Worst restaurant offenders of 2010 - YIKES!

Hmmmm. Not too difficult to figure out why the country is so freaking fat. Take a look at the offenders here (oh, they’re also the restaurants we never, ever go to unless forced to ) and be scared … very scared.

P.F. Chang is - once again - one of the biggest offenders. I hate that place. It is everything wrong with Westernized Chinese food. IHOP - can you say ‘morbidly obese’? How many ways to load a heart attack on a plate are there? And, On The Border - this symbolizes faux healthy.

You might be saying “Oh, but I never order those things. I’ll get the healthier options”. Yeah, right. Good luck finding them. Places like IHOP will toss a lame egg white omelet on there for those looking to avoid a stroke that morning.

Sorry, but taking my ‘trade’ to places like P.F. Chang, IHOP et al is simply not acceptable. You might not order that crap, but by showing up there, you are simply rewarding bad behavior.

Watch and be appalled. Oh, and if you are forced by friends/circumstances to patronize one of these places, grab that little ‘feedback’ form and get busy with a pen. Don’t hold back. Tell them what you really think. It’s cathartic.

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The restaurant 'freebies' are killin' you!

We’ve all been on this ride. The chips in any Mexican restaurant, the fresh hot bread with olive oil and balsamic vinegar at Macaroni Grill, the ever present french fries with everything.

If your goal is to lose that weight this year, for real and for good, you’ve gotta start saying “NO, Thanks.”

The reason is that these ‘freebies’ are liking eating an unhealthy meal BEFORE your meal. They’re loaded with refined carbs - wheat or corn, fat, salt and sugar. There are no redeeming values to this crap. If you’re gonna blow some calories, at least blow it toward a really good glass of red wine! And speaking of alcohol, that lowers your resistance to the ‘freebies’.

Look, you went for a meal. Make the meal the focus. Let the entree and main performers shine, and you’ll better ‘scratch that itch’ of hunger and satisfaction. You’ll end up being less hungry and can quit beating yourself up later at the weigh-in.

The way I’ve dealt with this is by simply having a ‘rule’. No ‘freebies’ on my table. Thanks, but I’ll pass. Whatever it is. And, when it comes to french fries, I never order them. Mr. Maven loves them, but I’ve trained him to ask for a ‘half order’ of fries … always. Then I eat a few of those.

You don’t always require a salad. Unless there are no veggies with your meat and starch, skip the salad. Especially if it’s wearing the same-old tired gloppy, fat, sugar and sodium laced American excuses for salad dressing. I’ve pretty much quit ordering restaurant salads. They’re horrible. Few restaurants - especially chains - know how to make a properly dressed small salad, and I got tired of carrying my own bottle of home-made dressing.

Take a look at the following segment and tell me that doesn’t scare you.

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