Hurry! Get Your Cheesecake Layered Pancakes While They Last

It's no wonder close to 40% of people in this country are overweight and we're in the middle of a diabetes explosion. This morning, I  turned on the news and was greeted by an ad from IHOP that promised  five layer pancakes, stacked with crustless cheesecake and topped by  your choice of strawberries, blueberries, or apple compote, with a coating of whipped cream.

This new item is available through June 20th at $4.99. Carolyn O'Keefe, IHOP's senior vice president of marketing , said  this in a release: "With our latest promotion, IHOP took the value  we're known for and topped it with one of America's favorite flavors ...cheesecake. We're pleased to offer guests a delicious new way to  stack up the fun this spring as we celebrate moms, dads, grads, or  just a simple escape from their every day." No word on whether they will layer a chicken fried steak with crustless cheesecake, or offer crustless cheesecake as a dipping sauce for wings.

As a matter of confession...I ate breakfast in an IHOP last week and the food was pretty good, but I skipped the pancakes and potatoes when I ordered one of their 2 or 3 low cal breakfasts. They must not sell very many of them, because the waiter didn't really understand at first and I had to point to the item, to make sure he was getting the message. My breakfast partner ordered one of the usual platters, that comes with the pancakes, and even though he's a chowhound of the first order, he wasn't able to finish more than half of what was on the plates. One of the easiest ways tois what I call the "Half Plate"approach. Whatever you get served, eat only half of it. At most of the chain restaurants (who are all vying for the title of "World's Biggest Portions"), this approach works pretty well. You can leave the other half there, or take it it home, but don't eat it that day. This is an approach I've used very well for the last year and a half, especially in social, or business situations.

I'm guessing that this promotion is going to be a big success for IHOP. It's the same approach as the Cheesecake Factory, only cheaper. The Cheesecake Factory serves somes of the biggest portions ever and I can't imagine wolfing down another 1400-2100 calories on cheesecake after your dinner. But that's why they have takeout – so you can get home, rest and then scarf cheesecake, until you have to loosen your belt, or take all your clothes off, so you can expand your entire body.I don't want to be a killjoy here. Once in a while, eating like this is okay (like once a year). But unfortunately, the sugar habit isn't easily dropped, judging by the number of people I observed that barely fit into a booth. You can't expect to eat like this very often and remain healthy. If you do indulge, though, you can (partially) expiate your dietary sins by taking an extra two pharmaceutical grade fish oil softgels.

Whoever dreamed up this promotion is probably going to get promoted and I have to admit, there is a bit of genius in the idea, just like bacon and cheese on a hamburger. But, too much of anything isn't good for us and I hope there isn't a huge percentage of serial abusers. This is a case where innovation isn't necessarily a good thing.If you can't resist this promotion, at least minimize the damage by drinking a big bottle of water, before you go.