I grew up the tall, skinny, girl in my class. Always tall, I had my last growth spurt around 6th grade...and that was pretty much it. So I've been 5'7 since then.

I after 3 years of dance with the color guard team, both during outdoor and indoor seasons, I entered college in the best shape of my life. I never played sports, but looking back on pictures from my senior year of high school, I'm surprised to notice the athletic physique. I maintained that throughout my freshman year. During my sophomore year and the following summer, I put on a significant amount of weight. There's a photo from the end of the summer following my sophomore year, when I weighed the most I ever had that makes me cringe. I managed to shuck off a good portion of that weight over the next couple years....and then gain some of it back. Despite my attempts, I gained weight for my wedding. Last summer, I lost another 15 pounds. And gained every single one back again, plus a few. Now, I'm dangerously close to that top weight again, my last doctor visit warned me that I was on the "overweight" borderline.

Last year, I wanted to join a gym to motivate me to do something. Kevin suggested we join one of the military base gyms nearby. So we visited one. Mostly (military) men. A few women, none of whom looked like they actually needed to be there. I mean, they were bench pressing. Uh, no. I thought that joining a gym, where I had to pay membership, might motivate me because I was paying for it. Someone close to me told me that military bases would be a better option, despite my reluctance to work out with people who LOOKED like they worked out, because I "wouldn't stick with it and it's not worth paying for something you don't stick with." Ouch.

So, now help me out. There have to be people out there who have gym memberships. Is it worth it? We have plenty of gyms here, from the Y on up to private facilities. I'm not obese, by any means, and I'm never going to be a petite size 6. I can, however, look better than I do. Commments? Suggestions? Help?