Body Shamming and Shark Fitness

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Hippychick5983
Hippychick5983 Posts: 130 Member
in Motivation and Support
I am not sure if this is the correct place to post this so forgive me if I am wrong. I just came across a blog about a "trainer" posting a picture of a woman at a baseball game.

He tired to body shame her on his gym Facebook page (his business).



I just wanted to share her response because it is so beautiful and written so well. She is a member of our community here and if she comes across this I just wanted to say I think you are amazing and inspiring. No one has the right to shame you or anyone else. I can only hope to be half as strong as you are in my own journey.


So thank you for being so motivational to me and helping me stay strong on my own path.
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Replies

  • hanksmom79
    hanksmom79 Posts: 85 Member
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    What a great response. I love this woman's attitude. Good on you "B"!!
  • Soopatt
    Soopatt Posts: 563 Member
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    Sadly, an overweight person cannot eat anything in public without judgement which leads to secret eating and shame. I wonder if that is the reason why, even on a weight management support site like this one, so many people seem to not be comfortable posting pictures of themselves in their profile at their current weight and use cartoons etc. To those who do that, surely you are safe here? Do you not feel safe? Do you think you need to look a certain way before you can be seen? That depresses me.

    We need to keep out of other peoples business as we are more often than not leaping to the completely wrong conclusion.
  • Bemix
    Bemix Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm sorry but that is not a "trainer". If he cared that much, he should have introduced himself LIKE A DECENT HUMAN and offered some help. Because THAT is what trainers do.

    I really liked her reply. :)
  • D_squareG
    D_squareG Posts: 361 Member
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    I can't believe he has any clients left. Her response is priceless and classy. She can lose weight, but he can't fix stupid.
  • SallyinIL
    SallyinIL Posts: 85 Member
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    D_squareG wrote: »
    I can't believe he has any clients left. Her response is priceless and classy. She can lose weight, but he can't fix stupid.

    +1
  • try4better128
    try4better128 Posts: 61 Member
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    Soopatt wrote: »
    Sadly, an overweight person cannot eat anything in public without judgement which leads to secret eating and shame. I wonder if that is the reason why, even on a weight management support site like this one, so many people seem to not be comfortable posting pictures of themselves in their profile at their current weight and use cartoons etc. To those who do that, surely you are safe here? Do you not feel safe? Do you think you need to look a certain way before you can be seen? That depresses me.

    We need to keep out of other peoples business as we are more often than not leaping to the completely wrong conclusion.

    That's not why some of us do it. It's simply for privacy. I don't need someone from work seeing that I post here during the day! Haha.
  • kickassbarbie
    kickassbarbie Posts: 286 Member
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    What a total **#£^$^÷*#*$/&#*^! Just going through his Facebook made me cringe.

    This woman is so strong for coming out and replying as she did and a true inspiration in being proud of your achievements and not letting anyone get you down with hurtful body shaming. (Also 150 down is awesome!)
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,688 Member
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    Ironically I think of "Shark" Fitness as literally meaning "predator" business for weight lifting. Whatever his views are, they are his. Just like any other person. Putting it out in public? He should expect backlash. In business sometimes, bad news is good advertisement.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Ironically I think of "Shark" Fitness as literally meaning "predator" business for weight lifting. Whatever his views are, they are his. Just like any other person. Putting it out in public? He should expect backlash. In business sometimes, bad news is good advertisement.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    While that is true I want to see who support his views on this lady?
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,688 Member
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Ironically I think of "Shark" Fitness as literally meaning "predator" business for weight lifting. Whatever his views are, they are his. Just like any other person. Putting it out in public? He should expect backlash. In business sometimes, bad news is good advertisement.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    While that is true I want to see who support his views on this lady?
    Trust, it will be the unspoken majority.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

  • 4legsRbetterthan2
    4legsRbetterthan2 Posts: 19,590 MFP Moderator
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    yopeeps025 wrote: »


    While that is true I want to see who support his views on this lady?

    oh there are plenty of jerks/ judgemental people out there. I would imagine he probably has plenty of followers who think just like him

  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    Lost in the backlash towards him is the concept he did highlight that we need an honest discussion about weight in America ... something he could have brought up without the photos and detailing of her intake during the game. If the people to the woman's side did in fact have to relocate because she occupied enough of their seat to make them uncomfortable ... there is an issue to address. If he had simply said something along the lines of there was a person at an unhealthy weight whose size forced the patrons next to them to relocate ... and not included photos, the point gets across without the backlash (those judging him for being judgmental to make me laugh at the hypocrisy).

    I have my doubts that the reply is actually from the woman involved based on the blog site it appears on. There are far too many "I was the ..." stories there with identical writing style.
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    ninerbuff wrote: »
    yopeeps025 wrote: »
    ninerbuff wrote: »
    Ironically I think of "Shark" Fitness as literally meaning "predator" business for weight lifting. Whatever his views are, they are his. Just like any other person. Putting it out in public? He should expect backlash. In business sometimes, bad news is good advertisement.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png


    While that is true I want to see who support his views on this lady?
    Trust, it will be the unspoken majority.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
    IDEA Fitness member
    Kickboxing Certified Instructor
    Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
    9285851.png

    So what do you think this guy has to gain from that post on his page? I cannot think of any that he can profit from.

  • D_squareG
    D_squareG Posts: 361 Member
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    We have several successful people on this site who lost weight and became fit - running, weight lifting, walking. Many have joined gyms and employed trainers. Would any one of them have started in a gym with an owner who has this mentality? It is people like him that make it so difficult for the overweight to start a fitness program. They are afraid they'll be judged. They forge ahead regardless. He was just plain wrong. He should be ashamed of himself. sharkfitness
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
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    We should not let ourselves consume 4200 calories. The key in that being ourselves, not someone who doesn't know me or my life. He seems to have removed the picture from the Shark Fitness page, but has made several posts about it trying to defend what he said, and imo just digging a hole. What he was trying to accomplish I understand, how he went about it was a different thing completely.
    Speaking as that person who has been crammed up next to someone in a tiny seat, I already feel embarassed about it. I already understand that this is happening and try to be as accomodating as possible. Cheesus, I'm going to a performing arts center this evening and now all I can think is "I hope I don't bother the other person". Jerkface.
  • rugbyphreak
    rugbyphreak Posts: 509 Member
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    I'm reading the entire Shark Fitness page while enjoying my morning chocolate. He can suck it.

    BTW, that churro dog he's bashing looks mother f'ing delicious!
  • Emilia777
    Emilia777 Posts: 978 Member
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    Good for her. I read through a bit of his Facebook page and frankly he seems like a real-life member of the Globo Gym (Dodgeball anyone? Second time in two days this came to mind). There is no reason why he couldn't champion being active and healthy in a positive and constructive manner. His approach is IMO exactly the wrong way to go about it,
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
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    According to her, she consumed 1400 calories, not 4200. He doesn't know if she had a diet soda for one thing...right there is several hundred calories difference if she had a super large drink..

    I think it may have some good influence on MyFitnessPal - they may get more people to sign up based on this article...lol.

    Which makes the conspiracy theorist in me go..hmmmm. LOL. Was it some really clever content marketing? Maybe Shark Fitness guy and the author of the "response" are both shills for UnderArmour. ;) Nothing would surprise me these days...

    Who knows?

    I got into an argument here not too long ago with a jerk who was "trying" to be "helpful" and encouraging someone who was working out and said "At least you're not like the fat people waddling out of Dennys".

    Same thing - you see someone come out of Dennys and make a judgement about them when you have NO CLUE whether they are in a weight loss program or not, and whether or not they were well within their calories for the day...or whether they had walked on the treadmill or rode a bike before or after their meal.

    The world would be better - so much better - if adults would leave the Mean Girls from Middle School mentality behind and just worry about THEMSELVES - and not make judgments about others...you don't know their story. It's not your story to tell, either.
  • fannyfrost
    fannyfrost Posts: 756 Member
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    Sometimes we pass judgement based on what people eat, but that doesn't mean we tell the world.

    I have read that story in a couple of different places. I don't agree with the drinking soda because I think its a waste of calories, but we can't eat healthy all the time. Gotta enjoy life. Life is a journey not a destination and a trainer should know that.

    Nobody should be shamed for what they do, we don't know the back story and therefore comments should be kept to ourselves. This guy was really just being a passive aggressive bully.

  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
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    Burn! He's such a turd bag.

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