You know, just because you work out, doesn't mean you are trying to lose weight

[Siferiax]

My solution: carry around pre-cooked bacon. Whenever somebody asks you if you're trying to lose weight, just grab a fistful, start munching, and reply "yeah" with a deadpan stare. The look of bewilderment on their faces will be precious.

This will be my new strategy in life.

On a different note, I can't wait to be really fit and go all "Imma go lift my body weight, I'm so excited" and get all these strange stares

I think I just like doing what nobody understands. Falling out of the norm has been my life, and reactions can just be hilarious.

(the only acceptable "fun" exercise around here seems to be running? idk...)

At least my coworkers are always very curious what food I brought to work this time

[Laney]

I had a similar experience. I was sitting at a table, and a guy told everyone that this girl (who was off cooking) was on a diet, and then proceeded to criticise it. "Look at that, she's eating carbs late at night." I head tilted, wondering where he was going with this line of thought, but he pointed to the next item, "And an omelette, god why's she eating eggs?!" I must have looked really confused at this point because he stared at me for a moment, "I mean, you agree right? Carbs, eggs and meat just before bed = fat gain." I sat back, I didn't even know where to start. Her meal was damn healthy, if anything I'd add more food. Before I could respond she came in and the guy's attention switched to her. She looked fit.

I just finished and left. That guy's delusion almost scarred me. What does he think you're meant to eat? No carbs, fat OR protein for dinner? I was too dumbfounded to respond.

You are only supposed to eat frozen water, duh... (Also, if I hear one more comment on the amount of eggs I buy at TJs, I'm going to break some NECKS)

[Caitriona]

I can't wait to be really fit and go all "Imma go lift my body weight, I'm so excited" and get all these strange stares

I think I just like doing what nobody understands. Falling out of the norm has been my life, and reactions can just be hilarious.

(the only acceptable "fun" exercise around here seems to be running? idk...)

At least my coworkers are always very curious what food I brought to work this time

Ok, I just fell in love with this attitude. I'm all about defying expectations, and I JUST realized while reading your post that I haven't applied this to my workout routine. As soon as I enter the gym, I feel like I need to conform. What the crap? Thanks for the eye-opener! Next time I go, I'm gonna try to revel in the weird looks instead, haha!

[AceInMySleeve]

My coworker made fun of me trying to come up with what I could eat for lunch on a Paleo diet. The next day he was drooling when I came in with a pound of ground turkey breast and mixed peppers cooked in sesame sauce. He was eating McDonalds....

[Caitriona]

My coworker made fun of me trying to come up with what I could eat for lunch on a Paleo diet. The next day he was drooling when I came in with a pound of ground turkey breast and mixed peppers cooked in sesame sauce. He was eating McDonalds....

YOU WIN! (both at pwning your coworker and at making me really hungry...)

[---]

Okay, first I have to say THANK YOU for leading me to an epiphany. The reason why I finally made the jump into NF recently is because I thought I needed to lose weight. But as I was reading this thread, it dawned on me that I've been using the BMI as a standard, which is not just a fail, but an epic fail because I really know better. What I do need to do, however, is convert fat into muscle. My body fat % is quite unacceptable. (Yup, I read the recent NF post on that subject.) So, thanks guys. This really helps me in many ways--not the least of which finally knowing which guild I should jump into...

Now, with that out of way, I've received the comments too, and I've also found them baffling. Pre-Rebellion, I would say to people, "I need to exercise more," and the response would almost invariably be, "But you don't need to lose weight." I wasn't sure what to do with those comments at first, because most of the people I tell this to know that I have what amounts to a desk job, so I'm sitting all day long! After time to think on it, I've started countering with, "Maybe not, but I'm terribly out of shape." I haven't had any arguments to that explanation yet, so it seems to be working!

[Heather D.]

The thing I think a lot of people don't realize is that working out isn't something temporary you do to achieve a single goal, then stop doing - it's something you have to maintain. Fitness is a lifestyle, something you integrate into who you are. I think I've been lucky in that all my coworkers are intelligent people who get it. And my first real group of friends here in Boston have been through my CrossFit gym, so it's easy for me to want to keep going.

[LordOfTime]

Ok, I just fell in love with this attitude. I'm all about defying expectations, and I JUST realized while reading your post that I haven't applied this to my workout routine. As soon as I enter the gym, I feel like I need to conform. What the crap? Thanks for the eye-opener! Next time I go, I'm gonna try to revel in the weird looks instead, haha!

^this. I finally went to an actual gym today and got so many bewildered looks as I squatted and deadlifted

[Siferiax]

Ok, I just fell in love with this attitude. I'm all about defying expectations, and I JUST realized while reading your post that I haven't applied this to my workout routine. As soon as I enter the gym, I feel like I need to conform. What the crap? Thanks for the eye-opener! Next time I go, I'm gonna try to revel in the weird looks instead, haha!

go for it!!

Though I must admit that I'm easily embarrassed despite my attitude

I'm better at not caring when with friends, than alone.

[Lizifer]

I've been known to say things like "just 'cos the shape I'm in is good doesn't mean I'm in good shape."

[Waldo]

I would assume this is mostly a woman/girl thing....

Most guys are of the POV that you work out to get bigger and stronger. Even if they don't personally partake, at least they understand. Then again, males tend to look up to athletes aesthetically moreso than actors and whatnot (where working out is par for the course), while women don't seem to nearly as much, they tend to see their ideals moreso among non-athlete celebrities who may or may not exercise.

[alice-on]

At my junior college I went to the gym to strength train. Some older ladies were in there the same days and times I was. They complained that I was too young and too skinny to be in there. The head trainer told me and we laughed about how stupid and petty it was (he knew my goal was to gain muscle/strength). I was about 96 lbs at the time and I've finally hit an amazing 120. When I tell people I work out I often get "But you're obviously in shape, why do you want to lose weight?". It's just the mindset of people who don't understand that it's a LIFESTYLE that you have work at forever to look good, not something that you accomplish then plot right back on the couch when you're done.

[Chrys]

Lol at this thread. Nice to hear other people having the same problem, though thankfully most of my coworkers get it. The general public we deal with there...not so much. Sigh. Love the bacon idea

[katscratch]

I was super self-conscious about this at first, especially with the "i wish i had your problem" type of comments and goofy looks at the gym. The comments are going to keep happening no matter what I say or do so now I just blow them off, and the more I learned about weightlifting the more I realized that people that recognize what I'm doing know that everyone starts somewhere.

When I do respond to comments it's usually to get the point across not to judge someone based on how they look no matter what shape we're in, you never know what ANYONE is actually dealing with and food/dieting/exercise/bodyshape are such triggering subjects for a lot of people-- I once was walking to the bus stop and had a guy yell out his car window "eat some food, skinny bitch!" - without thinking I yelled back "chemo kills your appetite" and his buddy punched him "you dick!" (i was not going through chemo).

[Nocturnis]

When I started my job I was 210 lbs within 6 months I was down to 170lbs. It took a lot of hard work but my job took care a lot of that. I work in a factory so I get in a lot of mini workouts throughout the 12 hours. I been there for almost 6 years and about 3 years ago I became a vegetarian. Since then a few of my coworkers are always hovering over me when I eat lunch. One says that my food is "too healthy" and her husband is always telling me I need to eat meat. I am in better shape then they will ever be. The funny this is they are always talking about getting in shape while eating enough food for a family.