I guess this a bit of a rant.

I know I'm overweight. I know I'm not in the best shape of my life, but I am so tired of people and their perception that I'm ready to keel over at the slightest exertion! I'm a pretty hardy person. I'm only 20 pounds overweight. Why do should my doc be surprised that I don't have weight related health issues like diabetes etc? I'm healthy with no high cholesterol, high blood pressure, or diabetes. I work out 3+ times per week. I walk my kid to and from school daily.

Why would my neighbor make a comment about me having a heart attack to her 5 year old when he asked to hold on to the other side of my stroller (my son was holding on to his side) so they could walk together. And before you ask, I was not breathing hard, sweating, or showing any signs of exertion. I was smiling and talking to her.

When I talk about spin class why do some people have that look on their face like they think I'm making my trip to the gym up? or worse actually ask "You go to spin class?" Yes, darn it, and the hour long one (not the 30-45 minute one) at that!

Why is it so shocking to people when they see older pictures of me that I haven't always been overweight?

Finally, why do people feel the need to convince me to do things by saying it's not that hard (meaning physically)? Maybe I don't want to do it because I think it's lame or I'm just not interested or I'm busy, not because I'm lazy!

Some really thin people are more out of shape than I am.

Okay, rant over. Done preaching to the choir. Just had a bad start to my day. I was feeling so good about my progress this week. I refuse to let this discourage me or give myself the excuse to go off plan.

Learn to ignore people. sometimes the comments come from ignorance.

Honestly...i kept reading your post and saying to myself that at 5'7" and 178lbs, you are not fat! What's wrong with some people?

I guess they are thickening your skin and you will just have to ignore them.

this is exactly the place to preach. For the record, I am with you! I am also guilty of underestimating what people can do. Great job with the spin class, I KNOW I couldn't do that....Yet! A month or so, and I will give it a go.

I totally agree. Being overweight, and super morbidly obese are two very different things. Even at 200 pounds, I worked out pretty hard to get where I am today. No heart attack for me either lol. Look at how hard the people on the biggest loser show exercise at their size! Don't let them get to you. I bet you look great with your stats

Obesity is when you're supposed to start having "health problems". You're not obese, you're overweight. Yeah, in the long run a bit of extra belly fat isn't good for your health, but at this point it's more of a cosmetic thing (at least it was for me). You're relatively healthy and in shape from the sounds of it and you've got a few more pounds to lose. I would certainly never perceive anyone at 5'7" and 180lbs as "about to keel over".

Actually, I think that was around the weight I was when certain people told me to stop losing because I didnt' need to get any skinnier. I had to point out I was still 20-30lbs overweight. They didnt' believe.

So these people that are telling you this...they are so very very wrong. Haha. You probably are a lot more fit than the skinny girls that bounce on the elliptical at zero intensity for 20 minutes and call it a day.

I always wondered if people were asking themselves "what's sheeee" doing here or "how can she workout that much and still look like that" when I was in the gym. But hey, it's not about them, it's about you. Working out is part of your transformation. It's not like you're automatically skinny as soon as you commit to going to the gym...it's part of the process.

Try not to let them get you down. In a few months you *will* be one of the skinny people and the new people you meet will have a hard time believing you were ever not skinny. It goes both ways, I promise

My thoughts exactly. That's craziness. Do you live in a super healthy/thin part of the country? Gosh, around here you'd be considered tiny. Seriously.

I was extremely healthy around 200 pounds. That's about when my BP came down to normal, my HR came down really low and I was very fit. It's possible to be fit and obese. Of course generally that only happens with people actively trying to lose weight, but still.

Im with you, it irritates me when people assume I can't or won't do something because I'm overweight.

When I do get frustrated to the point of anger I remember an incident with my neighbour a few months ago. We went to the gym, saw a friend of hers and decided to go to one of the cardio classes. Both of them are healthy weight range and active for the most part ( i can't speak for the friend, but neighbour is)
The friend had said something like "Don't be scared to go, you don't have to keep up with us just do what you can and rest when you need to" to which my friend replied (beating me to a response)
"Ha . . . shes in better shape then both of us, we'll have to keep up with her"

Made my day

I remember my freshman year of college. I am 5'7" and weighed about 185 so I was about 30 pounds overweight. I was in this P.E. class with these girls that were sooooo skinny, gorgeous, and fit looking. They were all members of one of the higher regarded sororities on campus and didnt really give me the time of day. One day we had a fitness test. They tested how many pushups/situps we can do in a specified time, how flexible we were, how strong we were, and how fast we could run a mile. Then they calculated our body age based on the results. I was 19 years old and they said I had the fitness of your average 16 year old. From overhearing their conversations, peaking over their shoulders at the results, and just watching their performance, I would say that most of them got "ages" in the 30s and 40s. To be fair I dont think they pushed themselves as hard as I did but I still found it kind of funny at the time (mainly because they were so snobby)

Coondocks - That's what its ALL about!!! It wasn't even me and I felt proud for you! Keep up the good work!

I live in Southern California. Perhaps it is a regional thing. I have been this weight before we moved here and I don't remember feeling this overweight at the same weight.

Maybe it's my pear shape. Since I carry the extra weight on my bottom half perhaps I look larger than I would at the same weight but evenly distributed. Whatever, I'm just going to keep doing my thing and try not to let other people bother me.

It happens to me too. I think it's hilarious when I go to the gym and "show people up".

A week ago, my cousin was telling me all the stuff that I need to do at the gym to lose more weight. She was ready to go after twenty minutes of light bike riding...guess who worked out for an hour and fifteen...

I totally understand! It's so irritating! I've had doctors insist on testing me for things like high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, none of which I have... nor was I even close to having any of these even at my highest weight of 262. They simply won't believe it when I tell them I have normal blood pressure... until they take it and DUH, find that I do and further, have a good resting heart rate as well.

I have problems, yes, a bad right knee (took it out in a bicycle accident when I was only a few pounds overweight in high school) and tricky ankles that I sprained heaven knows how many times as a youngster long before I was overweight. I also have some wrist and shoulder issues from a work-related RSI injury.

But otherwise, utterly healthy.

Back in the early 1990s, I weighed about 175 and could totally dance the feet off any and all of my skinny friends.

Further, I'm probably the fattest person in my Group Active class at the gym, but I get through it, though I can't move as fast because of the bad knee. I do the balance exercises no worse than most everyone else and they are HARD!

I guess the thing is, don't listen to the folks that want to paint you as "unhealthy" or "unfit". We know our own capabilities and they are more than others think!

When I weighed well over 300 lbs, I used to walk multiple miles on most days. I've always been fairly active despite my weight.

Yeah, I think it's where you live. I'm in Ohio and I am now well below average. No one gets negative comments or feedback until we reach the morbidly obese range. Even then I never experienced any.