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Eating Fast Food = Obesity: The Myth Exposed!
Alright guys, now that I’ve settled in a bit with the new site and working with wordpress (go open source!), it’s time for me to kick up a little dust MLBF style. Rarely does a day go by that I either hear someone preach about the evils of fast food restaurants and how they are contributing to obesity. Well, it’s easy for me to ignore folks, but when they start passing legislation based on this myth, I’ve had all that I can stand, and I can’t stands no more (said in my best Popeye voice) …
Last month, a Los Angeles City Council committee passed a proposal to ban the opening of new fast-food establishments in a 32-square-mile area of the city, which affects @ 500,000 Los Angeleans. This area of the city includes some of the poorest, and most obese, communities in LA. The council voted unanimously for this proposal because they believe that all the fast food places in these communities are a major reason why 30% of folks from these South LA communities are obese, compared to 21% of their more affluent neighbors in the rest of LA. So, according to the thinking of the council members, more sit down, family oriented restaurants, which serve healthier choices, should be built in these communities.
While I applaud their efforts for trying to curb the obesity epidemic we are experiencing in this country, this proposal is misguided and, unfortunately, built on a colossal myth–eating fast food makes one fat!
As someone who has lost more than 100lbs, you’d think that I would be a major supporter of this moratorium, but I’m not. Before I continue, let me be clear about something.
First, I have no special interest ties to the fast food industry and could care less if all of these chains went out of business tomorrow, except for my beloved In & Out Burgers 
. Second, I’m not delusional enough to think that Fast Food companies are using the highest quality ingredients in their foods. As a matter of fact, a Taco Bell employee once told me that they use Grade D beef for their tacos! But, does this mean that there is a direct link between fast food and obesity? I don’t think so.
Wait a minute Muata, you’ve definitely lost it this time. Look what happened to Morgan Spurlock when he ate McDonalds for 30 days straight in his documentary Super Size Me.
I’m glad you mentioned good ole’ Morgan. Honestly, I love showing this documentary in my class because the looks on my students’ faces are priceless, and the promises that “I’ll never eat at McDonald’s again” are pretty amusing to me. Why? It’s simple. They fell for Spurlock’s red herring. The audience is so focused on how many times he was asked to super size his meal, his trips to his numerous doctors, and the comic relief throughout the film that no one noticed that he ate @ 5500 calories a day, did no exercise, and even restricted the number of steps he took a day. This, my friends, is the real recipe for obesity, not eating McDonalds.
Look, I don’t care which restaurant you go to, fast food or not, if you eat twice your daily caloric requirements and sit on your duff all day, you are going to gain weight. And, it doesn’t matter if you are eating at your local greasy spoon or Chef Ramsey’s, of Hell’s Kitchen fame, restaurant in Dubai, calories are calories! Contrary to what Gary Taubes’s latest book title, Good Calories, Bad Calories, suggests. Now, before you jump down to the comment’s section to “set me straight”, I’d like to tell you about another film that was made around the same time as Super Size Me, but it received very little fanfare. Could it be because it didn’t blame the fast food industry for more than 2/3rds of our nation being overweight?
Let me introduce you to Chazz Weaver, founder of Truth In Fitness, a non-profit organization that promotes educating the public about proper nutrition. Chazz was the subject of James Troost’s documentary Down Size Me. He is a personal trainer and author of the book The OC Diet Revolution, which was published in 2007.
Chazz, like Morgan, ate 3 meals at McDonalds for 30 days; however, he counted his calories, trained hard in his gym, and guess what happened? He lost 8 pounds of body fat and improved his overall cholesterol! And, judging by his physique, this was no easy task because the leaner you are the more your body fights to hold on to it’s energy reserves (read: body fat). Click on the film’s poster above for more information about the film and to see a short clip. The sound quality of the clip is pretty low, so turn your speakers up. Also, here’s a link to an article that was written about the film after it was screened at Cal State Fullerton.
Does this mean that by eating fast food, you’ll get ripped and lean like Chazz? Of course not! This is like saying if you take one of the fat burners on the market, you’ll look like the paid fitness models they use. What Chazz and James are trying to point out to folks is that the notion of eating fast food makes you fat is simply untrue, and that your body cares more about the amount of calories and macronutrients you consume and not where they come from. They also show that training is not an option; it’s an integral part of living a healthy lifestyle.
And, just in case you’re wondering, when I’m in a pinch or out and need to eat, I have no problem pulling into my favorite fast food joint to give my body fuel. Do I do this all the time? No. Do I recommend that people eat fast food all the time? No. However, to suggest that one will get fat eating fast food as opposed to eating healthier choices is misleading and a myth. I should know since I was once a fat, healthy eating vegetarian for more than two years!
OK guys, now you can go to the comment’s section and let me know what you really think about this post …
August 11th, 2008 at 8:02 pm
I personally believe a better approach would be to put the calorie count next to each item (including each different food size) everywhere the menu is placed, including drive-thru. I think most people have a general understanding that around 2000 calories is good for a day (though this is very variable, and one should research what is right for them) and a meal that has over half those may be a bit much. I know I would benefit from this and keeping count would be a heck of a lot simpler. The freakonomics blog had an article about New York doing a trial run of this in certain areas. I’m very curious to see how it goes.
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August 11th, 2008 at 9:18 pm
Tony, thanks for your comment, and I agree; however, I honestly don’t think this is going to make much of a difference with all the conflicting nutritional information out there. Also, McDonalds has one of the best websites out of all the fast food places around IMO. You can go to their site and get a macronutrient breakdown of each item on their menu. Hell, you can even see how many calories are in one of their sandwiches with or without the bun! Out here in So. Cali they put the calories on the wrapper of their sandwiches; they also put a similar breakdown on the back of the paper mats that line their trays. So, I’m very interested to see how the experiment in NY goes too; however, I really don’t think it’s going to make that much of a difference. Call me a pessimist … Thanks again for your comment Tony.
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August 11th, 2008 at 9:24 pm
I think its possible to eat fast food if you make wise choices. I eat at in & out at least once a week, but I go for the 4 by 4 protein style with a diet coke. Now if I had the animal style fries and a shake there would be consequences!
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August 11th, 2008 at 9:38 pm
David, thanks for leaving a comment, and you’re definitely an aficionado of burgers my friend! I usually treat myself once a month to a 3 by 3 animal and protein style, and my wife and I usually split an order of animal fries. However, I would suggest you go with the double-double if you’re going to eat it every week because I just checked their site and a 4 by 4 is more than 1000 calories, even without the bun!
To my readers who don’t live in Cali, Arizona, Utah, or Nevada, you probably don’t have any idea of what we’re talking about. It’s OK; you’ll just have to come out this way to experience it …
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August 12th, 2008 at 2:33 am
I used to be one of those thin people who lived on fast food when I was younger working 13-14 hour shifts due to the activity I was getting at work in the warehouse I never put on any weight. However my downfall was carrying that on when i got an office job and i hit 17stone 2 and 1/2 months ago as well as my 30th birthday. So I can definetly agree with you it’s not so much the type of food as your activity levels and amount you eat.
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August 12th, 2008 at 7:34 am
Hello Jamesy_UK; thanks for your comment and sharing your story. I can relate because I gained 50 pounds in one year eating mainly pies and Taco Bell everyday. This was my routine for a while and I didn’t start gaining weight until my activity level changed too. In the majority of the cases, it really is a matter of simply eating too many calories and not moving enough. Thanks again for your comment …
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August 12th, 2008 at 9:49 am
I am a physician and see the effects of obesity and inactivity on a daily basis. I agree with your position on calories and fast food as a starting point. If everyone of my patients would do at least this much, I wouldn’t have a job! Until I can get a patient to the point of at least some exercise and getting calories to a reasonable level it does not make any sense to discuss further dietary modification!!
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August 12th, 2008 at 10:00 am
Steve, I’m so glad that you commented on my post because I can only imagine the frustration you face as a physician trying to explain to your patients the very least that they need to do to lose weight (i.e., create a calorie deficit through diet AND exercise). Most folks want to choose one OR the other. Oh, and they usually use and all or nothing approach that is unsustainable, so they regain the lost weight.
And when you have many people still believing that calories don’t count (and, unfortunately, I was one of them), I’m sure it doesn’t make your job any easier Steve! Thanks again for your comment and stopping by …
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August 12th, 2008 at 1:45 pm
When I first heard about the proposed ordinance, I thought it was a good idea, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that Outback, Texas Roadhouse, Chili’s, etc. were not a step in the right direction calorie-wise (though when I have my “cheat day” I’d rather go to one of those places than McDonald’s because I’d rather go for quality and make it worthwhile).
The fast food places push the value meals with the fries and soda because those items are more profitable than salads (It always seemed kind of dumb to me to order a grilled chicken sandwich with fries). As much as one would like to get a good deal, you just have to remember that if you’re an adult, nobody can make you eat something you don’t want to eat. Anyone who is serious about losing fat has to understand that.
By the way, down 4% bodyfat in the last two weeks though I’m embarassed to say from what to what and I also did a trap bar deadlift with 315.
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August 12th, 2008 at 1:51 pm
It is about the calories, and what you burn. Simple. I won’t lie, I was one of those people that saw Super Size me and was blown away by the stuff I saw, but now I know that I can eat just about anything I want and lose weight, as long as I count my calories and my calorie burning. Man, I have been losing steadily for the past month and have eaten out, eaten chocolate, etc.
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August 12th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
Just for reference, I live in Jacksonville, FL and getting calorie counts while in store is always a hassle. No Fast food joints (including MCd’s) put nutritional information anywhere except in their information stands, and most of the time I see the stands, they’re lacking the nutritional guides. I realize online is the place to be for calorie counting, but it would be nice to have calories right in front of me when I order. Lord knows when I told some of my coworkers how many calories their normal Venti frappacino’s were they switched to light grande versions, or just went to straight coffee.
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August 12th, 2008 at 7:07 pm
Hey Muata,
I liked your comment to Dr. Steve – about people wanting to to diet or exercise – I was one of those people and tried to ‘pay for’ what I ate… that was the hard way as my 50 year old body dod not burn as much as I did when I was younger.
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I always thought that if I was on a diet, I could extrapolate that my wallet was on the same diet – and if I bought on the dollar menu – that would keep me thin… but as you know… that logic is probably why Los Angles is hanging their hat on the concept of fast food/fat food.
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We really are in control whenever we realize it. Very interesting post.
John W. Zimmer
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August 12th, 2008 at 7:26 pm
Please forgive me if someone else has said this but it looks like not so… I see your point and agree (somewhat), blanket statements that fast food is “bad” ignore one’s personal responsibility to exercise, make somewhat intelligent choices when staring at the big board, etc. However, the topic is bigger than this… it is socio-economic. The fact is that fast food is more dangerous in poor (and often ethnically polarized) communities. “The worst foods for you are often the cheapest” – as soon as I say that I know it is not necessarily true… but it certainly may seem true to the relatively uneducated and overworked parents who are pumping their kids full of fries for their convenience and cost. It is hard (for me) to put into words how powerful growing up in this environment is. I grew up in a place like this, where things like doing drugs and going to jail are just a little more normal than elsewhere, and had to dig out of this sort of “mental trench.” Don’t get me wrong, I doubt the legislation will have any significant impact.
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August 13th, 2008 at 11:20 am
@ Stephen: Down 4% BF is awesome!! Congrats my friend, and accentuate the positive and stay focused. Oh, and I’m really jealous that you have a trap bar because I’ve been thinking about getting one for close to a year now. 315 pounds, eh? Well, that’s definitely nothing to sneeze at! Keep up the good work Stephen.
@Israel: I agree with you bro. When one simply wants to lose weight, eating less and moving more will take them a long way, especially if you have a lot of weight to lose. The leaner you get, the more you have to manipulate your macros, but until then you can pretty much eat whatever you want. Now, I don’t recommend folks do this, but there is a reason why it seems that everyone knows someone who eats a crappy diet but doesn’t gain weight. He’s in caloric balance … Thanks for stopping by.
@Tony: Hey, I hear you, and I believe that ignorance is partially to blame for folks eating too much. They simply have no idea how many calories are in the food they eat. Hell, I’m guilty of this. I had no idea how many calories were in a 4 by 4 from my favorite fast food place (In & Out Burgers)because they just posted their nutritional data on their website. I was shocked because their burgers are not that big, but that doesn’t account for the cheese and the spread (which is actually thousand island dressing)! I really suggest that everyone visit the website for their favorite fast food joint and be shocked!
@John: You’re not alone. I followed this either or mentality for many years. What’s funny is that when I was in “workout” mode, I would eat more and make the excuse that it’s because I was working out! LOL! It’s a one-two combination that folks really need to understand. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
@Randy: Thanks for your comment, and I understand the point you’re making. Socio-economics, IMO, does come into play mainly because of education. Poor people are less educated about nutrition than their more affluent counterparts, and this is shown in the fact that there are more poor obese than affluent obese folks walking around. I would’ve liked to see the LA council spend it’s time, and resources, on educating those South LA communities about making proper choices and count calories than demonizing fast food. By doing this, they will make intelligent choices no matter if they go to a fast-food or sit down restaurant. Honestly, I think that McDonalds and other fast food joints would actually increase their revenue if they implemented nutritional education programs in poorer communities. As Tony commented, show us the calories in your foods, explain why most folks don’t need to eat a pound of fries (super sized portion) in one sitting! If they were able to do away with the super sized options for a couple of years without cutting into their bottom line, I don’t think initiating these types programs will cause people to frequent them less or cause them to go bankrupt. I don’t know, but I’m really interested in seeing how the pilot program goes in NY.
Thanks for your comments guys …
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August 28th, 2008 at 6:44 am
The fast-food places are a calorie-counter’s best friend. The calorie counts for everything they sell are readily available and fairly consistent so I can budget my meals there easily.
Of course, you have to Just Say No to the super-sizing…
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August 28th, 2008 at 6:52 am
MS,
I couldn’t agree with you more! I still believe that McDonald’s has one of the best nutritional sections on their website of all the fast food places out there. One can easily plan how many calories s/he eats every visit, IF one takes the time. Again, I’m not saying that the quality of the food is excellent, but it’s obviously not poison either! If you have to eat on the run, check out the restaurant’s website first . . . Thanks for leaving a comment MS.
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August 31st, 2008 at 6:27 am
[...] Mr. Low Body Fat says eating fast food = obesity: the myth exposed! [...]
September 3rd, 2008 at 7:07 am
Why would you ever write a paper like this? Philosophically speaking you cannot find the right key looking for the wrong one. You are giving the impression that fast food…meh.. its just the McDonalds, the Burker Kings. Excuse me sir, you are wrong.
You see there has actually been research…Yes sir – RESEARCH – not personal anecdotal experience – that has proven eating fast food leads to obesity, plaque buildup in arteries, gives higher risks for heart attacks, has twice the density (calories to portion size) of a healthy diet and it throws off a normal bodies metabolism.
It is extremely funny that a man had to work his ass off to lose 8 pounds in a whole month after eating McDonalds. Honestly, you are not only supporting the “fast food” chains by posting an obviously blind story with no sources, but you are encouraging the continual growth of the malnutrition in our society.
Yeah I totally understand your argument. Supplying cheap low budget food in low income areas won’t make us fat if we make the right choices. What about the children who don’t know about their body and eat cheeseburgers?
Your smiley faces and optimistic attitude is not that of enlightenment, but that of a blind face supporting a cause unknown to you. Sure anyone can lose weight, but countries that don’t socially condone high density and high caloric food have almost no obesity…and thats a fact.
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September 3rd, 2008 at 8:16 am
Wow Doug, tell me what you really think. LOL! I was wondering how long it would take for a dissenting voice, which I more than welcome, would comment on this post.
OK, let’s see what we have here. First, I blogged about this issue because of the moratorium on building new fast food restaurants in LA and the reasoning, or lack there of, behind it. Secondly, I wrote on this topic to preach personal responsibility and for fat folks, especially guys, to stop blaming others for what they, without a gun held to their heads, put in their mouths.
I find it interesting that all of the illnesses that “you” and the “research” blame on eating fast food are the same as those that are known to be related to being obese or overweight. Is there a correlation here? I think so, and if you eat too much food, fast food or not, you will gain weight. You keep this process going and you’ll eventually become obese. And I can tell you that there’s much more research showing this nutritional fact (energy balance equation) than those blaming all the ills of obesity on fast food.
Wait a minute? Did you even see Chazz’s physique? I’m not going to assume how your current physique looks, but let me be clear about something. To lose 8 pounds of mainly body fat when you’re already lean is far from easy. If you’ve ever attained sub-10% body fat, you would understand why what Chazz did was pretty damned impressive.
Oh, and the children who don’t know their bodies and eat cheeseburger have parents/guardians right? Last time I checked, we have child labor laws in this country, so I’m assuming that these children are getting money from an adult. So, who is to blame here? McDonald’s or the parents? And, please, don’t give me the talk about the amount of money they spend on advertising to kids, blah blah blah. In the end, parents can say yes or no. Unfortunately, my mom didn’t and Big Macs became my close friends, and guess who was a chubby kid …
I’ll ignore the ad hominem comment you made in the last paragraph, but if anyone can lose weight, why is more than two-thirds of the US population overweight? What countries are you talking about? Surely it’s not any country in the EU and if you’re thinking about naming as Asian country, please leave China out because the incredible rise in obesity in this country has lead the government to build “fat schools” to help folks lose weight!
Again, I appreciate your comment, but let’s be clear that my post, and I’m sure I clearly stated this, is not pro or con fast food; on the contrary, it’s pro-personal accountability and taking control of what, and how much, you put in your mouth. All the best . . .
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April 13th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
I enjoyed this article.I am actually writing a paper about this right now and when I mean right now I mean right now…lol but It was, It is very informational article for me.
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Muata Reply:
April 15th, 2009 at 5:38 am
Ashley, I’m glad that this article, and post, helped you. Come back and let us know what you get on your paper
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May 26th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I personally agree, that yes fast-food in moderation isn’t great but not horribly terrible for you either. What I do disagree with is the fact that fast-food corporations are marketing towards our children by siting their restaurants close to schools; not only has this action been blamed for the childhood obesity epidemic but most Americans today agree that fast-food restaurants are culpable for our obesity epidemic in general, not only concerning children but many who do not have access to healthier options.(Ex. Not having a vehicle and only having fast-food establishments near by; a reality for most low-income families)
http://valuethemeal.blogspot.com/
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Muata Reply:
May 29th, 2009 at 8:36 am
Hello Geetha and thanks for your comment. However, I would have to disagree with you on a couple of points. Fast food restaurants, no matter how many billions they spend on advertisements, can be blamed for kids going there, especially when their parents are the ones buying them the food. Also, it’s more about the amount of food that folks are eating at fast food places more so than the type of food. In our society, there has always been some sort of fast food – roadside diners come to mind. However, folks weren’t eating 2000 calories in one meal. To point the finger and blame fast food restaurants for obesity is self-defeating and lets parents off the hook for not doing their jobs. I grew up in the “inner city” and come from a “low-income” family, and there was a McDonalds that my family frequented once or twice a month. We didn’t go more because we couldn’t afford to, and my mom enjoyed giving us home cooked meals. Would I have eaten McDonald’s more if my parents allowed me too? Of course, what kid wouldn’t? But, my parents decided to be responsible adults. Thanks for your comment ….
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August 30th, 2009 at 11:43 pm
I totally agree with you — but I wasn’t convinced of this attitude towards it all until I had listened to a couple of podcasts from Leigh Peele and Alan Aragon regarding calories and weight loss. It’s a whole different ball of wax eating for weight loss vs eating for ultimate health.
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Muata Reply:
August 31st, 2009 at 6:40 am
Hi Cheryl and thanks for your comment! Yes, Leigh and Alan know their stuff, and Alan is one of my nutrition mentors. He is at the cutting edge of fat loss research, and I love his book Girth Control!
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