Understanding and Learning

twon070377

In January of 2021 I was 313. This October of 2021 I am 238. I am
5 feet and 6 inches tall. I have not yet noticed a change in size. I was wearing size 24 and now I wear a 20. I am aiming for 160 - 140. Most of my weight is in my legs and arms. But my measurements are still the same. Can someone explain the pounds off first inches off second theory. I see some pictures of weight loss 10-12 months of most people and see the difference in shape. Am I missing something? When will my shape change am I okay?

springlering62

You’ve lost almost a quarter of your body weight(!!!!!).

I’m going to make a couple of observations here, from the POV of having lost about 90 or so.

If you have loose skin, measurements can be misleading, I measured my waist last month prior to placing an order for some jeans, which are sold by waist size. Tape measure was 34. I consistently wear a 2 or a 4 now, regardless of what that roll of extra skin and that piece of tape said. I took a gamble and ordered a 26. Had to return them for a smaller size. I’d be willing to bet you can downsize a size or two with zero problem, but probably haven’t wrapped your head around that. Measuring, sizing, it can all be insanely nonsensical while losing.

That brings me to Body Dysmorphia. That’s when you look at yourself in the mirror, and despite large losses, you still see the larger you. It can very truly take months and months for your brain to catch up. I’d highly recommend having someone take regular progress photos of you. It wasn’t til my trainer insisted on sending me weekly photos that I was able to see changes, even though I’d already lost 50+ at that point. It the same brain fart that has you keep reaching for larger sizes in the store, when you should be in something much smaller, or doing the sideways shimmy to get between cars or tables you could just walk through.

It’s the same thing that, when I tuck one arm under the other at night, I panic because that arm still feels like a hamhock, and I have to take a deep breath “this is not a dream”.

At the risk of sounding vain, the other thing that has helped me is facing myself in the full body mirror at the gym while I work out. It made me confront myself during the effort, and see that I wasn’t the body in my mind while I was lifting something. Eventually, it was turned into wonder and amazement, and appreciation for what I see, and the new things I see in it nearly every week: slimmer waist, new muscle. Thats the same mirror that shows the athletes, so it can’t be lying to me, is how I look at it.

And btw, don’t feel like you haven’t earned the right to look in the damn mirror. That took me a while, too.

Lietchi

Aside from the excellent points above made by Springlering62:
- you've lost two sizes, that's not 'nothing'. As your body gets smaller, the sizing down will speed up, a bit like a toilet roll which gets smaller more slowly in the beginning but faster at the end.
- depending on where you lose your weight, that can also influence if you look smaller and/or change sizes. Some people lose from the extremities first (arms, hands, legs, feet), some people lose gradually all over etc.

Patience, you're doing great 🙂

springlering62

And btw, I regret having gone buck wild buying new clothes at 50 down. I’ve had to replace clothing many times on the path from 22W. If I had it to do over again, knowing what I know now (since I never ever imagined losing this much in my wildest dreams) I’d have stuck with inexpensive leggings and loose T’s. Even at maintenance, your size continues to decrease,

Lots of people on MFP go the thrift store route during their loss.

snowflake954

I'd also add my congratulations. Agree with the above posters. It takes awhile to adjust visually to who you are now. Give yourself time, and just keep going. You'll be fine and your moment will come. Keep us posted.

sollyn23l2

You've gone down from 24 to 20... that's great progress. You yourself might not see it because, often, shape remains the same, it's just that everything kinda gets a bit smaller. That's why people say you can't spot reduce the size of particular body parts.

Cheesy567

Well done! Everyone looses at different rates and even at different times— I’m a different size at this weight compared to when I lost weight several years ago, but I am losing sizes still.

If you’re concerned, talk to your doctor. There’s something called lipedema, where the fatty tissue holds onto fluids and keeps its shape and size. It’s different than obesity, although it goes hand-in-hand with obesity sometimes. It’s also different than lymphedema, although it can be seen along with that, too. Weight-loss can help. However, weight-loss won’t make lipedema go away completely. There are other treatments for it.