Okay...How do I say this politically correct...hummm. Here goes, haven't you mentioned on numerous occasions that you like to drink alcohol...like a lot? Something you can't give up yet? The second I read you post, a huge red flag went up. You see, I was a very heavy drinker for awhile, and during this time I developed a HUGE stomach. When I started my healthy way of life, I took my measurements, and for the first "diet" ever, I totally eliminated alcohol. The results have been staggering. My stomach/waist is smaller than I can ever remember it, even at the same weight. I have lost 22.5 inches from my waist.

I truly believe that if you totally cut out alcohol from your diet for 1 month you will see amazing results...There is a real reason it's called a "beer belly".

I did not drink beer...I drank hard liquor...but alcohol is alcohol.

thanks for the advice and encouragement, ladies!
and lori bell. you are right, sorta. i do think alcohol is one of the primary culprits in my inability to lose weight at a desirable pace. this is part of what i was referring to when i mentioned that i have been taking things slow and making manageable sustainable changes for my lifestyle. in the hopes of helping things, i have been making a conscious effort to drink less, drink less frequently, and make better choices when i'm out. however, it had not occured to me that alcohol might be playing some role in the where and how of weight loss. i just figured it was impacting the how much. but you make a valid point and i will definitely think about it.
i know this is going to sound incredibly lame, but it's a bit of a challenge to not drink as a single girl in nyc. not undoable, by any means, just, ya know, it poses some challenges. i guess i just need to weigh (no pun intended. seriously!) my desire to lose weight at a given pace, in a certain way, or at all, against the value of my social life as is.

where exactly is the waist? Is it the area in line with the belly button, or the area directly under the rib cage?
I take 3 measurements across this whole area. "waist" "hips" and "butt/lower hip".

The waist has no bones, so it falls between the very top of your hipbones and the bottom of your ribcage, usually just above your bellybutton.

Interesting. Thank you for that advice. I wonder why it works that way for you? Maybe I should try being more healthy. Just because I CAN eat two cookies on WW doesn't mean that I SHOULD, right?

To the OP -- I am there, hun. I started jogging and guess what? I went down a pants size -- and a CUP SIZE! So great. I will have smaller hips, no boobs and a huge tummy. Blah. :(