In fast-food terms, Borucki is called a "heavy user," even though he is quite slender. Loosely defined as the 20 percent of fast-food eaters who account for 60 percent of all fast-food sales, a typical heavy user is male, in his 20s or 30s and extremely loyal to the burgers and fries he loves, lately, heavies are feeling under siege as fast-food chains have come under attack. Obese diners are suing companies like McDonald's for allegedly contributing to their weight problems, And the endless flood of studies detailing the horrors of obesity provide plenty of ammo for the chatter, types who want heavy users to change their ways.
Heavy users like Borucki insist they don't need saving, protesting that they are far from the use less fatties anti-fast-food activists make them out to be. For his part, Borucki is a moderate exerciser. And he'll occasionally substitute a side salad for his regular fries. Indeed, in a recent study of restaurant-goers by the research firm Technomic, 90 percent said they had concerns about obesity, and 50 percent said they'd changed their eating habits in the past year as a result. Fast-food companies have noticed. You can give your waistline a break today with a McDonald's fruit-and-walnut salad or skip the flame-broiled meat and have a Burger King Fire-Grilled salad with shrimp instead. The healthy approach is working: sales are expected to increase by as much as 4 percent this year.
Heavy users are adapting—in their own way. They're eating Chicken Whoppers as well as the real thing and cutting back on anything that has the word "fried" in its name. McDonald's dropped its Super Size portions, apparently because customers stopped ordering the gigantic servings. "But the Ouarter Pounder with Cheese or the Big Mac—those items will not be touched," says Technomic's Dennis Lombardi.
Jeremy Hageman can take some comfort in that. The 26-year-old Web designer hits the gym three times a week so that he can indulge in as much fast food as he likes. "I like things that taste good," Hageman says. He came up with a plan: eat more Taco Bell. "For some reason," he says, "it doesn't seem as bad."
A really good day for Rob Borucki will be a day

A. he can eat sausage of Wienerschnitzel.
B. to eat fast-food like Big macs or Subway subs.
C. a new fast-food chain restaurant opened nearby.
D. to eat fast-food with his fellow friends.