The following is a few cuts from an article written on the website "Web MD" regarding "Restaurant Traps." Eating out can be a challenge those of us who eat bariatric style......restaurants don't make it easy, do they.........

:ohmy:Applebee's doesn't want you to know:That many of its "low-fat" items have more than 500 calories. (In fact, its low-fat chicken quesadillas have 742 calories and 90 grams of carbohydrates per order.)

:eek:IHOP doesn't want you to know:That its Omelette Feast has 1,335 calories and 35 grams of saturated fat. (By the time you finish eating this behemoth Breakfast, you'll have consumed 150 percent of your daily fat requirement and 300 percent of your suggested cholesterol intake.) Said IHOP's director of communications, "We do not maintain nutritional data on our menu items, so I am unable to assist you."

:unsure:Dunkin' Donuts doesn't want you to know:That each of its medium-size fruit-and-yogurt smoothies packs at least 60 grams of sugar—more than four times the sugar in a chocolate-frosted cake doughnut. The fruit purees used in the smoothies are mixed with liberal doses of sugar and/or high-fructose corn syrup.

:blink:Baskin-Robbins doesn't want you to know:That, unlike Jamba Juice's all-fruit smoothies, the top four ingredients in its Blue Raspberry Fruit Blast are Sierra Mist soda, Water, sugar, and corn syrup.

:scared2:Maggiano's Little Italy doesn't want you to know:Just how many calories and carbs you're consuming in those massive Pasta portions. (As the menu puts it, "Family-style service or individual Entrees are available...Whichever you choose, you'll have plenty to share or take home.") In Italy, a standard pasta serving means 4 ounces of noodles with a few tablespoons of sauce. At Maggiano's, a large order of pasta translates into 2 pounds of noodles piled high on a hubcap-size dinner plate (15 1/2 inches in diameter)

Just for the OP, I was at TGIF's the other day, and they have things marked 'LOW FAT!' so I looked at the bottom after seeing this post.. and it says on there "Our "LOW FAT" items contain 500 calories each" (paraphrasing).

FRUSTRATED,

I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT, BUT WHEN CHILDREN ARE INVOLVED SOMETIMES THE ONLY CHOICE IS MC. D'S, BURGER KING, OR TACO BELL. SO YOU HAVE TO DO THE BEST YOU CAN WHEN THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE AND NO TIME TO GO SOMEWHERE ELSE! I OF COURSE WOULD RATHER GO TO A NICE SIT DOWN RESTAURANT AND EAT SOMETHING FAR MORE HEALTHY, BUT THAT JUST DOESN'T ALWAYS FIT IN BETWEEN BASKETBALL, BAND LESSONS AND DR. APPOINTMENTS.

Actually I don't think those are your only choices. While I'm going through this journey I intend to take my son along with me. It's been tough seeing myself for what I really am. Correction; what I WAS. Places like McD's, Burger King and Taco Bell weren't my choice because of convenience. They were my choice because I wanted to go there and indulge. Needing something fast and available was all the excuse I needed to go there. Now I have my son plan his Snacks if we need to be somewhere and shop with me.

I got the shock of my life when he asked "What kind of fruit can I get for snacks?" My response was "Whatever you want and as much of it as you think you need!" Prior to this I thought I was doing good by limiting him to one pack of variety chips or Cookies per shopping trip. When he's given free reign of what he can choose from in the produce section, it's pretty much a guarantee that it's not only going to be good for him, he's going to eat it because HE chose it.

I've also got him helping out in the kitchen come meal time. He makes his own healthy pizza. It only takes 15 or so minutes tops to get it all together, as he can't always decide what he wants, but I know he's getting his veg and Protein during meal times. It's the same if we're going to have a Pasta dish. He'll make the choices of what he wants in his sauce and we'll make it from there. Sometimes he likes the combo he's chosen, sometimes not. But just like me, he's discovering a new world of food.

Together we make his lunch in the evening for the following day. And he'll choose his snack and what he wants on his sandwich. Then it's put in the fridge and popped in his bag before he heads out the door in the morning.

Children learn bad eating habits from their parents. And I got him off to a horrible start. But we're both going down a different path now. And even though he still asks for McD's or Burger King, I've limited those visits to once a month when we have a "date night" and he gets to choose a restaurant. What's interesting is that he's choosing McD's and BK less and less these days.

My suggestion would be to get your kids involved more in their food choices and put some of the responsibility for that on them. Even little toddlers can make a packed snack of choice if you get them to prepare ahead of time and not leave it to mom to do everything for them. It also teaches responsibility and independence.