Any chubbies at your gym?

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!

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.

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.

"You wouldn't worry so much about what others think of you if you realized how seldom they did."
-Eleanor Roosevelt

LOVE this quote!

<--- 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.

Yup...me.

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.

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 ;-)

You're going for you...nobody else. So just do it

IT WAS ONE TIME AND I THOUGHT I HID IT WELL, DAMNIT!

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


/runs

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.

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!

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.

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!"
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!

<--- 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: