Lifestyle Health Celebrity Health Gymnast Nastia Liukin Was Called 'Fat' for Gaining Weight Post-Olympics and Now She's 'Too Thin' Gymnast Nastia Liukin was called "fat" when she gained weight after the Olympics, and now she's accused of being "too thin" By Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta is the Senior Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes. People Editorial Guidelines Published on February 7, 2018 01:08PM EST Nastia Liukin just can’t win. The former Olympic gymnast, 28, said she constantly gets body shamed for her weight, and has been accused of being both “fat” and “too thin.” Liukin said that she gained 25 lbs. after retiring from gymnastics, which led to criticism. “People remembered me as this petite blond gymnast in a leotard, and then I go through the normal body changes and people are like, ‘Oh my God. You’re so fat,’ ” she told StyleCaster. Liukin started to struggle with her confidence, and began skipping out on events to hide in her apartment. “I had almost this identity crisis,” she said. “I didn’t know who I was. I didn’t know what to wear … I lost all my self-confidence … I didn’t want to go to events or to dinner or do anything because I was so insecure with myself and my body because of what other people were saying.” Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty She eventually accepted that her body wouldn’t look the way it did when she was training for the Olympics, and stopped pressuring herself. But as she focused on her health and started to lose weight, the body shaming shifted to accuse her of being “too thin.” RELATED VIDEO: Olympic Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin Opens Up About Moving Forward After Her Career Ending Fall “No matter what, you’re still being body-shamed,” Liukin said. “On my Instagram yesterday, someone was like, ‘Jeez. When are you going to start eating again?’ It’s like, ‘Trust me. I eat just fine.’ I am healthy … It hurts the same, whether it’s one way or another. No matter what, you’re never going to be what people want.” And Liukin gets criticism for more than just her weight. She would often hear that she looked “bitchy,” especially when she was competing. “When a lot of men compete, they can be serious, but that’s not perceived as being bitchy or having a bitch face. For a female, it is,” she said. “It was hard for me when I was younger because people were like, ‘Oh my God. She seems like a bitch.’ I was like, ‘No. I’m really not. I’m just focused.’ ” Through all the judgment, Liukin has learned to focus on how she feels, not what other people say. “It’s important to be happy from within,” Liukin said. “Don’t focus on what other people want you to look like or to be or to work on or to say. If I’m happy with my body, and I know that I’m healthy, I need to stop worrying about everybody else. Happiness is strength.”