From A Moment At A Time Until Now. Part One. Me and the BFC

I used to have a blog called A Moment At A Time.

I started it in 2010. I wrote it for over a year, and then ended it. I took the summer off to rest, and reassess, and have now begun a new blog. Before I begin the new blog, I want to bring it up to date by recapping what came before in A Moment At A Time.

I began my previous blog to encourage myself in my attempt to lose weight using Jorge Cruise's The Belly Fat Cure.  I did not really think that I could succeed, but I felt as though I had nothing to lose by trying, except weight, lol.

As a battle scarred veteran of what I call The Diet Wars, I had been trying unsuccessfully to lose weight with various popular diets for almost 25 years. Along with dieting, I worked out at least 3 times a week on a regular basis. I got strong and fairly flexible, but in spite of all my diligent, consistant effort, I stayed fat.

I worked out hard. I came home ravenous. Though I thought I was eating all the right "healthy" things, like pasta, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, sugar free puddings and so forth, I never got thin eating that way.

I often felt as I could eat everything in sight. I was always stressed out about eating. In an effort to deal with cravings I applied the same discipline I used in working out and I kept track of everything I put into my mouth.  I counted calories. I added in still more exercise, if I felt I had gone overboard in eating. In spite of all my efforts. I stayed fat.

I am 4' 10" tall. I was 110 pounds in high school and college. I was 120 pounds when I got pregnant at 31. I gained 30 pounds with my daughter. I could not get the weight off. 2 years later I gained another 30 pounds with my son. After the 2 pregnancies I weighed 180 pounds. 180 pounds I could not budge, in spite of eating "healthfully" and exercising consistantly.

I felt like I was living in an alien body. Physically I was not at home in my own skin. I never looked in the mirror. I avoided having my picture taken. I have no pictures of myself at 180 pounds.

I had a serious disconnect inside myself that lasted for years and years. There was a me I knew at 120 pounds, and a me I knew at 180 pounds. They were both me.  And not me.

I felt hopeless and helpless, living in a body that did not feel like me, but I buried those feelings and went on living my life, as a daughter, a sister, a cousin, an aunt, a wife, a lover, a mother, a friend, a teacher, a writer. A dreamer and a seeker.

A busy life. Caring for others, and letting myself go along as best I could. I got older. In what felt like a snap of my fingers I entered my 50's. Over time, my life changed and became less busy. At 56, done with childraising, done with menopause, I began to think about myself, who I was and what I wanted. I began to feel like I would try again to make some changes. I could not stand being fat another day. Period.

By accident, or serendipity, or divine intervention, I found info on the Belly Fat Cure on the Internet. I got the book out of the library. I read it. I bought my own copy. My daughter encouraged me to try it. She made meals that were BFC friendly.  My husband, my daughter and my son ate what I ate, without complaint and without reference to my effort at doing yet another diet that might not work. Again.

I can never thank my family enough for helping me, without criticism, encourging me once again, and doing it with me. My sisters encouraged me too. One of my sisters went on the BFC too. She and her husband are still doing so. And, losing weight.

I did the Belly Fat Cure for about 9 mo. and lost 30 pounds. Amazing. I could not believe it, but my daughter assured me it was so. This was the very first time I had ever lost a significant amount of weight that I knew I would NEVER put back on.

The Belly Fat Cure is NOT a diet, it is a lifestyle change. A wonderful lifestyle change, that limits your sugars and carbs, and shows you a simpler, better way to live your life. It made sense to me, and because it did, I could do it. And, it made me feel great. I slept well, my stress levels decreased, and my energy increased.

ON THE BFC I WAS NEVER HUNGRY. My feeling of needing to eat everything in sight disappeared. No will power needed. It was so fantastic to finally feel good, I could not believe it.

I lost weight. Amazing. I felt fantastic, and in control of what was happening in a way I never had before.

Though I never really thought I could succed on the BFC, I pretended I could. I proceeded as if I could. I took it A Moment At A Time. A step at a time. Jorge said, add up all those small steps, and before you know it, you are a mile ahead and wondering how you got there. So true.

I can never thank Jorge Cruise enough for all that the Belly Fat Cure has taught me. For the encouragement of his words, and his beautiful smile, which encouraged me every day, though I don't know him, and he does not know me. Jorge reminded me that if you want something badly enough you CAN make it happen.

Along the way to losing weight, I blogged. I have met so many nice folks through blogging. Folks in the same boat as I am, working a step at a time, to reach their own goals, and encouraging others along the way to reach theirs.

I cannot thank all of you enough, especially Kasey, Diana, Maxine, Katie and Janie. Your encouragement meant so much to me.

After losing those 30 pounds on the BFC, I hit a plateau. At 150 pounds, I still had plenty of weight to lose, but I was stuck in holding pattern.

More on that next post...