I am so reluctant to run on a treadmill.... I feel like it is so loud with my feet pounding down with every step I take.... not to mention the sound of my thighs rubbing together... I feel like everyone is looking at me thinking "why dont you be a little louder over there, Robin".... its so upsetting so I get scared to even get on it anymore.

Oh wow - do I know how you feel!

When I first started out, I could have sworn every eye was on me and they were all thinking "who does she think she is - she does not deserve to be here..." In all honesty - if they are thinking anything - more than likely it is "Good on ya! Stick with it!"

Initially, I made it a point to work my schedule so that I could go when there are the fewest amount of people. I am positive it was more me being nervous/insecure/afraid than anything else. Once I got comfortable in the gym enviornment, I could care less what anyone thinks.... Now, I get up on the treadmill, get up to my jog, do my time, by the time I finish - my hair is plastered to my head, my shirt is stuck to my body and I can wring sweat out of my hair and my shirt both.... the only thing that anyone has ever said to me was that they wish that they could gut it out like I do and just not care what anyone thinks (she always leaves the equipment room looking as nice as she did when she came in). I wasn't sure if I should laugh or cringe - I decided to take it as a compliment.... LOL

Have you tried cranking up your mp3 and just focusing on the music?

when I feel like that I just work harder to prove them all wrong. The only people I ever look down on at a gym are the ones who knock other people down. You work out for yourself, not other people.

Most people are loud on those things. I think if you just put on your music a little louder, it would help you not to think about it. People are so self focused on the gym that even if you were being loud, I doubt they'd notice (but I bet you're quieter than you think).
Or care.

I have yet to ever run on a treadmill. I am so scared that I am going to fall off, and I even have to hold onto the bars the whole time!

Anyway, I hope you can just try to block them out, and truly focus on YOU. You are doing this for yourself, and you are what is important. It doesn't matter if it is noisy or not, or what people may or may not think. Concentrate on yourself, and just think about how great you will feel after you lose this weight. Good luck, Hon.

I think a part of taking care of ourselves, as Autumns19 pointed out is learning that it's ok to annoy someone or make them uncomfortable. I live on the 2nd floor of an apartment building and I have DDR (Dance, Dance Revolution) I didn't play it for a long time because "What will the neighbors think??" Now i just try to be respectful and play in the middle of the day when fewer people are home. I can't play for very long so if they have to put up with me for 1/2 an hour oh well. I put up with their parties and the barking dog next door.

Rodeogirl, I hear you about the living above people! We now live in a house, but for years we were in an apartment building, and lived right above our land lords! They had the top floor of the house converted into two apartments, and we had the joy of living right above them. I didn't think it would be that bad, but I was sooo wrong! If we flushed the toilet too many times past 11 pm, they would be knocking at our door, or if we walked around on the floor too much, or I had friends come up the stairs past 11, and we had a small heater on our daughter's floor, and they called up constantly, saying they could hear the fan on the floor!! Our daughter liked to have the radio on to go to bed, so we had one in her room, and it was never loud, and they complained about that. They called the police on me because I had two of my girlfriends over at midnight, and all we were doing was laughing and playing cards. HORRIBLE! I will never live in an apartment again. I can't imagine if I had this treadmill in that apartment. This thing is so loud when I walk on it, I think the land lords would have a break down. hahaha

Shoot, girl! I weigh 208 and I have worked up to running 3 miles on the treadmill. You're in the 160s-- get to steppin'.

At the Y where I go, it's the slimmest people who are clomping like horses. I wouldn't give it a second thought.

They probably can't even hear you over their own music! Don't worry about them and go for it! I can only run for like 90 seconds at a time so far LOL

Other fat people (although I wouldn't consider you "fat") will understand and thin people are too busy looking at themselves and at the weight lifters in the big mirrors. No worries, friend! Clump along loud and proud!