I've been dieting for 7 months now, and I'm about half way to my ultimate goal, and 70% of the way to my major goal (which would be 100 pounds lost).

So I'm pretty much in the middle of things, and to be honest, I feel about as awkward as a teenager. When I was at my heaviest, I was horribly unhappy, but at least I knew who I was and was comfortable. Now, I feel like I'm on a really long train ride, and I'm getting bored on the ride.

It's such an awkward stage. I'm much healthier and more fit, but still not quite healthy/fit enough to do a lot of the things that normal people do. I'm also much thinner and am looking much better, but I'm not thin enough to wear much variety (such as shorts, skirts).

So what am I now? I now have too much energy to be a couch potato, but I'm no where near an athlete. I'm feeling much less abnormal, but I'm still not quite "normal". And the weight loss seems to be crawling, even though I'm generally losing normal amounts these days.

Good grief.

So what kinds of things do you do to make this awkward middle times go by faster or less awkwardly?

I weigh a lot more than you, but I feel the same way. I'm at a awkward stage. Of course I have no advice for you since I am there myself, but I just figured I'd let you know that you are not alone!

Hey, I've been there too, and I think while YOU feel awkward, you don't recognize how far you've come! in other words, maybe you aren't in the "mental space" to see it yet. At least, that was my experience.

I'll invoke Nike here and say "Just Do It!" Just do a little shopping and you'll see that there IS more variety in what you can wear AND just try some different activities and see what you can do.

Challenge yourself to see your body in a new light. You might not be where you want to be, but I bet you'll be surprised!

I think this is great advice, so I'll just say "yeah that!"

I was just reading about looking at photos upside down, to see the differenc in shape that your body has accomplished. At more than that weight, my colleague wore skirts alot, (we all do for work, we work with Amish and Mennonite people, and dressing modestly goes a long way to building trusting relationships). Our skirts are longish, below the knee, and A-line. I bet you have nice calves and ankles now, and will look great with a nice line on, judging by your photo.
I agree, go shopping with a friend, and pick out some nice stuff.

ugh, no, my calves and ankles are huge. I carry most of my weight in my legs. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

Pamper yourself
Shapeware

You will be hitting "normal" sizes soon and your choices will just explode. You will see changes in your body happening more rapidly as well - these will be wonderful rewards for your hard work. So, in the mean time

Take care of yourself and do things that make you feel good. Pedicure, bubble bath, special lotions or scents, new hair style, etc.

I found that my skin didn't catch up nearly as rapidly as I thought it would. Some nice shapeware (I personally love the ones that look like a one piece bathing suit with a built in bra, but some love Spanx) will help you see the changes that have already taken place more easily. I was surprised by how sleek I felt in my clothes

I'm nearly half way to goal and I totally know how you feel. I want to ask (and have answered by some unknown force or being) "who am I?", because I really don't know at this point.

I have been this weight before but not this PERSON. If that makes sense.

Yeah I know exactly how you feel. why not buy yourself some things that doesn't depend on how much weight you've lost to date as your rewards? (i.e. books, movies, manicure, etc)

You're doing great! Keep going!!

~ tea

You are doing so well! Try to celebrate all the wonderful changes that you have made so far and realize that there are many more coming very soon. That helped me to be patient with where I was at the time. I try to never forget how hard it was being at my high weight and think about all the things that are so much better with the weight loss. I was very obese for over 20 years, so I probably was suffering with more physical problems than if I had lost it earlier. You should be so proud that you are getting the weight under control at a young age. You will have a healthy body to enjoy your 20's, 30's and beyond in. It just gets better and better as the weight comes off. Try to be excited to see the changes and be patient. I carry the majority of my weight from the waist down too, I know that can be frustrating. I appreciate my shape a lot more than I did 20 years ago. I love my waist now. I lost it for so long, I never realized how nice it was when I had it before. All I could see was my heavy bottom and thighs. Try to look at the positive and don't tear yourself down for the things that you don't like. That kind of thinking is very self defeating and can lead to giving up. Stick with it, you will be soooooo glad you did!