What if no one will notice?

MayaSPapaya

I agree with the others here- in the end, it shouldn't upset you if no one notices. In the end, YOU know you lost the weight, and YOU need to be proud of yourself.
12 pounds is a great loss and I bet people will notice. But their commenting is not something you should wait for. And like other people said, some people feel funny about saying something because they don't want you to feel they thought you looked heavier before.
My mom's boyfriend noticed when I first started losing weight, and he said something to her, but didn't say anything to me because he was afraid of insulting me somehow.

yo_andi

Um, they're most likely not going to notice. It's up to you to decide whether the court of public opinion, in all its fickleness, is going to drive your self-worth, and whether you're going to let that affect your motivation to continue doing good things for you.

StheK

I sure wish nobody would notice. My weight has nothing to do with any of them and I hate that the results of my private battle to get healthier has to happen publicly. Congratulations on your success, and don't let what anyone else says or doesn't say get in your way!

I_Will_End_You

it would be nice to hear "hey you look great" or the genertic "have you lost weight"? Every woman loves to hear that even if they are not even trying.

I wouldn't say every woman. It kind of makes me uncomfortable, depending on who it's coming from.


ETA: and depending on the size you started, 12lbs may not be enough for other people to see. I was relatively small to start (5'6, 135) and didn't really start getting comments until I'd lost about 15lbs.

PeteWhoLikesToRunAlot

Are you losing weight for yourself and your health, or so other people will notice?

Maybe they will and maybe they won't notice your loss. What people do notice is when people look happy and confident. If you feel good, you'll look good, and that's what people will notice.

This should be engraved on a weight loss statue somewhere. Well said.

sunshyncatra

Don't think that if no one says anything that no one noticed. Many people won't mention it because they are trying to be polite. Either that, or they are like me and just don't notice things like that. It tends to take me a week to notice my husband shaved his goatee off, lol.

Contrarian

There is nothing wrong with wanting people to notice, but if they don't, you shouldn't be discouraged. You are taking control of your life and improving your health. That should help keep you motivated.

Please bear in mind that some people aren't comfortable commenting on weight loss, because it could be an indication of illness.

ToFatT0B3S1ck

12 pounds doesn't really make that much of a difference. Honestly, they may not notice.

cwolfman13

Are you doing this for them, or for you?

boom....

Myhaloslipped

Don't think that if no one says anything that no one noticed. Many people won't mention it because they are trying to be polite. Either that, or they are like me and just don't notice things like that. It tends to take me a week to notice my husband shaved his goatee off, lol.

Good point. Because when people say you look skinny or that you look like you have lost weight, it sometimes seems like they are saying that they thought you looked fat before.

mike_ny

Honestly, the first 10 pounds or so, most people will know there's something different, but won't be able to identify it. Don't be surprised if you get asked if you did something different with your hair or that they interpret it as not aging as much as they expected. In any case, don't hold it against anyone if you get that. They're not being insensitive or anything. We've probably all done the same thing at some time without even realizing it. At big occasions like reunions, some people are so busy being self conscious wondering what people are thinking about them that they may not be paying too much attention to how everyone else looks anyway.

Congratulations on your loss. In this community we know it doesn't come easy for most people and that first ten pounds is a huge victory that you should indeed be very proud of.

Once you get to 20 pounds or more, then it becomes pretty obvious and anyone that knows you will surely notice. Even then, though, some people may still be reluctant to say anything. Many people in our current culture accept continual weight gain with age as a normal and healthy condition and the status quo. You'll be surprised how many people associate weight loss with illness, like nobody would ever lose a fair amount of weight on purpose, so they must be sick. The first time somebody asked me if I was OK instead of saying I looked good losing so much weight, I was definitely taken by surprise. But not everyone is like that. A friend who is a PE teacher and coach and another friend who is a somewhat serious runner both recognized it right away as healthy weight loss and me being much more fit.

Noamsh

Thanks everybody.

I just want to clear some things up. In my case, the people I'm refering to probably won't be uncomfortable with saying something, since they're people in their early-mid 20s. I'm 23, and therfore no one will assume it's an illness or age-related.
I wasn't very big in the first place, so it should be somewhat noticeable ( I'm 5'4 and went from 157 to 145).
It's not a big function in which people would be busy with how they look, or with other people, it's just going back to school after summer vacation (yep, where I live the academic year starts in October).

I wasn't expecting such harsh responses, but I do appreciate the input.
Like I said, I'm not doing this for anyone else, but I would like people to acknowledge it. That's it.

septembergrrl

Don't expect anyone to say anything, and then you can be pleasantly surprised if they do. Obviously 157 to 145 is great, but it's not the type of change most people are going to point out because a, most people don't look at other people that closely, and b, people don't want to be wrong if it's just your haircut or your shirt or your Spanx or whatever making you look thin.

I've lost 15 and no one's said anything beyond the generic "you look nice today."

Sorry you aren't getting the feedback you wanted! Congrats on the loss, even if no one notices it yet.

thescrumisfun

Have you noticed? Are you proud of yourself? That's all that matters.

jamiem1102

I can understand you wanting people to notice. It's kind of like validation for all the hard work you've been doing. Having said that... depending on how much you have to lose, your height, etc... 12 pounds isn't that much and may not be very noticeable. In fact, I don't think anyone really noticed I lost weight until I got to the 20 - 25 pound weight loss range. So - try not to get discouraged IF they don't notice.

dunnodunno

Next week I'm going to see a lot of people that I haven't seen in a couple of months. Throughout this time I've lost 12 lbs, and honestly, I'm scared no one will notice.
I've worked so hard to get these results, but I'm not done yet, and I'm nervous that if people won't notice I'll become completely unmotivated and won't have as much will power to continue.

Any advice?

Too be honest I wish people at times wouldn't notice. It can get pretty annoying after awhile.

quiltlovinlisa

They'll notice when they notice. I was frustrated, down 25 pounds and nada. Not a word from anyone however at 29 pound, comments left and right.

Now at 39 pounds down, I get tons of comments.

But even though it's nice and makes you feel good, I decided that having more energy was more important to me. Feeling better about myself. Fitting into smaller sizes. Do this for you.

Madame_Goldbricker

Thanks everybody.

I just want to clear some things up. In my case, the people I'm refering to probably won't be uncomfortable with saying something, since they're people in their early-mid 20s. I'm 23, and therfore no one will assume it's an illness or age-related.
I wasn't very big in the first place, so it should be somewhat noticeable ( I'm 5'4 and went from 157 to 145).
It's not a big function in which people would be busy with how they look, or with other people, it's just going back to school after summer vacation (yep, where I live the academic year starts in October).

I wasn't expecting such harsh responses, but I do appreciate the input.
Like I said, I'm not doing this for anyone else, but I would like people to acknowledge it. That's it.

Congrats on the loss. I have no problem jumping up and down telling folk when I've not lost a massive amount. It still feels massive to me. Okay it might not be the highlight of their day but never under rate blowing your own trumpet :bigsmile:

reddaddie

OP, with 3 kg to go and 5 kg gone someone will notice. whether they say anything or not, they WILL notice.

littleburgy

I am a little disappointed that my co-workers either haven't noticed, or just choose not to say anything. But then again I'm American, they're British and I don't know if it's just a cultural difference.

But you know, you just say "oh well" and life goes on. There have been times I've wondered if someone's lost weight but was afraid to say something or didn't know how to address it. But then they bring it up and I tell them they look fabulous.:flowerforyou:

Either way....When I put on a pair of jeans that were once tight but now baggy, I know what's what!