Don Gorske

Don Gorske (born Template:Birth based on age as of date)<ref name="fdl" /> is an American world record holder known as the "ultimate Big Mac fan," having eaten over 35,000<ref name=TM2025/> such hamburgers from the U.S. fast food chain McDonald's in his lifetime (as of March 2024), earning him a place in the Guinness Book of Records.<ref name="fdl">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A resident of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, Gorske claims the Big Mac constitutes 90–95% of his total solid food intake. He is featured in the documentaries Super Size Me (2004) and Don Gorske: Mac Daddy (2005), and is the author of 22,477 Big Macs (2008).

Diet

Jorge claims that after getting his first car, the first place he went to was the McDonald's on Military Road in his hometown of Fond du Lac on May 17, 1972.<ref name="AP200809009">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="29K">Template:Cite news</ref> He purchased and ate three Big Macs at lunchtime. He returned two more times to consume nine Big Macs the same day he discovered the burger. He further claims to have eaten 265 Big Macs the following month, an average of 8.5 Big Macs daily. If true, this would equal over 4,600 calories and 247 grams of fat daily, for 143,100 calories and Template:Convert of fat in one month. He also claims to drink almost nothing but Coca-Cola and, according to Super Size Me, he rarely eats the fries. At first, Don kept all the boxes of Big Macs he ate in the back of his car. In addition, he has a statue of Ronald McDonald in his yard. Gorske also claims to have only eaten one Burger King Whopper sandwich in 1984 after a friend bet him $5 to do so, later spending the winnings on Big Macs.

In 2003, Gorske ate 741 Big Macs, an average of 2.03 Big Macs daily. Gorske is Template:Height, Template:Convert, and claims a blood cholesterol level of 140 mg/dl (well below the upper normal limit of 199 mg/dl). Daily consumption of two Big Macs amounts to 1,080 calories, according to McDonald's published nutritional information,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> compared to the USDA recommendation of 2,200 calories per day.<ref>FoodReview, Winter 2002, Volume 25, Issue 3 Template:Webarchive</ref> Gorske consumes mainly calorie-rich food, but he maintains a stable weight by consuming fewer calories daily than the average American. He says his taste buds have always fluctuated in sensitivity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Gorske commented in 2008 that his obsessive–compulsive disorder is what fuels his love of Big Macs, noting he also records when and where he eats his Big Macs in a notebook he always carries and that he has kept every burger receipt in a box.<ref name="AP200809009" /> Gorske claims to skip breakfast, and the only other food he eats is a small evening snack such as ice cream, a fruit bar, or potato chips. Gorske also does not order any side dishes with his Big Macs and takes a six mile walk daily.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> His favorite food other than Big Macs used to be lobster, but in 2024, Gorske, said the last time he ate it was "over 28 years ago."<ref name=Guinness2024/>

On May 17, 2011, Gorske ate his 25,000th Big Mac at his favorite McDonald's restaurant in Fond du Lac.<ref>"Man eats 25,000th Big Mac, 39 years after his 1st". USA Today. May 21, 2011.</ref> On his birthdays, he puts candles in a Big Mac like a cake, and when Christmas time comes around, he treats himself to more Big Macs while his family has more traditional Christmas food. He claims that since he ate his first Big Mac, there have only been eight days on which he did not eat a single Big Mac. One of these days was when his mother died, and he did not eat a Big Mac to respect her request.<ref name="AP200809009" /> Other days included a "snow day" when McDonald's was unable to open due to snow, a Thanksgiving, days he was traveling and could not find a McDonald's, and various days Gorske had to stay at work past midnight. Gorske has since started keeping an "emergency stash" of Big Macs in his freezer for emergencies and snow days.<ref name="CNN20080911">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gorske ate his 30,000th Big Mac on May 4, 2018.<ref name="30K">Template:Cite news</ref> On May 17, 2022, Gorske celebrated 50 years of eating Big Macs nearly every day since May 1972.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> By March 2024, Gorske had surpassed eating 34,000 Big Macs.<ref name=Guinness2024>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On March 15, 2025, Gorske ate his 35,000th Big Mac.<ref name=TM2025>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Personal life

Gorske was born in Green Bay, Wisconsin.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite news</ref> Gorske met his wife, Mary, in September 1973, and he proposed to her in the parking lot of a McDonald's three years later. Gorske ate a Big Mac before the start of their wedding ceremony.<ref name="CNN20080911" /> The couple has a son, Gideon.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Gorske was employed as a correctional officer at Waupun Correctional Institution for 25 years, retiring in May 2011.<ref name="FDL2011-05-17">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

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