Why Printing Your Progress Photos Can Help You Stay Motivated (Not Just Save Them on Your Phone)
It’s no secret that losing weight can be challenging, especially when progress feels invisible. Printing your progress photos gives you a physical reminder that your efforts can be working, even when the scales suggest otherwise.
The Scales Do Not Tell the Whole Story
Weight is only one way to measure progress. Your weight can fluctuate because of factors such as water retention, food intake and hormonal changes. Therefore, a week without movement on the scales does not necessarily mean that your efforts have been unsuccessful.
Your body can also change shape without a dramatic difference in weight. You might notice that clothes fit differently or that you look slightly different in photographs. These changes can be difficult to recognise when you see yourself in the mirror every day.
That is why high quality photo prints can be useful. They provide another way to track changes over time.
Printing Your Progress Photos Makes Changes More Visible
Most people keep their photographs on their phones. However, thousands of other pictures can make those images easy to forget. Printing your progress photos gives them a physical presence. You can place them somewhere safe and compare them with photographs from earlier in your journey.
Don’t Rely on Memory
Our memories are not always reliable when it comes to gradual physical changes. Looking at a photograph from several months ago can make differences much easier to spot. For a more useful comparison, try taking photographs under similar conditions. For example, you can wear similar clothes, stand in the same pose, and use similar lighting. Make sure you always take full-body photos from the front, side, and back. Using a non-distracting background, such as a plain wall, is also a good way to make changes stand out.
Look Beyond Weight Loss
Progress photos can show changes that the scales cannot measure. You might notice changes in your waist, shoulders or posture. You may also see increased muscle definition or simply feel more comfortable in your clothes. These improvements can provide encouragement when your weight has remained unchanged for a while. They can also remind you that progress is not always a straight line.
How to Use Printed Photos as Motivation
You do not need to print every photograph you take. Instead, choose occasional milestones, such as the start of your journey and photographs taken after several weeks or months. Keep them together so you can look back when motivation starts to disappear. Seeing where you started can help put a difficult week into perspective.
Something else to remember is that progress photos can help you tailor your weight loss journey. You can use these photos to adjust your nutrition and workout routines. This way, you’ll be able to keep your efforts aligned with your goals.
Conclusion
Printing your progress photos can turn an easily forgotten phone image into a lasting reminder of how far you have come. When changes happen gradually, having something physical to compare can help you recognise progress that might otherwise go unnoticed. The scales can be useful, but they are not the only measure of success. Sometimes, a photograph tells a different and more encouraging story.
A little note from me
If you’ve followed Just Average Jen for a while, you’ll know that my relationship with weight loss and progress has changed quite a lot over the years. When I lost 10 stone, the number on the scales was a huge part of how I measured how well I was doing. Looking back now, I wish I’d paid a bit more attention to all the other changes that were happening too.
Progress photos can be a really nice way of doing that. We see ourselves in the mirror every day, so gradual changes can be surprisingly difficult to spot. Putting two photos side by side can sometimes show things you hadn’t noticed at all – and they don’t necessarily have to be dramatic before-and-after weight loss photos either.
Your progress might be that you look happier, you’re standing a little taller, you’ve completed your first 5k, you’re wearing something you previously wouldn’t have had the confidence to wear, or you’ve simply reached a point in your life that you’re proud of.
I also think there’s something lovely about actually printing photos rather than leaving thousands of them sitting on your phone. I’m definitely guilty of taking loads of photos and then barely looking at them again! Having a physical photo, whether you put it in a frame, stick it somewhere private or add it to an album, makes it feel a little more significant.
If you are trying to lose weight or improve your health, though, please don’t feel that you have to take progress photos. I’ve learnt over the years that what motivates one person can make somebody else feel worse about themselves. The same goes for weighing yourself, measuring your waist or tracking clothes sizes. Use the things that genuinely help you and ditch the things that don’t.
Most importantly, don’t wait until you’ve reached some imaginary “after” point before you start taking photos of yourself. I spent far too many years avoiding the camera because I didn’t like my weight, and those are photographs and memories I can never get back.
Take the photo. You don’t have to show anybody. You don’t even have to like it right now. One day, you might be very glad you have progress photos to see how far you have come.
Do you have progress photos you want to share? If you have them on Instagram, tag me so I can see how well you are doing.
