Grocery shopping time!

Ready, Set, G-r-O-cery!

I truly believe you lose and maintain your weight in the kitchen, you get fit through movement. I often speak throughout the country regarding my experience on The Biggest Loser and one of my favorite stories is when I returned home after being eliminated in my 4th week on the ranch. I remember being very scared that I didn't learn enough and that I would have NO clue how to get it together at home. The first thing I did after I recovered from spinning out of control with fear was go to the grocery store. I was given a grocery list when I left the campus, which is below. So I went to MY grocery store, the one I grew up going to, the one that I could go in blindfolded and find EVERYTHING I need. I know, you know what I talking about ;) However as I was shopping, I felt like I was going crazy! There were so many things on my list that I couldn't find. I even started getting a little mad, then I got to be right when I realized I had never had a chance to begin with in regards to eating healthy. I mean for crying out loud, MY grocery store didn't even HAVE some of these healthy items on my list...... I KNEW IT..... NO WONDER I'M FAT! Then I noticed this woman who appeared to be 'super' healthy, I glanced in her cart and wouldn't you know it she had all the items I was looking for. I remember thinking why does she have that stuff in her cart, SHE doesn't need to LOSE weight?! This was a HUGE AH-HA moment for me. I realized 2 very important things. #1- HEALTHY people are healthy because they choose to be healthy, through their everyday choices. #2- regardless of what we think we know sometimes what we are looking for is right there in front of us! I went over to her and introduced myself, then explained my situation and asked her if she could show me where she found some of the items in her cart. I swear to you I stood in front of the grain section for what felt like a life time and didn't see the quinoa, which come to find out was right there in front of where I had been looking. I share this brief experience because I know how some of you might be feeling. Overwhelmed, set up, like your tired of always having to go on a diet, eyer we go again, you don't live in LA and have organic farmers markets on very corner, you don't even know how to pronounce quinoa [KEEN-wah] yet alone know what to do with it. I promise you that we have everything we need to be healthy we just have to be READY to SEE what is sometimes right in front of ourselves. Now don't go crazy and feel like you should buy everything on this list. I wanted to share it with you so you can see that there are lots of options. DO try to make sure that the majority of the food you buy is from the produce section. And maybe allow each week a few extra dollars to add a new spice to your cooking arsenal, spices are KEY for me. They allow me to have a different experience to that same chicken breast I eat most of the time lol. Ok have fun at the grocery store and take your time to get to know your store in a new way! xo-ali

You can even shop at some 99 cent store!