Blog Posts by FatFighterTV

Requiring calorie counts on menus could go national. It's Round Two for a bill that would make this food fight a reality. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Menu labeling bill on Capitol Hill
It's back. A bill Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced that would require nutrition labeling on chain-restaurant menus across the country was reintroduced today. If the Menu Education and Labeling (MEAL) Act passes, fast-food and other chain restaurants would have to post calories on menu boards and list calories, saturated fat, trans fat, carbohydrates, and sodium on printed menus.

Chicago first to ban BPA plastic bottles
Chicago has passed a measure that makes it the first city in the U.S. to ban the sale of baby bottles and sippy cups made with a chemical that some studies say can make us sick. Bisphenol-A, or BPA, is commonly used to harden plastic. Over time, BPA can leach into the contents of a

We've talked about how there's hidden sodium in foods you wouldn't think to check. Now a new report from the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) finds mega amounts of salt in foods you might think of as salty… but probably not quite this bad.

Dietary guidelines recommend healthy adults get no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day. To control high blood pressure, you should aim for no more than 1,500 mg.

But when CSPI researchers looked at 17 restaurant chains, they found 85 out of 102 meals had more than a day's worth of sodium. Some had more than four days' worth, including these:

• Red Lobster Admirals' Feast with Caesar Salad, Creamy Lobster Topped Mashed Potato, Cheddar Bay Biscuit, and a Lemonade: 7,106 mg

• Chili's Buffalo Chicken Fajitas (with tortillas and condiments) and a Dr Pepper: 6,916 mg

• Chili's Honey-Chipotle Ribs with Mashed Potatoes with Gravy, Seasonal Vegetables, and a Dr Pepper: 6,440 mg

• Olive Garden Tour of Italy (lasagna) with a Breadstick,

Think that baby food you're giving your child is healthy? Some of it is about as healthy as cookies and cheeseburgers, says a new study. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Some baby foods worse than junk food
It seems as though the junkifying of our food may start way early. A new survey from a British food watchdog group finds some baby foods contain as much sugar and saturated fats as cookies or cheeseburgers. The group says many baby foods are advertised as healthy, but in terms of sugar and saturated fat content, some of them are actually worse than junk food.

Traffic light nutrition labels coming soon?
Could we soon see traffic light nutrition labels on our favorite foods? New research shows shoppers are five times more likely to identify healthy food when they see color-coded nutrition labels than when the labels use numbers to show the same information. Traffic light labeling uses colors to rate the nutritional

You've probably heard that portions have gotten bigger over the years, but do you know how much bigger? Check out some of these popular foods and see how different things were 20 years ago than they are now.


20 years ago: a bagel was three inches in diameter and had 140 calories.
Today's portion: six inches and 350 calories.

Still a much better breakfast option than this 920 calorie breakfast burrito!

20 years ago: a cheeseburger had 333 calories.
Today's portion: 590 calories.

And have you seen the new 4,800 calorie burger???!

20 years ago: a portion of spaghetti and meatballs used to have 500 calories.

Today's portion: 1,025 calories. This includes two cups of pasta with sauce and three large meatballs.


20 years ago: French fries were 2.4 ounces and 210 calories.
Today's portion: 6.9-ounces with 610 calories.

These Oven French Fries have 238 calories per serving and satisfy your craving for the real deal!

20 years ago: a turkey sandwich had 320 calories.
Today's portion: a 10-inch

A 12 year-old girl has liposuction to battle obesity. Is the procedure really safe for someone so young? FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

12 year-old girl has liposuction
This is sparking quite the debate among doctors (and many other people) - ABC News has the story of a 12-year-old girl who had liposuction after struggling with her weight for years. At 5-foot-5, Brooke Bates weighed 220 pounds. She says she tried many diets, but none of them seemed to help. Doctors classified her as morbidly obese, and because her blood pressure was extremely high, they said she was at risk for a stroke. The liposuction removed 35 pounds of fat and fluid from her body and she now weighs 153 pounds. But was liposuction really the only answer? Many doctors question whether serious cosmetic surgery like liposuction is safe for someone so young. And I can't help but wonder what will happen if she regains the weight - another liposuction?

As if banning trans fats and requiring calories on menus aren't enough. Now the Big Apple is taking on salt. FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

New York gets ready to fight salt
Last summer, New York City was the first city in the country to go trans-fat-free. Then it posted calories on menus Now, NYC's health department is taking on salt. City officials are meeting with food makers and restaurants to talk about cutting down the amount of salt in common foods like soup, pasta sauce, salad dressing and bread. About three-fourths of the salt Americans eat comes from prepared and processed food, not from the salt shaker, and New York officials want the food industry to help cut back.

Just a swish of a sports drink can boost workout
It doesn't take much for the benefits of a sports drink to start working. A new report finds the high-carbohydrate beverages can boost athletic performance, and their effects may begin as soon

The friendly skies are getting a bit less friendly depending on your size. United Airlines just announced if an obese passenger is bumped off a full flight, he or she will now have to buy a second seat on another flight.

United says it made the changes after it got more than 700 complaints last year from passengers who said they had an uncomfortable flight because the person next to them "infringed on their seat."

Did you know two-thirds of adults ages 20 and older are either overweight or obese?

Under the new policy, if flight attendants cannot find two open seats for an obese passenger, he or she will be required to buy an additional ticket or upgrade to business class, where seats are larger. But if the plane is full, the passenger will be bumped from the flight and can choose to either buy a second ticket on the next available flight or cancel their flight and get a refund.

United Airlines defines an obese passenger as:

• unable to fit into a single seat in the ticketed cabin;

Should obese airline passengers have to pay for two seats? Another airline joins several others in saying 'yes.' FatFighterTV has a look at this story and other diet and fitness headlines making news this week.

Is it fair for obese passengers to pay double for airline seats?
The friendly skies are getting a bit less friendly for the obese. United Airlines just announced if an obese passenger is bumped off a full flight, he or she will now have to buy a second seat on another flight. United says it made the changes after it got more than 700 complaints last year from passengers who said they had an uncomfortable flight because the person next to them "infringed on their seat."

Will KFC become KGC?
Is KFC taking the "Fried" out of its chicken? Not exactly. But this week, the chain began serving up its new Kentucky Grilled Chicken. KFC says the grilled chicken has 70 to 180 calories and four to nine grams of fat in each piece. The Original Recipe choices each have between 110 and 370