Do you ever regret not taking a before picture?

Take the photos! So many people talk about how motivating it is when they compare their before pics to their current pics.

I do! I don't have a proper before picture because I never let them be taken. The picture that I use as my before picture around these parts is actually around 20 pounds below my highest weight.

osche731 wrote: »

Hi there,

I am just starting my weight loss journey and I'm about 15 lbs down. But I haven't noticed a difference. I'm thinking of taking a before picture so I have something to go off of. Do any of you regret not taking a before picture?
On a side note, how many pounds lost did it take for you to really become motivated?

Don't forget the tape measure too as that's pretty empowering when you can't see a change in photos! I need to update mine on MFP now they've added more than 3 you can track.

I don't even know if I had to lose a pound to become motivated. When my eating became more normalized and I cut the quantity down I began feeling a whole lot better. Or course once I began moving more I did as well. Pounds off the scale are an indicator but for me I found so many other things motivating as well. Loose clothing, moving around more easily, flexibility, sleeping better etc. Because sometimes it's inches before pounds drop off. I suppose if I had to give a number it would probably be a couple lbs. because any amount makes me feel a chance in my body. I had a lot to lose and still have a chunk to drop but now when I drop some it makes me realize as long as I'm going in the right direction all is good! lol

Oh and regarding photos along the way... I do wish I had taken photos more frequently along the way so I could do more comparisons. Nothing stopping me I suppose and I doubt I'll regret it if I start now. So I think I will start so I don't regret that I didn't later. It seems harder for ppl (from posts I've read) that don't have before photos or only a couple of them to really see the difference in their body changes. Mental changes as well... I don't want to get to a healthier place and still feel like I'm in the same body... that would be a total mind nightmare!

Your thread made me stop and think... thanks!

YES! Take a posed photo. I REGRET not doing it....but the mind is a powerful thing and I could not bear to see what I had done to this bod. So yes! It is said you should not look back but in this case, you will want to!

I regret not taking one. I took my 'before' pic after i lost 5 pounds. And i didnt notice any difference until 10 pounds after that! Its slow but when you notice that difference it is so amazing!

I take pictures regularly, it really helps focus the mind. The camera never lies yet so many are afraid of what the camera tells. I couldn't give a hoot and believe it keeps me on the straight and narrow instead of pretending to myself.

Sidenote: I became motivated when the NSV came thick and fast. I wanted more comments so I tried even more and the rest is history. I hope you keep losing steadily and never ever give up.

I regret not taking a formal, posed picture. The "before" picture I use is actually about 25 pounds lighter than my highest. I still look about the same, because as @cwolfman13 already mentioned, it was all from the fingers and legs at first, but it still gives me an idea. I would do it. Even seeing my "almost before" picture gives me a lot of motivation.

osche731 wrote: »

Hi there,

I am just starting my weight loss journey and I'm about 15 lbs down. But I haven't noticed a difference. I'm thinking of taking a before picture so I have something to go off of. Do any of you regret not taking a before picture?
On a side note, how many pounds lost did it take for you to really become motivated?

I personally think the idea of before, during, and after pictures is good...

But keep in mind that initial weight loss isn't always particularly noticeable...particularly if you have a lot to lose. People tend to have this image in their head of losing weight all over, all at once and that's not how it usually happens.

Our "problem" areas tend to be the most noticeable...and they tend to be where we are really looking for change...but unfortunately our "problem" areas also tend to be primary fat stores which means they are first on, last off.

I lost 40 Lbs all said and done...from 220 - 200 you couldn't really tell unless you were very keen on looking at my fingers or happened to notice that my neck shrunk a bit, etc. from 200 - 190 people (and myself) finally noticed some actual changes as my face became slimmer, I lost the extra chin, and my belly started to shrink. 190 - 180 was a pretty substantial difference in my belly which was the most noticeable of anything...but yeah, that was 40 Lbs later.

osche731 wrote: »

Hi there,

I am just starting my weight loss journey and I'm about 15 lbs down. But I haven't noticed a difference. I'm thinking of taking a before picture so I have something to go off of. Do any of you regret not taking a before picture?
On a side note, how many pounds lost did it take for you to really become motivated?

My first set "before" picture was after about 4-5 months of lifting. I wish I had a true before picture. That is what keeps you motivated, seeing how far you've come. For me, when I started getting stronger I felt more motivated and it's continued ever since.

I have a family picture with me at my highest weight and it's enough for me. Ugh.

I didn't take a formal before picture but honestly I could burn (figuratively since they're all digital) all my before pictures. I hate looking at them But for the sake of the side by side difference it's kind of cool to see the difference.

Get used to take a picture every 2 weeks, at least at the beginning.
My motivation really kicked off after 5 months. It's not really a big deal but when I compared the pic to the old ones I realized the difference.
That being said, while "motivation" ain't something you can find on the floor, it doesn't come from results alone either. It's psychological: visualize yourself at the end of this journey and do whatever it takes to get there.

I did take one, and monthly take a new photo for side by side comparisons. It really helps, because my eyeballs don't see what the scale is saying.

Take it! I didn't have an "official" before photo...just a blurry phone pic..but that is enough to truly to see how far I've come. To answer the side note question..it only took the first couple pounds for me to remain on track and that was two years ago and I've been committed ever since.

osche731 wrote: »

Do any of you regret not taking a before picture?

yup. i got curious though after regaining most of the initial weight i had lost because i got more interested in eating to support my strength training than i was in just keeping a certain scale weight. so i recently took a 360 webcam clip of myself at my 'new' version of 140 pounds.

i don't have any record of myself at the non-lifter version of the same weight, but i know that i didn't like it nearly as much as i like how this looks. so there's that because i'm sort of casually determined to re-lose five or ten pounds, and this time i would like to have a record of the difference.