Switching to Stage 4

OK. I've decided I'm switching to Stage 4 even though I still have one pound to go before I reach my official goal weight. I need to move from focusing on losing pounds to firming up what I have left. I think that last pound will come off "on its own" in the next week or two, and I'm OK with that. When I reach 25 pounds lost, that will be 1/6th (16.7%) of my starting weight. There's plenty of saggy skin around my belly that once stretched to house a bunch of fat. I'd like to see that go away. I'm hoping that once I'm not losing weight anymore, my skin can catch up with what's underneath.

I have some other things I need to focus on, too. I've proved that I can make significant changes in my life and routine, and I've proved that I have internal motivation and can discipline myself when I set myself to do it. I've been part of the Flylady group since joining SP, and I've not spent much time on that group because I've not been "flying." Now that my body clutter is pretty much gone, it's time to put my house on a lifestyle change. (I almost wrote "diet.") The second change I need to make is to figure out how to use my PhD in an economically rewarding way. Waiting for the school to call me every so often (or not so often as it seems right now) just isn't cutting it for the household budget, so I need to start pulling my weight. (I didn't intend it, but it's an interesting turn of phrase considering I've lost body weight, but I've increased the plates on the weight machines over the last 5 months, so I've gained strength and can pull even more!)

Wish me luck with Stage 4!