Fat Attack!

Beware of these 10 high-fat fast-food concoctions.

by Sally Wadyka for MSN Health & Fitness

Summer is the season of vacations. And vacations often mean time spent on the road or in airports where fast food is the easiest thing to grab when you need a quick meal or snack. The good news is that these outposts of instant gratification have all made great strides toward adding healthier choices to their menus. But the bad news is that the majority of fast food offerings are still loaded with excess calories and fat. "At the very least, try to downsize rather than super-size," says Leslie Bonci, a registered dietitian and director of sports nutrition at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "Those so-called 'value meals' may give you more for your money, but that means more for your waistline too."

According to the American Heart Association recommendations, your daily fat intake should not be more than 30 percent of your total calories, with saturated fat contributing no more than 7 percent. For someone eating 2,000 calories a day, that means fewer than 600 calories from fat, or less than 66 grams. And within that total, saturated fat should be limited to fewer than 15 grams (if you are worried about high cholesterol or heart disease, that number should be even lower).

You can get nutrition information for most fast food restaurants on each company's Web site (for example, Mc Donald's Burger King and, Subway. You can also check out chowbaby.com for a round up of nutritional information from a variety of eateries. [Note: All of these numbers came from each restaurant's site except for the information on Cinnamon and Boston Market which came from chowbaby.com because those restaurants don't list nutritional info on their sites.] And whatever you do, avoid these 10 over-the-top offerings-each of which contains obscene amounts of artery-clogging fats and, in some cases, nearly an entire day's worth of calories!

McDonald's Deluxe Breakfast is a smorgasbord of bad-for-you foods-including eggs, sausage, pancakes smothered in syrup and margarine, hash browns and a biscuit. In moderation, any of these items could be an OK (if occasional) breakfast, but add them together and you're looking at a grand total of 1,220 calories, 550 of them from fat, including 17 grams of saturated fat.

Burger King's Triple Whopper With Cheese is a perfect example of why more is not better. A regular Whopper With Cheese already delivers 760 calories, 47 grams of total fat including 16 grams of saturated fat. But when you triple it up, this meal tips the scales at 1,230 calories and 82 grams of fat including 32 grams of saturated fat. (And that's before you order a side of fries!)

You might think you're doing a good thing by ordering the Taco Bell Fiesta Taco Salad. But don't let the word "salad" delude you into believing that this meal is healthy. This bowlful of goodies packs 860 calories, 46 grams of total fat, 14 grams of which are saturated fat.

Sure there are thin-crust options at Pizza Hut, but if you dive into a Stuffed Crust Meat Lover'spie, you'd better warn your arteries in advance. Two slices of this will stuff you with 1,000 calories, 82 grams of total fat, 22 grams of it saturated.

Popping into Cinnabon for a Caramel Pecanbon isn't exactly a breakfast of champions. This gooey pastry packs 1,100 calories and 56 grams of fat, while providing virtually no worthwhile nutrients.

Boston Market is one of the better stops for quick, healthy bites, but you still have to watch what you order. For example, the menu includes a chicken pot pie that contains 750 calories and 46 grams of fat, including 14 grams of the saturated sort.

Subway may have several healthy sandwiches (the ones that helped poster-boy Jared slim down), but that doesn't mean there aren't a few bad choices on offer. Avoid the 6-inch Double Meat Classic Tuna, which, thanks to lots of artery-clogging cheese and mayonnaise, packs 790 calories, 55 grams of fat, including 16 grams of saturated fat.

Domino's ExtravaganZZa Feast deep-dish pizza is a feast indeed. The pie comes topped with pepperoni, ham, green pepper, onion, black olives, mushrooms, sausage, beef and extra cheese. That might help explain why it also comes with 860 calories, 46 grams of fat and 17 grams of saturated fat in just two slices.

The fried chicken seems like an obviously unhealthy choice at KFC, but it's actually not the fattiest item on the menu. The Mashed Potato Bowl With Gravy contains 690 calories and 31 grams of fat, nine of them saturated.

On a hot summer day, a stop at Dairy Queen seems like the perfect treat. But watch out that you're not treating yourself to more than you bargained for. A large serving of its Caramel CheeseQuake Blizzard means spooning up a whopping 1,290 calories, 500 of those calories come from fat, including 39 grams of saturated fat.

The Hefty Price of a Bargain Meal

For an extra 67 cents, you can get lots of fries, a bucketful of soda, a super-duper burger, and more at a fast food window.

But it's no bargain. The effect on your weight and lifestyle of supersizing a meal -- that is, buying more calories than your body can use -- may run you more than $7 in the end. According to researchers, that's what each supersize meal costs, assuming the extra calories turn to fat, which in turn increases the amount of money you must spend on food, gas, and medical care to sustain an ever-heavier frame.

When researchers determined the real price of supersizing a meal -- assuming the added calories turn to fat -- they included the cost of more food needed to sustain a heavier person, more gas to transport a heavier body, and the extra medical expenses associated with weight gain. For people already overweight, 67 cents worth of supersizing resulted in $7.72 total cost; even for normal-weight people, the cost was more than $4.

Still worse, carrying around extra pounds leaves you at higher risk for heart disease, diabetes, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, some forms of cancer, and High blood pressure

Whether you're ordering fast food at the drive-through, dining in a restaurant, or eating in your own kitchen, pay attention to portion size so you don't take in more calories than you can use. Try to start your meal with healthy, low-fat foods -- fruit or veggies (even fast-food joints now offer salads) -- then move on to small portions of protein and carbs. You'll feel full with far fewer calories.

Many restaurants serve plates piled high with enough food to serve a small family. Be proactive to prevent overeating. Before it's served, have half your meal boxed and take it home. Or split an entrée. Avoid all-you-can-eat buffets. In other words, do yourself a favor and downsize your meals.

Now that's a good investment !!