8 Chain Restaurant Menu Items that Put Ron Swanson's Meat Tornado to Shame

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | July 21, 2011 |

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | July 21, 2011 |

The Center for Science in the Public Interest released a list of the 8 most caloric menu items in the nation’s chain restaurants as part of its Xtreme Eating Awards, which is supposed to discourage overeating but will more likely present challenges to the Ron Swansons of the world. Many of the restaurants in question, in fact, openly brag about the bang for your buck, so to speak, although that bang might be the sound of your heart valves bursting. Note that the following items do not include sides, which typically include high-calorie items like fries or dressing-rich salads.

As a baseline, note that average eater should limit his or herself to 2000 calories, 20 grams of saturated fat, and 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day. And for comparisons sake, a McDonald’s Quarter Pounder has 510 calories and a personal pan pepperoni pizza at Pizza Hut has 610 calories, which is to say: You can eat more than three personal pan pizzas before you’ve topped the calorie count in one PB&C Shake at Cold Stone Creamery. I’m not sure what that C stands for unless it’s “cow,” as in the entire cow.

IHOP: Monster Bacon ‘N Beef Cheeseburger: 1,250 calories, 42g of saturated fat and 1,590mg of sodium.

The Great Steak: King Fries: 1,500 calories, 33g of saturated fat and 4,980mg of sodium.

Morton’s: Porterhouse Steak: 1,390 calories, 36g of saturated fat and 1,200mg of sodium

Denny’s: Fried Cheese Melt: 1,260 calories, 21g of saturated fat and 3,010mg of sodium.

The Cheesecake Factory: Farmhouse Cheeseburger: 1,530 calories, 36g of saturated fat and 3,210mg of sodium

Cold Stone Creamery: PB&C Shake : 2,010 calories and 68g of saturated fat.

Applebee’s: Provolone-Stuffed Meatballs With Fettuccine : 1,520 calories, 43g of saturated fat and 3,700mg of sodium.

The Cheesecake Factory: Ultimate Red Velvet Cake Cheesecake: 1,540 calories and 59g of saturated fat.

(Source: Center for Science in Public Interest via Esquire)