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Diane Carbonell

Diane

Quick Black Bean Soup

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This is a favorite soup recipe of my family. I use organic canned black beans because I don’t always plan ahead to cook beans from dried.

My husband grew up in Key West and every time I make this he says it reminds him of his Nana, who he loved very much.

It all starts with a mixture of green peppers, onions, and carrots (if you like them). Sometimes I use the carrots and sometimes I don’t.

Then I rinse the canned black beans using a colander. Now in this picture, I used six cans of beans because I triple the recipe since there are so many of us.

Then it’s a matter of quickly sautéing the veggies, adding the beans, seasonings and cooking until done. Make sure not to skip the pureeing of the beans step because it makes a difference in the thickness of the soup. Also, if you want a vegetarian version of this (which I make if my vegetarian daughter is coming over), just use water instead of chicken broth. You will need to adjust the seasonings if you do this.

And then you are done. It’s thick, rich, and just the right amount of tang.

Print Recipe

Quick Black Bean Soup

This black bean soup uses canned black beans for convenience. It’s tangy, well seasoned, and filling. 
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time35 mins
Servings: 4 bowls
Calories: 180kcal
Author: Diane

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium onion chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 2 small carrots peeled and thinly sliced
  • 3 tsp garlic powder, not salt
  • 2 15 ounce cans black beans drained
  • 1 14 ounce can chicken broth
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin
  • salt to taste
  • ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese for garnish (optional)
  • 1 cup sour cream for garnish (optional)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell pepper, and carrots and sauté until tender. Pour in 1 can drained black beans and chicken broth.
  • With an immersion mixer or blender, puree the other can of black beans until smooth. Mix into the vegetable mixture (this adds thickness). Bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Add spices, salt and pepper. Stir in vinegar. Cook on low 20 minutes. Taste and add more vinegar or salt and pepper to adjust for personal taste.
    Garnish with Cheddar cheese and sour cream to serve. (optional)

Notes

I like to add a bit more vinegar. A friend of mine who grew up in Miami always added vinegar to her black beans and she said that was her mom’s secret ingredient.

If you have any questions or suggestions let me know in the comments. Thanks! Diane

Finding Your Inspiration

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If you’ve read my blog in the past, you might remember the blog post where I shared that my supposed best friend was not at all happy when I was losing weight.

One of the many ways she expressed her displeasure at my rapidly changing appearance was a snide remark she made when she saw this picture taped to the refrigerator in my kitchen.


My inspiration picture when I was trying to lose weight.


She said, “What’s that picture doing there?”

I said something like, “It’s my inspiration picture.”

She said, “You don’t think you can be that size again, do you?”

I remember standing in my kitchen looking at her dumbfounded. Finally I said, “Well, I’m certainly going to try.”

If you look at the picture, you can see where that it used to be in a frame. When my weight increased by almost 100 pounds during my first pregnancy, I decided to put the picture away. Before I took it out of its shiny gold frame, I held it in my hand and cried a little bit. I thought to myself, “Why had I let myself get so big and fat? Why? Why?” Surprisingly, instead of crumpling the picture up and throwing it in the trash, I put it in a drawer, sighing in resignation over the fact that I’d never look like that again. Or would I?

John asked me one time what had happened to the picture and I just shrugged as though I did not know. But the truth is that I put the picture away because I no longer looked like that, and whenever I saw that picture it reminded me of how much I had changed.

After the birth of my 3rd child. Early 1997.

Every so often throughout the years that I struggled with morbid obesity, I’d come across that picture when cleaning out a closet or a drawer.

When I finally got serious about losing weight I searched through all my bedroom drawers until I found that picture buried under some t-shirts that no longer fit me. I took the picture to the kitchen and taped it on the front of the refrigerator.

I decided it was my inspiration picture.

I knew I couldn’t look exactly like that picture again, but it served as a reminder of the old Diane who had gotten lost under the layers of fat and whose self esteem was in the toilet. Every time I saw that picture I was reminded of how healthy and fit I used to be. I was reminded that the old Diane wasn’t gone forever, she was just hiding behind layers of fat.

That picture filled me with hope.

The picture also helped me when I felt weak and wanted to eat something that I really didn’t need. After all, the refrigerator held the makings for sugar cookies and the pantry was right next to the refrigerator!

The picture did not defeat me. Instead, it inspired me to look and feel the best that I could. It inspired me to keep walking every morning and to keep making healthy food choices.

It still inspires me to maintain my 150 pound weight loss.

I’d like to put a challenge out there for you.

Find something that inspires you and post it on your blog or display it somewhere in your house. It doesn’t have to be a picture. It can be an old sports trophy, an item of clothing, or even a letter from someone you love.

When days get tough you can look at your inspiration item and find encouragement and motivation to continue on your path.

Do you already have an inspiration picture or can you see where this might be a good thing?  Diane

Under Construction

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If you’ve landed here looking for my website – this is it. I had to start fresh. New content coming quickly as I regroup. Thanks for being patient! Diane

Family Life Update

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It’s been a wonderful and hectic last four weeks. Christmas happened.

I got a lot of nice gifts including this great sweatshirt that says “If it’s snowing, I’m not going!” (Which, by the way is 100% true!) But the best gift was having everyone over for the day.

Here’s the whole crew!

All seven kids, two spouses, and one granddaughter over for Christmas – totally blessed! You probably can’t tell but both girls are expecting!

And then before I knew it the calendar turned over to 2019. It all goes by so quickly. I got involved with school, robotics for the two younger boys, 4-H for all the school aged boys, and started talking about college graduation with my oldest. Time flies.

Both the girls are expecting, so John and I will have three grandchildren soon. Grace (on the left) is due in April with a little girl and Rachel in June with a boy.

And the five boys keep me busy in various ways.

My oldest son (in the green) is an engineering major in college and graduates in May. My next oldest son (who is 6’6″) in the burgundy shirt is a history buff who loves Call of Duty and karate. He graduates from high school on the same day as his brother does from college. (Yikes!) My next oldest son in the ugly Christmas sweater is a math whiz and is always cooking up things for the others to do. My 2nd youngest son (sitting in the gray shirt) is a sweet child who likes to read, keep the peace, and play Legos. Finally, my youngest son is also a math whiz, loves to play with his brothers, and is full of energy.

And of course, I’m very blessed to still be in love with my husband John after almost 32 years of marriage. I know, I got married when I was like 12 or something. 🙂

I still homeschool the younger four boys. In fact, this is my 19th or 20th year of homeschooling. I guess that makes me a veteran of some kind.

And now it’s mid-January. Some of the kids are doing robotics and that is a lot of fun.

They won an award for their first competition!

In the midst of the busyness I realized I missed reaching out to people to share my life, my family, how I stay healthy, and see how you all are doing. So to that end, I’ve restarted my website and will be putting up archived content as I have time.

Remember to follow me on Instagram (follow me @diane_carbonell) as well as Facebook!

I hope you will follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and subscribe to article updates. Look out for some exciting opportunities to connect further soon! Diane

7 Habits of Highly Successful Losers

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Although I’ve never read the entire book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, I did pick it up at our library and skim through it one afternoon. The book made me think about how modeling our behavior on proven, successful models helps us in a lot of areas.

For example, rather than reinvent the wheel every time I need to teach one of my children a new math concept, I use tried and true methods that have worked for thousands of kids before. 

When it comes to weight loss, there are tried and true habits that can work no matter what your dieting philosophy is, no matter your gender, no matter how much weight you need to lose, and no matter your age. Of course you need to find your own eating plan that works for you and the exercise regimen that fits in with your lifestyle, but there are certain habits that successful losers tend to have in common that you can learn from and apply to your own life.

I came up with a list of seven because I have seven kids and I like that number. 🙂   I also based the list on what the National Weight Control Registry found helped successful losers not only lose weight but also maintain their weight loss for years. I am a member of that registry and I can tell you that their research tracks very closely with what worked, and continues to work, for me.

The List

  1. Do some form of exercise most days of the week. 

    A highly successful loser does not just focus on food, but also incorporates some form of deliberate exercise most days of the week. Personally, I exercised seven days a week while I was losing and still exercise most days of the week 20+ years later. It doesn’t have to be a killer workout every single day, but it should be challenging. Remember that fitness builds upon itself so if you are just starting out, do not expect to be able to do as much as someone who is more accustomed to working out.

    2. Eat breakfast.

    Eating breakfast is an important habit of highly successful losers. The vast majority of people who lost weight and have kept it off eat breakfast. I admit to not being a breakfast lover, but I do eat something healthy by 10:00 in the morning. That’s after my coffee of course. 

    3. Portion control reigns supreme.

    Calories may be king, but portions are co-king or an equally ruling queen. Control your portions to lose weight more easily. If you combine portion control with either calorie counting or calorie awareness, you will be surprised how fast you get accustomed to recognizing what a healthy portion of your favorite foods actually looks like. I am still very aware of portions and occasionally measure foods to make sure I haven’t developed a “super-sized” eye for foods such as pasta, rice, or nuts.

    4. Stick with basic, whole foods.

    You may know people who have lost weight using prepackaged diet meals, but I wonder how many of those people you know were able to maintain their weight loss. When you stick with basic, whole foods, you make it easy to avoid manipulated foods that are full of unhealthy ingredients while at the same time teaching yourself how to make and enjoy real food that you can rely on for life.

    5. Have a method to keep track of calories/nutrients.

    I watched fat percentage, other people count calories, count macros, and still others count points. Whatever works for you – have a way to regularly monitor your intake to ensure you are eating enough calories and getting the proper nutrients. I used a simple paper journal when I wrote down my food intake but now there are really great apps such as My Fitness Pal or others that take the hard work out of monitoring what you eat.

    6. Deal with emotional eating issues.

    This is huge and something that must be addressed for success. Now, granted, the person who gained 10 pounds in college may not have a lot of emotional issues surrounding food, but if you have a substantial amount of weight to lose or have been overweight for a long time, there very well may be emotional issues that you need to deal with. Ask yourself what emotions drive you to eat and then develop strategies to cope with the emotions without relying on food. (Easier said than done – I understand.)

    7. Have a support system in place. 

    A support system can be one person or it can be a whole bunch of people. It all depends on what works for you. My main support was my husband John and that worked for me. I’ve had people in my weight loss class who became each other’s support system and it was a joy to watch. Going it alone is often difficult and may make the whole process more difficult.

    I know this has been a long post but there were seven habits I wanted to cover. I’d love it if you would add your own important habits to this list for my benefit and the benefit of other readers.

    In your opinion or experience, what habits are most important when losing and maintaining weight? Diane

As Big As a Football Player!

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I’m not a big sports fan in general.  I didn’t participate in organized sports in high school, although I did attend the football games because I was in the band.  During my college years I became more of a football fan as our team, Florida State, was on the way up, and it was exciting to be in a stadium full of tens of thousands of people.  Once married, John and I went to the FSU games when we could afford it, and always had a good time cheering, drinking diet cokes and eating cheese nachos.

Once the children started coming along we rarely went to the games, but we did watch them on TV.  As I gained weight over the years, I always kept my actual weight a secret from John.  After all, he probably didn’t notice that I was a “bit” bigger than I used to be.  But one fall day, John and I were sitting on the living room couch watching FSU play, and the commentator said, “On the defense is “so-and-so”, who is 6′3″ tall and weighs a whopping 285 pounds.”  I couldn’t help it.  The words came out of my mouth – “I weigh more than he does.”  John whipped his head around and said, “No you don’t.”  I insisted I did and we both sat there, astonished and silent.  I can’t speak for him, but I’d wager that he was shocked.  I was shocked that I actually said it out loud.

I was also so upset when I realized that I weighed more than a famous college football player.  How could that have happened?  That guy was HUGE.  His neck was gigantic, his shoulder were enormous and his legs looked like tree trunks.  Surely I wasn’t that big.  And although he and I were similar in weight, that’s where the comparison ended, because I wasn’t nearly in the shape he was in.  I was all soft and fat, whereas he was all muscle.  Instead of it making me upset enough to finally get on with losing weight, the realization that I was bigger than most of the FSU football team sent me off the couch to the pantry for fortifications.  I made some chips and cheese for halftime, and later washed it down with diet coke and ice cream.  After all, I reasoned, I couldn’t do anything about my fatness that day, so I might as well enjoy the rest of the game.

But I was wrong, because I could have done something about my fatness right then. But I chose not to. I chose to sit down and eat more and more food, hoping that I’d be able to drown my currently reality in chocolate. I couldn’t.

As the years went by I often thought of that afternoon, and it became something I tried to joke about.  But every time I made a joke about it, I lost a little bit more confidence in myself.  Day by day I’d realize that I was still bigger than that huge guy, and day by day I’d do nothing except eat.  It would be several more years before I finally got serious about my weight.  I’m so glad that so many of you aren’t waiting for another day or another year to make a change. Every day that you live is another day to improve your health and make better choices.  Even small amounts of weight loss are beneficial to your physical and emotional health.  Diane

When The Scale Won’t Move

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I gave up on almost every diet I ever tried. From Weight Watchers, to random magazine diets, I never followed through. I always had some excuse for quitting, but by far my most common excuse was that my weight loss attempts had stalled.

Truthfully, this could have been just after five days of dieting, or it could have been after several weeks. I liked the scale to keep moving. And quite frankly, if you are trying to lose some weight, who doesn’t?

If quitting isn’t an option, what should your reaction be you hit the inevitable plateau. Like everything in life, you have a choice.

  1. You can quit (my unfortunate choice many, many times)
  2. You can keep doing what you have been doing
  3. Honestly evaluate what choices you have been making
  4. Be patient
  5. You can change things up
  6. You can go eat some chocolate

Any of these are an option, and there are countless others. I’d encourage you not quit, or eat chocolate. Instead, look at Options #2, #3,  #4 and #5, as possible ways to get yourself through the times when the scale seems stuck. With weight loss, nothing is static, and nothing is set in stone. Unfortunately, what worked for the first 10 pounds, may need some tweaking for the next 20.

When I initially started losing weight the last time, I mentally prepared myself  for the fact that my weight loss wouldn’t continue on a “perfect” curve, but would rather have some dips and valleys along the way. That mental preparation really helped me when the plateaus came. And when they came, I started out with Option #3 – I forced myself to be honest with the choices I had been making. There were times when I had starting slacking up and had allowed extra food to creep in here and there. If that was the problem, I fixed it, and I did see the scale start to move again.

Since I had such a large amount of weight to lose, I got plenty of practice dealing with plateaus. If fixing some bad eating habits didn’t solve the problem, then I moved on to one of the other options. Sometimes I just tried to keep making the good choices I had practiced. In that case I had to be patient. But sometimes, even with patience and good choices, the scale wouldn’t budge. Then, I had to change things around.

This was where the rubber met the road for me. It took some extra work to mix things up so that I could continue on towards reaching my goals. Here are some things I tried. Usually either one, or a combination of several worked.

Changed up my exercise, either the type or intensity, or both

Cycled the calories around (read more here)

Changed the nutrient level of my diet (either more carbs, or more protein) on any given day

You see the common denominator? Change. Sometimes to have success you have to change things around! I’m not saying that plateaus are easy to get through, because they are absolutely not. But don’t let the plateaus that will come along get you so frustrated that you stumble on your journey to get healthier!  How have you handled the plateaus that weight loss brings? Any difference now, as opposed to the past?  I’d love to hear your ideas.    Diane