Home » Life Advice » How far do “before and after” photos help? – GOOD SHAPE

How far do “before and after” photos help? – GOOD SHAPE

According to article 58 of the Code of Ethics of the Federal Nutrition Council (2018),“It is forbidden for nutritionists, even with written authorization, to disclose their own body image or that of third parties, attributing results to products, equipment, techniques, protocols, as they may not present the same result for everyone and pose a risk to health.”

This article makes us think about Health professionals who sell their treatments using photos of ‘before and after’, comparing results obtained after their interventions.

There are those who think that this should not be a problem, with the justification that these images can provide motivation for those who want a change. There are also those who think it is ‘unfair’ to health professionals, as bloggers and fitness personalities often use this type of comparison to promote themselves – and promote their products.

And there is a third opinion, which finds this type of disclosure problematic. I expose in this text the reasons why I believe that this attitude should be punished.

external motivation

Depending on external motivation is something very complicated. Being motivated by someone else’s result, even more so. That’s because this external drive won’t go on forever, and when it does, how are you going to get on with it? fetch a aesthetic result to please the eyes of others is common: we live in a world that judges, condemns and makes life difficult for those who are overweight. But this kind of incentive is not sustainable.

Anyone who has lost a lot of weight knows that at some point the confetti runs out: everyone praises and congratulates them as soon as it happens, but then it stops being new, and the compliments cease. If you’re not very fueled by your inner purpose, you’ll want to keep changing until you get those likes again. And therein lies a great danger: that of losing the hand of food and continuing/starting with great restrictions.

During the process there is also a risk of neglecting all the feelings of guilt and anguish that a diet accompanies, in favor of external praise.

Different people, different results

No result is the same as another. It’s not because the patient #proudofnutri lost 10 kg of fat and has a great belly that you will have the same ‘success’ rate. You can even get an equivalent result (in numbers), but that doesn’t guarantee that your body will stay that way.

Continues after advertising

post photo of before and after suggesting that everyone is capable of achieving that result is selling a grand illusion. The nutrition professional can be the best of all, but even that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get a similar result. We know that weight gain and loss have multifactorial factors to happen, and they are not always under the health professional’s control.

Manipulation

Norway recently passed a law that requires influencers to signal the image manipulation in sponsored content. The country follows a movement that already exists in other countries. Since 2017, advertising content in France must contain the term “Photographie retouchée”which signals the use of image manipulation in photos – the same is already happening in Israel and Australia.

This concern exists because the pursuit of unattainable beauty is responsible for severe damage to the mental health of those who see and buy advertised products. This ideal body type is fertile ground for increasing eating disorders and plastic surgeries for aesthetic purposes.

The criticism of the use of “before and after” photos follow the same line: they sell a miracle that does not exist, an individual result as a collective solution – in addition to several being retouched or manipulated to present the perfect result.

Fortunately, more people are already watching this: this July, the pinterest announced that it will ban weight-loss ads and body-shaming ads. Who knows, maybe a big platform won’t generate more impact on those who promote it and on those who watch it?

It’s also always good to remember that we are nutritionists and not slimmers. We can help people in the process of losing weight, but with truth, responsibility and respect. And that includes transparently disclosing our work on social media.

So beware of the promises you see out there. Comparison with another person, especially in a possibly manipulated image, is cruel.

To the next!

Continues after advertising


Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*