Embarrassed to get fit?

My thought is who cares! You do it for your self, not for anyone else, have enough respect for your self to not worry what others say or do. They need to get their own life. Anyway once you start looking and feeling better, you may be an inspiration to others! And someone told me one time "If you think people are paying attention to you, you are wrong, everyone is to busy worrying about their own stuff or what other people may be or may not be thinking of them" So get out there and get fit, be an inspiration, feel great and live life to the fullest!!!!!

Let it be your motivation. I completely understand your feelings and when I felt like that I changed my thinking. Think about the end result and how they will all see that you did it!!!! Let it be your reason to keep going. When I quit smoking I told people so that I could be held accountable and shamed if I didn't follow thru.

I live in a big city but I can fully relate. when I first joined my gym I was really bad - I was verging on obesity, had no stamina at all, weak knees because of weak muscles and no confidence. That first walk in the gym door was so scary... I was *this* close to crying when the instructor asked me what my goals are... so instead of saying I wanted to lose weight I went "I just want to be more fit, with stamina and stuff". I then coasted for about a year and a half until I finally got serious with the whole shebang including calorie counting and weigthlifting.

There's a link that floats about on MFP that you really should read (just replace "girl" with "boy" and keep reading): http://flintland.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html

Now that I've lost over 30 lb, I'm not only less shy about being there but also feeling more comfortable with communication with the gym staff, the other people doing their thing... Sometimes I can even give tips (such as "there's a movement sensor behind that door that's now blocked - close the door and jump up and down, then the lights will come on"). Once one of the guys who's been there at least as long as I have; he actually said to me that I'm an inspiration: he sees lots of people come, be there for a month or two and then disappear again. That was the nicest compliment!

Not sure if I'm the only one with this problem so I thought I'd ask.. Long story short, I am sort of embarrassed for people to see me attempting to get fit. I live in a small town of 2,000 people, so everybody knows everybody. And everybody knows everybody's business. And for some reason, when I am out in public for a walk or a jog, I pray and hope that nobody I know will see me. Why? I'm not exactly sure. Anybody with similar feelings?

not exactly. i don't care about neighbours or people that see me everyday seeing me working out. But there are some people I don't get along with and who are always wanting me to fail in whatever I do, so that they feel better about themselves.
They are not fit nor they look fab or anything. They could use some exercise themselves. But they love pointing out how unfit I have always been and I bet they're talking behind my back about how I still have my muffin top and huge hips and how I'm losing my boobs and what a waste of time my efforts are being.

THAT's the kind of people I don't like seeing me strive for getting fit. I try to look happy while I workout so that they don't think I'm weak at this and prone to failure. Why? because that wouldn't be the truth! exercising and dieting is hard but I'm actually enjoying it. So when they ask "so... again going to the gym huh?" I always reply with a cheerful "YEAH!!!" as if I was going dancing on a saturday night or something :P
When they see me eating healthy and say "again with the boring salads huh?" I'm like "what do you mean?! this is DELICIOUS!". I know they think I'm crazy because they do know how much I love junk food but I try to make it look like my greenies are my fave food on Earth XD

What's worse... those are actually family members (in laws, but supposed to be family)

As for neighbours and people at the gym, they have always been supportive (though I'm sure they think I got a gastric band or something). At the gym I see all sorts of people (yes, choosing the right gym is important, you don't want it to be celebrity-posh gym) and they're all fighting hard against obesity, heart problems or against physical injuries. So we all share a feeling of pride for our accomplishments.

If you feel ashamed or embarrassed just think that you might feel that way until you get fit, once you get fit you won't feel like that anymore. And guess what? it won't be THAT long until you are in a healthy weight and good physical condition. You're probably facing more embarassment by being overweight and by others' stares than what you would have to face at the gym. People at the gym are too focused in their own exercise routines to notice anything beyond their dumbells.

If anything you might inspire someone else to start doing the same! Keep going!

Do you exercise nakkid?

Otherwise, no.

^ this! && don't let anyone tell you anything. At least you are making the step in the right direction of living a healthy lifestyle.

I used to live in a small town so I understand. But my main thought now is "screw them all". Makes life much easier and happier for me.

Everyone has given remarkable, supportive and ecouraging advice, I'd quote them all if there was space!! I don't know but a few folks in my neighborhood, and yet still felt uncomfortable walking for exercise. Having a dog changed all that in two ways. One because he's young and needs the exercise, and two I walk with him and most people probably think I'm doing it for him :laugh: little do they know it's more for me! He's happy when we do extra blocks cuz there's a lot more tree's to smell and mark:happy:

The only people that will talk about it are the people that know they should be out doing it too! Never worry about what other people are thinking or saying about you - if they have nothing better to talk about then be proud that you're so important! Good luck!!

Here's the thing, some people will judge you, they would be doing that anyway because they are insecure in themselves and need to focus on the flaws of others. Some people will be critical, either because they are also insecure or because they care about you and have mistaken ideas about health and fitness. Some people will admire you and will be inspired to follow your example. All of these people can provide you with motivation to keep going. If you decide you don't want to be the local poster child for health and fitness then you can close your drapes and do a workout video at home.