Centers for Disease Control

Companies like McDonalds might be wooing mommy bloggers as they try to skate back from the era of oversized value meals, but a new report from the Centers for Disease Control reminds us of the artery-hardening facts of the constant upward trend in burger and fry portion sizes.

Over the past sixty years, the hamburgers, soft drinks and bags of french fries served up by fast-food restaurants have grown many times over, according to data collected by the CDC. And as a very obvious result, our waistlines are expanding, too.

Since the 1950s, the weight of the average fast-food burger has grown more than threefold, from 3.9 ounces to 12 ounces. An order of fries has expanded from 2.4 ounces to 6.7 ounces. And the average fast-food soft drink has exploded six times over from a mere seven ounces to a tooth-melting 42 ounces. Yikes.

But as tasty as hamburgers and fries can be, the CDC’s data comes with a reminder that over the same time as food’s expansion, the average American adult has also ballooned by 26 pounds.

The release also comes timed for the Memorial Day Weekend, when millions of travelers will be hitting the road for that first getaway of the summer travel season, a journey that could very well include pitstops at grimy highway service areas, tepid airport food courts or roadside grease pits. One remedy the CDC advises: If you’re going on a road trip, pack some healthy snacks, too.

Better yet, for travelers leaving or coming to the greater D.C. area, WTOP has a handy guide of the rest stops that will most likely be clogged with tourists taking a break while tiding themselves over with a basket of fried chicken from Roy Rogers. Consider skipping the asphalt food court and arriving at your destination sooner. Or maybe get some of that Roy Rogers chicken. That condiment bar is our summer jam.