Why are overweight / obese people reluctant to exercise?
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There comes a point in time when people need to get over feeling sorry for themselve/being self concious....
That is true but I just read a post where someone was there and out walking hit a red light so jogged on the spot to keep their heart rate up...
A Car full of young girls drove by laughed at them and yelled out as they drove away "You're Still FAT!!!!"...
so it isn't always about how you are feeling before you exercise it could be what is happening as you exercise.
And frankly, you have no idea how often it happens.
I'm out exercising most days. I've been taunted, mocked, laughed at, honked at.
The abuse is real, and it isn't about 'feeling sorry for yourself' - it's about a very real attention that is drawn to you as a fat runner (or fat exerciser, or whatever...)
I ignore it, I work through it, work past it. But it does make you feel self-conscious, observed.
And you also get a huge number of people who try to be supportive, saying 'well done' or 'keep it up'.
I doubt lifelong slimmer people really have a good understanding of this. Indeed some people are shocked by the level of harrassment properly fat people experience when they try to work out. But don't minimise it simply because you don't get it. It's a source of considerable discomfort, and it is something you have to tackle head on if you want to get anywhere with fitness activity.0 -
The reason many overweight and obese people are reluctant to exercise is because they lack the energy with the excess weight they are carrying, it is one hell of an effort to "get going" than it is for an average sized person or slim person.
It is not always to do with how they look, but how much energy they have.
This is my problem. Carrying so much weight hurts the joints and slows us down. Many, sadly, just give up. I don't even go to a gym. I can jump rope, Zumba and do yoga in privacy of my home. There's ways around most of the intimidating problems. But it's wrong to say we all feel sorry for ourselves. I'm on MFP because I am accountable for letting myself get so big. It's my job to do something about it. I have no problem with that. It's just going to be more of a challenge for awhile.0 -
There comes a point in time when people need to get over feeling sorry for themselve/being self concious....
That is true but I just read a post where someone was there and out walking hit a red light so jogged on the spot to keep their heart rate up...
A Car full of young girls drove by laughed at them and yelled out as they drove away "You're Still FAT!!!!"...
so it isn't always about how you are feeling before you exercise it could be what is happening as you exercise.
true, but why let some stupid, insipid teens stop you? someday (hopefully) they will look back on that moment and have a moment of clarity and regret. what strangers think shouldn't matter. is it intimidating? hell yes, but if thats gonna stop you, you'll never get anywhere. So yeah, they need to just move on from that feeling and keep going.0 -
I wouldn't say that I'm reluctant to workout but I do have reservations with working out in a group. No one wants to be the only one struggling or feel like you're holding up the group.0
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I haven't been overweight, let alone obese, however I had a ballet teacher whose teaching style included mocking anyone who had even a little bit of a tummy or jiggle, so I think I can imagine why some people are reluctant to be seen being not thin, in clothing that tends to be a bit revealing, doing things that can be awkward and uncomfortable.0
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Just another interesting data point that people may want to hear. It's not necessarily just overweight/obese people that catch flak running outside. As someone who is now in the "normal" BMI range, and is often called "too skinny" by people, I still catch all manner of *kitten* from teenagers driving by. Granted, they may not say some fat-comment, but they still try to come up with something scathing.
In addition, I've actually had half empty (or half full, depending on your outlook
bottles of soda thrown at me from passing cars.
It's hard not to take it personally, but it's more a reflection on the people doing the taunting, not you.
This, Had a drink thrown at me from a car while riding my bicycle accompanied by "Woof Woof" sounds. Not pleasant but I will not let it stop me.0 -
I was pretty heavy when I started running and I expected comments so I think it was why I would wear dark glasses and ear buds. If rude people don’t think you can hear them I don’t think they yell as much.
I do yell at drivers that run stop signs on me though.
I also solute drivers that stop or I really made them stop for me.0 -
I wear headphones when I go out for my walks, most of the time. I pretend the people around me are NPCs or zombies.
I have actually walked through crowds of people and thought "man, they need to tune the spawn rate for mobs in this area!"0 -
I am pretty lucky I guess, I used to run at a 'normal' weight, and I have just started again with several stone to lose, and so far I have never had anything shouted/thrown at me. But I have been in a car with a relative, when we saw a lady about my size running, and my relative made what I considered to be a very rude comment about the lady running, so it does make me feel as though people are judging me. For that reason, I tend to run away from roads, (in the local woods and footpaths with the dog) and I have been known to start my walking intervals early if I see anybody coming towards me, but I am gradually getting over that. But it is a horrible feeling, putting yourself in a position where you know you will be judged, especially when as an overweight person you spend so much of your life already being judged wherever you go and whatever you do.,0
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I wouldn't say that I'm reluctant to workout but I do have reservations with working out in a group. No one wants to be the only one struggling or feel like you're holding up the group.
I've NEVER felt that anyone else was slowing me down in an exercise group. If I slow down for anyone, it's because I want to, because being supportive of someone who is struggling makes me feel good, because I invited someone and I'm not going to let her feel left out, or because I'm struggling too.0 -
There comes a point in time when people need to get over feeling sorry for themselve/being self concious....
That is true but I just read a post where someone was there and out walking hit a red light so jogged on the spot to keep their heart rate up...
A Car full of young girls drove by laughed at them and yelled out as they drove away "You're Still FAT!!!!"...
so it isn't always about how you are feeling before you exercise it could be what is happening as you exercise.
When I first started running, my fiance and I would go out on the neighbourhood streets and jog. I can't tell you how many times people would look at me and laugh or stare disgustedly. One kid even told another (all of 5 ft away from me) that "it doesn't count when it's so slow". If I didn't have my fiance to build up my crushed ego, I woulda taken that brat up on what he said, stopped trying and left it at that.
There are people out there who truly are jerks. There are people who don't care/think about how what they say effects others. And there are people out there who are very sensitive. Not the best combination, unfortunately.
(And apparently, because it matters in this thread, I did start off overweight, just shy of the obese border.)0 -
I'm somewhat thick skinned when it comes to the comments of strangers so their comments didn't deter me... BUT I can tell you that the only time I've ever been harassed for being fat is while exercising. It has happened many times. I've had on many many occasions people shout things at me from their vehicles about my size while I've been riding my bike or walking/jogging. I even once had I had a car full of college boys insult me for my weight and throw a can of Dr. Pepper at me. Now It never stopped me from exercise (I got fat because of what was going on in the KITCHEN, not because of lack of movement!)... BUT I can see why some might want to avoid exercise in front of people in order to avoid humiliation. It's weird... because I've never been insulted while dressed in normal clothes shopping or walking to my car etc, but if I'm in sweat pants and a t-shirt or heaven forbid a tank.. and working up a sweat, it's like it's open season to insult the fatty.. I don't get it. Also the insults typically come from people NOT exercising... The folks who ARE exercising are typically very friendly and encouraging... or at the very least they're not antagonistic!0
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Thank you for all the stories, everyone. Some of them brought tears to my eyes. As someone interested in the science of fitness and exercise, and who would like to see everyone succeed, this was a real eye opener.
Clearly much more research needs to be done because for every person who's having success on MFP there are several others who are not as successful. We need to learn what it really takes for everyone to be as fit and healthy as they can be.
It's obvious from the comments here that one thing that needs to happen is changing attitudes, both of people who need to lose weight and of those throwing hurdles in their way.0 -
There comes a point in time when people need to get over feeling sorry for themselve/being self concious....
That is true but I just read a post where someone was there and out walking hit a red light so jogged on the spot to keep their heart rate up...
A Car full of young girls drove by laughed at them and yelled out as they drove away "You're Still FAT!!!!"...
so it isn't always about how you are feeling before you exercise it could be what is happening as you exercise.
true, but why let some stupid, insipid teens stop you? someday (hopefully) they will look back on that moment and have a moment of clarity and regret. what strangers think shouldn't matter. is it intimidating? hell yes, but if thats gonna stop you, you'll never get anywhere. So yeah, they need to just move on from that feeling and keep going.
It's not just teens. It's teens, people in their 20's, 30's, 40's.... do I need to add etc? They don't necessarily get nicer as they get older...0 -
I I ever train someone for free I make them commit to 5 weeks of training. That goes along with the article saying that results are what motivate. It works too. People who were reluctant to exercise become exited about it when they make progress.
A real problem is fat people who exercise and continue to over eat. Without proper diet your exercise is nothing more than cardiovascular rather than weight loss inducing. Once a fat person has exercised and seen no scale/visible results, due to no deficit, they lose trust in exercise.
what he said ^^^^ is very true. I'm even like that with diets.. I lose motivation to do anything if I don't see results within a month and try something else. I do believe its healthier eating and portion sizes etc. that counts if you want to lose weight.
As for getting off my bottom and going for a run I can't see it happening ever for me.. I didn't run when I was skinny as a supermodel .. if anyone that knows me ever see's me running they know they better run too cause something scarey is chasing me ha :noway:0 -
It's not just teens. It's teens, people in their 20's, 30's, 40's.... do I need to add etc? They don't necessarily get nicer as they get older...
Last Boxing Day (day after Christmas, for the USers) I ran past a man and his girlfriend, walking down the street. He yelled at me "Don't you think you're too fat to be doing that". I mentioned I was on my sixth mile, and that he was looking a tad out of breath walking. He looked suitably shamefaced.
I've had a carful of men woof at me (seems commonish practice). I've had a carful of women hoot and laugh loudly.
I've had two men drive past me, and the man in the passenger seat wind down his window and slap my *kitten* as he drove past. Yeah, that was real nice. Good bruise to show for it.
It happens a LOT.
And no, I'm not making excuses. (that is truly a horrible thing to say - a nasty generalisation, that I've seen a few times too many lately, on this site.) I'm a big woman. I'm also a very fit woman, and I love being fit. I'm losing weight, I'm making changes. But don't tell us that our horrible experiences aren't real. They are.0 -
It's not just teens. It's teens, people in their 20's, 30's, 40's.... do I need to add etc? They don't necessarily get nicer as they get older...
Last Boxing Day (day after Christmas, for the USers) I ran past a man and his girlfriend, walking down the street. He yelled at me "Don't you think you're too fat to be doing that". I mentioned I was on my sixth mile, and that he was looking a tad out of breath walking. He looked suitably shamefaced.
I've had a carful of men woof at me (seems commonish practice). I've had a carful of women hoot and laugh loudly.
I've had two men drive past me, and the man in the passenger seat wind down his window and slap my *kitten* as he drove past. Yeah, that was real nice. Good bruise to show for it.
It happens a LOT.
And no, I'm not making excuses. (that is truly a horrible thing to say - a nasty generalisation, that I've seen a few times too many lately, on this site.) I'm a big woman. I'm also a very fit woman, and I love being fit. I'm losing weight, I'm making changes. But don't tell us that our horrible experiences aren't real. They are.
Excellent post Meerkat. I have shared my story in the past about the attempts at humiliation I have been subjected to while exercising and without fail, someone will tell me I'm just making excuses.. UH, I'M not.... As I've stated, it has NOT detered me from exercise but. these are REAL events and for someone else who is perhaps more sensitive and more self conscious than I am it could really be a cause of anxiety and a genuine deterrent to exercise. ... and by the way, I've been slapped on the backside too while out exercising.. The fellow was SHOCKED when I turned around and confronted him rather loudly, in front of a bunch of onlookers. It pretty much ended with him cowering and begging me to leave him alone.. LOL... I think that's why most of the insults and physical assaults (hitting on the *kitten*, throwing sodas etc) are from people people in moving vehicles... because they can get away fast before I bring my wrath down upon them.....COWARDS!0 -
I'm still reluctant to exercise and I have completed 3 full marathons (trained for four and one was cancelled midway through due to heat and I was on track for a 3:45 at worst). My PR for a half is 1:45 and I'm damn proud. My body fat percentage is healthy but I'm still big. YOu can't see muscle under my belly fat.
I'm super self conscious about going to the gym but I still go. I hate that I feel like everyone can see my stomach flop around (and I"m sure sometimes they can) but then I just don't give a crap anymore. I'm running. I'm working my butt off. I'm doing squat jumps. Sometimes my thighs jiggle. But I'm there so they stop doing that.
And when I'm there there are people so much bigger than me that are workign out - self conscious or not. I am still always nervous when I'm running outside or racing even that people will say "look at that fat girl" but in the end - I don't care. At all. I'm out there doing it! And I'm probably in better shape than most of the people that would say that.
The same thing that motivatese me to keep going is what keeps people from getting out there. And that's completely udnerstandable. You are putting yourself out there to make strides for yourself and simultaneously putting yourself out there to be ridiculed or mocked. It's hard to put those names aside when they are hurled at you.
I've never had anyone say anything to me and I sincerely applaud those of you who have been ridiculed, stood up for yourself, and kept going.
You are the people that keep the world going.0 -
There comes a point in time when people need to get over feeling sorry for themselve/being self concious. I used to be embaressed to run because i SUCKED at running. In gym class when I was 16, we used to have to run a 1/2 mile on the track in 5 min or under as a warm up every other day. I physically could NOT do it. It would take me over 6 min, and I could be HACKING up a long for the rest of the gym class. I was a regular sized person, but I was still SO incredibly embrassed that I couldn't do something as simple as run a 1/2 mile like everyone else in my class.
One day, I just got determined. Feeling excluded from everyone else made me want to work THAT MUCH harder. I had this hidden drive that was built up for year. It was only after 3.5 years of working out shamefully, that I was able to truly accept my body/self.
I went from being UNABLE to run a half mile to being have ran 3 marathons in the past 5 months with a 3:45 PR.
It is all apart of the journey. They will have to get over it eventually. It just takes time..
When I was in amazing shape I LOVED working out anywhere... the gym, running on the street, anywhere - because I knew I looked good doing it. I was also a personal trainer at the time and didn't understand why my clients would feel self conscious when I made them do certain exercises.
After gaining 70 POUNDS during my pregnancy I came to understand why people feel self conscious while working out when they aren't in great shape. I can't begin to describe how self conscious I felt at the gym. I was so embarrassed of the way I looked and felt like people would look at me and judge me. Even after losing a lot of the weight I still have my moments at the gym when I wonder if someone would make fun of the way I look.
Unless you have been overweight or obese quit making assumptions on how "fat people" are feeling or why they do what they do... If you have never been obese you HAVE NO IDEA what it feels like to be self conscious just to go in public, wondering if people will think, "oh look at that fat a**".
It took me about a year to finally get back in gear and stop worrying about what people might think at the gym.0 -
It's not just teens. It's teens, people in their 20's, 30's, 40's.... do I need to add etc? They don't necessarily get nicer as they get older...
Last Boxing Day (day after Christmas, for the USers) I ran past a man and his girlfriend, walking down the street. He yelled at me "Don't you think you're too fat to be doing that". I mentioned I was on my sixth mile, and that he was looking a tad out of breath walking. He looked suitably shamefaced.
I've had a carful of men woof at me (seems commonish practice). I've had a carful of women hoot and laugh loudly.
I've had two men drive past me, and the man in the passenger seat wind down his window and slap my *kitten* as he drove past. Yeah, that was real nice. Good bruise to show for it.
It happens a LOT.
And no, I'm not making excuses. (that is truly a horrible thing to say - a nasty generalisation, that I've seen a few times too many lately, on this site.) I'm a big woman. I'm also a very fit woman, and I love being fit. I'm losing weight, I'm making changes. But don't tell us that our horrible experiences aren't real. They are.
I can't believe this kind of stuff happens! (Not doubting you, meaning I can't believe because it's outrageous!) I would completely lose it if someone physically assaulted me while out running. I have never had anything like this happen, but I tend to pay absolutely no attention to anyone else so people could be cat calling me or whatever, I would just be oblivious to it. So sorry you had these experiences.0 -
I'm still reluctant to exercise and I have completed 3 full marathons (trained for four and one was cancelled midway through due to heat and I was on track for a 3:45 at worst). My PR for a half is 1:45 and I'm damn proud. My body fat percentage is healthy but I'm still big. YOu can't see muscle under my belly fat.
1:45 PR on the half??? That is awesome!! You rock!0 -
I was one of those people who was reluctant to go out. People do say awful things, laugh, etc. On the other hand I have met so many supportive people & that's what I try to focus on. Try to remember there are more people in your corner than the 3 of 4 idiots that probably make fun of everyone - not just overweight people. Also, when you do something consistently people will encourage you to continue to do what your doing & I'm a witness to that!0
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It's hard to exercise when you're fat. It's hard to even find appropriate clothing for it, you end up in a big tent and in a too-small sports bra. It's also really tiring hauling a fat body around. If you run, your thighs rub and it's uncomfortable. And all the while you feel ashamed of yourself and your body, and if you're in a gym you're surrounded by skinny fit people.0
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After seeing posts from many, many MFPers about how they are reluctant / embarrassed to go out running or go to the gym, I decided to do a little research and see if there were any studies about social stigma and exercise.
This is chicken and egg stuff - which came first, the obesity or the lack of desire to exercise?0 -
Some people are very self-conscious. I'm a bit on the shy side and thought that everyone at the gym would be watching me, even though I was far from the biggest person there. It takes a while to get over that feeling and to be comfortable with yourself to exercise in public. Given the choice I would still work out in the privacy of my home where no one could see me rather than work out at the gym.0
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I've had two men drive past me, and the man in the passenger seat wind down his window and slap my *kitten* as he drove past. Yeah, that was real nice. Good bruise to show for it.
... I would KILL someone for such a move... he HIT you?! id have broken his arm!!0 -
When I was bigger and would try outdoor exercise I would often have insults hurled at me from idiots, it kind of puts you off.
At the end of the end of the day you just have to suck it up and not let people get you down, but at the time I was pretty crushed by it, especially as my confidence was already low and I was much younger and easily hurt.0 -
This is very true. At least for me. It's not about "getting over it," and things like that. I honestly think unless you've been in that position, overweight/obese you will not really get what it feels like. To try and get better, lose weight, change, which is already very hard to do, to add on top of that hurtful mean things... makes it so much harder.
I've been going to my school's gym and I go to ASU... full of thin pretty looking people. It took so much for me to get in there. I almost didn't because of the very reasons stated in this thread. When you already feel bad about yourself and truly aren't happy, but you are trying to change that... added stuff just really sucks.
We have a pool at the gym as well and I would love to try and do some water aerobics, they have a class for that but I don't and will not. Why? They only allow pool clothes in the pool... big girl like me...nope, not gonna happen. Why? For fear of being laughed at, might be silly, or whatever, but it's just how I feel.
And when you get it at home too, from your sister who is not thin herself but taller than you, it really can be overwhelming sometimes. It's like, I already get it at home, why add strangers **** too?
I have noticed some looks and stuff from the thin girls who work there, but I try not to pay attention to it and just head up to the machine I am using and just focus on it.
Thursday, in 2 days I start a health course that I took for credit, needed another 3 credit class, and let's just say I am terrified because we need to do at least 2 group workouts. Those are going to be hard days.
I would like to get some input for exercise routines, measures, etc. all properly but I am too embarrassed. Nor can I afford any training sessions.0 -
There are some folks out there that think they can make any comment about anybody. At a 5K over the weekend, a lady was jogging in front of me. A group of teenage girls behind me started making comments. I turned around and said 'REALLY' glared. I swore if they made another comment, I would march their ample little botties off the course and make them wait for their parents and apologize to the lady. GRRR.:mad: Didn't have to do this thank goodness. AND, the lady in question has just taken up running, she is PDG(pretty darn good). She crossed just ahead of me, I came in at 52:17, so this new runner/walker came in with at 16.5 minute Mile.. way to go!:flowerforyou:0
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