Lost 50lbs but can't see a difference

myfightforfitness

Hey everyone,
Recently I have lost 51lbs in four months. I am 5'6 and started at 246lbs and am now down to 195lbs. My issue is I look at myself and feel like I haven't changed at all. Although I have supportive friends and family, I cannot get myself to believe them. Because I feel as if I only know what I really look like and it's not that much different to when I was 50lbs heavier.

My question is when can I expect to see a difference in myself? And has anyone ever experienced this?

Purplebunnysarah

Have you taken before & after photos? The difference is typically a lot more obvious in photos.

deceived1

Have you taken before/after pictures? This is fairly normal to feel this way, but if you have some "before" photos you will notice a glaring difference.

beautifulwarrior18

Above. Also, looking at an old pair of pants helps. If need be try them on.

myfightforfitness

deceived1 wrote: »

Have you taken before/after pictures? This is fairly normal to feel this way, but if you have some "before" photos you will notice a glaring difference.

sarahthes wrote: »

Have you taken before & after photos? The difference is typically a lot more obvious in photos.

Hey thanks for the response, i have taken pictures, however when I look in the mirror it's like I'm looking at the same 246lbs person. Also the pictures I took before aren't the greatest and don't really show my body so much as I've never been comfortable taking pictures

kshama2001

I hear ya! I'm down 38 pounds and don't really see it. I took pictures last year, kept a pair of fat jeans, and still wear my old gardening jeans, which are about a size and a half too big.

myfightforfitness

beautifulwarrior18 wrote: »

Above. Also, looking at an old pair of pants helps. If need be try them on.

Hi thanks for the response, the funny thing is i can still fit into old tops which is annoying, but I also can fit into a top which is 2-3 sizes smaller. With old jeans I can put them on, but need to use a belt to keep them up. But when I look at myself I look the same

myfightforfitness

kshama2001 wrote: »

I hear ya! I'm down 38 pounds and don't really see it. I took pictures last year, kept a pair of fat jeans, and still wear my old gardening jeans, which are about a size and a half too big.

Congratulations on losing the weight!

2011rocket3touring

While no where near 50 lbs lost yet (13 so far) I've gotten a crapton of comments and my pants are a size smaller but I myself don't see it.

KetoneKaren

I have a distorted body image too. It was one of the factors in regaining the weight I worked very hard to lose in 2013. This time I am going to remind myself that the scale does not lie, even if the mirror does. Did you happen to take measurements before you started losing weight? Objective proof is helpful in staying on track, especially for those of us with distorted body perceptions. I hope this helps a little. Congratulations on the weight loss!

mommazach

Start today by taking a selfie... Just a selfie. I noticed my cheeks are smaller. My pants went from a size 18 to a 14 and I look back on the before picture frequently... especially when I feel defeated. I see amazing results because I earned them. Get your head in the right place! You deserve to enjoy the loss of 50lbs. That's a great accomplishment. Congrats on your new body, and keep on going.

sarahcampos555

I support the before and after pictures, they show a lot! Also the fact that you lost weigh is amazing! Congratulations! Also remember you a probably gaining muscle!!!

myfightforfitness

mommazach wrote: »

Start today by taking a selfie... Just a selfie. I noticed my cheeks are smaller. My pants went from a size 18 to a 14 and I look back on the before picture frequently... especially when I feel defeated. I see amazing results because I earned them. Get your head in the right place! You deserve to enjoy the loss of 50lbs. That's a great accomplishment. Congrats on your new body, and keep on going.

Thank you so much I will try that

myfightforfitness

KetoneKaren wrote: »

I have a distorted body image too. It was one of the factors in regaining the weight I worked very hard to lose in 2013. This time I am going to remind myself that the scale does not lie, even if the mirror does. Did you happen to take measurements before you started losing weight? Objective proof is helpful in staying on track, especially for those of us with distorted body perceptions. I hope this helps a little. Congratulations on the weight loss!

Thanks a lot! I hope I never regain the weight. I haven't taken any measurements, but will start to

myfightforfitness

2011rocket3touring wrote: »

While no where near 50 lbs lost yet (13 so far) I've gotten a crapton of comments and my pants are a size smaller but I myself don't see it.

Congrats :-D

myfightforfitness

sarahcampos555 wrote: »

I support the before and after pictures, they show a lot! Also the fact that you lost weigh is amazing! Congratulations! Also remember you a probably gaining muscle!!!

Thanks ALOT

Zella_11

Clothes fitting differently/smaller sized clothes--excellent indicators of the reality of your awesome weight loss. I can relate--the scale never lies to me, but my mirror does. Keep up the great work and congrats on your loss!

SassyMommasaurus

Have you thought about therapy? A therapist may be able to help you through to see whats really there.

TomZot

It comes with time.

I've lost about 65 lbs and have kept it off for over two years. But I still do a double-take when I walk by a mirror or a store window because in my head I'm still the fat guy.

Nice work.

Hornsby

I went from 255 to 175 / sub 7% right now and I still see the fat me. A lot. I can't stress it enough, pictures! Pictures!! PICTURES!!! As a side recommendation, lift your *kitten* off.

alyssa0061

I've lost 65 pounds since February and most days I think I look the same or even fatter if my brain is being particularly kind that day. That is, until I compare pictures. Then I see it, all over my face. Literally.

btodd304

Not that it may help you now but i take pictures in the same shirt to try and see a difference. Im only down 20lbs. But the shirt i first took pics in my shirt was way tighter in the back and love handles area, arms and shoulders. Ive taken a pic every couple weeks now and its amazing how diff they are. Other than that i dont notice difference as much either, granted i havent lost that much yet. In the past even when i dropped 40lbs in a month i hadnt noticed but other people did. Clothes fitting might be the only way you'll notice it takes awhile for us to be able to see it in a mirror.

lorrpb

feel like I haven't changed at all

You need to separate facts from feelings! We never see ourselves accurately. You have definitely changed. You cannot have lost 50 lbs and NOT changed. Listen to your friends & family. Look at your progress pics. Compare your measurements. Get used to the new you! Congrats on the weight loss!!

rankinsect

myfightforfitness wrote: »

Although I have supportive friends and family, I cannot get myself to believe them. Because I feel as if I only know what I really look like and it's not that much different to when I was 50lbs heavier.

It's likely the opposite. You are probably the single least qualified person to really judge how much you've lost. Each of us has a strong sense of self; we don't see ourselves objectively and we're slow to adjust our self-perception to match reality. It's the flip side of the person who gains a lot of weight and can't come to terms with how much they now weigh.

KetoneKaren

rankinsect wrote: »

myfightforfitness wrote: »

Although I have supportive friends and family, I cannot get myself to believe them. Because I feel as if I only know what I really look like and it's not that much different to when I was 50lbs heavier.

It's likely the opposite. You are probably the single least qualified person to really judge how much you've lost. Each of us has a strong sense of self; we don't see ourselves objectively and we're slow to adjust our self-perception to match reality. It's the flip side of the person who gains a lot of weight and can't come to terms with how much they now weigh.

This.

charlieandcarol

myfightforfitness wrote: »

beautifulwarrior18 wrote: »

Above. Also, looking at an old pair of pants helps. If need be try them on.

Hi thanks for the response, the funny thing is i can still fit into old tops which is annoying, but I also can fit into a top which is 2-3 sizes smaller. With old jeans I can put them on, but need to use a belt to keep them up. But when I look at myself I look the same

I have a theory about the still fitting into old clothes thing, especially when you have lost an initial amount and haven't gone clothes shopping. I think (and I definitely know for myself) that people are often squeezed in to their current clothes when they decide to lost weight and that some of those clothes might even be stretched past their original size. So when people lose weight even significant amounts like you, they are disappointed that they still fit in the same clothes but the reality is that those clothes now fit properly.

Plus I agree you are your own worst judge, I felt bigger at 82kg than I did at 105 kg which logically is ridiculous!

koreangurl

I had the same issue. Went from 150 to 120 pounds and thought I looked the same. As a general rule of thumb you see the most changes once you start dropping below 15 percent body fat. Vascular and muscle and muscle definition will all come once your low enough body fat.

ilex70

I think this is pretty common. When I look at myself I don't see the fat that I've lost, I see the fat that I still need to lose.

Some days I feel pretty good about my progress and other days I just can't really see it.

Clothing helps some, at least if it is clothing you already had. New stuff...the sizing is all over the place.

If this isn't odd enough I actually feel that I'm back to my normal size (took off a lot of regain), while at the same time thinking I'm really fat. Which doesn't make sense at all, and speaks to our sense of self being sticky, for lack of a better term.

melmaurice0

Personally, I've noticed a difference, but only in certain areas, like my face and the top of my stomach. My lower stomach still looks the same to me. I try to focus on the fact that I now use the 4th hole on my belt loop instead of the second, and that I can comfortably wear shirts that were stuck in my closet for the longest time because my belly showed too much in them before. Also, things like the fact that I naturally walk faster. A walk that used to take me 10-12 mins, now takes closer to 8, if I'd tried that before I'd be winded and miserable. ^_^ Its not a huge difference, but it keeps me from staring at my belly and attempting to will it away.

Konigboy

I understand where you are coming from. I have gone from a size 34 pants to now a size 14. While I see some change, I still get disgusted, as I just don't see it with my upper body. I have gone through old clothes that I wore 15 years ago that is a size 14 and it fits. Yet I still wear some tops that are 22/24, just baggy. I hate tight fitting clothes. I take lots of pictures to compare, but I have been on this journey so long that the few lbs a week have just taken forever.

Congrats on your tremendous weight loss. Wish I could loose that quickly. Lol

kirstinethornburg

It is difficult to accept change even for the better. It takes time to adjust yto your new self but congrats on the relase of those 50 pounds