In just 4 days Joe D’Amico (McRunner) will run the LA Marathon after spending 30 days eating nothing but McDonald’s fast food while training.
He’s raising money for Ronald McDonald House charities with this publicity stunt, which is great, but is eating nothing but McDonald’s while training for a marathon sending a good message about health and fitness?On the McRunner Blog, Joe says that he has noticed no difference in his energy levels while on his all fast food diet and he was able to run two back to back 100 mile weeks. However, he has avoided large fries and Big Macs when choosing his daily menu.
McRunner’s Sample Daily Meal Plan
Morning:
1/2 bagel with strawberry preserves
bagel & egg sandwich
fruit & yogurt parfait with 2 packs of granola
small orange juice
Afternoon:
grilled chicken snack wrap (chipotle)
side salad with italian dressing
bucket of coke
Evening:
grilled chicken sandwich with bbq
small french fries
oatmeal, no brown sugar
Snacks:
2 chocolate chip cookies
white milk
Will McRunner cause people to justify eating at McDonald’s more than they already do?
What do you think? Participate in the poll and comments below.
I disagree. If I eat crappy food, I gain weight no matter how much I exercise. My energy levels are terrible when I eat that crap, and that interferes with my workouts. The fact is you are what you eat. Maybe you are different from the normal person, and you can get away with it. But, I think your advice is bad advice for the majority of us.
I think if i was more obese and saw this it would be a good thing, let me explain, i found when i was fatter that i couldnt get the motivation,energy to start training, in a way he is saying that just because you are eating unhealthy doesnt mean you cant exercise and still be fit.
i do understand the bad points i.e selling the mcdonalds. but it may open a few eyes to the gym and/or exercise that everyone needs in there life
As a male weighing 135 pounds, I eat a box of cinnamon toast crunch every day for breakfast; however, the rest of the day I eat really healthily (mainly protein/veggies/fiber). I exercise hardcore, though, and require 3000 calories+ to maintain. If a person works off the deficit, he/she is fine. The beauty of being an athlete is being able to eat what you want and when you want. No, it isn’t healthy; however, I only live once.
I read another article which stated he did well in the marathon, but that his cholesterol readings also improved. This goes along with what I mentioned about exercise reversing the effects of a high fat diet. Not everything he ate at McDonalds was questionable, such as some salads.
FYI Joe finished 29th in the LA Marathon on Sunday.. Not bad
Congrats Joe
I appreciate the fact that Joe is contributing to a noble cause, but I have serious doubts whether his gesture is sending positive message to people. Obesity has become a major issue in USA and this ’cause’ may inspire people to switch to unhealthy food habits.
He can do whatever he wants to. It sends a great message! Eat whatever you want… and exercise a LOT!
Lazy people try crazy diets when what they really need to do is get out and run!
Guy’s running 100 miles/week. He doesn’t have to go on any diet.
Eat tons of food. Exercise a ton. No fat.
You are right that eating such things as candy bars CAN fuel someone before a long athletic event. High glycemic foods are actually good then. I also have read a study where it stated that exercise reverses the damage from a high fat meal. People who sweat a lot by exercise can consume more salt as well. A research question is “how many dietary ‘transgressions’ are athletes entitled to?” They are entitled to some, but I am not sure how many. Sedentary persons are practically entitled to none in many cases, that is if they want to lose weight or improve their health. My inclination is to eat all the foods one needs to get one’s nutrition for the day, and then one can eat some sugary or fatty foods. It also is important to figure out how many calories one is burning for the day. The vast majority of people who exercise even a lot cannot eat nearly as much as Phelps can, but if they exercise, they can eat more than if they were sedentary. Stay within that calorie budget and if the exercise raises your calorie budget enough to enable you to eat some “junk” after all the healthy food is consumed, then go for it. I also have an inclination to favor healthier treats, such as nuts and possibly sweets made with whole grain flour and the like. Clif Bars seem like a healthy treat, if I read the ingredients correctly. So there is truth to what you said, Carbsane, but what percentage of an athlete’s diet can be “junk” is an interesting question.
“You can lose weight eating candy bars as long as you kept your calorie count below a certain level.”
It’s true; one time I did a 1650 calorie diet of nothing but chocolate and sweets and lost 8 pounds in a week (from 132) – Too bad it left my face with more spots than a dalmatian.
I hear ya! In the long run diet will catch up to you. But it is amazing to some extent how “junk” CAN fuel a world champion!
Athletes can eat a lot more than someone sedentary can. However, athletes like Scott Jurek and Brendan Brazier set good examples of how to eat well on a higher calorie athletic diet. Both are Vegans and therefore eat a lot of vegetables- lots more calories than usual, but healthy ones at that. I can’t eat nearly as much as Phelps can, but I can eat more than average, given my activity level. In my case, the exercise is my main means of weight control, not caloric restriction, but just some moderation. But I try to eat a lot of healthy foods in order to be healthier. I eat some unhealthy foods, but these aren’t the mainstay of my diet.
Like I stated in the other post, Jim Fixx was in fantastic shape from running, but still died of a heart attack. Mark Spitz takes cholesterol medicine. Sometimes a person might not gain weight by bad eating habits if they exercise a lot, but they might pay for these habits in other ways. Let us see how well Phelps does later in life if he continues the same eating habits.
Michael Phelps is in “pretty good shape”?? He’s in fanTAStic shape! And his athletic performance sure didn’t suffer for his eating habits. I would say the opposite.
Which should give pause to all of the purist devotees of any dietary regime.
Well, to be fair, you can run a marathon and still be overweight, so even if he were to eat way more calories than he burned by training, he’s still probably going to be able to run the race. But he won’t win any medals for nutrition or anything–he’s no different than Michael Phelps or any other athlete that eats a crappy diet and still manages to be in pretty good shape. It’s not a great message to send to people, though–a lot of people will probably get into the mindset of “Hey, if I start running, I can eat whatever I want!”, which leads to the invariable “I ran 20 minutes and now I’m going to eat a Big Mac” complex. At the very least, I hope he raises some money for his charity…that seems to be the only good thing going for this eating plan.
Me and Mickey D is a whole other animal. Spurlock’s premise was the heavy user who doens’t normally exercise or think about the calories. Soso Whaley’s movie was an attempt to prove you could eat whatever foods you wanted and still lose weight as long as you exercised calorie control and got some exercise, a true statement. You can lose weight eating candy bars as long as you kept your calorie count below a certain level. The truth is most people don’t think about it. And most people are gullible; the media is a very powerful force. If McDonalds can show that an athlete can eat McDonalds and lose weight and run marathons, then many people will buy into this. The problem is they don’t bother to consider the other part which is calorie control and exercise.
People don’t go to McDonalds, Wendy’s or wherever for healthy food. They go because it’s quick and easy, the price point is right, and they like the taste. They ARE serving what people will eat. Even the calorie counts on the menus in New York have failed to deter people; they don’t care!
It does come down to personal responsibility, something many people refuse to take. But people also require accurate information so that they may make the right decisions, and that is where the corporations are lacking in ethics. McDonalds and other fast food companies cater to the lowest common denominator, I think you overestimate people’s intelligence. They aren’t that bright.
Is he responsible for sending a method about health or fitness?
I don’t think it’s a good message but I don’t think it is his responsibility, and I don’t think it will make a difference.
I have ran 100 mile weeks. I couldn’t do it on McDonald’s, had to be careful about my diet for the energy, and I will not suddenly feel compelled to try.
And he is faaaaast!
He is eating BETTER than most people do (not as well as I need to)- McDonald’s or not.
It’s never where you eat… It’s WHAT you eat
“…but is eating nothing but McDonald’s while training for a marathon sending a good message about health and fitness?”
No. But since when is it everyman’s responsibility to send the “right” message? This guy isn’t special–he’s just a marathon runner who’s participating in a publicity stunt for charity. Big deal. Anyone with an 8th grade education in this country knows that eating nothing but fast food for 30 days isn’t healthy. Geez people.
I agree with Laura. I think the message this sends is that it isn’t the brand of food you eat, it is the choices you make about portion size, menu selections, and in his case, exercise, that determine how healthy you can be.
I mean really, do we want to send the message that broke people should just give up right now or eat nothing but cabbage and beans, and never eat out again? We all have choices and need to be smart about whether the food we eat is justified by the healthy lifestyle we pursue.
I am pretty broke, and actually fast food has helped me lose weight because I can go out and get controlled portions of selected foods for only a dollar or two, when I am too tired or hungry to think clearly about the healthy ingredients that I might have handy at home.
Hmmm…I don’t know how to feel about this. I get that he is doing it for charity, but it does set a bad example for those who don’t really think about what they put in their mouth.
I don’t see the problem with this. The issue isn’t McDonalds’ food; it’s people’s idiocy is how often they choose the fries/Big Mac/coke and supersize the whole thing. Few people know that another documentary was made, Mickey D and Me, where the subject actually LOST weight eating all McDonald’s food. While fast food can make it easier to have a poor diet, the individual is still the one making the choice of which items to order. And if everyone spoke with their dollars and clamored for healthy food, trust me, McDonalds would change their menus pretty darn fast. They serve what people will eat.
Sad that he, or McDonalds itself, is trying to sell their food as healthy and nutrious enough for athletes. No ethics whatsoever.
I don’t think it’s meant to be a message about whether it’s healthy or not, he’s simply raising money for the Ronald McDonald house charity. I would hate to think the majority of people are such impressionable idiots they would adopt a “super-size me”-esque diet because of him, or for any reason. But, I still have a little faith left in humanity.