Finding it hard to see a difference after -30 pounds

gjventurelli

I've lost about 185lbs from my heaviest and when I look in the mirror I basically see the same flaws and the same person. Good news is I never thought I was as fat as I was at 400lbs, so it probably kept me sane I can see the difference in progress pictures though, and even more in pictures other people take from a distance. Honestly the biggest difference is in the way other people treat me, and how many people address the weight loss, but that didn't happen until I was down around 100lbs from my heaviest. Just keep on keepin on and make sure you take progress pictures because at some point the scale might stop telling the tale as it has with me, and you'll be more interested in tracking the changes in your body composition. Best of luck!

DaveScadlock

You all are heroes. Champions of your world. You are winning at losing. You are all looking great!! Keep it up.

If you are feeling down, that's a normal feeling. Don't be consumed by it to the point you give up. I say this, because I did. Frustration, didn't this I was making progress. Had to break out the "fat boy" pants again. I gained nearly 50 pounds back, from what I previously lost. I was at 105 pounds down. I didn't "see" or "feel" it. Until I got on the bike in April last year, and struggled to get going again. I was miserable. Miserable to the point I got mad at myself for letting go. I though the winter months I could take a break from this all. (Even though I still logged, and stayed under calories). I had to correct my attitude. And I have. That's another story.

So, when you are feeling like you don't feel/see it, challenge yourself to something you don't think you can do. You will then see and feel it. Remember, this isn't going to happen over night. Steady as you go, let you mind, your body, your soul, catch up to you. Then you will feel, and see it.

Keep up your awesome progress! You rock!

jojo19812018

Thank you everyone for your encouraging words! They really help xx

ataraxial

I am also down 30+ pounds and i dont notice a difference, but people i dont often see sure do

TheRedQueen1981

I've lost 43lbs and I still don't feel like I have lost anything. I mean, I can tell by my clothes and people have commented that I have lost weight but I personally don't really see it. I think it will take me a long time to do so.

ncfitbit

springlering62 wrote: »

This sounds nuts, but when I don’t see a difference, I remind myself my dog is 25 pounds, and I’ve lost almost two Lucky dogs. Visualizing not having two dogs around my neck helps for some reason when I feel down about not seeing it.

Haha, good idea! I don't have 25 lb. dogs, but when I was feeling discouraged about my progress I went to the store and bought four 5 lb. bags of flour, put them in a back pack and carried them around for a while, going upstairs and remembering what it was like to do that with the extra weight. Um, no thanks. It helped me visual what those 20 lbs represented and convinced me that no matter what I do going forward I really do not want to start carrying those extra 20 lbs again! Then, I gave away the flour so I wouldn't be tempted to bake something.

neskapolita1978

I was mentioning this to my friend today "I've lost 30 pounds, does it look like I've lost 30 pounds because I feel the same" and she said, "It's that you always wear really baggy jeans" and I realized these used to be my tight jeans

J_NY_Z

I just complained yesterday that I have lost 20 pounds and i see no difference. i even took progress pics and i look virtually the same, except more body hair. Its frustrating for sure.

DiabeticDer

I am 5'1" and started at 212 April of last year. Just by lowering my carbs and going the gym 3 days a week I am down 42 pounds and counting. My daily calorie limit is 1230 and although I feel like my weight loss has slowed down I can feel the difference in my clothes (down at least 1 size if not more) and people have definitely noticed the difference! Just when I start feeling discouraged someone mentions that they've noticed my weight loss. My husband shows me before and current pics all the time! Just keep taking pics and compare them to the before pics!

cutiepie63

I hope your day goes well🙂

SteveWelden

Don’t be discouraged by how the mirror looks. Go with how you feel. I would say if your eating that low of a caloric intake you maybe wanna just do 20 mins of HIIT cardio only like 2-3 times a week. Might wanna also run your numbers through a TDEE calculator and make sure you’re on point. Eventually there will come a point where you stall in weight loss and you either have to move more or cut more calories but you can’t cut beyond a certain point or you will damage your body’s metabolism. Your body’s metabolism will slow down so much you won’t be making optimal progression in your diet. So it’s better to have a higher caloric intake and move a little more during the week than to starve your body of not just food but vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to stay running healthy. Just stick primarily to lifting in your workout and you will start to eventually see the difference in your body. You don’t have to go crazy just do a 5x5 for 60 mins 4 days a week with slow progression overload. I was 297 and now I’m down to 196. And in the beginning I didn’t see it either and actually just went by my belt. Eventually I had to make more holes in my belt so I knew everything was going how it should. Don’t look to specific areas also. You can’t target body fat. Men and women lose it differently and someone you know may lose it in one place faster and you my lose it faster in another. Stay positive, do the research on how to keep going further and keep pushing yourself to make it. Good Luck!

bigbandjohn

jojo19812018 wrote: »

Thank you everyone for your encouraging words! They really help xx

Checking in with how you are doing.... From your last update you seem to be doing well (36 lbs), and you made it through the holidays! That's a big score! Keep working at it, and you will succeed!

6dgd1

Your approach, focusing on calories only, may be the issue. I recently heard a radio program on Science Friday, on NPR. It would be available on NPR or possibly Wisconsin Public Radio Archives. An expert talked about recent research that indicated while you initially lose weight by restricting calories and eating anything, eventually your body's set point changes and your metabolism slows down. To increase metabolism and lose weight it was suggested to eat a low carb, not carb free diet, including whole grains, fruits, nuts, legumes, healthy fats (not low fat or fat free), vegetables, and protein. Similar to a Mediterranean diet, but he said there isn't just one version of that. This eating approach also achieves the important goal of reducing inflammation in the body in general, and fat cells in particular. Creating a healthy biome/gut will increase metabolism. This approach calls for eliminating white sugar, bread, etc. - simple carbohydrates, refined and processed foods.

jojo19812018

38 pounds down now. Still having trouble seeing the weight loss but clothes are much bigger. 42 pounds to go.... I’m coming for ya xx

cutiepie63

How are you doing on your journey?🙂

cutiepie63

Jojo are you wanting to be support buddies?

jojo19812018

Yes cutiepie. That would be great!

cutiepie63

Thanks , are you doing low carb ?

jojo19812018

No. I’m just staying under the macros set here which is about 150gms of carb per day

IsETHome

Boba_14626 wrote: »

I just complained yesterday that I have lost 20 pounds and i see no difference. i even took progress pics and i look virtually the same, except more body hair. Its frustrating for sure.

Post them, maybe we can tell.