Fake success pictuers

ReadySara

GM loves,
So I was catching up on some of MFP success stories and some of these people be for and after pictures look good and makes me wanna push myself even more, buuuut after reading there stuff and how much they lost, just don't add up.
So my question is.... Do you think some of these people on here fake there befor and after pictures and edit them to make them look skinny?

ML0305

Who knows?! What do they gain from it though? I havent posted mine because I'm a bit embarrassed of my before and personally I'm very self conscious but by no means would I post a fake pic!

ReadySara

I agree but when I see be for and after pictures that makes me wanna push myself even more but when I read they only lost 15 pounds and there picture looks like they lost 40.....SMH yeah that don't match up.

surgesilk

Maybe they lost weight....joined MFP..lost more weight...and the ticker reflects their "MFP weight loss". It's ok....thinking is hard.

SeaChele77

But depending on the 15lbs lost it may *look* like more. They could be doing a lot of strength training so lost a lot of inches but the scale does not reflect a lot of loss. Also, depending on how much they needed to lose may also be a factor at how much 15lbs "looks" like. When someone is trying to lose 20lbs vs 100lbs - 15lbs willl make a difference in their apperance.

Also, like PP said - what is there to gain by photoshopping a Before & After pic? If it motivates you to keep going....who cares!

shellma00

Also, some people actually lose the inches, but build muscle mass and so they slim up, but their scale weight does not go down a lot. I can see where programs that focus on toning such as 30 Day Shred would make you lose inches, where as cardio workouts would focus on losing pounds.

I seriously do not think that someone would come on here and fake their success. It is embarrassing enough for some people just to open themselves up to a public program such as this.

I also agree that they may have lost before joining MFP, I have seen people on here that talk about how they lost X-amount of weight before joining.

p0stdramatic

I agree but when I see be for and after pictures that makes me wanna push myself even more but when I read they only lost 15 pounds and there picture looks like they lost 40.....SMH yeah that don't match up.

15 pounds is different on everyone. 15 pounds on my 5'11 frame doesn't normally look like much. On someone who is 5'2 it's quite a bit of a difference, especially if that person is doing strength training. The last 25 pounds I've lost is a HUGE difference in appearance because I do a lot of strength training. Muscle takes up less space than fat. Every body is different, everyone has different routines and goals, and different results. If anyone is faking, I would say that it is extremely rare. I have never seen one that would make me doubt them.

ItsMeRebekah

I agree but when I see be for and after pictures that makes me wanna push myself even more but when I read they only lost 15 pounds and there picture looks like they lost 40.....SMH yeah that don't match up.

what weight looks like on me may not be the same at what it looks like on your body. I carry my weight in my bottom half, ALL OF IT pretty much.. And that can't be said for my bestie who is the same weight and looks much heavier since she carries all hers on the upper half. when you look at my pics you may say hey shes not got a lost to go, but in reality i have a lot to go based on my height. so not everybody is out to scam, but its not unheard of. when i first joined it was some huge deal that some member was faking pics and then dropped the site, so it can happen i guess. i just try and look at the good in people and not seek out faults and such.

chachita7

Fat is going to occupy more space... there is a lot on these treads about this.

Reality is that a person who weighs 150 lbs and it is loose fat is going to look way much bigger than a person who weighs 150 lbs of lean muscle...

deksgrl

I am not losing a lot of weight, but I am losing a lot of inches.

But depending on the 15lbs lost it may *look* like more. They could be doing a lot of strength training so lost a lot of inches but the scale does not reflect a lot of loss. Also, depending on how much they needed to lose may also be a factor at how much 15lbs "looks" like. When someone is trying to lose 20lbs vs 100lbs - 15lbs willl make a difference in their apperance.

Also, like PP said - what is there to gain by photoshopping a Before & After pic? If it motivates you to keep going....who cares!

This ^^^

traci0620

I tend to lose inches before weight so it could be that their scale number just doesn't move as fast as the inches they are losing.

0PhAtDaDdY

Ticker and Pic R Correct for Me!

AlbertPooHoles

Google's image search has confirmed fake success/after photos here. :laugh:

In fact, it led to this addition to the Community Guidelines...

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/welcome/guidelines

Photos altered to present inaccurate weight-loss results are prohibited. Please keep the experience at MyFitnessPal encouraging by keeping your "success" photos authentic.

leannems

There's also a lot of people who lose a bunch of weight to their initial goal, then re-set their ticker to their new goal. I don't see what folks would have to gain by faking pictures.

robinogue

Maybe they lost weight....joined MFP..lost more weight...and the ticker reflects their "MFP weight loss". It's ok....thinking is hard.

this was me, I lost 10lbs before joining MFP and continued my weight loss journey here but I entered my weight from the day I started here not from my original weight loss journey.

If people post fake pictures, what does it matter? They really are only hurting themselves, does nothing for us. Yes, we look and are in awww of them and it pushes us to do more but to me that's a win, win for us.

stephanielindsey

Some people reset their tickers to meet each of their mini goals.

khk2010

I read an article where the girl didn't lose any weight but through working out lost so many inches she eventually went down several sizes. Everyone is different. No one could see 15 lb lose on me. I could tell though.

superstarcassie

15 lbs can make a HUGE difference in appearance. I look at my face from 15 lbs ago and it is much rounder. I am guessing they have their ticker set to their MFP loss, but many have started the journey before they found this fabulous website!

msbobbitx

Who knows. I mean it's insiprational when you see success, but each person has their own journey. Honestly, when I lose 10 pounds I can't see it. I don't think it's noticable on me until about 25, but my friends or people who haven't seen me in a while can tell.

If people are faking their pictures, that's just weak. Who cares about other people. You are doing great and you are so pretty. Keep doing what you are doing. :-)

bcr1559

When I hit my goal my pictures won't add up either. I lost 26 pounds BEFORE I joined MFP so my ticker doesn't show all of my weight loss. Maybe some people fake it but others just found MFP after they started working their butts off.

GetFitE

Maybe they lost weight....joined MFP..lost more weight...and the ticker reflects their "MFP weight loss". It's ok....thinking is hard.

I agree with this. I lost 50lbs on a different website & then Joined MFP to see if it'll get me out of my plateau. MFP says I only lose 11lbs. But my weight-loss photos aren't fake. I doubt someone would post fake photos. There's no gain from that because they still have to look at themselves in the mirror.

hexrei

Give us some examples. Keep in mind that muscle weighs more than fat- you can look in better shape without actually losing a ton of weight (and actually GAIN weight) if you are working out and building muscle as you lose fat.

1WorkoutAtATime

I would hope not , but if they do their only cheating themselves..

hottottie11

My ticker says 0 lbs lost, but my before and after represents a 40-50 lb loss...Am I faking it?

MB_Positif

The success stories are amazing. It's great to see them. I would have to go out on a limb and say that if anyone fakes them that the number of people who have done that would be very small. You can trust that a huge percentage of the pictures are not faked in any way. That said, I agree with the posters about strength training which can really change the way a body looks without losing a lot of pounds. I've only lost 3 or 4 pounds since the first of the year but have been strength training the whole time and the type of compliments I have been getting has changed. In the past people would be saying, "how did you do it?" "you've lost so much weight!" Now I am getting, just in the last week or two, "Oh my gosh! You are getting SO skinny!" Skinny isn't what I am going for, and I surely am not skinny, but my figure has slimmed down so much that a pair of pants I just started fitting into again 4 weeks ago are now loose enough to pull down without unbuttoning.

LoViNlIFe0225

Different Techniques will bring different results. For instance, if I just diet and lose weight my before and after won't look nearly as good as someone who worked out, dieted and lost weight while become fit and toned. Also...everyone has different heights and body structure so they carry weight differently. I would say if they are posting the pictures, what's the point of questioning them? Just use them as motivation to push yourself. Some of these people probably worked really hard and made major lifestyle changes to reach their goals...I wouldn't discredit them or take that away from them...it hardly seems fair to do so.

Pocket_Pixi

I have hardly lost anything (seriously... 1 pound) but my before and during pictures are drastically different because I have lost some crazy inches....

There are a lot of things to factor in.. .15 pounds lost on me looks like 20 - 30 pounds because I am 4'10... on someone 5'8 it looks drastically different. Also losing inches adds to how a person looks... I personally do not think anyone on here 'fakes' their before and after pictures.

Some people have lost 50 pounds and then find MFP ... and just go with the weight they were when they joined MFP so if they have lost 15 pounds on MFP... but lost 50 pounds previously their real weight loss is more like 65 pounds and not 15..

and some people do smaller break downs of 10 - 20 pound increments, cant really judge but the proof is generally always in a picture... and you can usually always tell if someone has photo shopped themselves because they usually don't do an entire shop job... just certain parts of their body and from the stories I have seen on here - not one of them looks shopped.

Yanicka1

Some here have stolen pictures from internet and made it pass for themsefl. Heck one girl even pasted her head on a model body.

That being said, Weight loss appear different from person to person. Me for exemple

Between this picture



and this picture



There is no pounds lost. Now I would make me sad if someone said I was a faker LOL

QueenJayJay

I'm not entirely sure what you're even trying to say.

tangiesharp

I think this is really kind of sad. Can't we just celebrate the success of others? Real or fake, it's inspiring to me. If you want to know what women look like at different weights, try http://www.mybodygallery.com/index.html Really helps give me perspective. But when I finish, I'm gonna post my photos and please know they will be real.

LessMe2B

I can't speak for others, but I started going to the gym 3-4 days a week and strength training the beginning of November. since then I've only lost 3 lbs, but gone from a tight 12 to a very comfortable 10 jeans, soooo..................