#187 - Take “Before” Pictures: Health Tips for Weight Loss
Weight loss tip number 79 is for dieters who are just getting started. Coach Tadris Parker has personally tested this recommendation and a hundred other health tips commonly shared in the running and fitness world. Listen to the audio clip below to hear his take on why you should take “before” pictures. Learn all about this at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You! Listen To The Podcast
Take “before” pictures! You will be super motivated to keep going once you do a side-by-side comparison and see how your body has changed. Sometimes the change is visible as you tone and slim down, even before the numbers on the scale start to drop.
Tip 79. Take “Before” Pictures (weight loss)
If you’re embarking on a weight loss journey, stop what you’re doing and take “before” pictures before you lose an ounce! You will be super motivated to keep going once you do a side by side comparison and see how your body has changed. Take “before” pictures and document your weight loss journey.
Take “before” pictures - for motivation
If you have kids, you know how much they like to see baby pictures of themselves. There’s something about seeing how you were before that makes you proud and happy of how much you’ve grown. Adults are the same with weight loss. We can use “before” pictures to fuel our passion for growing and improving our form. Photos will document the subtleties of your progress, even when it’s hard to see and easy to forget. Change is sometimes visible even when the scale doesn’t reflect it, especially when it comes to losing inches and toning muscle. Track your journey with photos and celebrate the change regardless of what numbers you see on the scale.
Confront your current body- acknowledge the truth
Track progress as you get fit - with photos
See results even before the scale starts dropping in numbers
Take “before” pictures - you’re competing with yourself
Remember to focus on your own personal growth and goal setting. Don’t fall into the trap of comparing yourself to others or to the photoshopped models and filters you see on magazines and social media. Use photos of yourself to motivate yourself. This is especially helpful if you have a photo of yourself at a weight where you were comfortable. Use this as your goal, not a photo of a celebrity. It’s all about being our own personal best - not wishing that you looked like someone else. Also, be aware of the photo tricks that many people play when taking before and after photos. Some will buy 2 shirts and wear the small one in the before and the big one for the after photo. That’s a deceptive sales tactic. Instead, take the authentic approach and forget about those gimmicks.
If you’ve gained weight, find a “BEFORE before” picture to inspire you to get back to your best shape
Don’t compare yourself to the bodies you see in magazines or on social media
Wear the same shirt or dress everytime you document - don’t fall for the tricks
See results when you take “before” pictures
If you need some inspiration to get hyped up about better health and weight loss, check out these before and after pictures from our members and our friends at Keep Calm and Run To The Best You. No tricks, photo editing, just real, healthy change seen in the people within our local community.
Coach Tadris Parker was 217 pounds at his heaviest point. He’s now comfortably in the mid-170 range and is happy to know that his heart is healthy and his body weight is more muscle than fat. He’s decreased his risk of diabetes significantly - a disease that runs in his family. Coach Tadris is personally invested in helping others to do the same - lose weight and maintain an active, healthy lifestyle with less stress both mentally and physically.
Nichol Parker (Coach Tadris’ wife) has taken drastic weight loss measures to get into shape after giving birth to their son. In 2010, Nicky underwent gastric bypass surgery to jumpstart her weight loss journey. She used high intensity workouts (HIIT) to tone up and maintain her shape. She lost 100 pounds in 6 months, then another 20-25 pounds after that, so over 120 pounds total weight loss
Chris Ballard has lost over 30 pounds from running after having triplets. Despite working overnight shifts at the hospital, Chris has found an accountability partner to run with every week and it keeps her on track.
Marie Geary is the power walker of our group. We interviewed her back during the height of the pandemic to discuss how she lost 41.6 lbs and 18.1 overall inches in just four months. Prior to being stuck at home for the quarantine, Marie Geary lost 20 pounds, so that’s over 60 pounds altogether!
Lance Cantell lost 88 pounds in 13 months and was well on his way to the weight loss goal of a hundred pounds when we interviewed him for the website.
Harness the power of a “before” picture
Comparing before and after pictures is a powerful marketing tool. People like to see examples of real change and visible progress because it gives them hope that the program or product will work for them, too! Take a “before” picture to reflect on as you’re transforming, or find a good one from your past, and let it serve as a motivator so you keep calm and run back to the best YOU!
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At Keep Calm and Run To The Best You, we are actively helping people from all walks of life to get healthier and happier in the body they’ve got! We’ve collected advice from professionals, combed through archives, and gathered insights from our group members. Click here to see the rest of our 101 health tips about running, intermittent fasting, and weight loss.
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Coach Tadris Parker educates and motivates people at all levels of intermittent fasting and mindful eating.
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