*The title of this post was taken from the Filter song of the same name*
John was frustrated. At the time, he appeared to be doing everything right to lose weight. Frequent exercise: strength training and cardio, food seemed to be on point, water intake was high. The weight just wasn’t coming off at the rate that either one of us had expected.
Around that time, he was reading a copy of my book and covered the section about celebrating little victories. When you’re trying to lose weight, it can be easy to lose sight of the progress you’re making. Being able to make note of any successes along the way can help when you’re feeling like maybe you want to throw in the towel.
So, John took my advice.
He went back through a series of pictures I had taken of him on a particular lift and noticed a significant change in his face from when he started to that most recent day. There was another “victory” that he could claim even if the scale wasn’t showing him everything he wanted to see.
A few more tweaks were made to his plan and little by little the weight started to trend downward again. The motivation those pictures provided were just enough to keep him focused on the goal.
Here’s John after he hit a hard fought 20lbs down:
Then I think about Cherie and Aly, our resident mother-daughter duo who I wrote about previously here. Much of Cherie’s success I can attribute to sending me pictures of what she eats. Does she have to do it? No, but it certainly helps. She’s realized that even though she’s lost nearly 30lbs, every time her diet starts to get sideways, she gets herself back on track by sending me pictures of what she’s eating. There’s no shame or guilt in the correspondence but it helps keep her honest. Of course, she could be cheating and not sending me the second helpings or snacks but Cherie’s honest and she knows she would only hurt herself if that were the case.
While Aly has only utilized the picture strategy a few times, it generally has the intended effect of keeping her cognizant of what the intake is so she can stay on track as well. For any other clients who want to use this, I’m always happy to take your meal shots so you can get closer to your goals as well. I know how much it’s helped these two and while the strategy isn’t for everyone, it works really well for those like Cherie who need a point of accountability.
This was the shot of one of Cherie’s recent snacks (an apple and some peanut butter)
And how could I leave out the pictures that say it all. All of the pictures I’ve been blowing up social media with on a daily basis. The shots of our clients doing great things: dropping pounds, getting stronger, having (*gasp*) fun??!!?? For someone who generally has never been a big fan of photography, I love posting pictures of what our clients are doing.
Who knew that bombarding social media with all of these shots would keep so many people motivated to do more?
Granted, nothing happens in a vacuum and it sure as hell takes a lot more than some iPhone photography to reach your goals but day after day, week after week I get to look back at what all of our resident rockstars have been doing and see how far they’ve come.
This would be one of those circumstances where the pictures don’t lie. In fact, given the right context, they may be some of your greatest assets.
No matter how you regard photos, unless they’ve been completely doctored (and it’s always possible that they are), being able to look back at something in a photo that was genuine can be a huge help. So, whether you’re at RevFit or you’re on your own, some honesty in photography can go a long way.
Like many other things (namely diet and exercise) consistency is crucial. Long before I started filling up Facebook walls with black and white pics of RevFit awesomeness, the few pictures I did post were all over the place. I could go weeks, if not months, without posting a thing. Now, Monday through Friday, you’re seeing a lot of what makes this place tick. Great people, great results, a TON of camaraderie and genuine support. I am a small piece of the puzzle. Our clients? They’re the reason RevFit family continues to thrive.
So, take a picture. Even if it’s not worth a thousand words, it can have enough worth to keep you on track.
Oh yeah, and here’s Derek after his milestone of 20lbs. Just.awesome. 🙂
