Have you guys ever looked in different mirrors in the same day and felt that you looked thin in one and a little larger in the other?
I’ve always contemplated this theory of mine that group exercise rooms and dressing rooms have special “skinny” mirrors installed to help make people feel better about themselves/stay motivated. I have no idea where they get these skinny mirrors but it seems like a great selling point for a store if they can make you look so good in something that you have to buy it. Let’s not even talking about vanity sizing.
Anyway, why am I writing about this? Well when I was in Boston, I had this one beautiful full length mirror that I looked at everyday to watch changes and see progress. It was great for outfit modeling before going out too! It was also the only one I trusted. When I moved, I sold it, and have not been able to trust a mirror since. Seems OCD of me, but I honestly check myself in the bathroom mirror, the bedroom mirror, and the decorative mirror downstairs and then average out how I think I look in my head. Haha, OMG reading that made me laugh. You guys must think I am nuts.
The only reason why I care so much is because when you’re working out so hard and eating clean, you want to reward yourself with visible changes. It’s hard to track progress when every reflection is telling you something different! That’s why having a scale is great too, kind of evens out all of the contrasting perspectives you may be getting.
Did any of you ever watch Clueless? Remember when Cher said this?
“I don’t rely on mirrors so I always take polaroids.”
Ha, well good thing I make YouTube videos then.
You guys who have been reading my blog KNOW that after doing my 8 week bikini diet/workout plan back in Spring, I dropped my body fat% from 24% down to 17.5% and went from 126 to 118 lbs. Then I traveled to China and Hawaii for business and vacation AND THEN moved back to CA all within a short 2 months. Obviously my rhythm was messed up and well, let’s just say there was a little bit too much cheesecake celebration. (Cheesecake is my ultimate downfall.) I was still working out hard but my diet was all over the place. I went back up to 124-125ish last month.
Well in the last couple weeks, I finally caught hold of myself. I said, “Cassey seriously. Get back on track! Do not let the hard work get erased.” I started everyday fresh and looked forward to waking up and working hard daily. Today I weighed in and am 117 lbs.
You know what I did? Watched my caloric intake. Stopped snacking on everything in sight. And I ran more. That’s it! Guys, if you’re looking to lose weight, it is all about being MINDFUL. You need to be conscious of what you’re eating. The diet is SOOOO like 80% of the whole process! Also, within the last month, I have been fully committed to my vegetarian lifestyle. I love it. Eating plant-based has really helped me taste and enjoy my food more. I think that was a big part of it too. I am writing up my meal plan right now and will email it out in the newsletter once I finish up the calculations and substitutions for meat eaters.
OMG wow, that was a super big tangent. Back to the topic of mirrors now!
So I was at the gym today with a friend and was lifting weights in the more male-dominated part of the facility. I asked him, “Hey do you think this is a fat mirror or a skinny mirror?” He said he thought his arms looked big and was quite pleased. I looked at myself and thought hmm, why does my face look rounder? Then I came to the conclusion that this must be a buff mirror. So that guys can come to the gym and feel motivated that they are getting bigger.
We then headed over to do abs in the stretching room and I noticed that I looked thinner in that mirror! Ahh!! Well it was near the cardio machines and the ab machines which are usually female dominated. Sigh. Was the gym REALLY investing that much time/money in strategic retention or was it all in my head?
So I went home a little confused and decided to google this. Couldn’t find anything to prove my theory BUT I did find this on the accuracy of mirrors.
Dr. Ken Mellendorf of Illinois, physics professor, says “A completely flat mirror will show an image behind it of exactly the same shape and size as the actual object. Slight curvature along only one axis can make a person look fat or skinny. To make you look thin, your image needs to be compressed horizontally or extended vertically. Most mirrors bend over time top to bottom. If seen from the side, there is a slight curvature in the edge. The top and bottom edges are usually straight. Your home mirror can do this due to its own weight. If the center bulges out a little bit, your height will appear slightly smaller but your width will not be changed. This can make a person look a little fat.”
Conclusion?
Cassey get over it!!! Stick to one mirror you trust for progress changes but don’t go OCD and get happy or sad based on deceiving optical illusions. If you’re really confused, invest in a strong mirror that will not bend. Body fat % checks and a step on the scale will also bring you to reality. Or do like Cher and take a pic 😉
Note: For the new Blogilates readers out there, just want you to know that I am not saying that your body image is ruled by what you see in the mirror. You cannot let a physical reflection conquer your happiness and your well-being, ok? Let’s be in tune with ourselves. This was simply a pondering type of post that’s honest and takes you through my silly, girly, but ultimately very real thought process. Read lightly and take what you can out of this.
<3 Cassey
