Would you like fries with that?

I like to think I am a healthy eater...sometimes.  I rarely buy junk food.  My kids don't even know what PopTarts are!  I am not one to say my kids don't eat fast food, because you cannot move and travel as much as our family does without singing the praises of McDonald's PlayPlace!  I will tell you that I never rarely give my kids the fries, instead they always get the apples..and I always usually give them juice or milk instead of soda.  I can honestly say I have never had a Big Mac (I did try a bite of my nephew's this December).  However, I do love a good Whopper when I am hung-over!

To make a long blog post short...I like to think I pay attention to calories and fat in the food I feed to my family.  But I also don't worry about a fast food stop here or there!  Until the other day...

We were about to get on the road (after our trip here), and we decided to grab some burgers (and a hot dog for my daughter) so we could eat our lunch in the car and try to beat the winter storm that was headed our way!  We had eaten burgers at Five Guys once before, and it was delicious.

My husband dropped me off and my job was to order the food, while he took the kids over to run a quick errand at Rite Aid!  I walked through the doors  and walked past everyone eating their burgers, nibbling on fries, cracking peanuts, while washing it down with their big sodas!  Yum!

I walked up to the counter and looked up at the menu...

"May I take your order, ma'am?"
silence
"Are you ready to order?"
silence
"Do you have any questions about the menu?"

I apologized as I reached down and lifted my jaw from the counter...

Now, I bet you are wondering what could have caused me to actually think about turning around and running out of this burger joint (I really would have, but my husband had the car, and I had no where to run to).

FIVE GUYS POSTS THE CALORIE COUNTS OF ALL ITEMS ON THE MENU!

I was dizzy, I was sweating, I was in shock.  I will share with you a few of these calorie counts.

Hamburger - (700 calories)

Regular Fries  - (620 calories)

Large Soda  - (0-492 calories) 

That meal will run you about 1500 calories!  (not including condiments)

How about this...

Hot Dog - (545 calories)

Half order of Regular Fries - (310 calories)

Small Soda - (0-340 calories)

That meal will add up to about 1055 calories

Yes We Can! eat a days worth of calories in one meal!

One of my favorite features in my husband's Men's Health magazine is the Crime and Punishment section!  I thought I would share with you a quiz I found in Crime and Punishment:

THE CRIME:  Five Guys cheeseburger and regular fries (1,534 calories)

THE PUNISHMENT:  You would have to run ______miles to burn 1,534 calories

❑  1 mile

❑  4 miles

❑  7 miles

❑  11 miles

(answer is at the bottom of the post)

 To answer your question, Yes...I ordered our lunch while trying to turn a blind-eye to the calories I was ordering with the hamburgers and hotdog.  I ordered a large Diet Coke for my husband and myself to split...and then it came, THE question...

"WOULD YOU LIKE FRIES WITH THAT?"

I said "No, Thank You"and I grabbed my 2,045 calories-in-a-bag and I got a head start on my 11 MILE RUN!!  

That is right, you would need to run 11 miles to burn 1, 534 calories!  

Do you think posting calories at restaurants would make people think twice before ordering foods that are high in calories?  

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