McDonald’s has been in the fast-food industry for over 65 years and is the world’s leading global foodservice retailer. It has branches in over 38,000 locations in different countries, amassing a significant revenue stream combined or independently. Most of the population may have heard about McDonald’s and its carefully-selected menu, garnering different opinions and criticism.
While many people go to McDonald’s for its tasty meals, a common social stigma classifies that eating in McDonald’s or any other fast-food restaurant may negatively affect one’s health. McDonald’s may offer delicious burgers and other meal but most of their menu are processed foods, and constant consumption of such foods may cause severe illnesses in the future, such as obesity, hypertension, heart-related diseases, and even cancer. It’s the sad reality of eating at a fast-food restaurant, despite your tongue liking the taste. That’s why some people tend to avoid eating takeout; instead, they prefer to cook for themselves or go to a cafe.
Still, unknown to many, fast-food restaurants might not be that bad after all, as some people even incorporate fast-food meals in their diet, and the results are not what you might expect.
Fasting with Fast-Food
No average person would think of losing weight by eating only in a fast-food unless you’re Cole Robinson. Cole is a fitness and health Youtuber that created his channel in May 2016. Since then, he’s amassed over a hundred thousand subscribers by posting video challenges about different diets such as the “Meat and Fruit Diet,” his signature “Snake Diet,” and the infamous “McDonald’s 30-day Diet”. Cole’s purpose for doing such videos was to show that losing weight is possible in different ways, despite whatever weight class or status an individual is. He often posts videos with similar thumbnails while referring to his viewers as fatty. Such a harsh yet truthful personality might not be for the faint of heart, but his diets and methods have been proven. Most are documented along with the medical examinations to record and assess his overall condition during the diet.
Most of Cole’s diet methods are bizarre and somewhat unlikeable for some, but he speaks from experience and only wants to help those who need guidance. According to his friends, Cole may do things that people may disagree with, but by the end of the day, his sole purpose is clearly just to help.
Understandably, there will be those who won’t readily accept one’s method, given that it is new and unknown, but it doesn’t stop Cole from shooting his vids.
One of Cole’s unique diet challenges was the McDonald’s 30-Day diet, making the impossible look possible. Cole categorized this diet as the McSnake diet, which involves his signature Snake diet for 30-days. According to Cole, the whole idea of the McDonald’s diet is to prove that fasting is effective, even when you eat processed food, as long as the macros are good. He notes that he will avoid sugar and only focus on meals with good carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Cole will eat one full meal a day, with a varying caloric count, and then he’ll fast for a day and eat again after fasting. Fasting means that he won’t be eating any food, or water, only his snake juice which consists of one tablespoon of Potassium Chloride and Baking Soda and half a tablespoon of Sodium Chloride for every two liters of water. Cole’s snake juice is like salt water, which he incorporates in his fasting to utilize the detoxification process and experiences great results afterward. This eating and fasting method with Snake Juice will be repeated until the 30 days are up.
Before anything else, Cole went to a medical expert to assess his overall condition. The doctor conducted a series of tests regarding Cole’s bone density, composition, and muscle mass. The results of the tests are then recorded to be compared after the diet is finished. Cole’s status was optimal, so his doctor approved his diet. After that, Cole went to get his blood and urine tested, which will be compared later to see if consuming McDonald’s for 30 days affected his health.
To officially begin his challenge, Cole went to McDonald’s for his first day and ordered three hamburgers, three garden salads, and seven packs of peanut butter, totaling 3000 calories. And all of which is consumed in just one sitting for at least an hour. 3 hours after eating, Cole went for a swimming session and felt great even though he hadn’t swum for months.
On the second day, he returned to Mcdonald’s and increased his orders to more than 3500 calories. According to Cole, he was losing weight for three days, so he further expanded his caloric consumption on the third day up to 4500 calories by eating more peanut butter than the past two days. Cole’s routine continued for a few more days, and he was not experiencing any health-related issues or changes. The only thing that he was not used to is eating a lot of bread, but it wasn’t anything too groundbreaking.
On the 11th day, Cole decided to eat two days’ worth of meals and fast with his snake diet method. Cole wants to show the versatility of eating in such a way and his capability to fast for a long time. He ordered six garden salads, six double-quarter pounder hamburgers, and 20 peanut butter packs, which he effortlessly consumed in an hour. Some people might be unable to do what Cole is doing, as his body has already adapted his methods. Yet, it’s interesting to see others trying to incorporate his practice and feel great about themselves for achieving a fitness goal. Note that while Cole is doing the McDonald’s diet, he is not taking any drugs, medication, alcohol, or sweets to maximize the results of his method.
Cole continued his 30-day McDonald’s diet by eating a full meal and fasting for a day or two at varying intervals. If he decides to fast for two days, he’ll be eating two days’ worth of meals to ensure that his body receives enough nutrients before fasting again. After 20 days of his diet, there weren’t any significant changes in Cole’s physical appearance. He had only grown a beard, which was his initial plan along with the diet. Interestingly, his face looks livelier, indicating that his method may have contributed to his mood and overall well-being.
On the 30th day, Cole officially marked the end of his McDonald’s diet and consumed his last McDonald’s meal for the time being. After then, he went to his doctor to evaluate his condition. Cole’s doctor conducted the same test as before for the comparison. The test results show that Cole lost about a pound of muscle while his bone density increased by 0.7%. Cole’s body was still categorized to be suitable for Olympics even if he consumed McDonald’s for a month, guaranteeing that there were no adverse changes. His result was significantly optimal for Cole’s C-reactive protein test since the expected value was 8.0 while he was at 0.1. This indicates that doing the McDonald’s diet lowers the acute inflammation of the body, which can be caused by constant eating, serious infections, or chronic diseases.
Based on the discussion between Cole and his doctor, he could quickly lose weight while retaining his muscles if he continues for a week and cut his caloric intake. Despite categorizing the McDonald’s diet for weight loss, Cole didn’t hesitate to increase his calories for every meal as he tried to focus on the after-effects of his diet. It was unclear whether Cole worked out extensively while on a diet since he lost some muscle. Still, the McDonald’s Diet proves that eating a well-planned meal in the fast-food chain won’t negatively affect one’s health, as long as fasting and exercise are incorporated.
Health Varies
Cole Robinson might pull off a 30-day McDonald’s Diet and benefit from what he did, but not everyone has the same health condition. Each of us is built differently, but this case study proves that the only aspect that truly matters when losing or gaining weight is the number of calories consumed. A calorie surplus will result in gained weight while the opposite will cause you to lose it.
Before trying anything like this, always seek advice from a medical expert and get your condition assessed. Never try diet challenges without preparation or thorough planning, as it may affect you more negatively than expected. We’re not implying that you cannot do it, just try to start slow, fast for a day, and so on, until your body can adapt to the changes. In the end, the fasting process will benefit your overall health, as it has different effects.
Once your body gets used to fasting, you can try the McDonald’s Diet for yourself, or nay diet for that matter. As long as the calories consumed are lower that your maintenance, you are guaranteed to lose weight. Even if those calories comes from the likes of McDonald’s.