New picture (OK, I have to brag a little)

WOW !!!!! Good job!!!! You are at your goal right, no more?????

Actually, no. Based on past measurements, weights, etc, I am probably a good 20lbs over my "ideal"--my waist is still 37". . However, at this point, I am not aggressively trying to lose either. I hit my "plateau" in mid Aug and since then I have been concentrating more on strength training and "maintenance" eating. I reduced my weekly aerobic calories by a good 40%, but I have been more consistent and aggressive with strength training. I am basically using myself as an experiment in "stage 2" of a weight loss program. It seems as though the strategies that allow someone to drop a lot of weight when starting at high level (i.e. exercise and calorie restriction) become less effective the nearer one gets to one's goal. (Some of this conclusion comes from anecdotes, some from research).

I don't know if it is a situation where, over time, it just becomes too difficult to sustain a low-calorie eating plan, or the body accommodates itself to the ongoing routine (which has been going on for several months), or what.

I am not at a bad level now, so there is no great sense of urgency. For the last couple of months, I have just been letting the exercise take it's course. Actually, as the exercise has become more aggressive, I have been more concerned with making sure I am maintaining adequate "fuel" for my workouts and recovery, and less on maintaining a strict calorie deficit. I was thinking that after the new year I might try to go back to a more rigorous diet and see how that works.