Any chubbies at your gym?

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Replies

  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,334 Member
    I am a "gym chubby". I dont pay any attention to anyone at the gym. I put on my headphones (so I cant hear their awful music), listen to my playlist and do my thing. No one is looking at me....no one cares about anything except their own workout. So just go! :)
  • devilwhiterose
    devilwhiterose Posts: 1,157 Member
    Just go. We're all there for the same reason...to look good nekkid!!!

    Honestly, I don't (and hope no one else really does...) judge folks at the gym. Some are skinny, some are fat, some athletic, some old and decrepit... Doesn't matter.
  • notenoughspeed
    notenoughspeed Posts: 290 Member
    Heck yes. I am one of them, and I kill it when I am in the zone. Once you take that first step into lifting, you forget who is around, and you're just waiting on the next person to get out of your way to do your own thing. Forget what you may thing others are thinking, saying, looking, etc. You are there for you. I too, felt a bit nervous to go hit the free weights section, but just get over your own fears. It's yourself that is preventing you from doing it, not the other person.
  • Hellbent_Heidi
    Hellbent_Heidi Posts: 3,669 Member
    any suggestions on how to get my nerve up and get in there???

    Yes, there are all body types at my gym.... Years ago, there was a girl at my old gym who is one of those perfect little "Barbie" types, and I hated her on sight. For some reason we were next to each other on the treadmills one day and got to talking. Long story short...she's now my #1 workout buddy (we're at a different gym now and workout together almost every day). She has been a very supportive, non-judgmental and encouraging friend when it comes to fitness and weight loss.

    So don't pre-judge t he people who are already shape, because, while there are some jerks out there, most of them probably aren't going to judge you!
  • DavidC1857
    DavidC1857 Posts: 149 Member
    It looks like you already have a lot of good advice. I am not just shy, but have agoraphobia. Lived in a motor home in Dad's back yard for 6 years and went out only for doctors appointments and one grocery store that was small enough I could manage.

    So I understand how hard it is to go anywhere, much less a gym when you're overweight and think people will judge you.

    What I've learned, over many many years, is that the only way to overcome a fear is to confront it. Set your mind and go to the gym. If people notice you, they are probably going to think that there is someone trying to improve yourself. If someone judges you, so what. People who matter don't mind, and people who mind don't matter.

    It sounds trite, but sometimes to do have to "Just Do It." Set your mind that you will go to the gym and then go.
  • ChrisRiches
    ChrisRiches Posts: 45 Member
    I used to feel that way too. Then my husband said to me: "When you see someone running or at the gym who is very heavy, what do you think?"

    I sadi: I think "Good for them - that's awesome".

    That's what real people will think of you.

    And if there is anyone out there who would think otherwise - they are not worth the time of day. And certainly not important enough in your life to keep you from achieving your golas and dreams.
  • jr1985
    jr1985 Posts: 1,033 Member
    "You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they did."
    -Eleanor Roosevelt

    LOVE this quote!
  • lolagurlx0x0
    lolagurlx0x0 Posts: 149 Member
    Yep. ME lol- I used to be afraid of going to the gym too- and when I start at a new gym I have to go through the same head game- BUT I LOVE the gym now. You will too once you get started.
  • tennesseeleigh
    tennesseeleigh Posts: 169
    <--- still needs to lose at least 40 lbs. I figure if someone is in the gym wasting their time judging me because I'm not perfectly fit already, they are a$$hats anyway and what do I care about their opinion.
  • catbyrd
    catbyrd Posts: 87 Member
    I felt the same way. Get you some headphones and listen to music or a book on tape and just ignore everyone else. Doing something simple will help you relax and make the time go faster. Besides, soon you will be one of the trim ones and someone new will be thinking the same thing about you that you are thinking now.:wink:
  • rduhlir
    rduhlir Posts: 3,550 Member
    Yup...me.
  • CheChe518
    CheChe518 Posts: 10
    Yup, it's a lot of chubbies at my gym,including me... I love seeing my fellow chubbies ( is that right to say:indifferent: ) getting it in! Inspires me more. lol
  • KageyKat
    KageyKat Posts: 45
    I don't go the gym anymore because of an incident that happened. I tend to carry my weight in my tummy area. I had been to this place for several weeks and was feeling good about working out. Well one day in the middle of my workout a woman stopped me and said that I shouldn't be working out so hard since I was PG and when was my baby due, was not PG!!!!!! Find it hard to go back so have equipment at home and still making progress.
  • LissaK1981
    LissaK1981 Posts: 219 Member
    I paid for personal training sessions so I was committed to get my butt in gear.
  • RobinvdM
    RobinvdM Posts: 634 Member
    I am one of the chubbies at my gym. There are ppl bigger than me, ppl a LOT bigger than me, and ppl a LOT smaller than me, and some folks who actually act like they know what they are doing around the weight benches - they are more intimidating to me!

    I too have "gym-phobia" when starting out, or coming back after a lengthy away time (I was out nearly 4 months due to surgery and my daughter having her baby.) Going in for the first time is ALWAYS hard, going back was just as hard. But going on that second day is easier than Day 1, and day 3 is WAY easier and it just gets better once you see you aren't a "chubby" just simply someone trying to improve your life. Believe me, ppl silently applaud folks like you (and me.)

    There is a new guy at my gym, who does nothing but walk laps. (at least as far as I have seen.) He doesn't get on the treadmill, or bikes, and I haven't seen him use any of the strength equipment. He just spends a long time doing laps at his own pace. He walks with confidence and fits in. I admire him, and hope I get to see him more often as I increase my own gym time :)

    Maybe you going in will inspire someone else to try harder, to invest just as much time and effort as you are. Only one way to find out - get off your butt, stop making excuses and get in there ;-)
  • dawnna76
    dawnna76 Posts: 987 Member
    Me :wink:
  • raiderrodney
    raiderrodney Posts: 617 Member
    You're going for you...nobody else. So just do it ;)
  • carrieliz81
    carrieliz81 Posts: 489 Member
    I don't know about your gym, but at mine it seems, Saturday mid-day is when the 75+ crowd shows up, diligently working out in jeans, Rockports, fanny packs, and sweatbands. I love working out with those guys! I'm fat, they're old, and we're both trying to be healthy together. Fabulous. :-)

    Seriously though, the more time you spend at the gym, the more you notice the non-young, non-trim people who are there, and who do come regularly. I too am intimidated by the super fitness buffs and feel like a tool next to them, but there are "regular" people there too! After a while I do feel like I fit in at the gym. (by no means do I mean to insinuate that fitness buffs are not regular people...they are, they just happen to be superior to many in the area of fitness :-)
  • ArroganceInStep
    ArroganceInStep Posts: 6,239 Member
    IT WAS ONE TIME AND I THOUGHT I HID IT WELL, DAMNIT!

    oh...you meant something else...ummmmmmm


    /runs
  • LemonMint6
    LemonMint6 Posts: 76
    Given the six pages of responses I'm sure this has been mentioned. But I've found that at every gym I've ever gone to, with is pretty much the 24 Hour brand, but all through southern California and the Portland Metro area, that no one is paying attention to anyone but themselves. In the nicest way possible, no one will notice you. :)

    And in case they do notice, read this: http://flintland.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html
  • MsLadyVirgo
    MsLadyVirgo Posts: 160 Member
    i know the feeling. i use to be a member of LA fitness, but now i'm a member of a smaller local gym. the gym offers a silver sneaker program, so there's an eclectic membership base.
  • that_Va_chick
    that_Va_chick Posts: 112
    :wink: you shouldnt care what everybody else looks like in the gym..its your stepping stone to getting the healthy body you want. Throw on some headphones..rock to some good tunes and get it done.
  • KarCrib
    KarCrib Posts: 39 Member
    Me! I have about 60 lbs to lose. I have to say most of the people are so self involved, checking thjmselves out that they don't have time for me. And to be honest, I don't care what people think, if they even are thinking. I go for myself. I have made some good friends along the way as well... don't judge a book by its cover, I have gotten a lot of help from those trim young folks!
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
    I am the fatty at my gym. So what. I go and do what I need to do and if someone wants to look at me and judge me, then I can't stop them. They would be judging me if i were at the gym or walking down the street. I just do what I need to do and go. I don't worry (too much) about what others are thinking. If I did that, I would never leave the house.
  • fbmandy55
    fbmandy55 Posts: 5,263 Member
    I feel your pain. I have anxiety, that at its worst is kind of a paranoid anxiety. It's prevented me from going in public many times, bars, mall, restaurants thinking that people are judging my appearance. I started working out a few months ago at our local rec center as it was always quiet, I joined planet fitness with some friends who were going to work out last night and it was pleasant, I don't agree 100% with their rules but I felt comfortable there. Each time I have MADE myself go to a gym, I always leave feeling better about myself.
  • RECowgill
    RECowgill Posts: 881 Member
    I'm a fat guy in my gym. You have to just decide to go, it's not about them it's about you.

    Whenever I get nervous about going I just remember that I wouldn't need to go if I wasn't fat. Other people wouldn't be there either if they didn't have something to improve. The whole point in going is self improvement.

    Keep this in the front of your mind and you won't have any more difficulty showing up.
  • That_car_is_full_of_balloons
    That_car_is_full_of_balloons Posts: 135 Member
    You should've researched other gyms in your area and found one with a small clientele. I'm fit but I have severe claustrophobia, so I found a small gym where I can feel comfortable doing supersets lol.

    Everyone has their insecurities.

    Honestly, I would say just from all the gyms I've been in, the majority of gym-goers are focused on their workout (get in, get out, go about their day). There is a small minority who like to oogle at others but those are the same as people watchers in real life -- harmless lookers. Don't think they are judging you because you made eye contact while they were letting their eyes wander. Even then, they are probably just thinking, "Damn, homegirl sweats like a hog....... I wonder what workout she did so I can try that!" :D
    Then there are the really fit people.... these are the people who know what hard work can do. They sacrifice a lot of their time to be in the gym day in and day out. Believe me, if they could give you their body (while keeping theirs) they would do it. Those are often the most helpful people.
    So basically that leaves ONE person in the gym, who once every blue moon comes in, and judges people harshly. I only say this because I know how awful society is and so there has to be one of them in the gym, right?
    Does all of this still make you feel insecure now? Just get your workout on. You are at an age where a lot of people have to take prescription drugs or finding out their cholesterol is too high or they're getting arthritis in the knees. Be that healthy aging person that sets a bright example for the younger generation!
  • markymarrkk
    markymarrkk Posts: 495 Member
    Let me just say that, I've earned my spot at my gym ... I'm not top dawg or anything but I handle business and everytime I see a person just starting their journey, when I see them struggling, working their *kitten* off.. I got nothing but MAD respect!!

    especially when I start seeing them show up on a regular basis, MAD love ... so don't be shy, show up, work hard and bust your *kitten*.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    <--- still needs to lose at least 40 lbs. I figure if someone is in the gym wasting their time judging me because I'm not perfectly fit already, they are a$$hats anyway and what do I care about their opinion.

    AMEN! :drinker: :flowerforyou:
  • kbtuohey
    kbtuohey Posts: 1 Member
    Honestly, I don't think people pay too much attention to others at the gym. I work on a military base so being a female, I do get a little bit of stares when I first walk in but really people are just in there to work out. When I work out, I am personally only focused on myself, making my goal for the day, and then leaving to get home. If by chance I ever see a larger person working out in the gym, I always think "good for them for getting out and doing something!" I think it's great when people, no matter their size, work out to better their self!

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