# Another Reason to avoid fast-food, but we all knew it already...



## Raerae (Oct 21, 2007)

Personally I order kids meals when I go to these places if I can.  Else I always order a small (which is still like a medium lol) and generally only eat 1/2 of it.  Or better yet, go to the store and buy microwave dinners for lunch @ work.  It's really interesting how an entire MEAL in a microwave dinner like healthy choice or lean cusine, is like 250-280 calories.  Less than the calories in most of the soft drinks people drink with their 1000 calorie burger and 500 calorie fries.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20825325...5773?GT1=10514
 Quote:

  By any other name, it's still a supersize
Fast-food portions keep getting bigger, but you might not know it
Image: Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito
Hardee's Country Breakfast Burrito, which the fast-food chain introduced Monday, packs 920 calories and 60 fat grams.

Fast-food restaurants may brag about their premium salads and apple fries, but for all the healthier items they've added to menus, portion bloat is bigger than ever.

Not only are servings getting larger, some top fast-food chains are engaged in a sleight-of-name game — marketing ploys which could confuse customers who think they're ordering less than they actually are, according to a study I co-authored with Dr. Marion Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, published in a recent Journal of Public Health Policy.

When McDonald's dumped its Supersize selections three years ago, many nutritionists were hopeful that restaurant chains and fast-food establishments would get back to thinking small.
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Fat chance.

Are you going to finish that?
In the last few years, Hardee’s, Burger King and Wendy's all have introduced 1,000-calorie-plus sandwiches stuffed with 12 ounces of beef — the amount of meat recommended for two days for most adults. In addition, Hardee's just rolled out a new Country Breakfast Burrito, a tortilla wrap stuffed with two egg omelets, sausage, bacon, ham, cheddar cheese, hash browns and gravy. The burrito contains 920 calories and 60 grams of fat, almost all the fat an adult needs in a single day.

 How much is too much?

A serving may be smaller than you think. Use these visuals as a guide.
— 3 ounces of meat = 1 deck of cards
— 1 cup of cereal = a baseball
— 2 tablespoons salad dressing = a shot glass
— ¼ cup nuts = a golf ball

Source: The Portion Teller Plan: The No-Diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating, and Losing Weight Permanently

*Gorging on fast-food occasionally wouldn't be such a disaster, but Americans spend half their yearly food budget eating out. In my research on portion size trends, I found a parallel between rising rates of obesity and increasing portion sizes.* Current fast-food servings are two to five times larger than they were in the 1950s. It's hard to believe the Big Mac was considered large when McDonald's introduced it 40 years ago. Today the Big Mac's roughly 3 ounces of meat are puny compared to the new mega-burgers. When McDonald’s first opened, a soda was 7 ounces. Today, the child size is 12 ounces, a small is 16 ounces, and the large 32 ounces.

Are we that much thirstier or hungrier than we used to be?

That's a really big gulp
You can't order a Supersize soda at McDonald's anymore, but the fast-food giant recently introduced the Hugo, pouring in at a bladder-busting 42-ounces and 410-calories. Last year Wendy's rolled out its own 42-ounce version and Burger King also promotes a 42-ounce King Size soda. 7-Eleven offers the 64-ounce Double Gulp soda — a half-gallon, nearly 800-calorie drink marketed for one person. And Starbucks sells jumbo-sized coffee drinks, such as the Venti Frappuccino Strawberries and Crème which contains well over 600 calories.

Biggie lives
The problem is, people tend to eat or drink what's in front of them. We also significantly underestimate how many calories we consume. But even when consumers try to do right by their diets by choosing a small or medium of something at a fast-food chain, they may be getting more than they expect.

Click for related content
Vote: Should fast-food chains dump huge servings?
The workweek diet leaves room for feasting
Report: Obesity a result of modern life

Wendy's dropped the fattening-sounding Biggie sodas and Great Biggie french fries and went back to small, medium, and large sizes. But it was just a marketing gimmick. What was a medium order of french fries is now a small; the Biggie became a medium, and the Great Biggie became a large. Instead of a Biggie soda, you can order a large drink — but large is now 42 ounces, 10 ounces larger than it was a year ago as the Biggie.

Scaling back
*To be fair, some restaurants have tried to scale it back. When Ruby Tuesday cut serving sizes in 2004, customers balked, and the big portions returned.*

But that's because consumers are programmed into thinking that bigger size means bigger value. Larger portions are presented as a bargain for consumers because they're relatively cheap for restaurants to offer. Food costs less than other operating costs such as rent, staff, and equipment.

Big servings are not going away any time soon, but you don’t have to be a victim of portion distortion. Here are some strategies to try:

    * Steer clear of large, jumbo and king size orders. Even a medium portion can be big, so share it with a friend. Better yet, *opt for the small.
    * Eat half of what you order. Ask for a doggie bag and enjoy the rest on another day.
    * Have a bottle of water or diet soda instead of a regular sugar-laden soda.
    * Order a side salad with your meal.
    * Savor your food and eat more slowly. Put your fork down between bites. This will help you eat less. 

Reality check: More food = more calories
Before you order, know how much you're eating and drinking
Food Brand or establishment Calories (Regular or small) Calories (Large or Jumbo)
Soft drink Coca-Cola 100, 8 fl. oz 250, 20 fl. oz.
French fries McDonald's 210 540
Hamburger Burger King 320, 4.4 oz. Double Whopper, 920, 12.6 oz.
Coffee Frappuccino Starbucks 180, 12. fl. oz. (Tall) 300, 20 fl. oz. (Venti)
Popcorn (popped in oil) Movie theater 400, 7 cups 1,160, 20 cups
Source: "The Portion Teller Plan: The No-Diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating and Losing Weight Permanently" (Broadway, 2005)• Print this

Lisa R. Young, Ph.D., R.D. author of "The Portion Teller Plan: The No-Diet Reality Guide to Eating, Cheating, and Losing Weight permanently" (Broadway, 2005) is a nutritionist in private practice in New York City and an adjunct professor at New York University.
 2007 MSNBC Interactive  *
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## knoxydoll (Oct 21, 2007)

When I go to the states I get kids meals. Even here in Canada I get kids meals. But just comparing our Wendy's foods. The burgers are the same size, but the small fries/drink (US) is our medium fries/drink; the medium fries/drink (US) is our large.  We don't even have your large fries or drinks. Your kids fries are a little bit smaller than our small fries. 
I don't know how people eat the large ones unless they haven't eaten in days.


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## Kuuipo (Oct 22, 2007)

I would never advise anyone to eat in a fast food hamburger place. The meat is extremely inferior,its usually fired on a grill,its the same grease that sits out all day, the fries or oinion rings are deep fried,and most people drink soda,not water,when they are out eating meals. There is nothing nutritious about these meals. Subway is a much better alternative,since the vegetables are fresh,the bread is fresh,and even though there are cold cuts which are enbalmed in sodium products, vegetarians can choose veggie burgers there as well.One thing that needs to be avoided in places like subway is the "halo effect". People tend to overeat as a reward for choosing a healthier option.

A researcher by the name of Wansink found that almost all people tend to underestimate their caloric intakes by 40 percent or more.


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## SparklingWaves (Oct 22, 2007)

When I was a kid, the kids meal was the adult meal.  There were no fat kids in any of my classes.  NONE  The parents were not either.  None of my neighbors were fat or obese.  Neighbors sat outside and talked in the evening until the sunset.  Kids played outside.  There was recess and P.E.  in school.  Kids didn't curse and slap their parents.  They didn't run around like they were insane in stores. 

We didn't have cable, cell phones or computers.  We didn't live off of carbonated drinks.  People didn't go to the gym to stay slim, but somehow they did stay more lean.  I don't remember people being so depressed or so many kids being reported missing either.  

There wasn't road rage either.  There wasn't porn on your home tvs.  I like the way things were in a way.


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## Shimmer (Oct 22, 2007)

Tasty.




People weren't planted in cubes or in front of video games or on two hour commutes or living such sedentary lives back then.


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## Raerae (Nov 2, 2007)

I love the "squashed" look all our fastfood has LOL.


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## MiCHiE (Nov 2, 2007)

Well, what the hell is "Supersize", anyway? I ordered a combo and the cashier hands me a drink cup that couldn't even fit in my cupholder. When I asked for a smaller cup, she told me that she couldn't give me one!!! Excuse me, but I'm asking for LESS! WTF!??!


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## Raerae (Nov 2, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *♥MiCHiE♥* 

 
_Well, what the hell is "Supersize", anyway? I ordered a combo and the cashier hands me a drink cup that couldn't even fit in my cupholder. When I asked for a smaller cup, she told me that she couldn't give me one!!! Excuse me, but I'm asking for LESS! WTF!??!_

 
That was the smallest cup they have.  You can only ask for bigger sizes =p

Supersize used to be the term for like, "extra large" at McDonalds.  You'd order and they would be like, "Do you want to Supersize that for .35 more?"  And you'd end up with this huge drink and huge fries (both of which are smaller than the Large offered today).  Then they got rid of it, because health groups were saying they were making America fat.  Not to mention the whole get healthy trend in America.  So they eventually took it off the menu, and went back to Regular, Medium, Large.  Regular size today, is like the old large size, medium is basically the old Supersize, and large is bigger than the old Supersize.

Pretty soon your going to be offered a Gallon of Soda and like 10 lbs of fries to go long with ur 25oz hamburger lol.  All for 3.95 + tax!  Talk about quality!


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## SparklingWaves (Nov 3, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 

 
_Tasty._

 
Looking at the those Tasty pictures made me feel like an impending heart attack was in every meal.  YIKES!!  Where is the cardiac doctor?


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## MxAxC-_ATTACK (Nov 3, 2007)

haha the cupholders in my car don't even hold a "medium" drink from mcdonalds very well.. I had a 'extra large" from carls Jr (you know the huuuge ones with the smaller bottoms to 'fit' into cupholders...)  EXPLODE into my car when I tried to shove it in the cupholder.... What.. I was thirsty... didnt do me much good all over the floor though!


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## Raerae (Nov 3, 2007)

That was God saving you from all those calories!  He made it explode!


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## knoxydoll (Nov 3, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Shimmer* 

 
_People weren't planted in cubes or in front of video games or on two hour commutes or living such sedentary lives back then._

 
This is the turth. I know a few people who eat fastfood 3 to 4 times a day. They're all healthy and fit but they don't sit on their butts all day. When I was doing hardcore martial arts training, my partner and I would have the most fattening foods and ice cream every night. But we still lost weight because we were working out 2 hours, 5 days a week. When I was coaching and playing soccer I'd have Wendy's 3 days a week. I lost 20lbs that summer. 
What you eat doesn't always dictate how healthy you are. But I still agree that for 'normal' people nowadays they should stay away from most fast food places.


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## Raerae (Nov 3, 2007)

It takes like 11,000 steps to burn enough calories to lose 1lb...  Assuming your not adding more calories by eating heh...


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## MxAxC-_ATTACK (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Raerae* 

 
_That was God saving you from all those calories!  He made it explode!_

 
haha possibly, It was actually Iced Tea, so it stained pretty bad and had less calories and less (high fructose corn syrup!) But It took a lot of scrubbing to get it out!

( I NEVER drink soda, Unless its the only thing around besides alcohol like.. at a party or something )


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## knoxydoll (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Raerae* 

 
_It takes like 11,000 steps to burn enough calories to lose 1lb...  Assuming your not adding more calories by eating heh..._

 
It's like 3500 calories to burn 1 lb of fat. It's like walking 7 km (4.5 miles) a day everyday to burn 1lb in a week. It's really isn't that much to do especially if you make it part of your routine.


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## knoxydoll (Nov 4, 2007)

Also, the salads at fast food places aren't that healthy either.


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## Ms.Amaranthine (Nov 4, 2007)

Fast food disgusts me on all fronts. You know what I read recently that really bothers me?

Kids think food that comes from a McDonald's bag/wrapper tastes better. No matter what is inside it, they automatically prefer it to the same item presented to them on a plate. Be it a burger, fruit, veggies, didn't make one bit of difference. They all wanted whatever they thought came from McDonald's.


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## CaraAmericana (Nov 4, 2007)

<---pessimist

I know fast food is bad but I like it and it taste good to me. I check for spit and then I eat. I rather eat a few more calories than to go grocery shopping and bring home something to eat, because it is better to eat at home, and then find out that a week later it is being recalled for e-coli contamination. 

So my question, ANYTHING we put in our mouths, there is a risk of something.
Get sick or get fat-which do you prefer? if your unlucky you could get both.


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## ratmist (Nov 4, 2007)

I haven't eaten in a McDonald's, KFC, Burger King, or any of the well-known fast food places in years.  I'm a vegetarian so they don't really offer much for me, and I'd rather get a freshly made sandwich at an independent sandwich shop than buy from them.  That being said, I do order from Pizza Hut from time to time, but it's very expensive here, so it's not that often - maybe once a month.

If you have time to burn, play this game:http://www.mcvideogame.com/

"Making money in a corporation like McDonald's is not simple at all! Behind every sandwich there is a complex process you must learn to manage: from the creation of pastures to the slaughter, from the restaurant management to the branding. You'll discover all the dirty secrets that made us one of the biggest company of the world." 

It's a lot of fun and hella subversive.


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## Raerae (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *knoxydoll* 

 
_It's like 3500 calories to burn 1 lb of fat. It's like walking 7 km (4.5 miles) a day everyday to burn 1lb in a week. It's really isn't that much to do especially if you make it part of your routine._

 
Atually it's harder then you think...  Well not hard...  But, a friend of mine is doing that LipoZapp thing, and like she has a pedometer that trackers all her steps.  And like after an 8 hours shift at the office + taking time out to walk on lunch break she only hits like 5k steps a day.  So unless she adds in time after work to go to like a gym, and for a lot of working Moms, that difficult to do with responsibilities to her kids, she's not going to walk that much.


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## Raerae (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *CaraAmericana* 

 
_<---pessimist

I know fast food is bad but I like it and it taste good to me. I check for spit and then I eat. I rather eat a few more calories than to go grocery shopping and bring home something to eat, because it is better to eat at home, and then find out that a week later it is being recalled for e-coli contamination. 

So my question, ANYTHING we put in our mouths, there is a risk of something.
Get sick or get fat-which do you prefer? if your unlucky you could get both._

 
You can get e-coli just as easily at a fast food place...  There not immune to contamination.


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## CaraAmericana (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Raerae* 

 
_You can get e-coli just as easily at a fast food place... There not immune to contamination._

 
I agree with you


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## knoxydoll (Nov 4, 2007)

Quote:

   Originally Posted by *Raerae* 

 
_Atually it's harder then you think...  Well not hard...  But, a friend of mine is doing that LipoZapp thing, and like she has a pedometer that trackers all her steps.  And like after an 8 hours shift at the office + taking time out to walk on lunch break she only hits like 5k steps a day.  So unless she adds in time after work to go to like a gym, and for a lot of working Moms, that difficult to do with responsibilities to her kids, she's not going to walk that much._

 
Actually being a mom and taking your kids for a family walk, bike ride, scooter, jog is a really good thing to do. It gets the kids in a healthy mind set and it's time the family can bond together. My uncle used to take my cousin out for a walk after lunch, then after dinner my aunt would join in on a second walk. They only stopped doing this because my cousin's now in daycare/kindergarten. A lot of Mom's use the excuse of their kids for not working out but kids are naturally energetic and they usually want to spend time with their parents, so why not make a family thing out of a little exercise. I'm saying start taking them on 10k runs or taking them to do weights. Take them to the park after dinner to play Frisbee or jump rope with your little girls.
And if you add in ankle weights to your walk 5000 steps is all you really need. It's amazing what a simple change can do. People just need to make a conscious decision to walk a little bit further. Eat a little less. It's not hard to lose wait, it just takes dedication. No one says you have to lose 15 lbs a week, 1 to 2 is the healthier way to go. And even if you're not looking to lose a lot just getting your body moving is a plus.


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## Raerae (Nov 4, 2007)

It's dark by 5pm, especially now with the time  change, kind hard to play frisbee  or jump rope in the dark!

Not making excuses for her though.  If she really wanted to make the lifestyle change, she could.  Which is the main problem most people who want to lose weight face.  They wanna lose the pounds, but don't want to change their sedate lifestyle.


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