I don't take pictures gracefully. Many years of avoiding pictures because I always hated how I looked in them. Oddly, I seem to have always had a distorted image of my appearance, in my mind. I once asked a psychologist if there was an opposite to anorexia, where people look at themselves in the mirror and see a thinner person than they really are. I had read that anorexics would "see" a fat person when they looked in the mirror, seemed to me that if that was the case, a fat person might see themselves as thin.

The "shrink" had never heard of such a thing but I'm convinced it exists. I was always able to look at myself in a mirror and not see myself in the same way as I appeared in pictures. The exception was occasionally, catching a kind of sideways glimpse of myself in a window/mirror I would see a more realistic reflection of my body. Pictures never lied though, which is why I hated them so much. Needless to say, I have never gotten into that "selfie" thing that so many people these day seem almost addicted to. I tend to look rather stiff and uncomfortable in pictures and cannot seem to get past that.

I do fully intend to reach my goal, even if it does take longer than my goal date. I almost said "I hope" to reach it but realized that is the kind of self defeating talk I need to avoid. As Yoda said "Try not, do or do not!" Good advice. I will get to my goal, I would just like it to happen before too much longer but right now I'm on one of those "stuck" spots. When I get on them, they can last a week or more and weight just won't come off, then it will shift. I sometimes think my body and I are in a power struggle. I'm stubborn, I'll win!

@DotLewis I know exactly what you mean about not seeing youself as you are. I have the same experience so rest assured that it exists even if it doesn't have a name. I am frequently surprised when I catch sight of myself in shop windows. I hate phots to. I never feel they show the real me. One way I have found to convince myself of my size is too look at my sideways reflection. Front on I don't feel I look so bad but sideways you can really see how big I am. I realised this looking at my husband who is painfully thin. He looks more or less okay from the front but look at him from the side and he disappears!

Nice being close but it is the most stubborn few pounds yet. I'm in that stuck mode again, weight has stayed consistent for a week, despite some tight limitations. Sometimes, just NOT going up is as good as it gets.

Chocolate..... is the devil! Chocolate is seriously addictive. I pretty much limit what is in the house to some dark chocolate covered coffee beans (no more than 3 in one day and sometimes a dark chocolate bar. I sometimes buy a 70% dark bar, the large ones,(3"x6-7" ) and I break it into very small pieces, 1/2x3/4" maybe, and put them in a container in the fridge. When I really need a chocolate fix, I have one piece which I let melt in my mouth for the longest enjoyment. Sad, when it is so complicated. However, that seems to curb my chocolate cravings when they hit.

@DotLewis LOL! When I finally decide to "toss" this chocolate (or mix it in my next batch of "muscle brownies" ) I'll feel better...and the weight decline will begin.

My "muscle brownie" recipe is simple; any brownie mix, but fortified with pecans, dried cranberries, papaya, and pineapple, chocolate laying around, a cup of oatmeal (pureed to a flour) and a few scoops of protein (whey) powder. I also use only egg whites....pure protein....not the yolks (far more calories in the yolks...and little protein). Once done I cut the results in to one-inch "cubes" for diet control.

@Robecology Sounds like a nutritious way to.get that little taste of chocolate. Sometimes we NEED a little "fix". It may provide a little exercise in self control as well. I think it is good for us to know we can indulge in something we crave at times, without losing our minds and eating a whole load of it. That said, I've really been wanting to make a waffle.

@DotLewis OK...then make that 'muscle waffle...use a high fiber flour, or oat/wheat combo. Use just egg whites; it's bound to be higher in protein, lower in carbs. Use real maple syrup and butter....just go easy on the amounts.

I'm a portion-control-focused dieter.....I can't be bothered with estimating calories. I'm betting one waffle stretched out over two to four mornings...a quarter/half "Muscle-waffle" with syrup and butter....ok....my mouth's watering now.....