westender- love the jc quote. i should cross-stich that and hang it in my kitchen

Try everything,
Eat small portions,
Don’t go back for seconds.

Perhaps the best regulation is self-regulation.

CinTwin– so true about JIJO, whether you’re training for a marathon or not.

K– not preachy, though the obesity epidemic can often target those who really ARE eating healthfully, exercising, etc. who might be genetically predisposed to being heavier. No question that that is not true of all of those who are considered overweight, but many. I like the “healthy at any size”– instead of concentrating on how much you weigh, how good you feel. I, for one, will never ever be a super-thin 100 pounds but being a healthy weight for me is important.

Chris– absolute props to Applebee’s. Now if only they could improve their food… and congrats on the weight loss.

That said, I agree that restaurants should be more forthcoming on their websites about calories, sat fat, etc. Some just simply don’t have the info. However, I don’t think mandating it on menus is the right answer.

There’s a great website – based in Oakley – that helps to educate on myriad health topics like portion distortion, caloric/fat/sodium/cholesterol content, exercise, etc. It’s free to join and their meal planner and meal tracker functions are awesome.

The site is http://www.sparkpeople.com.

I still gained 20 lbs over the course of the next two years.

So last May, I learned how to count calories and set a calorie goal for myself and my wife. In less than year, simply by reducing our calories, we both lost over 60 lbs. Read more about it here.

I’m a huge fan of Chipotle – in fact, I’ve emailed them a few times in hopes of luring them downtown (I heard 4th and Race is available) – and, in their defense, they do have a nutritional guide on their site here. It’s under the speak>faq menu item. Yeah, lame place for this, I know.

What I think all corporate restaurants should do is provide a paper copy of their nutritional information at the order counter or in the waiting area of a traditional sit-down restaurant. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen McDonald’s and/or Wendy’s do this.

And while I’m at it, kudos to Applebee’s for adding a Weight Watchers section to their menu. I don’t care about the Weight Watchers points, but I do appreciate the calorie totals for the menu items in that section.

everyone who has commented has really great ideas.

i like to eat (so much, in fact, last year when i was training for the chicago marathon i lost no weight. just used it as an excuse to eat more), but i am becoming increasingly sensitized to the dangers of a lack of moderation. studying pharmacy really demonstrates how many problems are weight-related. i don’t think americans, as a whole, understand the concept of moderation. in everything we are taught bigger is better (the housing and automobile industries), get more for your money (super value meals, wal-mart), etc.

sorry about the preachy tangent. what i really wanted to say was, if you haven’t seen it already, check out time magazine from june 23rd (http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601080623,00.html). lots of articles on obesity in our country. it mostly focuses on children, but i think the message can be applied across the board. there is also a great section on the science of appetite (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/0,28757,1626795,00.html) in the health tab of the time website.