My favorite healthy meal

Here is the recipe for the best soup ever! It's extremely healthy and it lasts for DAYS. It also feels like comfort food. I haven't counted the calories, but it's all vegetables, so I'm sure it's relatively low.

So I get out my big pot from Ikea that I love so much. And I just start dumping the following things in:

3 cans chili-ready diced tomatoes--I use cheap Great Value brand from Wal-Mart
4 cans of water (using one of the tomato cans)
2 packages of taco seasoning
1 can mild Rotel (use spicier if you like spicy)
3 cans black beans
1 bag frozen corn
1 bag frozen green beans
1 bag frozen carrots
1 bag seasoning blend of chopped onions and green peppers

Once everything is in the pot, put the stove on medium to high and stir every 10 minutes or so. It takes about 45 minutes for it to be ready. However, it's even better if you put it in the refrigerator overnight after it's been cooked, then take it out the next day and have it for lunch. All the flavors have come together by then and it's excellent! So I usually have my first bowl the following day.

To make it even more hearty, you can add a little bit of low-fat grated cheddar cheese and have it with a few crackers. I've never counted the number of servings, but it's at least 8 or so.

If I have this soup in my refrigerator, it is soooo easy to bypass fast food because nothing sounds as good as this soup! I made it last night and had it for breakfast and lunch today! Yummy!

New attitude

I am changing my attitude.

For the past couple of years, I've had the attitude that in order to lose weight, I must NEVER put into place habits that I'm not willing to keep forever.

This philosophy came about for very good reason. Many years ago, I lost over 100 pounds by killing myself working out everyday and being extremely active and eating VERY healthy 90 percent of the time.

Once I reached my goal weight, I began to slack off on the working out and I gradually started eating more and more crap again. I never completely went back to the terrible diet I had before I lost all the weight, but just slacking off and not being as strict caused me to pack the pounds back on QUICKLY---plus about 50 EXTRA pounds.

Therefore, I created the new philosophy that to lose weight again, I would never do anything that I wasn't willing to do for the rest of my life because I never wanted to gain the weight back again (plus more), once it was lost.

That has really hurt me.

For example, when I think, "Man, I should really try to work out a couple of times a day to get this weight off." I immediately think, "Wait a minute. I don't want to work out twice a day for the rest of my life, so I shouldn't get my body used to that now. I'll just gain it all back."

Another example: I think, "I should really stop eating fast food while I'm trying to lose weight." I immediately think, "Wait a minute. I don't want to not ever eat fast food for the rest of my life. So I shouldn't start that now. I'll just gain it all back."

Therefore, it's always "okay" in my mind to eat fast food or eat junk food because I never want to completely give that up. It's never a "bad thing" in my mind, when in reality, it is a bad thing because it's too much a part of my regular eating habits right now.

I feel like I'm rambling and not making sense.

Point is--I'm changing my attitude. Watching the Biggest Loser and hearing Biggest Loser winner Danny Cahill talk---he talks about two different modes. There is "losing weight mode" and there is "maintaining mode".

It wasn't the "losing weight" mode that failed me before. I had GREAT success there!! It was the "MAINTAINING MODE" that failed me. That's what I didn't do right. I slacked off too much, too soon.

And why am I so worried about the "maintaining mode" when I am still 150 pounds overweight!!?? I need to be focused on the "losing weight mode"!

So my new attitude---do what it takes to get this freakin' weight OFF now. I'm not talking about taking pills or doing anything extreme. I'm talking about healthy eating and exercise. I'm giving myself permission to totally cut out fast food for now. I'm giving myself permission to work out several times a day for now. Do what it takes to get the weight off now.

Worry about maintaining when the time comes. Focus on losing weight.

New blog title!

I love my new blog title! It was "Fat to Fit in 2009", however, that was not practical. It's going to take lots of small steps for me to become fit. I've made great progress in 2009. But, if I do it the way I really want to do it, it's going to take a much longer time for me to get to the "fit" category.

Therefore, I changed the title of my blog.

"FIT BEFORE 40!"

I love it! I turned 37 years old last month. That gives me almost 3 years. Does it mean I'm going to slack off for 2 years, then try to cram it all in? No. That gives me time to continue to make the small changes I've been making on my road to health.

I am determined to get fit without the assistance of surgery. I have several friends who have had the lapband or gastric bypass done in the last couple of years and they have had HUGE success. Good for them! I have been rooting them on the whole time and have been super excited for them. But I really feel like this is something I need to do without surgery, although I haven't ruled out surgery as an option later on down the road if I'm not making real progress on my own.

One way or another, I WILL be fit before 40.