Are "before" pictures worth taking?

YES! I really can't believe I was the before or after in either picture. I wish I had taken more progress pics actually.

Um.. YES! Because there WILL be days when you're frustrated, ready to give up, just see absolutely "no change" in the mirror... and someone will suggest taking progress pics. You won't want to do it, of course, because you just "know" you haven't made any progress an d this is just a big fat waste of your time... Do it anyway and you'll be surprised and find the motivation to keep going.

True story.

Yes, I found it very helpful and motivating. There were times when I felt discouraged because the scale wasn't moving as fast as I'd like, but it was really motivating to look back at what I used to look like, and how much my body had changed, and to imagine how much it might change still. Even now, when I've been maintaining for about 10 months, there are still times when I get a bit tired of it all and have fleeting moments of wondering if it's all worth it. I sometimes forget just how much I've achieved. Looking at those pictures can really bring it home how much I lost and how much I changed my body. And even though I'm maintaining, I still take pictures fairly regularly, because my body is still changing with strength training.

I never liked my pic taken either. Took a lot to ask my boyfriend to take my before pics. I am so glad I did because now I can compare and it is so very encouraging to see the progress. Now I have a full length mirror and take my own pics because I am actually beginning to like who I see in the mirror.

I completely agree with everyone else! I've done dieting on and off for the past 10 years and I think one of my biggest down falls was not keeping myself motivated. I started doing pictures once a month now and although I'm not very far into my journey , it's nice to see the pictures from the start and see that I've lost weight. Plus the first pic is a reminder of what I never want to let happen again.I often joke about taking my before picture and blowing it up and posting it on the fridge for the reminder of why I shouldn't fat snack it out.

YES!!

I didn't think there was much difference in my weight loss until I found a photo from 2009 - I showed it to my walking buddy and her reply, "OMG where have all your chins gone!!!!" She said this was a compliment lol

Because we see ourselves every day we don't notice the difference in ourselves but unfortunately or fortunately however you look at it the camera NEVER lies!

Use it as an incentive/encouragement x

Yep, that's what has kept me going. The scale only moved 4 pounds in 6 months, but my body has been transformed. Take photos.

Amazing transformation

I find it extremely helpful... Only way I can see it being disappointing is if you're not actually doing your part in the gym and in the kitchen!

I took them, but the computer they were stored on got stolen. :mad: I was really wishing I had them just a couple days ago. Also try keeping a shirt and a pair of pants that you don't quite fit into yet and try them on occasionally.

I'm guessing one of the motivations for wanting to lose weight is to look better (it was/is for me) so a visual record seems a good way to gauge that. That said, performance gains are good motivators. That is, if you can only run a certain distance or lift a certain amount try to improve.

Most definitely. There are even a couple apps that will allow to you to take pics and setup a side-by-side montage to best visualize progress.

Yes, take them. I have to take mine soon, I've gained and I know I'm not going to be happy. But you will be glad you did in the long run.

Take the pictures, send them to an old email so you don't see them.

check them after 2 months.

What I did.