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The vast majority of people I know do NOT eat out. One of the noticeable changes of our society is "cubicle" living. No walks to the water cooler, to the office down the hall etc, etc.

The problem is a relationship between food intake and energy expenditure. Even if you don't eat out, it's very, very easy to take in more kcals than you expend in a day because we require so little physical activity in the course of a day. A hundred years ago people were eating hundreds of calories more per day without being fat because they had so much more physical activity. By the time someone gets to be 40, he's probably put on 20 or 30 pounds more than he weighed in his twenties. This happens at the insensible rate of about 10 kcals/day (to compare, 1 small cake donut is about 150 kcals): 20 years X 365.25 days/year X 10kcals/day divided by 3500kcals/pound fat = 20.89 lbs of fat over 20 years.

I weigh the same as I did when I was 17. At 65 and knowing that I don't use as much energy, I count calories and no longer eat a sundae on a daily basis.

My dad maintained the same weight for 50 years. Trick...If he gained 5 lbs, he decreased his calorie intake until he got back to his norm.

People have to learn to count actual calories. The fat content, salt and sugar are all related.