In Nashville, Tennessee, 57-year-old Kevin Maginnis woke up one day and decided that he had had enough of his weight. In a TikTok video posted on February 21, he shared his unique plan for weight loss, and it’s not what most people would expect. Instead of hitting the gym or stocking up on salad fixings, he decided to head to McDonald’s.
“I weighed in at 238 pounds… and I decided that that is absolutely unacceptable,” he said in the video. “So I drove down to McDonald’s… Because if you’re gonna start getting into better physical shape, McDonald’s is the place you go.”
With a twinkle in his eye and an ironic tone, it’s clear that he was joking, at least a little bit. But then he got serious and continued, “I know some of you are thinking that might be crazy, but I’m going to eat nothing but McDonald’s for the next 100 days.”
He went on to explain that he would cut the meals in half to prove that it’s not what you’re eating that matters as much as how much you’re eating. He also promised to drink water instead of sodas.
“Some of you are gonna think I’m crazy, but let’s find out,” he concluded.
Since then, Maginnis has been posting several videos a day, showing himself eating sausage, egg, and cheese McMuffins, hash browns, pancakes, biscuits, Quarter Pounders, Big Macs, and fries. As promised, he eats only half of everything he orders and saves the rest for the next meal.
Maginnis told NBC’s “Today” show on Thursday that he had lost 12.5 pounds so far. “My belief is [I’ll] be down 50 pounds by the end, my health will be better, my bloodwork will be better. And if you don’t believe me, follow along,” he said.
Maginnis said he’s not being sponsored by McDonald’s, though he admitted that his size and name have frequently earned him the nickname “Big Mac.”
It’s likely that McDonald’s publicists will be holding their breath and praying he makes it through the three-month experiment with no adverse events. After all, they had to deal with a public relations tsunami after the release of the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me,” in which filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate only McDonald’s food for 30 days.
Spurlock’s experiment called for him to eat every item on the menu at least once, and to “super size” the meal whenever it was offered — which, at the time, was often. He reportedly averaged about 5,000 calories per day on that plan. The fast-food chain dropped the Super Size promotion altogether after Spurlock gained 25 pounds and experienced numerous health challenges as a result of the plan.
Maginnis is evidently aware of that historical episode, as he has tagged many of his videos “100 Days Eating only McDonald’s — 1/2 Size me!” As his waistline has shrunk, his TikTok following has grown, with some installments hitting over several hundred thousand views. His initial post has more than 680,000 views.
Some followers have expressed concern for Maginnis, but others have cheered him on. “I think you are perfect the way you are, but good for you. I’m following your adventure,” said one TikTok follower.
Maginnis thanked the follower but explained his motivation for losing weight. “The challenge is, I’m 57 years old,” he said. “I’ve got kids and grandkids… I want to be here as long as possible, and I think that getting some of this excess weight off is going to help me do that.”
WATCH the video below for more details:
Sources: WesternJournal, Today