On a forum recently, people were saying how a certain trainer that manages to keep under 10% body fat year round has a mental problem. The mental problem is body dismorphia or some other garbage made up to describe people we are jealous of. The initial response was “oh yeah, but he isn’t strong” but then video of him pulling a lot of weight was shown. So then some other excuse had to be found and it was. Ahhhhhh, we can feel safe and sound in our fatness now because even though that guy has constant leanness and is strong, he’s crazy. And we’re not, I guess. Love that security blanket.
The fact of the matter is no matter what you’re successful at, it will be considered a complete failure by some folks. The lean trainer succeeded at being lean but according to others he’s simply mentally unhinged so he failed in that category. If you ever succeed in any way then you will be very surprised at this. This will completely blindside you. You will expect your success to be obvious but not only will it not be, it will become a point of derision to others. Trust me, this won’t be comfortable if you choose to pay attention to it.
In the fitness realm, you might choose to become muscular so then you’ll be labeled a musclehead. If you become lean, then you’re “too lean” and obsessed with how you look. One smartass once said to a bodybuilder, “What’s it like being all brawn and no brains?” The bodybuilder looked at the guy and said, “I don’t know. What’s it like being neither?”
That should be your response.