What's the science behind sudden appearance changes?

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Captain_Tightpants
Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. In my past weight loss adventures I noticed that I can lose lbs steadily without too much of a change in physical appearance, then, about 4 or 5 weeks in, my body seems to suddenly shift overnight and the next day people are all like "hey, you lost weight!". It's not just thier perception either - literally in the space of a night, clothes suddenly fit better, belts lose a notch etc.

Anyone know what the deal is behind this? Is it some kind of metabolic delay? Is there a threshold thing involved? Does it continue all the way throughout a longer weight loss journey?

Or am I just weird? :bigsmile:

Replies

  • gavians
    gavians Posts: 72 Member
    I think you are just weird! :)

    I think you notice it after 4-5 weeks because you may be gone down a size or two in clothing at that point so people notice the baggy clothes. Or you changed sizes and they notice the slimmer you.

    I hope I am wrong and will see this "shift" in 3-4 weeks. I am gonna start needing some real tangible rewards because I am really getting tired of being hungry. :(
  • You're just weird :P Teasing!!

    I have my opinion, but not based on anything other than my own thoughts, so take them as such.

    It seems to me that people, including myself, don't really notice as I lose (or gain) weight if they see me on a daily basis. I figure this is because the daily incremental change is so minute that we can't really notice it, and when it happens gradually you don't really see it... then all of a sudden - BAM... you actually notice.

    The reason I think this is because it tends to be people that I don't see very often who notice right away. Like if you saw someone at an annual event, when you see them the next year your transformation is that more obvious because their frame of reference is you from a year ago, not you from yesterday.

    Dunno if my ramblings make any sense lol
  • AlmstHvn
    AlmstHvn Posts: 376 Member
    I absolutely have seen the same thing - particularly with my .. shall we say, upper undergarments!
    No fair that the first (or perhaps, most obvious) things to go in a woman are there... *sniffle.
  • Captain_Tightpants
    Captain_Tightpants Posts: 2,215 Member
    I've experienced the difference between people seeing you on a daily basis not noticing your loss while people who only see you once in a while do. That's not quite what I'm talking about.

    This is a shift that I notice *myself*. Regardless of what the scale says, on a couple of occasions, literally over the course of one or two days, there has been a sudden body metamorphosis much greater in scale than the gentle weight loss. The change doesn't show on the scale either... that just continues to reflect the gentle weight loss. It's almost like your body decides to rapidly catch up before shifting into going steady again. Very odd. Just wondered if there was any physical explanantion behind it.
  • Fani2003
    Fani2003 Posts: 195 Member
    I am kind of there too right now. I am down 11+ pounds in 30days. I think it is super obvious but NOBODY has noticed yet. Not one.

    I am hoping for the miracle notice in a few weeks/more pounds when it becomes very obvious all of a sudden. I do think your body weight shifts and realigns. I find that people notice my weight loss more from my face then anywhere else.
  • 2fit4fat
    2fit4fat Posts: 559 Member
    WOW!! wish that happened to me!! hehe i dont think you are weird.. i think its awesome!! haha its good to get compliments and know that all your work is paying off right?!?

    I noticed I kinda do one or the other... lose weight or inches.. (i lost about 15 lbs last year i restarted my counter last week for the new year)

    maybe you should measure yourself every week and see if you are somehow "toning up" at night. maybe your body takes advantage of some of that time?! who knows but way to go!
  • electricmeow
    electricmeow Posts: 68 Member
    Since we are talking about appearances rather than numbers it probably can't be tested so easily. I can imagine as you're losing weight, you have cells shrinking, and little miniature air type pockets where the fat was just burned. Then there's the moment when it sinks inward toward your core with gravity where you actually notice the difference visually. I've experienced the same thing, and this is the only explanation I can think of as a non-bio major. If I'm on the right track, maybe its also true that with exercise your body not only calls for more water and stores it in your body, but has trouble "keeping up" with shrinking because heat in itself causes expansion. Maybe when it's your day off, you get a little extra sleep so your body can rejuvenate and reorganize itself more efficiently so the cells slip into tighter space. Hahah just thought I'd take a stab at it. Can't help but think of an ice cream cone pulling the ice cream to the center through gravity.

    Then there's the possibility you subconsciously realize you have slimmed down, so you are a bit more confident, stand more straight. What about the collective consciousness too?
  • electricmeow
    electricmeow Posts: 68 Member
    I am kind of there too right now. I am down 11+ pounds in 30days. I think it is super obvious but NOBODY has noticed yet. Not one.

    I am hoping for the miracle notice in a few weeks/more pounds when it becomes very obvious all of a sudden. I do think your body weight shifts and realigns. I find that people notice my weight loss more from my face then anywhere else.

    aww! From my experience, it's possible they have noticed, they just may not know how to bring it up. I lost 25 pounds once and no one at work said anything even though we're mostly all friends. Apparently I am just known to be sensitive so it wasn't so easy to just say it than to wait for me to bring it up. My manager said to me in front of other coworkers "You have been--presenting yourself SO well lately....just stunning...and your outfits!..." it was more uncomfortable than just asking if I lost weight. Or I love when I say "...because I have lost weight lately". And they go "You have?" I'm secretly thinking yeahh 30 pounds.... and finally they've built the nerve to say "ohhh yess, I started to notice that one day you wore that one outfit last month...." Bottom line, don't use others as a measure of success!!
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this. In my past weight loss adventures I noticed that I can lose lbs steadily without too much of a change in physical appearance, then, about 4 or 5 weeks in, my body seems to suddenly shift overnight and the next day people are all like "hey, you lost weight!". It's not just thier perception either - literally in the space of a night, clothes suddenly fit better, belts lose a notch etc.

    Anyone know what the deal is behind this? Is it some kind of metabolic delay? Is there a threshold thing involved? Does it continue all the way throughout a longer weight loss journey?

    Or am I just weird? :bigsmile:

    You are weird.

    hahaha only kidding! :flowerforyou:

    No idea why that occurs, but I would make the most of it, nothing nicer than people recognizing the slimmer and more toned you!
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