New Year, New Me

Mr. Food's recipe for Skinny Soup is perfect for lighter eating

From Mr. Food Team Member Jaime

“This year is going to be different.” How many times have you said that? I think I probably say that at the beginning of each New Year. Every year, I say I want to lose weight and I think about what diet I am going to try. Nearly every one I have tried over the years has worked – until I got bored with it.

So this year, I am going into it with a completely different thought process. I know I want to change and this year I asked myself, “What do I need to do to make that happen?” The bottom line is I want to be healthier – for my family, for my friends, but mostly for myself. Look, we all know what we have to do, right? Fad diets are a temporary fix; it’s all about making better food choices and exercising. Let me just say this – I am NOT a dietician or nutritionist. However, I am a very experienced dieter. Maybe the reason I still have to “diet” is because I haven’t changed my lifestyle.

So that’s exactly what I am working on. I make time to have a bowl of healthy cereal at home in the morning rather than grabbing something on the go. For lunch, I switched from mayo to mustard on my turkey sandwich and replaced my regular bread with a high fiber whole grain wrap. Last night I had the same dinner I normally would have had, but filled up on salad (with a very light dressing) and only had one serving of yummy vegetarian Eggplant Parmigiana instead of two.

For me, it’s all about the planning. If the right choices are in my house and available to me, I can make better selections. I found some great tips at the office that I can share with you also: Smart Ways to Beat the Binges.

Working at Mr. Food doesn’t make it easy to have self-control. Not with all the tempting smells coming from our test kitchen every day. They are currently testing recipes for a new cookbook (Shh, I don’t know if I’m supposed to be saying anything about this yet), so there is A LOT of cooking going on!

This weekend, I will probably make a big pot of Skinny Soup to bring for lunch with my sandwich or salad; all the veggies that are in it are great for filling you up, not to mention how easy it is to make.

Oh, I almost forgot – I am also exercising. Instead of taking my dog for her normal walk, once she is done doing what she does, we power walk and then come home. Then, at night, we go for a longer walk than we used to. These are little steps, I know, but it’s a start.

I just began and I may not have lost any weight yet, but I feel better mentally because I know I am doing something great for ME! I hope this helps give you ideas for small changes, too.