Obesity is a growing concern in the United States, affecting a significant portion of the population. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), obesity prevalence increased from 30.5 percent to 41.9 percent, and severe obesity nearly doubled. Obesity is linked to serious health problems, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancer. With this in mind, many people try different diets to lose weight. When trying to lose weight, fast food is usually the first thing that many cut out of their diet. Strict rules see dieters salivating as they pass their favorite restaurants or longing for a single french fry. But one man has flipped the concept of dieting on its head by creating an unusual diet strategy that involves only eating foods that many would see as the ultimate diet sin-McDonald's. Kevin Maginnis, 56, decided to eat only McDonald's food for 100 days in an effort to lose weight.
The "Half-Size Me" Experiment
Kevin Maginnis embarked on a 100-day experiment, consuming only McDonald's food, but with a twist: he cut every portion in half. "On February 21 I realized that I was at 238 pounds," Maginnis told Newsweek. "I remember reading somewhere that when your waistline reaches 40 inches for a man that was too big, it's dangerous. When I saw my scale creeping up to 240 pounds, that 40 number just scared the heck out of me." With his weight increasing, he thought of his family: "I knew if I wanted to live longer for my grandkids, my wife, my kids…I had to do something. Get this obesity off me to give me a better chance to be able to be there for my family," he said.
Maginnis's mission is simple-he will only eat McDonald's food for 100 days for every meal, but each portion would be cut in half.
You would be forgiven for making a comparison to the 2004 documentary Super Size Me, in which Morgan Spurlock undertook an experiment to exist entirely on McDonald's food for a whole month. But unlike Spurlock, Maginnis is following strict rules when it comes to the amount of food he consumes. "This is half-sized," he said. "That was super-size me, this is half-size me. It's only McDonald's, three meals a day, but I'm cutting each meal in half. I seek the heat before I eat."
To "seek the heat," Maginnis always waits until he is hungry to eat. "We don't drink water until we can't fit any more water in," he said. "We drink water until we're not thirsty. So I'm just eating enough to be sated, not stuffed." By waiting until he feels a hunger pang, or "the heat," Maginnis ensures he isn't overeating. "I'm always getting rid of what's in my stomach before adding more food in. Allowing my body to start tapping in on my fat reserves."
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The Daily McDonald's Menu
On a normal day, Maginnis will start with a sandwich-a creation of his own making that he calls a McNulty. To make the sandwich, he orders a sausage, egg and cheese McGriddle but replaces the sausage with a crispy chicken patty and has a round egg and bacon on top-all purchased from the fast food giant's menu. "I'll have that and hash browns for breakfast, but I'll only have half," he said. A single McDonald's hash brown contains 262 calories. "Then for lunch, I'll have the same thing." In the evening, he returns to McDonald's for a final meal. "I'll pick out a numbered meal, something like a Big Mac meal, and I'll just cut it in half and eat half of that for dinner and then half I'll carry over to the next day," he said, adding that he spends around $5 a day on the diet.
Clocking in at 1,080 calories for Big Mac Combo Meal with a medium soda and medium fries, that means half of the order sees Maginnis eating around 540 calories per meal.
Initial Results and Health Monitoring
By Day 50-the halfway point-he has already lost 38 pounds and plans to keep going for 50 more days, sharing the journey online. To ensure his experiment is as clear-cut as possible, Maginnis has even stopped exercising. "I stopped exercising, stopped taking any vitamins and supplements," he said. With over 77,000 followers, and he updates the world daily with his progress and thoughts on the experiment.
Since the start of the experiment, Maginnis has kept his doctor in the loop and gets regular tests. "I had my bloodwork at the beginning and about 14 days in," he said. "All of the indicators improved. All of the biomarkers improved."
Health Expert's Perspective
But is a diet like this healthy? Signe Svanfeldt, a lead nutritionist for the healthy eating app Lifesum, told Newsweek there are significant risks to eating only fast food. "For optimal well-being, eat a varied and balanced diet in line with your energy requirement. Eating the same thing daily will not provide the variety of nutrients needed, which leads to nutrient deficiencies," she said. "A diet rich in fast foods, typically rich in saturated, unhealthy fats, sodium and sugar, will make you feel sluggish, while a varied diet filled with fiber, unsaturated fats, protein, vitamins and minerals will make you feel energized while providing all the nutrients you need." Svanfeldt recommends a more traditional approach. "For weight loss, a steady, sustainable pace is crucial," she said. "Eating a varied and balanced diet, with plenty of nutrient-rich foods, including vegetables, whole grains, fruits, nuts, seeds and lean protein, while staying within a healthy calorie deficit, is key."
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Motivation and Sustainability
But when most people think of the golden arches, weight loss is one of the last things that come to mind. So why did he decide on McDonald's? "I'm big and my last name is Maginnis," he said, laughing. "Big Mac has always been a nickname for me, and I figured why not just roll with it."
Maginnis stands by his experiment and said he is seeking to develop a habit that will last a lifetime. "That's what's going to help me live longer. I believe if I eat three smaller meals a day and seek the heat before I eat, that is sustainable. Eating McDonald's every day for the rest of my life-that's not sustainable.
"Obesity is the killer. Not the food itself," he said. "It [leads to] heart attacks, strokes-so many things-but it's the obesity that is dangerous. Far more dangerous than a french fry." "I'm not saying I'll do this for the rest of my life. I'm doing it as an experiment for 100 days to identify if my health improves over the 100 days-not just my weight but my health too," he said.
The Importance of Leptin and Lifestyle Change
I have tried many different diets in my life. No matter how little I ate and how disciplined I was, I would not lose weight. That was until I learned to balance my blood sugar levels and understood the importance of a little hormone called leptin. So let me tell you about leptin: It is a hormone that communicates your nutritional status to your body and your brain. When you go on a calorie controlled diet, leptin levels fall and your body does what it evolved to do - it adapts. It simply becomes more “fuel efficient” by slowing down your entire metabolism. It compensates for the shortfall by producing more of the fat-storing stress hormone cortisol to keep you going. So instead of losing body fat, you are now “programming” your body to hold on to everything it can. This is because your body wants to protect you. Imagine a time when we would have had to hunt and gather our food. A long period of low calorie intake would suggest to our body that we are enduring a famine. And in order to keep us from starving to death, our bodies slow down and adjust to run on less fuel. Quite amazing really. So what can you do to lose the extra pounds? Change your lifestyle first and foremost. If you are dieting for a certain event and do want to try a calorie controlled diet, take a leaf out of the book of elite athletes that have to stay lean and incorporate a “cheat day” once a week where you increase calorie intake to let your body know that there is still plenty of food out there and you are not starving.
Kevin McNulty: More Than Just a Name
Kevin McNulty is also a prolific actor. His appearance in science fiction films and television productions has been prolific. McNulty grew up in Rossland, British Columbia.[1] He studied music and acting at Washington State University and graduated from Studio 58, Langara College in Vancouver, British Columbia.[1][3] He put his acting skills to work first on stage, working for two years from 1984 to 1985 at the Stratford Festival.[4] In 1986, McNulty made his break in screen work.
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