Whew! A slight slowdown over the holidays and food distractions, plus after tracking and eating to plan since November 2015 (yes, that's 1-5, not a typo), I was bound to hit a plateau anyway, so now I'm back in the groove for the last 10 days or so, good bigger-goals focus, and my "so what?" strategy is working well. I've hit my personal marker for where I wanted to be on my birthday only 10 days late, so that's a win in my book. I set that goal back in November 2015, so my long-range focus has proven to be pretty much on target.
Going forward from here, I still have a lot of weight I want to lose, but I know that it's slowing down now. I'm looking at another 2 years, probably, before I finally hit a stable bottom weight that will be about 45-50 pounds less than I weigh now, and I'm shooting for another 25-30 pounds lost between now and my next birthday, or right around 1/2 pound per week.
And since I'm working on this 2-year plan, I'm about to get another 2-year plan in the works that will help me feel more confident and attractive. I met with my dentist yesterday and I'm going to get Invsisalign braces. My teeth are horribly crooked and they are getting worse with time and will continue to get worse as I age if I don't take steps to fix it. My teeth are bad enough now that I feel uncomfortable smiling, just when I'm accomplishing more and more things to smile about. Untenable situation!
So hang in there, anyone who is having trouble or feeling stuck in your plan. Be honest with your efforts, track your intake & output, and remember to congratulate yourself for sticking to plan even when you can't see it working on the surface. Dial in in and lock it down. We can do this!