Ditch your Dieting Rules

Happy 2023! Last year at this time, I declared “This is the year I am going to lose weight!” - which is exactly what I did every January 1st for the past several years.

 However, last January, I decided to ditch all my former dieting rules:

1. Drink a gallon of water each day.
2. Get 10,000 steps each day.
3. Journal for 10 minutes each day.
4. Meditate for 15 minutes a day.

You get the idea. For those of you who don’t know my story, I was a four season athlete growing up: field hockey in the fall, indoor track in the winter, outdoor track in the spring and softball in the summer. I ate whatever I wanted and maintained a healthy weight.

I chose to play field hockey in college and after my freshman year, they dropped the program for lack of funding. This was way before equal rights for women’s and men’s sports. I decided to “take a year off” and consider my options.

Not only did I not play field hockey again, but over the next 18 months, I gained 80 pounds. Turns out you can’t eat whatever you want when you don’t match it with exercise.

In 1999 to 2000, I lost 75 pounds and kept that off for years. That was until my husband got sick in 2007 and suddenly his needs were greater than mine, and well, I comforted his sickness and subsequent death with food, and gained 55 pounds back.

I used Weight Watchers to lose my weight the first time, so I got back on my weight loss journey. Except this time, without my strict rules, I made Weight Watchers my lifestyle, and not a diet, and it changed everything.

I no longer had a deadline of when I would lose the first ten pounds. I took each day as it came and did my best that day. I’ve tracked my food for 365 days (thank you very much!) even when I had 50- and 70-point days when I traveled to Italy and Greece this year.

I made it less complicated. I moved my body and discovered my love of swimming over the summer. I joined the YMCA so I could continue to swim this winter.

And I’ve lost 30 pounds this year, all while living life. No deprivation. No guilt if I eat something that’s higher in calories. I just track and move on.

One of my go-to recipes this past year for a light lunch or afternoon snack, is this simple tomato soup. The secret to this quick and easy tomato soup is that I use jarred tomato sauce – and no one will ever know.

Each 1.5 cup serving comes in at 106 calories, 1 fat, 22 carbs, 6 fiber and 5 grams of protein. Bulk it up with chicken sausage or cheese ravioli for a bigger meal.

Tomato Soup

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Servings: 4

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Servings: 4

6 small tomatoes quartered

6 cloves garlic

3 ounces tomato paste

2 cups Mid's pasta sauce (my favorite, but any will do)

4 cups chicken broth

2 large carrots

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 pinch salt 

1. Put everything in a stock pot. Simmer over medium low heat for 45 minutes. Puree with a stick blender or carefully blend in a blender until smooth.
2. Garnish the chopped parsley and shaved Parmesan, optional.

So if this is the year that you declare you will get healthy, try not to overcomplicate it and enjoy the ride. 

If you are looking to add more healthy recipes to your menu this year, check out all these blog posts, from making Buddha Bowls, Healthy Costco Chicken Bake, 7 ways to eat healthier, and even lightened up game day food. 

Did you know that The Chopping Block continues to offer virtual classes? There are a couple of upcoming classes that feature healthy and hearty soups, my absolute favorite meal this time of year! Don't miss:

• Virtual Minestrone Soup Friday, January 13 6pm CST
• Virtual Turkey Chili Sunday, January 15 4pm CST