Allow me to introduce to you...me

How about you start out walking? It is better than nothing. Then try walking faster and faster until you can run? You also might want to try and incorporate some type of strength training, as well.

You just need to find the right gym for you. Check put all of the ones in you area and ask them what they can do to help you meet your goals. If you are anywhere near Lake Orion, check out the powerhouse gym at Clarkston & M24 - I have been there for about a year and their goal is to help you reach your goal.

I know how you feel and I still deal with it - I'm only 5'3" and still need to lose 100lbs. I get weird looks at the gym but I can't let that bother me - I am there to workout and anyone who has a problem with that can %$#* OFF!

Funny that I read your post - yesterday at the gym a skinny boy gave me a weird look, kinda rude and a staff member stared at me (not sure if he was looking at my bra/boobs or my stomach LOL) but another staff member was nice & friendly and a guy that looked pretty fit asked me how to reset a machine as he was having problems and said must know as I was flying through re-adjusting the machines for myself as I went through my curcuit. He thanked me and we continued our workouts.

Moral of the story: There are always gonna be a**holes out there but you can't let them bring you down! Also there are nice, respectful and cool people at the gym too! If you can't workout at home and winter is coming so outside workouts may be difficult (I'm in Canada I get it :-) - try and find a gym you get a good feel for.

My gym is not a "pick-up" gym, it's pretty corporate, downtown core - people go, workout and leave. It has perks I like and is not far from where I work so I can get there during the week really easily.

Good Luck and don't give up - great job on your current weight loss!

It looks like you are already making big changes. Look at the weight you've lost! One of the best things you can do is add MFP friends. You'll receive motivation you won't find anywhere else. I really found my motivation to get moving from my MFP friends. You also get so many great ideas for fitness and food.

I understand being embarrassed at the gym. I just posted this on my wall last week: http://flintland.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html Please read it. It's so inspiring.

My brother from another mother! :-)
I hate excercise, and especially going to the gym.
I don't like to sweat, I don't like to run, and I hate to walk.
But there are ways around that.
I have to trick myself into excercising.
I swim (no sweating, no impact).
I also park my car farther out, so I have to walk further.
Sounds nutty, but it works, and keeps your car scratch free.
I take the stairs, avoid the elevator.
I do my gardening.
That sounds mild, but the soil where I live is like concrete, so digging holes for rosebushes is a great workout.
Just work it so you do more physical activity during your normal day.
You can also add a brisk walk, enough to get your heart pumping a bit, it gets better if you have a dog.
It doesn't have to be your dog, you can walk a neighbor's dog. They might pay you for it too.
For example: Put a dogwalker ad in the laundry room of your apartment.
If you really want to get your cardio in run up and down the stairs at lunchtime.
We have a parking garage where I work, and nobody uses the stairs, except nuts like me.
I take he stairs 6 flights down from my car and six up when I leave work.
This is not a huge amount of excercise, but the key is I do it every day.
And I'm not going to the gym, so I don't have to make time for it. It is just part of the normal day.

go for a walk outside

I now have The Humpty Dance stuck in my head for some reason.

Wow, I had the same problem as you and to add a bit shy too. When I started losing my weight I felt better about myself and decided it was time to be that athletic person that I could be. I started with walking (at night so no one could see me) then from there I joined the Planet Fitness gym. Now I bike, kayak, etc. etc. I just love moving. I still have 40 pounds to go from the 80 something I already lost but i'm on the right track. In the end it's all about yourself and what you want from yourself. Just let go and learn to ignore. Good luck!

COngrats on your losses so far. Gonna need to start doing some resistance training. You can lose weight with diet alone but how much of that is going to be from lean body mass is going to depend on if you are stressing your muscles. Gotta convince your body that they are worth keeping or it will eat them up.

The gym was an intimidating place for me when I started. Especially the weight room. A lot of reaching our fitness goals is fixing ourselves mentally. This is no different. Find an experienced person to take you a few times. Watch/read proper lifting forms. Personal trainer? What ever it takes.

I bet you will not regret it and will probably love it within a few sessions.

Bumps in the road are plateaus. I've lost about 36 lbs since March. I have weeks that I should lose based on calorie count but gain such as the last two weeks, some of that gain is more muscle mass from lifting weights. Since you don't like the gym, you can get the stretch bands to start with strength training. If you build 10 lbs of muscle that 10 lbs of muscle will consume 3,500 calories a week just to exist without exercise. Building some muscle will help you. Consider visiting the gym early on Sunday, the one we use is almost vacant on Sunday mornings and afternoons. You can also do exercises that use your body weight as the resistance, such as squats, split leg squats, lunges, pushups, chair dips, etc. When doing body weight exercises get easy, use items around the house to increase the resistance such as holding a gallon of liquid as you do lunges.

Hang in there and keep working. I've had numerous plateaus since March. Usually the plateau lasts for one week because I will change what I do. Your body gets used to the exact same routine and adapts to do it with less calories. As you lose weight, you are moving less weight which means burning fewer calories for the same activity.

Use MFP to look at fat, sugar, and carb intake and try to stay below goals. The weeks I go over in those areas I don't lose much if any weight even if I have a big calorie deficit.

My wife hated to exercise but now she is into it. Give yourself time and think positive thoughts. None of us got overweight overnight and it takes time to work it off. Just keep at it!

Get a pedometer and work on just moving more... Do Push-ups, Sit-ups, Pull-ups... Buy a machine if you have the funds...

I know it can be intimidating, but sometimes doing what scares you - and conquering that fear - is exactly what you need to do, and it will be a huge source of pride.

If you're not going to a gym because you're scared to go, perhaps that's exactly what you should do? Most gyms will give a week pass or so to let you try it out before you sign up. Just grab your ipod/mp3 player and some headphones and go as an experiment maybe. It may turn into something you get pleasure out of, and at least you can say you did it.

I see all sorts of people at my gym - from fit people to amputees to soccer moms, salesmen, those in wheelchairs, and the obese. Really the victory is just being there and working on yourself, inside and out.

I am shy myself but I've vowed to (someday) do a group class to get over my fear. *reminds self to get on that 9_9*

Lots of other good suggestions in this thread, too, though.

Cheers and congrats on the weight you've already lost. Being a desk worker, I know it's not easy to squeeze in that extra activity, but we definitely benefit from the time invested. :drinker:

I am ultra paranoid about being watched/stared at/judged in a gym setting as well.

I joined a gym 3 weeks ago and dreaded every second of walking up to the entrance for the first time as a member.

It turns out no one really gives a crap about you being there. Sure they look at you, they probably ARE judging- but my take is this. If they have the energy to hate on you inside their heads while running on treadmills or juggling those dumbells then they are far more talented than I am. Once I get into my walking groove I tune everyone around me out and dig for that whole hour, mentally gearing up for the strength stuff I want to do.

Then I go off and get just as absorbed in my str stuff.

I guess my point is, I cared a WHOLE lot about being judged. Still do, however the staff at the gym welcome me like they've known me forever (putting me at ease instantly.) And once I begin my workout I get so self absorbed I don't even care who might be looking at me in disgust, I just don't have the attention span to care :P

PLUS I am going to look great and eventually those judgmental looks are going to be replaced with envy ;-)

Or at least that's what I tell myself.

Go. Give it a try :-) Most gyms have week trials, so you can shop around commitment free and find a place that puts YOU at ease Good luck!