A Tennessee TikToker stepped on the scale and didn’t like the number that popped up, so he decided to make a lifestyle change.
But Kevin Maginnis, 57, of Nashville didn’t join a gym and start meal prepping — instead he drove to the closest McDonald’s.
On Feb. 21, Maginnis, known as @bigmaccoaching on TikTok, said on the social media site weighing 238 pounds was “absolutely unacceptable.”
Maginnis said that although he knows people are going to think he’s crazy, he planned to eat only McDonald’s for the next 100 days, according to the Feb. 22 TikTok that’s garnered more than 2.4 million views.
“I’m 57 years old, I have kids and grandkids. I know some overweight 60-year-olds but I don’t know anyone who’s overweight at 80 years old,” Maginnis said in a TikTok he posted at the beginning of his journey. “I want to be here as long as possible and I think getting some of this excess weight off is gonna help me do that.”
The challenge was simple.
Maginnis would eat only McDonald’s for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and he’d substitute soda for water. He’d eat half of his order to prove that it’s not so much about what you’re eating but the amount of food you consume.
The Golden Arch fanatic documented his weight loss journey on TikTok, showing viewers his meals, answering questions, weighing in, and even comparing new blood tests to his results before starting the challenge.
By April 20, Maginnis was 59 days in and 41 pounds down, according to his TikTok.
“Guys is it possible for chicken, eggs, and bacon to be taking the excess weight off my body?” he asked in the video while enjoying a McGriddle.
On June 1, Day 100 of his journey, Maginnis posted a TikTok of his final weigh-in, showing his followers he had lost 58.5 pounds.
Although the McDonald’s diet seemed to have worked for Maginnis, experts are skeptical of this approach.
“Is a calorie a calorie when it comes to weight loss? Technically, yes. That’s what is going to work in this situation,” Tara Schmidt, lead registered dietitian for the New Mayo Clinic Diet, said to Fortune Well. “The topics that have not yet been addressed, though, are nutrient density (diet quality), balance, and sustainability. Research tells us that any calorie-controlled diet program will work, but most people will experience weight regain when they are no longer able to maintain it.”
As for Maginnis and Day 101, he plans to indulge — sorta.
“People ask, ‘What’s the first meal going to be on Day 101?’ And the answer is, I’ll probably have a Big Mac for lunch, but I will have a filet mignon for dinner,” he told WSMV.
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