Splitting up a fast food meal and consuming it in smaller portions does not appear to have any affect on the total calories consumed. The researches concluded that this was due to the inherint problems of the foods themselves…low fiber, good taste, along with high fat and sugar content.
Another problem is the use of High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) in soda. Fructose is a unique sugar that decreases leptin levels.