Howdy once again, friends, family, fiends, foes, and all you funky folks!

Here we are at week nine of my “Damn, I’m Fat Again” journaling. I was hoping to have some triumphant news to share with you today, and I do, but it’s small. I have had to buy smaller pants, my shirts are baggier, and I had to cut my belts down. I am also finding my rings are a bit looser. But alas, I’m still stuck in neutral on the weight-loss highway. It’s frustrating, but hey, life’s a long road, and I’m not pulling over just yet.

Let me walk you through a typical day as a used car salesperson. It’s a rollercoaster of action, emotions, and enough steps to make a Fitbit smoke — yet somehow, it’s not budging the damnable scale.

The Morning Hustle

My day starts early, fueled by a double shot of oatmeal, pseudo-ambition and water. I have given up on coffee, everyone tells me caffeine isn’t good for me. Then, I arrive at the car lot and immediately start prepping. There’s something oddly satisfying about walking the lot, all those cars shining and ready, and me thinking it is going to be a busy day. I know what you’re thinking — this sounds like a cardio-style dream. You’re not wrong. It’s a lot of walking, pacing, bending, and getting in and out of cars. It’s how I rack up those 11,000 average steps a day without even trying very hard. Lately my neuropathy has been acting up and it hurts, but I press on, not giving in to it.

(Here’s the kicker: I’m usually doing this with a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit in one hand, a hash-brown order in the other and a Diet Coke. It’s a hard habit to break, McDonald’s, that is. The convenience, the flavor — it’s a tough break-up for a busy car guy. Of course, I tell myself, “Dean, you’ll burn this off later.” (yeah, right, that’s nonsense.)) (Side note: I haven’t had Mickey D’s for over 9 weeks.)

The Midday Grind

Once the cars and I are ready, it’s game time. This is where the steps really start piling up. I greet customers as they wander onto the lot, doing my best to assess what they need and guide them toward the car of their dreams — or at least the one they can afford today.

Customer interactions are an art form. Some folks are ready to buy on the spot, while others are just browsing. (I always want to use the old Rodney Dangerfield line, “ Are you half browser on your mother’s side? But I can’t, of course.) It’s my job to figure out who’s who without being pushy. (Nobody likes a wallet-sucking salesperson, after all.) But walking back and forth across the 5 acre lot, fetching keys, and giving test-drives can add up to a lot of steps before lunch.

By the time noon rolls around, I’m starving. That’s when temptation rears its greasy, delicious head. There’s always a food truck nearby, or someone on the team suggests pizza or Olive Garden. And let me tell you, saying no to a pepperoni slice or fettuccine alfredo after hustling all morning is tougher than selling a 15-year-old base model Ford Taurus sedan with 247,000 miles on the odometer.

Afternoon and Getting At It!

After lunch, it’s time to rock the day. This is when deals happen, or at least when we try to do our best to make them happen. Negotiating with customers means a lot of pacing. There’s something about walking that helps me think. I might walk back and forth between the showroom and the manager’s office a few times during a negotiation. Add in trips to the service department, the detail area, etc. to check on cars being prepped, and you can see how those steps keep piling up.

You’d think all this movement would melt the pounds away. But no, my body seems to have made a pact with gravity to stay exactly where it is. And let’s not forget, stress is a sneaky mother. It loves to fuel those snack cravings. That jar of licorice in the office? Yeah, it’s not for the customers — it’s for us, but I am staying out of sight of it. I want to think I am building muscle, and muscle weighs more than fat…. I surely hope so.

Closing Time Shuffle

By the time we hit closing, I’m ready to collapse — but not before one last burst of activity. Wrapping up the day means getting my follow-ups and other stuff ready and fresh for tomorrow. It’s a nightly ritual of getting everything wrapped up from today and ready for tomorrow. It requires some work, but usually just computer updates, and the like.

If I’m lucky, I leave the lot around 6:15 PM, feeling like I’ve worked out at least three times during the day. But the scale doesn’t care about my steps or my effort. It just stares back at me, unflinching, like an electrical engineer with a perfect poker face.

Why the Stuck Scale?

So, why am I stuck? I think it boils down to a few culprits:

1. The Snacking Spiral: I’ve got a weakness for convenience food, and let’s be honest, chips and candy aren’t exactly fat burners. I have stayed away, but even a few Ritz crackers are calorie laden, and salty.
2. The Reward Trap: After a long day, it’s easy to justify a treat. “Hey, Dean, you earned this “whatever-high-calorie-goodie.” I may believe I have earned it, but I always pass it up because I know it is wrong.
3. Stress Hormones: Selling cars is a high-energy, super high-stress job. Cortisol, the stress hormone, loves to make itself at home in my body, hoarding fat like it’s a squirrel storing nuts for winter.
4. Temptation, Oh God, Temptation: A good friend invited me out for dinner for his birthday this week, and I just had to accept, he is a true and good friend, (happy birthday, Jay). Texas Roadhouse, great food, fun place. I overdid it a bit. Put away about 1250 calories just for dinner, not to mention the other 2 meals of the day. My brain just wanted to quit the diet, it was trying to punish me for “screwing up today’s calorie count”, But, I will just adjust my intake tomorrow and try to get more exercise. I really like to beat myself up for these slips, but I know I have to push on, and not let myself get to me. (Does that last sentence make sense?)

So, What’s Next?

I’m not giving up, no way in Heaven or Hell, folks. Here’s the game plan to break through this maddening plateau:

• Meal Prep, Not Pizza Prep: I need to start bringing healthier meals to work. A half of a turkey sandwich and an apple will be my new best friends. Some of the frozen meals are lower in calories because of the lower portion sizes, I will be using those, too.
• Snack Smarter: Swapping out the Ritz Crackers for veggies might help me curb those midday cravings. I mean, carrots, grapes and celery can be ok, right? (That’s what I’ll keep telling myself.)
• Strength Training: All these steps are great, but I need to add some resistance. Maybe I’ll start using a dumbbell set at home. Or maybe I’ll just start carrying two gallon jugs of windshield washer fluid around the lot. Multitasking, that’s me baby!
• Hydrate or Die: Water is going to be my new beverage of choice, pushing out the flavored waters. (maybe some iced tea, sans sweetener)

The Big Takeaway

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in these nine weeks, it’s that persistence beats any kind of perfection. Sure, I haven’t seen the results I want yet, but I’m still in the game. I’m moving, I’m learning, and most importantly, I’m trying very hard.

If you’re on the same type of journey, don’t beat yourself up over the scale. Look at the little victories — like how those 11,000 steps a day mean my heart is getting stronger, even if my weight hasn’t caught up yet.

So here’s to week 10. Maybe next time I’ll be writing to you about a breakthrough instead of a plateau. But if not, I’ll still be here, walking, talking, and trying to make every day just a little bit better.

See more of my writing at: https://stan.store/DeanBensonRocks Also check out my page at: www.deanscarfamily.com for my used car sales site!