Walking the Walk - The Verdict

It's time to decide -- is this a healthy habit that can be realistically worked into day-to-day life?

• Piece of cake! I can definitely work this into my daily routine.
• Not my cup of tea. This is harder than I imagined. Still, I plan to stick with it and do my best.
• Nuts! This seems nearly impossible to keep up. But I'll definitely do it whenever possible.

Before this week began, we were averaging two dinners out, one night of take-out, and three lunches out every week. I know ... wow. Because I "shopped my pantry" and didn't spend any extra on groceries, I figure we saved well over $100. That right there is reason enough to stick to this new healthy habit.

A more important reason to stick with it, of course, is that eating in will help me reach my diet and fitness goals much faster and make them easier to maintain. My meals this week were lower in calories, much lower in sodium and I had far more servings of fruits and vegetables than average.

But it was hard for me. I've discovered I'm kind of an all-or-nothing cook. Either I've got a cookbook flung wide open, pots and pans burbling on all four burners, or I'm pouring bowls of cereal and chopping up a mango for us to share ... for dinner. I didn't find my middle ground this week, but I think I can, given a little time.

Just like I need to find balance in the kitchen, I think I can find compromise in our eating-out habits, too. Eating seven meals out of the house is excessive, but heading to a restaurant once -- maybe twice -- a week isn't. I can live with that.