50lbs lost - not feeling much of a difference

Gwynnether

So over the course of the last year, I've lost 50lbs. It's been a slow but steady progress.

Looking back at it now - I don't really feel any different. I assume, it's because despite losing 50lbs, I'm ultimately still overweight. I'd need to lose another 30lbs to reach a healthy BMI.

I'm kind of waiting for a "Wow, look at me!" moment, but I'm not even seeing much of a difference when looking into a mirror. Maybe because the progress is so slow that the changes don't register with me. The other day I picked up a heavy suitcase that came close to 50lbs and I was suprised at the thought that that equaled the weight that I have shed... and yet, I don't really feel it! Haha.

What about you guys? Did you have a "OMG, I can't believe this is me!" - moment? And if so, at what stage? Would love to hear some of your success stories :-)

88olds

The heavy bag is a good indicator.

How old are you? Extra pounds in my 20s wasn’t nearly the problem it was in my 40s. My weight loss improvements mainly became aches and pains and health issues I crossed off my list.

But there was this- even though I had quite a bit to lose, I bought clothes that fit as I lost. I wore suits at work. There’s only so much you can do with a suit when trying to make it smaller. I went through several sets and it was worth every penny. A game changer.

Last- beware your own brain. You’ve put in this effort and your brain wants to say it’s not good enough. Fight back. You still have more to go. You are getting positive feedback from the scale. Don’t let your brain inflate your expectations or nit pick your appearance. Perfect is the enemy of the good. You’ve done good work. You are progressing in the right direction. Keep going.

GOT_Obsessed

You have likely been examining yourself each time you are near a mirror if you are anything like me. Lol. You won't notice a huge change this way but I am sure it's there. But you can bet everyone else has noticed. You have done amazing! That is a lot of weight and you should be proud.

ladyhusker39

Losing 50 out of 80 is significant and is almost certainly noticeable. Is it possible that you're looking for your weight loss to help you feel better about something else unrelated to your weight? If so, I'd recommend working on that as well as the number on the scale/the way you look in the mirror.

dsboohead

Gwynnether wrote: »

So over the course of the last year, I've lost 50lbs. It's been a slow but steady progress.

Looking back at it now - I don't really feel any different. I assume, it's because despite losing 50lbs, I'm ultimately still overweight. I'd need to lose another 30lbs to reach a healthy BMI.

I'm kind of waiting for a "Wow, look at me!" moment, but I'm not even seeing much of a difference when looking into a mirror. Maybe because the progress is so slow that the changes don't register with me. The other day I picked up a heavy suitcase that came close to 50lbs and I was suprised at the thought that that equaled the weight that I have shed... and yet, I don't really feel it! Haha.

What about you guys? Did you have a "OMG, I can't believe this is me!" - moment? And if so, at what stage? Would love to hear some of your success stories :-)

Post before and after pics and let us judge. 50 lbs is no small sac of potatoes. Go to store and try to pick up a 50lb bag of dog food! That was wearing on your joints!

tlsb2016

It sounds like you are where I am. Here’s what I’ve found:

* Others started noticing (and commenting) when I was about 40 pounds down and I bought new clothes for the cooler weather. Up to that point, I had bought summer weight clothes, but in retrospect, these were still too big (partly because I bought them at the beginning of the summer and continued to lose weight). By the time I bought Fall clothes, I was two sizes down, much to my shock. It was a very emotional experience in the changing room!

* Related to clothes sizes, I realized I was used to looking at clothes fitting in terms of whether they were too small. But now I had to consider whether clothes were too big. So I was wearing clothes that were way too big because I thought they “fit” - after all, I could just tighten my belt or “hey, I love loose fitting tops!” But it wasn’t until I put my old, 2-sizes too big clothes on after trying on all those new clothes that I realized how bad I really looked in the old clothes. As the poster above recommended- buy new clothes. Or at least go try some on to get a sense of how far you’ve really come. I know it’s scary.

* Even with the above realizations, I still don’t see the difference others see, over all. In fact, at almost 50 pounds down, I looked in the mirror last night and felt like I had made no progress at all. This is where you have to override your brain and believe the scales. Your brain will catch up (or so they tell me!). However, I will notice certain body parts changing - for example, I noticed my collar bone becoming more prominent but one day, I noticed a couple of ridges starting to emerge below the collar bones. Well, hello chest ribs! Go over to Success Stories and read the “What Nobody Tells You About Losing Weight” and similar threads. You’ll find yourself nodding a lot and getting inspired.

Hang in there. It’s hard to remember where things were a year ago when you first started but after 50 pounds, there is a difference!

quiksylver296

Photos show losses when the mirror doesn't. Do you have a 'before' photo? Take another in the same or like clothes and post them side by side.

I'll bet you'll see it then.

ryenday

At 30/50 pounds lost I still felt and looked the same, I thought. Husband said difference was huge, and I knew I could wear smaller tops, but heck you would have thought 30 pounds would bring my pants size down....

Now at 42 pounds down I’m in size 8 for pants (from 14) and the difference is kinda dramatic. (I’m a pear or hourglass shape)

But, I was very discouraged for a long time. I just tried to trust the scale was moving faster than appearance. And that appearance would catch up. And it did with a major whoosh!

Also, check photos if you have them. In my case I actually thought the photos showed less progress than the mirror! But I think that is very unusual from what I read here.

DebLaBounty

I took a photo of my face, got a before picture, and used an app called PicsArt to create a side by side collage. Did the same with my body , just candid shots taken in casual situations. Wow! Thinner face, smaller tummy. It also helped to take my sister shopping with me. She’d laugh at me when I reached for size 14 jeans and would hand me the size 8. It took awhile for my brain to see the changes.

tinamarie6624

I personally didn't really see the difference at 50 Lbs down but I had a lot more to lose. I have 263 Lbs to lose so 50 Lbs wasn't even a fifth of what I had to lose. I am now 220 Lbs down and the difference is stagger. You are more than half way to your goal and so you should be seeing a big difference in the mirror and in clothing. At this point in my loss, I notice a big difference every 5 lbs.

This is me prior to starting in 2015.

This is me on a hike a few weeks ago.
I know almost every time I look in the mirror now I am reminded of how far I have come and I have lots of Wow moments.

I know that along the way, pictures do show you the story. I am amazed when I go back through the pictures over the 2 years of my process and see the steady progress to where I am now. I joined the gym in February of last year and I was about 175 Lbs down by that point and I am amazing at how heavy my face looks compared to now.

You have done a wonderful job! Keep up the great work.

Tina Marie

Aqualang26

I'm about where you are (52 of 83 lbs) and I'm not seeing much difference in the mirror either. Are you losing proportionally? I feel like losing evenly all over makes it tougher for us to see.

Here's where I did see it, and I can't encourage you enough to try this ... pictures. Not just looking at them though.

For me, that didn't do it. Looking at one in my gallery and then pulling up another? Nope. Not really. But ...

Please try using layout to actually put images side by side in the same frame! I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

cwolfman13

This is why taking pictures along the way is important. We look at ourselves everyday...changes are slow and not really noticeable when we're looking at ourselves everyday...they are very apparent when comparing pictures along the way.

I recently traveled abroad and had some difficulty with customs as my passport photo was pre-weightloss and the guy questioned whether it was really me.

iowalinda

Gwynnether wrote: »

So over the course of the last year, I've lost 50lbs. It's been a slow but steady progress.

Looking back at it now - I don't really feel any different. I assume, it's because despite losing 50lbs, I'm ultimately still overweight. I'd need to lose another 30lbs to reach a healthy BMI.

I'm kind of waiting for a "Wow, look at me!" moment, but I'm not even seeing much of a difference when looking into a mirror. Maybe because the progress is so slow that the changes don't register with me. The other day I picked up a heavy suitcase that came close to 50lbs and I was suprised at the thought that that equaled the weight that I have shed... and yet, I don't really feel it! Haha.

What about you guys? Did you have a "OMG, I can't believe this is me!" - moment? And if so, at what stage? Would love to hear some of your success stories :-)

Dig out a pair of pants you used to wear when you were 50 lbs heavier

ZhivagosGirl

Prior to the holidays I was down 70 lbs and I still wasn't feeling that feeling either. I made a photo collage of before and after pics - that brought the change out much more than I thought. You know what did it even more? I cut my head off! LOL. Seeing the body without me associated with it looked like quite an accomplishment. Maybe that would work for you too.

fuzzy_l0gic

Like a lot of people have said, pics. Personally, I take a pic every 4 weeks before I go in for surgery. It helps me really see the change in my body I’ve been trying to achieve

GemstoneofHeart

I’m very similar to you. I’ve lost just over 50 and have 20 to go to be in a normal BMI. Some days I still feel huge, some days I feel thin.

Pics, as others have said, are my true indicator and have kept me going! I take LOTS of progress pics. My husband is always making fun of me (lovingly!) for how often I ask for a front, side, and back pic!

Take more pics!!!

Seitnyx

I feel the exact same way. The only time I really notice is when I realize I now wear a M in both pants and shirts rather than a L/XL. Or a 8 in pants rather than a 14. In the mirror I see the same girl I saw at 199 lbs even though I’m now 168. Honestly pictures are what keeps me going. It’s very hard to tell without physically seeing the progress but when I look at my pics It motivates me so much more. You should compare old and new pictures side by side. Here are mine

(Far left)







Pic 1- before & 35lbs Down
Pic 2- before & 30lbs Down (gained 5 back)
Pic 3- October (30 lbs down - gained the 5lbs back since pic 1)
Pic 4/5/6- current (35 lbs down)


Also, for some perspective this was me at 18-20ish