How much weight loss before people start noticing?

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Replies

  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,582 Member
    I lost 33 lbs before anyone seemed to notice.

    Then they were busy noticing and commenting all over the place for the next 22 lbs.

    Fortunately now that I'm 55 lbs lighter and have maintained that for a little while, the comments have stopped.
  • endlessfall16
    endlessfall16 Posts: 932 Member
    I actually dread people noticing, because it means I have to explain why now. The reason is never flattering. :)
  • Domicinator
    Domicinator Posts: 261 Member
    I had everyone flummoxed. I started getting comments when I got down to about 220 (started at 250). But I had also gotten new glasses, started cutting my hair super short, and started going with the clean shaven look. Some people didn't even recognize me.
  • Hartman1986
    Hartman1986 Posts: 45 Member
    I started getting a lot of comments about my weight loss about the time I had to buy new clothes. That was after I had loss about 4 inches off my waist.
  • Wiseandcurious
    Wiseandcurious Posts: 730 Member
    People will notice more when you start to wear smaller clothing. If you continue to wear the same clothes, it's a lot harder to tell. I've lost over 50 lbs, and I'd say some people started commenting after about 20 lbs. I'm 5'3" and started at 240. I'm currently 184.6 and it's obvious now (I'm down 3 sizes), but still, I find that people who are overweight never say a word, while I get tons of comments from people who are already in a healthy weight range. I find this interesting, and a bit sad, to be honest.

    As an overweight person, I comment only to close friends that I know would take it positively. I would never ever comment to anyone else because:
    - I personally actually hate discussing my weight, even when it's on the way down, so they might too
    - some people get derailed by compliments on their weight loss
    - As someone who's been there, I know it can make for very awkward moments for them if they don't stick with it for some reason or regain it.

    So, basically out of (my own idea of) respect. I think that's what most people do - they are motivated to comment, or not, mostly by good intentions to you and perhaps by a little bit of social awkwardness.

    Just hoped to lesten your sadness a bit :) Just believe that most people are positive, just have different ways of showing it.
  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
    Like everyone else said, it depends on where you are starting from. I am about 5'6" and started at 170. I started receiving comments at work after only about 6 pounds. I'm now down 18.5 lbs and people comment regularly, probably because I haven't bought new clothes yet and my clothes have become very baggy haha.
  • Ajocal18
    Ajocal18 Posts: 167 Member
    I'm 5'1 and started at 198lbs it took about 25-30 lbs before anyone mentioned it and then they wouldn't shut up about it. I know that gets on some peoples nerves but I LOVED it, guess I'm a little self absorbed lol.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,318 Member
    For me it was around 30 pounds down, and then people commented some even saying I should not lose more even though I was still Obese Class 1.
  • kportwood85
    kportwood85 Posts: 151 Member
    I weighed 218 at Christmas, this morning I weighed 190. My husband is the only one who has said anything, and i think that's only because every day I'm like "look at me! down another half pound, can you tell yet?" lol It's getting discouraging.
  • tryin2die2self
    tryin2die2self Posts: 207 Member
    Started at 240ish. Dropped 10 lbs and people at work started commenting a bit. The whole "you did something different" question. Dropped another 10 lbs and people starting saying they could tell. Dropped another 20 lbs (down 40) and people said I did not need to lose any more. I would not be "me" anymore. Great (sigh) thanks. That said I have about 40 more pounds to go.
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    I was huge my first time around, and people didn't say anything for about 50 pounds. It was a little disheartening but I also tried to think about it as my awesome exciting secret that would be revealed any day. I didn't talk about it with anyone, figured if I failed again at least no one would know. But yeah it was rough waiting for outside encouragement.
  • kar328
    kar328 Posts: 4,159 Member
    I started at 248 and most people started noticing around 35-40 lbs. I myself didn't see it until 50 lbs, I took the first two pics from my profile pic and put them side by side - that was the only way I could see it. I'm bad at noticing weight loss in other people, so I never expect anyone to notice mine. But now, the comments never stop and the more I lose, the weirder and more questionable they become. Most people are fine though.
  • KitchyWitchy
    KitchyWitchy Posts: 57 Member
    I think people at work first commented when I had lost about 25 pounds or so. I usually don't mention I've noticed someone lost weight unless I know they are trying though so some may have noticed and not said anything.
  • samgamgee
    samgamgee Posts: 398 Member
    I started at 160 (5 ft 4) and got my first comment at about 15 lbs down.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    The more you have to lose the longer it will take others to notice....
    But you're doing this for YOU, keep up the good work :smile:

    I had only 20lbs to lose, it took me losing 10lbs before anyone at work noticed, it took losing the whole 20lb before my family noticed...
  • smiles4jo
    smiles4jo Posts: 202 Member
    I'm 5'6", started at 215 and I'm down 17 lbs. Just yesterday, I got my first question of whether I had lost weight. It was also the day that my pants were ridiculously too big, so I'm not totally sure if that was more of a comment on my actual weight loss or a comment on my pants being too big lol
  • amandarawr06
    amandarawr06 Posts: 251 Member
    I started to notice within 10lbs... I found it took close friends and family about 20-25lbs before they said anything... and other people (co-workers, neighbours, people in my circle that I am not necessarily close with) about 30 + lbs
  • missesquirejd
    missesquirejd Posts: 88 Member
    I was 7 weeks into my journey when my co-workers said they noticed. I only weigh once a month, so I can't definitively say how much weight I had lost at that point.
  • noobletmcnugget
    noobletmcnugget Posts: 518 Member
    I'm 5'6" and started at 128 pounds, down 10 pounds and my friends have started noticing.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
    edited March 2016
    30lbs before people started commenting. Some people still don't say anything. I just ran into one of my aunts whom I haven't seen in 6 months and she didn't say a word about it. Guess it just depends.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I'd say 15 lbs off of 155 @ 5'6" for me.
  • WendyLaubach
    WendyLaubach Posts: 518 Member
    About 18 lbs. I started at 245 (5'5") and am at 202 now. Neighbors started noticing quickly. One neighbor, bless her heart, tried to tell me last week that I'd already reached a "healthy weight" and could stop now. Yeah, no, but the vote of confidence is nice. I have to look at pictures from last October to realize the difference myself. I'm in much smaller clothes now. Often now when I catch sight of myself in the mirror, I don't have the same old "Oh, my God" reaction, but I notice that in a candid photo shot posted by a neighbor, I still look huge to myself. And then I think how much bigger I was only four months ago! I really, really feel it in my feet and back at the end of a long day: terrific improvement. And my endurance on the treadmill is night and day.
  • chandanista
    chandanista Posts: 986 Member
    My coworker commented yesterday that he liked my pants and they looked good on me. They aren't new by any means, I've worn that pair of trousers to work many times, which tells me that my weight loss has made the clothing look good.

    Beyond that my husband has noticed. And that's all, lol.
  • UltraHealthSeeker
    UltraHealthSeeker Posts: 21 Member
    I started at 272 and it took about 40 pounds before people started noticing. For the first 40 pounds they would say things like "did you change your hair?" they couldn't seem to put their finger on what was happening.
  • Cirque95
    Cirque95 Posts: 22 Member
    I've lost 11 pounds so far and feel like I look bigger :| . I haven't had any comments so far but I think the only people that would comment would be my family. I'd feel a bit awkward if anyone else commented. Last time I started noticing a different myself was at about 21 pounds.
  • jaynee7283
    jaynee7283 Posts: 160 Member
    I started at 255 and have lost 15 pounds thus far (it won't be official until my WI on Monday morning). No one has noticed yet. The only thing I've noticed is that my pants are a tad bit looser, but not noticibly so to anyone else.
  • dave_in_ni
    dave_in_ni Posts: 533 Member
    So I was out last night at a family get together, I've not seen the majority of them folks since last summer, if someone is going to notice weight loss its going to be at one of these type of events where you've not seen people for a while, no one noticed my weight loss but more than that was I over heard this group of women discuss weight loss and weight watchers, one of them has lost 28lbs and I'll be honest I never noticed, all the women had lost weight and you wouldn't notice.

    Obviously you can't pick where the weight comes off from but I think this is an issue, for me I notice it coming off my belly, I have on odd build in the most of my weight is on my belly thanks to years of beer drinking, and I have a chubby face, my legs arms etc are trim probably due to years of manual labour, I think if you have a chubby face you still look fat even if the weight is coming off.
  • KDar1988
    KDar1988 Posts: 648 Member
    I'm down 91 and have only had comments from a few people. I have a hard time seeing it on myself so I'm not sure what others are seeing especially when they see me every day.
  • SingingSingleTracker
    SingingSingleTracker Posts: 1,866 Member
    dave_in_ni wrote: »
    Curious about this, how much weight did you loss before people started noticing? I've lost 17/18lbs 9kg since New Years so far all thats noticed is my mother and well mothers always notice that anyway so we can disregard her. If I'm honest I haven't really noticed myself either, looking in the mirror I see no change, no change even in the progress photos. Looking at the photos I took at the start with the photos now I see no change.

    Measurements are going down so thats something I guess.

    Shirt on or shirt off?

    Measure your body fat percentage, and take a look at what men and women look like with various percentages. At some point - people start to notice. And you can use the mirror to check your progress as you move lower in the body fat percentage number.

    http://www.builtlean.com/2012/09/24/body-fat-percentage-men-women/

    25264459645_92a7594575_o.jpgbody-fat-percentage-men

    25431601281_50dc6efa75_o.jpg
  • kaybelle0
    kaybelle0 Posts: 3 Member
    I began to lose weight at 138.8 pounds (63 kilos) and it was difficult to get into routine or notice a difference. It was also difficult to motivate myself as many (including close friends) put me down and said there was no reason for me to lose weight as I was already "skinny" I don't think they really understood my on insecurities, so I continued. I noticed my weight loss after maybe losing 15 pounds (7 kilos). But this was because I already had a slim build to begin with, but others began to notice after I lost about 24 pounds. (11 kilos). It all depends on how you are built. Most noticed the difference in weight around my thighs, as I have always been heavier on the bottom than on the top.