lost 20 lbs but I still don't look or feel any different
johnnyr24
Posts: 90 Member
I started my workout at 210 lbs. I currently weigh about 190 lbs. So I have no idea why after about 20 pounds of weight loss I still don't feel or look any different when I look at myself in the mirror. I take pictures of myself once a week and I still don't see any much of a difference. has anyone else had this problem? If so how much weight did you need to lose in order to finally start seeing any sort of results in the mirror? It's just so discouraging to lose all this weight but not feel any different or seem to see any difference.
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Replies
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for me it took 15lbs to see a difference in my face. It took 25lbs to see a slight difference in my body.2
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Wow, nice job on your loss! It can take 25-30 pounds sometimes to notice. Are you exercising as well?3
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Do other people notice a difference, especially those who haven't seen you in a few weeks? I had a staff meeting at work after having lost about ~25 lbs. (235 -> 210) and several people who hadn't seen me for months noticed a drastic difference. I, however, didn't notice anything. It may be that even though you're taking pictures, it's not something you're picking up on--but may others are.8
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I agree with the others. Slow changes are hard to tell at first.3
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Honey I've lost almost 60lbs and other than a flatter stomach I don't feel any different. Some of my clothes are too big, but some of them fit still. The dress I'm wearing today for example, I wore at my biggest, and it's not lose on me now. I don't understand it.8
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Yeah, I've lost almost 50 but sometimes don't feel like there is much of a difference. People won't always tell you, because they're not sure if they should.
People who see you every day might not notice as much as someone who hasn't seen you since you started losing. And every body is different – it will come off in different areas first. Just keep on doing what you're doing, it's all good whether you notice the changes going on or not. 
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Take pictures wearing swimming trunks or your skivvies. You'll notice change more quickly there than in the mirror.1
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Well its just hard seeing the scale going down but not the way my body looks. Some days I just can't even look at myself that's how bad I hate the way I look. So far no one has mentioned seeing anything different.
So I really don't know aside from a few shirts I kept tucked away in the back of my closet that fit me great now. I only have 50 more lbs to lose and then I'll be back to the 140 lbs I once was a few years back.5 -
Hope you've noticed a difference in how your clothes fit.
Perhaps your belt is a notch tighter?1 -
I've lost 34lbs and I don't see it in my body, I see it a little in my face.1
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It's not always obvious, but I bet if you take photos regularly and compare them side by side, you'll be able to see a difference. My boyfriend and I take pics of each other periodically, front with arms down and flexed, back with arms down and flexed, and side. He had no idea how much muscle he had gained in his shoulders until I showed him a photo of himself.1
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I have the same problem. I'm down 32lbs total since I started in May and I don't see much of a difference. And I haven't had anybody really notice so it's frustrating. But I'm not going to let that distract me from my ultimate goal. I figure I'll start noticing when I'm 15 more lbs down. Try to think of it as a compliment. You look and feel better now. Maybe the people around you didn't see you the way you saw yourself when you were heavier. Idk just a more positive way to think about it...2
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People are made up of different types of fat and hold it in different places. Your surface fat may not have reduced as much as the fat surrounding your organs and veins (which is the baaadd stuff). So keep going and you'll notice a change eventually. Maybe try some lifting to tone up your muscles?6
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To put this in perspective, I started around 235/240 and really didn't see a big difference in my body until I was around 190. So better than 40lbs lost.
It really depends on how and where you carry your weight.
Now that I'm getting closer to my goal and my body fat percentage is decreasing and nearing healthy ranges, 10lbs makes a huge difference in my appearance.
Basically, when you still have high body fat, it's harder to tell that you have lost weight. As you get closer to your goal, small drops will become much more noticeable.
Stick with it, and take measurements, not just pictures.2 -
Look back at old photos of yourself - Your sure see a difference then!!!!
Fab work! Keep it up! Your doing great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1 -
I have lost 30 and trust me I know where you're coming from but don't get discouraged. You've done amazing. Out of everyone in your life you're the last person who will see the difference. Because you look at yourself every day and it's hard to see. I can't see one either but I know it's there. It may also take friends and family time to see too. But keep going. One morning you'll look in the mirror and you will see it.3
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You won't see a difference the way other people see the difference in you. Plus you'll notice clothing fitting different, I'm sure. I was down over 60lb at one point, and saw no difference in myself. Though I felt much better, and people commented all the time.
I find that your body doesn't change as quickly as you lose weight. So give it time!2 -
I've lost 34 and can barely tell when I look at myself, and it's only been the past couple pounds that others notice. Pictures help me but only if I see them side by side. Height, and how you carry weight totally play a role. For example, I'm 6', so I have more to lose to make a difference.0
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A lot of it is a mental game. I'm down almost 50. I'm out of plus sized clothing, down 2 sizes. I KNOW I'm smaller. But I don't feel that way. It's getting better, and I'm starting to focus on how I feel. Like the other day I ran around with the kids and didn't have to stop as soon as I usually do.
Who knows, maybe I'll always FEEL fat even when I'm not. But I know I'm better than I was.3 -
Took me 25 lbs to see a difference in my clothing and I'm short at 5'2". Took 50 lbs for it to be really noticeable. I still forget that my body isn't 200 lbs any more. It's all mind-games.
Celebrate the scale weight changes, and maybe start using a tape measure every 2-3 weeks and then celebrate clothing size changes later on, but I wouldn't rely on your eyes or how you feel necessarily.2 -
I understand. I'm at just about 40 pounds lost and with the exception of some clothing items, most of mine fit exactly as they did before. I just started to notice a little difference in before and after pictures but not much but I am also a big girl.2
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I completely understand what you're going through! I too have lost 20 pounds. I don't really notice it at all - but everyone else around me does! Is that the way it is for you? Hang in there. 20 pounds lost, whether it looks like it or not, is a HUGE accomplishment. When the scale is moving downward, you're do something right. Hang in there!1
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underwear photos of you front and side! then you put them in a folder where you can cycle trough the photo then you can spot the difference, always compare your first to your latest! So you say I was once there... no going back!
lost 35 pounds 6"1 (19 lbs with mfp) but people started noticing and after 15 maybe...
also, measurements!!!!!1 -
First of all, good for you! 20 lbs is a significant accomplishment!
My suggestion would be to start lifting weights! I haven't lost a ton of weight, however, I lift several days a week and can see a change in body. My stomach is flattening (slowly but surely), I can see more definitely in my arms and legs, and I can lift more weight than when I started. It's definitely motivating and there are tons of benefits to weight lifting. Hope that helps!
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Today I went to see my therapist this morning like I do every week for our weekly 1 hour session and first thing she says to me is "Have you been working out? You look like you've lost weight." That just put the biggest smile on my face that someone finally noticed.
I looked in the mirror again when I got back home and noticed that yes in fact my chest area looks a bit flatter but just not my stomach area yet.4 -
The areas that naturally carry the most fat are going to be the slowest to notice a difference. Keep plugging away with a sensible diet and workout program, and it will happen! Also, often, we're too hard on ourselves, and like lots of other folks commented, we don't always see the changes that other people do, especially if they haven't seen you for a bit. A little positive reinforcement is always good - especially when it seems that progress isn't visible to us yet. I agree about the internal changes with visceral fat vs. surface fat. The presence of too much visceral fat is the bad kind, the one that affects various health markers, so trust that the good work you're doing is making inroads on that - it will pay off with your health improving over time. Best of luck - great that your therapist noticed!:)2
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It depends on starting weight. It took about 40 lbs for me for someone to notice, and about 60 to lose a size. I was enormous, though 3
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vincelaccro wrote: »underwear photos of you front and side! then you put them in a folder where you can cycle trough the photo then you can spot the difference, always compare your first to your latest! So you say I was once there... no going back!
lost 35 pounds 6"1 (19 lbs with mfp) but people started noticing and after 15 maybe...
also, measurements!!!!!
I wish I'd done this. It might help me get my head around the fact I've actually lost weight. All I see is my flabby belly and squishy bits, not how much less of them there are. I pathalogically avoided photos when I was at my biggest, and only have one or two shots of my face, and a couple in a dark coloured dress where you can't tell really how big I was. It's a real shame to not have those "fat" photos to compare to, and remind me of where I've come from.2 -
So, we aren't the best at objectively seeing what is actually in the mirror. You see yourself, but it's usually through this messed-up lens of how you feel about yourself. If you hate the way you look, you're going to keep seeing a negative image, no matter how much weight you lose. Doing some work on your head would go a long way to changing what you see in the mirror.Well its just hard seeing the scale going down but not the way my body looks. Some days I just can't even look at myself that's how bad I hate the way I look.
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Iv lost 22.9lbs, Iv had a number of people tell me in person you can see iv lost alot of weight and people who have seen a couple of progress photos say there is a clear difference
yet I still cant see it, I have random dayys where I look in the mirror and think "oh maybe i can see the change" but then Im like "no, think it was just the angle I was standing"
I also had the same problem wwhen i was 18, I lost 4st, went down from a size 18 to a 12 (uk size) in jeans and yet when seeing myself I still could not see much difference. it was not until a friend showed me a photo from when I was 17 and one at 19 that I was like "oh wow"
It really is harder to see it yourself at first.
keep going and you WILL see the difference soon x2
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