Bored Panda got in touch with Tammy and Lyssie, the Nutrition Twins, who are registered dietitian nutritionists and personal trainers, to learn more about weight loss. We were curious to hear their thoughts on before and after pictures as a motivational strategy. 

“Although it depends on each individual, we’ve found that “before and after” pics can rate extremely high in terms of a motivational tool. Many people like to see what they’re aspiring for, and once they see a vision, they can keep referring to the physical photo, or even the memory of the photo. We’ve had clients in the past who have kept photos of what they want to look like on their refrigerator and it’s inspired them to stick to a healthy eating plan.”

Statistically, many people do actually fail their weight loss journey, at least on the first attempt, so we wanted to know what people get wrong about it. “One of the biggest misconceptions about weight loss is that you have to starve yourself or always feel hungry or completely cut out your favorite foods. This doesn’t have to be the case at all! We really encourage our clients to fill up on nutrient-dense, low-calorie foods like vegetables, before eating the rest of their meals. This leaves a lot less room for the heavier, less healthy fare, but still allows people to get their fix and not feel deprived, which is one of the secrets to long-term sustainable weight loss,” they shared with Bored Panda.

“Be careful not to fall prey to fad diets. If a diet is too restrictive and you lose weight too quickly, the diet will be too hard to maintain and you’ll end up gaining the weight (and more!) back as soon as you return to a normal eating plan. Overly restrictive diets set you up for cravings and binges, and if they’re too low in calories, they’ll ultimately slow your metabolism since you’ll wind up losing muscle as well as fat when you lose weight. If your body loses muscle, it’s counterproductive since it’s muscle tissue that keeps your metabolism speedy. Plus, yo-yo-ing with your weight makes weight sustainable weight loss more challenging both physically and mentally when you think you have to take drastic measures to get results.”

“Focus on getting plenty of fiber and lean protein at each meal to help with satisfaction and to stabilize blood sugar. This is ultra important because if your blood sugar swings, when it dips, it triggers energy crashes which sets you up for cravings for refined carbs, sugar, and caffeine as the body craves energy. It starts a vicious cycle of overeating sugar, then getting a sugar high, followed by a crash, and a craving for more sugar. Also, when blood sugar dips, cortisol (a.k.a. the belly fat hormone) spikes,” they added. You can find more on their website, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.  

While it’s been common knowledge that obesity is on the rise, most folks likely don’t know just how common it is. For example, in the UK alone, one in three people could be classified as overweight, with almost 10% of the population reaching severe obesity. Some folks see this as a full-blown social issue, but as these examples here show, it is possible to make some changes.

The unfortunate truth is that food has never been more available worldwide and still is one of the main coping mechanisms we have with the difficulties in life. On top of that, food is a love language for many of us. Add in the more sedentary lifestyle most of us lead and it’s easier to see how this happens. So remember to get up and walk a bit every few hours if you work in an office. 

In theory, the vast majority of us know how to start losing weight if we need to. The real difficulty tends to be maintaining a lifestyle that allows you to get to the weight you want. After all, not eating something that isn’t good for you is easy enough for a few days, but do you have the discipline needed to stop yourself month after month? This is perhaps why making before and after pictures is more than just a way of immortalizing the action, it’s actually a motivational tool for others who are struggling. 

One thing many folks might also notice is that the picture on the right can look almost like a completely new person. The truth is that weight gain will disproportionately affect certain parts of the body, so if and when that weight is lost, the person doesn’t exactly look like a “smaller” version of themselves. This is often pretty visible in the face. 

There are other things one might do to stay on the right track. Specialists suggest that setting realistic, segmented goals is a great start. Most people on a weight loss journey do have a target weight, but the real trick is staying consistent, week after week, even when the changes are not yet visible.

This is perhaps why, reportedly, 80% of people fail at least once when attempting to lose weight. Unfortunately, many people adopt an “all or nothing” approach, where they will allow themselves no rest days, cheat days, and have very strict deadlines and targets. It’s easy to commit to something, laying in bed late at night, but an entirely different ballgame when it comes to discipline week after week.