Before and After Pictures

If you are on a weight loss or fitness journey you probably have ways of tracking progress. In this episode we are talking about before and after pictures, and our professional opinion on if people should use them.
Spoiler alert....we are okay with them! But, we go into when they may not be appropriate/should be avoided, as well as what we think about the typical before and after pictures that we see being used in the media and on social media.

If you have questions, or topics that you want to hear about, head over to our Instagrams https://www.instagram.com/nucrewnutrition/ or https://www.instagram.com/themomminnutritionist/ and send us a DM!

If you are interested in working with us in Metabolism Makeover you can sign up here! https://metabolismmakeover.co/programs/metabolism-makeover/earlybird/?affiliate=mocktailminutes

Featured Mocktails:
Suja Cold Pressed Juice - https://www.instagram.com/lovesuja/
JB Wellness Cold Pressed Juice - https://www.instagram.com/j.b.wellness/

Click play, sip back, and be empowered.

Transcript

0:23

Hello everyone. Welcome back to this week's episode of Mocktail Minutes. This is Bailey and this is Brianna. This week, I am doing a cold press juice from a local company. So if you're in my area, if you don't know, I'm in like, I work in O'Fallon, Missouri area, but in Caudillville there's JV wellness and they make everything from scratch. I'm absolutely obsessed with it. But I got a juice drink from there. It is beet, orange, strawberry, and carrot. I'm gonna try it out. Your smoothie was from yesterday? Mm hmm. Yeah, I go there a lot. I mean, it's not terrible. You can taste the carrots. They're very fresh. This was totally unplanned, but I also have a juice. I don't know, it's like the sun's out a bit. It's like, oh, refreshing. I have, I hope I don't say this wrong, I call it suja. But it's the cold press, like, juices. And mine is the green delight. I know a lot of green juices aren't good. This is actually good. Apple, mango, banana, cucumber, and lemon. And it has like kale, spinach, spirulina, barley grass. It's delicious. So. And we just decided we add an episode for this year on juicing. So we've never really talked about it, but I'm also doing this with my snack. So I added some peanuts to not get a blood sugar spike. Of course, I just had a cheese stick and a little stick, like my little protein sack was cause I was like, yeah, I probably wouldn't have chomps beef sticks last week. Costco had them too. I think I like the turkey sticks better though. I haven't had the turkey, but my Costco had bison. I didn't get him because I'm such a creature of habit and I was too scared. So I got the regular ones. But if anybody has had the bison or the turkey, like let us know. Yeah, I've done the turkey, I guess, thrive market ones. I haven't done the turkey chomps one, but I also think it could be a pregnancy thing because I used to really like the beef ones. And then I went through a stage a couple of weeks ago where I was eating like. three turkey sticks a day. It's a little much, but they were amazing. My car just had like turkey stick wrappers for like, like on the floor. You're like, okay, we're doing our best right now. At least it's high protein. You know, it could be worse. It's totally fine. Yeah. We're both juicing today. We're juicing, which is so funny. Yeah. So what are we, what are we talking about today? I know what we're talking about today, but I didn't know you were going to do that. Just a little introduction. We're talking about before and after pictures. And Brianna and I have actually never, like we've never really talked about this to each other, to like talk it out. Like a lot of times before our episodes, we kind of like get a game plan of what our thoughts, where we want to take it. We didn't do that this time. So, we're getting your opinions. It'll be interesting to see what our opinions are and how. Different or like they are. I don't know. I think it'd be good. So yeah, let's get in. I guess to start off, I mean, I really don't have a strong opinion to one or the other. I think it's one of these things that it's like, yeah, it can be fine. Also maybe, yeah, for some people it's not great for, and that is totally okay. I think it's another one where it's just like, there's not a. Write it wrong here. I don't think it's so black and white. No, and I, again, I think it always comes back to like, why are you doing it? How do you feel about it? Right? Because if you're someone who like taking progress pictures every week or every other week, it's gonna like send you into a spiral and you get obsessed about it. Okay, don't, don't do it, right? But there's plenty of people, like I always, when I'm working with clients, I ask them, like, how do you want to track progress and I don't typically like it to be the scale, you know, technically, especially if like we're doing it every week, cause it's just not a great judge. So I, you know, they'll ask me like, well, what's a, what's like some good ways. And progress pictures is always one of my recommendations, especially like taking it in the same outfit. Like, cause I think sometimes we need that. gauge of progress because we don't really feel like we look different. And so when you see it side to side, you'd be like, okay, wow. Like, you know, I didn't really think I was doing much difference, but look at the difference like a month makes with these pictures. It's like, okay. Yeah, to actually like visually see it because while I do think maybe sometimes it can take away from the healthy, the health benefits or the nutrients we've been adding, all those different things, giving that visual can create good momentum, momentum, because we can actually see the change. Yeah, it's great to feel good, but we can't really see you feeling good. And. So I think it does help just to like make that association of great. I am feeling good. And also look at my body changing. Especially like in our faces, I think we can see that a lot. And I've even done that to myself. I know there's a period, I would say in high school. I think it's like my junior year, I was super inflamed. That was when I gained some weight, figured out my dairy allergy around actually, it was like two years later, but I can like tell a difference in my face change because of that inflammation, or I have a lot of people that can see changes and their neck where it's when they lose weight now, like their face just. Has a different structure a little bit and that can be motivating because that's something we're usually not like, we're not measuring our chin or anything like that. I think it's also helpful to like, if you're strength training, it can be like, Oh wow, look, I have some leg definition or look, I have a little definition and it just kind of helps. Like I always say, when you are losing fat and trying to build muscle. It can be a slow and steady pace. And so you need something to be like, Hey, you're doing this right. Cause again, it's not always going to be the scale. And so I feel like I like pictures for that reason. And then, like you said, it's, you're comparing yourself to yourself, right? Like I mean, we're already like all day looking at pictures of other people and like, I just don't feel like it's that horrible. I know some people have a really big stance on it, like don't do it. Now for me personally, I don't post my own before and after pictures. but I'm not against people that do. I just, that's just something I don't want to do, but I'm always encouraging like, like clients. Do it like let's measure it because I just I don't know. I don't think anything's like wrong with that again If you're like getting obsessed with it, okay Like we probably don't need to be doing it But I feel like pictures is one of those things that people are okay with they're not getting on the scale I also like measurements. Some people are just not ready to do that Like okay pictures and taking it in the same outfit is doable. Yeah, we really start to notice those changes a little bit more because I mean, like you said, we're looking at ourself all the time. And so if we're looking in the mirror every day, and we're having these changes. It can be harder, honestly, to recognize them because you're seeing these little changes day to day to day, whereas you take a picture a month apart, that's like seeing yourself a month apart or like when you see someone else, you know, if it's been a while, like maybe, yeah, you notice their hair change or your hair is longer, like different things like that, because you just haven't seen them. You're not used to seeing them. Every single day. So I think that as aspect can be helpful as well. And also thinking about how many are you taking? Like if it's something that you're waking up every morning, taking a picture 360 of yourself, like I don't think that's necessary. I would say month every three months even is totally fine to see. How is my body changing? I will say too, I feel like it can be a lot more positive than negative. I have had a couple of clients who they're using pictures as their measure and it helps with the mindset portion because they'll, you know, it'll be coming up to like that time where they're like, okay, it's like about to like see progress. Like I'll take a picture and their pictures are different. Like there is visual improvement, like pictures don't lie. I'm okay. Pictures do lie. Like, and we'll get into that, but you know what I mean? Like for the most part, but there'll be clients who are like, I just don't feel like I've made any progress. Like before they look at them, like, I feel like I'm not making any progress. I'm not doing it. I'm feeling a little bit defeated and they have to see the pictures. And then even after they see the pictures, sometimes they'll be like, wow, like. Okay, I guess I am. I didn't feel like I was, but obviously I am. And so I think it kind of helps that mindset and it goes to show you what we think about ourselves is really important because again, clients are like, okay, look, there's a huge difference. Sometimes our mindset can get in the way of that where they're just like, Oh, I don't know, like, I don't know. And so I'm like, okay, we need to work on that mindset portion because now you're like having some body dysmorphia and you're not seeing what is there. And they definitely wouldn't if there wasn't those pictures, right? So like, I feel like there's a lot more positive that can come out of it. I would say I have a lot more positives that are associated with before and afters and honestly just using it as a piece of data. It's just another piece of data to see how we doing, how we feeling, how do we feel about progress. And I honestly like to look at them and I always look at their faces. Because or like how they're standing or and pictures that they're not doing as progress pictures and looking at them and being like, okay, like, I feel like there's a lot of times I can tell when people just feel better based on how they're carrying themselves or reading their body language. So I think that's where pictures can be really cool, too, and a little bit more telling, like. What's your posture look like? What's your facial expressions? That type of thing. Yeah. You know, I agree. It's almost like you see, this confidence change, you know? Like, how they're carrying themselves is different. They're not so, like, hunched forward and, trying to close in on themselves and, like, hide. It's like, okay, I'm here. This is, you know, I'm feeling more confident in my body. I will say the only thing I have against before and after pictures are probably a lot that I see, like, in the media. Because I feel like they can be really skewed and we know this right like I mean I feel like I'm constantly judging before and after pictures just like from a personal Cuz I'll like look I'm like, okay, what have they done to maybe make the after look a little better It's always the people that are selling things, you know pills or, you know, certain supplements or whatever. It's like, okay, because you can tell, like, when I tell people to take progress pictures, I'm like, wear the same sports bra, wear the same workout pants or underwear or whatever it is, because we all know things fit differently, right? Like in the media, you'll see. Like a before picture and it's like a sports bra that was way too tight and like pants that are like super low and then Like the after will be like the pants all the way over the belly button and like the super loose sports bra I'm like, okay. Well, let me see the after After the same because it makes a big difference so, you know, yeah, we use Before and after pictures with Metabolism Makeover as well. And honestly, I do share those and I feel confident doing it because I know the story behind it. It's like you're saying a lot of companies. I mean, yeah, your poses are going to change how you look. Like thinking about when you take a picture and if you're like, Ooh, I don't like how I'm standing. You change how you're standing. Like, okay, I like how my leg looks in that one. This is better. Nothing changed in those five seconds. It's just how you were standing or like the clothes exactly like you're saying, or lighting can change how you look. And so I also kind of like to do, you know, those pictures that they like are side by side and it's like. Spot the difference, Oh, yes. Yeah. I feel like that you can do with some, like before and after pictures because You can also tell when someone is sucking in versus they're relaxed or like they're flexing a little bit more and I feel like we tend to do that more on after pictures, maybe not consciously because we want to see like we want to see the good results. So like, Even the time of day, And I tell people that too, like don't take your before picture early in the morning before anything. And then your after picture, like eight o'clock at night after you've eaten all day. And like, okay, we know our bodies look different from the morning to the evening time. We know this. So like, yeah, get an accurate side by side. And yeah, I, I use the metabolism makeover ones too. I like them because there's always more to the story, right? It's like, yeah, not only making progress with my weight loss goals, but. Look at all this other stuff. And like you said, look at the afters. You can see it. People look brighter. They look happier. They look more confident. Love that. And we're never trying to, like, skew anyone. That's the other thing too, like. Yeah. Like, we want, I want to know the story of, like, how did we get Before to after, where do we get there? So I always think about, you know, like the subway guy, when they had this outline and subway and you'd be like holding the pants out or something like you're telling me all you did was eat subway, I don't even know what their whole promotion is around it. And he like lost all his weight. Like. There's other things to the story. We don't even know if he did it in a healthy way. Like that's just not accurate or I remember when I was younger watching TV there'd be commercials for like Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, fat burning pills where it's just like people standing in pants that were bigger or they have like their side by sides and some of them looked like 10 years old like their before picture was like This is me 10 years ago. Look at me now. Yeah. I think you bring up a good point. somebody was saying not too long back, like there's no such thing as an after picture. Cause we're always like a work in progress, right? I do like that. And I think that's important to kind of like think about because There's always other stuff going on. I think about this a lot when I see, like, a lot of the hairs, like, hair, like, before and after. You know, and it's like, oh, before I started using whatever products, and, like, now, and I think, like, okay. There's more that happened than just changing your shampoo, right? You started being more mindful of, like, scalp care, and oiling, and how you wash your hair, and how you dry it. It's like all these other things, like the only change wasn't just shampoo, like, I feel that with like, you know, understanding that when it comes to like weight loss ones it's not just, I started eating this or I started taking this supplement and this happened. No, it didn't. Other things probably happened along the way. You probably got more mindful with your sleep. You probably started moving your body more. You probably started, I don't know, eating more fruits and vegetables, whereas before you didn't, right? Like, other things are going on. It's not just, I took this. fat burning pill and like, look at what happened. I was just thinking about that the other day. There was, what company was it? I don't, I don't remember, but it was a company that mainly like they're doing vitamins, it was the patches, the vitamin patches and everything. So with that, it's like. You take your vitamins and now you get weight loss. Look at all this weight I've lost. Look at my before and after pictures. I'm like, I just, there's usually other things. It's not just that you added vitamins. Vitamins are not like our end all be all. We can't out supplement our daily habits. Like that's just not how it works. And a lot of times what I see is like when you are starting something new, you're buying these patches, you're buying these vitamins. Then you also have that momentum to be like, okay, now I'm going to also change this. So again, we got another whole story behind it. It's not just that you put a patch on your arm and now you're magically healthier or you feel different or you look different. And I don't want to, every time I say that, like, I don't want to equate healthy to losing weight or anything, but I mean, as a weight loss dietician, a lot of my clients do feel better as they're working on weight loss, but it's not just that. They've lost the weight. It's also they're building that muscle muscle feels really good. Their inflammation is down. They're doing nutrient dense foods. There's less stress around meals. So it's not just the fact of. lower weight. Yeah. It's also just like the mindset portion too, right? Like when you feel really overwhelmed and you feel like you have a lot of work to do, you feel pretty depleted. You're probably just like kind of down and out, like realistically, to be honest. And then when you do start to build some momentum, you gain that confidence in yourself. You're building these healthy habits. You're doing more and you're feeling better. And just that alone is going to be helpful because when you feel better, you do better. You're more likely to do a bunch of these other things, right? Like when I think about like the vitamin patches, I'm like, maybe someone was a little bit depleted in a vitamin and now they have a little more energy. And so they're doing more of X, Y, Z than they would have before. Like, it's not just the patch, you know, right? So I think that's like important to realize because whenever I see a lot of before and afters online, there's tons of comments of like, tell me how you ate, tell me what supplement you took. And I'm, I just want to tell people like. It's a whole lot more. Like maybe it started with that, but it's more, you know, and I mean, once you start to feel better about yourself, you find things that work better and you want to keep doing them. So it's, they didn't take a fat burning pill and then like they woke up 30 pounds lighter and that's it. Yeah. And I mean, some things, yeah, maybe you have that initial change, but is it going to last is also. The other part of things where, yeah, I've heard people are like, literally, this is the only thing I've done. And then it's like, okay, so yeah, you did that. You lost the weight, but how long is this going to last? Are you inflamed? How are you actually feeling? That's going to be important. So, I mean, I would say overall, just kind of summarize this episode. I think they're helpful mainly for yourself, but I think they can also be helpful to share your full story. We have to know all the pieces. Yeah, I'm doing more. And if you are I'm not saying I want to try light layer. Because I've seen people, mostly because a lot of people I went to school with, at some point in time became like a gym bro. Okay? They just did this, right? And like, the before and afters look fantastic, right? But then it's like, where are these people a year later? Is this sustainable? Was that after picture something that is still like, they're able to do and like, able to Most of the time it's not. So it's another thing to think about too. Most people, when they're posting before and afters, the after is like their ultimate highlight, right? And so, that's where I like the idea of like, there's no after picture, because like, what came after that, you know? So, if you're using these, always remember, like Bailey said, there's a full story, there's more going on, and really just use your own. Use your own to like, because we are only in, I don't even know if I like the saying we're only in competition with ourself, but really the only person that we should be like judging ourselves up against is ourself. It's okay. I would say, just ask yourself, like, do you think they're going to be helpful? Do you think they're not going to be helpful? If that's more triggering for you to look at. a picture of yourself because I mean, it is a more vulnerable picture. Like if you're in sports bra and underwear, like it feels pretty vulnerable, especially if you feel kind of insecure right now, then don't do it. That is totally fine. They're not required, but they can be helpful. Yeah, no, they're, and like I said, I have some clients who are like, no, that's not for me. And there's other ways to measure progress. That's totally fine. Do it. It's always the why behind it. Why am I doing it? No, we're not doing it because we want to torture ourselves and we want to be like, like, I, I had one girl that I knew in the past who would put like her quote unquote fat picture on her like wallpaper and be like, This is so I can remind myself I never want to look like this. I'm like, well, that's probably not, I mean, and this was like 10 years ago. And like 10 years ago, I was like, wow, that's like such great motivation. I'm like, disappointed. And now I'm like, wow, that's so unhealthy and horrible. Like. Okay, so you can use them in a bad way, but I don't, that's not what we're doing here. Yeah, use them in a helpful way for yourself so you can recognize changes that otherwise you might not celebrate or realize how your progress is going. Especially if you have fat burning, weight loss goals that you're trying to reach. can be supportive. And that's why you have people like us to kind of help you with it too, to create that neutral relationship with a picture. Yeah. And I also like, another thing is don't just look at like your quote unquote problem areas. Like, don't just be like, has my tummy gone down or has my, what are my thighs look like? Look at your skin, look at your posture, look at the look in your face, look at other things because those are also signs of improvement. Basically, it depends. It depends. It depends if it was going to be great or not. It depends. So, let us know if you have any other thoughts about before and after pictures. Have they helped you? Have they not helped you? Share your thoughts with us. We're always open to other opinions. Yeah. I want to know. It only helps us. All right. Sounds good. We will talk to everyone next week. I think we are diving into carb cycling, maybe? I think so. Carb cycling. All right. Have a great rest of your week. Bye. Bye.