Judging bodies at the Gym

I don't judge fat people for being fat. I belong to a small independent gym. Very musclehead. There is a girl there who was seriously overweight and I watched her coming day after day, sweating on the treadmill and lifting weights and felt bad because it didn't seem to be helping. Its been two years now and I can finally see she's lost quite a bit. She's still very heavy, but she's getting a handle on it. She's noticeably smaller. I always tell her she's looking good and doing a great job.

The other person I can't help staring at is slender and works out in leggings and one of those bra things that annoy me. She's not skinny but slim. But whenever she moves a weight I can see the sculpted muscle in her body. It's fascinating and beautiful. When she's just standing there, her back looks just like a back, but let her move a weight and the muscle moves beautifully. She's not bulky at all, just very toned. She looks like an anatomy poster when she moves. Just gorgeous.

I may judge people in other places...the obese woman in line in front of me at Scheels Sporting Goods buying CANDY! The morbidly obese woman motoring through a farmer's market in a power chair with no obvious signs of illness aside from just being to fat to walk, slurping on an ice cream cone that was so tall it was starting to topple. Yeah, I've been guilty of judging people like that, but never in the gym.

I find that I judge myself harder than I judge anyone else.
When I do my washing and hang my clothes on the line, I look at them and think they are tiny but if I look at myself in the mirror I think I look huge and out of proportion. (mentaly distorted view)
I always compare myself in size to others in the class and usually put myself in the "needs to be here most" category.
I try not to mention large people to my kids because I dont want them to have body image issues.
We can all name something we dont like about ourself, at least were at the gym !!!!

I read so much on here that is along the lines of 'nobody gives anybody else's body a second glance', 'nobody notices what anybody else looks like', 'nobody will be thinking about you'.

Are we just placating each other here or is it really, honestly true for most of you?

As someone who is obsessed with and paranoid about my own body shape I can't possibly not notice other people's. When I walk into my gym classes the first thing I will do is mentally line everyone else up in order of weight and see where I think I fit into it. If I am one of the thinner ones I am happy at the front and confident to bounce around for the hour, feeling light and pleased with myself. If I am one of the heavier ones I skulk to the back and fear to jump too high in case people think I am wobbling and fat.

This isn't unusual surely? We watch our own body shape ergo we watch other people's?

You've pretty muc hit the nail on the head, sort of. I used to always compare myself to the other ladies in the gym "I want a booty like that" "she has great legs" "wow, she's really struggling, that's so awesome that she's here" it was always self depricating. Now the only thing I've got is "man I wish I still had a rack too (stopped nursing and lost my bewbs)." I never look poorly on another person at the gym. They're there for the same reason I am, to work and get more fit, how can I possibly be negative about that?

Nope. I don't care.

I pay more attention to what I'm doing, or just looking around in general. I notice what people are wearing like if they're wearing a sweatshirt i think they're burning up, and how long they're on their machines and try to push myself harder.

I'm there to lose weight, and to get healthy, not judge people.

No I don't judge people bodies there, I don't even notice. I'll notice if they have a really great body, but tbh it has to be pretty fantastic to get me to notice, and there's no reason for me to judge it still.
I'm usually more focused on what they're doing how much they're lifting so I can be like wow I want to lift that!

Same here.

Sometimes I want to go up to people who are obese but really working hard and say "Good job! Don't give up! You can doooo iiiittt!", but I don't think they'd appreciate it. lol. So I cheer them on in my head.

OMG! I do this too!

Definitely don't judge people based on their body type. However, I would like to punch the dude who hopped on the elliptical next to me and proceeded to make LOUD moaning noises. So bad!

People do this because they are self conscious and a bit insecure. I could care less, I go do my thing and leave...I love seeing people in the gym of all shapes and sizes:)

Not gonna lie, I constantly look at people! It's mostly just because I'm insecure and constantly comparing myself to other people. I wouldn't say that I'm judging people at the gym though. I see a lot of bigger people there and I'm cheering them on inside my head. Sometimes I just want to stop them and tell them my story because I can only imagine how they feel, but I don't, because that would just be weird.

i look, and analyse, but i don't usually judge.

alot of times i look at the bigger people and think, i wonder if i looked like that a year ago?!*

often i feel like one of the fattest people in the classes, but it doesn't stop me going. it's hard being a 14-16 when you are surrounded by size 12 and unders.

but i am there every day, my confidence isn't sky high, but whatever... if people judge me and laugh at my wobbly butt trying to run on the treadmill, well screw them, what goes around comes around!