My boyfriend recently joined the Y here in Harlem. As his spouse I could go for something like $33/month extra. It’s really not all that much money, so I’m considering going back to the gym. I’ve sorta hit a plateau in my weight loss. I lost about 30-35 pounds and now I’m almost always weighing in between 217 and 219. I’d like that to go down some more and I’d like to redistribute things so I just generally look better.

Those are all the reasons why I should go back to the gym. But the thing is, it’ll take time out of my schedule. Time I’m not sure I have. Then again it may give me more energy and that energy may help me get the same amount done and still go to the gym – I’m not sure. The other reason I’m wondering about going back is because I didn’t want to do anything “extraordinary” to lose weight. I wanted my weight loss to just come organically from how I lived and ate so it would be maintainable. In the past I’ve gone to the gym a lot and after a while I get tired of going. I don’t view going to the gym as something that I’ll stick with long-term.

So what do you guys think?

UPDATE

It seems 90% of you think I should go to the gym, and 2/3rds of the 90% think I should make it a priority – possibly even if it interferes with work. I guess that means I gotta at least try it out. I’ll start this weekend and see how it goes.

Here are some “before” pictures I shot this morning of my body. The lighting in our bathroom makes the room look good, but is rather brutal when it comes to looking at yourself in the mirror. It manages to accentuate every flaw. (When I stand by the window with diffuse light I look much better).

I should mention I’ve always been a bit self-conscious about my ass. Those “dimples” are there even when I’m in great shape. Back when I was in the best shape of my life I had some custom leather chaps made and then barely wore them ’cause I was self-conscious about my ass – I thought it was too big and soft and I hated the dimples. Of course, over time I’ve found other people actually like the things that bother me, so I’m less bothered by them.

Actually Paul Morris linked to an interview on the BBC the other day on his Twitter feed. One of the comments in there is that porn is good because it’s “democratizing”. Got something you don’t like about your body? Put that term into Google and add “porn” to the end and you’ll find there are plenty of people who actually really get off on the thing that bothers you.

The other thing you can see in the pics is the tanline I’m working on this year. The bikini I’ve been wearing when I tan hit right at the top of my pubes and right at the top of my ass crack. It’s not a Brazilian bikini or anything (I know those look horrible on me), but it’s about as small as I can go without looking stupid or femmy. I wish I could lay out naked – but there are a few neighbors who can see me on my roof deck – so that’s not an option. I’ve got a suit that only covers my dick. That would be legal, but be a bit too racy considering that I have to live around the people who’d see me.