Losing Weight Starts in the Kitchen

This article confirms what I preach--If you want to lose weight and keep it off, then you have to learn to make your own food from scratch. Check it out here: http://jezebel.com/5724547/resolved-eat-better-not-more-for-a-healthier-diet

Here are some stats:

"What separates average-weight Americans from the overweight? For one thing, they spend 6.8 minutes more per day shopping and preparing their meals, which contain 6 percent less fat than eat-out food."

Read more: http://lifehacker.com/5723507/resolved-eat-better-not-more-for-a-healthier-diet#ixzz1AADydgv1

And, when I say "make food from scratch" I mean exactly that--no pre-packaged mixes, etc. You start with raw fruits and veggies, meat, fish, eggs, spices, herbs etc. and you chop, cut, heat etc.

Making food from scratch does not have to be complicated. It can be as simple as peeling a banana and eating that for breakfast instead of a bowl of packaged cereal that has been processed to the point that it's calorie dense and provides no real nutritional value despite the health claims on the box.

This morning my breakfast consisted of half a cantalope and a banana. Making a salad and dressing from scratch is also a breeze, so that will be my lunch (I generally try to follow the vegan before dinner rule).

I'm also always looking out for simple, easy to prepare dinner recipes. My main prefererance is that everything be cooked in one pan (I hate cleaning pots and pans.) I found this recipe on the Williams-Sonoma website an am trying it for dinner tonight: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/alaskan-halibut-cioppino.html?print=true

There's a grocery store with a wonderful fish market right across from where I practice yoga, so I can dash over right after I finish my practice and pick up all the ingredients to make this Alaskan Halibut Cioppino (although something tells me I'll have to substitute another firm, white fleshed fish for the Alaskan Halibut).

The point is, that if you're serious about watching your weight for the rest of your life, you have to get off convenience foods, take-out food, restaurant food and frozen foods. Going out to dinner or getting take-out now and again is OK, but every day for all your meals or most days is going to expand your waistline. That's just a fact.