The pictures above show my real "body transformation" (not a 10 second body transformation) once I decided that I was no longer going to compare myself to other people or even waste time on social media. Believe me, I have plenty of other stuff to do (I am building a new website {sneak peek here} and we have some BIG news coming up about this one!) so I have very little time to waste yet social media was sucking me in. I decided after I posted my body image post
that I was serious about getting back to my "I don't care what anyone else is doing or what anyone else thinks of me" attitude I've had my whole life. All it took for me to change was that decision. I won't say it has been easy but life is so much better!
I know there is NOTHING wrong with the picture of me on the left but I was not in a good place mentally. I wanted to show what happens physically when your mind is in the right place. Although there isn't a huge difference in the pictures (you can tell by how my pants fit in the right pic), I feel 100 times better mentally and physically. [The pictures were taken less than one month apart.]
I almost didn't post the picture below on this blog (I did post it on Instagram) but I think it's important in the context of the next set of pictures. Before I go there you might wonder what I did to get back on track so quickly...I will go into the exact steps in another post soon but along with the fact that I quit comparing myself to others I also started eating more {healthy food - yes, even more carbs} and I also started working out less. You heard that right. I started eating more and working out less. I honestly started feeling like I did in the beginning when I would wake up and surprise myself at how positive I was and what my body could DO.
10 Second Body Transformation
The pictures below are also "transformation" pictures. These are a little different though. I wanted you to see how some people can manipulate transformation pictures. We all get so caught up in this online world that sometimes we confuse it for the real world and take everything as the truth.
The pictures below were taken within seconds of each other. All I did was push my stomach out in the "before" pictures. I didn't use filters but keep in mind that some people do edit them by using filters and/or photoshop so the difference appears to be even more drastic.
I also came across this one below on my phone (that was taken on June 15) that I never posted! I did filter the top right photo so you can see the difference. I completely understand (and agree) that some people just have really bad posture or bloating in their "before" pictures but you can usually pick out the ones that are real vs the ones that are not.
This should also convince you to not compare yourself to others because those selfies you see usually take some time to get the right one with the right lighting, standing correctly, etc. Bottom line: Just concentrate on you!
I wanted to share these pictures so that you know that it IS possible to take back control of your own thoughts and transform your life in more ways than you can possibly imagine. I say that I had a short - but intense - battle with body image. I am so glad that I finally did hit publish on that original post because without the comments, support, and encouragement I might still be in that never-ending trap!
Stay tuned for my tips on what worked for me! I really think that they will help many of you struggling with this!
