I got laughed at in the gym and now I never want to go back

In my experience the best gym culture can be found at local, independent gyms, normally frequented by body builders. They will help you out so much and just want to see you improve. Always happy to spot you if required. See if you have any of them locally and you wont regret it.

Yes, I've learnt this as well. A couple of years ago I had to move gyms from a very nice commercial chain gym to a smaller independent gym, which had started as a bodybuilding & powerlifting place.

At first, it was a bit scary - all those big strong men! But I've learned that they are the sweetest - and the middle-aged blokes particularly, are so nice & respect women who lift (it probably helps that relative to my size I'm very strong).

I was once challenging myself on the bench press (without safeties) and failed a bigger lift than I'd ever done - I was safe, but was having to wriggle out from under the bar. The guy next to me noticed as I was extricating myself, and actually apologised that he hadn't noticed earlier in time to give me a spot! I thought that was amazingly nice.

Oh, I’m so sorry this happened. Absolutely report them and absolutely do not stop going. You go in there with your head held high - it is them that should be ashamed, not you, and their comments say so much more about them than anything else. I’d be absolutely mortified if my kids ever did something like that. Just please don’t give up. You’re doing it! Don’t let them take that away from you.

Get yourself back! Feck them. They probably spend their entire gym session on the stairmaster because tiktok told them too. Don't let them beat you. Report them to the gym. Keep going! It's all about mindset. When I was 2 stone overweight I got this vibe from a few of the younger girls. Heavily made up faces. Tiny shorts so everyone could see what they had for lunch. I just kept going and lifting weights as hard as it was. You can do it!

People who laugh are actually insecure in themselves. You are there. Who can criticize you for trying to lose weight.. no one! Ignore them, hold your head high and be proud of yourself.

I wish I could slap them on your behalf. Horrible brats

Little brats

Don't let two gobshite teens dictate where you go and what you do.

Nasty little bitches. Please don't let a bunch of know nothing teenagers put you off if you want to go to that gym . Definitely report them, I bet the management will be glad to get rid of those brats .

Definitely report this. Do it by email if you can’t face the staff. Detail the time you were there and where in the gym you were. Assuming there’s CCTV they can see who it is. Every gym I’ve been to you’ve had to tap a card/fob to get it. It won’t take them long to figure out who it was.

My gym would ban them for this, the gym is for everybody, except bullies.

I’ve been to the gym obese for years, and I still go to the same one now with a healthy BMI (than you ozempic)

dont let anyone make you feel you don’t belong there

That's totally unacceptable. Report it to the staff. But please try and let this put you off going.

I saw 2 young men do this to an older man and I told the reception staff and they got dragged out and given a written warning.
They are turds and will always have disgusting personalities and poor quality relationships. You are better than them, hold you head up high.

Please don't give up.

I was bullied during PE when I was at school 50 yrs ago. Going back to the gym has been a revelation for me - we're all shapes and sizes and everyone has been really supportive.

Was there no one on duty when you were there? The two little [insert word]s should have been pulled up for their behaviour and - preferably - ejected.

I put YABU, not because you did anything wrong, but because you are thinking of letting some small minded little girls detract from something you want and need to achieve for yourself.
Time to put the big girl pants on, or leggings, and get back to the gym with your headphones on.
There will always be sad bullies in the world, but dont use them as an excuse to not achieve your aims, youre there for you, not them.
Good luck and keep at it!

Well done for what you've achieved so far! This experience says far more about them than it does about you, so as others have said please don't let it put you off. I agree you should report it and the gyms response will let you know if you should find a more inclusive gym.

I'm so so so sorry. I go to a gym where that would never happen. We cheer each other on!

That song "Nothing" from Chorus Line runs through my head - about an actor who couldn't feel anything in her acting class. "And I felt Nothing" but she then says "If I want something, go find a better class"

Find a better gym!

But maybe first, tell your current gym manager why you are thinking of leaving. Don't be embarrassed - say you heard them making rude remarks about your body and that you were bullied into leaving the gym earlier than you intended.

Also, can you rehearse with friends or loved ones what you might say if they do it again? Look straight at them and ask them if they have something to say to you?

Do you have a friend or gym buddy? I've met people at my gym by doing classes. Is that a possibility for you? Classes can often be a nice social event as well, once you get to know people - a smile and a hello, and how was that class for you? or "OMG, I'll have DOMS tomorrow" or some other light gym-speak comment to break the ice.

I've also started saying to other women in the change rooms, "I saw your deadlifts today - they are awesome" and people are usually really sweet about that.

Just a sense of getting some allies on the gym floor. I work out a couple of times a week with a personal trainer, and he's my ally as well - no-one would really dare say anything rude to me as he'd be on their case.

Don't give up the squats - they're really good for you.

Fuck them.
Awful people.
You should have said you'll smack her, see their smirk fade.
I'm sorry this happened, some gym's are cesspits.

GO BACK!!!

Im so sorry you were subjected to that, but attitudes like that are getting much rarer. Kids and teens etc are much kinder than they were back in our day.

Honestly, don’t give them that power over you. Go back, this is your life.

Don't let them be the reason you stop trying to get fit. Please go back and report.Shit like this should not be allowed to happen.

Please report to the staff of the gym. A good gym does not want this culture in their gym.

I have been in your shoes with being overweight and attending a gym and it is so so hard.

In my experience the best gym culture can be found at local, independent gyms, normally frequented by body builders. They will help you out so much and just want to see you improve. Always happy to spot you if required. See if you have any of them locally and you wont regret it.

Sorry this happened.

I voted YABU as in your are being unreasonable not to go back to the gym.
I'm fat and its happened to me
Now i am angry I spent decades not going to gyms because of worrying about other people/idiots opinions.
Dont waste your life....

They are teenage dickheads who know f all
... and statistically 1 of them will become obese in the next 20 years or so.

Go for you and go for your health and fuck them.

Look up some larger fitness influences on insta and take some music next time.

They are sad little arseholes that know fuck all about the world.

Im so sorry this happened. The girls are the ones who shouldn’t be in the gym.

a similar thing happened at our one, they were prepared to ban the people who said similar. Have you told the gym? Dont let them stop you.

I go to a PureGym too. I’ve always found it good and members supportive. But all you need to change this is a couple of shitty members, isn’t it?

Congratulations on losing a lot of weight, but don’t let other idiots put you off the gym, they’re arseholes, at least you can lose more weight they’ll always be ugly inside!
I am overweight too, I am back to swimming and I always feel so much better about myself when I go, o couldn’t care what people think of my body, to top it off I have psoriasis too, so I look very bizarre with my red scaled patches, people can sod off if they have anything to say. To be honest I’m now 53 and I’d give people a piece of my mind if they dare say anything to me! Perhaps next time you can tell them that there’s a CCTV camera on them and you’ll be asking the manager to ban them 😉

I can't tell you how angry your post made me.

I can't stand bullies.

And I admire you so much for persevering and going along to the gym.

They are sad, inadequate people who feel the need to mock other people to compensate for their own inadequacies.
Don't led these worthless people put you off.

And yes you should report them to the gym because you have the right to go about your exercise regime there without being mocked by idiots.