anyone NOT taking monthly pics NOR measurements? Why NOT?

athenaheim

I have taken one picture so far but it is the one in my uniform. I however do weigh in weekly and I take my measurements weekly as well. I plan on doing before and after photos.

nexangelus

Don't do pics as I hate having my pic taken at the BEST of times, half naked and all flab let loose, NO WAY!

But I measure, weigh and use calipers once a month. No weekly stuff or daily stuff here, as I am a recovering anorexic/bulimic.

nomadlady7

I am going to a nutritionist and I was asked if I minded their taking measurements and photos. They never did: I never did. I regret this now when I can a difference, but I'm not planning to regain the weight to recapture the moment. I will do one at the end when I reach my ideal weight wearing something from my top weight. Unless someone has a better idea.

hipsdontlie1

I didn't take pictures until I was comfortable with myself! I did take pictures a few months ago. I orginally took measurements when I started living a healthy lifestyle and I took measurements about 5/6 months later and it was amazing. I didn't notice how much better I looked until I seen the measurement results. Definitely recommend it.

joeysox

i didnt until a few weeks ago! i have 'big' pictures i put on today but only a few weeks ago did i start proper progress pics xx

lydia_the_tattooed_lady

I took some pics at about 10-15 lbs lost. I'm waiting until I reach 50 and/or my birthday (february) to take more and post them. Happy Birthday to me!

ZiezieO

Heck yeah take pictures asap!!!
Measure everything!!!!

I measure about 15 different places of my body and I take pictures of both close up places (my neck and face) along with full body shots.
I LOVE THEM!!!
BECAUSE ON TOUGH DAYS, I CAN GO BACK TO DAY ONE AND SAY, "HECK YES I CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCE!"
Measuring is great too, because either the weight is going to change, or the inches (depending on what kind of exercise you do).

They're your private collection. I don't let anyone else see them.
However, I was so excited when I lost my first 10 lbs that I showed my whole family because I was so darn proud!

documentation of all your hard work makes it that much better.

Tip: keep it to once a month.
wear the same outfits for pictures.
weight, measure or take pictures in the mornings (after you pee...) you're at your lightest and it's always good to start off the day on a good note!

lucylousmummy

no on both counts but.........when i really wasn't seeing any improvement in my body despite losing 50lbs my mum gave me my before picture that she had sneakily took, i now keep it on my fridge as a constant reminder to let myself get that big again

krystlpierce

I've only done pics twice, but I measure myself like crazy cuz I just get so dang excited that the scale is going down I have to see what my body says lol. I measure myself every 4 days.. a bit much but sometimes I forget and a week or more goes by. I think the measurements are the best, but pics are awesome too because then you can see with your eyes and look back and compare.

HelenDootson

I didn't take before photos for 2 main reasons 1) I hate photos of me and it was a particularly bad set from a party posted on Facebook that got me here and 2) Lets face it, with 10 stone to lose (140lbs) I was never going to succeed.

Here I am well over half way now and wishing I have those before photos :ohwell:

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.