Why do some people at the gym always look the same?

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I went to my old gym that I hadn't been to in over a year and a lot of the regulars are still there and look the same. Now I know you're not supposed to think these thoughts and you are a very terrible person if you do but I am just curious to find out the science of why this happens? I don't wanna hit that wall when my time comes.

Can diet and genetics really offset all those hours spent in the gym?
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Replies

  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,070 Member
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    Maybe they have fitness goals, not aesthetic ones?
  • anglyn1
    anglyn1 Posts: 1,803 Member
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    I'm going to assume the people look out of shape and that they don't appear to have met their goal?

    They might have a goal that isn't based on changes to their body. Maybe something like increasing endurance and they keep their diet even with their calorie burn. Or perhaps they have a medical issue and the doctor has told them to work out for a certain amount of time everyday so they do but otherwise they don't make any changes.

    I don't go to the gym but I look the same even though I've been working out for years. This is because I don't stick to a big enough calorie deficit to make any significant progress and because I have inflammatory arthritis and when it flares up I sometimes can't work out for a couple of weeks at a time. I don't decrease my calories during that off time like I probably should.
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    I wonder the same thing sometimes. Or they gain weight while working out everyday.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,139 Member
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    you can't out train a calorie surplus. There is a lady in my gym who has been going as long as I have which is about a year and a half now and she looks the same, which is overweight. My guess would be that she does not track calories, or maybe she does not care. At the end of the day it is none of my business.
  • Mycophilia
    Mycophilia Posts: 1,225 Member
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    The term "spinning their wheels" comes to mind.
  • yesimpson
    yesimpson Posts: 1,372 Member
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    Maybe they just like going to the gym, and don't particularly have any aesthetic or fitness goals. They just like what they're doing and are satisfied with that. Maybe they come with friends or something, or they just feel better about themselves having got a bit of exercise in, whether that is part of a plan working towards something or not.
  • explosivedonut
    explosivedonut Posts: 419 Member
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    Maybe they do look different, you just don't notice it. It's hard to see the small changes when you see each other every day. I know I don't look the same as last year, but I feel like I look the same. Also, chances are you are seeing them with clothing on, which could disguise some of the changes.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you can't out train a calorie surplus. There is a lady in my gym who has been going as long as I have which is about a year and a half now and she looks the same, which is overweight. My guess would be that she does not track calories, or maybe she does not care. At the end of the day it is none of my business.

    This.

    About 6 years ago I joined a gym shortly after getting engaged to lose a little weight for my wedding. I worked hard, and got stronger/fitter, but since I didn't have any understanding or even care about what went into my mouth, I saw no physical changes.
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    They have a poor diet. I see the same ppl in the gym every morning not a single pound lost. They put in work and then go home and eat away all their progress.
  • 10inprogress
    10inprogress Posts: 89 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you can't out train a calorie surplus. There is a lady in my gym who has been going as long as I have which is about a year and a half now and she looks the same, which is overweight. My guess would be that she does not track calories, or maybe she does not care. At the end of the day it is none of my business.

    Endless this. I think people just like having the luxury of telling others that they go to the gym. As if that's all they have to do to make a change. Hardest part is maintaining consistency in lifestyle OUTSIDE of the gym...
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    Why do you care?
  • alyhuggan
    alyhuggan Posts: 717 Member
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    randomtai wrote: »
    Why do you care?

    It's human nature to be curious about things?

    I never thought about it before...I'm going back to my term time gym in September, it'll be interesting to see who's progressed and who hasn't after reading this!
  • npatienza
    npatienza Posts: 5 Member
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    ndj1979 wrote: »
    you can't out train a calorie surplus. There is a lady in my gym who has been going as long as I have which is about a year and a half now and she looks the same, which is overweight. My guess would be that she does not track calories, or maybe she does not care. At the end of the day it is none of my business.

    Endless this. I think people just like having the luxury of telling others that they go to the gym. As if that's all they have to do to make a change. Hardest part is maintaining consistency in lifestyle OUTSIDE of the gym...

  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
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    Maybe they're not there to lose weight? You can increase fitness and strength without losing fat.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
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    alyhuggan wrote: »
    randomtai wrote: »
    Why do you care?

    It's human nature to be curious about things?

    I never thought about it before...I'm going back to my term time gym in September, it'll be interesting to see who's progressed and who hasn't after reading this!

    Not about these things. *shrug*
  • betuel75
    betuel75 Posts: 776 Member
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    I see the same thing, same people no change and they are in there everyday. Its because they dont know CICO. When people actually come up to me to inquire how i am so lean i tell them and they give me this dear in headlights look. They dont get it so i just end it short in trying to explain. One guy really wants abs like mine so i told him about CICO and leaning out. He has been slowly leaning out but he tells me he is only eating fruit so he can lose weight when i told him he can pretty much eat what he wants as long as he is in a calorie deficit but he doesnt hear me. No one does...
  • npatienza
    npatienza Posts: 5 Member
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    I won't tell people that I go to the gym and yet...they won't see results. It's just a waste of time for me to go for nothing. I normally would set a goal and expect results. If I don't see any changes in my body, I'd question it. There must be something I am
    not doing right. It's either I need to work harder or I am not counting my calories correctly. So far, I am good. Working out pays off.

    If it's just for maintenance so they can eat more when they come home, that explains why there's no weight loss.
  • VanderTuig1976
    VanderTuig1976 Posts: 145 Member
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    Hmm...I agree with most of the reasons already posted but will re-emphasize what a previous poster mentioned about progress not being clearly visible. These days I am working my tail off both in and out of the gym but aesthetic progress is slow. I've been doing bulk/cut cycles and have had to temporarily set that aside to focus on my running goals. The progress I've made recently isn't as clearly visible as it was 6-9 months ago. This may be the case with some of the people you see at the gym.

    On the other hand, I've known lots of people who think the "gym" or "working out" is the solution to all of their weight issues.....and never make any progress for that reason. I think saying that they go to the gym or work out makes them feel better about the extra weight they carry around - like they're doing something to mitigate it when in reality they probably aren't.
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 17,959 Member
    edited June 2015
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    There appears to be a bit of a misconception that going to the gym means wanting to lose weight. Some people aren't trying to lose weight and don't feel the need to moderate their diet, and achieve fitness goals despite this.

    My old boss was a big man. Big eater, always had a candy bowl in his office, loved to take us out for lunches. He also went to the gym for an hour every the morning walked 15km home every night, could outrun any one of us and multiple times a year participated in charity events that required walking 100+km, biking for hundreds of kms etc etc. That's what he trained for.

    To anyone at the gym, he would have looked like a guy who was 'spinning his wheels' when in truth he was one of the fittest (if not 'healthiest') people I worked with. His endurance was astounding.
  • andympanda
    andympanda Posts: 763 Member
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    randomtai wrote: »
    Why do you care?

    Maybe to learn from other people's mistakes.