Other people's perceptions

Wombat468

I lost 2.5 stone from Jan-may this year. I haven't lost anything since May (which is fine - I haven't been focussing), and have been doing weights at the gym maybe 1-2 times a week for 20min, which is not much at all. But people think I'm still losing weight! They keep commenting that I've lost more, but I haven't! And my clothes aren't getting looser so it's not that I'm getting smaller. What is up with their perceptions - is it just that it takes so long to override their previous ideas of my size? Has anyone else found this?! (I'm not complaining, mind!)

SusanMFindlay

It may be partly their brains catching up to what they're seeing. It may also be that they now feel comfortable commenting. They might not have wanted to say anything at first in case the loss wasn't permanent.

Alatariel75

I've actually put a few kilos back on and people keep saying that I've lost more weight. It's odd.

dhimaan

That is not a bad thing. Maybe in their eyes you look better than how you think of yourself. People think how people think. Take the good with the bad.

PinkPixiexox

Lucky you! hehe!
You obviously look fantastic! Keep rocking it!

PaulaWallaDingDong

I have people I see several times a week who ask me every time "you still losing? You look it." or "What are you down to now?" I'm like "...Since two days ago!?"

It's aggravating sometimes, but they're being nice. I bite my tongue.

Gamliela

SusanMFindlay wrote: »

It may be partly their brains catching up to what they're seeing.

I think its this! They might not be sure for a while that weight loss is happening, at some point it becomes a certainty and they commment.

Congratulations on your weight loss!

YalithKBK

I had this happen recently where someone I hadn't seen for three months said I looked slimmer. I had gained 15 pounds. Just say thank you and ignore it. Either they don't have a good enough eye to accurately evaluate your weight (who does?) or they're trying to be polite/nice and give you a compliment.

You're not losing weight for them, you're doing it for you. I treat those comments the same way I treat insults: Let it roll off you and move on.

mph323

The clothes you wear can also make a difference in people's perceptions. I have a couple of tops that apparently make me appear thinner than I am, and those are the days I get complements on my weight loss, even if I haven't lost anything in a while, or even gained :-)

chapiano

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

mph323

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

chapiano

mph323 wrote: »

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

????? Exactly.

So if he is lost some fat and added some muscle he may weigh a couple pound more.

trigden1991

mph323 wrote: »

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

@mph323 I think the concise way of saying it is that muscle is more dense than fat.

@chapiano It is highly improbable that they achieved both as they are mutually exclusive.

mph323

trigden1991 wrote: »

mph323 wrote: »

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

@mph323 I think the concise way of saying it is that muscle is more dense than fat.

@chapiano It is highly improbable that they achieved both as they are mutually exclusive.

I agree, dense is really the right word. Thanks for clarifying.

Need2Exerc1se

I haven't lost any weight in close to a year and only a couple of inches in that time. I still get the "have you lost weight" comments. I think often it's just the outfit I'm wearing. Or someone that doesn't see me often and forgets that I was this size last time they saw me.

AliceDark

I've asked my hairdresser if she's lost weight the last three times I've seen her, and apart from the first time, her answer has always been no. It's partially that I've known her for years, so my brain still remembers her a little bit heavier and I'm still always a little bit surprised to see her at her current weight. It's also that she's generally in a better place in her life at the moment, so she's carrying herself differently and projecting more confidence/lightness. Our perceptions are influenced by a lot of factors, and actual physical appearance is pretty far down on the list. 

Be_Lively

This happens to me as well! I lost 40 lb then took a break in the summer, and was still receiving compliments "You just keep getting skinnier!" when I was actually maintining my weight for a couple of months. I gladly accept all compliments though and even though I knew I wasn't losing, it was still nice to hear those things. Now that I am back at calorie counting, I hear compliments on my weight loss every single day. I'm not gonna lie, I love it and it helps out so much.

fr33sia12

I keep expecting people I haven't seen in a while to say "ooo you've lost weight" and get really disappointed when they don't. Then that starts me off thinking maybe I don't look like I have lost weight, but then I look at myself in the mirror and smaller clothes are fitting me and I know as long as I know I've lost weight and like how I look that's all that matters.

SusanMFindlay

mph323 wrote: »

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

Why do people get so pedantic about this? Given equal volumes of fat and muscle, the muscle will weigh more because it has the higher density. Usually the context is "I'm heavier at the same size" or "I'm smaller at the same weight" so it's a perfectly reasonable way to communicate the "muscle is denser" concept.

not_my_first_rodeo

Sometimes it's that you've lost inches or that they're seeing you in clothes that used to be really tight on you. They remember you like that and now you're either swimming in them or maybe they fit properly. Maybe you carry yourself a little differently too. That might impact how they see you.

ogtmama

mph323 wrote: »

chapiano wrote: »

Maybe with the regular weight sessions you have lost abit of fat and added abit of muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat

No, a pound of muscle weighs the same as a pound of fat. Muscle is more compact than fat and takes up less space so it does appear to weigh more - common misperception :-)

Yes, we know...and gold doesn't weigh more than feathers, yada yada yada...it's just more dense but we all understood the point @_@ anyhoo, I'm betting on unintended body recomping.