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

[ranunculus]

Very nice pictures indeed.
I'm struck by the fact that your face has changed, even since we met, to reflects your changing person. It has become more defined, and your skin is lovely. As for the hair, I've always loved grey hair (yes I use English spellings...). Silver hair as well, but for me there is something just plain nice and down to earth about it.

Keep up those Zumba sessions, clearly they are really good for you!

[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.