1,710 doesn't seem like too many calories for a day, right? The average person its said, shouldn't gain weight on that number. So in theory, shouldn't we be able to eat three Big Macs (which are 570 calories each) a day? One for breakfast, lunch, and dinner without gaining weight? That seems so unrealistic, but appearently thats the amount of energy a normal woman needs on a regular daily bases. If thats correct, why don't we all just eat like that for our diet instead of coming up with these elaborate diet plans?

In theory, it seems like it should work. Especially if you don't eat any fries and drink only water.

Don't think you'd get all your proper nutrients, though. And, given the fat content, I don't think it would be all that healthy long term. But, hey, it could work!

Would get mighty boring after Day 2, I think!

Well, I wouldn't. Mainly because I would be hungry all of the time. Barring the obvious nutritional issues, there just wouldn't be enough bulk to keep my system satisfied. Also, not enough times for food- yesterday I ate 8 times.

Really, though, in a way I think you do have a good point. I am not affraid of eating any food, as long as it fits into my plans. I think of calories like money. Some foods are expensive and not worth eating, some foods are expensive but worth the price and I just re-organize my budget to fit them in.

But, just like I wouldn't blow my entire salary on 3 tv's, I'd rather have one big mac, then use the rest of my calories on more reasonably priced items. (And don't forget the bills- vegetables, fruit, and whole grains!)

Hey andoreth, I like the whole "money" philosophy. Good way to look at it.
I'm thinking about that guy in Super Size me who Morgan SPurlock interviewed who ate a Big Mac every day of his life from the age of sixteen or something like that. He was stick thin, and eveyone was acting so confused about how he stayed skinny. But if you think about it, it isn't really that much food.
And something interesting: everyone thinks of a Big Mac as the "King of Burgers". But did you know that a whopper is hundereds of calories larger? So is Wendy's classic double and most other fast-food "classic" hamburgers. A Carl's Jr six-dollar burger is twice as big. A big Mac is more like two "kids" size haburgers stacked on top of each other with some cheese and a high-calorie special sauce. They're more calorically dense FOR THEIR SIZE however than most other burgers because of the high fat content. That could be why the burgers give me a stmoach ache. Hey, maybe that diet could actully work for me! It would be 75 filling grams of protein after all!

Losing weight is not just about calories. True it might work. But you also need to take into consideration fat content. I would be too hungry to only eat 3 times a day. I eat at least 6 times during the day. It's important to keep your metabolism moving.

Thanks DairyQueen. The money angle has really been helpful to me in re-evaluating my entire diet.

Yeah, not only did the guy purposely eat the worst possible meals, but from what I understand he had been an avid exersizer, and just about completely stopped during the "experiment".

JTjoray: you are exactly right.

You could also get your calories from 2 sticks of butter a day, but I think I'll stick to my mixed diet, thank you very much.

Woah... you could actually eat two sticks of butter a day and not gain weight? Who'd a thunk! Anyways, I'm not seriously going to try the Big Mac diet. At least not now, just because I have something else working really well for me right now. Maybe someday though.

A Big Mac diet...am I really reading this thread?

Well, first off-if you did this there would be no calcium other than from fatty processed cheese slices...there would be no fruit in your diet (fiber, vitamins, cancer fighting properties and antioxidants) and there would be no veggies save for a slimy pickle or two and a few shreds of iceburg lettuce-which is the most un-nutritious of vegetables.
You would have a lot of fat, a lot of processed meat, and you would have a lot of "simple carbs" from the white bread. No fiber or complex carbs from good sources such as oatmeal, brown rice, and so forth.
You would be in a health calorie range, but you would essentially be STARVING your body of just about every vital nutrient that it needs. It is really ridiculous to even think about doing such a thing. "Skinny" and "fit and healthy" are two totally different things, let me tell you.
You may be in a calorie range that you want to be in-but your organs, your blood sugar, your heart, your skin, your hair...and many other things will be affected by the lack of nutrition. Oh, and after a few days-you'll feel like total CRAP.

^Good point. It would still be awesome to be the skinny girl eating a Big Mac for breakfast.
I heared about a lady who lost weight eating at McD's- and NOT eating the salads, eating the burgers and fries and stuff. She did it just by limiting her calories. If we're talking about weight, calories is what it really comes down to always.

Yes, but we can still be "skinny" (as in weighing 115 on the scale), but still be "fat" (as in unshapely, flabby, saddlebags, drooping butt...) There are a lot of skinny girls who are not "fit". They look okay in their clothes, but in a swimsuit they are still jiggly. I want to be fit and healthy-not just a certain weight. To do that, it is a lot more than calories.

If you think 90 grams of fat seems reasonable, then go for it.

Oooh I like the butter idea! LOL

Yes, if the goal is to "look good naked", being "skinny-fat" doesn't cut it. You can lose alot of weight on popcorn, coffee and cigarettes, but it is hard to build a good physique that way.

The Big Mac diet is probably healthier than some of the low carb diets I see lifters on other message boards consuming. Three or four Big Mac's/day must be better for you than the enormous quantities of red meat and cheese some of these guys are eating.

Three Big Macs a day would be so bad for you! Strictly going by calories it might seem like a good a idea, but you also need to look at the fat, sodium, and cholesterol content of a Big Mac...
One Big Mac is 30g of fat and 1010 mg of sodium. So that means that of the 570 calories in each Big Mac, you would be getting almost 810 calories a day from fat and a little more than half of that would be saturated fats, which is very important to avoid. That would be almost half of your daily intake! You MIGHT be able to lose weight if you kept the rest of your diet clean, but you might also end up with heart problems, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol... and tons of other problems.
If you want a healthy inside AND outside, stay away from the Big Macs... unless you are giving yourself a special treat.

3 big macs a day?! Well, just one big mac or whopper gives me
a massive headache and tummyache so that not for me. It shouldn't be
for anyone.