Anyone else feel a lack of respect for their fitness level because they aren't shredded?
If you can't tell from the subject, I'm frustrated. People treat me like a complete novice just because I look "normal" and it freaking hurts. Let me explain.
Context:
I'm an active person. My BMI has ranged from 19.8 at my leanest to 24.3 at my heaviest. Neither is unhealthy territory. Right now I'm at 120 pounds, 22.7 BMI, which is in the middle. I consistently strength train with some cardio. I'm also a healthy eater. I eat lots of veggies, whole foods, grains, lean meats and pay attention to macros/micros. One area I self-admittedly struggle in: eating at a calorie deficit. I'm a small woman and, even with weight training and cardio, I still try to stick to a max of 1,400 calories, which is hard when everyone around you can crush 2,000+ calories and eat fried food and still not gain a pound. I am right now in a cut cycle and it's tough, but I'm seeing results, just as i have before and i know it works as long as i stick with it.
Now here's my frustration:
Despite knowing that I put in a lot of conscious consideration into my health and fitness, I feel like i get zero respect from people about it because I don't look like a bodybuilder or very lean.
Example 1: I overheard a coworker talking about a gym and thought he meant the one next door to our place of work, which we get a free membership for. I was planning to go that very same day to sign up so i eagerly asked, "Are you talking about the gym next door? I'm planning to go later to sign up!" and his response was, "You go to the gym??" It was humiliating, he said it in front of a room of people, and it just screamed, "I don't take you seriously" or "You don't look like someone who works out". I want to stress, he did not say it like, "You go to THAT gym?" so the connotation was clearly not that.
Example 2: That SAME night, I was venting to my roommate that it's always been a struggle for me to lose body fat and that I was tired of having to be so careful in order to gain a lower BMI whihc, admittedly, I aim for because I like the aesthetic look of definition. Her response? "Well those HelloFresh meals are very unhealthy." Which dumbfounded me because I only order those once or twice a month AND i've talked to her before about how i give myself lower portions of carbs and cut out a lot of the cooking oil/fats and salt. I reminded her of this and she's like, "Oh yea, that's smart! I didn't realize you did that." Then it becomes apparent that she also doesn't realize that I go to the gym 4-5 times a week because she works super late and by the time she gets home i'm showered and in my pajamas.
By the end of the conversation and that day of back-to-back judgment, I just wanted to cry. How can both these people be SO ignorant?
The answer to me seems simple: Unless you look the part, people are inclined to believe you aren't making a genuine effort or genuine good choices when it comes to your health and fitness. It's frustrating bullshit, plain and simple.
The point of this post isn't to find a solution (although I'm certainly open to advice if you got it!) but to instead offer solidarity to those who feel like they've experienced this as well...
YOU ARE NOT ALONE.
YOU ARE KNOWLEDGEABLE.
YOU ARE WORKING HARD ON YOUR HEALTH AND FITNESS.
I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU'VE LEARNED IN YOUR JOURNEY.
AND THOSE PEOPLE CAN KISS YOUR FAT GLUTES!!
Okay thank you, rant over...
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