The Weight Loss Wall

As I work to make changes to my lifestyle and eating habits in the attempt to further my downward trend in heftiness, I continue to have a love / hate relationship with my bathroom scale. It's a lovely and quite attractive Weight Watchers digital scale that I purchased at the local Walmart but lately we haven't been getting along.

Don't get me wrong, I haven't put any weight back on. I'm just frustrated because my weight has been remaining as steady as the hands of a brain surgeon. Plateau's happen and I was prepared and fully expected it at some point but for nearly two weeks I've been stuck at 282 pounds.

I'm thrilled by the 136 pounds I've lost so far but for the life of me I can't understand why I'm not budging off this present number. I feel as though I've been exercising plenty and the majority of time I'm at or below my target for daily calorie intake. So I'm perplexed as to what is causing this weight loss wall I'm banging my head and ample bottom against.

I try not to get fixated on the numbers too much and tell myself it will pass. Just keep doing what you're doing and eventually my body will get the message and the weight will start to drop again. That's my hope at least.

Meanwhile I have been noticing some changes to my body shape and size. Is my body just shifting the weight around from one place to another I have to wonder? I'm no expert on the subject but while it's a tad disappointing to be stuck against this wall, it's encouraging to see that the efforts I've been making have made changes to my overall appearance.

I've posted photos of my face before which clearly indicated I was making progress. I've posted photos of me wearing new and smaller sized clothing. I've also tried wearing old clothing that is now several sizes too big for me. These are all indications that the hard work is paying off despite the fact my weight loss has stalled.

Posting photos of me in clothing only shows part of the picture. Today I've posted another photo of my ugly belly. It's taken from the side and is a comparison photo showing my progress over the last six months.

I've posted similar photos before and some people ask me if I'm embarrassed by sharing images like these. To be honest, I don't see why I should be and after years of living in this body and dealing with bullies and people who looked down on me, I eventually realized that I don't care what they think. 

If I don't respect you I don't value your opinion. I accepted who I am and that's all that matters. The rest of them can just bugger off. This is who I was and who I am at this moment. Covering up with bulky clothing in an attempt to hide what's underneath doesn't change anything. I know I'm not some GQ model with ripped abs and chiselled features but I'm still ecstatic with the transformation that has occurred so far.

Click on the image to see it larger

I think it's pretty clear in this photo that the progress in the last six months alone has been significant. My belly is less rounded and the lower stomach is shrunken in more. The fat on my elbow appears to be less and the always popular man boobs have been reduced some.

By no means am I announcing "Mission Accomplished!" In fact, it's the complete opposite. I truly believe, and this darn wall is a good indicator, that the toughest road lies ahead on this journey. I must dig deeper and work harder to reach my goals. The changes I've made to my eating habits and lifestyle have worked wonders but more changes will need to be made and I'm hoping I've started those already.

Anyone that has ever been on a journey like this knows the closer you get to reaching your goals or dreams, the more you'll be challenged and how I react and face those challenges will determine whether I succeed or fail in this life changing and saving endeavour. I will not fail!