The Cook Everything From Scratch Diet

Losing weight despite my weekly strawberry shortcake habit...

Warning: I know that I’m about to sound like Kirstie Alley doing a Jenny Craig commercial.  But since I started this experiment, I’ve been eating WELL.  We’re talking strawberry shortcake, real butter, whole milk cheese and yogurt, fresh bread, rice, and lots of other treats — and I’ve still  solidly lost 6-7 pounds in the last 3 weeks.  So what gives?

Well, when I actually sat down and thought about how my diet has changed since I started this experiment, the weight loss stopped seeming quite so surprising.  Here’s my breakdown of this unexpected outcome:

The Make It Yourself Diet

1.) I’m not eating out. Granted, I never ate out much to begin with.  But you have a lot better understanding of what kind of oils/fats are going into your dish (and how unhealthy/fattening it really is) when you make it yourself.  Trust me — if you actually see a stick of butter going into the pot, it’s a lot harder to go back for thirds… no problem with seconds, though!

2.) I’m eating way less. No, I’m not starving myself.  In fact, I feel fully satisfied at the end of all my meals.  But I’m rationing (er, portioning) my food more because I don’t want to have to cook something from scratch every single night.  Plus, when you’re eating whole milk cheese or butter, you get full much faster and eat it in small quantities (that’s we like to call the French Diet).

3.) I’m eating lots of fruits and veggies and cutting out the snacks.  I used to be the first person in line when the candy bowl got refilled at work.  But lately, I’ve replaced that ritual with a piece of fruit or carrot sticks.  I’ve never really been a potato chip/junk food kinda gal, but even cutting out the other little munchies … granola, crackers, dark chocolate … makes a big difference.

4.) Cooking from scratch is HARD work. When you’re on your feet all night cooking, it’s a lot harder to sit on the couch snacking or while the night away drinking beers at bar (not that there’s anything wrong with those activities).  Plus, certain tasks are practically like exercise — kneading bread, husking corn, whipping and churning things.

So am I healthier?  Well, I’ve definitely been doing yoga less because of how much time the cooking takes, which is a big minus.  But in terms of my diet, well, let’s just say you really are less likely to eat an entire bowl of potato chips if you have to slice, fry/bake, and salt them yourself. I think long-term, it’s all about finding a happy medium — incorporating cooking from scratch everyday without letting it take over your life.