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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by bowulf

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]

Originally Posted by bowulf

<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.