When did YOU notice a difference...?

cordney

I started at 325 so I knew it would be a while before I actually SAW progress. The pic shows January 1st vs mid March, so about 2.5 months to see a difference.

Picklefrits

I have lost almost 60 pounds and just beginning to notice. I however was about 300 pounds so it took a while before people started to notice and I think they say it before I did, because like many overweight people I had a hard time even now to see myself as anything but the 300 pound person I saw in the mirror for so long. I went shopping the other day for some new clothes and thats when I actually noticed. I shocked myself by fitting into 2 and 3 sizes smaller than I was and was like "hmmmm I guess I am smaller now."

natruallycurious

I've lost a little over 20 pounds, and I still don't really notice when I look in the mirror. What I do notice is that my clothes fit much better and many are now too big. For my friends and family, I got random comments starting at around 10 pounds lost, but it seemed like everyone seemed to notice at around 18 pounds lost. It was werid, because no one said much at 16 pounds, but then everyone said something at 18 pounds. Such a small difference to me, but apparently made a big difference on my body. I'm assuming some of that has to do with body recomp too.

Sp1tfire

About march of this year I finally had noticeable calf muscle and bicep action! I also gained weight meaning that it was the muscle I was seeing!

Madwife2009

I first noticed when my clothes got too big and I had to keep hitching the trousers up again. It still didn't really compute in my brain until I glanced at my reflection one night in the kitchen window and wondered where on earth my huge backside had gone.

I still don't really "get it" though. My brain must be addled as I know I've lost a huge amount of weight, I am fitter and more active than I have ever been in my life, I'm a size UK10 instead of a UK28/30 but I still don't "feel" it. I've seen photos, I've seen my reflection in mirrors and windows but I still see myself as that 285lb woman.

There is no hope for me Maybe when I hit goal and I've got some more muscle definition perhaps.

jpoehls9025

OP, the first indicator should be performance. I feel this is always going to be the first thing you notice. Then you might notice clothing fitting differently. After several months you might start seeing physical changes in the mirror. Albeit you could have probably noticed changes via measurements sooner, I feel when you see your body everyday you wont notice the "difference" until you have made significant change outwardly (photos / mirros) / inwardly how you also view yourself.

Mahdi22

jpoehls9025 wrote: »

OP, the first indicator should be performance. I feel this is always going to be the first thing you notice. Then you might notice clothing fitting differently. After several months you might start seeing physical changes in the mirror. Albeit you could have probably noticed changes via measurements sooner, I feel when you see your body everyday you wont notice the "difference" until you have made significant change outwardly (photos / mirros) / inwardly how you also view yourself.

I agree with performance being the first indicator....Can't wait till I see a real physical difference tho. I'm not very patient lol. One more week and it'll be 1 month.

stacief82

Other people have just now really started noticing- I have had 3 people at work comment on my weight loss in the past week. I personally don't feel much different. I think I see a difference more when I put on clothes that used to be too tight and now they are loose. But I never really felt "overweight", it is only looking back at pictures that I realize just how much weight I had put on!

Starting weight 154.6 lbs Current weight 131.6 lbs

amoonm6r

the first time it actually hit me was when i started having trouble sleeping because my knees were too skinny and my leggings started fitting like sweat pants.

mca90guitar

I notice in my arms and chest pretty fast, but need to lose alot before the gut and legs look better to me.

mca90guitar

Mahdi22 wrote: »

Ocean_Breezy wrote: »

After losing 10 pounds my tshirts no longer fit me tight! That's when I noticed that I was losing inches...I can also fit my 12s and my 14s are loose.

I can't wait till I lose my first 10 pounds. Today's my eighth day of eating healthy and working out, I'm scared to go on a scale so I'll probably do it on the 1 month mark.
Good job btw!!!!
I can't wait till I'm in the 100's - onederland - just 20 pounds and I'm there. First time in 4 or 5 years

10 more pounds and I'll be under the 200 mark again. Can't wait for that again.

MsHarryWinston

I can feel the difference at about two weeks. Measurable differences after about a week of working out. After about a week of heavy weights I've lost about an inch off each of my upper thighs. It happens pretty much every time I decide to lose weight so it doesn't surprise me any more. I'm actually quite lucky for the instant gratification. My legs have always been really responsive to exercise. My arms take basically foreeeeever.

Mahdi22

I don't know if I'm imagining things but my face looks slightly thinner. I haven't noticed any other physical changes in 1 month yet.

ekd23

I didn't really notice much of a difference until about 30lbs down. I'm now 61 pounds down and noticing all kinds of changes.

Mahdi22

ekd23 wrote: »

I didn't really notice much of a difference until about 30lbs down. I'm now 61 pounds down and noticing all kinds of changes.

30 pounds is so far away for me

Mahdi22

It got rid of my entire post....

linsey0689

I notice difference in photos of myself. I normally don't feel all the different. Maybe being I dont really like the mirror all that much

STEVE142142

Madwife2009 wrote: »

I first noticed when my clothes got too big and I had to keep hitching the trousers up again. It still didn't really compute in my brain until I glanced at my reflection one night in the kitchen window and wondered where on earth my huge backside had gone.

I still don't really "get it" though. My brain must be addled as I know I've lost a huge amount of weight, I am fitter and more active than I have ever been in my life, I'm a size UK10 instead of a UK28/30 but I still don't "feel" it. I've seen photos, I've seen my reflection in mirrors and windows but I still see myself as that 285lb woman.

There is no hope for me Maybe when I hit goal and I've got some more muscle definition perhaps.

To madwife2009

You'll eventually see it. I'll give it to you from my perspective. when I started my journey my weight was 288 pounds my current weight right now is 208 and I've been maintaining 8 months.

I was always the fat kid and deep down I still think of myself as the fat kid on an emotional level. When I looked at myself in the mirror, logically i can say I'm the fit guy now. You talk about your butt and I'll tell you about my chest. I used to have man boobs and about a month ago I looked in the mirror and it hit me I got pecs with muscle definition. It was like somebody smacked me up the side of the head.

Another time I walked into the bathroom of a big box store and I caught my reflection in the mirror and I said what the hell is wrong with that mirror why do I look so funny and it hit me that's the new me.

STEVE142142

Mahdi22 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to know when YOU saw a difference in your body and thought that it was working (whatever your goal)?

Was it after 2 months, 10 pounds...Something else??

I really need motivation and greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!

Congratulations on your success. It's a complicated answer with a lot of answers depending on what you're looking for.

On the scale I saw it after my first month after I lost about 10 pounds.

Verbally I saw it after about three months when people started to ask me how much weight I lost and how I look good. They also told told me I need to get new clothes cuz my stuff is baggy.

I saw it in the wallet after four or five months when I had to redo my whole wardrobe.

Personally mentally I guess I started to see it after a year. It took me 8 months to lose 80 pounds and I was maintaining for about 4 to 5 months and I saw my reflection in the mirror and my reaction was what the hell is wrong with that mirror and then it hit me that's the new me

Mahdi22

STEVE142142 wrote: »

Mahdi22 wrote: »

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to know when YOU saw a difference in your body and thought that it was working (whatever your goal)?

Was it after 2 months, 10 pounds...Something else??

I really need motivation and greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!

Congratulations on your success. It's a complicated answer with a lot of answers depending on what you're looking for.

On the scale I saw it after my first month after I lost about 10 pounds.

Verbally I saw it after about three months when people started to ask me how much weight I lost and how I look good. They also told told me I need to get new clothes cuz my stuff is baggy.

I saw it in the wallet after four or five months when I had to redo my whole wardrobe.

Personally mentally I guess I started to see it after a year. It took me 8 months to lose 80 pounds and I was maintaining for about 4 to 5 months and I saw my reflection in the mirror and my reaction was what the hell is wrong with that mirror and then it hit me that's the new me

Well I don't have any success yet lol. I've only dropped a couple of pounds.8 months is so far away....

mebelfanti

I started at 280 and just hit 20lbs lost last week (took 7 weeks). I'm starting to feel a difference in my clothes but I can't see a difference yet. I've been taking progress pictures though and I can see a slight difference in those (maybe?). My husband says I look a lot smaller, bless him, but no one else has commented on my size/weight loss. I'm definitely improving in the gym though, and that's how I'm gauging my success right now.

SafioraLinnea

I'm at 53lbs down and I noticed around the 25 mark that my face looked thinner and my belly became less round.

Now my belly is definitely losing fat because it's saggy and flatter. And my hips hurt when I sleep on my side and my back is horrid if I sleep on my belly. RIP stomach sleeping comfortably.

Geocitiesuser

When I started wearing size medium shirts because Large was too big. Kind of an eye opener. Now I refuse to ever wear a large again.

Mahdi22

Month 2 week 2 day 1 is done! Cant believe how fast the time flew lol. I could've been doing what I always did a couple weeks ago or i can change my life

Month 2 is hard lol. I've noticed that the workouts feel longer, maybe because it's harder idk.

TammyL8

I noticed the difference when loading the dishwasher didn't absolutely kill my back. I was in so much pain from carrying around the extra weight that I would have to do my housework five minutes at a time. Now I still get back pain but it's not as often and I can do more before the pain starts.

cenafan

I'm 41lbs down. I don't see a huge change but I have people always commenting. I think it's because we see ourselves everyday. I lost weight before and I know I won't really see it in myself for about another 20lbs and then it's like I'm a different person.

seltzermint555

Most of my adult life I was in the range of 250-270. Then I shot up to 307 (HW) and was pretty miserable in my own skin. It was difficult to find clothes that I felt comfortable in, and that was a new problem to me because honestly even at 250-270 I just picked any plus size 22 and it fit perfectly and I felt good in it. When I started walking miles per week and eating slightly healthier/less, I immediately felt better and once I got into 270-280s, I felt like myself again. This was all pre-MFP.

I seriously feel like all of my MFP weight loss (from 260s down to current 170) has just been like icing on the cake. There were stages especially around 200-220 where I really noticed, wow, I feel smaller in the world around me. But for the most part I don't honestly feel that different even after 3 years of maintaining the loss, and I still feel very shocked by full body photographs of myself. I picture myself a lot bigger than I am and where I used to focus on how fat my belly, back, or hips looked in pictures, I now focus on how skinny my forearms and neck look and how there's no way I am that tall (I am 5'8" but looked pretty short with the extra weight and got used to that). I am not complaining and seriously not trying to humble brag, just being honest. I don't FEEL that different and I always felt healthy and energetic except when I was WAY up, around 300 lb and just felt awful.

Ainadan

About 10 lbs. My face looked thinner and my tailbone started hurting if I sat down for too long. 10 lbs was about 25% of the way to my goal.

Smaya29

My thighs are the first to show signs (initially at least). My jeans stopped feeling so tight, I felt lighter on my feet, that was something that did make me feel funny for a few days after dropping first 10 pounds. Stopped feeling like a bloated whale after -17 lbs.

jrowden0711

We truly are our toughest critics. That being said, I really didn't notice my loss until nearly 80 lbs. I knew my clothes where fitting differently and my husband was telling me I was losing a ton of weight but I didn't see it in the mirror. One day I was getting ready and I checked my outfit in the mirror and told my husband "wow, this outfit makes me look kinda skinny!" He laughed at me and told me he's been trying to tell me I've been getting skinny for awhile now. I finally went shopping and realized I had lost three pant sizes and two shirt sizes. I still grab pants off the rack and think there is no way they will fit.