Before and After Weightloss!

Why Do We Fall

I was just browsing Facebook and saw a before and after picture for weight loss being shared.

Now my first thought was fair play, but then I noticed a few things, and then I quickly realised that it's a pattern with all of these type of posts. For example, the before picture always shows people at their absolute worst! If it's a man, he's disheveled, his shoulders are slumped and he has a sour puss on him. If it's a woman, her hair is bad, she's wearing a mismatching bra and underwear and again like the bloke, she has a big sour puss on her.

Even the bad lighting is noticeable.

Of course, the after picture is the complete opposite! And I'm not talking about the weight. The man is clean shaven and the woman has had her hair done and make up applied. Also, the after picture tends to be taken at a more complimentary angle with of course, better lighting. You'd almost swear methods of distraction were being deployed to take the attention away from the actual point: the weight loss.

My point is that these pictures tend not to be shared by the individual but rather by whatever gym/group or personal trainer that has been overseeing someone's weightloss program. In this day and age a lot of people seem to fancy themselves as the latter (a PT) and they obviously want to promote their skill, but when I see pictures like this being shared, it makes me think that they doubt themselves. Like they can't get the results out of people.

I'm not having a go at anyone trying to lose weight, I've been there myself and I only have admiration for those who try, and sympathy for those who haven't the confidence to try. But I don't understand why someone might need other people like a PT to help them.

It's like Operation Transformation, why the hell do you need to go on TV for people to make a show of you in order to lose weight?

strelok

most of the time with those pictures they take people who are used to working out, eating properly and just generally being fit but who are (for whatever reason) currently the size of a small car and take a photo of them for the before

then when they recover from illness, or whatever injury they were suffering from, they get back to their usual training and dieting routine and hey-presto we have an amazing after shot that's definitely down to our cabbage soup smoothie diet


of course sometimes they just flat out lie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M957dACQyfU

the progresspics subreddit on reddit has actual people with genuine weight loss photos and it's easy to see how not-drastic 99% of the submissions are because they're just regular people losing weight at a reasonable enough pace.

Sunnyisland

It's usually another form of advertising for some product or gym. And it's more about the gym or product than the individual him/her self.

Oranage2

Why Do We Fall wrote: »

I was just browsing Facebook and saw a before and after picture for weight loss being shared.

Now my first thought was fair play, but then I noticed a few things, and then I quickly realised that it's a pattern with all of these type of posts. For example, the before picture always shows people at their absolute worst! If it's a man, he's disheveled, his shoulders are slumped and he has a sour puss on him. If it's a woman, her hair is bad, she's wearing a mismatching bra and underwear and again like the bloke, she has a big sour puss on her.

Even the bad lighting is noticeable.

Of course, the after picture is the complete opposite! And I'm not talking about the weight. The man is clean shaven and the woman has had her hair done and make up applied. Also, the after picture tends to be taken at a more complimentary angle with of course, better lighting. You'd almost swear methods of distraction were being deployed to take the attention away from the actual point: the weight loss.

My point is that these pictures tend not to be shared by the individual but rather by whatever gym/group or personal trainer that has been overseeing someone's weightloss program. In this day and age a lot of people seem to fancy themselves as the latter (a PT) and they obviously want to promote their skill, but when I see pictures like this being shared, it makes me think that they doubt themselves. Like they can't get the results out of people.

I'm not having a go at anyone trying to lose weight, I've been there myself and I only have admiration for those who try, and sympathy for those who haven't the confidence to try. But I don't understand why someone might need other people like a PT to help them.

It's like Operation Transformation, why the hell do you need to go on TV for people to make a show of you in order to lose weight?

It's all about motivation, if someone like a PT is going to hold you accountable at weigh ins then you're much less likely to eat that cheese cake.

But I agree with the before and after, such a con, but people are desperate to lose weight and a lot of people just don't have proper food education. mentally it's very hard but physically it's really a calorie in versus a calorie out equation.

- Try keep your insulin down by not eating sugar or a lot of carbs.
- There's no such thing as starvation mode when you're overweight.
- Exercise is about 10% of weight lose, diet is 90%, so it's easier not to eat that chocolate bar than to run 30 minutes on a thread mill.

Yeh my gym posted a randomly chosen stock photo on our private page to remind us about testing week (which includes photos and measurements). I joked about us getting a spray tan and a boob job for the "after" pics as per the photo.

I can understand people going on OT, a lot of folk are so misguided and stuck in such a rut, that it's a great opportunity to get help, I hate that the clothes they put them in to weigh in though.

I have a "before and after" pic that I have posted before, but it is actually me all dolled up on a night out, and the after is one of me after a run - all sweaty and in running clothes - and still looking a hundred times better. I actually recently used that after picture as my before picture to show how I'm not as lean as I was during marathon training.

Why Do We Fall

Oranage2 wrote: »

It's all about motivation, if someone like a PT is going to hold you accountable at weigh ins then you're much less likely to eat that cheese cake.

But I agree with the before and after, such a con, but people are desperate to lose weight and a lot of people just don't have proper food education. mentally it's very hard but physically it's really a calorie in versus a calorie out equation.

- Try keep your insulin down by not eating sugar or a lot of carbs.
- There's no such thing as starvation mode when you're overweight.
- Exercise is about 10% of weight lose, diet is 90%, so it's easier not to eat that chocolate bar than to run 30 minutes on a thread mill.

But if you need someone to hold you accountable then it's likely you'll fall back into old habits. A PT isn't going to hold your hand for the rest of your life.

So many people don't seem to get that losing weight should be for one person: yourself. Not for the wife or husband, and not for the kids.

Everytime I hear someone say "I'm doing it for them" it makes think that they don't really want to do it.

Oranage2

Why Do We Fall wrote: »

But if you need someone to hold you accountable then it's likely you'll fall back into old habits. A PT isn't going to hold your hand for the rest of your life.

So many people don't seem to get that losing weight should be for one person: yourself. Not for the wife or husband, and not for the kids.

Everytime I hear someone say "I'm doing it for them" it makes think that they don't really want to do it.

Very true but something like 95% of people regain weight loss no matter what diet they use, a pt will kick start you, instead of doing the mental reasoning oh I'll start tomorrow.

Also I'm not a pt or ever used one and im at around a bmi of around 27 so not thin either. I just think a PT can be very helpful for people that need motivation and information

EDit

Some of the ones I've seen in my local paper for local gyms or personal trainers are hilarious as the 'before' picture is taken up close (so the person looks bigger) and the 'after' is taken from about 10 yards away (so, inherently, the person looks smaller). If you look at it for more than a fraction of a second, it's clear the person hasn't lost any weight at all

suicide_circus

HEY FATTY DO YOU FEEL BAD ABOUT YOURSELF? WELL HERES THE AMAZING WEIGHTLOSS SECRET THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT DONT WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT!

Why Do We Fall

I'm not talking about ads popping up so much, these are gyms and PTs I know personally sharing these pictures. As I said, no problem with someone promoting their skill.

Why Do We Fall

Oranage2 wrote: »

Very true but something like 95% of people regain weight loss no matter what diet they use, a pt will kick start you, instead of doing the mental reasoning oh I'll start tomorrow.

Also I'm not a pt or ever used one and im at around a bmi of around 27 so not thin either. I just think a PT can be very helpful for people that need motivation and information

Fair point and understandable.

At my heaviest I was 18 stone and 5ft nothing so was a barrell on top of another. I suppose my da was my PT in a way because he pulled no punches with me and told me at every opportunity that I was too heavy for my age. Wouldn't have lost it all without him.

KungPao

The Ab Roller Plus sure toned my abs, cabs, and flabs. And it just took 15 minutes a day.

It was a steal at just $69.95.