How much of a difference does 10 pounds make?

I'm just curious to how you guys felt after losing 10 pounds? Did you feel better or notice a difference physically? Or what about 20 pounds? I've lost 14 pounds so far and think I'm still the same size. Although a couple have coworkers have commented on me looking a little smaller

Replies

  • MyFreakingNameIsScott
    MyFreakingNameIsScott Posts: 199 Member
    Weight is so misleading. I’ve lost 25 pounds but it’s the inches where I notice the big difference.
  • mjbnj0001
    mjbnj0001 Posts: 1,258 Member
    heybales wrote: »

    ... 10 lb off morbidly obese probably not noticeable in any appreciable way. ...

    Well, yes and no.

    From one who is, and is down 70+ lbs from my max (28 since Jan 1st), I feel different every 10 lbs.

    Since Jan 1st, I've been bike riding on a new bike my family bought me for a Christmas/Retirement gift, as my new "job" is to "get healthy." I've been doing just that. This has been both stationary cycling in the gym through the winter months and getting out for "realworld" rides when possible. Now that Spring/Summer is here, the percent of outdoor to indoor has reversed, and swimming is now coming into play as well. Dietary management (MFP) is vital as well.

    I've been going to a nutritionist, and he's been measuring the gradual "replacement (=buildup)" of muscle mass from my exercising to fat lost (the electrical conductive scale test method), so it isn't all about simple pounds lost.

    I have more energy, endurance, better cardio, am more alert, etc. So it's all good.

    Back to the original question. I may not have felt appreciably different - or remembered noticeably -on any given day, and any given chunk of pounds weight loss, but I have journal entries to refer to my individual 10lb milestones (I plan by chunks, not overall, as these are easier to manage/attain while keeping a far-off goal in focus as well). The journal shows progress as real effects in their times.

    I could go another 50 lbs or more. My 2018 adjusted written goals are 15 more by Thanksgiving. I started 2018 planning for 25, so I've hit that. It's not getting easier, it's a steady chipping away, pound by pound.
  • nooshi713
    nooshi713 Posts: 4,877 Member
    It matters for me because I'm short. 20 lbs is 3 dress sizes. 10 lbs also makes a big difference.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    I lost 150 and every 10 lb was noticeable and made a difference in how I looked and felt. It might depend on your expectations too.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    Appearance can be a motivation to lose weight for just about anybody, but there are other reasons:

    - Improved health. Just about every risk factor scales with weight above your healthy range (although that can be hard to define).
    - It makes a huge difference to athletic performance. Even 5lbs lost makes it much easier and fun to exercise at almost any level from walking to sprinting. Many other daily activities also get easier, including gardening, housecleaning. When you lose weight, you should definitely go out dancing!
  • RadishEater
    RadishEater Posts: 470 Member
    I lost 25-30 lbs and shaved off 3-4 mins off my time for running a mile.
    I woke up one day and decided to test out running a 5k again and breezed through the entire thing under 30mins, something I couldn't even do in highschool when I played soccer.

    And I did it this past weekend again so it wasn't just a fluke.

    My friends and grandma noticed after 10-15 lbs well that's when they said something. I didn't see a difference until I hit 25-30, though I think some of it was my brain catching up.
  • tbright1965
    tbright1965 Posts: 852 Member
    I don’t really notice it day to day. But after losing 37+ pounds since 14 Feb I notice it when I’m on my bike climbing hills.

    I also put on a 25 pound weight vest and walked around. That’s an eye opener. I could feel the weight. And to think, I was carrying around half again as much as the vest.
  • Ainadan
    Ainadan Posts: 158 Member
    10 lbs really changed my face. I also lost a pant size. Lost a total of 20 lbs so far, but gained 4 back, and I really noticed those 4.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    3 Minutes on my half marathon time. 10 Pounds is HUGE when you are trying to run fast.

    It makes no difference in my physical appearance or the way I feel.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    nooshi713 wrote: »
    It matters for me because I'm short. 20 lbs is 3 dress sizes. 10 lbs also makes a big difference.

    I’m only 5’ tall. It only takes a 5 pound gain for my clothes to be too tight!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    3 Minutes on my half marathon time. 10 Pounds is HUGE when you are trying to run fast.

    3 measley minutes? Is that a typo?
  • Candyspun
    Candyspun Posts: 370 Member
    I think it depends on your build, as well. I'm very short with tiny bones, so any loss or gain is very noticeable to me. I would imagine if someone was much taller with larger bone structure, it might be different.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    When I was morbidly obese, 10lbs was nothing. Only the scale moved is how I knew I lost weight. Now that I'm a lot lighter, 10lbs is very noticeable. It's more about the percentage of excess weight (fat), than the actual poundage.
  • VUA21
    VUA21 Posts: 2,072 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    No typo. That's 15 seconds per mile. That is huge. It may not seem like much until you realize how freaking hard it is to run 15 seconds per mile faster over 13....

    Yep, I currently run slightly faster than snail's pace, (5k took me 37 minutes last time), just trying to get to under 30 is hard. The faster I get, the harder it is to speed up. There's a reason Olympic times between first and 12th place can be seconds apart. So awesome job!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    dewd2 wrote: »
    No typo. That's 15 seconds per mile. That is huge. It may not seem like much until you realize how freaking hard it is to run 15 seconds per mile faster over 13....

    I think this also bears into the fact many are getting fitter as they are losing weight. So it's hard for them to discern was it the weight or better fitness level.

    So it may not even be the 10 lb loss as much as the aerobic improvement during that time which causes a big improvement in performance.

    Like adding 10 lbs to your squat or deadlift while you lost 10 lbs off your body - well, that's maintenance really, and if form improvements occurred because of starting lifting - likely lost strength because should have gained more on bar.

    Whereas you likely were already at a really good fitness level if you had done HM already at good clip - so cutting the time was all about losing the weight. VO2 would have gone up merely for that fact.
  • hungrywombat
    hungrywombat Posts: 47 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    No typo. That's 15 seconds per mile. That is huge. It may not seem like much until you realize how freaking hard it is to run 15 seconds per mile faster over 13....

    I think this also bears into the fact many are getting fitter as they are losing weight. So it's hard for them to discern was it the weight or better fitness level.

    So it may not even be the 10 lb loss as much as the aerobic improvement during that time which causes a big improvement in performance.

    Like adding 10 lbs to your squat or deadlift while you lost 10 lbs off your body - well, that's maintenance really, and if form improvements occurred because of starting lifting - likely lost strength because should have gained more on bar.

    Whereas you likely were already at a really good fitness level if you had done HM already at good clip - so cutting the time was all about losing the weight. VO2 would have gone up merely for that fact.

    Yes but being lighter on the feet really does make a difference to running! A 10lb weight difference definitely affects how my poor little feet cope over a long run (I tend to run on the ball of my foot, which concentrates a lot of impact on quite a small area). Being even a few lbs lighter substantially reduces the impact over time, which means my feet feel better for longer, which improves my overall performance.

    Also, a 15 second per mile speed increase? Awesome work!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Indeed it does make a difference, hence my comments to the affirmative.
    Can improve running economy/form beyond just being faster moving less weight.
  • dewd2
    dewd2 Posts: 2,445 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    dewd2 wrote: »
    No typo. That's 15 seconds per mile. That is huge. It may not seem like much until you realize how freaking hard it is to run 15 seconds per mile faster over 13....

    I think this also bears into the fact many are getting fitter as they are losing weight. So it's hard for them to discern was it the weight or better fitness level.

    So it may not even be the 10 lb loss as much as the aerobic improvement during that time which causes a big improvement in performance.

    Like adding 10 lbs to your squat or deadlift while you lost 10 lbs off your body - well, that's maintenance really, and if form improvements occurred because of starting lifting - likely lost strength because should have gained more on bar.

    Whereas you likely were already at a really good fitness level if you had done HM already at good clip - so cutting the time was all about losing the weight. VO2 would have gone up merely for that fact.

    I can say for sure that weight is part of the issue this year. VO2max tested around the same time and is similar, training is similar, and races are the same. The difference is 10lbs. As I drop the extra weight the results are beginning to show again. I realize it is not 'all' weight but it is absolutely part of the issue.

    Test it if you like. Run a mile as fast as you can. A week or 2 later, grab a couple 5lb dumbells and run a mile again and see the difference.
  • missysippy930
    missysippy930 Posts: 2,577 Member
    I'm just curious to how you guys felt after losing 10 pounds? Did you feel better or notice a difference physically? Or what about 20 pounds? I've lost 14 pounds so far and think I'm still the same size. Although a couple have coworkers have commented on me looking a little smaller

    I too have lost 14 pounds. I notice it. Especially as my clothes are looser. I am due for checking my measurements on Monday and hope I will see inches lost.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,906 Member
    mjbnj0001 wrote: »
    heybales wrote: »

    ... 10 lb off morbidly obese probably not noticeable in any appreciable way. ...

    Well, yes and no.

    From one who is, and is down 70+ lbs from my max (28 since Jan 1st), I feel different every 10 lbs.

    Since Jan 1st, I've been bike riding on a new bike my family bought me for a Christmas/Retirement gift, as my new "job" is to "get healthy." I've been doing just that. This has been both stationary cycling in the gym through the winter months and getting out for "realworld" rides when possible. Now that Spring/Summer is here, the percent of outdoor to indoor has reversed, and swimming is now coming into play as well. Dietary management (MFP) is vital as well.

    I've been going to a nutritionist, and he's been measuring the gradual "replacement (=buildup)" of muscle mass from my exercising to fat lost (the electrical conductive scale test method), so it isn't all about simple pounds lost.

    I have more energy, endurance, better cardio, am more alert, etc. So it's all good.

    Back to the original question. I may not have felt appreciably different - or remembered noticeably -on any given day, and any given chunk of pounds weight loss, but I have journal entries to refer to my individual 10lb milestones (I plan by chunks, not overall, as these are easier to manage/attain while keeping a far-off goal in focus as well). The journal shows progress as real effects in their times.

    I could go another 50 lbs or more. My 2018 adjusted written goals are 15 more by Thanksgiving. I started 2018 planning for 25, so I've hit that. It's not getting easier, it's a steady chipping away, pound by pound.

    This is how I tackled it too. I'm still working full time, but once my kids all left home I made losing weight and getting healthy a part time job. And now, 90 pounds later, the healthy changes I made are no longer "work", they just are.

    Back to the original question, like others have said, 10 pounds may or may not make much of a difference visually, depending on your height and weight. But try to imagine carrying a 10 pound bag of flour around all day. Its a pretty significant load that your heart and joints are having to deal with.

    If I could make one suggestion it would be for you to take a progress picture every 10 pounds. I wish I had done it. You might not see any difference between each 10 pound photo, but if you line them up I'm sure that you'll be amazed and inspired by what you've achieved.

    Congrats on the 14 pound loss :)
  • breefoshee
    breefoshee Posts: 398 Member
    10lbs at my heaviest didn't show much... Even my measurements didn't go down by a lot. But now I see the difference in my face with just 5lbs. 10lbs show in my clothes. I still have a ways to go, but it gets more fun as you go!