Scary "Before" pics?

wizbeth1218
wizbeth1218 Posts: 358 Member
in Motivation and Support
I love love love the success stories posts and pics on mfp. I can't wait to post my own. But I know that means I have to take Before pictures. Which I did tonight.

(Shudder)

Hubby and I are professional photographers so I am always behind the camera... on purpose! If I do happen to wind up in front of the camera I am an expert at positioning myself just so in order to minimize my ... er, bounty. :) I also try to buy clothes that fit and flatter.

But not tonight. Tonight I let it all hang out (so to speak).

I say again... (shudder)

So now I have my Before pic. I wanna hurry up and be an After!

Replies

  • zachatta
    zachatta Posts: 1,340 Member
    It is worth it, trust me.

    Mine look so bad it is crazy.
  • myfitnessval
    myfitnessval Posts: 687 Member
    yup totally worth it. what keeps me going on bad days is my desire to one day be able to post my story as a success story with my before and after. i want to be a post that motivates someone else to go at this for reals, its what lured me into all of this and has kept me going! seeing everyone elses success and telling myself "i want to be one of those!"
  • annabellj
    annabellj Posts: 1,337 Member
    sooooooo worth it! when you get close to goal and get discouraged you will be thanking yourself for the befores! it keeps me motivated to keep going, and for that matter, to never ever want to go back there! i keep one on my fridge so I dont overdo it food wise. works wonders for me!
  • cwilli36
    cwilli36 Posts: 45 Member
    I think we all have this feeling. I look back at pictures where I thought I looked ok...and think, wow, what was I thinking???? Good luck to you!
  • Amanda_Nichols
    Amanda_Nichols Posts: 1
    I only have about 6lbs to go before I post mine. I'm not looking forward to it, but they do help to look at when you need to see that you ARE making progress!
  • RedHotHunter
    RedHotHunter Posts: 560 Member
    Girl I know whatchya mean! I took a before about a week ago and it motivated me like nothing else has. I'm pretty sure I took a photo of the girl that ate me because I didnt see myself only a fat girl LOL I've been hitting the gym hard ever since. So keep on working on that after pic. We deserve to prance around in our undies like the other fit chicks on here.
    :bigsmile:
  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    The picture that woke me up is in my profile to remind me that even if I don't feel particularly motivated one day... I can never go back. I was so uncomfortable in my own skin and nobody should ever feel that way.

    For me, seeing where I was is the best motivation ever to keep going where I'm going :)
  • anemoneprose
    anemoneprose Posts: 1,805 Member
    Right, but your before pictures don't *have* to look like a fitting room at the Gap. At least light yourself kindly :)

    Sorry, you've done that already - well, congrats on being brave :)
  • T34418l3angel
    T34418l3angel Posts: 474 Member
    Trust me you will be happy you took that picture a year from now when you tell people you used to weight (insert amount of weight) pounds and they don't believe you cuz you look so fit and fabulous :) (this is my motivation lol). Plus when you feel like that damn scale isn't budging (which does happen) you can take a progress pic and compare to day one and see how truly far you've came :)
  • Sarah_Wins
    Sarah_Wins Posts: 936 Member
    Just keep your clothes on. ALL my progress photos are in sports bras and shorts, belly hanging out and all, and I could NEVER show those - no matter how small I get.
  • wbgolden
    wbgolden Posts: 2,066 Member
    Do it! I just have one before (my DL picture). Wish I had more!
  • emtron500
    emtron500 Posts: 102 Member
    I really regret that I don't have more "before" pictures because I was too camera-shy. In a year you'll be glad you have them!
  • banks89202
    banks89202 Posts: 270
    I took one in a 2 piece bathing suit and I'm sooo afraid to post it when I get to my goal lol...who wants to see someone as big as me in that haha!
  • sevencallmemom
    sevencallmemom Posts: 505 Member
    My before pic makes me cry. Seriously. But I'm SO glad now that I have it! They put it up on the giant screen at church awhile back when I was first inviting people to join the workout class I started and that had a huge impact because no one there had ever seen me at that weight. I was already down 80 before going there.

    My only regret was waiting till I was already down 20 pounds before finally letting someone take a picture of me...well that and not looking a little more presentable. LOL I never expected to show it to anyone! LOL I was dressed but my hair was a mess and I looked so sad...
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    I totally regret not having any pictures at 357. When I finally took before pictures, I was 342. The only pictures I have from 357 are of me sitting with something on my lap (like a big Christmas gift) or hiding behind someone, so it's really hard to see what I look like. I hid from cameras before I started losing weight.
  • CassandraM22
    CassandraM22 Posts: 89
    I havent really taken an official before picture. I started out at 337, weighed in today at 308. photos of me are rare, and if there is any you will mostly just see my face. Which is moon sized but I'm working on that. I guess I need to take one and get it out of the way.
  • monicamk1975
    monicamk1975 Posts: 298 Member
    Your blog was beautiful. Thanks for sharing it, and good luck on your journey. You're worth it :)
  • CanadianDot
    CanadianDot Posts: 93 Member
    I'm trying to figure out how much of a 'before' montage I want to do... Just the regular picture? Or the whole 'see how giant my belly is!' and then seeing it get smaller...

    I hate being in pictures. I hate it.
  • SapphireSmoke
    SapphireSmoke Posts: 13 Member
    I took a before picture of my stomach, which is my main problem area, and ngl it's nice to have something to do a side-by-side comparison with after 20lbs lost. Because to me I still feel like I look the same, but with the comparison you can see an obvious difference and it helps motivate me :) But yeah, before pictures are always cringe-worthy :/

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