When did people start noticing your weight loss?

creesama

I started out really big at 274lbs, so I know it'll be awhile before people notice... I've lost 17lbs so far which sounds decent, but hard to see. Just curious when people started to notice for others?

harper16

I've lost about 24 lbs and I don't notice any difference. I'll need to lose closer to 50 lbs to have any noticeable difference.

And, 17 lbs is awesome!

Shortgirlrunning

Progress pictures are SUPER helpful in this area. It takes a long time to notice weight loss on yourself because it happens so slowly. Taking progress pictures every 2-4 weeks will help you notice those changes.

Also tracking measurements is great too. For me it just helps me to visualize where the weight is coming off.

I would say that starting at 190 (height is 5’0”) it took me maybe 20-25 lbs to notice it in the mirror. As far as other people noticing that’s hard to say. Many people won’t comment at all because it can be seen as rude. I lost 50 lbs between visits to see my in-laws and only one person mentioned it. I know they could see the difference, you’d have to be blind not to, they just didn’t say anything so I wouldn’t rely on comments from others as a metric of your progress.

hipari

Shortgirlrunning wrote: »

they just didn’t say anything so I wouldn’t rely on comments from others as a metric of your progress.

I agree so hard I could bang my head on the keyboard. Commenting on other people's bodies unprompted or without knowing whether they have been actively working towards the result is dicey territory. One can never know whether the other person lost weight because of sickness or intentionally, whether they're happy with it etc.

Same with other major changes. I have alopecia totalis and got my first wig 18 months ago. It's a very touchy subject for me and I still find it hard to talk about it without crying (I'm literally in tears right now, but talking/writing about it is a form of therapy for me and it gets easier every time). I specifically chose a shape and color that could plausibly be my real hair. I debuted it in a party, and one friend was so blissfully unaware of everything going on with my health and hair made a huge show about "omg giiiirrrl I love that wig omg omg". Before I could even get a word out of my shocked mouth, a friend knowing the situation jumped up, escorted the show-making friend out and yelled at him outside for being an inconsiderate *kitten*. When he returned, he did apologize and all that, but still. Without my friend intervening, I would have probably burst into tears, pulled even more attention to my situation, and ruined my night as well as the way I felt about the wig. All because someone thought they were giving me a compliment on my new look.

Duck_Puddle

When I lost my first 20 pounds, my mother asked me if I was pregnant. Thanks, Mom!

When I lost 60-65 pounds, people thought I was lying (when they overhead me talking with someone who knew I was losing and had asked-I wasn’t randomly going around telling people how much I lost!).

When I lost 65-70 they thought I was horribly sick because I lost “so much so quickly”.

65-70 pounds lost put me at 165 pounds and a size 12. So pretty much dead on for the average American woman (I’m 5’4”).

As for when I noticed? I still don’t always see a difference. I recognize a difference in pictures-but I don’t recognize the pictures as me. I know I am smaller - I hold up the clothes I’m going to put on and think they are impossibly small-yet they fit. But sometimes I look in the mirror and think I see what is actually there. I was morbidly obese to start and had been for quite some time, so I think I’m still adjusting.

threewins

People commented after 20 kg or about 20% of my total weight.

Strudders67

I was probably about 15kg down (and almost at maintenance) before anyone commented.

I knew because I was running out of trousers that i could wear without a belt and those I was wearing with a belt didn't look right. I wasn't bothered whether people commented / noticed or not - I was doing this for me and my bathroom scales (and my trousers) were telling me what I needed to know,

lgfrie

I started at 320 pounds (male, 5'11"). I take progress pics every 10 pounds. When I took my 290 progress pic, I could see a difference but no one else could, unless I prompted them and they didn't want to hurt my feelings. At around 280 pounds, i.e. 40 lbs lost, I started getting occasional, sporadic comments from people that I looked thinner. At 250 pounds, I started getting a complimentary comment every time I ran into someone I hadn't seen in a while, along the lines of "You look like a completely different person / 15 years younger." Of course I greatly enjoy those comments, although I can't really see that myself. I feel like a thinner version of myself with saggy skin LOL

asthesoapturns

A few people noticed when I'd lost 20lb, because my clothes hanging off me. XD. More have been noticing in the last month now that I've lost 50lb mostly because my face shrank.

1BlueAurora

Only close friends commented, and I lost quite a bit first. So many people discourage us from commenting on people's bodies now that we are less likely to have weight loss acknowledged . One friend of mine was so shocked to see my rapid loss that she asked me, "it looks like you've lost some weight, was that deliberate ?". I think she thought I had cancer!

KrissDotCom

Ive lost 33 pounds starting at 262.8 and people are noticing now

swimmchick87

Several years ago, the first time I lost a big chunk of weight, I started in early May at 192. I'm a teacher, so I didn't see any of my coworkers over the summer, and since I started in May I'd only lost a bit when school got out. By the time August rolled around, I'd lost 20 pounds and I was pretty miffed that not one person mentioned it when we started working again.

Over the course of the next couple of weeks, I lost maybe 2 more pounds. Suddenly EVERYONE was mentioning it. I distinctly even remember my teammate saying one day, "Wow, you look really skinny." I said, "Thanks, I've lost 20 pounds," and she said, "This weekend?!" Then I had friends outside of school talking about it too and how I'd lost weight "so fast." For whatever reason that 2 pounds made a huge difference. And I do think that since you're starting at a much higher weight, you'll have to lose quite a bit for others to notice.

This was about 6 years ago (eventually gained that weight back, unfortunately, and here I am). I do think in our current climate people are less likely to say something because they may be cognizant of not commenting on someone else's body, even to make a compliment. Due to the whole pandemic thing I haven't seen too many people in person over the past 4 months. A couple of weeks ago I saw a friend I hadn't seen since Christmas and my book club finally decided to try meeting in person again. No one said anything even though I know my weight loss is noticeable now. I actually don't weigh myself anymore so IDK how many pounds it is but I've gone from a size 18 to a size 14 since January.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I actually notice changes in myself very quickly. I notice my face and arms looking slimmer even when I've only lost a few pounds. That's actually part of the reason I opted not to weigh this time- I'd feel good about looking/feeling a little better, but then get discouraged when I hadn't lost many pounds yet. Then I'd give up because I felt like I just had so long to go and the effort I was putting in wasn't paying off that well. Now I focus entirely on how much better I feel (physically and emotionally) when I'm eating right.

lorrpb

It really depends on the other person, how observant they are, and how forward they are about making personal comments. Take progress pics and measurements, be observant about how your clothes fit, and don’t rely on comments from others to validate your weight loss journey. You’re doing this for YOU, not them.

AnnPT77

I think close friends - those close enough to know I'd likely have lost weight intentionally, and wasn't sick or something - started giving me "attagirl" comments of one sort or another around 25 pounds lost, with 25-35 to go. Others, not as familiar? Not until later. (Most people, even casual acquaintenances, know I'm a cancer survivor, which may make even more people hesitant to bring it up.)

I won't speak for others, but I find it much, much easier to manage my own expectations about and reactions to what other people say (or don't), than to manage what random stuff those other people actually do say. Weight management is a thing I do for me. It's nice when people are complimentary, but not essential to my self-image in any way; it's eye-opening when people are critical (and, if deliberately rude, makes me re-think how much I need that person in my life), but their negative feelings about my body are their problem, not mine. YMMV.

rickifaidley

Maybe about 15-20 pounds lost for me

rainbow198

When I was about 30 pounds down. I could no longer hide in my bigger clothes and summer arrived.

My face really shrank and people would ask if I got a haircut or was growing my hair out because I looked different.

Geneveremfp

I wouldn't rely on what people say particularly. My husband is keeping me up to date with how much he thinks over changed. That started happening about 10lbs in. But he knew I way intentionally losing weight and was looking for it.

I'm over 25lbs lost now and only one comment from a friend. But that's mostly just because we don't really mention that. I know I often felt terrible if people thought I'd lost weight when I hadn't "oh, well I guess that they just think of me as fat" and taking it as a hint. So I avoid mentioning weight unless it gets brought up. I imagine lots of people do that.

briscogun

About 20-25 lbs in I started getting comments. At 40 lbs in I started getting the "Are you ok?" comments.

I don't worry about what others do and don't say, because I couldn't care less about what they think. I do this for me, not others.

thelastnightingale

I've worked out that I gained half a stone since the last time people actually saw me, so my stone and a half weight loss will really only be a stone to them visually. TBH, I'm quite enjoying the fact that no one can see my weight loss yet - I don't think its actually massively noticeable at what is effectively a stone down. Give me at least another stone and it will be visible, and a small part of me is looking forward to people seeing the before and after, without any of the in-between.

Only a couple of my friends know I'm losing weight as I've not really had much cause to mention it in conversation and I'm not trying to draw attention to it. I'm losing weight for me, for my health, but it's going to be fun to surprise them. A lot of them have never known me at my goal weight, so it will be a double take moment if I manage to get a lot closer to that point before we're reunited in person again.

MrsPinterest34

Others noticed at 10lbs. Makes sense since I'm short 5'2" so 10lbs is a relatively high loss for my short height. Every 5lbs lost it shows. It's very noticeable at 20lbs.

reducingrenee622

Congrats on losing 17 pounds!

It is hard for me to know exactly when people started noticing my difference. This time around I've been extremely vocal with everyone that I am working on losing weight, so I think I had a few people telling me they see a difference before they *actually* saw a difference.

The hardest part for myself is really MYSELF. I personally do not see a single change when I look at myself in the mirror and I am currently down 56.4 pounds. I KNOW there is a difference though (If I do a before/after picture I can see a HUGE difference)

Keep up your good work and don't worry about others think. Even if they (or you) don't see a difference, it doesn't mean there isn't one!!!

[edited by MFP Mods]

keke7133

I lost 4 lbs (I’m 5’1) and today my niece said “you look smaller!” Lol I’m not sure if she was saying it to be nice bc she knows I’m watching what I eat, or if she really did notice a measly 4lb loss.. Either way I soaked in every second of it lol. I know mentioning someones weight loss is a weird territory, but I have and always will give a compliment of some sort when I notice someone has lost weight. If it’s due to illness, I always apologize, but if the weight loss is due to that person living a healthier lifestyle, it’s a huge motivation booster!

Wiseandcurious

I fin that people objectively do notice weight changes differently. Some women friends, especially ones who have been trying to lose weight themselves, or ones that notice more how people look in general, notice about 7-10 pounds difference. I might possibly notice if someone lost at least 25. I basically notice people's eyes and smile and that is it - I kid you not. I never know if you are wearing the same clothes you wear yesterday, if your shoes are scuffed... For hair I will notice drastic changes in length or texture or colour but only if I see you daily. If I haven't seen you for a while I will definitely notice if you lost 50 lbs or more (based on experience with 2 friends), but otherwise not so sure... if anything, I will notice if you are looking happy and radiant and might generally compliment you on looking great in that case.

So it's not always how you look, it's how closely the other person looks or cares.

ruqayyahsmum

No one said anything to me until I was about 100lb down
But behind my back they had approached a friend of mine and asked if I had cancer

I would say it was noticeable once I was 30-40lb down but people didn't want to draw attention to it in case there was something wrong

MichelleMcKeeRN

I am 5’2” and around 140lbs. I find the general public doesn’t comment on my weight/appearance much. People at the gym are much more likely to notice/comment on a 5 pound weight loss or some muscle definition. Around 5-10lbs of weight loss and I have to buy a size smaller in clothes. It is harder for me to notice my weight loss. I measure my arms, legs, stomach, hips and bust line regularly.

msapplek

80lbs down. People have noticed and commented on the weight loss (or a generic but effective " You look good."). I'll take the affirmations!

You know, I've noticed that some people lose weight and their faces slim down quite a bit and they transform into this other person. And you would think they were one of those people who were never overweight.

I have been frustrated, though, because I feel like my face has remained the same: this large and puffy fat face. But on a couple of very recent Zoom calls, a few people have made remarks like "Have you lost weight?", so I guess the face is de-puffing a bit?

(I guess I could post this on NSV thread, too. Heh. Meh.)

4legsRbetterthan2

For me about 20lbs is when it becomes noticeable to others.
People you are closer to may notice sooner, but most people will really notice when you change clothing sizes. Your clothes typically mask alot, and then when you are able to drop down a size or two all of the sudden you "lost the weight overnight!" Its a miracle!

preshalin

When I lost my first 8kg. I was asked by someone if my boobs have gotten bigger. BTW I'm a Guy! That was very demotivating. But I learned later on that my body gets rid of the fat in other places first before my chest so it looked that way.