When did you start to see results?
xDaniDragonflyx
Posts: 201 Member
Hey guys, I'm just curious how soon everyone did a side by side comparison of their looks in photos and when did they actually see the change?
I feel different after having lost 24 lbs, but I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror. And maybe I just wasn't wearing clothing that was real 'informative' in this way in my 'before' pictures, because I look no different now then from then. Hopefully what I'm asking makes sense...
I feel different after having lost 24 lbs, but I don't see any difference when I look in the mirror. And maybe I just wasn't wearing clothing that was real 'informative' in this way in my 'before' pictures, because I look no different now then from then. Hopefully what I'm asking makes sense...
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My regret is I never took the photographs so I have to make do with the clothes fitting or being too big, also people commenting is always nice! I'm not sure I ever see a difference in myself in a mirror, I just groan and see the bits I don't like! My husband says it's a female thing. Generally we look in a mirror and focus on the bits we don't like, a guy not matter how he looks, pulls that gut in a fraction and thinks, great figure of a man and walks out confident! I know I know a huge generalisation but.........!!
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chinatowninchina wrote: »a guy not matter how he looks, pulls that gut in a fraction and thinks, great figure of a man and walks out confident! I know I know a huge generalisation but.........!!
That is hilarious and so right! I just asked my husband and he totally agreed with you!
In the first couple months I focused on my NSV's. Things like how loose my pants are feeling, how some of the clothes that were too small are now fitting almost loosely. I have actually avoided the mirror and have concentrated on those things instead.
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Ugh I get this so much, I’ve lost 32lbs and still don’t see any evidence of it, last time it wasn’t until I was almost 50lbs I saw a difference in the mirror1
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At 40lb down, my overall shape was and still is the same. But my clothes fit looser, and I can see the difference when I wear a form fitting dress, but not in day to day clothes. I think I'll remain the same shape til I start working out2
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@xDaniDragonflyx
The most important thing for me was to resize the pictures - and to have someone else look at them. The easiest way to match picture size is to use the T-shape on your face as a guide. The distance between your eyes is set, as is between the eyes, nose, and mouth...they are all attached to bone guides. Match that and the pictures will line up better.
Also, I find that 75% or more of us who have been overweight or obese for more than a year have some form of body dysmorphia. We don't see ourselves accurately. Plus, with you seeing yourself every day, the subtlety will be lost on you. Others who only see you online or infrequently can often see the differences so much more readily than we can.
Me, personally, I didn't see any difference in my body for a while...but the puffiness in my face, hands, and feet were the first things I noticed. I used to have larger than normal wrists and ankles. I thought it was just me. I had to wear anklets as a bracelet, and necklaces looped around for anklets. Then I stopped eating all the inflammatory foods...and all of the sudden I can wear normal things. It was SHOCKING.
As for the face, when I first lost weight, I lost it fast and hard (divorce diet, so to speak). Then rebounded a bit, then started losing a healthier way. The most shocking things to me was that my most obese pictures are not my heaviest weight pictures... I actually weigh a few pounds more NOW than in my largest looking pictures, but I look at least 50 pounds lighter... I was utterly shocked at how much inflammation was ravaging my body...
I will see if I can dig up the links of where I have my pics saved for you...some are on my profile here, if you are on the PC and can see them.
As far as I what I use to make the pics side by side, for the best detail, I actually use Microsoft Word, then save the pictures together as one. For quick and dirty side by sides, I use the layout App for Instagram...1 -
If you don't see the difference, can you feel it in your clothes? Baggy jeans are a great reminder!1
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It's not just a female thing.
My wife notices, but nobody else really has. I haven't taken any "after" photos. I had a lot to lose. Down 34 pounds from a 357 start. My clothes fit better and I actually had to buy a new belt that was smaller. So, I know it's happening.
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It's kind of a simple math thing, too, when we start in the Morbidly Obese range... We are far more surface area from which to lose weight, so we could literally lose 1 inch of fat depth over our entire body and feel like we aren't any smaller when in reality, that could be 30-40 pounds!!!
This is when I focus on health GAINS. Because as long as my health improves, no matter how small the improvement, the weight has to catch up eventually, because it's almost impossible to keep getting healthier and not see some changes in metabolism and weight/fat loss, you know?
I just had to start looking at all of the numbers as just data. I weigh how much? Just a number. I've lost how much? Just a number. I lost/gained how many inches? Just a number. I've logged in/logged my food how many days? Just a number. I've worked out how many minutes? How many calories? Just a number.
I still get a little emotional about some numbers, like I just recently had to remind myself that even though I'm chipping away at a 40 pound regain since 2015, I've maintained 40 pounds GONE PERMANENTLY above that number since 2012.
But the guilt or total demolition of any hope/positive thoughts/motivation by a gain on the scale? I've mostly defeated that... I know it's not possible for me to have gained 3 pounds of straight fat overnight, etc. So it becomes a "whatever" thing. On my more womanly emotional days (random and calendar/event based), these things still get me down, but ... then I remember what those pictures used to look like!!!
Also, I had a really motivating "Ugh, I hate how I look in pictures" situation.
In the same year, about a decade ago or so, my best friend died young due to an underlying health situation. She had 4 children, 2 over 18, 2 under 18, and 2 stepchildren just younger than her younger 2. She was in the process of adopting a baby, too. She and I had talked a couple times about doing the "couples" version of the Biggest Loser when it came to town... She hated how she looked and hated being in pictures. Because she died in her early 30's, and had been heavy since having children, and cell phone cameras weren't as good a decade ago, her children and widower were left with almost no pictures. Like 3-4 pictures between all of them, if I remember. It was absolutely heartbreaking.
6-9 months later, my MIL died, also young, suddenly (viral infection). She was 49. She was also in the obese/morbidly obese range. BUT, she was so different. She wasn't a huge fan of her weight, and she made some efforts to lose weight, but she fully embraced living her life, being in ALL THE PICTURES and silly videos. She realized that no matter how we want to look in our heads/plan to look, that our loved ones LOVE us as we are, right now, in this moment. Their memories have us looking exactly as we do... And if we die, leaving them no photographed memories, their physical/mental memories they are left with - THOSE SHOW US EXACTLY AS WE ARE...no matter what we want or plan or hate/love... But my MIL, she left her family and friends with EVERYTHING she could...
These two things really changed my entire perspective... I hate that either of these things happened, but I think that I choose to honor both their memories by changing myself, and by choosing to always be in the picture, video, silly moment, or memory every time. I still get some anxiety going to events that aren't family related, mostly due to appearance and not being comfortable, but I deal with it as best I can... I hope this helps someone.... It really helped me.5 -
@KnitOrMiss Thanks for sharing that, it makes sense and maybe I should get the other side of the camera occasionally as I ain't getting any younger and also you never know what is round the corner
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Omg...I had this whole huge response typed up to everyone individually, then I hit backspace and my browser changed pages and I lost ALL of it! >_<
I want to thank everyone for their responses! It makes me feel better knowing that I'm relatively 'normal' in regards to progress. I am part of a few keto groups on Facebook and it was so disconcerting to me to see people's before/after photos after only a MONTH on Keto, or two months, or whatever. And they all look so different after just one or two months!
Everyone's journey is different, I understand that. But it would be nice if my body sucked out all the fat under my chin first That would make me most happy!
But I also do understand and realize that the NSVs are more important than those I see on the scale. I LOVE my NSVs: I fit into my favorite jeans which I haven't worn in almost 3 years! My work pants are all loose on me! I can run up and down the stairs several times a day without getting too winded! I have more energy!
@KnitOrMiss Thank you for sharing your heart-wrenching stories! I completely understand what you're trying to say and I agree. Your MIL had it right. Always be in the pictures, even if you're unhappy with your looks. I learned that at an early age, to look past the weight and 'ugliness' and to see the joy and happiness of the moment being captured.
I'm going keep calm and keto on!
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I posted this already and hate to flood this site with my pictures but that was only 2 months in. I think we are always hard on ourselves and i just didn’t feel real progress. I am finally starting to get others asking about my weight loss 10 weeks in and that helps affirm the progress.7 -
@Half_Bruin Look at you! That's a huge difference in just 2 months! See what I mean, people? My pics look NOTHING like this at 2 months. 1
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@xDaniDragonflyx maybe not but you are now wearing a belt!!!!2
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chinatowninchina wrote: »@xDaniDragonflyx maybe not but you are now wearing a belt!!!!
That's true! I feel better, and that's what I'm focusing on! Feeling good! ^_^ 0 -
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At 40lb down, my overall shape was and still is the same. But my clothes fit looser, and I can see the difference when I wear a form fitting dress, but not in day to day clothes. I think I'll remain the same shape til I start working out
This is so me, I have lost 45lbs. My shape is the same, and I can still fit most of my clothes. My clothes are just looser then what they were. I just starting exercising today in hopes of loosing a couple more clothes sizing.2 -
I'm a little jealous of those of you who lose weight proportionally everywhere...when I lose it generally comes off my legs, butt, and love handles BEFORE it begins to come off the belly...so, the more I lose, the bigger my belly appears in relation to the rest of me...it's super annoying...1
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I lost evenly. Then I got to the point where my secret pear-shape was activated. I kept losing my boobs. And the lower abs, junked-up trunk, and thunder thighs were a slow crawl.
The whole lower body is still junkier than I'd like.
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Oh @baconslave - we sound like the same body type! It is so easy to relate to what you're describing!baconslave wrote: »I lost evenly. Then I got to the point where my secret pear-shape was activated. I kept losing my boobs. And the lower abs, junked-up trunk, and thunder thighs were a slow crawl. The whole lower body is still junkier than I'd like.Years ago I lost too much excess fat and got down to skin & bones. Yet while my thickened calves barely fit into XLG boots, my flattened curves were slipping out from under elastic bands and the thunder thighs had turned into aprons.@xdanidragonflyx It's very true that clothes can make a big difference in how you look. Have you tried other outfits, or even belts? (For example above: loose tunic & baggy pants on left; slender T-shirt on right. - Even if I were the same weight, those two outfits would change how I looked.)
I hated the camera when I was 317# but in retrospect am glad SIL snuck a few. I'm 5'9" and 65.
Probably 300ish on the left; 140ish on the right; 170 today. Hoping keto will stop the gain and help maintain.
Need a "now" pic for keto comparisons later. Two month countdown, starting now.
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@PaulaKro Thank you for sharing your pics/story! I know how easy it is to take the pictures and not be in them, but my step dad taught me early on that it doesn't matter how you look, you'll want to look back someday and remember the day, not how you look. Or something like that. ^_^
More about my story: while I was disappointed not to be able to really see any difference in pictures, I can definitely FEEL a difference in my clothes! I DO use a belt with all of my pants now, and shorts (now that it's summer), which I don't really care for because they're uncomfortable! But they make it so I don't have to buy any new clothes yet. Because really, who has time and money for that?!
I can now put my bra straps on the 1st set of hooks, instead of the last, so I know my back fat is disappearing! I also measure myself monthly (the last day of every month) and since I've started keto, I've lost 5.5" from my bust, 6" from my waist, 4.5" from my hips, 2.5" from my thigh, and 2.5" from my bicep. So I know that this is definitely working and I FEEL AMAZING. Like my confidence has sky rocketed through the roof!
So I'm not too disheartened in the slow pace the scale is moving at. Things are moving along at the rate they need to for my body. And I'm learning to love that. 4
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