Working Out My Workouts

This summer, I've been spending lots and lots of time at the JCC. Today, I was there for almost 2 hours.

I have become what my friend Leah would call an "exercise hosebeast." It's a term of endearment, in case there was any question.

I love and adore my strength-training workouts, where I use free-weights and machines and my body's own amazing power to create muscle where there once was flab. It's been almost a month now since I've started my training, and already I feel stronger, more alive, so much more aware of what my body can do. Even my posture has improved, thanks to the core-working exercises I've been doing. Gotta love those bicycle crunches that nearly kill me every single time I complete a set. I also have big plans to continue to add kickboxing into my routine, along with whatever new classes I courageously decide to step into.

The scale, however, does not seem to be as excited as I am. For all the hours I'm putting into working hard, I've hardly lost a pound this summer.

I know I'm gaining muscle, which weighs more than fat.
I also know my body is trying to adjust to the shock of leaving it's city-walking "routine" and keeping up with 6-days of intense exercising a week.
It needs more fuel to do this properly (right?), and I am still trying to figure out the right balance of calories and the best kinds of foods to sustain my working body through these hard workouts.

I am also aware that at this point, my body needs less food overall than it used to.
I have a feeling that the days of eating over 2,000 calories and still losing weight are long gone.
My eating habits are once again in need of a change--this time, to smaller portions, which is unbelievably difficult for me. This girl likes to eat, no matter what kind of food it is.

This journey really is ever-unfolding. Every time I think I'm getting a handle on things, something needs to change so I can keep going. I know it's all part of learning who this body and this person both are, but it's frustrating. I keep waiting for results of my hard work to show up on the scale, but every week I get the same number.

At this point, I really am feeling a little lost. I know I can continue to reach my goals and learn the right things to do for my body, but I feel a little clueless at the moment.

I'm wondering if a good nutritionist can help me strike the balance between eating and exercise. Thoughts?

For now, I'm going to keep exercising like a madwoman, because it makes me feel good, strong and healthy. Not because the numbers on the scale are rapidly decreasing.

That alone--the desire to workout because it makes me feel GOOD-- is an amazing milestone in this journey. At this point, I'll take whatever I can get.