chapter 6

Beth Shapes Up

Later that same week, Beth came over and made it clear to me that she was also determined to get back in shape. Just like Jillian, Beth gave me many reasons why she wanted to lose weight:

“I’m getting strange looks from my classmates…”

“I feel so sluggish…”

“I can’t fit into any of my clothes…”

“My mom is going to freak out when she sees me for Thanksgiving, she’ll make my life miserable the whole break! She’s such a control freak. She’s ten times worse than Jillian. I’ve got to get in shape before then!”

It probably went without saying, but even though Beth and Jillian were still friends, they were not nearly as close as they were last year. All of the shenanigans between the two of them at the waterpark over the summer made sure of that. I felt partially to blame for that, but I was happy that they probably were no longer talking to each other about me. I went out of my way not to mention Jillian to Beth or Beth to Jillian. They both knew I was seeing the other one frequently but didn’t really want to know and didn’t want to hear about it. As long as I treated each woman special, like they were the only one for me, everyone was happy.

I really did want to be supportive. Particularly for Beth who always seemed more in need of it. So, I tried to alleviate some of her fearful reasons for wanting to lose weight, “I’m not sure this will help, but I don’t want you to feel pressure to wear those tight clothes around me. I’m happy to take you shopping for clothes that fit better, or actually, if you chose not to wear any clothes when we’re together, I’d be alright with that too.”

“Haha, you’re crazy. Funny, but crazy,” the lovable redhead laughed playfully.

“Of course, if we’re out for a night on the town, you’ll probably get even stranger looks.” I joked again.

“You’re perverted,” Beth replied, cutely trying not to blush, and failing. Composing herself and sounding more serious, the bottom-heavy woman pointed out, “Although we don’t usually wear clothes when we’re around each other, I don’t really think it addresses the core problem; I’m fat!”

“You’re not fat,” I argued taking a moment to size her up in an exaggerated fashion. While it was true Beth had certainly added a fairly large amount of weight to her frame over her decadent and sedentary month of August, she still had a very feminine shape to her fattened body, “You’re curvy, maybe even voluptuous, but not fat. Fat girls don’t have hourglass figures like you or have every guy in the room drooling over them, like you do.”

“I don’t think that’s why I was getting strange looks this week. Do you really think that guys are still looking at me like that?” she asked incredulously.

“You must notice how many heads you turn every time you walk into a room.” I pointed out in my defense.

“I thought it was because they couldn’t believe that an ass this big could squeeze into shorts this small,” she replied, patting her right butt cheek and watching the seams of her light blue running shorts struggle to contain her thick jiggling ass.

“You know that’s not it,” I countered thinking about the last time I got to watch her get dressed. It really was a struggle between a large pair of shorts and an extra-large butt, “You know that you’re incredibly sexy.”

“You’re sweet, but it’s not that I feel unattractive,” she explained, as she got up, approached me, and then plopped her hefty butt down on my lap, I loved feeling her full weight on me. Ignoring my lustful gaze, Beth continued, “It’s just that I think I’ve gotten too fat. I’m overweight and everybody can tell. Plus, I’ve had to stop wearing a ton of my favorite clothes…”

Not happy with Beth repeating herself, I couldn’t help but cut her off, “If there is anything you should stop wearing it is the weight of other people’s expectations. If you want to lose weight, you’ve got my full support. If there’s anything that I can do to help, just let me know, but you shouldn’t do something just because you’re worried about people judging you.”

“I mean… I’ve got to start thinking about my health too. Being overweight isn’t healthy.” Beth squeaked a little weakly.

“Honey, you do know that being overweight doesn’t necessarily make you unhealthy?” I asked giving her soft hips a loving squeeze, “If you want, I can bring you to my gym for a health assessment. I’ve got a hunch you’re a lot healthier than you think.”

“Either way, I still want to lose some serious poundage by November. I wasn’t joking about my mom,” Beth hesitated, resting her hands upon her plump waist before adding, “but I guess it couldn’t hurt to find out what kind of shape I’m actually in. If I’m healthier than I think, that would be great. If I’m as fat and out of shape as I think, then I’ll have even more incentive to lose weight.”

“The one thing I know, you are not out of shape. In fact, you’ve got an amazing shape,” I teased, squeezing her around her soft midsection. With all the attention that I paid to her thick, soft thighs and wide round butt, I never really noticed how plump Beth had become around the waist. It wasn’t as soft or thick as Jillian’s, but it was clearly larger than I previously gave it credit for.

As we moved our activities into the bedroom, we agreed that she would join me at the gym on Saturday and I’d get her in for a full health assessment with a personal trainer I happened to know quite well.

Health “Ass”essment

It was Saturday afternoon and I had spent an incredible evening/morning with Jillian. Although I felt I already got my exercise for the next month with my favorite 218-pound piece of exercise equipment, I was really looking forward to Beth’s Fitness Test.

I picked Beth up at her apartment. She was wearing a pair of light-green skin-tight sweatpants and a tight white T-shirt. I remember teasing her about those baggy sweatpants last year, saying that they were going to fall off of her. Clearly that was no longer a problem anymore. It was undeniable that my lovable redhead had really filled out downstairs.

When we got to the gym, I met up with an old flame of mine, Tiana, in her office. Tiana was 24, stood about 5’6 and weighed around 160lbs. Her figure was an athletically thick hourglass that sported a few extra pounds you wouldn’t expect from a physical trainer. Her dark curly hair was cut shorter than it had been when we’d briefly been with each other over winter break last year, but still I thought she looked very cute.

She’d been delighted to hear from me after all this time and sounded a little let down when I explained about the purpose for my visit, and Beth. Ever the professional, Tiana didn’t skip a beat in sounding enthusiastic about helping my lady friend. As a personal trainer Tiana believed weight was just a number, unrelated to actual health and fitness. As a certified dietitian she believed restrictive dieting was harmful for sustainable long-term healthy eating behaviors.

Due to her philosophy on health, I figured that Beth would probably be encouraged after her fitness test and wouldn’t get too down on herself. I introduced Beth and Tiana and she seemed fairly comfortable with her. She was still self-conscious and self-effacing, but that’s just Beth. I hadn’t let on that Tiana, and I had a history, and I’d asked Tiana if she wouldn’t mind keeping that fact between us.

“So, I hear you’re looking to get into shape?” Tiana asked, as she glanced over the plump redhead with some enthusiasm. The shy woman’s sweatpants looked primed to burst around her fat thighs and inflated hindquarters. Her roll of lower belly fat was spilling out over her waistband in the form of a noticeable muffin top. However, aside from the obvious excess pudge, Tiana didn’t think Beth looked weak. She could spy a former athlete a mile away.

“Is it that obvious?” Beth replied longing for the days when she didn’t feel like a beefed-up sumo wrestler.

“I’ve helped a lot of people get into shape that had a lot farther to go. Because you’re young, look fairly athletic and have the desire to improve your health, I’d imagine you’ll be in great shape in no time,” she said assuring her.

“I don’t know how athletic I am anymore. It’s been a while since I’ve been able to feel my muscles,” Beth squeaked, patting her right thigh, and making it ripple under her tight sweatpants.

“Well, today we’re going to figure out what kind of shape you’re in, set some goals and then we’re going to put together an exercise program to help you reach those goals. How does that sound?” Tiana questioned in a calming tone.

“Sounds good, although I’m not really sure I want to know how fat I am,” Beth shrugged looking to me for support.

“You’re not fat.” I assured her, while putting my arm around her.

“Every journey has a starting point. The only way for you to really monitor your progress is by finding out where your health is today. Are you OK with that?” Tiana asked respectfully.

I knew Tiana was a great trainer, but I was really impressed at how good she was at putting Beth’s worries at ease.

“OK. You’re the expert. And based on how I’ve treated my body over the last year, I clearly am not,” Beth grudgingly agreed grabbing onto my hand and giving it a squeeze. She clearly appreciated having me here with her.

“Good. First we’re going to head into the gym and you’re going to go through a fitness test on the exercise bike and the treadmill,” Tiana explained, “Then we’re going to get your weight, measurements, blood pressure and get a body fat reading. Believe it or not, the fitness tests are a much better indicator of health than weight or body fat. Finally, I’ll give you an exercise regimen. How does that sound?”

“Awful, but I know I need to do it. And you seem to know your stuff, so let’s get this over with,” Beth nodded affirming what Tiana was saying.

“That’s my girl,” I whispered with encouragement, as my hand drifted south from her shoulder and gave her big booty a lustful squeeze.

We then headed towards the door to begin her fitness tests. Tiana led Beth over to an exercise bike and she motioned for her to sit down. Her wide, round butt engulfed the bicycle seat. Tiana began programming the bike for a fitness test. “Gender; female. Age; 24. Weight; how much do you weigh?”

“Probably about…180; give or take a few pounds,” she admitted sheepishly.

180 sounded like an underestimate to me, but I wisely kept my mouth shut and let Tiana do her thing.

“Alright, I’m going to have you ride at the pace the exercise bike recommends for five minutes. Then we’re going to check your heart rate. Are you ready?” Tiana asked sweetly.

“Let’s do it,” Beth sighed, as she reluctantly began pedaling. Her hips jiggled as her thighs rubbed together with each pumping leg motion. She breathed easily for the first three minutes, but as the pace quickened her breath became labored. Tiana shouted encouragement during the final minute, while I enjoyed the view from behind.

Afterward Tiana held Beth’s wrist and took her pulse, while the sweaty redhead was trying to catch her breath. Tiana looked down at her watch and then released Beth’s wrist to write something on her clipboard.

It looked to me like a tight white t-shirt had been a bad idea on Beth’s part. Since her cleavage was getting damp thanks to her exertion, the sweat was making the upper portion of her shirt a little see-through. I could clearly spy the logo of her sports bra.

“How’d I do?” Beth wondered still trying to catch her breath.

“Not too bad for someone who hasn’t been to the gym in a while,” Tiana responded as she began walking toward her office. “Follow me.”

Tiana led us back into her tiny office, which consisted of table with a computer on it, four chairs, a half-filled bookcase, some health gadgets and a digital scale in the corner. Tiana stood by the door as Beth, and I sat down.

“Do you want me to kick him out of the room while I take your information?” Tiana asked out of courtesy.

Beth looked at me and paused. She couldn’t really deny me this opportunity, I thought. But with a mischievous smile, she said, “That’s probably a good idea.”

In response, I gave her my best sad puppy look and slowly stood up. Truthfully, it wasn’t much of an act. It must have worked.

“OK, you can stay, but only if you promise me that you’ll escort me to the gym for whatever workout regimen Tiana suggests,” Beth bargained.

In response, I threw my negotiating skills out the window and went from ‘sad puppy’ to ‘excited puppy.’ If I had a tail, I’m sure it would have been wagging. I was probably already drooling in anticipation, maybe even panting. Guys really are dogs. As much as I enjoyed watching her on the exercise bike, the prospect of seeing my curvy, sweaty girlfriend jiggling her big butt rhythmically on a stair-master, while her thick thighs rubbed together was more than I could take.

“You’ve got yourself a male escort!” I proclaimed.

“More than I needed to know,” Tiana added jealousy, while shaking her head.

“OK, he can stay,” Beth smiled knowingly. This was probably the easiest negotiation she’d ever had.

“Great. Then take off your shoes,” Tiana requested, “and get up on the scale”

Beth slipped off her dirty, white tennis shoes and stepped on the digital scale. Then she looked at the readout, closed her eyes and sighed.

“198 pounds???? I figured I was a little over 180, but almost 200??? That can’t be right. I’ve barely eaten anything over the last two days!” the plump redhead wined in disbelief.

“Well you clearly wear it well,” I said, trying to reassure her.

She shot me a strange look back. I think she was still trying to process the fact that she was almost 200 pounds.

“Remember it’s just a number and I think you’ll be seeing it go down soon enough,” Tiana responded trying to be encouraging.


Ignoring Tiana’s words of support, Beth wined to me, “I figured that I was maybe 190lbs, but 200lbs??? Oh my god, I’m heavier than you are!”

“That’s really not a big deal, I think you’re gorgeous just the way you are,” I said trying to calm Beth down.

“I need to know how much bigger I am than you. Get on,” she ordered, stepping off the scale and pointing to it.

“No, this isn’t about me,” I said, looking at Tiana for help and trying to dismiss the idea.

“Go for it.” Tiana smiled selling me out. She could probably tell I was a little heavier this year thanks to Jillian trying to stuff me silly all August. Though most of my weight was muscle, she was still probably curious how much I’d put on.

Smiling self-righteously, Beth just stood next to the scale and pointed to it while looking at me. I shrugged my shoulders and slowly walked across the room to the scale. I drank a lot of fluids earlier in the morning and had a huge breakfast, so I figured I’d be at least a little heavier than normal, but then again, I hadn’t weighed myself since July. I wasn’t exactly sure what my normal was anymore. If I was 172lbs in June, where was I at now?

“Shoes off,” Beth ordered with a playful smack across my butt.

Grunting reluctantly, I slipped off my sneakers and gingerly got on the scale. It read 186lbs.

I couldn’t believe it. 14 pounds in a little over five weeks now. I couldn’t have put on 14 pounds of muscle in that time, some of it had to be freshly acquired fat… but how did I not notice it? Was I so distracted with Beth and Jillian’s gains that I was ignorant to my own??

“That makes me feel better, at least I’m not the only one getting fat.” Beth snickered pinching an inch around my midsection much to my embarrassment.

“Let’s just finish this.” I sighed stepping off the scale and wanting to move on. I hated the fact that Tiana had a front row seat to that exchange, especially since she used to drool over my abs.

“OK,” Tiana smiled holding her tongue, “Now Beth, we’re going to take your measurements. And you need to remember that this is just the starting point and only numbers.”

“How bad do you think my measurements are going to be,” The plump redhead shot back at her. She was clearly still on the defensive even after the revelation about my own weight gain.

“Not bad at all! I’m on your team. I’m here to help you. I’m just trying to be sensitive to your feelings.” Tiana reassured her.

“Sorry, this is kind of difficult for me,” Beth blushed a little embarrassed about her outburst, “I’ve never been skinny, but I’ve never been this fat. I know my mom is going to have cow when she sees me in about three months for Thanksgiving.”

“No need to apologize, I understand,” Tiana smiled warmly, “We can make getting in shape for Thanksgiving your top fitness goal. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good. Let’s just get this over with,” she agreed.

Tiana then asked Beth to pull up her shirt so he could measure her around the waist, “Remember the total inches don’t mean as much as your waist-to-hip ratio. Ideally, women should have a waist to hip ratio of .80 or lower.”

“Thirty-six inches.” Tiana hummed not trying to sound judgmental.

I could see that Beth was slightly sucking in her soft, sexy stomach.

“Now I’m going to have you slide down your stretch pants,” Tiana recommended.

“Actually, they’re sweatpants. They just look like stretch pants now because I was nearly sixty pounds lighter when I bought them,” the flustered redhead explained with just a touch of defensiveness. She then pulled down her very tight pants to expose her wide, fleshy butt.

“Sorry,” Tiana apologized, as she began to wrap the measuring tape around her hips, looking for the widest part.

Looking at the number, Tiana hesitated to say it.

Sensing this, Beth sighed, “It’s okay, I know it’s a larger number. Women in my family are known for having some extra junk in the trunk.”