Judgement on Prep

Written By: Klea Hughes (IG: @k_m_h_fit)

“You look so skinny!!!”

“You’re starving yourself!”

“That does not look attractive”

“I could look like that if I was starving myself”

“oh come on, one bite won’t kill you”

The list could go on and on about the things said to me during prep. No one understood how hard I was working in and out of the gym to achieve my goal. They didn’t understand why I was doing it and frankly they didn’t even ask. I lost quite a bit of friends. Life went from going out to eat on the weekends, to my friends no longer even reaching out.

Not only was it hard losing friends but my family always had something negative to say. Whether telling me I look too skinny or I look sick, a comment was always made about my body. At family events I was constantly being told “one bite won’t kill you” or “just enjoy yourself”. I felt so alone and I started to not even bother going to any events.

At home it got tough as well. Being married with a kid and balancing prep was a challenge in itself. Mood swings happened a lot and my husband could not understand why. Tension was high. Sex drive was low and let’s face it, that’s not good for any relationship. My husband was extremely supportive about my goal and in the end he always pushed me to keep going.

My daughter didn’t understand why mommy couldn’t share ice cream or treats with her. She didn’t understand when I was too tired to play and that was definitely the saddest part.  As a mother, I want to be able to give my child the world and during those last few weeks I felt that I couldn’t.

Prep is lonely. I knew that going in. It becomes even lonelier when no one understands what you’re going through.

Even though, yes, prep was lonely, I met some amazing girls who I can actually relate to! I got so lucky to be able to vent to them and even though they weren’t nearby, they were always one phone call or text away. It became more important to me to listen to their opinions rather than the negative ones.

No one really understands competition prep or this lifestyle unless they live it and I stopped expecting them to. Someone will always have something to say, whether it’s negative or positive but at the end of the day the only opinion that matters is yours.

If you feel alone, reach out. I promise there is always at least one bikini babe out there that understands your struggle.