I have been on my exercise journey on and off just about all my life. I try to stay fit whenever I could find time I would get a workout in. Recently, I joined a gym to lose those unwanted pounds. (Background story: I was staying in Harlem, New York for a while prior to joining a gym. The food in Harlem was so freaking good I gained 20 pounds. From tacos, chopped cheese (a Harlem specialty) Bacon Egg and cheese, and plenty of cheap pizza. Harlem had my weight ballooning.) I was ready to start exercising so the gym was the perfect place to get in shape. The first month the weight seemed to melt off. Then I hit the dread weight loss plateau and the weight stood at a standstill.

When I exercised I did all the things wanted to do at the gym. I ran on the treadmill and lifted weights and hit the exercise machines. I had a great time working out at the gym but I didn’t reach my weight loss goal. I lost the twenty pounds I put on while I was in Harlem, but I wanted to lose more. I wanted the belly pouch gone and to be slim like I was when I was a teenager. I couldn’t seem to get the weight to melt off like when I first started working out. After doing some research I found out why I hit that weight loss plateau. There were a couple of reasons why I wasn’t dropping those pounds.

I learned that my workout routine was more for muscle building and not weight loss. I started to become more muscular and less jiggly. Muscle weighs more than fat. Since I burned a good amount of fat during the start of my time at the gym my body started converting the rest of the fat into muscle. So I am still heavy but it’s more muscle than fat. The more I exercised the more muscle mass I gained. I was getting fitter but that wasn’t the only reason my weight plateaued.

I noticed that I was eating really good meals. I always enjoyed eating as well as cooking. I would have even more of an appetite after I joined the gym. I want to eat more and for some strange reason in my mind, it was justified. I thought the meals I cooked were healthy. Since I exercised it was okay to eat good. “I will burn it off at the gym,” I thought. I was more hungry and ate my way to my weight loss plateau. What I didn’t know was that not just was my appetite growing my metabolism was slowing down. I didn’t realize until I read an article that people who tend to work out tend to have slower metabolism than people who don’t exercise. So with all the fitness, it was taking longer to digest my food. The food I was eating was being almost fully absorbed by my body. I was eating good and my body was taking longer to process the meals. I thought I could expect to make the scale happy. I was gaining muscle mass, eating more and my body wasn’t processing my meals, and that it would just sit on my stomach. So my weight stayed at a baseline.

I can’t have that thin twenty-something body I used to have. I have that old man built bod. I’m kinda glad I am gaining muscle mass. I may not be slim and stuff but I look great. I also feel great, going to the gym was a great way to get into shape, even if the scale isn’t happy. If you plan on starting an exercise routine consult your doctor first. Remember it’s not all about vanity. The numbers are to give you an idea not a lesson in body shaming. Going to the gym to look good is a great idea, just don’t get confused with weight loss. Going to the gym to have a good workout, the numbers don’t you make you fat or slim. Just go to enjoy a nice workout and to get fit. Good luck and happy leg day!