'South Street Taco' and other decadent delights

Leave your diet at the door. These Philadelphia foods will blow your mind and tip your scale. Go ahead - marvel at the outrageous deliciousness and allow your taste buds to indulge in the insanity. In the back of your mind, just remember that an average recommended caloric intake for an adult is about 2,000 calories per day.

Pumpple Cake

Pumpple Cake is a local masterpiece crafted by the Flying Monkey Bakery in Reading Terminal Market. It is the ultimate fall dessert - pumpkin and apple pies baked into chocolate and vanilla cake, stacked atop one another and smothered in buttercream icing. A whole cake weighs about 15 pounds and stands more than one foot tall. One heavenly slice racks up about 1,800 calories.

South Street Taco

Say you find yourself on the corner of Fourth and South, and you just can't decide between that massive cheesy slice from Lorenzo's Pizza or a meaty, melty party on a bun from Jim's Steaks. Enter the best invention ever: the South Street Taco. Simply find a flat surface, unwrap your steak, and start to roll the pizza around the steak. Voilà! Just an estimate here, but a typical cheesesteak has 700 calories and an extra-large slice of pizza has about 400 to 600 calories, so you're looking at 1,100 calories at the very least with this creation. If this is a late-night treat, you've probably already had three meals and just a few cocktails earlier in the day.

Fried chicken & doughnuts

Federal Donuts knows fried food. With multiple locations across Philadelphia, rest assured that you can get a basket brimming with fried chicken and a honey doughnut smeared with your choice of delectable seasoning or glaze whenever you desire. On average, you're looking at about 1,000 calories for the half chicken basket and closer to 1,500 calories for the whole.

Triple Triple burger

Forget the peanuts and cracker jacks. Now that there's a new Jake's Way Back Burger at Citizen's Bank Park, you could take that seventh inning stretch to sections 120, 135, or the LF Plaza, and grab a Triple Triple burger. Just one of these gargantuan burgers is reported to rack up nearly 2,000 calories. We're talking about nine burger patties, nine slices of American cheese, lettuce, and tomato on a fluffy bun.

Brûléed French toast

Cheesecake Factory is here - shiny and new - on 15th and Walnut. And with the chain's arrival, they bring the "best" French toast (according to their menu) to Philadelphia. Thick-cut French bread is doused in a creamy batter, then cooked golden brown, and topped with buttery syrup. Oh, and don't forget the side of bacon. This beastly brunch entrée boasts somewhere around 1,800 to 2,800 calories.

Your plan of attack

Every once in a while, the gluttonous urge overtakes us all. The key is succumbing only every once in a while.

Consider sharing the deliciousness with a friend.

Get a doggy bag, and save some for later.

Plan ahead. Eat well-balanced meals and snacks earlier in the day so you can indulge appropriately later.

Slow down. It takes about 20 minutes from the moment the fork hits your lips until your stomach will signal you that you're full.

Eat mindfully and enjoy every decadent bite. The first bites always tastes the best, so stop before you feel like you might explode.

Don't make it a habit. Once in a while are the key words. If you eat well-balanced, healthful meals most of the time, you can afford the occasional dietary splurge.