Super Size Me - What Happens to Mr. Spurlock Physical Wellness During His McDonalds Rampage

The movie “Super Size Me” is a documentary on a man who has decided to consume only McDonald’s food for a period of thirty days. This man, Mr. Spurlock, has embarked on this adventure to assess the health issue of McDonald’s food. Of course, there are a couple of rules. He has to eat McDonalds for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He also has to devour everything on the menu at least once. If he is asked to super size his meal, he must submit. His experiences during this thirty day trial period are astonishing. Even more startling is what happens to his physical wellness during this McDonalds rampage.

First on Mr. Spurlock’s to do list is to examine and record his overall health. Mr. Spurlock hired several doctors to work with him during this time period and to evaluate his changing body. At the beginning, according to all the doctors, Mr. Spurlock is in excellent above average condition. He is able to complete the appropriate amount of push ups for his age group among other activities that he was also able to complete with ease. His doctors and a nutritionist were able to evaluate his progressing body conditions and health throughout the trial period. Before he started the McDonald’s diet he weighed an average 185.5 pounds, which is excellent for his height of 6’2’’. His body mass index was in the normal range for his weight and height. He also began the experiment with a blood pressure of 120/80, or according to a different doctor, 140/95. Both of these blood pressure readings are within the right guidelines for a healthy person. In the beginning of the extreme diet plan, his blood sugar was low, his amount of triglycerides was low, and his kidneys and liver were functioning well. His cholesterol level was also at a healthy 165. According to an exercise physiologist, the percent body fat in Mr. Spurlock was 11 percent, which is also appropriate.

On the other hand, Mr. Spurlock’s vitals would be quite different at the end of the thirty day period. In the beginning, he had trouble getting the food to stay down. His body wanted to reject the unhealthy food that he was forcing himself to eat every day. In the first five days it was clearly established that his body was going through some major changes, and not for the better. His physical condition was showing signs of deteriorating after these first five days. According to his nutritionist, in order to maintain a health body weight, he should only consume 2,500 calories per day. Of course, the only problem was that he was getting an average of 5,000 calories a day because of the food he was eating. Now, anyone can see that this would have a drastic effect on his overall wellness. This effect can be seen by his change in weight after only five days. His weight changed from 185.5 to a new height of 194. His weight kept gradually increasing from 194 to 202, and finally 202 to 210. All of this excess weight that was gained was due to fat and not muscle as Mr. Spurlock wasn’t exercising either. Another factor of his wellness was apparent every time that he drew breath. His breathing came with difficulty as he was having extreme onslaughts of chest pain. Also according to the camera crew, he also smelled bad. This new smell could be assumed to be connected with his deteriorating health. His health started to extensively worsen again by day 21. On day 21, he was not feeling physically well at all. First of all, he wasn’t able to talk normal; he eventually had to stop talking. He was also having heart palpitations and he couldn’t breathe easily. His doctors recommended that if he continued this high fat diet that he should at least take Aspirin. He could be on the verge of developing kidney stones, and liver problems. His doctors also concluded that if his eyes began to turn yellow or if he was having severe bodily changes that he should call 911 and they would admit him immediately. At the end of the experiment, Mr. Spurlock’s total wellness was horrifying to his doctors. Overall he gained 24.5 pounds of fat and he lost muscle mass. His cholesterol went up 65 points, to a dangerous level of 225. His blood pressure was worse and his kidneys weren’t functioning properly. His liver had mostly turned to fat, and he experienced inflammation and hardening of the liver. His total percent body fat increased from 11 percent to 18 percent. He was at double the risk of coronary heart disease and he was twice as likely to have heart failure. Overall, he consumed 30 pounds of sugar and 12 pounds of fat from McDonald’s food alone. These statistics establish the damaging effect that McDonalds food has