My "Miracle" Transformation.. in Minutes

Yesterday a friend posted THIS article on Facebook about how one Australian Personal Trainer did her own debunking of those notorious "transformation" pictures we see in ads for diet pills, miracle cleanses, and/or any other generally unhealthy approach to weight loss. With a few quick appearance and lighting changes, her "transformation" took her 15 minutes. Well, I just found the whole thing too tempting and had to try out my own "Before and After" shots.  So here it is, my "miracle" transformation:

While I am not in the habit of posting pics of myself with a shirt off, you still get a really good idea of just how deceiving these ads can be. And, people, mine took minutes. So what did I do? Here is a quick list:

• Before pic is slightly zoomed in to make me appear bigger.
• Messy, unkept hair with some pieces in face in the before pic. In the after, I put my hair down (if I was really going for it, I would have straightened it).
• Frumpy shirt in unflattering color in the before, and dark, tight-fitting exercise tank in the after.
• A little belly push-out in the before. Add "skinny arm" to after shot.
• Cover face slightly in before, and a big, confident smile in the after. 
• White phone case in the before pic, case off in the after.

That was it! There is my miracle transformation. And that's how ads sell people on the quick fix. It's maddening, really. It was just too easy!

The truth is, my real health journey started 8+ years ago. It started with an interest in running. The more I ran, the more I began to see the effects unhealthy foods had on the way I felt. I began eating healthier, cleaner, and did some good ol' fashion sweating. Now I try to eat as little of processed foods as I can, and I work out 6 days a week. My real transformation is one that I am proud of... and it didn't take 5 minutes.

Note: The article I linked above was based on another article from the Huffington Post. Click HERE to read that one.