"Hey, Fat Girl."
 

Hope it's ok that I share this. I stumbled upon the link on another forum, I loved it so much I really wanted to share with you guys:

Flintland Blog

I'm so glad you posted this. I saw it linked somewhere else and was going to put it here myself. Such a great essay! I know a lot of us have felt self-conscious about exercising, so it's nice to know that not everyone is judging us harshly. The comments about the post were wonderful, too.

Hey Fat Girl
 

Thanks for such an uplifting piece of work. Though I am not a runner, this work provides encourgement to, not only become one, but to fully engage in my weight loss process.

I don't run, but that essay sure fits many of us who work out in other ways, too. Thanks for posting it.

Lin

This is really good! Thanks for posting it!

This is awesome. Totally what I needed to hear today! Thanks for posting/sharing this with us, Stephanie.

Glad it could inspire a few, as it inspired me!!!

This is awesome! Thanks for posting :) I am going to keep this in mind when I go to the gym today!

That is amazing, so glad you shared that

Pretty cool! Every day when I'm driving I see people out exercising. I give an extra cheer to overweight people...because I know how they feel! When I'm out jogging I hope there's someone cheering me on too.

Very cool. That said if I was going to talk to a big girl on the track I would tell her than she should read my sig.

I've seen sooooo many obese people on the cardio machines busting their butts but a year later they look exactly the same and they're still busting their butts on the cardio machine...

I don't 100% agree with your sig JohnP.

But yes, I love the essay (although some of the word choices irk me, but I'm a writer, so hey) I love the sentiment behind it. :) A nice pick me up-er, if you will.
One day I'll run. One day. :lol:

Me either but since my true feelings on the topic don't fit into a one line signature I'll settle for it generally speaking to be how I feel about it.

The point is derived from the idea that many people falsely believe that they are going to drop weight from exercise and minor modifications in diet when in reality the majority of fat loss is going to occur from changes in one's diet.

There was a woman once I saw that I felt this way about. She was a bigger lady- probably 400+ lbs- and she would come to the gym and work out. She was the biggest person there, and I'm sure she felt self-conscious. And I was in awe of her. I really wanted to tell her how much I respected her for her determination and her efforts. I never did, because I felt like it would make her self-conscious. I sometimes wonder if I should have said something.

*nods* Got it.

you mad me cry. thank you. : )

Thanks so much for sharing. I needed this today more than ever. I'm going to print it and keep it near by. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you.

Thanks for sharing. It is very inspiring. I hope everyone will be like her, not afraid to run in front of people no matter how she looks like, not thinking what others may say.

Hey, Fat Girl.
 

Brilliant blog post. Beautiful. Almost brought me to tears. I will never feel self-conscious about working out again.

http://flintland.blogspot.com/2012/05/hey-fat-girl.html

This is so true. Someone posted a few weeks ago about being insulted/feeling insecure while running ... every time I see a heavier person running or in my Zumba class, I simply think how much harder it must be for them ("he/she rocks!") and how I should work harder too!

Only thing is that I wish, wish, wish people wouldn't jump into running so quickly. That determination can get waylaid by injury so easily and they're determination can get waylaid by the sheer difficulty of trying to move a heavy body in a way that is hard for it to do.

I have seen so many people try at something so hard that they give up. if only they built up to it first!

But it is true... most people do not look down on the overweight and unfit who are WORKING on their fitness. How could they?

I have luckily never had any negative comments while working out. I have had strangers say "way to go", give me a thumbs up, etc. It's really great to feel so supported.

Thank you. :)

So nice :)

Speaking of which, I should get off the internet and head to the gym! Here I go!

Awesome post. Thanks for the link. Made me feel all warm and special inside. That's me!

That was a great read, thanks for sharing!
:sunny:

Am I the only person who finds this pretty patronizing?

I mean, what makes her think that I need or want her approval? She's reinforcing the same standard that the sentiment of her post is0( sort of) trying to resist--that thin people are better than fat people, and that we fat people need approval from thin people in order to feel ok about ourselves. Scr*w that.

the first gym I joined way back in like 1982 was a hardcore weightlifting gym because, well, that was the only kind back then. And the owner who was obviously a competative body builder told me never to be embarassed to be at the gym and be in worse shape then the other people. Everyone is the same at the gym, they are all trying to improve. No one is concerned about your current level of fitness, they just respect that you are there to improve just like them.

Thank you for posting this. This was EXACTLY what I needed tonight. For the past week, I've been trying to finish the day 1 workout for C25K, but I always got way too fatigued to get through it all. Until tonight.

I had already made up my mind that I was NOT going to try again tonight, but then I logged onto 3FC and this thread was the first thing I saw. It was just what I needed to be a big girl, put on my shoes, and finally conquer the day 1 workout.

Thank you!

Hey, fat girl.
 

I came upon the following blog post by a fit runner who wrote an ode to the "fat girl" running laps at the track. It's the opposite of what you'd expect and definitely worth a read.

"Hey, Fat Girl" at http://flintland.blogspot.com

I'm sorry if this has already been posted here since it was written in June, but most newbies probably haven't seen it. And I've seen a lot of posts lately about worrying about working out in public. So this should help.

On a more personal note, this post brought me to tears. I live in a town where most people are very thin and nearly everyone is fit. I stick out like a sore thumb and can honestly count on both hands the number of people I've met in the four years that I've lived here who are even close to my size, and none of them are my age (28).

I still remember the first time I tried running here, starting with week one day one of Couch to 5k several years ago. It called for jogging a minute and walking 90 seconds, repeating this 8 times. I was so self-conscious about my "workout" and worried that people would scoff at my attempt at running that I almost didn't go at all. I mean, who runs for JUST 1 minute? That's inconceivable around these parts. It was really hard to get out the door

These days, I am nowhere near fit and not skinny by any means (see my ticker) but I've gotten over my crippling fear of working out in public. I still won't use a treadmill because I feel like an elephant stomping around on it, but I am no longer embarrassed to go to the gym and now bike in full spandex (head to toe).

Most people are too wrapped up in their own worlds to even notice my workout, and if they do they often have nice things to say. I got a smile and a wave from a fellow runner this morning on the trail and the enthusiastic, "Keep it up! You're doing awesome!" encouragement from a random person getting into their car as I jogged past them three years ago still sticks out in my mind.

Long story short, I hope some of you get inspiration from this runner's post and are inspired to get outside and get moving!

oh wow! that gave me goosebumps!
I felt like that when i started working out - i was convinced people were staring at me thinking "what is she doing here" then I outran a skinny girl on the treadmill, i ran 30mins she was out of breath and stopped after 10min, she may have just been warming up but it made me feel great - like i earned the right to run with the skinny's in gym and the right to be respected for trying.
I never used to talk to anyone and now i am contantly waving at people i know there, it boosts your self - confidence and makes you want to go to gym.
This article says it perfectly - i admire all the girls and guys at gym who are trying, not the ones who spend more time fixing their hair and pulling their hot pants out their bums than working out, the one's who even if they are sweating like a pig and puffing like a steam train (im one of them) they are trying, they are commitited and they make me want to go to gym and try my best too.

I read this when I was just starting to run with my C25K plan! I found it so inspiring and it definitely encouraged me to keep going!

Although I'm pretty sure the people we imagine mocking us and looking down on us do actually exist.. I believe the majority either doesn't notice us at all OR thinks of us the way this blogger does! And if you think about it, he's right! It is so difficult to start out when you're not fit, so what we're doing is a big deal!

I've been running for slightly over a year now and have gotten much fitter (though not much thinner, sadly). I no longer feel self-conscious when I'm running. When I see a "fat girl" or newbie to running on the trails or at the gym working up a sweat, I feel a mixture of fellowship and respect. This blog is really spot on.