seeing no change in the mirror?

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itwillbeotherwise
itwillbeotherwise Posts: 3
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 5'4 and my highest weight was 151. I'm at about 135 now and although the scale says i weigh less and my measurements are smaller, i've gotten no comments on my weight loss and i see no difference in the mirror. Am i doing something wrong? I have about 25 more pounds to lose and i'm getting really discouraged from this.

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  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
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    Congrats on the 16 pound loss!
    If you are still wearing the same clothes, perhaps it's not as noticeable, but if you put photos side by side of the before and after, I'm sure you'll spot the differences.
    People didn't notice my loss until I was down 20 pounds.
    The weight I lost between 138 and 125 was very noticeable.
    Continue on the great work!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    It is very hard for us to see a difference in ourselves. Why? You see you everyday, and you don't look much different from one day to the next. But between day 1 & 100 - that's different. So taking pics can be helpful to 'see' it.

    As to others - find someone you have not seen in a while. Friends/family you see all the time may not realize, and then at some point will have an aha! moment.

    Hubby paid me a big compliment today by saying the change in me is dramatic. I was surprised. I know there is change, and there's enough that I can see it - but I did not think 'dramatic' was appropriate. (I joined MFP after starting on my own, I'm down ~30 pounds. Need to drop another 1/2 pound to fully claim the 30!)
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    Honestly I think that people just have some misconstrued idea of what weight loss is and what it will do to their bodies based on fashion magazines and pop culture. If you are overweight and you lose 16 pounds you honestly are probably not going to be looking athletic you are just going to be looking smaller than you used to be. If that "smaller"-ness is proportional throughout your body its less noticeable than if your body loses fat from mainly one area. The way people tell differences is if one bodypart shrinks relative to another, if they all shrink you will pretty much look the same at least until your percent bodyfat drops low enough to see muscle definition.

    If your goal is to lose weight and you are losing weight then you aren't doing anything wrong in terms of weight loss. Can't speak to whether or not your diet is appropriate because I don't know what it is.
  • kelseyhere
    kelseyhere Posts: 1,123 Member
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    Try not to get down on yourself!! Even if YOU can't see it yet in the mirror, do you FEEL different? Are your workouts getting easier? Is cardio becoming less of a chore? Try to remember that weight loss isn't all about vanity but about getting healthy too, and that is something to be proud of. Sometimes people are afraid to give compliments on weight because they don't want to imply that you were fat before. I also agree with the other poster that side by side pictures are a great way to see progress, even if you only keep them for yourself. I guarantee people will notice this summer when you debut your new body in a swimsuit, or if that's not your thing, maybe treat yourself to a new spring dress. Don't stop now because you are already half way there!! Think of how hard it was to get started, you don't want to be back where you were. Takes photos in the same outfit every Sunday, and soon enough you will start to notice some progress.
  • sfbaumgarten
    sfbaumgarten Posts: 912 Member
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    I've lost over 70 lbs and still have a hard time seeing it in the mirror sometimes. I don't know why, but I think I look smaller in pictures than in the mirror. Do you take progression pics or measurements? If not, you might consider starting. I didn't and I regret it.

    You're doing great :flowerforyou: Don't be discouraged!
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
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    People's bodies are different. Some people tend to lose their fat in particular regions of their body first others lose it all over at once.

    Personally I lose weight in my face rather abruptly so my weight loss is very much noticed by people because if you lose a little fat in your face people tend to notice. Then again if you are someone who loses weight equally all over your body it will be hard to see the difference because there is no change in proportionality. That is fine though, it is still progress.

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