Visual Encouragement

Today I want to talk about visual encouragement.  I'm a visual learner, which means I need to see what your talking about to grasp the concept.  Not in all cases, but in things like crafts or sometimes my job-- it's helpful for me to see examples so I can grasp the concept.

The same thing is true of weight loss.  You may have noticed that every month, around the same time-- I've been posting visual updates of how I look.  That's so I can SEE my weight loss progress.  It's certainly helpful to feel the difference, and see the number drop on the scale-- but I also like to see how my body has changed so far.

Here is this month's picture...

I can definitely see that my stomach is slimmed down.  Though, why I chose to wear a sweatshirt in the very first weight loss photo, I can't for the life of be remember.  My face has slimmed down and I'm not as wide when you look at me straight on.  Also, don't look as red and puffy.  I think taking these pictures is really helpful when I look back at where I've been, and how far I've come.


When I first started this journey, I did a lot of research on Pintrest about different ways to visualize your goals.  One of my favorites was the image below.

Courtesy: Model My Diet.com

The website is called "Model My Diet"  Basically, you type in your weight now and what your goal weight is and it comes up with a virtual before and after picture for you.  You can spin your before and after images around using the left and right buttons underneath them to give yourself a 360-degree view.  I really liked this site when I first started because it gave me an image of what I could work to.  This was in the pre-photo stage of our journey.

Another visual image I liked but have yet to try is this...

Courtesy: Hot Mess Princess.com

This is another form of visual encouragement that is also active.  You have to place the marbles in the "Pounds Lost" jar every time you lose some weight.  I also like it because, it's a constant reminder that you're on a mission.  The only con, in my world, is what do you do with the vase and the marbles once you've lost the weight?

The final visual reminder I found and liked is this...

This is another Pintrest idea, but I couldn't find where it originally came from, because the website listed is corrupt.  But I liked it because it's useful once you've lost the weight.  Basically, you put a dollar in the jar for every pound you lose... and once you lose the weight, you use the money to buy yourself some new clothes.  The only reason Jason and I decided not to go with this idea, was because we're strapped for cash right now and we didn't want to tie ourselves into paying a dollar, when we couldn't really afford it at the moment.

There are all sorts of ways to visually remind yourself about your journey, and to keep yourself motivated.  Do you have a unique way to visually encourage yourself, or to keep yourself motivated?  What are they?  I would love to hear from you, leave your comments below!