Ex-bodybuilder exposes brutal reality of industry after starving for months
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A woman who was once a professional bodybuilder has revealed why she left it all behind.
Marissa, from British Columbia, Canada, is now a nutrition coach determined to help women ditch diet culture and heal their body image.
This is a far cry from where Marissa was personally just a few years ago.
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When she was a bodybuilder, she said she was “barely surviving” but is now thankfully “fully thriving”.
With more than 27,000 followers on Instagram, she has opened up about the harsh realities of the industry.
“On the left, I was deep in bodybuilding culture – where I would starve for months on end and kill myself with cardio, only to have months of intense binging and self-hatred. And yet so many people glorified what I was doing,” she wrote in a caption.
“I remember receiving so many compliments around show time because people noticed how good I was at shrinking myself
“So I fully immersed myself in being the best I could possibly be at controlling my body.
“But it didn’t matter how lean I got, it was never enough, and I had such terrible body dysmorphia that I would look in the mirror for hours and pick myself apart.”
Marissa says ditching the toxic lifestyle was incredibly difficult as she was plagued with self-doubt.
While the journey was filled with ups and downs, she knew that the decision to stop dieting was the correct one.
She continued: “Now I can honestly say I’ve never felt happier, more free [sic] and more ALIVE.
“I appreciate my body for all it does for me and I fall in love with nourishing it every single day.
“So if you’re struggling right now, please know there IS a way and you CAN free yourself.
“Also, remember that compliments solely based on someone’s body are often times more harmful than anything, compliment someone on their energy or how they make you feel.”
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Marissa wants to help encourage others to love themselves for who they are.
She also regularly reminds people that they are worth more than their bodies.
“On the left, I was constantly under-eating, obsessed with being my smallest self, I had mad body dysmorphia and was barely surviving,” she wrote.
“I also dug myself so deep into that hole that I was struggling with hormonal issues, gut problems, anxiety through the roof, barely slept and my relationships suffered too…
“Yet everyone commended me for my ‘discipline’ and fed me with compliments left and right.
“Why are we so quick to compliment a ‘smaller body’? When in reality you have NO idea what that person might be going through or has put themselves through to get there.”
She went on to say that a smaller body is not the answer to anyone’s happiness and that our bodies have never been the problem.
“On the right, I’m just living my life, way less focused on my body and have discovered my identity outside of just how my body looks – I couldn’t be happier and feel more fulfilled,” she shared.
“I still struggle with body image, 100% it’s still engrained [sic] into my bones that I need to be smaller, but I tell that thought to f*** off daily, I’m done shrinking myself.
“I think you should tell that inner narrative, that one that tells you you need to be smaller, to F off too.”
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