To think these women should be banned from using the gym?

[CakeMeIAmYours]

I use a local gym, usually infrequently for weights etc and tend to run outside. The recent rubbish weather has meant that I've spent a lot more time running at the gym recently, and I can't help but notice these two seriously, seriously underweight women are always in there.

When I say underweight, I'm not talking about size 0, but quite clearly in the grips of a serious eating disorder.

They do some fairly hardcore fat burning work outs, and to make matters worse, seem to be in some sort of competition with one another - like they are competing to be the last one off the rower/last one to leave etc.

FWIW, I have an underweight friend (medical reasons, not food related) who has been recommended by her doctor to use the gym to build some muscle, but what these women are doing is very obviously an attempt to lose even more weight.

I think the gym environment is probably exacerbating their issues; whenever either of them walk around in the gym, everyone stares in pity and there is an almost audible gasp of horror. They seem to be almost proud of this . They also both wear pretty revealing gym clothes (crop tops, tiny shorts) as if to show off their extreme thinness.

It's really worrying, and I'm wondering if the management of the gym ought to step in and say that they cannot use the gym until they are of a more sensible weight. Then again, they are grown women and I can see the argument that the gym has no place telling them what to do.

Our contracts, btw state that the onus is on the user to inform the gym of any health issues they might have - they have limited their liability in every case other than that of injuries caused by malfunctioning equipment.

Tbh, these women have both got to the stage where, if they were a relative/friend of mine, I would be doing everything in my power to ensure they were in hospital being tube fed. Surely the gym has some form of moral responsibility to help them, or at least prevent them from harming themselves?

Its not the gyms job to police it users. As you said, you have a friend who is underweight and how would the gym management know the difference between your friend and someone with an eating disorder?

Sad as it sounds, I dont think that there is anything the gym could or should do.

I think gyms do have some sort of responsibility towards their members but it's difficult. If these women are obviously underweight then maybe they should ask for certification from their GP to allow them to continue to use the facilities?
Might cause huge problems though but I don't think gyms should ignore this.

I used to do a gym class and there was one woman there who clearly had a serious issue with her body image - she was skeletal. Another of the participants was her GP who spoke with her but admitted that all she could do was advise. She couldn't do anything to stop her exercising.

what bogey said

Its such a difficult one, I'm inclined to agree that its not the job of the gym to police this, but then again, I feel strongly that we all have a responsibility to protect members of society who are not mentally capable of taking responsibility for their safety themselves. I'm no expert in the field of eating disorders, but common sense tells me that these women do fall into that category.

Btw, my friend does workouts that combine strength training with pilates type stretches, and what these women are doing is very obviously a calorie burning effort.

Its so sad to watch, but I agree, what can you do?

Tbh, these women have both got to the stage where, if they were a relative/friend of mine, I would be doing everything in my power to ensure they were in hospital being tube fed

If they were THAT ill, they wouldnt really have the energy to do all that exercise, or I would have thought that anyway...

squeaky unfortunately they are that thin and are doing that much exercise.

One of them was on the treadmill next to me this morning and reminded me for all the world of one of those donkeys you see on the adverts for sanctuaries.

She ran for about a minute, couldn't do any more, walked for a while then metaphorically 'flogged herself' until she started again.

My friend goes to a gym which banned a woman from going because of how thin she was. They told her they were seriously worried about her and couldnt stand back any more.

Even if the gym could ban these women, they'd go running or hiking or something else to work out. It is very sad but only the women themselves can resolve their issues. Just like banning an alcoholic from a pub isn't going to cure him/her.

With an ED there are no guarantees that an unwanted comment from an outsider is going to make any difference, sadly, recovery can only begin when the person feels the costs of the ED outweigh any perceived benefits. If these women couldn't go to the gym, there's nothing to stop them over-exercising elsewhere. But I agree that it must be a really distressing sight for everyone.

I don't really think there is anything the gym can do, they are paying for access to the gyms services.

Could mcdonalds start refusing to serve overweight people?

I suppose you could start chatting with them and ask them if they are using the gym to build up muscle, as your friend is.
Sort of pass on the message that they ARE too thin?

But how thin are they? You say they're not size zero, what size would you say they are? A lot of long distance runners (men and women) are very wiry but it doesn't mean they have eating disorders.

YANBU

Is this my gym? I see the same at my gym and have posted on here before about it. Is it Virgin Active
I do think the gym have a responsibility. It's exactly the same as a bar serving an alcoholic or someone clearly drunk as some else said. Only it is illegal for a bartender to serve someone drunk more drink.

I don't think it's ok to say that there's no point in the gym stopping them as they will just go hiking anyhow. The gym promote fitness and insist people have have a fitness test before using equipment. They should not allow people to cause more harm to themselves on their premises.

It is so sad though and such an awful mental disease.

The two at my gym are covered in white fluffy hair all over their arms and face and their bodies resemble the photos I have seen of emaciated victims of Belsen and other Nazi concentration camps. They are not thin they are emaciated.

You would think they'd have a duty of care, but i dont think they do. Same thing at my gym. No matter what time of day I go, weekends or week days she is there. Very sad to see.

If they have an ED then they will just GP to another gym or workout at home or eat even less!

The gym should not police it's members

Oh helloclitty that's shocking :(

I only asked how thin they are because my eldest sister is naturally very slim but very healthy and in no way has an eating disorder but she once had someone start telling her she was clearly anorexic and needed to get help when she was swimming with my nephew. Fortunately my sister is one of the most laid back people I have ever come across so just thought the woman was a loon and laughed it off but I was really for her.

Squeaky beat me to it.

Tube fed really??

And yet they still have massive amounts of energy?

You'd be suprised at how people with anorexia adapt and cope. I was anorexic when I was younger and would run in the gym for an hour and a half every day. I'm 5'5 and weighed under 6 stone. It was horrific and I had nose bleeds afterwards but I forced myself to do it.

I have a friend who goes to my gym that you could look at and say that about - but she has major health issues which have resulted in the weight loss and exercising is one of the things that keeps her going - and its better for her to be running on a treadmill than on the road. That being said, she can run at 10kmph quite happily and hold a normal conversation as though she was just wandering along and keep that up for ages - she's not having to work herself up to run at all.

There is a definite difference between the appearance of women who are a naturally low weight or who stay thin with healthy food and exercise; & those who are actually ill (due to disease or eating disorder & over-exercising).
Women who are thin due to illness often have gaunt faces, minimal body fat, muscle wastage to the limbs & are out of proportion (eg. their heads seem too big for their bodies).
Thin women who are healthy look petite & may have low body fat; but their limbs have shape due to healthy muscles & they don't look gaunt.

So - OP - YANBU if you think that the women you mention are ill, because it is usually quite obvious. Also YANBU to care & worry about others.

However YABU as you don't know for sure WHY they look ill. They may have eating disorders or exercise addiction; or they could have a physical health problem.

Also YABU to expect the gym staff to take responsibility - if these women DO have eating disorders - it's safer for them to be at a gym where if they did collapse they would get medical help / an ambulance if needed than overexercising in an isolated place.
YABU to think that if they were asked to leave the gym they would not just exercise elsewhere, just as competitively.

There's a group of women at my gym of all sizes (very thin to fat) & ages who either have terminal, but not end stage, cancer, or are in remission. The thinner women could be mistaken for anorexics. They attend the gym to keep fit & socialise. Many do have hair or short hair, so i can only tell who they are when they are sat in the coffee shop discussing their treatments, with a couple of women who wear scarves & have lost their eyebrows & lashes.

A young girl at my gym is actually anorexic & the staff know - she disappeared for a year (probably to a clinic), but i saw her in the gym coffee shop recently with 2 people who seemed to be CPNs (couldn't help overhearing their conversation).
She looked a much better weight than before, & i wondered if the nurses may be allowing her to attend the gym but under their guidance. (she's a friendly but lonely type of girl who always seemed to enjoy the social aspect of the gym - she chatted with other people more than she worked out.).

There are about 3 older women (40 - 60ish) who i see definitely over-exercising & have tiny wasted limbs. Difficult to know what to do - any comment will be taken badly; & if the gym bans them they will probably hire private trainers (2 are rich businesswomen).

I think exercise can be addictive though - & it's easy to get a distorted idea of body image (my sister has). I'm being very careful because i'm overweight now but i have disordered eating & know that i'm the type who could get addicted to exercise & undereating - so i will never allow myself to get below a certain healthy weight.

You can't know for certain that the women are thin because they have eating disorders. I had a friend with cystic fibrosis who looked perfectly healthy and gorgeous - apart from being very underweight. Strangers often commented on her weight and muttered loudly about her being 'anorexic' and it was very upsetting for her.

She was encouraged to go to the gym to improve her lung capacity and to spend time on the rowing machine etc. I imagine she had the same reaction there that the women at your gym seem to be getting.

When i used to binge eat i would buy bags of sweets & lots of chocolate from a WHSmith shop a short walk from my house - obviously it's unhealthy; those foods can contribute to heart disease, high cholesterol etc etc when you eat too much (and i was clearly fat, & bought lots every day).
They could not ban me; if they had i'd have just gone elsewhere.
(Luckily i've got over that stage now thank God).

The local garage sells tobacco, cigarettes, papers, filters & snack food - it's obvious that people are going to be smoking up to 40 fags a day, or even making spliffs with the tobacco & papers, getting stoned then eating the snack food for the munchies.... it's legal to sell those things even though it's facilitating people who may get cancer, COPD, vascular problems & psychosis (from smoking dope).

Worried wart

A fairly sure sign of an eating disorder is the white fur that grows over their bodies and faces when they are extremely ill and under eating.