Too Fat to go to the gym??? WHAT!?!?

tearose4

I joined the gym at 310 pounds, after losing 92 via mostly diet alone. Nobody at the gym has ever been unpleasant to me. I don't subscribe to the trainer service as it's an expense I simply cannot work into my budget right not -- but one of the trainers keeps a pretty close eye on me on those (relatively rare) occasions when I wander away from the cardio equipment and start playing with the resistance / weight machines. I *think* he's just making sure I don't get hurt since I'm sure it's obvious I am not confident in what I'm doing.

Aside from that, everyone has been absolutely wonderful to me. Depending on my schedule, I go at various hours of the day and night. . . it's interesting to see the demographics change by time of day. . . but everyone there is focused on their own workout, or that of their workout buddy(ies) and generally not paying any attention to me.

bamachik98

You guys are totally awesome. That is literally what my excuse has been. My hubby is a soldier and everyone at the military gym's are pretty much in great, if not perfect, shape. I'm about 75 pounds overweight, so I'm not in any kind of shape, but round, lol. I'm going tomorrow for the first time...and I'm scared to death...but your comments have helped me some. Thank you!

Puddles0308

Never experienced this in a gym but when conducting my workout outside, I get it.

OnionMomma

I work out at the YMCA and we see all types of body shapes there and no one cares!! When we worked out at Gold's Gym before having my son, it was the same way. The more often you do, the more comfortable you see. You get to know people who are working out around the same time frame as you and they will ask where you have ben when you have missed a day.

I love working out at Gyms.

joaniegray

I feel intimidated in a gym but i do go. As I lift my 10 pound weights, I cannot help but feel a bit silly when the thin girl beside me is lifting 2-40 pound weights! Or the men who are lifting 25 pound weights. However, I know it is all in my head. They probably think it is awesome that at least ( try, at my age!

Allie_71

Unfortunately a few months ago, I was teaching a Zumba class where there was a young girl who was quite overweight and struggling with keeping up with the moves. She was doing wonderfully, and trying as hard as she could. Off to the side, two other girls, in fairly good shape, started laughing and giggling at her, snickering, elbowing each other and obviously talking to each other about the way she looked and moved.

I kicked their sorry a$$es out for being sorry human beings, but told them it was because they were being disruptive and loud. I also told them they weren't welcome back.

Jessica, the young girl, has since lost 50 lbs and pretty much comes to all of my classes. She was sad, embarassed and she said it was hard to come back after that one day, but she did.

sho3girl

Unfortunately a few months ago, I was teaching a Zumba class where there was a young girl who was quite overweight and struggling with keeping up with the moves. She was doing wonderfully, and trying as hard as she could. Off to the side, two other girls, in fairly good shape, started laughing and giggling at her, snickering, elbowing each other and obviously talking to each other about the way she looked and moved.

I kicked their sorry a$$es out for being sorry human beings, but told them it was because they were being disruptive and loud. I also told them they weren't welcome back.

Jessica, the young girl, has since lost 50 lbs and pretty much comes to all of my classes. She was sad, embarassed and she said it was hard to come back after that one day, but she did.

you are AN awesome trainer :flowerforyou: for this ... i had a bad experience with a boxercise class put me off going to the gym all together ... but stuck with it at home now 15kgs lighter ...

CyberEd312

This is why we are all individual's and will respond to situations differently... I was once 560 lbs. and was paralyzed with the fear of social phobia... The final 2 years (from 07-09) I hardly ever left my house, I would drive my wife to the store and sit in the parking lot while she shopped because I could not face people seeing me... It is so easy to not understand the mindset of people that deal with this crippling fear. Some people are heavy, obese, and just don't care if others are judging them but then there is people like me that would literally hyperventilate and damn near blackout from the fear... I have been in therapy for over 3 years to overcome those fears and it wasn't easy... I had not stepped foot inside a Large retail department store in over 7-8 years even before I had gotten so bad.. Even back then I did not want to deal with it... I could not walk more than 25 ft. before my AHA moment and I finally starting seeking help.. My doctor wrote me a script for Aquatic therapy because I needed to get in the pool to support my own weight and to do this I had to go to our local YMCA that is affiliated with our local hospital. I drilled the secretary with 20 questions when I was setting up the appt. Like how far is it to walk in from the parking lot to the pool, Is there private changing rooms, How many people are in the therapy pool and when is there the least amount in there, etc, etc... When I finally showed up that same lady said that after she got off the phone with me, she thought to herself there is no way this guy will show up.. So for me I can see how this can be a fear some can not move past... I do well now because I have learned to channel it out and just go do my thing and get out.. Do I still have those fears, of course but now it is do to massive amounts of lose skin from losing 310 lbs. and the fact I still see the fat man in the mirror at times. The only difference is I am stronger minded now and have been through so much I am able to process things and work through them.... but I can see how this can be and is a problem for some...

1953Judith

When I first started doing classes at the lunch hour, this one totally fit, perfect looking, young woman kept periodically looked at me. At the start I was totally concentrating on correct form and could not keep up with everyone and stayed in the back. She was the only person that made me feel sensitive about my lack of abilities. Never said anything about it to my younger coworkers who joined me. One Monday, my co-worker, lunch hour classmate told me she had seen that same woman at a class at a different gym location on Saturday. The perfect looking woman described me and told her that I was her inspiration to keep working out, that she had heard me mention when I first started that I was recovering from chemo treatments and she saw how hard I worked to improve and she saw how good I looked after doing it for a year.

Ms. Perfect and I are now locker room acquaintances, exchanging pleasantries and support. It was a reminder to me not to be so self-absorbed. Even if her vibes had been negative, it would have been irrelevant. I do go to the gym and it has done wonders for me with no harm to anyone else.

OnionMomma

Unfortunately a few months ago, I was teaching a Zumba class where there was a young girl who was quite overweight and struggling with keeping up with the moves. She was doing wonderfully, and trying as hard as she could. Off to the side, two other girls, in fairly good shape, started laughing and giggling at her, snickering, elbowing each other and obviously talking to each other about the way she looked and moved.

I kicked their sorry a$$es out for being sorry human beings, but told them it was because they were being disruptive and loud. I also told them they weren't welcome back.

Jessica, the young girl, has since lost 50 lbs and pretty much comes to all of my classes. She was sad, embarassed and she said it was hard to come back after that one day, but she did.

you are AN awesome trainer :flowerforyou: for this ... i had a bad experience with a boxercise class put me off going to the gym all together ... but stuck with it at home now 15kgs lighter ...

YAY good for you!!! People like that suck and make it hard for those who truly need to loose weight to go to the gym and feel good about what they are doing!!!

consumone

You guys are totally awesome. That is literally what my excuse has been. My hubby is a soldier and everyone at the military gym's are pretty much in great, if not perfect, shape. I'm about 75 pounds overweight, so I'm not in any kind of shape, but round, lol. I'm going tomorrow for the first time...and I'm scared to death...but your comments have helped me some. Thank you!

YOU GO GIRL, if anyone gives you a hard time you tell them to back off! You can do this!!!!

Sweet_Pea_82

I know feeling too fat to go to the gym is all in my head, I just can't seem to get over it. My worst fear is having people laugh or ridicule me as I huff and puff on a treadmill, eliptical or with weights. Plus, I've never been one to workout in front of people. I still have trouble feeling comfortable working out during the day if my husband is home or if my girls are up (this is getting better because my girls are getting into the workouts with me and I do love that) which is why I get up at 4:30 am to start my workouts. But, I do enjoy my DVD's and I do yoga now at home and maybe one day I will get out of my head and go to the gym.......one day.....

smartmom0818

It's not in our heads. Not all the time at least. I have been made fun of in the gym, I had on headphones so I guess they thought I couldn't hear them. I have also been given dirty looks and pointed at when they thought I wasn't looking. Unless you are obese or have been obese, how can you say it's in someone's head? Overweight is one thing, obese is another. We are all trying to better ourselves, but only one group of us is continuously shunned and ridiculed for it. One night, I sat in my car and cried on the phone to my mom that I feel like a monster. I can't even work out with catching hell from people. So, all in our heads... I call bull *kitten* on that theory.

Mrs_Moe

Yes I was made fun of years ago and never went back. Some meat-head said to his girlfriend (directly in front of me) "see her, that's what you would look like if you didn't work out every day because of all that chocolate you are eating". I was mortified.
HOWEVER, it doesn't stop me from working out. I work out at home and run the trails and parks like a mad woman, just prefer to stay away from gyms.
But I do believe some people use the "I'm too fat" as an excuse not to get active.
Different strokes for different folks, Just get UR butt moving ! :flowerforyou:

suzu_2

I have worked out off and on for years and overall gym rats are some of the nicer people I know. They know what it means to work to achieve a goal. Yep, they can look a little intense during a work-out but that is easy to understand, Best advise - watch the people working out. Watch where they place their hands and position their bodies to use a piece of equipment or do an exercise. Don't try too much weight. Do light weight with more reps and learn the correct form. Ask a question if you are not sure of the right way to do something. when they see you work consistently you will make friends for life.

GeorgieLove708

I'm one who doesn't want to go to the gym because of how fat I am. I also don't want to walk around the neighborhood because every time I do there's a jerk shouting out his window at "the beached whale rolling down the sidwalk" :explode: It's not me making excuses not to work out, it's me deciding not to put myself in a position where I'm going to feel defeated. Instead I work out at home, with great results so far. Sure I'd like to have some of the equipment available at a gym, but if it's going to make me fall off the wagon to be harassed for my weight, then I'm not doing myself any good am I?

dad106

Unfortunately this is a pretty true statement.. and there are even gyms cropping up around the country that are specifically for overweight people and thin people are not allowed to join.

I was overweight but I didn't really show it (59 and 180 pounds) when I started my gym. I don't think people judged me, but if they did,I wouldn't care to much.

I'm more worried now because people have been going up to my trainer and telling him how good I look and how good of a job he does with me. It's nice to have the compliments but at the same time I feel like I'm in a fishbowl and everyones watching me

Rhondavous64

I have, that is why I joined Curves for women in 2003. Shortly after I joined I started working there and had the best experience of my life! I've lost 100 lbs there but put it all back on after leaving in 2009 due to health issues. However I'm determined to do it once again.

lanie37

finding gym clothes for the larger lady is hard. I hate going into sport shops. Or going into any shop to try and find something to wear for getting fit.