Can One be Fit and Fat?

Tuesday weigh-in -- 168.8. Perhaps I should change it to a Thursday weigh-in since I never seem to get around to writing until Thursday!

There seems to be a lot of arguing about whether someone can be fit and fat at the same time. Personally, I don't think one can -- at least I can't. Two years ago at my lowest weight I was super energy woman. I rarely got out of breath climbing anything, couldn't sit still, and rarely felt tired. True that I am now not quite as aerobically fit as I was then. I now do the elliptical machine for about 45 minutes 2-3 times a week (at level 5 or higher, ramp 8 or higher), ride the stationary bike at a good clip (level 3 or 4) for 30-45 minutes 2-3 times a week, and sometimes ride my "real" bike. Back then I did 35-60 minutes of step aerobics 5-6 times a week, walked 10,000 steps or more every day (though not at a fast clip or anything), and rode my bike once a week.

Anyway, I now weigh 25 or so pounds more than I did then and there is a big difference in my fitness. I huff and puff if I walk up more than two flights of stairs, I'm tired by the end of the day, and sometimes getting out of my chair seems like more effort than it's worth. This last could be due to the pain in my knee more than my level of fitness, but I digress. The huffing and puffing is really what bothers me. I feel like a giant lumbering up the stairs when I used to feel like a sprite who practically ran up the stairs. I spite of the fact that I exercise at least twice as much as most people I know, I feel very out of shape and hardly fit.