"The stork dropped me at the wrong house. I am fair skinned, have fine red hair and was always chunky. I grew up in a house surrounded by olive skinned thin people with beautiful wavy hair.

 

I have never tucked my shirt in nor have I bought an outfit without a jacket. I was put on a diet at 12 years old. I can remember when I was about 21 I had just lost about 15 pounds and I thought that I looked pretty good. My father told me I looked good, but "5 more pounds and I would be perfect!" It was almost impossible to reach that weight. I knew I would never be thin enough for him or anyone else in this perfect family.

 

Life went on, I got married, had children and went to work a lot, basically a sedentary life of commuting and finishing the children's unfinished meals. I got fatter and fatter. This year I decided to go to our friend and our doctor for a checkup. My results were not good! High cholesterol and high blood pressure; 2 things I have never had before. He gave me 2 choices...drugs to maintain my cholesterol and BP medication OR it was time to lose the weight. Well, the only thing I have over my family is that I am not on any form of drug. I choose the diet! My doctor told me about Bella Nutra and it was the start of a new life…a better life.

 

I was terrified; I was spending money for something that I have never before been able to accomplish. I have tried every fad diet known to man but they were free…more or less. In the beginning my success was to be based on not wasting our money, and then I met Lisa and Fred. Lisa, my mentor, took hold of me and would not let me fail and I didn't want to fail her. She was patient in her explanations on how to eat and why portion size is so important. She explained supplements and the glycemic index clearly. She talked me off the ledge a few times when I was ready to head for the nearest Burger King. The few times I cheated she would laugh and tell me this is not about denial of certain foods, but how to deal with it and move on. In the past I would say to myself "I already cheated so why not just keep going and eat more". She taught me how to not be so hard on myself and how to get back on track. Plateaus were my worst enemies.... before that would be my undoing, now I know how to get past them. The things I was told I would have to give up scared me to death. I was addicted to diet cokes, the occasional drink, mayo, and butter "oh my". I couldn't imagine life without these things. Lisa had other ideas for me. She gave me a wonderful cookbook that illustrated that I can enjoy food without the bad stuff and how to become creative with my favorite foods. I now enjoy food made with yogurt instead of mayo, homemade kale chips instead of potatoes chips (they are really good), coconut oil instead of butter and who could have known how great sautéed mushrooms are in coconut oil? They are so much better!

 

I have a whole new outlook on food and how to eat. "I eat to live now, not live to eat". I HAVE LOST 38.4 POUNDS IN 3 MONTHS AND AM STILL LOSING. I'VE ALSO LOST 24.5 INCHES OVERALL. 8 of those inches came straight from my waist and another 5.5 inches came off my hips. I have never felt better in my life! I get up in the morning without back or knee pain. My energy levels are through the roof. Working in my garden used to cripple me. Now my family has to come get me to stop working…not to carry me in.

 

Lisa is a wonderful mentor and now a good friend that I hope to have in my life for a long time. This program has truly made me a better, healthier person. I couldn't have done this without my mentors help. I can now throw away all of the fad diet books! I will only need the Bella Nutra way of life from now on. I have no doubt that I will be able to keep this weight off because she has given me the tools and the motivation to do this. I don't need to fit into my family anymore; they fit into mine. Thank you Bella Nutra!"