Photography is helping with my weight loss (70 lbs so far)

Vic Vinegar · Apr 5, 2015

I had to lose a significant amount of weight last year and ever since then, I have been more active all around. Now that I'm into photography, I have been on lots of hikes and on all my hikes I bring my camera backpack and my tripod in a little sling around my shoulder. everything weighs about 20 pounds and I love it all! And photography has helped me get in the mood to go on hikes. I'll huff and puff up a hill if I can get a nice landscape shot lol.

EDIT: Oh and just to add, I had a pretty traumatic back injury in high school and I had surgery in 2002 and 2009 and in 2009 I was very heavy. My doctor told me I would need another surgery in 5 years... and that was 6 years ago. I became addicted to vicodin and I finally understood those people who said they felt like taking their life because of their pain. I never wanted to do that, thank God, but I have compassion for them. Doing some poor man's yoga and back strength training helps me a lot and now I don't need surgery.

I have had ADHD and bipolar disorder for as long as I can remember and being able to get creative and silly with my camera is a great therapeutic tool. I have a lot of photos and then I have photos of my camera that I took with my phone, showing my very creative setup with the mirror board and the construction paper, etc.

Photography lets me do creative projects for the people in my life and that alone helps the depression episodes. Taking photos for myself is all fine and dandy, but when I show up at my cousin's house with a framed macro photo of a flower with her baby's name on it, that's what makes photography worth it.

JustJazzie · Apr 5, 2015

Congratulations on your acomplishmsnt! It's nice to hear about people making healthy changes!

Vic Vinegar · Apr 6, 2015

Thanks! I just got interested in HDR photography and there are these bluffs here in St. Louis which are a ways up a hill and I'm thinking of going there tomorrow to practice HDR. My only experience with HDR is watching Youtube tutorials but you can learn a lot from Youtube especially when it comes to how to use software.

waday · Apr 6, 2015

That's great to hear! Congrats! I felt the same after losing a considerable amount of weight! I felt like I could move around, wasn't weighed down, had more energy, everything. :smile:

SurvivalDad · Apr 6, 2015

Same here. about 30 lbs. Congrats. It's never easy but worth it.

rexbobcat · Apr 6, 2015

Congrats! Any fun way to stay healthy is a winner in my book. The weight is more likely to stay off if you're doing something you enjoy.

webestang64 · Apr 6, 2015

That's great! Good for you. And hello from a fellow St. Louis'n.

Vic Vinegar · Apr 6, 2015

Thanks everyone for the support. Webestang what part of StL? West county here.

webestang64 · Apr 6, 2015

I'm moving to south city next month, 44 and Jefferson. I work at Schiller's Camera, I'm the photo retouch artist.

BrickHouse · Apr 6, 2015

Congrats! 70lbs is most of a small female! Hell of a job!

The_Traveler · Apr 6, 2015

My neighbor lost about 110 pounds. (His wife was tiny)

Vic Vinegar · Apr 7, 2015

webestang64 said:
I'm moving to south city next month, 44 and Jefferson. I work at Schiller's Camera, I'm the photo retouch artist.

Brad sold me my 40D. One of my dad's favorite photos of me is when I was about 5 and he was testing out his camera in the store and you can even see the red and white checkerboard pattern on the ground in the photo

John St James · Apr 7, 2015

Congrats! That's definitely hitting two birds with one stone. And you're having fun and being productive in the process.

Solarflare · Apr 8, 2015

BrickHouse said:
Congrats! 70lbs is most of a small female! Hell of a job!

Err ... 35kg is a female ? Of what species, exactly ?!? Unless you talk about kids or really short starving models, I dont see how anyone would fit into just 35kg.

BrickHouse · Apr 8, 2015

I believe what I said was "70lbs is MOST of a SMALL female". I deal every day with young healthy athletic active duty Marines with weights ranging between 90 and 130lbs. It's not so hard to fathom. Regardless, 70lbs is a hell of an accomplishment and reason to be celebrated. He easily just tacked 15 years back on his life.