At that moment, I decided to begin an exhaustive workout regimen, alternating betwenn lifting weights and running for a total of four or five workouts a week.

Last Thursday, I returned to the Wellness Center to see how much stronger I got, how much healthier I am.

After the weigh in, I realized this was not going to be what I thought. I had gained five pounds.

I am well aware of the saying “muscle weighs more than fat.” Growing up as a relatively chubby boy, this was my mantra. But there comes a time in every man’s life when he has to look in the mirror and say, “No way.”

After my body fat percentage was measured at two percentage points higher, I knew that something went terribly wrong.

Sure, the skinfold test only accurately measures progress if administered by the same person, and it wasn’t.

But that was the best of three different tries from three different people.

What happened?

Maybe it was that my workouts were not that of exercise guru Jack LaLanne. Maybe it was the last two weeks lack of exercise due to the end-of-semester workload.

Or maybe it was that over the past three months, I have eaten more chocolate and meat than a hyperactive, fourth-grade dinosaur during the Halloween season.

I guess we’ll never know.

My muscular endurance did improve, however, as I did 22 pushups — seven more than I had done in September. I was immediately thrust from “poor” to “average.” I may not be able to move a lot of weight, but I can sure move it an average amount of times.

Despite all of the weight gain and loss of muscle, my waist and hips are lookin’ fine, at least that’s what my wife says. I lost an inch off of both.

Pretty soon I’ll be able to slip into those biker shorts that are perennially on my “to-do list.”

My biggest triumph was that of flexibility. I dug deep, reaching 23 centimeters. Flexibility: where I was once classified as “well below average,” I now am considered only “below average.”

Despite my confusing and mixed results, my experience was rather educational.

Despite what I have been taught through years of health classes, I always thought if I worked out enough, my poor eating habits would be overshadowed by my extensive workouts.

I was wrong.

The one thing I now know is that health is not attained by exercise alone. It takes the discipline of eating healthy meals, too.