What makes some people stink.....?

MoreBean13
MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
edited December 18 in Health and Weight Loss
This is not meant to be mean or accusatory to anyone, but I was at the gym tonight and the guy on the elliptical next to me really smelled of B.O. - Bad. What makes some people smell worse than others when they sweat? More importantly, do the people that smell KNOW that they smell?! Could I smell and not know it?! (I'm pretty sure I don't...I'm pretty compulsive about hygiene and always wear deodorant and body spray...but who knows)
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Replies

  • mistyladidah
    mistyladidah Posts: 210 Member
    All I know is that the smell is actually bacterial emissions... um, farts... so from what I've gathered from my own smell strength, if you sweat, then smell a little because the sweat doesn't get washed off, then sweat more, you're well, feeding the smell and it gets worse and worse. Oh, and dirty clothes obviously will amplify the aroma a bit for the same reason. Other than that it's a lot of different things I would think... diet, body toxins, and plain old luck to start with. I've had friends who just always stank as soon as they started to sweat a little.

    edit: You probably would know if you had a smell, I catch wafts all the time when I need a shower but nobody else ever smells it, and I suck at remembering deodorant. :happy:
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
    As a previously stinky person at the gym who used to avoid using the equipment next to people, i use white vinegar to kill the bacteria expecially in the armpits of my workout gear once a month and it works :) it's like wearing a fresh outfit just soak the item in a bowl for a bit then wash as normal :bigsmile:
  • sozzell
    sozzell Posts: 166
    I kind of expect people at the gym to smell of BO a bit. Unacceptable smells at the gym, however, are farts, food, and tobacco.
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    As a previously stinky person at the gym who used to avoid using the equipment next to people, i use white vinegar to kill the bacteria expecially in the armpits of my workout gear once a month and it works :) it's like wearing a fresh outfit just soak the item in a bowl for a bit then wash as normal :bigsmile:

    Thats a good call. Going to do that with all my under armour gear at the weekend. Can;t boil wash that stuff. Thakns for the tip

    (I don;t smell by the way, well maybe a little of chocolate)
  • thebigcb
    thebigcb Posts: 2,210 Member
    Sweat doesn;t smell. Old sweat does. Wash more, smell less
  • Lobster1987
    Lobster1987 Posts: 492 Member
    Do you know how hard it is to try to hold in a fart while working on an elliptical?!?!?!!?

    I try to hold it in SO bad...but thankfully I'll work out by creepy old men and I'm sure people blame it on them if it slips....bwahaha
  • kayl3igh88
    kayl3igh88 Posts: 428 Member
    Do you know how hard it is to try to hold in a fart while working on an elliptical?!?!?!!?

    I try to hold it in SO bad...but thankfully I'll work out by creepy old men and I'm sure people blame it on them if it slips....bwahaha

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • mruntidy
    mruntidy Posts: 1,015 Member
    Do you know how hard it is to try to hold in a fart while working on an elliptical?!?!?!!?

    I try to hold it in SO bad...but thankfully I'll work out by creepy old men and I'm sure people blame it on them if it slips....bwahaha

    So you're the guff terrorist in my gym are you, i knew it was the women!
  • skinnylion
    skinnylion Posts: 213
    Some people reek more than others because of the way you perceive their smell. There have been a few studies that determine people "choose mates" subconsciously based on smell, since body odor reflects the human immune system. People with an immune system too similar to yours smell bad (like family members) and people with a very different immune system smell "good" (relatively)!

    This is all evolutionary and helps people to make healthier babies that are more resistant to diseases.
  • marykeblom
    marykeblom Posts: 56
    Do you know how hard it is to try to hold in a fart while working on an elliptical?!?!?!!?

    I try to hold it in SO bad...but thankfully I'll work out by creepy old men and I'm sure people blame it on them if it slips....bwahaha


    WAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAhaHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i'm laughing so hard my tummy is hurting!! i wonder if that counts as calories burned?
  • bytemeeeeee
    bytemeeeeee Posts: 173 Member
    Hahahahah...I just swallowed a whole Jolly Rancher!!!
  • PercivalHackworth
    PercivalHackworth Posts: 1,437 Member
    Some people reek more than others because of the way you perceive their smell. There have been a few studies that determine people "choose mates" subconsciously based on smell, since body odor reflects the human immune system. People with an immune system too similar to yours smell bad (like family members) and people with a very different immune system smell "good" (relatively)!

    This is all evolutionary and helps people to make healthier babies that are more resistant to diseases.

    Pretty interesting theory. Who came with such ?
  • Superchikanthem
    Superchikanthem Posts: 362 Member
    Some people reek more than others because of the way you perceive their smell. There have been a few studies that determine people "choose mates" subconsciously based on smell, since body odor reflects the human immune system. People with an immune system too similar to yours smell bad (like family members) and people with a very different immune system smell "good" (relatively)!

    This is all evolutionary and helps people to make healthier babies that are more resistant to diseases.

    Pretty interesting theory. Who came with such ?

    I've heard that to. But not sure where so I cannot account for it credibility.
  • emounteer
    emounteer Posts: 2
    LOL that is halarious. :laugh:
  • KC4800
    KC4800 Posts: 140 Member
    As a previously stinky person at the gym who used to avoid using the equipment next to people, i use white vinegar to kill the bacteria expecially in the armpits of my workout gear once a month and it works :) it's like wearing a fresh outfit just soak the item in a bowl for a bit then wash as normal :bigsmile:

    Its ok to put the white vinegar right into the wash water with the soap. That works too.
  • TheMerryPup
    TheMerryPup Posts: 186 Member
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  • hbrittingham
    hbrittingham Posts: 2,518 Member
    The only time that I think I have smelled at the gym was when I went on a Sunday morning before taking a shower. I don't know if I stunk to anyone else, but I could smell myself. Normally I go after work, and I shower before work and after the gym.

    I have had a few people with really bad breath working out next to me. And they tend to mouth breathe, which is probably part of what causes the bad breath in the first place. It's pretty gross.

    I have only noticed BO once in the three years I've been working out at the gym, no, twice. Both of them were males and it smelled like they would just shove their gym clothes back into their gym bag after their workout, just to put them back on the next time they worked out.
  • Diary_Queen
    Diary_Queen Posts: 1,314 Member
    Personally, I stink when I workout.... it's something I can notice and other people don't as another poster said. I can tell when I've had an overload of vitamins or too many onions for lunch because I can smell it on my skin. It doesn't bother me, but when I'm working out for 2 hours of intense cardio and weight training plus zumba, I hate doing the stretching at the end because I feel like I'm wafting around my stink LOL Some people go to the gym, don't sweat and smell like cotton candy when they're done. I don't envy them... but it would be nice to smell like cotton candy from time to time.
  • onedayillbeamilf
    onedayillbeamilf Posts: 966 Member
    People who eat a ton of garlic, onion and/or curry sometimes smell pretty pungent as well.
  • ChristiH4000
    ChristiH4000 Posts: 531 Member
    There's nothing like fart jokes in the morning. I love this place!
  • AZnewme
    AZnewme Posts: 228 Member
    I remember a friend of my husbands who just always had this "smell" and when he got sweaty it was worse. I know he was immaculate with his hygene (he would take three showers a day!). Found out later he had a minral defficiency - i believe it was zinc - he smells "normal" now.
  • jnh17
    jnh17 Posts: 838 Member
    When people cake on the perfume or body spray is when I get pissed.
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
    There is actually a name for it. If it's not caused by someone's failure to practice personal hygiene, it could be bromhidrosis. Here's a copy I found. I actually learned about this back in the 70s when I was taking an anatomy class. Go figure.

    "Bromhidrosis, also known as bromidrosis or body odor, is a common phenomenon in postpubertal individuals. In rare cases, bromhidrosis may become pathologic if it is particularly overpowering or if the bromhidrosis significantly interferes with the lives of the affected individuals. Bromhidrosis is a chronic condition in which excessive odor, usually an unpleasant one, emanates from the skin. Bromhidrosis, determined largely by apocrine gland secretion, can substantially impair a person's quality of life. "
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    I'm one of those stinky people but I don't go to a gym. I actually have to shower before I work out otherwise I can't stand to smell myself.:sick: I think I sweat too much at night, not sure. I would NEVER subject someone to it and if a person working out thinks they are the only one who can smell it, they are kidding themselves. Use antibacterial soap people and if ya stink, shower before going into a closed building to sweat! It doesn't take that much time.
  • Benson19
    Benson19 Posts: 54 Member
    It also has been known that diabetics and certain kidney problems can lead to people having stronger odors that they can't help. Certain prescription drugs can also effect your smell.
  • anraq13
    anraq13 Posts: 16
    it could be ketones. That will make you smell funky, like chicken noodle soup. No joke
    Or hormones make some people smell. When I was pregnant, or after having my children I had to use the Clinical Strength deoderant
  • auticus
    auticus Posts: 1,051 Member
    I put deoderant on before going to the gym out of respect for those around me. My hair, however... I don't mess with so often I look like Doctor Rockso the rock and roll clown on weekend mornings.
  • mhankosk
    mhankosk Posts: 532 Member
    Do you know how hard it is to try to hold in a fart while working on an elliptical?!?!?!!?

    I try to hold it in SO bad...but thankfully I'll work out by creepy old men and I'm sure people blame it on them if it slips....bwahaha

    I absolutely 100% agree with this! LOL.
  • ashlielinn
    ashlielinn Posts: 920
    When people cake on the perfume or body spray is when I get pissed.

    ^Agreed. If you smell like sweat, fine. I'm at the gym, and I expect you to smell like you're at the gym, too. BUT if you get on the treadmill next to me smelling like an entire field of poppies, causing me to have an allergy attack, THEN I have a problem!
  • Arthemise1
    Arthemise1 Posts: 365 Member
    On the topic of bad breath, it may not be the person's fault. I used to have really bad breath, no matter how much I brushed or gargled. Then I had sinus surgery, which cleared out the many folds in my sinuses and the infections I had. The more folds, the more bacteria or whatever can grow. Sinus wash may help, but I didn't know about that at the time. Also, when you're on a diet, your breath can definitely smell worse than normal.
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