Yes, fat people can run too.
cnejunk
Posts: 4 Member
OK, to be fair, it's more of a slow jog. But I do jog, occasionally. Along with other forms of exercise. I don't exercise as often as I'd like to, or need to. Not that it's an excuse, 'cause I know other people do it, but as a working mom it is a little tough to find the time. I'm working on that. Meanwhile, I do take an average 13,000 steps and 23 flights of stairs a day. So I'm not completely sedentary.
But do people have to be so dang surprised every time I mention that I jog? The same 2 people, my mother and a friend. 3 times each. "You?? Jog??!!"
Yes, I may be 55-60 lbs overweight. But I am capable of moving my feet at a little more than a slow crawl. And I do exercise. Why do skinny people have to find this so &*$%! shocking?? Every single time??!!
Thanks, just needed to vent.
But do people have to be so dang surprised every time I mention that I jog? The same 2 people, my mother and a friend. 3 times each. "You?? Jog??!!"
Yes, I may be 55-60 lbs overweight. But I am capable of moving my feet at a little more than a slow crawl. And I do exercise. Why do skinny people have to find this so &*$%! shocking?? Every single time??!!
Thanks, just needed to vent.
9
Replies
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Don't mind them it's just ignorance
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Some people find that anyone running is bizarre. Just say "yep, me!"3
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You are probably doing more than them so keep at it !!!
At 13k
awesome steps I have not be able to get past 12k on a busy day. 1 -
I don't. I'm skinny and have health issues. I understand that size has absolutely nothing to do with health.3
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You're already doing awesome! Seriously. The ACTIVE effort put into taking care of the one body you have is great.
When I was losing weight, I proudly told a personal trainer I came across that I'd worked my way down to a 10 minute mile run. He looked at me quite skeptically, and that was discouraging, but I just continued on as usual.
I really hate that people can't accept that someone can be both overweight and active. How do they think those who are now within a healthy BMI range started out?? Also, weight loss happens only when calories in are less than calories out, so of course a person will remain overweight despite being active if they don't have their diet under control.
So yes. Fat people can run too!
Keep up the good work! 2 -
That is a fantastic step count! I'm sorry you are getting such rude feedback from the people in your life. They are probably jealous of your fitness level. I took up jogging when I weighed 240 lbs, morbidly obese at over 100 lbs overweight for my height. The amount of compliments and encouragement I got from other joggers in the park and random people on the street absolutely blew my mind. I thought everyone would think I was a joke. You have to seek out people who get what you are about and ignore the haters.4
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Clearly they are impressed!2
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Ssshhhhhh
don't tell my trainer!!!!!!!2 -
I miss feeling light on my feet. I'm down 34 lbs so hopefully if I hang in there I will have that feeling again. Until then, I don't even like walking :-(1
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Good on you for the exercise you're doing!
I ran my first 10km charity run when I was 35kg (77lb) overweight, and was running long before it in training. I ran my first half marathon at 25kg (55lb) overweight. Providing a person trains properly and takes care of themselves, there's no reason that you can't do any exercise whilst overweight.
As for the responses of people around you, that just shows that how society skews peoples views into thinking that being overweight is a barrier to being fit. Keep proving them wrong!3 -
You are a runner - don't let anyone tell you differently, including yourself (no need to qualify as a jog, if it's more than a walk, it's a run). Good for you!
I started running a little over a year ago. I was 30-40 lbs heavier than I am now. I didn't meet with too much negativity, but some people seemed skeptical that I'd keep it up. But I'll tell you people started being very positive when I lost weight and was making a lot of running progress.
Keep up the good work, runner!
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Keep on going!!! Good for you to getting out there and getting it done!!!1
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6 August 2015 is when I attempted to jog for the first time and I succeeded. Started c25k on 1 st November 2015. I was 82-83 kgs then. People called me a fatso and elephant but I continued running. I weigh 77 kgs now. Not much loss but totally in love with running!2
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Kids, senior citizens, amputees, skinny, fat, cancer patients, people with joint diseases, athletes, celebrities...
They all run, I don't think it's surprising people run.
The people that are "surprised" just aren't runners for whatever reason, they probably do things that would surprise you as well.
Try to focus on you and your goals and not on how people react to your goals.1 -
"No matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everyone on the couch"
Good on you, keep it up and don't let anyone make you feel less for bettering yourself. If I could high five all the people I drive by out for a jog or run and not seem weird, I totally would. Lol! But I totally get it, I'm heavy and I jog too...but go at like 5 in the morning for the sole purpose of fewer people seeing me. I'm still self conscious because of those kind of people you refer to or comments like that
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I used to run on the treadmill for about 8-10 minutes non stop. I stopped because I would always get these cramps all over my body. It was really frustrating because I knew that I could do more but the pain wouldn't let me. Now I just jump rope for 5 - 7 minutes with a 30 second rest in between until I get too tired to jump over the rope.0
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OK, to be fair, it's more of a slow jog. But I do jog, occasionally. Along with other forms of exercise. I don't exercise as often as I'd like to, or need to. Not that it's an excuse, 'cause I know other people do it, but as a working mom it is a little tough to find the time. I'm working on that. Meanwhile, I do take an average 13,000 steps and 23 flights of stairs a day. So I'm not completely sedentary.
But do people have to be so dang surprised every time I mention that I jog? The same 2 people, my mother and a friend. 3 times each. "You?? Jog??!!"
Yes, I may be 55-60 lbs overweight. But I am capable of moving my feet at a little more than a slow crawl. And I do exercise. Why do skinny people have to find this so &*$%! shocking?? Every single time??!!
Thanks, just needed to vent.
I am a swimmer and there is this lady at the pool who is very overweight, and in her 50s. Whenever a new member sees her approaching, I can always see their surprise and them getting ready to point her to the slow lane. Then she starts swimming, and they realise she can easily beat not just any amateur swimmer but even the athletic teens of the local swimming team. The look on the face of people who have never seen her before swim, it is worth of a photo every single time Being overweight does not mean you cannot do sports ! 6 -
Keep running! You're a runner and no one can tell you otherwise.
People who don't run don't realize that running takes determination, not a perfect body. Just keep going out and enjoy your runs. I could lose a few pounds myself but I'm still out there running....not fast, not prettily but I'm out there.
Way to go!2 -
Thank you! You are all awesome. I got over it, mostly. I just find that attitude very frustrating. And, like mbouchard1234, that kind of attitude keeps me from exercising even more often, I'm embarrassed to run in my neighborhood because of what people would think or say when they saw me attempting to run. So I wait until I have time to drive to the trail to run. I'm struggling to wake up at 5am so I can run near home instead! I know I shouldn't care, but I do.1
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Seriously, OP. I see people in all states of chubby blowing past me in races all the time.2
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I don't think it's meant as a rude remark. They're more impressed than dismissive. Moving a larger load at a higher speed than walking is impressive! No wonder they're surprised.0
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i've got nearly 50 lbs to lose and i run too. twice a week at least in the morning and if people think mean thoughts about me then *kitten* 'em. mostly they smile and wave, and i smile and wave and then i carry on. i run with my very big dog and the zombies, run! app, so i'm actually surprised i don't get more looks for that - when the zombies are coming at us and we sprint i KNOW we look funny.1
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simple. They are jealous of you.
When I started it took me 24 minutes to finish a mile. (3 yrs ago) Today I am at 15 minutes a mile.
I am proud of myself. I completed 3 1/2 marathons. Each time faster than before.
My husband who runs full marathons runs at about 9 minutes a miles. In the beginning he use to lap me twice and I would be on my 1st mile, now it takes him a little longer to lap me.
I echo what someone else said. Running is about endurance. Keep up the good work!0 -
I ran when I was fat, and was really proud when I finished my first 5k in under 45 minutes. I run now that I'm less fat, and I'm working toward a 30 minute 5k after finishing two half marathons this year. Running is why I'm now less fat.
Especially when I weighed more, people were mock-concerned that I was going to destroy my knees (spoiler: with proper training and shoes, running does not destroy your knees, http://www.everydayhealth.com/news/what-joint-docs-say-about-running/, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/25/why-runners-dont-get-knee-arthritis/). They hadn't bothered to do any research. They just didn't think a fat person could or should be running.
Jerks will continue to be jerks no matter what you do or look like. 85 pounds ago, I worried that people would laugh at the fat woman running. Then I realized that in order to be laughing at me, they would have to be sitting on their butts, rather than running themselves. Who cares what they think? I'm doing what I want to do; they can kiss my moderately-paced rear end.
And then I had two relatives tell me recently, in not-very-nice terms, that I was too small and shouldn't lose any more weight--I'm 15 pounds from my goal, still just slightly above the optimal BMI range, and my doctor says I'm doing great. The people who made those comments have never run before, and have various weight-related health problems (including knee issues!). Yes, what they said hurt, but I also know perfectly well that I don't want to be like them.
There are good people too, though. When people do talk to me while I'm running (which isn't often, and I wear earbuds), they've all been very supportive. One day I was finishing mile 3 of 5, and I had hit the wall. My feet were barely moving. Just then, a woman pulled over to tell me that she drives to work every day on the road where I usually run. She had been watching my progress for months (without me knowing it) and wanted to tell me how great I was doing. I still see her once in a while, and she always waves. So just because people are watching doesn't mean that they're thinking negative things. They might be cheering you on.
tl;dr: haters gonna hate.2 -
So just because people are watching doesn't mean that they're thinking negative things. They might be cheering you on.
this. i was on my way home from work once - and me on a bike is a grubby-looking object really. any old outer layers, hand-knitted gloves, balaclava from a ww1 knit-for-the-troops site, raggedy muddy buddies, strange hiking boots, messenger bag. chain stains on everything. suave i am not.
so i'm chugging down the road this one evening like a visitation from outer space and i pass this exquisite family party out for (clearly) a formal dinner somewhere. i mean even the men were beautiful the way only full indian formal wear is. and there's this woman among them who is more exquisite than all of them multiplied by each other, with the sari and the gold and the jewels and hair.
she didn't just wave or smile as i went by. she clapped and cheered and stuck a fist in the air. i loved it.
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OK, to be fair, it's more of a slow jog. But I do jog, occasionally. Along with other forms of exercise. I don't exercise as often as I'd like to, or need to. Not that it's an excuse, 'cause I know other people do it, but as a working mom it is a little tough to find the time. I'm working on that. Meanwhile, I do take an average 13,000 steps and 23 flights of stairs a day. So I'm not completely sedentary.
But do people have to be so dang surprised every time I mention that I jog? The same 2 people, my mother and a friend. 3 times each. "You?? Jog??!!"
Yes, I may be 55-60 lbs overweight. But I am capable of moving my feet at a little more than a slow crawl. And I do exercise. Why do skinny people have to find this so &*$%! shocking?? Every single time??!!
Thanks, just needed to vent.
When I was first considering trying to run, after I had been walking and working our for a while but was still pretty heavy, I literally googled "too fat, can't run" and found some blog about running while fat and decided to go ahead.0 -
Okohme, that reminds me of this blog entry. Was this the one you mean? It's a wonderful entry.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=50512690 -
Okohme, that reminds me of this blog entry. Was this the one you mean? It's a wonderful entry.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=5051269
No, it was a different one, but that one is good too.0
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