I can't seem to bring myself to walk into a gym. My self confidence is low and I feel like if I walk in everyone will stare and wonder what a fat girl is doing there. How can I workout without a gym? I mean this is a for real paralyzing fear. Anyone else have similar thoughts or issue?

I do workouts at home. Either from ondemand or dvd's I have. I do cardio and weight workouts. I hate gyms :]

Walk! My surgeon said no cardio for 6 weeks and no weights etc for 8, so I've just been walking.

I walk mostly. I have great sidewalks in my neighborhood, but also a marked 1 mile trail about a block from my front door.

I also found a free yoga class at my local library that rocks. There's some skinny mini ladies in there, and there's some older guys, but we're all comfortable and I'm not the fattest or the most out of shape and don't care even if I was - yoga is fun and it's great exercise.

I also do a beginner's bodyweight routine at home; all you need is a yoga mat and some dumbbells (and you could use a milk jug filled with Water really). This is the one I do, but there are tons of bodyweight routines that require very little in the way of equipment and work as well or better than a gym machine routine:

http://skinnyms.com/beginners-total-body-fat-blasting-routine/

I have never liked gyms and think it would be a waste of money to me, so I don't bother. If you're not going to use them, don't waste your money.

Get some good walking shoes and just go outside and walk - it's easy, it's free and you'll feel just fine doing it and can start working up to walking longer distances over time.

Oh, and I swim in the summer. I ride my bike to the neighborhood pool and splash around and swim for hours. I had a blast last year, and am really looking forward to the pool opening later this year.

Something to keep in mind. If you are embarrassed to be seen exercising - why? You might be fat, but you're out there working on it. You're doing something healthy and getting up and out the door and you should be PROUD of yourself, and most folks aren't judging you for that; they're probably secretly rooting for you like - "well, she's trying - good for her!" And really, if anyone says a word that is negative... that's on them being a small minded jerkface; do you really care what asshats like that think? Hell no!!

YOU are awesome, and you don't need to give away your own power and let some dumb jerk mess with your head or bring you down because you are going to be fabulous!

There are most likely several folks in there who look amazing and are fit as hell.........but they weren't they way when they first started going.

They were overweight and out of shape.

They worked hard in the gym and hard on their food discipline and now look at them.

Those are exactly the type of folks I need to be around and pick up on the positive energy found in good gyms.

Think about it this way.......you start going.......work as hard as you safely can......stay on your new eating plan and begin to loose great amounts of weight........

You will be a legend in there in no time.

Everyone has to start somewhere. Every time I go I see folks just like me.....out of shape trying to get better. I've never felt judged or slighted in the least, in fact, I get helpful tips and thumbs up from folks when I limp out of there......sweating......exhausted.......spent.

Today is my first day off after a 60 hour workweek with 3-4 hours sleep each night. I slept in this morning....up at 5:00am.....showered, dressed in my gym clothes and chomping at the bit for my son to get ready for school so I can drop him off and get to my gym. The place simply draws me in and I miss it on long work days. It's the key for me to stay on track.

Please don't fear the gym.......the folks there are great people. Understanding people.

If you are apprehensive about joining a gym, I would suggest visiting some local gyms at around the time of day that you would normally go to the gym. The visit would give you some idea of the culture of the gym and some gyms will even let you use the facility on a trial basis for a week. Some of the different gym cultures I have seen that were not a great fit for me include:

- Gyms with a focus on free weights and involve lots of grunting, chalk dust, and steroid use.

- Gyms where the women wear jewelry, makeup, and the latest outfits to workout.

- Gyms with a focus on children's programs. (My kids are grown)

- Gyms that sign up 3 times the number of people who can reasonably use the facility.

When I was over 300 pounds I found a gym that I liked. It was affiliated with a local hospital, the staff all had college degrees in some exercise area, and it shared the space with a cardiac rehab unit. There were people of all sizes, ages, and levels of physical fitness. After my sleeve surgery I participated in a 60 day medical integration program where they set up a program for me and tracked progress along the way.

As my fitness progressed I left the hospital affiliated gym and joined a gym that had programs and facilities that I would use. It has a large pool for swimming, tons of cardio equipment, and I have been participating in small trainer led fitness classes. Its pretty expensive, but I go 6 to 7 times per week and at least for now it is working for me.

I think this is a situation where you just need to feel the fear and do it anyway.

Do you have a YMCA or a medical Wellness Center near you? I guarantee, that if you go to a facility like that you will see all shapes, sizes, ages, and physical ability levels.

I currently go to a wellness center run by our local hospital with an attached physical rehab unit and the diversity is incredible.

Whether you go somewhere like that or a regular commercial gym, believe me, you won't be that interesting to anyone. Most people are focused on why they are there, not why you are there.

I used to feel the same way but it went away once I finally got up the courage to actually go. The first few times I went, I did something easy (the treadmill) so I wouldn't make a fool of myself. I noticed that nobody was looking at me. Nobody was staring or laughing or even glancing. Everyone around me was so wrapped up in their own workout that they weren't paying attention. I started working out with weights and machines recently and it's the same way. I was super intimidated by all the really fit and cut people working out on the machines or free weights but they don't pay attention to anyone either. Almost all of them are watching themselves in the mirror to check their form, etc. so they aren't going to be looking around at other people. Now I go four times per week and I feel like I fit in with everyone else. I've also never paid much attention to anyone else there. It's all in your head

I cancelled my gym membership recently. I have only been a few times since surgery. There are no good gyms within 20 minutes of where I live. Not gyms with pools and the kind of classes and trainers I want. I'm not going to pay for a trainer that needs a trainer. I hate going to the gym and faking activity, I would rather just be active. I kept my membership for so long for the weights, but the weights they have aren't even good and the arrangement isn't optimal.

I walk. I work out with weights at home and I do yoga. I think yoga is probably the most beginner friendly exercise regardless of weight. All the poses can be modified to accommodate people at whatever stage they are at. It is also a serious muscle workout and you use muscles you didn't even know you had.

I'm going to get a new bike soon and add bike riding to the mix. I find being in a gym boring unless I am swimming or in a really intense class. I have found that intense workouts stress my body into holding weight so I haven't tried those again in a while.

You don't have to go to the gym to be active. It is better to build activity into your daily life, that doesn't require you going or doing something special. Walking is the best exercise, and you use more muscle than you think.

if I walk in everyone will stare, wonder what a fat girl is doing there.

@@Andi2522

i was at my heaviest weight

i had the same feelings you did

i thought when i "made" my appearance at the gym

everyone would stare at me, judge me

kindof like OMG look at her

it wasn't till much later i realized IF they were giving

me the "once over" they might be thinking............

how cool she is coming in to the gym, working

on improving herself!!

or they might not be looking/aware of me

reason - they have better things to do

ie exercise!!! that's what the gym is about

Try and put your head up high when you walk into the gym

you CAN slowly work with the gym, equipment, people

you don't have to stay long at the gym

increase the time period, you'll start to feel more confident

you will gradually conquer your "gymphobia..?"

i know you can

good luck

kathy

@@Andi2522 I had anxiety about going to the gym also. What worked for me was this: post op I started walking and would just walk at home. I don't live in a neighborhood but info have a lot of land and would walk around the back part of my property. I found that after I started losing weight I felt my confidence start to increase and knew I was ready for the gym. I chose my local YMCA. When I joined a trainer showed me around and educated me on how to work the machines etc.

I began using the equipment I was the most comfortable with (for me it was the treadmill and elliptical). In the beginning I also went during times that there weren't a lot of people. I was amazing how fast I became comfortable at my gym.

Now it's second nature and I just go whenever and do what I enjoy. I do understand your anxiety about going. Good luck- try and find what works for you!!!