Super Size Me 2004

As the camera rolls on Spurlock’s (32 at the time of filming in 2003) remarkable experiment, we find him standing tall at an impressive 6 feet 2 inches, with a body weight that tips the scales at a substantial 185.5 pounds. A trifecta of medical professionals - cardiologist, gastroenterologist, and general practitioner - as well as a nutritionist and personal trainer, all concur that his physical stature is above average. But what’s truly fascinating is the team of health experts’ predictions about the effects of Spurlock’s impending “McDiet” on his bodily functions. While they anticipate some negative consequences, none expects the outcome to be catastrophic, with one expert opining that the human body is an extremely adaptable vessel.

Before embarking on this gastronomic adventure, Spurlock maintained a varied diet, punctuated by vegan evening meals courtesy of his then-girlfriend (now wife), Alexandra, a passionate vegan chef. This deliberate dietary choice was made to appease her tastes, a testament to the power of shared values in relationships.

As the experiment commences, Spurlock sets out from his Manhattan home, where the streets are paved with an astonishing average of four McDonald’s per square mile (2.6 km²), amidst a backdrop of 66,950 residents and twice as many commuters. To maintain consistency with the average American’s daily step count of approximately two miles or 5,000 standardized distance steps, Spurlock elects to ride in taxis more frequently.

Spurlock has stipulated several rules governing his eating habits during this month-long journey:

He must consume three McDonald’s meals per day (at breakfast, lunch, and dinner time), with no exceptions.

He must sample every item on the McDonald’s menu at least once, a feat he achieves within nine days of starting the experiment.

He is only permitted to ingest items from the McDonald’s menu, including bottled water; all outside food consumption is strictly prohibited.

When asked, Spurlock agrees to SuperSize his meal, but only when prompted. He does not have the option to arbitrarily supersize his meals.

In an effort to mimic the daily step count of a typical U.S. citizen, Spurlock aims to walk approximately 5,000 standardized distance steps per day, although he deviates from this target by walking more in New York and less in Houston.

As the days unfold, Spurlock’s initial enthusiasm for the McDonald’s challenge gives way to a startling transformation. On day two, he indulges in his first Super Size meal at 34th Street and Tenth Avenue, a behemoth of a meal consisting of a Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese, an oversized serving of french fries, and a gargantuan 42-ounce Coke. The grueling eating process stretches out over a languid 52 minutes, during which Spurlock’s stomach protests with increasing intensity. A pit stop in the parking lot follows, as he succumbs to the overwhelming urge to purge.

As the experiment progresses, Spurlock’s physical transformation becomes increasingly pronounced. By day five, his weight has ballooned by almost 10 pounds (4.5 kg), propelling him from a svelte 185.5 pounds to a more substantial 195 pounds. This newfound girth is accompanied by a creeping sense of despair, which he attempts to alleviate with the comforting familiarity of McDonald’s fare. A medical professional diagnoses his reliance on these meals as “addiction,” while Spurlock himself acknowledges that his depression, lethargy, and headaches are temporarily assuaged by this guilty pleasure.

The consequences of this indulgent lifestyle become increasingly apparent as the days turn into weeks. By day 21, Spurlock’s weight has surged to an astonishing 210 pounds (95.5 kg), a whopping 24.5-pound (about 11 kg) gain since the experiment began. Despite his girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson’s, growing concern about his loss of energy and sex drive, Spurlock remains resolute in his commitment to the high-fat, high-carbohydrate diet.

As his physical health begins to deteriorate further, Spurlock’s medical team urges him to cease this reckless behavior, warning that continued indulgence risks serious harm. His concerned internist, Dr. Daryl Isaacs, draws an unsettling parallel between Spurlock and the protagonist of Leaving Las Vegas, who deliberately self-destructs over a similar timeframe. Undeterred by these warnings, Spurlock chooses to press on, driven by his determination to see this experiment through to its conclusion.

As Spurlock reaches the milestone of day 30, he astonishingly accomplishes his goal of “Supersizing” his meals a staggering nine times, with five of those instances occurring in Texas and three in New York City. The trio of medical professionals is left stunned by the stark decline in Spurlock’s physical well-being, with one doctor warning that the irreversible damage to his heart could lead to a heart attack even if he were to lose all the weight gained during the experiment. This alarming revelation highlights the severity of the consequences when consuming excessive amounts of fast food over an extended period.

The narrative then shifts to Spurlock’s arduous journey towards recovery, which takes a grueling 5 months to shed 20 pounds (9 kg) and an additional 9.5 months to eliminate the remaining 4.5 pounds. His girlfriend, Alexandra Jamieson, a passionate vegan chef, takes on the role of mentor, guiding Spurlock’s rehabilitation with her innovative “detox diet,” which later serves as the foundation for her book, The Great American Detox Diet.

The film concludes with a poignant commentary, emphasizing that corporations like McDonald’s prioritize profits over consumer health. This stark reality is underscored by the rhetorical question, “Who do you want to see go first, you or them?” - a query posed against the backdrop of a cartoon tombstone bearing Ronald McDonald’s name (“1954-2012”), an image originally featured in The Economist.

The DVD release of the film includes an added epilogue, which reveals that McDonald’s discontinued its Super Size option just six weeks after the movie’s premiere. This change is accompanied by a renewed emphasis on healthier menu items, such as salads, and the introduction of the new adult happy meal. However, a closer examination of these salads reveals that they can actually contain more calories than hamburgers if customers load them up with excessive amounts of cheese and dressing. Notably, McDonald’s attributes these changes to unrelated factors, leaving viewers to ponder the true motivations behind their actions.

One of the most insidious aspects of McDonald’s marketing strategy, as astutely observed by Morgan Spurlock, is its deliberate targeting of impressionable young minds with advertisements designed to shape their preferences and habits before they even have a chance to fully comprehend the consequences. In his thought-provoking documentary, Spurlock playfully proposes a provocative solution to counteract this insidious socialization: he humorously suggests that he would deliberately confront his own children with physical resistance every time they encounter the iconic golden arches, thereby disrupting their natural association of the brand with happiness and creating a more nuanced understanding of its true nature. This tongue-in-cheek approach serves as a clever commentary on the subtle yet pervasive influence McDonald’s exerts over young minds, often without them even realizing it. By poking fun at this phenomenon, Spurlock highlights the need for parents to remain vigilant in their children’s media consumption and to foster a more critical awareness of the marketing tactics that shape their desires and behaviors.