Measurements, Weight and Pictures Please read all of this, will take you 5 minutes. : ) Below is the information for how you submit your measurements to track your progress and your pictures for the 6-week challenge. We wanted to make it easy for everyone so all you do is take a few photos and upload them on this easy to use site provided below. You will also take only 4 measurements and put the numbers there as well. This way you can do this from the comfort of your own home and not have to have someone else measuring you while feeling uncomfortable standing there with someone you don t know. Please read this document for there are important details about what kind of photos to take, what type of outfit to wear and how to take them. As well as I provided you a short video to explain each one of these things. Measurements Make sure you have a cloth or vinyl measuring tape, one like they use for sewing. You can get these at any grocery story or drug store. Measurement are not used to determine the winners, this is for you to see your physical changes and the inches and its good for us to see those numbers as well when you turn in your photos. I really encourage you all to measure because you will see inch loss even if the scale doesn t move a bunch. If you have someone that can measure you, do. If not, you can measure yourself, I have a video below to show you how to measure yourself. Some measure in a bathing suit or stretchy pants, its best not to measure in baggy clothes. Here is a video for how to measure yourself, click here: https://player.vimeo.com/video/254001898 You will measure only 4 spots. Here are the places you will measure: 1) Right under the chest, on the bra strap line 2) Under the belly button, on the biggest part of the gut (in the video I say measure on the belly button but there is more body fat usually below the belly button so I am moving this measurement to the biggest part of the gut under the belly button) a. Make sure if you have any fat rolls no other way to say, that you include that in the measurement but make sure your measuring tape is parallel to the ground 3) On the biggest part of the butt (feet together, go all the way around look in a mirror and make sure you are at the biggest part) 4) Right under the butt (this goes right under the butt cheeks, including any outer thigh area) Tips when measuring: 1) You want to make sure the measuring tape is level to the ground on both sides, so its not slanted, this is why its good to measure in front of a mirror so you can see where the tape is going 2) Make sure you don t pull it too tight 3) Measure the same spot, two times to make sure you get the same number, so re-set it and it and measure again to make sure you are in the same spot
4) Have a piece of paper there with you and write down what your measurements are, you can print this out and write them here, you will record these online when you upload your photos Weight You will take your original weight on a scale that MUST be the same scale in the beginning as you weigh in on for your final weigh in 6 weeks later. This is very important as you know how different scales can be. And this is required to be turned in to be one of the winners because it must be fair to be on the same scale. You need to take a picture of your scale, with your feet on it AND something that shows the date. I find a newspaper is the best because you can lay that right on the ground next to the scale or you can lay a phone by the scale. The only challenge with the phone is, when I tried that the screen was so bright, it was hard to see the date so we went and got a newspaper. We need to be able to see the date you are taking the photo and this is the way to do it. So if you try a picture of your phone and we can t see the date that is not going to work, it has to be something we can see the date. So just grab a newspaper that needs to show dates of anywhere from April 12 th to April 15 th. That way everyone is taking their weight the same time frame and we can prove when those photos were taken. This is on the honor system however having these measures will help to keep track of it. 1) Take your weight with your shoes off 2) Have the same type of outfit on so the weight of the clothes isn t a lot different When we do the weekly weigh ins for the accountability, that can be on any scale because it doesn t have to do with choosing of the winners, that is just for you to be accountable. But it still is advisable to weigh in on the same scale so you can see the changes. Pictures This is a 6-week challenge for not only weight loss but also to see the physical changes on your body. That is why photos are required to win any of the prizes for we have to see the changes. You can certainly do the challenge without competing for any prizes, to just go for your results but its fun to compete for the prizes too AND its really great for YOU to see the changes on your body. The great thing about you doing your own photos, is YOU get to decide what photos are submitted. But keep in mind, you must submit photos that show changes, you can t be in a baggy clothed outfit with jeans and a T-shirt, then a bathing suit in the last photo, we need to see changes from when you started to when you finished and so do you. To be in the contest to compete for prizes and awards, everyone must take pictures and weigh in. This includes of course to be one of the winners of the thousands in prizes including the cruise for two. You
also agree to release your photos so we can share who the winners are (that is one great thing about you being in control of the photos you submit!). So make sure you are in an outfit you prefer (don t take a picture in your bra and underwear lol). Some take pictures in a bathing suit but most like wearing a sports bra/tank top and shorts or stretchy pants. And remember, this is a before picture, I know, I know, no one enjoys that part but you will after the 6 weeks! If you personally feel you have legs you don't want to show (some ladies feel they have more cellulite then others) then you can wear stretch pants (yoga type pants) or stretchy shorts and a sports bra instead of a bathing suit, up to you, just think of the thing that will show the most change when you lose the weight in 6 weeks. Remember there are winners for the best visual transformation with 10 lbs. and under lost! As well as best front change, side change and back change with losing under 10 lbs. So we want to see those changes! And you don t know how GREAT your after photos are going to look, so don t judge by not wanting to take your befores. That is the whole point to be accountable and just do it and SEE the kinds of changes that can happen. If you don t take before photos, then you aren t going to have them and if you change greatly, you are going to be mad you didn t take them. Trust me, I hear it all of the time of those that didn t want to take them when they were a certain weight or physical condition, then they get into great shape and they are frustrated they didn t take their before photos because many of you aren t going to be that same woman! It doesn t matter how much you have to lose, if its 100 lbs. or 10 lbs. still take your photos. If it s a 100 lbs., you will get to see your progression as you continue to lose. If its 10 lbs., you will see big changes in those photos without a lot of weight on the scale lost. Look at this progression photo, this client did 2 challenges and lost 67 lbs. and she also said it was seeing her photos that made her want to get to the next level! She is age 51 and at her goal weight now, 67 lbs. down! Amazing! This is a great example of how the photos need to be taken. The dress photo is just to show you where she is now.
Tips about what clothes to take photos in: 1) Its best to take photos in NON-baggy clothes so you can see the changes 2) Its also best to take photos in similar types of clothes, meaning don t do a bathing suit the first set, then a sports bra and shorts the next set 3) Either choose to do a bathing suit both times or 4) A sports bra/tank top and shorts or stretchy pants 5) Some show their stomach, some choose to have a tighter shirt on over the stomach that still shows the changes. Just MAKE sure when you do your after photo you provide the same type, either stomach showing or not. Don t do stomach showing on the before, then not on the after. Tips about where to take photos: 1) You need to be in a well lit area, its usually best to use a flash on the camera or phone a. You can even be outside in the light, this will give you the best lighting, just try if possible to be in front of a more solid background instead of front of bushes 2) If you can find a more solid color wall to stand in front of, this is better then having the background of like standing in the middle of a living room or a bookshelf keep that in mind of where you take the photos so in front of a wall can be the best Tips about how to take the photos: VERY IMPORTANT TO READ we cannot accept photos for the winners that are blurry or really poor angles so make sure you inspect them before you upload them and if they are please retake them. Just inspect them first and you will be fine. After viewing over 10,000 photos of participants, this being our 14 th contest, we have learned a few things about how to take photos and these little details make a difference: 1) Its best to have someone else take the photos, if possible 2) You want them standing level with your waist, so have them get down on one knee so they are level with the center of your body a. You don t want someone standing tall taking the photo, then it makes the legs look small and the upper body big and its just not proportionate and we will NOT be able to submit these photos for your contest b. This is VERY important, probably a 1/3 of the photos submitted last contest the person taking the picture was standing up really tall and it made the head look huge and feet little and doesn t show your changes, that is why you want it straight on when they take the photos like the examples in this document 3) If you don t have anyone else that can take them, you can either a. Prop the camera/phone up on something and set the timer on it b. Put it on a tripod
c. Think of someone you trust that can just take your photos real quick, that is the best option d. If you HAVE to, you can always take a photo in the mirror holding your phone, this is not the most ideal but will work again just make sure we can see the body though, this would be more difficult to do a back photo and a full front photo though i. This is NOT the preferred method because its difficult to get a full body shot without the phone in the way ii. If you take photos like this, make sure we can see your body and you aren t being blocked by the phone, if you are then please re-take them 4) Make sure you get your head in the photo, don t cut it off (although some may want to, don t do that! lol) 5) Don t shut your eyes (if you see your eyes are shut in the photo you took, then re-take the photo) If you are one of the winners, we can t have your eyes shut in the photos 6) Make sure the photos are taken straight on, many submitted photos where the person was standing at an angle for some reason and their photo looked totally crooked What photos to take: (see examples below) 1) Take 1 photo of the scale with your feet and something showing the date, either another phone with the date on the screen or a newspaper 2) You are going to take three photos of you for the before photos a. Take one front photo (full body is good from feet to head but it must be at least from lower waist to head, below the belly to the head) i. Make sure you include the butt, don t take them at your belly button, the butt usually changes a lot and you want to see those changes ii. Arms down, stand normal, don t suck it in b. One full side photo i. Arms behind your back, stand normal, don t suck it in c. One full back photo i. Arms down ii. This example is a little too high, should be taken lower on the butt to show your changes, so its really best to just take it from the knees up or a full body shot that way you won t have to worry if its not showing enough 3) I would recommend taking more photos if you like, so you have different ones if you are one of the winners but these above 3 are the ones you are going to upload (there is only a spot to upload these 3 photos) a. Some even take before photos in different outfits, again this is just for you but we have to have the photos uploaded that are in the same outfit, front, side and back shots
This amazing woman didn t want to take her photos but she said that it was seeing her photos that made her realize how much she changed. She lost 22 lbs. in 6 weeks and now has lost 30 lbs. and still going! Inspect your photos before you upload them: This awesome woman didn t want to take her photos either but said she is so happy so did. Its helped motivate her to now lose her goal of 50 lbs.! She lost almost 17 lbs. in the first 6 week challenge! These pictures are only 6 weeks! Its best to take like 5 of the same pose, so you can choose the best ones and delete the others. After you take your photos, look at the photos on your phone or camera before you upload them and: 1) Make sure your eyes are not closed 2) Make sure your head isn t cut off 3) Make sure the photos you are uploading are not blurry 4) Make sure they aren t way too dark or way too bright 5) Make sure the angle is not totally off or the angle is taken from too high from the top where your body doesn t look proportionate If you see any of these things above, please re-take them, its very important for the pictures are also a deciding factor for the winners. This is how we also make the contest fair because its not 100% just about the weight, its also how we see how your body looks physically different. Keep in mind, they are before photos and most don t like their before photos BUT you will like more the after so just do it! That is another reason to FORCE yourself to do this because you will be amazed at seeing the changes. Most were really surprised they changed as much as they did in the photos even if they didn t think they changed that much until they saw the photos. : ) Here are some more examples of how the photos should look, see below for how to upload your photos. See how these are all straight on? We cut them right under the belly and we but them out of the background but its best for you to submit them where it shows the hips so we can cut them like this. And one thing that is so great about doing these photos is when people do more then one challenge, you can see the progression of the progress. The ones with more then two photos are their pictures after each contest! Its inspiring to see this. As you can see its women of all shapes and sizes! So take your photos and when you submit them, make sure they look similar to this when you look at the photos you upload.
Uploading your Photos This is an amazing feature we have put together for you to submit your photos. You will upload your before photos and measurements on this page, then you will come back and upload your after photos to the same page. It will name your photos so we know exactly who you are and we can organize them all. Here is where you go to upload your photos: http://samanthataylorfitness.com/6weekbtc/pic_uploads/ Here is a video for how to upload your photos, click here https://player.vimeo.com/video/253956581 Here is the list of instructions for entering your measurements, weight and uploading your photos: Go to this link: http://samanthataylorfitness.com/6weekbtc/pic_uploads/ 1) Type in the following information: a. Name, Email b. Location you work out at c. Which program you are doing (FBBC or STF) d. Weight (Weigh yourself in the morning before you eat, this is a great starting point, and don t forget to weigh without your shoes and wear light clothing) 2) Enter your measurements 3) Enter a little bit about your story and click Submit Entry 4) Then you will upload your pictures, one by one 5) Click on the drop down and upload each image file. Once completed with these 4 images only (it won t let you upload more then these, if you do, it will remove others): a. Before Front b. Before Side c. Before Back d. Before Scale of your feet on the scale showing the date with paper or a phone screen 6) Scroll to the bottom and click Update Entry a. Once you do this you will NOT be taken to another page but you will see your photos are sitting in the area where you put them, by the words, front, back and side
7) You will get a confirmation email that the information and pics have been received You will receive an email from support@samanthataylorfitness.com that will say We have received your information. If we have any questions about or problems with your photos we will contact you by Tuesday. AND if we didn t receive your photos, you will be contacted as well. If we don t contact you that means your photos have been received, don t worry we will contact you if we do not get them. In the last challenge about 15 people that had to re-take their photos since they were too dark, they were bad angles or they had baggy clothes on (if you inspect your photos before you upload them, you can make sure you don t see them like this). So just make sure you take the photos like the examples in this document and you will be good to go. To compete in this challenge, the photos and weight must be submitted by Monday night Mon April 15 th. So be thinking of the outfit you are going to wear and start planning. IF you don t have any one to take your photos, some have had a friend or a trainer take them at the studio with YOUR phone so you can upload them. We have some times set aside that the trainers can help take your before photos but be prepared with the outfit you want to take them in AND take them against a solid wall with good lighting, not a dark room. And they can be done Monday morning or Monday night April 15 th for members or for newbies just starting, just give yourself time to upload them. Here are some times you can stop by the studio to get your photos done by one of our staff but it MUST be on your phone and you still upload them. Most importantly get your photos done by Monday night. And make sure anyone that takes them kneel down so they are level with your body instead of standing up tall, this is SO important. Look at the photos they take to see if they are good, or you need to re-take them. But make sure your pictures are submitted by Monday night April 15 th. If you have them sooner, please upload them sooner so we can keep track of who we have photos from and who we don t, sooner then the last day. If we do not have your photos we will contact you, its okay if you choose not to participate for any of the prizes and don t want to upload photos but everyone will get an email if we don t have them. Please know that the pictures are a part of deciding who the winner is. So the way you take the photos is very important. When you take the photo before you upload it, look at these examples and make sure they are similar and they are NOT blurry and the angles are way distorted from taking something like a selfie. Also its best to take a full body shot, I only cropped these photos so they would fit more easily on this document. When the person is taking the photo just have them make sure they can see the top of your head and the bottom of your feet in the screen, so they aren t way too far back or way too far up. I am ssssssssoooooooooo excited for you to be in this challenge! Its great accountability and a great way to get really motivated in a short amount of time. I am proud of you for doing this. I know its hard to take photos but just know that most of the people we have helped get amazing results, say its their photos that really motivated them to lose it AND to keep it off. Its reminders of where you have come from, and for some, where you will refuse to let yourself get back to. It truly is a great way to monitor your progress. Just do them. You will be glad later that you did. : )