Feeling like I don't look like I workout

[chogaijin]

@helpinghands77 Yep I left Instagram for these exact reasons. My fiancé would literally be able to tell when I was on Instagram too much because of the way I’d pick apart my body.

 

[hendricks62]

@need That’s honestly very fair! I feel like when I compare myself to an average person I see a difference. Just not when I look on social media I guess

 

[forinnerhealing]

@hendricks62 Do you look at /r/instagramreality ? That was a huge eye opener for me.

 

[hendricks62]

@forinnerhealing No I don't think so! I will check it out

 

[forinnerhealing]

@hendricks62 Once you see the really obvious wavy lines, you won't be able to unsee it in the more subtle pics.

 

[boldandblessed]

@hendricks62 I like following Danae Mercer on IG for this reason. She really shows how angles, posing, lighting etc. can make a huge difference in how their pictures look. It's a nice dose of reality.

 

[liub]

@hendricks62 I bet your body composition would look a lot different if you DIDNT workout since 2016.

Social media is all about them angles, lighting, surgeries, and photoshop.

Imagine what people would look like not posed, natural lighting, no augmentation. I just like to remind myself that it's not real.

 

[dawn16]

@hendricks62 Don't forget how many Social media fitness women are on low dose steroids. Steroids aren't just for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

 

[xonfirex]

@hendricks62 You gotta remember you're looking at photoshop and very cultivated (read: angles and lighting and with a pump/flexing) photos on social media, on top of the fact that sometimes you're also comparing to people who literally make their bread and butter from looking like they do. As in, they don't have jobs except to focus on their appearance or performance.

Comparing yourself to the average person is more accurate, and a little healthier. Comparing yourself to how you were pre-2016 is even better.

 

[goodgirl21]

@hendricks62 I am the same height as you. I used to do crossfit 4x a week. I can guarantee if you cut you would look amazing... But yeah would require significant changes in diet. Is it worth it?

 

[hendricks62]

@goodgirl21 Yah true.. I feel like if I cut I will just look so small you know?

 

[foorthegood]

@hendricks62 The thing about a cut to look lean is that it's so hard to keep it as a lifelong thing. I did it for my 40th, looked amazing. But two years later I know that it's not a size that lets me live my life how I want. Now I just look like a healthy woman in her 40s - albeit with a popping booty - and that is totally fine.

 

[misanthropy]

@foorthegood This! I think we forget that when we see a lot of these "fitness models" or whatever, they're most likely in a deficit. You shouldn't spend your entire life there. Could I be leaner right now? Yes, but would seeing my abs in the mirror be worth that? No probably not. Will I cut before the next beach trip or summer? Maybe, but then I'll go back to maintenance or bulk to build again.

 

[foorthegood]

@misanthropy Turns out, seeing my abs did not improve my life. Who knew huh?

 

[misanthropy]

@foorthegood Lol this is how I felt. For the first time ever mine were visible and it was like ok cool but now what?

 

[dharmapunk]

@hendricks62 I feel like as tall women we can subconsciously feel “not small enough” compared to most women, even if we are fit.

 

[mjmac88]

@dharmapunk True. I'm 5'10" and, in high school, weighed 134 pounds. A guy told my friend that it was a shame I was so big because he'd like to date me. My brother in law once made a comment to my husband about how men like little women while I was standing right there. I've heard this shit all my life, from women too. I feel so huge when I see a photo of myself with a group of women.

 

[kjrambo]

@mjmac88 I feel this so hard. Growing up, all of my friends were like 5'1" and super skinny, not athletic in the slightest. I'm 5'9" and have been in some kind of sport since I was 4. I was never really "thin" but I definitely looked like an athlete- even so, I felt fucking HUGE all the time. I never felt feminine or cute, and it was hard being the "big" friend even though I was fit. I still hate all of my formal and prom photos because in heels I'm a solid foot taller than everyone else in the photo

The first time I really liked my height was in college when a dude said I was like a "sexy Amazon warrior" and figured that's an aesthetic I can vibe with lol. I love being tall now, but it was an insecurity for a long time.