I suggest this thread as an insight into the misconceptions that people may have about this lifestyle:
http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...hp?t=117149511

Well said, Shannon.

Sigh..

AGAIN:
My point is this: we can all be fit. We can all eat healthily, we can all live a life, we can all aspire to be as fit as we can be.

Clearly, we can all have our own opinions! And you can emulate whomever you choose. I'm not criticizing anyone nor their posts. So just to say this AGAIN: I am NOT talking about the fitness lifestyle. I never was. I am talking about the EXTREME being taken as the ideal.

I guess I just think too much. I still think it is sad to idealize an extreme, no matter what end of the spectrum. This is more of a philosophical point. I find it hard that we as women are so hard on ourselves because they don't meet what they see as the standard of "ideal". And this ideal is not. realistic.

Train however you want. Believe whatever you want. If you SERIOUSLY think that the fitness models in the magazine photos are healthy, well, that's your choice. If you SERIOUSLY believe that the fitness competitors who place in the Ms Fitness/ Ms Olympia Figure competitions got there with a healthy, balanced diet and without ANY extremes dietary-wise, then that's your choice. If you want to look like one of them, that's your choice. If you seriously, seriously want to compete and want to compete seriously and be in the running, belly on up to your chicken breasts and egg whites and dehydrate yourself FOR THE SAKE OF MEETING THE COMPETITION IDEAL. I know! Not everyone does this!!! This is the extreme. I get it.

BUT, there are VALID reasons for discussing the extreme and the idealization of the extreme and when the extreme becomes the "societal norm" of what beauty or physical "perfection" looks like. Which is what I was discussing. The extreme. Not the individual who goes out and exercises or lifts weights or is at a great body fat level. THE. EXTREME. And what it does to us, and our young daughters, and nieces, and sisters, and the little girl across the street, who think that because this is what they SEE at the grocery store checkout every freaking day, this is what they need to be. That this is what the perfect body is. That they really want to have DDs and a 22 inch waist and 10% body fat. Thinking-wise. With the magazine covers and fitness columns and the competition stats and the "10 new ways to define your calf muscle" and "lose 10 pounds in 10 days" and "blast away the fat for the summer". I'm NOT talking about the Gillians and Bobs of the world.

Honestly...

And I doubt I'd be facing such "resistance" if the extreme we were discussing were the 5'10" 108 lb runway models, or the poor Brazilian model who died of a heart attack a while back who weighed in at 88 lbs. And those who want to look just like them. And the role-models that these ultra-thin fashion models have become, with THEIR magazine covers, and articles, and high-fashion photo shoots that you ALSO see at the checkout counter every freaking day...

Sigh...

Kira

Nobody here is advocating an extreme. The "muscular" women that were originally discussed were Linda Hamilton, Hilary Swank, or Jessica Biel. Those are achievable figures through a heavy weight lifting regime and "clean" (I don't care for that term) diet. Nobody here said they want to look like Jamie Eason while on stage. Nobody who is actually into that lifestyle thinks they can look like Jamie Eason on stage or dehydrates themselves for more than 2 days once a year. They KNOW that.

There are people who are ignorant or having eating disorders in every "lifestyle", whether it be fitness, South Beach, Weight Watchers, whatever.

Seriously?

For someone who complains about extremes, you seem to really perpetuate them. I can't believe you are comparing a fitness model cover shoot to an anorexic teen model at 88lbs.