First and foremost, yes, I have indeed maintained my “ideal” weight this past month. But a weird thing has happened, and I’ve decided to revisit my initial goal.

Ten years ago, I felt 165# was perfect for me, and I had all kinds of clothes that fit and looked pretty nice, if I do say so myself. Today, those same clothes are not hanging on my body quite the same way. And it distresses me no end.

Apparently the inch in height that the doctor says I’ve lost over the past decade has joined forces with a few other inches and settled on my middle. My waist measurement is enough larger that I cannot comfortably wear the same size pants as I did before at this same weight.

And yet a larger size pair of pants, one that doesn’t uncomfortably cut me in half when I sit down, ends up literally falling off my hips when I walk!

So what are my options? Well, a belt still cuts me in half when I sit down, so I suppose I could wear suspenders… NOT!

Or I could lose another 10 or 12 pounds and see if that makes a significant difference to my waist measurement, but I don’t think a person gets to choose the exact spot where the weight comes off.

Or I could have that extra roll of skin/flab surgically removed…

I know that sounds drastic, but I really can’t stand walking around hiking up my pants every few steps. I’ve tried numerous other brands of pants, even some with elastic waistbands, but still with the same problem. And the new dresses I’ve bought all pull across my protruding gut so badly I don’t even want to wear them.

Yes, I admit I have a body image problem. No, I don’t think being able to grab two enormous handfuls of skin on my belly is something I can live with.

So I’ve decided to go for that other 10-12 pound loss and see what happens. By then it will be January, and I’ll revisit this whole issue at that time. Until then, I’ll just keep exercising, eating right, and Staying the Course, one day at a time.