doing like I always do: not more than four/five times a month, no Coke there but water or orange juice, and regular size, not "maxi" anything.

n_n

yoshmaster5 · Post by **yoshmaster5** » Sun Feb 20, 2005 5:58 pm

I saw it. I don't really eat fast food unless I don't have a choice *AKA: Drama coming back from compititions* or rarely. Even then, I don't eat a lot.

I've never really liked McDonalds anyway, even before I saw this movie. and The Supersizes were horrifing. good lord... 5 times in Texas. *shudder* Last saturday when I was there with PAC *Drama group at my school* I had finished eating and decided to try to look for a nutrition guide. Nowhere. Heck the burger king near my house has one up right next to the order line, in a glass case. I never really liked them, and this made it even worse.

Movie-wise, the thing that horrified me the most: Adults not knowing the Pledge of Allegiance, but knowing an old BigMac slogan. 1st graders not knowing who GEORGE WASHINGTON was, and knowing Ronald McDonald and Wendy. and people here in the US wonder why so many people are obese... ugh.

DuoTheShinigami02 · Post by **DuoTheShinigami02** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 1:27 am

Back in Fort Hood, the only thing I ate for dinner was Popeye's fried Chicken and Burger King, and yet, I was still able to maintain my shape, although I have to admit that I gained some stomach.

I agree with what someone said about people suing fast-food companies because it made them fat.

My opine for those about to sue: IT'S CALLED EXERCISE.

As for the movie, well... I haven't personally seen it, so I'll get the DVD!

ParaKiss_Groupie · Post by **ParaKiss_Groupie** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:16 am

Slrjoecool wrote:I don't know, but Tim Hortons merged with Wendy's in 1995. Here is the link to the Tim Hortons website, in their history pages where is states this merger.

http://www.timhortons.com/en/about/history_1995.html

Anyway, McDonald's stopped having the Supersize option to their meals after this movie was released. I thought that was kind of funny. "If we take away Supersize, and deny that we ever had it, the movie will not make us look bad, right??"

The only thing McDonald's has that is really healthy is their salads, and that's if you order them with the grilled chicken instead of the fried, or go without the chicken at all.

There was actually a court order forcing them to eliminate "supersizing." After the recent lawsuit of "OMFG MY SON IS FAT AND IT'S YOUR FAULT!!!!!111ONEONEONE" they were forced to do away with supersizing combos.

As for my take on the movie........it's rather obvious. We all know that fast food isn't good for you. I really don't need him testing it on himself to let me know that. We've all known for years.

And, though it's horrible for me, I'm going to continue to eat it. It tastes good, and I like it. Just eat it in moderation.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:17 pm

I just finished watching the local news. There's this guy who lives locally here, and plans to counter the results from Supersize Me. I didn't catch the guy's name, but he wanted to "prove" that McDonald's is not bad for you and is going on the 30 day McDonald's diet. He claims to be in better shape and that his blood pressure is better than before. However, his doctor was convienently not there to be interviewed, so I'm not going to believe the claims until I see the results for myself.

Edit a few minutes later: I also forgot to mention that Mcdonald's is not running alongside with him and that he is doing this entirely on his own.

yoshmaster5 · Post by **yoshmaster5** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:32 pm

RoastedTwinkies wrote:I just finished watching the local news. There's this guy who lives locally here, and plans to counter the results from Supersize Me. I didn't catch the guy's name, but he wanted to "prove" that McDonald's is not bad for you and is going on the 30 day McDonald's diet. He claims to be in better shape and that his blood pressure is better than before. However, his doctor was convienently not there to be interviewed, so I'm not going to believe the claims until I see the results for myself.

Edit a few minutes later: I also forgot to mention that Mcdonald's is not running alongside with him and that he is doing this entirely on his own.

XD

baka person...

Also peachvampriss- Subway is low-fat, but high in salt. I don't really know of any good places in MI, but that's in america. so... figures.

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 9:39 pm

I have never been to the US, but according to Supersize Me (before they took away supersize), the following sizes were available:

~Small
~Medium
~Large
~Supersize

I wanted to mention that supersize is still available in Canada and it is not known if McDonald's here will get rid of supersize at this point. However, for as long as I can remember, large was never available here.

EDIT: XD Did I say medium?! I meant to say large! Edited my mistake.

peachvampiress · Post by **peachvampiress** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 10:12 pm

Slrjoecool

Actually, we do have Tim Hortons here. It's owned by the same company as Wendy's.

You do? Damn, Canada's losing the cool aspects of it's culture

yoshmaster5

Also peachvampriss- Subway is low-fat, but high in salt. I don't really know of any good places in MI, but that's in america. so... figures.

0__o I don't remember talking about Subway. Although it is pure consentraited evil, and your point about the salt shows that it is