The Muscle Card

When I step on the scale in the morning, I think about a New Yorker cartoon that I read eons ago. I also think about The Biggest Loser weigh-ins.

You probably can't read the fine print but the cartoon caption says:

And, in this corner, weighing five pounds more than she'd like...

Weight loss, in my corner, has come to a screeching halt. The scale is doing its magic act again. I shook up my workout routine and I'm still counting calories etc. etc. but there's been no movement on the scale. My clothes do have some wiggle room but there's something more tangible about seeing the scale move south.

When I went to work today, one of my friends called me Olive Oyl. I shook my head no and she shook her head yes.

She told me that I had surely gained muscle and that I needed to pull out the measuring tape.

Muscle references make me laugh because a lot of people tend to pull the muscle card when they've gained weight. Nevertheless, I pulled out my fitness and nutrition journal from the National Body Challenge which contains the only measurements that I've ever taken and that was back in Jan. '08. The measurements have not changed much but I also remember having on workout clothes underneath my regular clothes when the Bally's guy took my measurements. So, the initial measurements are probably off.

Under body composition, my body fat was put down as 42.2% and my BMI was recorded as 38.4. If nothing else, my BMI is lower. I definitely have to keep the wiggle room in mind and be glad that I am, for the most part, maintaining and not gaining.

Fitness Club Anniversary

I signed on the dotted line exactly one year ago for my first ever gym membership.

I tried out several gyms, including St. Louis Workout and Bally, before I decided on a chain that's open 24 hours and costs $21.95 a month plus the initial processing fee and an inexplicable year-end maintenance fee.

From May 3, 2008 to May 3, 2009, I lost 19 pounds; although, the weight loss was not strictly due to my activity at the fitness club. I continued to tweak my diet and I also participated in other activities outside of the gym, including rock climbing (Upper Limits), three swimming classes (YMCA), a rock climbing class (Center of Clayton), a stair climbing competition and a Women on Weights class (YMCA).

I still swim (at least two days) at a facility other than my fitness club which does not have a pool. While I was working on the swimming, I also got to check out The Heights and Riverchase which have very nice facilities but cost more for non-residents.

I plan to check out some other fitness centers, including 24 Hr Fitness which has a swimming pool, to see if I might be more at home elsewhere. Otherwise, I'm contract-free and paying on a month-to-month basis.