Finding it hard to see a difference after -30 pounds
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30 in 3 months is a great loss! I was down 30lbs around 45 days in, but I was also starting as super-fat levels. My first loss notice was in pant sizes going down, and then needed to move down a shirt size. But pants fitting better was the only real hint I had that the weight I lost was actually gone. The scale showed results, but it was hard to believe. Around 50lbs, I was down quite a few pant sizes, and was comfortable in the lower shirt size. But it took 2-3 months before I started feeling like I was seeing my old body size. I think seeing myself, especially at a high weight, made it harder to notice changes over time. If you don't see face loss, don't get discouraged. I'm at nearly 75lbs down today, 156 some odd days later, and my chubby cheeked face still is a chubby cheeked face..
With everything, just give it time and keep doing what you're doing, as it's working! Good luck on your journey, and I hope you hit your goals!5 -
Great job! I second taking some pictures to compare. There is probably more difference there than you are noticing because, well, you see you every day. Keep it up!!1
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I try to take pictures i often forget but then im like i need to take pics or i wont see the change. but i did take a before photos . Im not at 30 lbs change yet but I feel like that too. I tend to lose in my stomach i guess im lucky but for me its my legs and arms like it takes for ever to lose that.1
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Thank you everyone for finding the time to reply. All your insight has greatly helped. 😊0
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One thing that hasn't been mentioned that I found very useful in shifting my mind into accepting the smaller body was to start buying new clothes. If you've lost 30 pounds and still wearing the same clothes you are hiding your very hard earned progress. I was just over 200 lbs and at 170 and with new clothes people really took notice. As you get smaller you will find that you will see differences in smaller amounts lost. If you are in a size 14 or 16 it can take over 20 pounds before you need to go down a size but it can be only a 5-10 pound difference between the smaller sizes.5
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Don't feel bad. I've lost 61 pounds and my clothing size has not changed AT ALL. I'm dead serious. However, I had 140 pounds to lose, so that's to be expected. I'm also tall, so my fat is spread out more, plus it was really compact. I wasn't soft and squishy. As the weight came off, my measurements and size didn't change, but I started to become softer, so that meant the fat was becoming less dense. That's the only cue I had that the work I was doing was actually working. I predict it's going to take another 50 pounds before it's really noticeable and my sizes start to change, but that's just the way it's going to be. Keep it up! That's all we can do. One day at a time.6
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jojo19812018 wrote: »I started this journey on sept 20. I’m 5’1 and started at 198. I’m currently 168. I’m happy with 30 pounds down in about 3 months. The problem is I don’t feel like I look much different. I’m only on 1200
calories and don’t go over. I do a little bit of weights and cardio at the gym 2-3 times per week and average 8000 steps per day. I was hoping to hear from anyone who started on 1200 calories and stayed there until they hit goal. (Or any successes). I need to hear some inspiring stories. How long did it take and how much did u lose? I understand this is a journey and I have to be patient. I suppose I want to hear that I’m doing all the right things and the weight loss will keep happening. Im just having a hard time lately as I feel like I’ve made big changes and can’t see much in the way of results. Thank you 😊
wow. That's 15% of your weight. That's awesome.
I would ask these questions... how do you feel now compared to then, and how do your clothes fit now compared to then?
I have struggled all my life. I reached my peak 3 years ago. Since them I am down 290 lbs. More than half of my weight is gone, and I have 30 to go. I have slowed down the past few months, only losing 12 lbs since September, but that's ok. It's not the small battle that matters, but the long one. I did 1200 calories for a few months, but now I'm on 1700. I was in a 56" waist this August last year and I am in a 38" today, starting to cross into a 36". Most of my weight loss was in the last 18 months. It took a long time for me to see a difference in myself, but once a friend who hadn't seen me in a while noticed, that's when I saw it.
All I can say is how much better I feel. I didn't realize how draining being obese can be until I lost the weight. I am still technically obese, but my quality of life is so much better now. It is great you are able to workout and walk so much. I think 1200 is not unreasonable for someone your height, but for me at 6' it was a lot harder. With the holidays I would suggest considering lightening the weight loss a little (if trying to lose 1 lb or more a week, perhaps drop down weight loss goal by .5 lbs) to enjoy the season. I plan on adjusting this weekend until after Boxing Day, since come January, I'm considering a 3 month sprint to the end goal at 1200 calories again.
Keep it up, you are doing great.3 -
I'm 5'2", and I'm 53 now. I started off at 264lbs, and I'm down 65 lbs in five months. I'm eating about 1000 calories a day, plus enough so MFP will generate a report. I'm sedentary at the moment. The most exercise I typically get is doing laundry or grocery shopping. Exercise is stage two of my plan, coming up in the spring. My muscles are shot, so I'll need to work up to doing what I used to do. I plan on eating more calories then.
This is my new normal. I'm never going to be off the plan. I've seen where it got me when I was doing as I pleased, and I'm probably always going to be on some kind of diet/maintenance.
As to noticing the results, it varies. Some days I can't tell a difference. But I've tossed out my fat clothes, and I'm buying two sizes smaller now. I can go up and down stairs without much pain. I've gone from type 2 diabetic to borderline. I don't get heartburn anymore. I haven't had a headache in months. I don't sweat like I used to. I feel cold now--which never happened before. I've only got one chin now; my neck is a bit fat, but I had two before. My shoes are even looser.
I suspect you'll find you look better when you get rid of your t-shirts, elastic waists, and billowy clothes.4 -
I'm 30lb down too. This isn't really noticed by people around - but I have lost inches and feel so much better.
I think that loss starts to show to others when you move out of your big clothes and into those a few sizes smaller. (It probably happens sooner in summer - fewer layers of clothing.) Big clothes cover your true shape (as we all know from going up in weight and hiding the evidence). I am about 2 sizes down - and probably more sizes down inside around those vital organs.
Have you tried carrying 30lb about with you? It is a great reminder of how much you have done and what a difference it really makes. Looks are only one aspect of this.3 -
When I have those feelings I take photos, measurements, way my clothes fit, energy level, sleeping well, check off all the Positives you have today, compared to before you started your journey. I always find it inspirational .
Actually I’m doing that now at Christmas, reviewing my positives and holding them close, and organizing a plan to work on my negatives. Best wishes and your consistency will pay off to your health in the long run.1 -
Echoing others' input, you've GOT to focus on the way your clothes fit. If you rely solely on the mirror your head will *kitten* with you relentlessly.4
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@jojo19812018. Although 30 lbs down, you are still you.
The mind changes MUCH more slowly than the body. You may not think there is a difference as the changes are day by day are small. However a side by side photo comparison of before and after will be a totally different story.
Being lighter just make everything easier because you are carrying less weight while doing it.
Be happy you are achieving and keep going till you achieve the weight/size you want. If you can drop 15%, you certainly have found something that works for you.
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jojo19812018 wrote: »I started this journey on sept 20. I’m 5’1 and started at 198. I’m currently 168. I’m happy with 30 pounds down in about 3 months. The problem is I don’t feel like I look much different. I’m only on 1200
calories and don’t go over. I do a little bit of weights and cardio at the gym 2-3 times per week and average 8000 steps per day. I was hoping to hear from anyone who started on 1200 calories and stayed there until they hit goal. (Or any successes). I need to hear some inspiring stories. How long did it take and how much did u lose? I understand this is a journey and I have to be patient. I suppose I want to hear that I’m doing all the right things and the weight loss will keep happening. Im just having a hard time lately as I feel like I’ve made big changes and can’t see much in the way of results. Thank you 😊
I also started my weight loss journey at 198lbs and I am currently at around 161 lbs and really I mostly noticed my weight loss in my face and my pants and my boobs shrunk. I went from a tight size 14 to now a size 10/11. I am aiming to be at around 148 lbs by April of next year. Slow and steady wins the race lol I just dont want to rush anything as I loose weight in my own time so its harder for to gain it all back you know. Also you loosing 30 lbs in 3 months is amazing!! I have lost that amount in like 2 years so you should be beaming with pride! Good job and keep going soon you will see your results!
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You are doing great . and sticking with your allowed cal and a little movement makes so much difference . I did not take a photo until I had lost around 15 I was to embarrassed . but I am so glad I finally did I can see the difference you will see the difference measure and notice how you feel . ( for me it is huge 49 lbs off and the stairs feel like nothing ) just think that is 3 10 lb sacks of meat you are no longer allowing to weigh you down !2
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Thank you everyone!! And well done on your weight loss! 😊1
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You have to have patience. I think you've made phenomal progress so far - be proud of yourself. I lost 110 pds in a little over a year, and I cut out all the junk from my diet and was at the gym every day.1
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I remember after losing 75lbs, when looking in the mirror - I felt like I looked the same. I lost my weight proportionately, plus after years of carrying excess weight, my brain was slow to catch up.
Progress Pics 100%. That was one of the only ways I could confirm a difference.
Also, I remember walking around still feeling like I was in my old overweight body. I found it helpful when I was laying in bed, I would close my eyes, and feel my stomach, arms, legs...and that helped my brain adjust to the changes.2 -
I am going to start taking pics based on your suggestions. Hate the idea, but need more motivation than I currently have.1
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Put up some pics, MFPers will clearly show you how to appreciate the hard work you've put in2
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Look at old pics of you
Then look in the mirror
Then back at old pics
Then mirror
Repeat like 1,000x2 -
Take measurements and take all sorts of pictures! It's possible that the reason you're feeling stuck is because the places you'd like to see an improvement in, you aren't necessarily. I know that technically you lose fat from your whole body but me, for example, I hold most of it in my stomach so that's an area that always depresses me.2
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Agree with everyone that pictures will help you see the situation more realistically.
Also, I’ve lost 43 or so pounds and find I now wear styles/cuts I wouldn’t have worn at my previous/starting weight. When I wear those more fitted/updated things I can see much more of a difference in the mirror. I have a pair of jeans in a size 4 that are the same exact style as a pair I wore as a tight size 12. When I wear those, I swear in my mind’s eye I look like my former size.
It’s a process
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Hi everyone. Just a quick update. Today is 100 days logging! I’m down 34.2pounds. (15.5kgs). I have just started to ramp up my exercise as I still have a fair bit to lose. Good luck everyone! 😊2
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Surely your clothes are starting to fit differently too. Our eyes lie to us. I learned that years ago when I found a pic of myself at 13, slim, healthy, perfect-- and I thought I was FAT... Let your body prove you wrong!1
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dhiammarath wrote: »I cannot reiterate enough that taking progress pictures can be so helpful. I cannot see my progress in the mirror most of the time. The slight daily changes are enough that they get lost in my mental perception of me. Instead, I take pictures and put them side by side. Or sometimes, I take pictures of disembodied pieces of me to break the "whole" that my brain constructs. It is jarring to see, for example, that when I was sitting next to a super tiny woman yesterday and I took a picture of my legs... that my legs were not giant compared to hers (hers were caught in the picture by accident). I am bigger, sure, but I am not gigantor like my brain wants me to believe, and was telling me, reminding me, when I glanced at her.
Pictures help so much when you cannot see. Or, I should caveat: pictures help me so very much to see the truth and not what my brain struggles to reassert the pattern that used to be.
So much of this!
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It truly is a mindset. What great progress you have made! It takes time for your mind to catch up with your body. It may help to have a gratitude mantra or prayer that states how grateful you are for your present loss and the loss to come that you repeat (even out loud) until you see the new thin you. Congrats to you and every here on your success!
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Take a look at measurements as well. You mentioned you're doing some weights. That builds muscles. Muscles are more dense and weigh more than fat, but take up less volume. Measurements are a great idea to see progress when the scale doesn't reflect it.
Clothes are also a good way to see difference. Next time you'r in a store, just for fun, try a size smaller than you usually do just for fun. As mentioned so many times before, take pictures in a tight shirt, and then create side by side in that same shirt to see how it fits differently further down your progress.2 -
Thank you very much to everyone that has replied. Since my post 2 weeks ago I’ve now lost a total of 35 pounds. Still don’t feel much different though. I’ve taken your advice though and taken some pictures! Thanks again and happy new year! 😊1
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Congrats so far! I definitely agree with others that you should eat a bit more, that way you have somewhere to go when you want to get smaller or hit plateaus. 1400-1500 might be a better option for you right now, until you get closer to your goal.0
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Ok thank you for your help! 😊0
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