Getty Image
In 2004, Morgan Spurlock took the world by storm thanks to Super Size Me, the documentary that chronicled what happened when he subsisted on a diet featuring nothing but the food he ordered from McDonald’s for 30 days.
Most medical experts (as well as common sense) would tell you that’s probably not a great idea, a hypothesis that seemed to be supported by the outcome of an experiment that saw the filmmaker gain close to 25 pounds, deal with a massive spike in his cholesterol levels, and grapple with a variety of ailment stemming from what he subjected his body to.
While the man who’s eaten a Big Mac every single day for more than 50 years has managed to escape a similar fate, McDonald’s usually isn’t the first stop you’d make if you decide to set off on a weight loss journey.
However, according to The Seattle Times, that didn’t stop a 57-year-old Tennessee man named Kevin Maginnis from doing exactly that after he decided he’d try to shed some pounds by exclusively eating at The Golden Arches for 100 days while chronicling his journey on TikTok.
@bigmaccoaching Nothing but McDonalds for 100 days, 3 meals a day, cut in 1/2! #portioncontrol #Mcdonalds #mcdonaldschallenge #100daychallenge #100dayweightloss #bigmaccoaching #transformativecoaching #nashvilleweightlosstransformation #weightlossjourney #weightloss #mcdonaldsweightloss #unsupersizeme #supersizeme #halfsizeme 1/2sizeme
Maginnis weighed 238 pounds at the start of the experiment he dubbed “1/2 Side Me” and said he was motivated to start slimming down in order to ensure he’ll be able to spend as many years with his kids and grandchildren as possible.
@bigmaccoaching Replying to @samttoestudios
While only eating McDonald’s for more than three months may seem like a counterintuitive way to achieve that goal, he was able to drop 30 pounds by the time he hit the halfway point.
@bigmaccoaching Nothing but McDonalds for 100 days, 3 meals a day, cut in 1/2! #halfmaccoaching #portioncontrol #Mcdonalds #mcdonalds #100day #100dayweightloss #bigmaccoaching #transformativecoaching #nashvilleweightlosstransformation #weightlossjourney #weightloss #mcdonaldsweightloss #unsupersizeme #supersizeme #halfsizeme 1/2sizeme
Maginnis did put a couple of rules in place to help his own cause: he only consumed half of the meals he purchased for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and relied on water to wash it all down.
When he stepped on the scale after wrapping up the 100th day, Maginnis was down to 179.5 pounds, which meant he lost a grand total of 58.5 pounds when everything was said and done (he’s decided to keep going and continues to document the results on TikTok).
@bigmaccoaching Nothing but McDonalds for 100 days, 3 meals a day, cut in 1/2! #halfmaccoaching #portioncontrol #Mcdonalds #mcdonalds #100day #100dayweightloss #bigmaccoaching #transformativecoaching #nashvilleweightlosstransformation #weightlossjourney #weightloss #mcdonaldsweightloss #unsupersizeme #supersizeme #halfsizeme 1/2sizeme
It’s worth noting Maginnis hasn’t really provided much insight into other health indicators aside from his weight.
His ability to melt off the pounds is almost certainly the result of simply exerting more calories than he consumed on a daily basis, but there are probably other strategies you could turn to that would take less of a toll on your cardiovascular system.
With that said, it’s hard to argue with those results.