While Super Size Me turned filmmaker Morgan Spurlock into a hero in the eyes of many, there were just as many others seething with rage that their favorite burger slinging clown was being picked on. Body builder Chazz Weaver was amongst the angry mob and decided to take the 30 day McDonald’s challenge himself in an attempt to prove that one can eat McDonald’s every day and not turn into something that resembles Grimace. His efforts were documented in the film Down Size Me.
Now, with “Portion Size Me,” James Painter, Eastern Illinois University professor and chair of EIU’s School of Family and Consumer Sciences, demonstrates that even cheeseburgers and fries can occasionally be included in a healthy diet. He follows two EIU students who eat nothing but fast food for a month — and lose weight in the process.
Painter reveals that healthy choices can be found at fast-food restaurants, which is a stark contrast from the experience of Spurlock in “Super Size Me” as he gained more than 20 pounds and wrecked his health after eating a steady diet of fast food for a month.
“Portion Size Me” is showing at an EIU alumni gathering being held during the American Dietetic Association Food and Nutrition Conference in St. Louis, Oct. 22-25.
The documentary was filmed and produced by Pete Grant and Antoine Thomas from EIU’s Center for Academic Technology Support. The data on the subjects was analyzed by Karla Kennedy Hagan, assistant professor of nutrition in the EIU School of Family and Consumer Sciences.
