"I am not fat I am (insert excuse here)

[Lace Neil Singer]

I can swim fifty lengths but not run; I have had back problems in the past so running would be very bad for me.

I disagree with this statement, tho:

The problem isn't that I need to improve my self esteem and realize I am beautiful even though I am unhealthy.

Improving self esteem is very important; not so that you can sit there obese and talk about being damn sexy despite your size; more so that in order to be able to improve yourself, you do need to accept yourself.

For example, I was an overweight teenager cuz I was very unhappy and had low self esteem. Food was the only thing that made me feel better; I developed compulsive eating disorder and binged a lot on food, using it as a drug. Once I started to love myself more, I started to lose weight. I was not able to lose weight while I hated myself, cuz I needed the food as a prop.

At the moment, I am slowly losing weight from simply eating more healthily, stopping snacking (I know people say that occasional snacks do no harm, but believe me, my snacking was not occasional, it was constant) and by walking loads. I've lost a stone and a half already and it's very obvious; Fiance can get his hands all the way around my waist and I'm thinner in the face. I have moved on from my earlier years and my self esteem is very good. This means that I do not need to rely on eating to make me feel good any more, so therefore, I can go about my programme of losing weight without relapsing.

I still have days where I look in the mirror and hate what I see. Even on a good day, I think I'm plain. But so many people have said I'm pretty, so I guess I have to believe them, right?

[Boozy]

I can't run. My husband runs and told me anyone can run, they just have to work up to it. After a solid year I was still puking after a mile so he had to admit he was incorrect.

Running until you vomit is not the best way to train.

Why don't you run a minute, walk for two minutes, and alternate like that for 20 minutes or so? That's how every runner I know has started out, including myself. After a few weeks, try running for 1.5 minutes, walking for 1.5 minutes, etc. And so on. Eventually you'll be able to run the mile straight.

Also, try running on an empty(ish) stomach. The only time I don't get runner's cramps is when I run about 4-5 hours after a high-carb meal.

To wrap this back into the original topic: I don't hear much from people about their weight, but I do hear a lot of excuses from people about why they can't exercise, or do certain kinds of exercises (ie, the most effective and important exercises). My own husband claims he can't squat. Bullshit. He can't squat his own bodyweight first time out, and his knee sort of hurts because he's got shitty form, so he he claims he can't do it at all. I disagree. If you can't achieve one of your fitness goals, you're doing it wrong. Do some research, change your form, change your plan, and try again.

I believe that not everyone can have the body of a supermodel, or the abilities of an athlete. But almost everyone, barring disease or handicap, can be in good shape. Being able to run a mile in 10 minutes is an excellent barometer of good physical fitness. It's a very achievable goal.

I think people are so used to instant gratification that they forget they need to work towards things at a slow pace sometimes. It can take years for some people to run a mile, or do 10 push-ups in a row, depending on their level of fitness when they started. The important thing is not to give up.

*Shortly, someone will completely disregard my "barring disease or handicap" disclaimer and start going on about why they can't do such-and-such because they have flat feet or something.*

[Lace Neil Singer]

What annoys me is people who say, "I can't exercise; I can't afford a gym membership!"

Well, neither can I, which is why I go for walks instead. Walking is free.

[crashhelmet]

What annoys me is people who say, "I can't exercise; I can't afford a gym membership!"

Well, neither can I, which is why I go for walks instead. Walking is free.

There is so much that you can do at home with what you have and not need a gym membership.

Things like bowling balls and empty gallon jugs (milk, juice, etc) filled with water or sand work great for weight training. Furniture like chairs and even your bed are great for working your arms and chest (push ups, tricep lunges, etc). On top of that, a small area to do some basic calisthenics is all you really need.

The sad thing is that most people NEED a gym membership and a trainer or buddy to drive them. Their distractions at home outweigh (pun very much intended) their motivations to exercise.

[Andara Bledin]

My mom would use a filled glass vinegar jar for a hand weight.

And yoga doesn't need anything more than an open space on the floor and a little bit of knowledge.

^-.-^

[AdminAssistant]

And yoga doesn't need anything more than an open space on the floor and a little bit of knowledge.

I'd disagree with that. There are certain poses, particularly the Warrior and Triangle cycles, where it is *really* easy to hyperextend a knee. I always tell people interested in yoga to go to an actual yoga studio and take a beginner's class, where they'll focus on proper breathing (breathing being kinda the entire point of yoga) and how to not hurt yourself. I don't think any first-timer should just pop in a video and do some yoga. Studio lessons aren't cheap, but neither are decent running shoes.

*Says the fatty who continually makes excuses to eat terrible food and not exercise.*

[lupo pazzesco]

There are certain poses, particularly the Warrior and Triangle cycles, where it is *really* easy to hyperextend a knee.

*raises hand*

That was me this morning, thanks. I'm still hobbling, left foot and knee have gone all wonky. But I did take a few classes at my last university, so it was just a matter of my having absolutely no sense of balance (seriously, I nearly broke a foot walking on flat pavement before.)

That said, I'm fat. I was doing rather well for a while, but the last 8 or so months have been rough, and I've hit a depressive state combined with some insomnia. So I let myself slide, and gained enough weight to be flirting with 300 lbs again. I hate it, and I'm in a "hate myself for letting it get this bad" state, at the moment.

I'm also doing something about it, in that I started exercising more, hence the yoga ow. I cannot stand people who say "I'm not fat!" and try to justify their attractiveness by virtue of their weight.

Ok, I have beautiful features, and when I was losing weight, I was still proud of my curves. Now, though, I know I'm fat. I know I'm unhealthy, and I know I need to work on it, no excuses. It's hard, though. Really, really hard, and that's where a chunk of the depression is coming into play.

[Silverharp]

The sad thing is that most people NEED a gym membership and a trainer or buddy to drive them. Their distractions at home outweigh (pun very much intended) their motivations to exercise.

It's true.
I can have everything I need at home for a good workout but it's a pain in the ass to motivate myself, but if I'm paying for a gym membership I'll work out because I AM paying for it.

Being 300+ pounds with all sorts of wierd shit hitting my body over the years, I'm chock full of excuses as to why I am chubby in posterior, but it all boils down to : I need to lose weight. I've heard the bullshit from fellow fat asses over the years and it always boils down to "It's hard".
Way to continue the stereotype there, no?
Edit: No, I take it back, I have known people with serious medical issues that prohibited intense exercise, but even then they still watched diet

[LadyBarbossa]

I have a friend/coworker who constantly deludes herself like this. Always saying how she 'accepts' that she's a "fat girl" and posting things on FB about how she can't be awesome AND attractive, so she stays fat, etc. She is at least 200 pounds overweight, gets winded just walking around in Wal-Mart, has breathing problems, arthritis (at age 31), blood pressure issues, and is a chain smoker on top of it. And she is constantly, constantly sick, so I'm pretty sure it's affecting her immune system, too. But she refuses to do a lifestyle change and insists she's happy like this.

[HYHYBT]

And now, *somebody* has to point out that integers are not the same as sizes.

13/14 are the same size, but different fits. The same for 15/16 and 17/18, so while there are 4 integers from 14 to 18, there are only 2 sizes.

^-.-^

Amazing.

I knew women's clothing sizes weren't standardized, but I had no idea they were irrational as well.

Thanks.

[Rapscallion]

Dunno - makes a certain sense as not all women are the same basic shape once you have torso arms and legs in the right places.

Rapscallion

[Andara Bledin]

I wear a junior's (odd numbers) fit. A shame that most juniors sizing stops just below the size I actually wear. Not only are jeans in misses (even) size uncomfortable, but they make me look fatter than I actually am. >_<

^-.-^

[fireheart17]

I have a friend/coworker who constantly deludes herself like this. Always saying how she 'accepts' that she's a "fat girl" and posting things on FB about how she can't be awesome AND attractive, so she stays fat, etc. She is at least 200 pounds overweight, gets winded just walking around in Wal-Mart, has breathing problems, arthritis (at age 31), blood pressure issues, and is a chain smoker on top of it. And she is constantly, constantly sick, so I'm pretty sure it's affecting her immune system, too. But she refuses to do a lifestyle change and insists she's happy like this.

Yikes. I'm glad I made a lifestyle change when I did.

I still get winded walking up and down the stairs to and from uni, but I'm not having to stop and recover every five seconds. I can go straight from the library (on one side) to the education building (the other) which involves the following:

-2 flights of stairs plus a short flight from building 1 to building 2.
-Another flight of stairs up to the second level of building 2.
-A flight of stairs up to building 3.
-2 flights of stairs up to the top of building 3.
-At least 2 flights of stairs to get up to where my classes are located.

So I take about 8 flights of stairs at least once a day. If I'm going to and from the library to the education building (I do that between classes to catch up and browse through the teachers resource collection) I at least take 16 flights. On Mondays, it can be as much as 24 flights.

The 5 days I don't take those 8 flights of stairs, I'm either swimming, walking or similar.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Regarding sizes, I'm a different size depending on where I shop. -.-

[firecat88]

What annoys me is people who say, "I can't exercise; I can't afford a gym membership!"

Well, neither can I, which is why I go for walks instead. Walking is free.

I can't afford a gym membership either, which is why I workout at home. The music is better at home anyway, and no one looks at me like I'm a three-headed sloth.