hey everyone, i saw the surgeon today and he says i am doing AWESOME!!! when i asked about working out, he said "join a gym tomorrow".

there is a great gym in my town, about 4 miles from my house. they even have child care for my little one and classes for my tween to try, including a pool and swim lessons!

i really like it there and took a tour of it last year when i was considering joining then. but.........

this gym seems really full of REALLY thin and fit people. i'm still a VERY big person. i have issues about being around people socially simply due to my weight. i just feel like in public, everyone is noticing my weight. at a gym, well i think it would be worse. they open at like 4am so i have even thought of going there at 5 and working out when, hopefully, the attendance is minimal...

HOW do i get over being a fat lady a a skinny gym?

Skinny women? Those are the 'afters'. I am just the 'before'.

@@mi75 I'm gonna "TRY" and make an anology, hope it comes out right years ago when i was a single parent i shopped at K-Mart (not that ihere is anything wrong with K-Mart) but it is on the lower end of shopping places ie Lord and Taylor is a "lttle" better My 11 year old daughter was always ashamed of possibly being seen, shopping at K-Mart!!(OMG ) I would tell her that all the over people were there in the same boat as time went by i was able to go to "better" stores, see other people shoppping there too but who knows, maybe they were in the same boat as i used to be??? they survived too, didn't sink!! LOL you will be fine too strutt your stuff good luck bud kathy

Great analogy!

Ok I don't want to go into specifics but I work/live/friend people of all backgrounds/financial statuses. I came from the "hood" as my city has been called. I still go to the same stores, etc. as I did before. I make more than I did before but still shop like I used to.

I'm still the same person no matter what or where I shop. I have relatives that can't shop at Neiman Marcus. That's ok by me. I still love them. That's the way your peeps should be.

Any peep.

Does anyone go to Curves?

I used to go to Curves. A lot of people love it, but it wasn't for me. Because of the timed interval nature of it, by the time I'd get my flubber off of one machine and settled onto another, it seemed like it was time to switch again so I never really got to do anything long enough to see or feel any progress. None of the equipment was adjustable either, and as a short / oddly proportioned person, some of the exercises just hurt. Plus - and this is just me, most people aren't this neurotic - there was no time to wipe the equipment off before getting on it.

almost ALL of the Curves around my area have shut down in the past year or so. i think the closest one would be about 20 minutes away!

i agree with the no wiping down thing. gross.

Great analogy!

@@Texasmeg

phewwww - wasn't sure I said it right

btw

you are aces for losing 71 lbs, reaching goal!!!!

keep up the good work (I'm sure you will )

kathy

congrats

@@mi75

i also understand how it can/is hard to go to the gym when you are a "little" heavy

i felt self-conscious too

IF anyone is looking at you i think its possible they might be thinking

good for her, look at her working away!!!

(they might even remember way back when they used to be a "little" overweight

go ahead - don't let anybody/anything stop you from getting healthier

I KNOW you do it

kathy

good luck

Edited August 11, 201412 yr by proudgrammy

I have talked to my sister about it and as soon as I get the go ahead, I am joining a gym. Yes, as always, I will feel like everyone is watching me wiggle and jiggle. But i've only got a certain amount of time to lose the most weight and I am just gonna take a deep breath, walk through the door and ignore everyone else. I WANT to be active; I WANT to live my life as a normal person. I've been doing a stationery bicycle but can't imagine me doing it out on the roads ... they would make me carry a "WIDE LOAD" sign! But one day I will.

I am starting yoga in the evening to stretch out some of my muscles. Trying to get rid of so back pain so I can walk again. Lots of plans lol. I had surgery in 2007 and now my trachea is in the middle of my neck. I learned then that if people were going to judge me for something that was no fault of my own, then I certainly don't need them as friends. I learned to walk with my head held high and I learned (after a lifetime of looking at the ground) to look people in the eye. It won't be easy, but i've made the commitment "whatever it takes!"

So, it's time to stand up and not let my thoughts of what others are thinking spoil my new journey. I am in this for the long haul; so one step at a time with head held high!!

Best wishes and good luck everyone!

Peggy

Edited August 11, 201412 yr by Peggy Jean

You will not be the fattest fat person at the gym. You just won't be. I was well over 300 lbs and I still was not the biggest person there. And my gym is totally THAT gym with the fancy equipment, classes and pool. Trust me when I saw everyone is in their own little workout bubble listening to their music or watching reruns of keeping up with the Kardashians.

Also, read some of my older blog entries. You aren't alone in your feelings. You just need to get over them.

I agree -- try not to give a hoot about the other folks. Wear you headphones and just be in your own world. One thought, though... I don't know if there is a Planet Fitness near you. They call themselves a "judgement free zone" and that has been my experience. Most of the clients look like us, just regular people trying to get fit. My center doesn't have child care unfortunately. I don't know if other facilities do, but it would be worth checking out if there's a PF gym near you. Don't know exactly where you are, but I just checked their website, and they have lots of gyms in Michigan. As a bonus, they're also pretty inexpensive. http://www.planetfitness.com/ Good luck!

You asked how to "get over your feelings" and to that I say don't even try getting over. Instead, I suggest reframing from a higher perspective. For me, I Imagine going on a regular basis for the next year. During that time I will have surgery and lose massive amount of weight and be getting stronger and healthier. I imagine the huge inspiration I will have on everyone in that gym. They will see my (and your) transformation and that will be motivation for them. I imagine being the woman that others come to for health and exercise advice.... And the only way this works is if I go now so everyone sees how far I have come. On a practical note: the YMCA often has wider variety of body types and ages than the chain clubs. They also provide financial aid and often childcare. Good luck and keep us posted!

Edited August 11, 201412 yr by I will what I want

I will echo what a lot of other people have said: MOST people in a gym don't really care about other people. They are there to get their workout in, and don't bother other people. You will occasionally get an entitled asshole, but they're everywhere and not just exclusive to gyms.

I will say that when I started heavy-duty exercising, I was more than 300 lbs. I didn't go to a gym (just couldn't afford it), but I walked and cycled. And some of the most encouragement I've had, outside my family, were strangers that passed me on the bike trail. A nod of encouragement, a few kind words...people who are in shape tend to know how hard it is to get there and maintain it, and I see a lot more encouragement than discouragement in exercise environments.

If you're more comfortable going at off-times until you get used to going, by all means do it. The important part is getting out there and getting the exercise

And some of the most encouragement I've had, outside my family, were strangers that passed me on the bike trail.

So true. People behave differently when you work your way into that element. I remember trying to do the Run For Your Lives 5k at almost 330 pounds (yeah, hilly mud runs are something best saved for 100 pounds down). People that I am sure would never have spoken to me in "real life", that I would have crossed the street to get away from, certain that they'd give me a hard time, were the ones circling back and holding out their hands to help me over the obstacles.

One thing I noticed for past 1.5 years I've going to Planet Fitness is that the clientele changes during the day. I go in between 8am and 9am, and I find an older crowd than what is there during the peak hours before and after work. I've seen other heavy folks, people using walkers, wheelchairs, canes, etc. Some can barely manage several minutes on a treadmill or on the machines. They are there for themselves, and no one judges anyone else. When see someone trying to improve their well being and doing the best they can at a health club, I have to admire their willpower. I was very uncomfortable about joining a gym--all I could think of was the crap I took in High School during the Phys Ed classes, and I didn't want to relieve those terrible years over... but, after one or two visits, the gym became a second home, and I feel very comfortable going everyday for my sixty minutes on the treadmill. Join a gym, go, and hold your head up high.

keep on your journey and soon you will Be skinnier than the skinny ones....