[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.)