Supposed to start today..but I'm actually embarrassed

Welcome, I didn't read all the posts. I hate exercising at the gym for a variety of reasons - once in a class I had to just shout out to an instructor that I was much older than she thought I was as I didn't get to say a word to her beforehand as usually I just ask them not to say anything if I take a break and march around as I know what my heart rate should be, so have everything I need at home. Treadmill, weight bench, weights, mats, dvd's , etc. I do love to walk outdoors though. If you truly are uncomfortable buy a Leslie Samson walk away the pounds dvd - they even have them at walmart for less than $10 and walk in front of your tv until you feel more comfortable. Heck I even put on music and dance around the house but if your windows are open your neighbors will think you insane lol. That will get your heart rate up.

Also no matter what your weight or shape you can watch or record and follow Miranda Esmonde White Classical Stretch on PBS (Public Television) she purposely does not have an official warmup - just jump in where you are at - it is like 20 -25 minutes, not really repetitive and changes daily. I have a dvd so record it daily and actually bought a season of it, Iove it and can do stand alone or after another workout activity. The older I get and the more I study I don't think you need to do a lot of physical activity but consistency is key, I was huge runner and now I have horrible knees, etc. and now try to work smarter and not harder - I know most here would disagree but I now focus on eliminating toxins, nutrition, flexibility etc

2snakeswoman wrote: »

Don't mind me; just testing to see if I've fixed the problem with my ticker not showing.

Bah! What am I doing wrong?

@2snakeswoman I think I saw somewhere that when they switched servers or something last fall it stopped working and they haven't bothered fixing it yet. It will show up on your home page but not as a signature to your posts.

P.S. I'm too busy for the gym so I work out at home. Calastenics and high intensity interval training. Sprint for 30 seconds. rest for 60 times 10.

I can certainly relate to how you are feeling. When I began to move more, I just walked around our yard at first. We have a gym at work (which very few people use) so very quickly, I began using the gym at work every work day before work. I joined a gym (Anytime Fitness) in January 2015, and tomorrow, 8/2, I will have been at the gym everyday since. That is every day in the past 6 months. At my gym, there are little notes that you give to people in the gym that you think are doing great. I have gotten one 4 times for which I am extremely flattered.

Do not worry too much. Most people are so busy doing their own thing that they hardly notice anyone else. Do this and be proud of your hard work, you are giving yourself an awesome gift! Good luck!

YOU GOT THIS !! In the immortal words of Roddy Piper.. I came here to chew bubblegum and kick *kitten* and i'm all out of bubble gum...

The strange thing is, although you are embarassed by how you look now, you will want a picture of "now" for later so that you can contrast where you started to what you've accomplished.

I estimate my ideal weight as around 145. My lifetime highest weight was 142. After recovering from an injury in November that kept me from exercising, I'm fighting my way down from 220 (about 80 lbs overweight). But I have a different view. Yes I don't look the way I'd like. But if someone else doesn't like it, they can park their eyes elsewhere.

I tend to buy tights rather than loose items because I find them more comfortable and fit-forgiving of weight fluctuations. I tend to buy bright colors and patterns so that if I'm walking where there are cars, the drivers cannot fail to see me and avoid hitting me. What is more, wearing clothes designed for exercise says "I'm exercising"--something that even thin people beat themselves up for not doing enough. And fellow walkers with whom I exchange casual greetings on my usual walking routes can see my progress and have commented positively upon it.

What I'm saying is--don't hide. Own your weight. Own your body. You're working to improve. Go You!

Only an @sshole will fault you for exercising. If any are immature enough to comment negatively, know it is better to be a fat@ss than an @sshole--far easier to diet and exercise than fix a character deficit.

People who study the way folk perceive the world know (I just saw on Morgan Freeman's "Through the Wormhole") that our brains remember only what they are focused on. This is why in experiments, people can be told to "count the number of people wearing red that pass by in the video", and then when asked about the video, they have completely missed the parade of exotic animals & other items that were also walked past the camera alongside the crowd. Unless somebody thinks they might recognize you, or unless you are an obstacle in their way, most strangers literally *will not even see you* because they are too involved in their own thoughts and paying attention to their own concerns. Those few who notice you will think "Oh look, even that person is working out, I should not have skipped the gym this morning" and go off on some thought-stream about their own situation.

Really, there will be no ill-will from anyone but those folk whose own internal monolog is so disturbed that they'd pick apart anyone they see anyway--the kind of warped psychology that can find fault even with a heavily-Photoshopped fashion model. As someone quipped on twitter, the kind of passive-aggressive person who says things like "Oh, I didn't recognize you at first, you look pretty." And you don't care what those people think because their opinion is warped to begin with.

Something like 40% of Americans are overweight. Exercising in public at your current weight is more likely to put them on a guilt trip about their own health than to make them think negatively of you. If they even see you at all.

PS: as a self-experiment, next time you go to the grocer, count the number of overweight people. Did you ever notice how many over-weight people there are before? I'm going to guess you didn't--and they are not noticing you, either.

this is why i always went running in the dead of night. I suppose there's a greater potential for crime but i always reasoned that chances were slim of someone wanting to get into it with a 300+ pound girl who could clearly kick their @$$.

if I see a bigger guy/girl running, my first thought is 'good for you!'.
most people are decent people. most people will think that too.

I felt the same way and honestly I sometimes still do. Im 5'2, 190 lbs so Im a pretty big girl plus I was already very curvy before I gained the 50 lbs. I started going to LA Fitness with my brother (aka my personal trainer) who is completely ripped and in shaped and just about every one else is too. Anyway I felt like a complete idiot just looking at a weight cuz I had never done it before and had no idea what I was doing. I was the only silly girl waddling around between body builders and pretty fit girls and it was SUPER intimidating. I didn't want to run because ( most girls will understand this) I hated the fact that I could feel my booty jiggle and felt very self conscious about it or other people looking at me. I expressed my feelings to my brother and what he said really helped me and when I start to feel uncomfortable I just say it to myself.

When you are working out and you think people are looking at you, they see some one working hard to make a life change. When you are else where and you think people are looking at you they only see a heavy person, not that person in the gym every day. So work hard because the only one who really looks at you and judges you for your weight, is you.

might be super cheesy but it helped me get out of being embarrassed all the time.

ThomasWright1997 wrote: »

MsIndependent316 wrote: »

anyone know a way to get over this feeling? I'm seriously overweight (like 135lbs). All I want to do is get fit and healthy but i don't want people seeing me workout (even walking). I planned on walking at night or early morning but every time I set my clock I get this stupid feeling..any tips?

Is that a spelling error, or are you like 3ft tall? If not, consult with a specialist in body dysmorphic disorders.

Pretty sure she is 135 pounds overweight (she doesnt say her actual weight), not 135 pounds and thinks she is overweight. Is that what bothered you?

ThomasWright1997 wrote: »

MsIndependent316 wrote: »

anyone know a way to get over this feeling? I'm seriously overweight (like 135lbs). All I want to do is get fit and healthy but i don't want people seeing me workout (even walking). I planned on walking at night or early morning but every time I set my clock I get this stupid feeling..any tips?

Is that a spelling error, or are you like 3ft tall? If not, consult with a specialist in body dysmorphic disorders.

She says shes overweight and then says 135lbs, which indicates the amount she is overweight. Its a comprehension error on your part.

I've been there!! I was at 400 pounds and couldn't walk 2 blocks down to the city park. I was so embarrassed and ashamed I couldn't walk with my kids or do activities. What I did, I started taking the beagle out for a walk. The focus is on the dog, not you. Also, i started doing Leslie Sansone walking dvd's in the house--no one saw me but kids/hubby. In the winter, turn down your heat and do those, and you'll warm up fast without a higher heat bill (temporarily anyway).

I'm 70 pounds down, and went so far from a 34/36W to a 14/16, still have 130 pounds to the goal Dr's want. This has taken since september of last year to get to so far.

You can do it! Don't let embarrassment stop you. You're doing this for you, not the folks outside. It's your body to work on, not theirs. Do this for you and your family!!