Bella's Life by the Sea Journal

[banalien]

Originally Posted by BellaHMB

Well you know, we all have times like what you are describing. Today I thought I must be gaining (I'm not) and thought about food off and on all day! But thank you for your very kind words....

I would encourage you to post something, maybe not everything but a checkin!
I know people would love to hear from you.

Bella

Thanks! I will check in!

[LowCarbingCarmen]

Bella your threads are great and very inspirational. I just started Low Carbing on 4-1 and have 100 lbs to loose and would like to achieve that goal within 1 year. I will post to this thread often, and I look foward to any advice you are willing to give.

[BellaHMB]

Happy to help Carmen!

Bella

[BellaHMB]

Hard to believe it is April 11th already....a year ago I weighed 168 pounds which is 33 pounds more than I weigh today! I had lost 42 pounds as of 4-11-07 and was feeling pretty darn good. Actually starting to believe that I could do it! And you know what happened?

*I am now wearing a size 6-8 (at 5 ft 7 I never IMAGINED I could do that!)
far surpassing my goal of wearing a size 12.

*I eat healthy foods which I really enjoy. Each morning I have 1/2 flax muffin
with coffee then about 2 hours later I have 1/2 cup fage (Greek) yogurt with
seasonal organic fruit and a few walnuts. Yummy!

*I still exercise 5-6 days a week and now am contemplating increasing the intensity
of my workout to include some running on the treadmill and reducing one day for rest which would mean 3 days on/rest/2days on/rest. (instead of 5-6 days on, rest).
So I am learning about effectively working out and noticing when I am just to dang tired!

*Shopping- how much fun have I had with this!

*And probably the most important thing: Increased Self Esteem. I no longer
wake up and hate myself for being fat. I was SO self critical....it is a GREAT
relief to have let go of that. Truly! And I am accepting the fat on my knees
which is still there even at my healthy weight and my tummy! Love to wake up
and have it gone but....

I am quickly approaching my one year maintaining anniversary with my only cheat
having been that once I ate too many blueberries with cream!!

Have a great day everyone and todays' quote is ENJOY LIFE!



Bella V

[mstamika]

Congratulations on your maintaining anniversay Bella

[Meekness29]

bump

[BellaHMB]

Thanks so much! I am now approaching my one year maintaining anniversary and find that every day I have to make good choices because if I don't, then the pounds will begin to creep up. And I don't even go off plan!

Bella

[Meekness29]

Bella, you are an inspiration to me. I am starting A72 today and will follow the plan just as you did . I know if I stay faithful to my plan, the weight will come off!!! I also loved when you said, "Endured hunger to lose weight". I plan to do just that! I don't think I will DIE if I endured hunger a little. Do you? LOL!!!!

Have a wonderful day

[BellaHMB]

I think...no, I KNOW you can endure hunger! Just decide you are going to do it,
and do it!

Bella

[BellaHMB]

June 15, 2008

Today's Quote: Love Yourself!

Yesterday I went shopping for something white to wear
to an upcoming very special day: I have an appt. to have
my colors redone by a very intuitive and skilled color artist!
I am very excited as I want to expand my understanding
of color and harmony in my life. I am 53 (and 1/2) and know
that as we age, it is important to make subtle changes
to our style and color even though we are basically the same
"type" our whole lives. I am a classic "Winter" which in this new
system is called "Striking". I know I need blue reds for example
(rather than orange) but I also sense there are many other
options available to me!

So while I was shopping I found myself wanting to be critical
of myself while trying on clothes. I literally had to force
myself to turn away from the mirror until I put on the clothes!
I have internalized my inner critic to a fine skill! But at least
I made a little progress by not feeding into it.

It's all about the criticism I received as a child for being
overweight and even at 135 pounds (and 5 ft 7) I will still
look at the extra pudge around my middle and be negative.

I am trying to break this habit, so today I am writing about it!

Have a great day!

Bella

[pennylovesdarren]

Wonderful picture Bella!

[Less-is-More]

Hey Bella... really been enjoying reading your journal.

You are where I was a few years ago (lost 50 lbs in 2003) and got down to 135 (I am also 5'7"). Unfortunately, I let people talk me into going back to eating like a "normal" person and here I am again. I now am committed to this being a way of life for me FOREVER... no matter what anyone says.

Where on the N. Cal coast are you?? I only recently moved to the Hill Country in central TX, but grew up and lived nearly all my life in N. Cal (Marin, actually). Going back for a vist in a couple of weeks

[BellaHMB]

I am on the coast near Half Moon Bay.

Bella

[Less-is-More]

Half Moon Bay is beautiful!!

I hope you are enjoying some good weather right now.

[Wuzsceptical]

Hello Bella

Just found your journel and it's truly inspirational. We are very close in age and outlook. Today I took the first step to "get healthy" again. Did very well on Atkins a few years ago and vowed I would never get back "up there" again. Well here I am. I am determined to stay on track this time.

Thank you for your journel and sharing it with us.

[BellaHMB]

Originally Posted by Wuzsceptical

Hello Bella

Just found your journel and it's truly inspirational. We are very close in age and outlook. Today I took the first step to "get healthy" again. Did very well on Atkins a few years ago and vowed I would never get back "up there" again. Well here I am. I am determined to stay on track this time.

Thank you for your journel and sharing it with us.

Thankyou so much and good wishes on your journey!

Bella

[BellaHMB]

Today I have been thinking about how I try to fill myself up with Stuff.
Defining stuff- food, clothes, intensity, whatever I can get my greedy little
hands on. Recently it has been clothes.....then yesterday I had this total
overwhelm moment as I had bought a beautiful jacket online but no matter
what I did, I couldn't get it to work with my "colors" in my closet. I tried
and tried, used this combo and that combo. Then I realized I was trying
to force it because I thought it was such a good deal (on sale, 70%)
and NEEDED to have a coat to match my new pants. I struggled and struggled with this, asked my friends, dh, about the color! Finally, this morning
I boxed it up and returned it through the mail. You know how I feel?

RELIEVED!

I was caught up in an old pattern of consuming. Not food, not people, but
stuff.

It is that pattern that leads me to gain weight when I focus on food, and in this case I had gained weight in my possessions that I really don't need.
It's all the same thing.

Today's thought is "Think about the difference between what you want
and what you need".

Bella

[Hot Tamale]

Your post made me smile. I started low-carb again this past Monday. By Tuesday I got the idea that 2 of my kids' bedrooms needed painting, and as I write, the first of the rooms is drying. Did they need to be painted? Of course not! Was I filling my (used to be eating) time with another "something?" Darn tootin.

[BellaHMB]

Well the short of it is that I marched myself back to induction, today is the end of
day 3 and I am doing well. I had gained about 7-8 lbs so I needed to GET ON IT
and lose it!

Bella

[kristinaInWa2003]

Bella hello after a long time Good for you for getting right back at it! I know I'll need to do that eventually as well. It might be "easy" to lose, but more difficult for me to keep it off as I remember what it was like to gain again. "oh...just these few pounds, I'll stop if it gets to "__" Then, I'd get there and move the numbers up higher. What a game we sometimes play.

Good to "talk" with you again.

[BellaHMB]

Life in the Maintain Lane

Decided to check in with myself again...

Its the Sunday before Thanksgiving and maintaining is as many say harder
than losing.

When I first lost weight on Atkins I was 22 years old. It worked like a charm and I was thin at 135 for the first time in my life. I didn't maintain it though and gained to 155 where I stayed for quite awhile which was not a bad weight, but a little heavy. I still thought low carb but I also drank and ate off plan obviously! When I got pregnant in
1981 I weighed 160. There is alot more to the story like how I got to my highest of 230 in 1996, but for now....

It is taking ALOT of focus to maintain my weight in the range it is now. Most weeks I am between 140-145 and can diet down to 135 if I decide to. But I havent found that my body has found it's magic number and happy to be there! Has anyone heard that once you have fat cells they are just waiting there to be filled up again? That's the way it feels to me. I exercise 6 days a week and still use fitday.

Here is a typical day of eating:

B: 1/2 flax muffin and a serving of Greek Yogurt with about 10 almonds. Coffee.

L: I always eat a salad with protein for one meal, so its for lunch or dinner. My salads
are spinach 1 cup, apple pieces, a little tomato, 3-4 ounce protein, LC dressing,
a little cheese, kalamata olives. If I am still hungry I will eat 2T oatmeal.

D: Protein and veggies.

Snacks: 1 serving almond butter, the rest of my flax muffin, cheese/meat rollups,
celery, diet hansens root beer, tuna, sometimes 1/2 fruit and nut bar (6 carbs).

I also eat eggs for lunch sometimes with bacon.
My calories are around 1300-1500.

When I went back on induction in July I stopped eating ezekial bread and I never added it again. But I still eat the almond butter which sometimes I think I need to stop. I also do not drink alcohol.

So that's my checkin.

Have a good one!

Bella