*****Fast Food Chains To List Calories - - - Will It Change Your Choices???????*****

[yorkietalkjilly]

Fast Food Chains that don't already will soon be listing calories besides each menu item. Take McDonald's, for example: Will knowing that your Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese contains 750 calories and a McFlurry with Rolo 700 calories or a Large Dr. Pepper 350 calories or a Large French Fries 500 calories cause you to change your order for a smaller size or even a different choice with less calories?

How much do you worry about calories when going to a junk food joint to pick up dinner?

In that vein, would you forego the large popcorn with butter at the movies if you knew it had about 1200 calories?

Will the Fed doing this for us with Fast Food Restaurants or otherwise somehow knowing calorie counts for junk food make America thinner in 5 years?

[capt_noonie]

For me, it won't change my choices, bc I already know all that food is crap and I don't believe the cal info anyway. McD's boasts a egg mcmuffin is 350 cals, yeah right. Chick-fil-A says the bagel chicken sandwich is 480 cal? Yeah right. A bagel alone is 300 cals, add in the deep fried breaded chicken and cheese plus egg? I say more around 600-700.

[Ella08]

Personally I think bringing awareness to how many calories you eat a day verses how many you're supposed to eat is good. A few years ago I went on a calorie counting diet and it was shocking! I no longer count every calorie but I do make a conscious effort not to "drink my calories away" and usually drink water.

I think awareness is good and nutrition facts should be posted at every restaurant. I'm not sure how it's going to make America thinner but awareness is good!

[yorkietalkjilly]

Supposedly, the awareness will turn us from the food item of high calories to one of lesser calories and by all of us occasionally choosing the lower calorie item, we will each lose weight.

Do we believe that by occasionally choosing a lower calorie food item at a fast food chain, America will become thinner?

[capt_noonie]

I just don't understand how at this point people aren't "aware" of the calories. A few years ago, yes I agree with you, but now? It's like too little, too late. I see many people have a smoothie after a meal, or get a Starbucks every day. OMG. But like I said, the calorie info they post, I don't believe it for a second.

[capt_noonie]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Supposedly, the awareness will turn us from the food item of high calories to one of lesser calories and by all of us occasionally choosing the lower calorie item, we will each lose weight.

Do we believe that by occasionally choosing a lower calorie food item at a fast food chain, America will become thinner?

No, bc as we age, our metabolism slows down. Eating fast food is not going to help us lose weight. What will help is not eating fast food period. Cutting out processed food for fresh food.

[yorkietalkjilly]

I also wonder if New York City will become thinner in a few years thanks to Mayor Bloomberg's banning a person from drinking a single regular soda larger than 16 ounces unless they order and pay for second drink?

[Ella08]

Originally Posted by capt_noonie

No, bc as we age, our metabolism slows down. Eating fast food is not going to help us lose weight. What will help is not eating fast food period. Cutting out processed food for fresh food.

I agree cutting ALL processed food is best but we are constantly "enhancing" our food. So unless you live on a farm and grow/raise your own food, you'll never know what unhealthy/unnecessary things are being adding.

[yorkietalkjilly]

I don't think the Fed is laboring under the premise that eating fast food will help us lose weight per se but listing them might help many choose lower calorie items occasionally and thus we will lose some weight. Don't know if I buy that, just based on my habits and ways.

It might help me most times. I'm so calorie conscious that I do think if I go in for a Big Mac and see those calories listed, I may very well decide to just get a Chicken Sandwich or whatever sandwich/burger might have less cals. Now, will I compensate later and gnosh some chocolate-chip cookies because I wanted that Big Mac so bad & am feeling deprived because I didn't get my Big Mac? Possible! But I'm so already guilt-ridden when I do go into a junk food restaurant or sit in line at a drive-through, I could be intimidated into getting something of lesser cal count - just don't know if later I won't feel deprived and then compensate! Hard to say.

But I know this - sometimes it won't help. The other day, I wanted a Wendy's Baconator and have been wanting one for over two years. I went there to get one & I don't think if the calories listed were 2,000 I would have accepted anything else. I haven't had even regular Bacon in years except as a condiment nor a burger in weeks or months. So I got it and savored over half of it!(They really are too big for one person to eat.) It was heavenly! It was so good I just groaned as I ate it. Ground beef, cheese, bacon all together with warm bun, fresh lettuce, tomato and onion! Oh, wow, was it good. And a few days later, I went back for another!!! I only ate a little bit of that one, trashed the rest, but I was still in a rebellious mode so I got my second Baconator in a week! As a result, I was so guilt-ridden that I went back to my veggie/fruit/grains diet and have been pretty good ever since. But when I went in either day to get Baconators, I was driven and no calorie count would have stopped me, I'm pretty sure. (I think I need to visit the kitchen.)

[chachi]

I wont be i dont go to a fast food place to count calories I know the food has alot of calories. Maybe its important to people who eat it often but not me because I dont

[ancora_imparo]

Jeanie, I dont know if they have these where you are, but down here they make a "son of baconator" that is smaller. That might be an option.

I know that listing calories wont dissuade me, because when we do fast food, it's because of time constraints, or being in the middle of nowhere and needing food. I've cut out gluten as per my Dr, and trying to find options in a fast food restaurant is hard enough without worrying about calories too.

[Lorraine]

Originally Posted by yorkietalkjilly

Supposedly, the awareness will turn us from the food item of high calories to one of lesser calories and by all of us occasionally choosing the lower calorie item, we will each lose weight.

Do we believe that by occasionally choosing a lower calorie food item at a fast food chain, America will become thinner?

LOL that is so true and I am afraid the whole story is not just the calories. Most fast food chains and other restaurants as well have food loaded with salt, fat, or sugar. They will reduce one but up the other to hook you. It is very bad stuff as it is not real food at all.
Rather than counting calories, go home and cook real food, real vegetables, small portions of meat and forget the sauces, use herbs for flavour. Forget the packaged frozen meals you put in the micro or oven, this is still processed garbage.
I lost 80 lbs cooking real meals and watching portions and gained back 20 when I fell of the wagon and went to McDonalds and A &W on occasion. Now I am back to putting that off limits and lost 5 lbs this week.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, it's not a discussion on needed weight loss - I've been underweight & have had to gain it recently, have normal cholesterol, BP & my sodium always too low - though I still am very cal conscious and always have been. But I do love my occas. junk food junket. I just was wondering what other will do when faced with calorie listing personally and if you think the Fed will help America lose weight with this program. I think if I had a weight problem, it would help me most times because I'm extremely aware and guilty if I eat high-calorie things.

[chachi]

The Feds try as they might cant control what people put in their moutths. They can tax, regulate portion size and still people will buy what they want. Like limiting the soda size they cant stop people from buying 2 and then they are getting more calories than they just drink the larger size. They make me mad when they meddle in our own decisions though. Like they wont give our school money if they serve chocolate milk to try to cure childhood obesity. The kids wont drink white milk so they just dont drink milk. My daughter is small and needs her milk. Also making schools not serve chocolate milk isnt going to cure childhood obesity. The only thing thats going to do that is the state going after some of these parents that stuff there kids with junk food and they are morbidly obese like my brother and sister in law thats been told by her childs doctor that the childs heart cant accomidate all the weight she has; Yet they still take her to the buffets and feed her chicken nuggets and lots of them for every meal. They need to quit punishing everyone for the decisions of a few

[yorkietalkjilly]

As the nanny state ramps up, get ready for more. They believe they know better & have a fat nation to prove we can't discipline ourselves to eat healthy so we're in for lots more regulation, I fear. But I do think the cal listing will occas. help the guilt-ridden like me make wiser choices to keep from getting fat. LOL. (Just not the every 2 years I get my Baconator(s)!!!!!!)