How much weight loss is needed to see visible results

motivatedmartha

Jackie9003 wrote: »

I've lost 40lb, 4" from my hips and 2 dress sizes but only my husband has mentioned it (and that's probably because he knows) I'm still very large so putting it down to the fact that I've shrunk proportionally so it's difficult to tell

Keep going - you are doing great. Perhaps others don't mention it because they don't want to make personal comments in case something is wrong - like you losing through illness or something. All of a sudden you will hit a point when everyone and their dog will comment X

angelarene626

At the beginning I had 40 lbs to lose. I saw and felt the difference after losing the first 10lbs. Everyone else is now seeing and commenting on my weight loss now that I am down 18lbs.

cqbkaju

To back up the guys here, I will chime in but from the opposite end of the spectrum.
Bulking or cutting, how visible it will be really depends on a lot of factors.
If you want "visible" changes that will serve you in the long-term, man or woman, then you need to train the compound barbell lifts.

I personally cannot see many changes, even in my neck (traps & delts) which has always been larger than average: ~16 inch neck at 5'9" ...
But I can tell shirts fit differently on my shoulders while my wife swears I'm getting "bigger".

That is why I measure my waist at the navel first thing in the morning when I weigh myself.
The mirror and/or scale rarely tell the whole story but a tape measure does not lie.

In general, about 15 pounds of muscle equates to approximately one inch on the upper arms.
I would say something similar would apply to your overall size.

So if you lose about 15 pounds then someone should notice.

VUA21

It depends on how much you have to lose. At my heaviest (350lbs) 10lbs made little to no visible difference, now (170lbs) 10lbs is very noticeable.

swimmchick87

I agree that it depends on a lot of factors. The first time I lost weight, nobody said a word until I lost about 25 pounds and then absolutely everyone noticed. I'm a teacher and had lost most of the first 20 pounds during the summer (I started when there were just a couple weeks of school left). I was a little offended when I came back to work the next August 20 pounds lighter and no one said a word.

A few weeks later when I hit 25 pounds, my coworker said, "Wow, you look skinny!" I said, "Thanks, I've lost 25 pounds," and she said, "This weekend?!" That same day 3-4 other coworkers mentioned something, and that weekend when I was out with friends they also commented on how good I looked and how "fast" I'd lost the weight, even though I'd been losing for 4 months at that point.

At the time, the 25 pounds had meant I'd gone from a size 14/16 to a size 10/12. On a much bigger person 25 pounds might not be very noticeable, and on a much smaller person 10 pounds might be very noticeable.

Silentpadna

swimmchick87 wrote: »

I agree that it depends on a lot of factors. The first time I lost weight, nobody said a word until I lost about 25 pounds and then absolutely everyone noticed. I'm a teacher and had lost most of the first 20 pounds during the summer (I started when there were just a couple weeks of school left). I was a little offended when I came back to work the next August 20 pounds lighter and no one said a word.

A few weeks later when I hit 25 pounds, my coworker said, "Wow, you look skinny!" I said, "Thanks, I've lost 25 pounds," and she said, "This weekend?!" That same day 3-4 other coworkers mentioned something, and that weekend when I was out with friends they also commented on how good I looked and how "fast" I'd lost the weight, even though I'd been losing for 4 months at that point.

At the time, the 25 pounds had meant I'd gone from a size 14/16 to a size 10/12. On a much bigger person 25 pounds might not be very noticeable, and on a much smaller person 10 pounds might be very noticeable.

It's interesting you bring up the time part of this. When people did actually notice, I had been in it for a a number of months. They all thought I lost it quickly, when in actuality it was a steady 1.5-2.0 lbs/week. No crash diet. No acceleration. No "maximizing my deficit 'just to be safe'". Just eating my target amount (give or take) consistently.

jennifer_417

I'm 5'6" and wear my weight around my stomach. I lost about 15 lbs before I could see it....but I saw it in my face and shoulders first.