I'm looking at the man in the mirror

Hello and welcome back to Tobias Talks.

I finally weighed myself, I have lost 1lb! Incredibly underwhelming!

It was about what I expected though, I hadn't been particularly vigilant with tracking my diet. I ate fairly intuitively, mostly healthy but with a couple of takeaways thrown in too.

The purpose of the blog today though, is not to discuss weight loss, but the merit of "progress photos". Everyone is aware of the famous "before and after" photos that are used to advertise cheap weight loss pills and gimmicky exercise tools, so much so that they have almost negated the real purpose of a progress photo. To track progress.

For someone that is just starting out, I would suggest to take a before photo as soon as possible. Try to take it in a neutral position, not flexing and not pushing your stomach out. You want a photo that you can trust. When you look back in 6 months you'll want to know that you showed an honest example of your physique, otherwise the comparison means nothing.

A monthly progress photo can be very useful for tracking progress and can be a very motivational tool to keep going. Even if the scale isn't moving, if you can see a real improvement in your physique then that can have a bigger boost to your mindset than any amount of weight loss.

Even if you don't take actual photos, sometimes there is more value in seeing improvements in the mirror than there is in simply seeing a number change on a scale. A real and tangible improvement in your physique can improve your self-esteem and could give a more accurate idea of how you are improving physically.

Personally, I can see a real improvement in my physique, still a bit too flabby but my muscles are growing and there is more definition coming all the time. I have to be thankful for that!

I will wait another month before weighing myself again, hopefully will see a bigger drop in weight, but if not, I will also check my physique in the mirror, and hopefully I will please the man in the glass.

Thanks for reading, your friend, Tobias.