Why am I still so pudgy?

I have been going to Zumba class with my good friend and neighbor, Denise. Don't know what Zumba is? Well, check out this website, then...www.zumbaforlife.com. It's a lot of fun considering that it is, after all, exercise. Pretty much, it's just Latin dance steps done repetitively so that it's like aerobics. It's got a couple of things going for it that regular aerobics doesn't. 1) The music is great. 2) The steps involve a lot of hip action and when paired with the music, you feel all sexy despite sweating and feeling like you might collapse. 3) Our teacher is fantastic...she is bouncy and hyper and a really great dancer...and she has five children. Yes, you read that right...five! The last two were twins. She is super thin and gorgeous, which gives all of us poor,pudgy, post-baby folks hope.

A couple of observations after attending Zumba classes for a week: some people are Zumba snobs. The class consists of lots of different songs played with little breaks in between for water. Well, some people (the snobs) don't go and get a drink of their water. Instead, they start making up their own dance moves (or remembering what's been done before) while everyone else (including the teacher) is panting and gulping down water. I use this time to crack jokes about my body to Denise and to gulp said water. Not the snobs, though. They are serious. They are imagining that they are in Colombia with flowers in their long, flowing, brown hair and ocean breezes blowing through their dresses. They are seriously demented.

Another thing: some people use too much room while they are Zumba-ing. They explore the space more than I would like them to. Here's a shout out to all my Zumba friends: I need room, ladies. I don't have very good balance. If you get too close to me and I whack you in the head while doing the wild step back arm flap move, it's your own fault.

And, finally, some of the folks burst out with applause at the ends of songs. This is very confusing to me. What are they clapping for? They seem to clap mostly at the end of really fast, high-energy songs. I have no desire to clap at the ends of the songs. I have the desire to drink my entire bottle of water, fill it up again, pour it over my head and then leave. My one friend at school who also goes to Zumba and a friend of Denise's said similar things, "Don't you love it? You don't even notice the time going by. You're always surprised when the hour's up." Are you serious? Are these people on crack? Denise and I start checking the time 15 minutes in. We have never left early or anything, but we do check the time.

Well, I haven't lost any weight yet. I've only been three times, but still. Why am I still so pudgy, even though I'm exercising and trying to eat healthier? I'm sorry to report that I have gained a few pounds over the week. Heidi will justify and say that muscle weighs more than fat and that's why I actually weigh more. I'll go with that for now.