anyone NOT taking monthly pics NOR measurements? Why NOT?

Onesnap

Just my profile pic which is me at my fattest and the best motivation a gal can have.

californiagirl2012

This is my 36th day back, and I have yet to take progress pics (ya know, front, back & side pics), plus I haven't taken my measurements either. Why not? I'm kinda scared to. I HATE taking pics and am scared to see the numbers on being measured.

Well, I'm going to do it today. Today is weigh in day and I'll weigh in later on today, after I workout. I'll also humble myself and have my measurements taken and pics. :embarassed:

So I'm posting this as a NSV (even though I haven't done it yet). :ohwell:

That leads me to ask...are YOU taking monthly progress pics of yourself? If not, why not...why won't you?

How about measurements...are you or have you took your measurements? If not, why not...why won't you?

Let's discuss!

I looked at everything I could during the weight loss part of my journey because it kept me based in reality and a very single one of those tools shows you different angles, they are far from perfect tools. The best tool is a DXA scan we can't all afford to do those throughout the process. It helped me to have the DXA scan during maintenance because it gave me some real numbers and some things to be happy about.

Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

Chyll88

For those of you who have chosen not to take pictures, I completely understand the shame and embarrassment. I am one of the heavier people on this site. But I ask you to reconsider. With digital pictures no one other than your self needs to ever see them. Before/progress pictures can be a great motivator and reminder. I truly didn't realize how big I was until I took those first pictures standing there just in my shorts. Something clicked that day and reinforced my need for change. With every set of pictures I take I can see the progress and recommit to my self that I will NEVER look like that again! The changes in our bodies can be so subtle you don't see it on a daily basis. But when you compare before/progress pictures, the changes become more evident. This can be an incredible motivator.

I have begun to feel This^ way:-)!

penrbrown

I stay motivated when I take monthly pics and measurements. Being able to see the little changes immediately helps me a LOT.

Mind you I'm just coming off a long stretch of not losing anything - and when you're not losing the measurements and pics aren't motivating.

Anyway. There you go.

*isn't coherent today*

alexveksler

I figured a good weight loss is about 2 LB per week. So, every time I lost 2 LBs, I took a picture. Same position. Same place. Needless to say, I have 33 pictures in my photo gallery

Now, if I have guts, I will stream them into a slideshow and publish it.254LB->185LB. But I don't have the guts (yet)

kimad

I don't take pic every month, but I did take one in the same outfit every 25lbs. That was cool.

I do wish though I would have taken measurements, but oh well.

alexveksler

The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

I agree with you Bobbie, but not the scale part. To me it was essential to monitor weight daily, sometimes even couple of times per day. As I was learning new ways of eating, it was important to see and compare what I ate vs how much weight I lost (or gained). Granted, now I don't do it as often, as I am into my 60th week of weight loss. I know a lot more now about food, nutrition and exercise than I did a year ago.

skcardiog

No pictures - but have a chart on the wall with weight goals and achievements from the last 11 months.

It s there everyday for motivation, 47 pds down, 3 to go !

willwillywilson

I don't take monthly pics and I use my belt as my measurement guide (how many loops). I do weigh every day though which people are sometimes shocked by. For me it's about getting a feel for how much I go up/down day to day. I feel like it gives me a better idea of how much I really weigh rather than just getting the number weekly which could be artificially high from water weight.

bsuew

I took measurements when I first started. Pictures, I took on my cell phone shortly after I started and it died! Haven't taken any more. That was back in Feb. Should of taken more. I am planning on taking them when I loose 4 more lbs. That will be 1/2 way.

phoenix8633

I'm doing monthly pictures to see how I'm progressing it's quite pleasing to see the difference!

violet976

I am taking photos & measurements. I figure my goal is not weight loss, but tone & definition, and I'm not sure I'll really notice the changes so easily. At first I wasn't going to take photos, but I quickly realized while reading all the success stories that I really did want to see where I started & how far I've come... I wanted something I could quickly look at to remind myself why I had done this & why I should keep it up. So, I took photos on day 6, and will take another set on day 30 to see what, if any, progress has been made.

I also started taking measurements just to see what, if anything, would be shown there as well. I figure if I'm putting this much effort into working out, I'd like to be able to see the before & after in terms of numbers & photo evidence.

dorianaldyn

No pictures, no measurements. My initial goal is about 20 lbs, so before and after pictures wouldn't really be all that dramatic anyway.

I'm a little more than halfway there and I can see the difference in the mirror and I can feel the difference in the way my clothes fit and that is MORE than enough for me.

heatherloveslifting

No pics here....not sure why, I don't think pics of me are accurate. I'm always surprised how much better I look in pictures than in real life. Issues . I take measurements once in a while but until I see the numbers I want to see I'm going to ignore those too!

tinak33

This is my 36th day back, and I have yet to take progress pics (ya know, front, back & side pics), plus I haven't taken my measurements either. Why not? I'm kinda scared to. I HATE taking pics and am scared to see the numbers on being measured.

Well, I'm going to do it today. Today is weigh in day and I'll weigh in later on today, after I workout. I'll also humble myself and have my measurements taken and pics. :embarassed:

Just so you know, your weight goes up after working out. It's not an accurate number.
You should wait until the day after working out, or weigh yourself first thing in the morning.

And congrats on finally doing it! I used to weigh myself and measure myself every week. It was nice because I knew that at least ONE of those numbers had to change! Even if it's just 1/4 an inch!

violet976

No pics here....not sure why, I don't think pics of me are accurate. I'm always surprised how much better I look in pictures than in real life. Issues . I take measurements once in a while but until I see the numbers I want to see I'm going to ignore those too!

I feel you on the pictures bit. I can see what I really don't like about my butt in person in the mirror (dropped down, not as firm as it used to be and flatter), but in the photos I think "wow, I *wish* it really looked like that*. I think lighting has something to do with getting accurate pictures, and possibly the flash hides some of it as well (especially in jeans).

fun_b

A few reason:
1) I'm terrible with a measuring tape and I find it hard to be accurate.
2) I have Wii Fit which keeps a record of my weight loss
3) I don't take pictures because I usually just trust the mirror.
4) the Pics on my phone don't come out great
5) I have a slow computer so when I finally load the pics on my pc everything crashes

NewLIFEstyle4ME

This is my 36th day back, and I have yet to take progress pics (ya know, front, back & side pics), plus I haven't taken my measurements either. Why not? I'm kinda scared to. I HATE taking pics and am scared to see the numbers on being measured.

Well, I'm going to do it today. Today is weigh in day and I'll weigh in later on today, after I workout. I'll also humble myself and have my measurements taken and pics. :embarassed:

Just so you know, your weight goes up after working out. It's not an accurate number.
You should wait until the day after working out, or weigh yourself first thing in the morning.

And congrats on finally doing it! I used to weigh myself and measure myself every week. It was nice because I knew that at least ONE of those numbers had to change! Even if it's just 1/4 an inch!

Thank you so much for posting this! I ALWAYS work-out before I weigh myself, usually later in the evening and for 3 weeks straight, I've gotten lower numbers. This week however, I was UP by 3 whole pounds. I was shocked and miffed. But then my "friend TOM" came to visit later on that night and brought some blasted bloating and water with him. Sorry if that's TMI:blushing:

I'll keep this in mind though--thanks again for posting!

spfldpam

I hate having my picture taken but I have been taking pics of my progress since June of this year. I should wear the same outfit but I don't. I also have been taking my measurements every month or so. I didn't log them into MFP but write them down on paper to keep track. Sometimes you might not loose weight but you will loose inches is why I track the measurements. I need to make a before and during photo collage someday and post it on my profile here but haven't gotten around to it yet. I have shared some of my pics since loosing 104 pounds with out of state friends and they were very surprised in how much weight I had lost and what I look like now. It was a nice feeling.
Good luck to all!

P05T5CRIPT

Not taking monthly pics as I'm not a fan of seeing myself in photos, although I took a pic the day I started and another one when I hit 50lbs lost last week. I have my measurements taken every two months along with my Body Fat percentage and BMI. I'll take another pic when I hit 75lbs lost and then again when I hit 100lbs.

pkw58

Nope on both but I wish I would have now :-(

Me too

Crystaleyed

For me being healthy is the main issue and how toned and how many inches I lose is something I will deal with when I am at a healthy weight and still not happy with the way I look.
I am not scared of taking measurements or pictures but I feel like at the moment I need to focus on being healthy. Hopefully being slim will come naturally but if it doesn't then I have a long time to change that once I reach my goal weight.

vicktoria339

Im not taking pictures as im too embarassed / ashamed of the amount of weight ive put on in the last two years. I do weigh in every ten days or so but strictly no pics!! When i get down to the weight i was when i got married, maybe ill be happy with pictures i take - but im a way away from that yet!!