Bethany Sanders wrote about this topic just recently, but after having asked some restaurants recently about the calorie counts in some appetizers, I had to put in my two cents worth here. Here is a rather unorthodox suggestion the next time you go out to eat and order an appetizer -- ask the server for a nutrition sheet on the calorie counts and fat grams in that "small" order or cheese sticks. Be prepared to do a double-take if you get the information.

There are even reports of some appetizers having 2,000 calories or more -- which is enough for some people...for an entire day. Since restaurants don't have to list -- by law -- the nutrition facts for almost all items served, I have to give credit for the chain restaurants who post this information on their respective websites. It's how I plan some dinners before I even get to the restaurant -- because "winging it" upon arrival can leave you with a 1,000-calorie dinner sometimes, and that is just too much for a single meal.

How about ordering a meal based on taste and calorie count instead of "how big the portion is?" I've seen several friends recently that judge restaurants on how much meal they can get for their dollar, which is the absolute worst thing to gauge a meal's nutrition on.