Apparently Those Annoying Calorie Counts on Menus Aren’t Helping Anyone Lose Weight  

As if the calorie counts plastered on everything from subs to cookies to burritos weren't enough of a buzzkill, get this: They might not actually help you eat healthier.

A just-released study published in the journal Health Affairs found that calorie counts on fast-food menus don’t actually result in people ordering low-calorie menu options.

For the study, researchers at the New York University Langone Medical Center tallied the number of calories 7,699 people ordered at New York City and New Jersey fast-food restaurants between January 2013 and June 2014. They found that, when people visited restaurants with calorie counts on the menus, they ordered meals tallying 804 to 839 calories. When they visited restaurants without caloric information, they ordered meals with 802 to 857 calories...so basically the same. 

What's even bleaker: The researchers compared these results with those from a 2008 study (when New York City rolled out its calorie-count mandate for fast food restaurants). That research looked at 1,068 fast-food diners and found they ordered meals with an average of 783 calories at restaurants with calorie counts and about 756 calories per meal at those without the counts. So people’s fast-food orders might actually be getting worse over time.

The study authors think these findings could be explained by the fact that some people go to fast-food restaurants and order the same thing they always have without worrying about how many calories are in their meal, says senior investigator Brian Elbel, Ph.D., an associate professor of population health at New York University Langone Medical Center. “Or maybe they are just going to these fast-food restaurants for reasons other than maximizing their health,” he says. (Which makes sense since you don't go to Chipotle with the sole purpose of dropping pounds.) 

When most people hit up a fast-food spot, they know it’s going to be an indulgence; so many people go big instead of going home. And while you should absolutely have your Frosty and eat it, too, this study makes us wonder why restaurants even bother with those little numbers that take the fun out of treating yourself.

But as it turns out, restaurants that voluntarily list calorie counts on their menus do tend to offer more low-cal options than those that don't disclose their calories, according to another study published in Health Affairs. After studying 66 of the largest U.S. chain restaurants (including fast-food places, sit-down restaurants, and juice bars), they found that the average item on a menu with calorie counts contains nearly 140 fewer cals than the average item in restaurants that don't list their calories. Maybe that nagging little number might be helpful after all.

If you do choose to ignore the counts on restaurant menus, it's still possible to lose weight. Just check out these six ways to lose weight without doing any food math.

All gifs courtesy of giphy.com.

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