I think the point I was trying to make is calorie listing only makes people think the stuff they are eating is real food. It isn't There are other factors involved so don't be fooled.
The packaged food with the Healthy Choice label is not healthy at all. Read the label before purchasing.

Oh, I think most folks, even teens, know the term junk food, what it means and go anyway because they choose to eat it - crave fats and comfort foods that are cheap and easy and fast. I hope listing the cals helps some but don't think it will thin-down our nation, do you?

The only way people are going to thin down is diet and exercise

No I don't think Calories is the only factor with weight issues and health issues. Did you ever see the documentary called Supersize Me? It is aobut a guy who ate at McDonalds exclusively for a month, gained 30 lbs but more important and this is the real important point, was causing damage to his liver and heart from teh food. He was monitored by medical people and they advised him to stop the experiment before the month was up as he could do PERMANENT damage to his health. 30 lbs is not morbid obesity yet he was doing so much damage to himself.
I slipped by occasionally going to McDonalds etc but won't anymore. I don't think we are doing our bodies and more important general health any favours eating that junk. One thing I do remember as well from the documentary is the changes in the way he felt and also after eating a relatively large meal of something like supersize big Mac, he felt very hungry. If it was real food, that wouldn't happen.
I have my little bowl of oatmeal with blueberries I cook myself not the microwave kind and add real blueberries for breakfast and I am full until the afternoon. Real food does make a difference.

We barely eat at McDs. Only when we are pressed for time but we have a subway by us and alot of times go there if we eat out

Preaching to the choir here but lessening calories will help some people like me, though it won't make America thinner and that's what the Fed harps mostly about as a catch-all phrase for what happens when we eat food & get fat - it's rarely from eating too much paleo or vegetarian or vegan - it's from empty-calorie junk food and all the ingredients in it that makes fat and unhealthy like fat, sodium, sugar. But the Fed just uses the weight factor as the catch-all term for why we're unhealthy or going to be unhealthy and that's how I'm using it here. Less calories at a junk food restaurant usually equates to less fat, sodium, sugar and the bad health, fat it causes.

It's funny you mention Supersize Me. I've personally seen Supersize Me 3+ times through and love it, used to keep it on the DVR and make friends/family watch it or as much of it as they would, as I've always been a healthy eater & love its message. When I do "sin", I usually only eat small portions of the bad stuff and my risk values remain low. I've noticed too, like Morgan in Supersize, when I eat say a "Baconator", I'm often hungry feeling on the one hand afterward but the fat shuts down my appetite so I can't really eat again anytime soon. Proves it's nothing much besides meat filler and cheap cheese and bacon is merely fat - no meat value.

But if listing calories will help some to keep from choosing the high calorie choices and all the fats, sodium, sugars that go with fast food chains' higher-cal items, I'm for it for those few it may help. But I'm not laboring under the fantasy that America will be the thinner for it.

It would definitely effect my choices... I was at a BK in Canada several months ago for breakfast and they had the calories listed next to the products. I looked at the total calories for all the breakfast choices and chose the sandwich with the fewest calories because when it's put in front of me... I can make those decisions.

I like the idea of posting calories even if there is a lot more to food than that... It gives you some idea of what you are putting in your body so you can make better decisions.

I don't have a great diet, but I don't eat at any fast food restaurants. My current record: twice in the last 10 years, I think -- when we went to pick up the doggies.

Fast food is so expensive/overpriced. When I'm on the road, I prefer to stop at a grocery store and find something to eat.

I don't eat at fast food places...unless we're counting Chipotle as fast food? I mean, Chipotle is fast food, in a way, but it's fresh, healthy, organic, made on site etc...so I guess it's more like speed-limit fast food, rather than super fast.

I do think it's great *any* time awareness can take place. Meaning, it may not change a thing about how people eat...but at least it's there in case some people are interested in learning about food choices. I think someone above said something like "are people really not aware of how calories work yet?" -- and sadly, soooo many people really don't know how it all works as part of the whole picture.

I've read a lot of obesity studies/projections over the last several years - in terms of what it could mean to the world financially, and to mortality/health care etc -- it BLOWS my mind. I can never get over how bad it's gotten; especially for the kids -- it just kills me to see the state of health in kids now that obesity is epidemic among them :(.

I agree.

I often joke that some good did come from reading fashion rags when I was younger because I learned a lot about nutrition in the diet sections, and it got me interested in reading more respectable sources. My brother is a great example of lack of knowledge -- for instance, he knows veggies are good for his kids, but he doesn't see the problem with drowning the veggies in butter. He has little concept of the maximum calories/fat grams that are appropriate for his boys and he serves up the same size plate for adults and kids alike.

My other problem with fast food is that I can't handle preservatives, the over abundance of salt, and whatever else is in processed food today. Maybe it's old age, haha. I try to stick to unprocessed foods, but it is difficult because I don't cook and I am really lazy when it comes to food preparation. My big weakness is sugar. Like most Americans, I consume way too much.

I dont see anythin g wrong with listing calories either it cant hurt it can only help so why not. I dont think its gonna do anything about our obesity problem though. One of the problems is it has become too acceptable to be obese. The other problem is eating out too much the portions when eating out are alot larger than you would eat at home. I would love to see a big campaign on eating healthy and education on that

maybe I'm a freak... but absolutely it would change my food choices. I could not order a meal amounting to 3,000 calories. I just could not. I would feel terrible eating it and just wouldn't enjoy it. I think if I REALLY wanted fries, I get the fries and maybe a side salad and water instead of fries, a big mac and a soda. I think seeing the calorie counts really does open your eyes as to how many calories you actually DO consume in a day. NYC already does this and when I went there last month, I was definitely more aware and more picky of what I was eating from the menus. SEEING it, actually makes it sink in.

I think this will help some but not all. Some don't eat fast food, so it won't help them. Some people are borderline heavier or need to lose 30lbs or less, this category I think would be helped the most. They are already somewhat calorie conscience and that little extra info/boost may keep them from becoming obese. Those that are morbidly obese already, unless it's a health issue, are in a habit of eating unhealthy, have a pattern and a way of thinking that I am not sure this is enough to help them. Maybe, maybe it will. I would hope so.

As for obesity in children, I think it should be considered abuse. :( My sister in law and her husband are obese and their 2 kids are obese, morbidly obese. It makes me VERY sad to see 2 kids who can't play, can't move, can't run, can't fit in the front seat of my car (YES Seriously). I think it's abusive to allow your child to get that large when it's caused by eating. There are instances when the child will eat really bad outside the home, but the parents should teach nutrition in the home, eat well in the home and not have sugary, fattening snacks in the home. That will help their calorie intake while home immensely.

People who say "we should be in control of our own food decisions" I think is a cop out. The nation has an obesity epidemic. We WERE in control and look what we did to ourselves. Now our health care has SKYROCKETED in price, the #1 killer is heart disease, which is a direct correlation to eating poorly. The fed is trying to control those who cannot control themselves. The choices are not taken away from you, but NO ONE NEEDS a 32oz SODA. NO ONE. I don't care how thirsty you are. 16oz of soda is plenty, switch to water if you are really thirsty or yes, buy a 2nd soda. I think they are hoping most people won't dish out the money for a 2nd soda, which in turn helps the person more than ANYONE else. No one stands to gain from this except the people. The only way money is made is if people continue to make the poor choice and do buy 2 sodas, or do get the worse menu choice.

Just like smoking. Its a health risk but people who are not smokers are ok to TAX the smokers up the wazoo.... yes, they can pay it and keep smoking. The choice is not taken away from them. It just is going to cost them more to continue. So why not the same for poor food choices? There are menu items that are the same price or cheaper that are healthier choices for those w/o with little money.

I know it's a bigger picture than this, I know it feels that another freedom is being taken from the people of the 'free world' .... I wish that it didn't need to be this way, but we (as a collective whole) have opinions on what is right or wrong for the gov to take away or regulate, like gun control, cigarettes, certain drugs, alcohol, driving age, etc... but honestly they are all the same, food is up there as the same thing.