to think its not socially acceptable for fat people to exercise

[starshaker]

If you go to the gym then you get looked at like a lazy blob who actually has no right to be in the presence of "normal" people who want to exercise without having their eyes insulted by having to look at a fat person. In sports shops there isn't a selection of clothes that will fit fat people.

Then you get people who feel its acceptable to comment when you say you go to the gym/do yoga/cycle. God forbid if a fat person wants to swim.

Im fat, i deny myself food, i exercise till i hurt but i am still fat.

(I am seeing a dietician and having bloods done to see if there is something medical wrong)

I also recommend the Paleo way of eating: meat, veg, nuts, butter, full fat milk/cheese (though some cut out dairy too) and a little fruit. It sorted out my husband's thyroid problems (his consultant was amazed at the transformation at the hospital) and he feels great on it. He recommended it to a friend of his with ME who also had a vast improvement in health.

Our bodies weren't designed for masses of grains and sugar.

Try watching the documentary 'Fathead' too. It explores this issue in some detail.

If you read the news you will notice that there has been lots creaping in about sugar being the cause of the obesity crisis and the current nhs guildlines on what we should be eating, are not correct and them needing to be changed. there has been quite a bit on tv about it recently.

Most ' healthy' food is packed full of sugar, a mullerlight tends to have 17g, which is an astonishing amount. People go around eating this stuff, thinking they are being good, and they actually arent, which is why, weight doesnt come off, unless they starve themselves on very low cal diets ( and of course, if you have any metabolic disorder, as you likely will have with having pcos, that doesnt work anyway)

seriously, have a google, marks daily apple is a good website, there is a page on here in the weight loss/ eating topic for support.

Totally agree, I used to eat exactly your granola, yoghurt and fruit breakfast and struggled to shift a pound. Changed to poached eggs on wholemeal toast, threw in a couple of running sessions a week and I've lost 2 stone in 6 months.
Sugar really is evil stuff.

starshaker, I don't think you're imagining it. People can be twats.

I should say that I do a regular run every Saturday, a volunteer-organised community run open to everyone, of all abilities. There are crazy elite runners there, and people like me chugging along at an easy pace, and whole families with kids, and people who are trying to lose weight. These include several very large ladies. And every time I see them I want to tell them just how impressive it is that they're doing something which is obviously such hard work, and just how much I respect them.

I respect them infinitely more than the gormless girls I see in the gym in full makeup, walking on the treadmill because they don't want to break a sweat, who aren't really doing any exercise but want to say they 'go to the gym'.

Stick with it. Balls to anyone who's horrible about it.

Have you posted before? Some of what you say sounds familiar. Agree you should cut out sugar and otherwise eat more.

Re fatties at the gym, I notice them but always think "good on them". Don't get me started on beefcake men who can't lift a weight without emitting a loud grunty noise though... THAT is socially unacceptable!

YABU OP. No-ones that interested. No-one cares.

AdamLambsbreath I was thinking of suggesting Parkrun too.

Maybe when 5k is an achievable running distance, it might be fun, OP?

If you google Parkrun and some nearby places, you'll probably find one you could go to - they're all over the world. Have a look at the results and you're bound to see that there are people doing insanely fast times (like my DH), a bunch of people who do it in about 25-35 minutes (the ones who've been running for some years - eg me), and loads of people who take 5 times as long as the scorchers (where I used to be). It's friendly and good fun and there are plenty of people running to lose weight - and the best bit is everyone goes for coffee afterwards and the people are lovely!

ChelsyHandy - I assume your comment is intended to say "noone really minds about your weight, at the gym". (It could be taken the wrong way if the OP's feeling a bit vulnerable.)

I think it really varies by gym, interestingly I think the more 'hardcore' ones that look intimidatingly full of men and weights actually dish out less judgy looks as everyone is there to work on their body, wherever they are starting out - not posing and people watching!
I do completely agree on the clothing element though, I do quite a lot of outdoor stuff and when it comes to walking trousers etc apparently a 12/14 is a large and a 14/16 an XL - woe betide you if you are an 18+ and want to hike up a hill! I can imagine that specialist gym kit is very similar although being stretchy it's at least a little more forgiving.

get across to the low carb boot camp on here. you will lose weight without starving.

markMinkowski, I assumed Chelsy meant that no-one (in the gym) is that interested in the OP's weight and no-one (in the gym) really cares.

I don't think she meant people in the OP's life, although of course I could be wrong.

I've had this before op, was a lovely gym with good training and facilities. But the regulars would sit in the pool mocking my efforts.

Think I might try this primal diet thing and running, atleast I'll be in good company. Imagine the pavement is the smug nasty peoples faces, might make running more satisfying. Maybe make use of the gyms punch bags too. ;)

Some people are utter arseholes.

You can get fit without the gym- I'm a huge fan of Jillian Michaels DVDs, we have a very supportive thread for her fans over on the exercise board .

Resistance work will help to build muscle that increases your metabolism and helps regulate your insulin response. I would also suggest decreasing carbs (especially white carbs) and increasing lean protein.

Couch 2 5k is popular too but I would certainly recommend combining it with some sort of strength work.

AD's will make you gain weight, and retain it. AD weight is a pain in the ass to lose. But it shouldn't be this hard, should it? I gained on AD's but I was still able to lose and stay a healthy weight with them once I got used to my new body chemistry.

Have you talked to your doctor about a thyroid problem? At least get it tested to see?

Also I read about the calories. I noticed I lost far less when I was counting calories and going to sleep hungry because I hit my max calories for the day.

This worked for me, but it may not work for you. Here's what I did:

Throw out the scale. Stop counting calories. Stress makes you retain and gain weight, if you're stressing about the numbers and calories you're being counter productive, and not all bodies are created equal. Some need 1800 calories, some need 1200. Go by measurements, and how you looks and feel not arbitrary numbers. You're doing a life style change, not a diet. Eat healthy snacks, but eat only when you are hungry. When you don't feel the hunger feeling stop eating, don't eat an entire thing if you're not hungry for it. Also eat slower and snack throughout the day so you're eating mini-meals, not big meals where you might binge if you've been waiting for so long. Allow yourself treats, but in moderation. If you want chocolate, have some but instead of like a piece of cake, get a bag of fun sized bar and have a little mini-candy instead. That way you don't cave to cravings and eat a huge fatty thing. Eventually enough of eating healthy and craving for junk food will go away. And... my biggest vice, don't drink your calories. You can't out exercise a bad diet.

Don't expect success right away either. The body will variate weight depending on water weight and a variety of other factors. The first few weeks I started working out I actually gained water weight which was discouraging. But then I started losing. A healthy weight loss is no more than 2lbs a week, which is very slow. You didn't gain a ton over a short period of time (and if you did..doctor, now.), so you won't lose it like that either.

Anyway, dietitian is good start! :) Good luck.

Ive put a stone on in about a month. Low carb isnt good for me. I tried it before and ended up in hospital with pancreatitis due to eating fat. The surgery was to have my gallbladder removed. I know it works for some but if i have too much fat i get quite ill

gallstones are another sympton of pcos.....

so, its more likely to be related to that, than anything else.

plus, low carb, doesnt have to mean high fat.

starshaker I used to exercise indoors, until I got confident enough to go swimming. I started off with the Wii fit (I think x-box has a similar programme), I did the muscle building and aerobic exercises every day. This helped me gradually build my fitness up.
I also did stepping - I bought one from Tesco, but the bottom stair does just as well.If you watch weight loss programmes on TV you will see that the trainers always incorporate walking and stair climbing in the training programmes - that's because nearly everyone can do them ,and they work!
Other things you can do - look on you tube .There are loads of training videos on there for different levels of fitness. Look at things like squats, push ups, some weight work.
Last of all, hold your head up high. People who snigger or shout abuse at other people are like all other bullies - inadequate pathetic people who feel the need to put someone else down to build themselves up. Best of luck sweetheart.

At my gym there are all sorts - gym bunnies, musclebound men, overweight and obese people, very thin people and people in between those sizes.

I buy leggings in Sainsbury (black) then put a long vest top (from New Look, all sizes) and a shorter tshirt (from any shop) over the top.
That way my bottom is always covered by a long top.
I only buy trainers in the sports shops because everything else is too expensive.

If I see very overweight people at the gym (and I'm quite overweight) I think ''good for them'' and so do most people - in fact the 'regulars' are friendly to anyone they see making an effort to get fit.
If you go to an unfriendly gym then change gyms.

Also meant to say, at my gym the many of the 'regulars' (ie. the muscled-up men who live by the weights area) are so busy checking out their own reflections that they don't notice other people's looks anyway.

And when they do talk it's about: reps, muscle groups, cars, work, football, protein shakes etc etc... i don't listen on purpose but when I'm in the weights area i can't help hearing.
They are also quite friendly if you need help with the weights machines.

Simply Be have a pretty good sportswear selection.

I absolutely believe you by the way - people do sneer at fat people exercising in public and it stinks.

OP what's your bmi?

Mine's 32 and I've lost 2lbs this week by going on 2 hour brisk walks twice a day. Once a week swimming. Done bendy/stretchy exercises at home.

I have a tea with milk and a reducing amount of sugar on rising.
Tuna toastie on wholemeal at 9.30 before first walk.
Chicken salad for lunch. (Small bowl)
Dinners have been mixed: homemade burger (no bun)
Small spaghetti bolognaise (wholemeal pasta)
Cheese and crackers
Ham salad
1/2 pizza with extra fresh veg
Skipped dinner twice.

Instead of my usual large glass of wine I've been having a small glass mixed with diet lemonade on only a couple of occasions.

This is far from perfect but is an ok start .

I think you are overestimating the effectiveness of your exercise and underestimating your calorie and sugar/carb intake.

Walks need to be fast enough to be sweaty and slightly out of breath and for a good few hours a day if you aren't doing anything more vigorous.
Yoga does not burn fat.
Exercise videos are the best when you are self conscious.
I got a bravissimo bust supporting swimming costume to go swimming in. If you can do laps for an hour you will quickly see the effects.

I'm going to disagree with others about the ease of jogging.
In my experience if you are unfit and obese then it's too much of an ask. You don't want to set yourself up to feel bad about yourself.

It is unfair, but don't let them app you exercising.

I'm another c25k fan. I live in a village so put on some running capries (could easily be standard jogging bottoms), a cotton vest top and some running shoes my warm up walk takes me into the fields where I do my running. I occasionally see a dog walker or two so there isn't really anyone to notice that I'm running.

Another paleo fan here. I've tried many diet/exercise combinations in the past. Paleo (I eat this way and also follow 5:2) and high intensity training (wonderful as doesn't take long - Jillian Michaels 30 day shred is a form of HIIT) works wonders. When I think back to all the time wasted counting the points or syns in sugar laden low fat foods and the hours plodding away on the treadmill...

Good luck OP!