Progress Photos Gone Wrong

llaurenmarie
llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
in Motivation and Support
I've been taking progress photos about every 2 weeks to keep reminding myself I'm not done yet.
Its about 2 months in now and the photos I took today actually look worse than two weeks ago.
I'm at the same weight but I just look heavier, flubbier.
Don't think its water weight since its all over.
I wear the same exact thing when I take the pictures

I've been taking tummy measurements and I've lost about a 1/4 inch the past two weeks but it looks like they just shifted lower :(

The tiniest improvement I saw was my shoulders are a teeny more cut(probably because all the push ups)


Kinda just put my hoodie on and want to hide :embarassed:
Don't usually post downer stuff but I'm a bit discouraged

Replies

  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
    Why would you take progress photos every 2 weeks? Try 1x/month or 1x/2months. It will be far less discouraging and way more representative of your progress.
  • BigMommaIRB
    BigMommaIRB Posts: 1 Member
    I understand that you feel discouraged.... but from an outsider (and someone just starting out on weight loss journey) look at the positive..... YOU ALREADY LOST 45 LBS!!!! That is amazing!!!!! Try and stay positive and maybe change up something in your workout? Could it be related to your monthly cycle?
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    Why would you take progress photos every 2 weeks? Try 1x/month or 1x/2months. It will be far less discouraging and way more representative of your progress.
    I didn't know that was a short amount of time. Was trying to join it with weighing in.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    I understand that you feel discouraged.... but from an outsider (and someone just starting out on weight loss journey) look at the positive..... YOU ALREADY LOST 45 LBS!!!! That is amazing!!!!! Try and stay positive and maybe change up something in your workout? Could it be related to your monthly cycle?
    My cycle was on schedule for month before, this past month it was two weeks late. Most likely due to diet exercise change. Suppose I'm just all out of wack.

    Edited to say thank you for your kindness as well. 45lbs over a couple years but yeah. Kept it off at least..?
  • kuger4119
    kuger4119 Posts: 213 Member
    Lighting, angle, posture, time of day, etc....can all be factors in how you look in a picture. I don't remember where I saw it, but some male model did some before and after pictures and he went from looking like a flabby out of shape loser to a baywatch candidate and all he did was tweak a few things on how he took the picture.
  • renoona
    renoona Posts: 1 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    Lighting, angle, posture, time of day, etc....can all be factors in how you look in a picture. I don't remember where I saw it, but some male model did some before and after pictures and he went from looking like a flabby out of shape loser to a baywatch candidate and all he did was tweak a few things on how he took the picture.
    True. I try to make everything exactly the same but I suppose there's no telling.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
    I'll take your advice!

    Also incorporating more cardio now since I've been doing A LOT of weight training as well so it's probably making me look thicker before I have chances to shed the fat? does this make sense
  • Cathalain
    Cathalain Posts: 424 Member
    I didn't do a "before" and "after" shot until SIX MONTHS went by. I guess that it never occurred to me to do that - but when I did, the difference was ASTOUNDING. I seriously couldn't believe my eyes. I still can't.

    Are you wearing the same clothes (or at least the same style)? Lighting can make a huge difference, too.

    I'd take one every month or two months - you'll probably see bigger differences then. And... it may sound dumb, but just smiling makes all the difference in the world. I've taken some where I'm not smiling and I just look down, frumpy, awful. The minute I smile, it all changes.
  • MrsRatfire
    MrsRatfire Posts: 102
    This is more about your body image being tied to all of your self-esteem. You are being way to hard on yourself. You do not look flabbier in two weeks no matter what you have done- it is not possible. So you like the photo better from two weeks prior? There are a million things that could cause a change in the photo, but none of them you stated could actually happen. You look absolutely beautiful in your photo! You are blessed. You need to love yourself the way you are, no matter what you look like on any given day. How can you take care of someone you do not love? Say this to yourself, NOW. Shrug this off. This is an emotional stumble that has trapped many people including myself. How many times do you think Olympic skaters fall in their life? Hundreds of thousands of times. They think NOTHING of it. They log their training, learn from any mistake until they execute it perfectly. That is the life of any professional athlete. Psychologically, they are different than you or me. They face failure everyday, shrug it off and keep going. This is NOT the best example, as you have not failed. But you Think you have. That is just as dangerous. Be like a pro athlete, shrug this off.
  • cmeiron
    cmeiron Posts: 1,599 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
    I'll take your advice!

    Also incorporating more cardio now since I've been doing A LOT of weight training as well so it's probably making me look thicker before I have chances to shed the fat? does this make sense

    Unless you're bulking (eating at a surplus) it's unlikely that you're getting much "thicker" - you're not building muscle. I've TRIED to get thicker and it's damn hard. That said, weight training even on a decifit can cause water retention as the muscles repair, making you look a little more "pumped", but if you're dieting then you're really just removing fat to expose your existing muscles so shouldn't be looking more "flubby". My guess is that you might have just been retaining a little extra water for some reason and caught a bad angle/bad lighting. No biggie :)
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
    I'll take your advice!

    Also incorporating more cardio now since I've been doing A LOT of weight training as well so it's probably making me look thicker before I have chances to shed the fat? does this make sense

    Unless you're bulking (eating at a surplus) it's unlikely that you're getting much "thicker" - you're not building muscle. I've TRIED to get thicker and it's damn hard. That said, weight training even on a decifit can cause water retention as the muscles repair, making you look a little more "pumped", but if you're dieting then you're really just removing fat to expose your existing muscles so shouldn't be looking more "flubby". My guess is that you might have just been retaining a little extra water for some reason and caught a bad angle/bad lighting. No biggie :)
    Thanks for the input. What's scary(and what's about to change) is I may actually be bulking.
    I've been eating less than I used to, and smarter..
    But I still have a bingeing issue. And even though it's not terrible choices as before, bingeing on healthy is still bingeing :(
    It happens about 2 days a week.
    More than ever I'm learning that a calorie isn't just a calorie, I feel like crap when I eat crap despite being at my 1600 mark.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    I didn't do a "before" and "after" shot until SIX MONTHS went by. I guess that it never occurred to me to do that - but when I did, the difference was ASTOUNDING. I seriously couldn't believe my eyes. I still can't.

    Are you wearing the same clothes (or at least the same style)? Lighting can make a huge difference, too.

    I'd take one every month or two months - you'll probably see bigger differences then. And... it may sound dumb, but just smiling makes all the difference in the world. I've taken some where I'm not smiling and I just look down, frumpy, awful. The minute I smile, it all changes.
    I really like your smiling idea, I've definitely been frowning in ALL of them to try to keep thinking I shouldn't settle here lol

    And yes I wear the same exact thing every time
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    This is more about your body image being tied to all of your self-esteem. You are being way to hard on yourself. You do not look flabbier in two weeks no matter what you have done- it is not possible. So you like the photo better from two weeks prior? There are a million things that could cause a change in the photo, but none of them you stated could actually happen. You look absolutely beautiful in your photo! You are blessed. You need to love yourself the way you are, no matter what you look like on any given day. How can you take care of someone you do not love? Say this to yourself, NOW. Shrug this off. This is an emotional stumble that has trapped many people including myself. How many times do you think Olympic skaters fall in their life? Hundreds of thousands of times. They think NOTHING of it. They log their training, learn from any mistake until they execute it perfectly. That is the life of any professional athlete. Psychologically, they are different than you or me. They face failure everyday, shrug it off and keep going. This is NOT the best example, as you have not failed. But you Think you have. That is just as dangerous. Be like a pro athlete, shrug this off.
    Thank you for taking the time. You make awesome points.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    Do your photos every 4-6 weeks. The every two weeks is too soon and will burn you out.

    Also, on some of my "progress" photos, I looked flabbier. I almost wanted to hide them or delete them. But I kept them anyway. I noticed that a few weeks after the bad pictures, I would lose several pounds or inches at one time. Once I lost 5 lbs in a week, without changing my routine, I kept waiting for most of it to come back and it never did.

    Long story short, I think the flabbier, fattier times are right before a big loss.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    I'd take progress photos monthly, and they should be a part of how you judge your progress but not the only way.

    One thing to consider also-- my husband has lost weight several times and he always loses his love handles from the top down. So for awhile he thinks he looks worse but really he just has to stick it out.

    And another thing-- it's normal to have days where you're bloated or where psychologically you think you look worse. Photos taken within moments of each other can be significantly different as well. I did an experiment with changing nothing but pose and one article of clothing for my blog:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ILiftHeavyAcrylics/view/what-s-in-a-photo-644456

    Be patient with yourself and realize that this whole process takes time.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    Update:

    What I did after this post was tell my trainer-- up my cardio and kick my you know what.

    And I seriously rocked my cardio today. So much improvement from when I started with my endurance

    I ran the fastest mile of my life!


    Thanks for the nice words guys, I know the forums can be harsh.
    Ready to kick next weeks you know what..
  • rsoice
    rsoice Posts: 212 Member
    Two things I noticed. 1) you know you're going to binge eat so plan for it. Wife and I give ourselves 1 splurge day per week. We think about it and I think sometimes I dream about what I'm giong to eat. Then we make sure that we workout that day even if it's supposed to be a rest day. Over the year we've been doing this, our splurge days have alternated but are now more of a splurge meal than anything else. It's helped. You've done really well at 40+ pounds and maintained, so kudos. 2) Don't try to check your progress as often. We take our measurements once a month and only weight 3 times a week. We haven't done the photo thing but do try to keep up with our measurements for progress.

    Just my .02
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    I've tried cheat days but it ends up a cheat weekend and so forth.

    I feel back in the saddle for now so we'll see. Thanks
  • MrsRatfire
    MrsRatfire Posts: 102
    Now your cooking' girl- you kick that booty! And keep kicking even when it kicks you back!
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    Now your cooking' girl- you kick that booty! And keep kicking even when it kicks you back!

    had two days of kicking butt and whatyda know
    I shed 3lbs of what WAS water weight
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
    I'll take your advice!

    Also incorporating more cardio now since I've been doing A LOT of weight training as well so it's probably making me look thicker before I have chances to shed the fat? does this make sense

    Unless you're bulking (eating at a surplus) it's unlikely that you're getting much "thicker" - you're not building muscle. I've TRIED to get thicker and it's damn hard. That said, weight training even on a decifit can cause water retention as the muscles repair, making you look a little more "pumped", but if you're dieting then you're really just removing fat to expose your existing muscles so shouldn't be looking more "flubby". My guess is that you might have just been retaining a little extra water for some reason and caught a bad angle/bad lighting. No biggie :)
    Thanks for the input. What's scary(and what's about to change) is I may actually be bulking.
    I've been eating less than I used to, and smarter..
    But I still have a bingeing issue. And even though it's not terrible choices as before, bingeing on healthy is still bingeing :(
    It happens about 2 days a week.
    More than ever I'm learning that a calorie isn't just a calorie, I feel like crap when I eat crap despite being at my 1600 mark.

    You have to really work at bulking- it doesn't happen by accident- and it takes a while to do it- you aren't going to bulk on 2 weeks. It's actually laughable difficult to bulk- especially as a woman.

    Keep on your diet- be smart- plan in advance- know that your target number for calories is a not a fixed point- it's more of a range- and as you lose- it will shift down with you.

    Also- pictures every 2 weeks is to much- once a month is not a bad idea- but you can stretch it out by several months- totally normal. I did a 5 month bulk- took them beginning middle and end.
  • llaurenmarie
    llaurenmarie Posts: 1,260 Member
    From personal experience, 2 weeks will show on the scale but not necessarily on the body just yet. It takes a month or so for your body to keep adjusting to the new lower (yay!) weight that you're constantly making it go down to, so the fat and muscle doesn't have much time to "settle". Don't be discouraged, and everyone knows pictures can lie :) Scale back the pictures for every month or so (or even less often), but stick with those measurements (only on days when you're NOT bloated - otherwise it's a recipe for a mental breakdown, haha) and keep chugging at it. Sending happy healthy energy from me to you!
    I'll take your advice!

    Also incorporating more cardio now since I've been doing A LOT of weight training as well so it's probably making me look thicker before I have chances to shed the fat? does this make sense

    Unless you're bulking (eating at a surplus) it's unlikely that you're getting much "thicker" - you're not building muscle. I've TRIED to get thicker and it's damn hard. That said, weight training even on a decifit can cause water retention as the muscles repair, making you look a little more "pumped", but if you're dieting then you're really just removing fat to expose your existing muscles so shouldn't be looking more "flubby". My guess is that you might have just been retaining a little extra water for some reason and caught a bad angle/bad lighting. No biggie :)
    Thanks for the input. What's scary(and what's about to change) is I may actually be bulking.
    I've been eating less than I used to, and smarter..
    But I still have a bingeing issue. And even though it's not terrible choices as before, bingeing on healthy is still bingeing :(
    It happens about 2 days a week.
    More than ever I'm learning that a calorie isn't just a calorie, I feel like crap when I eat crap despite being at my 1600 mark.

    You have to really work at bulking- it doesn't happen by accident- and it takes a while to do it- you aren't going to bulk on 2 weeks. It's actually laughable difficult to bulk- especially as a woman.

    Keep on your diet- be smart- plan in advance- know that your target number for calories is a not a fixed point- it's more of a range- and as you lose- it will shift down with you.

    Also- pictures every 2 weeks is to much- once a month is not a bad idea- but you can stretch it out by several months- totally normal. I did a 5 month bulk- took them beginning middle and end.
    this makes me feel better :)
    The past week or so I've started runninng(actual running) and it seems to be showing improvements on my overall feeling already

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