New York ? With Americans fattening up and fast food on the defense, McDonald’s this week began telling dieters in the New York area how much fat and carbs are in some of its meals.

New posters and brochures, prominently displayed in restaurants in New York, New Jersey and parts of Connecticut, tell customers how to modify McDonald’s existing menu — by leaving out the bun or cheese, for example — to reduce their intake of fat, carbohydrates and calories.

“We are trying to educate our customers that the foods they love at McDonald’s can fit into the diet they’re on,” said Cristina Vilella, marketing director for the fast food company’s New York metro region office in Roseland, N.J.

“If they’re watching fat, carbs or counting calories, they can take the menu and fit it into the lifestyle that they’re leading.”

Patrick Manning, a spokesman with McDonald’s Lawrence franchise office, said area restaurants began displaying brochures on nutritional information about six months ago. The brochures list calories, fat content, carbohydrates and other information for McDonald’s menu items.

“They go like hotcakes,” Manning said. “They’re really popular with our customers.