It's rough because I know a good half of the people there aren't really there to get in shape or keep healthy. Many people who hit the gyms are good-looking people already and are looking for others. There are lots fit women seeking men and Arab muscle men seeking those fit women at my gym, which I'm embarrassed to admit makes me feeling a bit inadequate.

Those at my gym who aren't like the Arab muscle men I'm describing can feel quite alienated at a gym like mine, especially if you don't have a workout partner, so it sucks whenever a woman is comfortable enough to be your impromptu cardio buddy, only to have a fitter dude steal her away. For this reason, I tend to work out in the mornings with a guy friend and save my dating life for the online community.

One trick I heard and fully intend on trying out is meeting someone on a fitness dating site and planning a workout session together. When it becomes more serious that way, apparently both you and your date tend to focus on spotting each other instead of letting other athletes distract you. I hope so, because I am sick of these Arab muscle men seducing every woman I meet!

Let this be a lesson on how you search through your online prospects. I'm a fan of Shakespeare, too (well, some of his works), but I don't think I've ever put that on my profile. There are plenty of things I don't put and the same goes for most people I know. When you overload a profile page with content, it can come across as you being someone who talks way too much. It also makes lazy readers move on to the next person's profile.

On top of this, not every beautiful Muslim girl is going to list she's Muslim, cute or any other obvious trait. Would you say you're Jewish if you were on a Jewish dating site? It's redundant. Meanwhile, positively describing one's looks usually gives off the impression that one is full of oneself. Finally, describing everything about themselves in their profiles means that when the two of you do go on that first date, you'll have nothing new to learn about them.

Basically, you want to give enough information about yourself so that you attract people into going on that first date, but not too much as to push them away from contacting you. As for when you surf through profile pages, you want to take what you read with a grain of salt and expect that there's a lot more to them than what they wrote about themselves. That way, you don't run the risk of skipping over Muslim, cute dates (or any prospective date) who might be perfect for you.

It's kind of weird. He literally picked up all kinds of gorgeous women. Exotic ebony babes, white women with milky skin and Spanish dream girls practically lined up around the corner for the chance to meet him. Now he's after the online chase. You'd think his profile pic would give him the same problem (which is a problem I and many other men actually want), but he managed to find one that's not so flattering. Actually, it still kind of is, but it takes his sexy Spanish man looks down a notch to "only slightly above average-looking."

He left the income field blank on his profile, so right now, all of the women he's met are only interested in his hobbies and personality. He's even gone on a couple of dates, all of which have turned out rather well. I considered trying the same, meaning I'd put a slightly less flattering photo of myself on dating sites, but unfortunately, my good photos don't always attract a ton of women.

Anyway, these days I'm still the guy's wingman, but not in a dating sense. His vice is that he's a bit of a gamer, so whenever he's playing a space fighter or airplane simulator, I'm playing the role of the co-fighter pilot in a much more literal sense. He doesn't have an actual wingman when flying his private jet. That's right. He's got a private jet. Now do you see why I want his dating problems?

Unfortunately, it feels as if all this exercise hasn't been panning out. For starters, I don't (yet) look the way I want to. For another, people can be pretty shallow when it comes to online hookups. Not that this is a bad thing, but if your goal is to quickly get some action without having to deal with relationship issues, this means people can be a lot more picky without having to worry about hurting anyone's feelings. In other words, I'm totally striking out with the hot fit babes that I've been chasing after.

I remember actually managing to get a date with a sexy fit woman at one point. She liked that I didn't have any pictures of myself that were half-naked or even fully so. She said the sense of mystery was attractive to her and it showed that I wasn't full of myself. Her opinion changed once we reached the bedroom.

The kissing and groping was passionate enough, but once my shirt was off, so was her arousal. From the over-the-clothing petting, she knew I wasn't rocking the abs department, but, unfortunately for my ego, she was flat-out disgusted once she saw my love handles. Being one of those hot fit babes who likes her men to be tall, dark, handsome and built, sporting any side flab ended up being a total deal breaker for her.

No moral to be learned this week, kiddoes, because neither of us did anything wrong. Instead, take my example as a lesson that you'll need tough skin if you're going to go after emotionless sex. That, and you should have realistic standards when going after the hotties.

So far, I've succeeded in all of those goals and, in the case of the comics, I can now be used as an example of proof that there's such a thing as too much success. The only reason I'm eight pounds shy of my goal weight is because I've got bigger pecs, biceps and some abdominal definition going on. I've already lost track of the amount of dates I've been on, many of which ended pretty greatly (and many which were anything but great). I've also been promoted and make a bit of money now and then on the side. I can't call myself one of those rich single men that I used to be envious of, but it's certainly a start.

Heck, I can't even call myself a rich business man at my current stage. However, I don't care. We all want to be that successful guy that even a rich boss man looks up to, which I suspect is why so many guys, and even women, join sites that connect you to wealthy people. However, we don't need to be.

I knew someone who pulled in $270,000 a year. He hated how all those wealthy dating sites were loaded with people who, well, weren't loaded themselves. He told me something I now understand personally. Being rich isn't a matter of money, it's matter of feeling fulfilled. Yes, having a lot of cash lets you get things that give you a sense of fulfillment, but so does accomplishing your own goals. I'm living proof of that. The result is higher confidence, self-esteem and happiness, which is what we really want all that cash for, so keep this in mind the next time you chase after or envy someone who's financially richer than you.

I personally don't know what I am, which is why I still check out the occasional Christian dating site. It's how I was raised, but I'm probably an atheist at heart. However, I have dated some thick religious girls in my time who have all treated me horribly for this (I find it ironic, because one of the core beliefs of Christianity is that nobody has that right).

I also once dated a religious beauty who went as far as to believe that the world was created over a seven-day period roughly 6,000 years ago. The Big Bang and evolution theories, to her, are just incorrect theories. However, unlike those thick religious girls I just mentioned, she never once claimed that scientists were evil or ignorant or anything like that, which is cool.

The reason it's cool is because she accepted people for who they are and whatever they believed in. At heart, religions are merely a means of guiding you on your path to personal happiness. If you can meet someone who shares the same religious beliefs as you, then congratulations! Now you have something deeply personal to experience together instead of just having the same tastes in music or movies.

However, just like you might enjoy one type of movie and your partner another, the two of you may have different core beliefs. That doesn't, however, inherently mean you can't get along. In these instances, try and find out why the other is so passionate about their beliefs. You may fall for that enthusiasm and find out there's more to them than just their religion.

When it comes to building relationships, it should go without reason that you should never compare your lover to someone else, let alone when that someone else is a fictional character. People do it all the time, and I'll freely admit that I've stupidly done it myself. It's human nature to regret wrong decisions and these comparisons are being made to convince ourselves that we're not making a wrong one now.

The problem with romance books is that they depict caricatures of stereotypes in order to quickly provide the fantasy of the perfect man. They do the same with the bad boys and villains so that the reader can feel better about being attracted to men they logically know they shouldn't be attracted to (it also makes the hero outshine the villain by that much more). Being compared to a stereotype is hurtful, but to a caricature of one is just downright insulting.

That's not to say that you can't enjoy these trashy novels now and then. They exist and sell really well for a reason. It's totally fine to indulge in one's fantasies, but we need to make sure that we don't try to search them out in real life. The reason these are fantasies is because they are better than the best-case scenario, meaning it's literally unattainable.

Basically, if you've got a guy or girl who seems like a real winner, don't try to analyze what his or her problem is by comparing them to a character from a romance novel. Instead, try to embrace them for who they are. You don't have to marry them, but it would be better for you and for them if the reason you break up is a realistic one.

I thought about rescheduling our date or even cancelling it altogether, but this is one fit beauty I just can't risk slipping through my fingers. She's not just in shape, but also she's a fit tease! When I sent her a pic of what my abs look like now (they're starting to cube! Finally!), she thanked me by sending me a topless pic of herself! Of course, she coyly covered up her naughty bits with her arm, but that just turned me onto her even more so!

Tentatively, I sent her a private message that suggested we do something classic for a first date instead of something exercise-related. Knowing that this would make me seem like a non-athlete (which you don't want to come across as when on a fitness dating site), I explained that I was feeling a bit "under the weather." She got the hint and then demonstrated how she's also the other kind of fit tease by suggesting we sweat my cold away. At first I thought she was referring to something naughty, but then added that a good 2k run is perfect for exercising away one's illnesses.

Being a total fit tease, I think she actually meant what she said to be taken as a double-entendre. However, I did promise to get her heart rate up (teasingly implying sex), so she's going to call me on that and expect me to do something exercise-themed, anyway. Ugh! Why do I fall for the playful types all the time? This is going to be one painfully fun first date!

Not that there's anything with being a big babe, obviously. It's just that up until I lost a decent amount of weight, lots of women felt they could do better than me. I sometimes felt like I was trapped dating only the women who had gone through the same experiences and challenges that I had, meaning only the BBWs. On the one hand, this makes for finding that special person easier at times. On other hand, it could get depressing, as we all know that variety is the spice of life.

One pattern I seemed to get stuck in with most of the skinnier women that I dated was that, by being one of the large men in their lives, I was instantly the funny fat man and never the funny fat boyfriend. Quick lesson, ladies: never, ever tell a man he's everything you look for in a guy unless you want him to be your boyfriend. It is really soul-crushing to be treated as Mister Almost Right instead of actually Mister Right.

This doesn't mean that I'm done with BBWs by a long shot, though. I've got a bbw fantasy in mind that I fully intend on making a reality very soon. As I tend to think of myself as a gentleman, I won't shock you with the details. Instead, I'll just tell you that I can speak from experience that the larger women are very good at handling the large men.

What doesn't help is that I'm kind of a sexy guy. I'm not exactly uneasy on the eyes, on top of having replaced a lot of fat with a ton of muscle in the last few months. Couple that with the anonymity of the Internet (as opposed to walking up to a total stranger in a bar and speaking face to face) and I also start exuding more confidence than a leaky tap drips water. These two facts combined kind of make me a sweet catch for the ladies who are online looking for a one-night stand.

It's a little tough for me to deal with my so-called addiction to dating sites such as these, since I'm on the computer practically 24 hours a day, every day of the week. When I'm working, I do so while on the computer. When I'm watching TV, I plug in my laptop. When I play online games, you guessed it: computer time! Knowing that at any given moment I could always open up a new Internet browser to search for some hot love makes it hard to concentrate on… wait, where was I going with this statement? I'm just joking, but you see what I mean.

Ironically, whenever I realize that I'm spending too much time hooking up with people for sex, I tend to treat that dilemma by using the same dating sites to find someone who wants to be friends with the person they're meeting for a night of hot love. I then chat about my problems with them, have more sex, and make them breakfast (or dinner, depending on when I'm crying on their shoulders and making out with them). I can honestly say that this may be the only addiction where simply changing the metaphorical prescription is also the cure.

I totally agree with this statement when it comes to marriage (outside prenuptial agreements, that is) and vice versa should apply, as well. However, that's more my take on ownership in marriages. For example, if I were a rich man who was married to a less affluent woman, I wouldn't say the Lamborghini is mine and the Pinto is hers. It would be that both cars belong to both of us. Just because we'd be dating exclusively, though, doesn't mean I would be willing to take on that kind of financial responsibility.

Some might argue that once you're dating exclusively, you pretty much are at the stage where you should be willing to share all your possessions and be mutually responsible for each other. I could understand that argument completely and merely disagree, but my buddy is on a totally different wavelength from even that mentality. He feels that rich women seeking young men should basically give up whatever they own until the two are on an equal footing financially.

Color me unromantic, but is that really what they think when rich women meet young men for the first time? It kind of flabbergasts me that my friend has this outlook on dating, yet never has a problem meeting women. It's not even a matter of him not getting past the first date, either. He's had several relationships that lasted many months on this premise.

Maybe I'm just too poor to properly understand that kind of logic. When rich women meet young men, whether the guys are like myself or like my friend, I feel it should just be about having fun and be open with each other. Perhaps that's why my buddy does so well. You couldn't argue that he's not being honest.

One military woman got drunk and started a fist fight with a man twice her size because he said the navy was better than the army. In the scuffle that followed, tables got knocked over, beers got spilled, and apparently an entire Navy vs Army bar brawl broke out. The bartender called up the cops, who in turn had to bring in the military police officers to help calm down all these military girls gone wild and guys gone postal.

Things got so out of control that there was even talk of my friend even losing his new promotion over all this. He still said it was worth it, though. When I heard that was his mentality, I flipped out. What could possibly be worth all this hassle? According to him, a beautiful military girl is.

Ah, dumb love. I can remember making all sorts of idiotic things in the name of love. Also in the hopes of making love, if you catch, my drift. Normally, I'd still smack my friend upside the head, but he's always been the "love at first sight" guy and his instincts have actually never steered him wrong in all of his relationships, so I simply sighed and wished him luck. Then I walked by the bar to see the damage from the night prior. The owner has my sympathies and so does any foreign army crazy enough to take on our brave men and women.

A common statistic being thrown around by dating sites is that you're five to 10 times more likely to meet someone online if your profile has picture of yourself. I bet the number one reason folks end up on dates with people they find painfully unattractive is because they agreed to meet someone who had no image available. Meanwhile, it wouldn't surprise me to learn that the reason people with pictures get more responses is because of how people are afraid of this outcome.

I guess we could argue that this is a warning for everyone. Basically, don't plan your romance ideas too far ahead until you've seen what your date looks like. It's not like you should avoid people without profile images altogether, so much as that you shouldn't get your hopes up. After all, you wouldn't want to end up like the kissing cousins that I mentioned earlier.

These small changes led to a domino effect of other healthier lifestyle changes over time, and the result is that I now weigh 222lbs (to officially be considered overweight, someone my size needs to weigh 230lbs). The thing is, though, I suddenly started getting less dates unless it was through a dating site. All of a sudden, women either wanted me just for the big big in my pants or not at all. I was too fit and tall to be a "real man," as some put it, but not fat enough to be considered someone who could provide a shoulder to lean on anymore.

Ironically, despite hating being set up on dates with BBWs (what, does everyone think we should be lumped together, or something?), it was a big babe that I met online who helped me break this weird mold I had gotten myself into. She told me to totally own the fact that I am a big big guy both in regards to height and to what I was packing down South.

I'm still too shy to try the latter, but I've been calling women on the bizarre tallness stereotype they've been subjecting me to. The results are mixed, with some immediately feeling my defensiveness is proof that I'm some kind of womanizing jock. However, other women apologize and let themselves get to know me better, so it's not all that bad. I guess there's always more to being a big big man than I'll ever get used to, but as long as I meet women who treat me right, it'll be fun figuring things out!

I'm not saying she had a million dogs, cats, birds and guinea pigs at home, or anything (at least, not that I heard of). It's just that my friend's date worked in a shelter and ran a fairly successful charity that helped people pay for veterinary surgeries. My friend is one who thinks that PETA is on the right track and spends most of take-home money on animal charities like the one ran by her newly met lesbian angel.

When she spent all of last night telling me about how amazing her date is, I started to worry that there might not be much of a second date. Having a mutual love animals, or anything for that matter, is a pretty good thing. But you don't want just one broad interest. I'm in support of the overall goal of the Occupy Wall street movement. That doesn't, however, mean that I'm a perfect match for every woman in the world who also supports it.

The two are going to go on a more intimate date this coming weekend. Unsurprisingly, they tend on following it up with something animal-themed. The two are going to go out for dinner at what sounds like a classy restaurant. Afterward, they're going to try and raise funds for a local SPCA by making pamphlets and posters. On the plus side, this likely means a third date will be on the horizon, since they'll need to pass out those pamphlets and request funds from people on the street later on.

Whether or not my friend's new companion will one day turn into a lesbian girlfriend seems a little up in the air to me. However, if they can find a way to segue this shared passion of theirs into other interests, then chances are pretty good that they'll get along heavenly.