The report, commissioned by the US Food and Drug Administration, looks at maladies associated with overeating and lists several recommendations that include reducing meal portions and limiting marketing that encourages larger portion sizes.

"It's an individual's responsibility to control their portion sizes," said Stephanie Douglas of Arlington, Texas, who was out for a celebratory lunch with friends Friday at Maggiano's Little Italy restaurant in NorthPark Center in Dallas.

"You have to demonstrate restraint," chimed in buddy Diane White, a DeSoto resident.

Then platters of fried calamari and chicken and spinach manicotti arrived at the table. Lasagna was on the way.

"But there's absolutely no restraint on this visit," Douglas chuckled.

People Want to Take Food Home?

"Our portions do tend to be large, but they are meant to be shared," said Tom Ennis, vice president of marketing for the Italian-themed chain. "And people do take it home. People order knowing that they're going to get two or three meals versus one big gorge fest."

The nonbinding recommendations, part of a 134-page report by the nonprofit Keystone Center in Colorado, are designed to give the government ammunition from the food industry in the battle of the bulge. They were taken from a consensus of forum participants from the food industry, government, education and other groups.

"The recommendations may help industry members, educators, researchers, government and health care professionals take steps to reduce the obesity rate and the health and economic burdens that come with it," acting FDA commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach, MD, said in a statement.

While the report notes the importance of increased physical activity, it focuses on the impact of "away-from-home foods."

Half of Food Budget

Americans spend nearly half of their food budgets on food prepared away from home and get 32 percent of their calories from it, the FDA said.

That makes portion sizes a large target.

But for some chains, serving larger portions is as much a part of the "brand essence" as the name and the decor.

And the chains -- including Maggiano's and The Cheesecake Factory -- would be loath to change for fear of alienating value-minded diners.

"We give people the experience that they want," said Howard Gordon, a spokesman for The Cheesecake Factory, based in Calabasas Hills, Calif. "Most people want to take food home."

Ennis said that Maggiano's, owned by Dallas-based Brinker International Inc., is also viewed as a place to pass the plate.

He said he doesn't think the company would look seriously at scaling back its offerings. "Consumers lose if we shrink the portion sizes."

More Half Portions

Many restaurants have already taken the initiative to offer healthy alternatives, including Maggiano's, which serves salads and seafood entrees. Even fast-food chain McDonald's Corp. has added salads.

Gordon noted that appetizers at The Cheesecake Factory are large enough to be a small meal.

Joel Cohen, owner of Cohen Restaurant Marketing Group in Raleigh, NC, said he doesn't expect to see pint-sized portions replace existing platters. But he does expect to see chains offer more half-sized portions.

"Would I like to see [restaurants] offer more half-portions? Yeah," he said.

But Gordon at The Cheesecake Factory said his diners already know how to handle that chain's ample portions.

"Why should a restaurant company have to change what it does when it already offers what the big news of the day is?" he asked.

One food-backed trade group, the Center for Consumer Freedom, blasted the report for singling out the food industry.

$92.6 Billion Problem

"This report ignores the best science about obesity," research analyst J. Justin Wilson said in a statement. "It implies that a picture of a salad will entice consumers to choose it over a burger, and that the public is too stupid to recognize the difference between the two."

The report's ultimate aim is to address the nation's growing girth.

More than 64 percent of Americans are considered overweight and more than 30 percent are obese, according to the FDA. And 15 percent of children and teens ages 6 to 19 are overweight -- nearly double the rate of two decades ago.

Medical expenses linked to weight problems are estimated at up to $92.6 billion per year -- or more than 9 percent of total US medical expenditures.

But White and her crew said the way to "pay" for a large meal is to "earn it" by working out.

"I'll be on the treadmill for two hours," she said. "But I'll be thinking about this food, and feeling good."