After several weeks of not trying them on, the goal pants got a try-on this morning. It’s been long enough that I don’t really recall how they felt before, but honestly? They felt good this morning. Not a fit, yet, because they’re causing a muffin top, and I want at least some of that gone. Realistically, I have a lot of mushy fat and loose skin; I look like I have a muffin top when I’m naked. 😀  So, I just want some of it to go away, and I’ll be a happy camper with these pants.

As for the eternal shirt — I’m beginning to think of the shirt a lot like I thought of the black pants that took FOREVER to get them to fit. The problem in the shirt is the upper sleeves. I have big upper arms; I always have.  My upper arms haven’t lost weight in a while. It’s frustrating for me to put on that shirt and not feel like there’s a difference because of how the sleeves fit, so there’s part of me that wants to just hang that one up and move on.  To what, I don’t know.

I am in a better mental place than I was, last week. I’m back to believing weight loss is possible, again. My knees feel better; inflammation is down and water weight is pretty much gone. I’m pretty sure I gained a couple of real pounds in Las Vegas, and they feel like they’re gone, which is really good, considering how slow I lose and how fast I gain.

I’ve bought more clothes, lately, than I have intended to buy; a couple of maxi dresses and a top that I loved the minute I saw it. I did tell myself that I wouldn’t buy clothes unless I found something I just really loved, and I do really love these. I need to wear them. If there’s a justification, it’s that I want to feel good about myself as I lose weight instead of feeling punished by only wearing old clothes or stuff that doesn’t fit. There’s something about a maxi dress that makes me feel glamorous.

And finally… over the weeks to come, it’s time to get my thyroid numbers retested. This is a problem. I didn’t write about it here, but my doc, who I’ve had for a couple of decades, died a few weeks back of an aortic aneurysm. We were working on getting my thyroid levels balanced; now I’m not sure who to go to, because honestly, finding a doc that’s willing to play with the numbers and see how I feel — well, that’s a challenge. I’m sad because my doctor died, but I’m selfish, too; I’m more put out that I might have to go back to square one and start over with another doc. I guess I’m ahead of the game because I have existing treatment with both synthroid and cytomel.  Perhaps a new doc will see that the old doc thought it was worth a try.

I’m also returning to my orthopedic surgeon next week, for the first time in a year. I had been taking orthovisc injections in both knees, every six months, but weight loss helped enough that I didn’t feel like I needed it for a good six months past the renewal time. Well, now, I feel like I could use them, and if they make things easier for me as I continue to lose weight, great.

Finally, I’m including an inspirational video. This really hit me hard. While I’m not exactly in the same place as the man in this video, in that I’m not a combat vet and my knees were never bad enough to require the assistance he needed, we have enough in common that the video really stirs me.  Like him, things are improving for me as I work out and lose weight, and I really hope to be as fit as he is in a couple of years.  Thanks to my friend Veronica for posting it.