The 500-Calorie Smackdown , but how?

What is your openion about over eating ?You would think the American fascination with health and fitness has hit critical mass: Freezer cases are full of low-cal meals in grocery stores and farmers markets are booming. Mini gyms and yoga studios have filled in almost every vacant street corner. Fitness themes have even wiggled their way into the domains of their archenemies: video games and network television. But there is one industry--perhaps the one with the best chance of helping us fit into our skinny jeans--that has remained stubbornly out of step when it comes to our obsession with shaping up: restaurants.

There are some more thing to say!

A generation ago, dining out was an indulgence--but today, the average American grabs something off the menu four to five times a week. More than a few of us dine out almost nightly, and the numbers seem to be trending upward. Michael Pollan, the voice of the "real food" revolution, has said cooking at home will be as odd to our grandchildren as slaughtering a chicken is to us. The problem is, while eating out has lost its Friday-night glamour and corner booths have replaced the dining room, restaurants are still stuck on their legacy of indulgence, serving enormous portions and spiking them with more and more fat, salt and sugar.

Lately, though, two big players in the chain and franchise restaurant world have put their money on the idea that low-calorie, deep-fry-free zones are the next big culinary trend. Both concepts--Energy Kitchen, backed by Vitaminwater multimillionaire Mike Repole, and Seasons 52, powered by Darden, the behemoth behind Olive Garden, Red Lobster and Longhorn Steakhouse--have designed entire menus around fresh, baked, steamed or grilled food. Both plan major national expansions over roughly the same time period, and both have menus built around dishes that weigh in at 500 calories or less.

Diet Plan to Lose weight

Breakfast
	Amount	Item	Protein	Carbs	Fats	Calories
	12 ounces	coffee-w/caffeine	0.40	1.40	0.00	8.00
	1 each	Bagel-plain, Lenders Bake Shop	8.00	42.00	2.00	210.00
	2 tbsp	Peanut butter- creamy	8.60	5.70	16.40	190.00
	1 tbsp	Cream, fluid, half and half	0.44	0.65	1.73	19.55
	Total:		17.44	49.74	20.12	427.55
AM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
	Total:		0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
Lunch
	3 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	26.40	0.00	3.00	140.25
	12 ounces	Coca cola- diet w/ caffeine	0.00	0.40	0.00	0.00
	.25 cup	Croutons-plain	9.00	5.50	0.50	30.50
	1 large	Salad-lrg. Garden w/tomato and onion	2.60	19.00	0.80	98.00
	4 tbps	Thousand island-reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	12.00	4.00	80.00
	Total:		38.00	36.90	8.30	348.75
PM Snack
	1 each	apple-medium with peel	0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
	Total:		0.30	21.10	0.0	81.00
Dinner
	3 ounces	chicken breast/ white meat	26.40	0.00	3.00	140.25
	1 cup	pasta, corn cooked	3.68	39.07	1.07	176.40
	1 small	salad-sm. Garden w/tomato, onion	1.30	9.50	0.40	49.00
	2 tbps	thousand island- reduced cal. Kraft	0.00	6.00	2.00	40.00
	Total:		31.38	54.57	6.42	405.65
	Grand Total:		87.43	183.42	34.85	1343.95