And in the Aw, What The Hell category...

[darkemeralds]

Not long ago, I challenged ravurian to get a photograph of himself at his most fabulous, and I said I would do the same. While we wait for Mr. R...






I don't know whether this is the most flattering picture, but I liked it the best of all the ten zillion I took trying to get something I could bear. I think it speaks the most truth about me.

Honestly, I wouldn't have posted these three weeks ago. Things are converging, and I'm growing down into my real, actual, 55-year-old self, so I figure I might as well show my face around here.

Comments

[darkemeralds]

That's very encouraging, because I haven't actually lost any significant amount of weight (on the scale) since we met. I think perhaps the skin that got loosened in the initial weight loss has begun to tighten up a bit.

I've been happy with my gray hair for the most part. Except when someone mistakes me for my sister's mother. Grrr. She's two years younger than me. Not a gray hair on her head.

[ranunculus]

Your sister isn't playing fair at all! Giving you all the early grey hair. Grrr indeed.

I suspect you might be gaining some nice heavy muscle during this pause in weight loss. Just a thought.

[darkemeralds]

I'm sure I'm adding muscle, but only in increments of grams--maybe ounces--not pounds. This is my second longish plateau in the process and I've observed that the metabolic slowdown comes with a complete relief from hot flashes (resulting in really full nights' sleeps, and way less discomfort and unseemly sweating in the face during the day), so I can't hate the plateaus.

My acupuncturist was really interested in the correlation, and thought that there must be a thyroid component. We shall see. I wouldn't mind boosting the thyroid, if I could do so without burning up!

[ranunculus]

Anything that reduces hot flashes is a good thing!

Bodies are funny things. Too bad they don't come with an instruction manual! Or perhaps they do but we don't read them? I sure didn't till I was in my mid-40's.

[darkemeralds]

I don't look at the instructions for anything till I've started to break it.