- Don Goske, 70, has broken the Guinness World Record for eating the most McDonald's Big Macs with over 34,000.
- I used to eat nine Big Macs a day, but I cut that down to one for lunch and one for dinner.
- To stay healthy, he doesn't eat fries and walks six miles every day.
An American man has set a record for eating the most McDonald's Big Macs in his lifetime – more than 34,000.
Don Goske, 70, first won the Guinness World Records title in 1999 and extended his record by eating 728 Big Macs in 2023, according to the records management company.
I used to eat nine Big Macs a day, but now I've cut it down to two, one for lunch and one for dinner.
To stay healthy, he doesn't eat fries and walks six miles every day.
“A lot of people thought I would be dead by now, but no, I've been a record holder for 24 years and I'm one of the longest-running Guinness World Records record holders, so it's very important to me. It’s amazing,” he said.
Goske said he still enjoys every burger, even though he's been eating them for more than 50 years.
“People who see me eating a Big Mac often comment that it looks like I'm eating a Big Mac for the first time,” he said.
Goske, a former correctional officer in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, ate his first Big Mac in 1972 and quickly realized how much he loved it.
“At that moment, I said, 'I'm probably going to eat this for the rest of my life.' I threw the carton in the back seat and started counting from day one,” he said.
He keeps the receipts and containers of every hamburger he eats.
After he received media attention for eating the hamburger, inmates at the prison where he worked reportedly taunted him with “relentless” abuse.
However, his fellow correctional officers supported his love of McDonald's, sneaking in Big Macs during his second shift.
I used to go to a fast food chain every day, but after I retired, I would buy Big Macs in bulk twice a week, eat them freshly baked at the restaurant, and then take the rest home when I was hungry. I started heating it in the microwave.
“Fast food can significantly increase the risk of chronic health conditions”
Goske said he's a creature of habit and doesn't eat much other than Big Macs, aside from small evening snacks like ice cream, fruit bars and potato chips.
A Big Mac with two beef patties and three slices of bread contains 590 calories.
Health experts are warning of the risks of eating too much fast food.
“A diet heavily dependent on fast food, such as McDonald's, can lead to chronic conditions such as heart disease and type 2 diabetes due to the high concentrations of saturated and trans fats, sodium added sugars, and additives found in these foods. It can significantly increase the risk of health conditions,” nutritionist Beata Leidiger previously told Healthline.
The documentary Super Size Me, starring independent filmmaker Morgan Spurlock, follows him as he eats nothing but McDonald's food for a month. The 2004 film chronicled the dramatic impact his diet had on his physical and mental health due to malnutrition.
