Want to work out, too self conscious to?

Go! It gets easier. However, until you are able to go, ditch the excess clothes and workout in private. After you are a little stronger, and have begun to loose weight, your confidence will grow and you will be able to go to the gym, but what ever you choose ... don't quit exercising and be sure to log everything. Good luck.

Honestly, I really believe most normal people at the gym have this insecurity as well. Therefore we are too busy worrying what we look like to others to even notice the other people! Which ultimately results in no one noticing us, either!! I am unsure how I got over this. I was even worried about sweating at the gym. Now I wear it as a badge of honor. I do know some people see what we look like, and are kind enough to provide positive feedback when we are making positive changes to our body. They are usually the muscle heads, in my gym, and they are great cheerleaders for us newcomers to fitness.

Really, if I see someone at the gym that's larger, all I'm thinking is fair play. I figure anyone looking at me is thinking exactly the same thing. If I see anyone working out at any size and clearly putting in the effort I think fair play.

Yes, I hated going in for the first 2 months or so, but went in religiously 4 times a week. Got to know peoples faces they got to know mine. It's self confidence, you need to give yourself a talking to each time you go in that you can do and just go in!

how about this: i have NEVER seen anyone, no matter how overweight or out of shape, at the gym and wondered why they were there or thought anything negative about them at all. my first thought when i see someone overweight at the gym is to mentally high-five them for taking the initiative to get out there and do something good for themselves.

i know it is hard and scary--sometimes even small people like me have self-consciousness issues and feel like everyone is watching and they think we're getting it wrong. but truly, as someone else mentioned earlier, 99% of people at the gym are so focused on their own workout that they're not worrying about yours.

when i've gone through a rough patch and felt uncomfortable with myself, i've just reminded myself that i have to get out there and do the work in order to gain a body i can be confident about. i'm not going to feel any better about myself if i don't do it--the only way my body (and thus, my confidence in how i look) improves is if i take the body i currently have to the gym and work on exchanging it for the body i want

i like others' suggestions to walk or work out at home, as well. that takes some of the social pressure off of you. i know you mentioned being uncomfortable enough with yourself that your workout clothing ends up being restrictive even in private--that's the kind of thing i would chew my therapist's ear off about. therapy has helped me learn skills to help me stop allowing my self-perception to limit me (among many, many other skills related to nutrition, fitness and self-image--many of which i still need LOTS of practice with!). maybe at some point you would want to give a therapy session a shot--it's not everybody's thing, but it sure helps me get out of my own head and out of my own way

i hope that you will remember you are a strong and beautiful person in this moment and always. wishing you luck!!

But I still go in remote places early in the morning so that I don't bump in to anyone!!

i do that too!!

I felt like this to start too, especially as the exercise I wanted to start doing was swimming. The thought of people staring at me in a swimsuit terrified me. I started off at women only sessions at my local pool, and honestly there were people of all shapes and sizes, some bigger, some smaller, and nobody could give a hoot. The good thing about swimming is once you are in the pool, nobody can really see you anyway! Starting is the hard part, it's all downhill from there, you will feel great once you've done it!

I've felt pretty scared with each different exercise I have done since, but every single time I have found the fear of doing it really is worse than the actual doing.

I was even worried about sweating at the gym. Now I wear it as a badge of honor.

THIS ^^ That was so me when I first started going and now I am all' yeah i'm sweaty and I have worked my butt off for it'

I do think a few people look at me, bright red tomato face and sweating like anything, a couple I think might be eww look at the state of her. Others might be wondering if they should call me an ambulance lol (joking....I think) BUT I get more looks of fair play, you are giving it everything there.

People I have noticed are, ermmmm Oh there is one lady who is slightly larger and she kicks some *kitten* on the elliptical. She is bigger than me and she would woop my butt going head to head. A couple of runners that are there when I go at 6am, oh and the fit dude who does weights :blushing: Everyone else is just background noise.

Go to the gym. As I did, and quite a few others, suck it up the first few times until you get comfy. You'll be grand :happy: