lol.. last time I went to a commercial gym they asked me to leave because I didn't leave any plates for other members. True story. And when I maxed out their crappy leg press they told me I was 'going too deep' (no, I don't see the logic in that either).
I hear you on the gut thing too - what I don't get is this fixation with abs. Put a ripped 160lb guy in clothes and you can't tell he worked out. Put a 250lb guy in clothes and the brick-thick back, huge traps, wide shoulders and squatter's ass will immediately make you stand out from the crowd. No need for social proofing or whatever else you guys call it, all you gotta do is stand there and you'll get noticed.
You can only see abs when you're shirtless.. d'you all go around topless or what?
Plus there's the whole superficial thing which I disagree with on principle. But there ya go.
Keep eating Oxide, 'cause y'know what, girls who shun you now will come crawling back when you're bigger and you rip up just by having slabs of muscle all over you (no need to diet intensively, just up the cardio and watch the fat melt off), and you'll be able to kick them to the curb in a most gratifying way.