Iowa Teacher Loses 37 Pounds Of McDonald’s Diet, Experts Discuss

Iowa – A science teacher says she he 37 pounds and got rid of his cholesterol by 79 points just by eating nothing but McDonald’s foods for about 90 days. It sounds unlikely but it’s not actually impossible. That’s according to the dietitian and certified diabetes educator Despina Hyde of the NYU Langone Weight Management Program.

“Fast food can be part of a healthy diet,” she told the new source. Keep in mind portion control and calorie levels and fitting it into your overall diet.” John Cisna, the science teacher said he started the weight loss project along with three of his students who were really interested in the medical field. Their only goal was to use scientific method to make a diet and exercise plan in which a simple American would follow. They even made a video to document the entire process.

Cisna has been a college baseball player, but even so, he stopped watching his diet and exercise years ago. His weight jumped up to 280 pounds when he began the experiment. “When I had the idea, I was just a little smaller than the Titanic,” he told the news source.

The teacher chose the food chain because he thought a lot of Americans eat that way. According to the Center for Disease Control And Prevention, 11% of the average adult’s daily calorie intakes are coming from fast food chains. The good thing is that a local McDonald’s owner offered to give Cisna his meals for free.

They made this meal plan to be taken three times a day for about 90 days with a limit of 2, 000 calories. They really tried to stick to the daily recommended allowance for carbohydrates, protein, fat and cholesterol. Cisna was allowed to eat basically anything on the menu. Yes, even Big Macs and French fries – just as long as he balanced out more fattening foods with lighter ones at other meals.

Cisna said his meal plan was always two Egg White Delight McMuffins, a maple oatmeal bowl and 1% milk for breakfast which is followed by a grilled chicken salad, fruit parfait and apples for lunch. And for dinner, he took grilled chicken wrap meal and completed with fries and diet soda.

Along with these, he added exercise to this daily routine which is walking 45 minutes a day four to five days week. “Not everybody can lift weights. Not everybody can jog, but everybody can walk,” Cisna said. Since he stuck close to a 2, 000 calorie limit, Cisna expected to lose weight. What’s unexpected was that he would see some improvements in other aspects of his health which includes his cholesterol level.

However, Hyde also warned that too much of a fast food dining isn’t a good idea. “His diet was likely high in sodium, refined sugars, saturated fats and even trans fats. He was probably missing out on fiber, whole grains and heart healthy fats,” she said. She said it’s very important to make smart decisions from fast food chains. One of which would be taking notes of calorie numbers which are posted on different menus. Also, terms like “crispy” and “fried” tend to indicate unhealthy items.  It’s also important to avoid sugary items like sodas. Just drink water instead or unsweetened iced tea or diet drinks.

“I believe that it’s our decisions improve our diet and lifestyle and not the actual foods that we eat,” says Eszter Barsanics from Toronto bootcamp.  Adding some exercise like bootcamp training could also add more improvements.