Ohio man complaining about rising food prices eats Costco hot dogs for entire week: 'Best $43 I've ever spent'
'I think I might be on to something here'
An Ohio resident, while complaining about the rising costs of food in the past few years, explained that he took upon himself a challenge to eat discounted meals from Costco for an entire week. The total? About $45.
Joey Kinsley from Cleveland ate hot dogs and soda from the wholesale giant, spending about $1.50 per meal – which included 1 hot dog and a soda – and shared the experience with his 460,000 social media followers (@SirYacht).
"It was the first time I've ever had a Costco hot dog. I didn't realize how big it was. It's massive," he said.
"At $1.50 hot dog, it's an awesome deal. It's a deal that is unheard of in 2024, especially without the prices of everything now," he told Fox Business Digital. "I balled on a budget."
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Kinsley posted a video documenting his week-long hot dog escapade and garnered 4.5M views on TikTok.
He ate 29 hot dog meals for a total of $43.50. "To my surprise, I never got sick of having hot dogs once."
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Much to his surprise, he lost 4.2 pounds in one week. He attributed that to his intense workout regimen and no-snacking policy for the week. Kinsley said he was walking 10–15 miles a day during the challenge.
"The fact I lost 4 pounds was mind-blowing. I enjoyed what I ate, and I lost weight, and I was like, ‘I think I might be on or something here,'" he said.
Kinsley said he wouldn't recommend others take on his food challenge, especially for the long term. There are numerous health risks associated with fast food consumption.
A 2018 study ("The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food") said that "all the junk people are eating contributes to obesity, diabetes, heart attacks, strokes, dementia and cancer, but many don’t realize the strong causative role an unhealthy diet may have in mental illness."
"A link may even exist between fast food, processed food, commercial baked goods, and sweets and destruction of brain cell and a lowering of intelligence," it continued.
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Another study from 2011 ("Fast-Food Consumption and Obesity Among Michigan Adults") found a connection between fast food consumption and obesity.
Kinsley said that "physically I felt pretty good at the end of it," and reported getting messages from medical professionals expressing concerns about the diet plan.
He did experience some gastrological effects, which he addressed with Tums and Pepto.
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"You have a lot of hot dog burps and throughout the week and you feel gassy and you're like, oh, ‘I should probably do something [about that].'"
At the end of the week, the social media influence said he was looking forward to a home-cooked meal.