too embarassed......

I started the gym at 382 pounds, no one gave a F.. As I started dropping weight I got more support then I could ever had expected. Everyone was coming over to me telling me.. YOU ARE LOOKING GOOD MAN, keep it up! These people want you to be healthy or they are too busy with themselves. No one cares but you. You have to get over it, and you just have to make the first step. May seem nervous or scary but you aren't doing this to put on a fashion show or pick up guys at the gym. You are doing this to lose weight. Who cares about the rest.

I am exetremely obese and i go to a gym well used to. (money issue at the moment) and i never got the oh look a fat girl feeling from anyone.
if any thing you know what they will probably be thinking??

look at her getting her fit on. damn good for her

I understand fully but I had to let you know even when I was 98 to 120 pounds I still could not walk into a gym with a heavier friend and not be laughed at. Some people just feel they have to say something to make themselves feel better.

I been doing Zumba class for few months now. a 6'3, 300+ lbs man in a class of about 25-30 women doing Zumba, badly. but I don't care. I have fun. and I'm not alone either! there's 2 other guys in the class too!

thanks guys I appreciate the encouragement. I am very big. 140kgs right now. really if I am honeat with myself I cant walk for more than 10 minutes at a time right now with a lot of ba ck pain and getting out of breath.

I think this is a big part of it. while I have always been the large girl I was reasonably fit for my size before my sleep apnea got very bad a few years ago (still undiagnosed then) and I stopped moving became depressed and ate...a LOT...

I am glad I am doing this and im not going to stop. I want to go to a gym or something but right now the very thought is just O.o

If you read these forums you will see members of all shapes and sizes, bigger and smaller. than 140 kg. Best thing: So many people have success stories. You are amongst your peers here.

i can relate, for a time, i was too embarrassed to get in touch with my friends, i felt that they would judge on how i have let myself go this fat. i lost all confidence in talking to other people. i stayed just at home for 3 years.. until i just got tired and hooked up with old friends.

it feels great! i also follow dvd inside the house, i still dont go to the gym but im working on it

If you need to start out by walking near your house, that's good. But when I see overweight people at the gym very faithfully plodding away on the treadmill or other machines, I am proud of them for taking the first step. I even have wanted to go encourage them but they'd probably look at me like I'm a weirdo...:noway:

Dont be embarrassed!!! I love seeing ppl trying to get healthy and fit...and ppl who judge an over weight person for trying to workout or walk or go to the gym, obviously has something wrong with their head! Go for it...give it your all and dont care about anyone else or their opinions! Your doing this for you right?! So, go for it!! You could always start with a workout program at home to drop a little but a first if it makes you feel better!

Dont be embarrassed!!! I love seeing ppl trying to get healthy and fit...and ppl who judge an over weight person for trying to workout or walk or go to the gym, obviously has something wrong with their head! Go for it...give it your all and dont care about anyone else or their opinions! Your doing this for you right?! So, go for it!! You could always start with a workout program at home to drop a little but a first if it makes you feel better!

if you are seriously overweight please remember it is 80% nutrition

More like 95%, plus when you're exercising you're not eating! Again, when you're seriously overweight there are two factors in your favour when it comes to losing weight through exercise:

1. Even just walking involves shifting some seriously heavy weight about and that burns LOADS of calories. At 120lb an hour of Zumba burns only about 300 calories for me, you could easily burn twice that amount. So "only" walking for ten minutes is quite a good workout if it's leaving you a bit out of breath.

2. Though you probably don't realise it, just everyday moving around carrying that weight has built you some serious muscle under there - and muscle is fabulous at burning calories even when it's not being used. If you can stay as strong as you are now, once you've lost weight, you're going to have an amazing body and be able to eat loads more than other people the same weight!

There are loads of people on here who are 100lb overweight, I work out regularly but if you put a 100lb pack on my back, I couldn't even stand up.

So, instead of hating your body, try looking upon it as your personal (but temporary) gym!

Do this for yourself; don't worry about what others are thinking or doing or feeling. They're not there when you're dealing with the effects of your apnea (saw your profile). Start with home dvds if that helps. It will jump start your weight loss and eventually you'll forget to care about the others. You're not the 'fat girl', you're the smart person who is taking a stand for yourself at a young age. You don't want to be 60 with a long list of health problems looking back at you now wondering why you let this stop you. You can do this, there is so much support here and I suspect within you as well.

I belong to a gym and the last thing on my mind is to laugh at someone willng to put forth the effort and exercise!!

Walk talk and walk pround!!! No one is laughing.

I'm a very overweight girl. I plug in the headphones and do what I came to do. I may look at people in the gym, but I don't see them because I'm in my zone. When I do see other overweight people, I'm cheering them on in my head, because I think half the success of working out is just starting, whether it's going for a walk around the park or actually stepping foot in the gym. And if someone is an *kitten* to you, report them. Gyms want their patrons to come back and they often have a zero tolerance policy on any kind of harassment.

Until you're ready, make other changes. Watch what you eat, park far away when shopping (and it's safe) and drink water instead of soda. Small changes can add up to make a big difference.

I get you.

The hardest part of exercising is taking that first step. The psychological thought of being watched and judged can weaken even the strongest heart.

I wanted to exercise in public, but it wasn't the thought of people judging me as fat that bothered me, but people judging me if I couldn't even jog the length of a few houses.

So I went out in my back yard where no one would see me and I did boglaps there. Round and round I'd go, every day, safe, anonymous, secret.

Only after I was fit enough, did the courage come.

So don't feel that you must get over your fear before you can exercise. Avoid the fear entirely, even if it means jumping jacks in the closet where no one can see or hear you.

If you feel that way, what about a wii or Nintendo? You can get amazing exercise programs for them, including Zumba and Yoga and all sorts. It will make you feel better about yourself until you get some pounds off and feel better in front of others. We have some very large gals at my gym and nobody makes them feel bad about themselves, and it's mostly guys there. As for me, I don't care....let em laugh. Sticks and stones! Be at peace with yourself and do what you need to get where you want to go. Just make sure you keep going....:happy: