How long does it take to see results?

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cc_126
cc_126 Posts: 47
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi All i new to mfp, i started exercising instensely around 4 weeks aago but havent really seen any changes on the scales and am starting to get dissheartened, I need to lose 40 pounds , has anyone any advise? Hw long does it take to see results? and what should i be doing, so far ive been kickboxing and strength training with dumbells .
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  • orangelobster
    orangelobster Posts: 151
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    If you have been "exercising intently" for 4 weeks as you say you have then logically you should be seeing at least _some_ progress by now. I suspect it is your diet - you are underestimating how much you eat.
  • Bob314159
    Bob314159 Posts: 1,178 Member
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    Are you eating less?

    Weight loss is mostly a matter of eating less, exercise is maybe 20% of the plan
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    It's often said around here that it takes 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 weeks for everybody else.
  • T1mH
    T1mH Posts: 568 Member
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    Are you eating less?

    Weight loss is mostly a matter of eating less, exercise is maybe 20% of the plan
    It's 100% diet.

    Don't give up the exercise but it's what you eat that is going to get you there. The exercise just determines what your going to look like when you get there.
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    it took me 5 months to see results and to see a difference in my clothes sizes... i only needed to lose 22 lbs and i still bounce around 19-22 lb loss, haven't been able to hit the 22lb loss and stay there yet and it's been just over a year. the scale dropped very very slowly for me and i noticed my first 5 lb loss 2 months after i started.
  • cc_126
    cc_126 Posts: 47
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    Hi guys thanks for d replies, i have been eating less but mayb my diet could do with some more fine tuning, i feel like i can see some small changes but on the scales ive only dropped 3 pounds, i will keep going and hope for the best, hopefully by 8 weeks things will be changing :)
  • shawnteahsing
    shawnteahsing Posts: 53 Member
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    I made my lifestyle change about 5 weeks ago and I am just now starting to see some changes. I totally understand how you feel. Do your clothes fit any better or to you feel better? Keep at it and you will see changes.
  • Alicia7519
    Alicia7519 Posts: 160
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    As T1mH indicated, it takes awhile to see results. You mentioned that you have not seen changes in the scales, but are your clothes getting loose? Do you have more energy? Are you getting stronger? Don't rely only on your scales to measure results. Numbers make us feel better, but what really counts is the the transformation that our bodies are undergoing.
  • cc_126
    cc_126 Posts: 47
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    shawntea im delighted tings are going gud, my clothes do fit a little better and i feel like i am toning but im not really getting results as fast as i would like , id really like to see visible changes for xmas ..
  • Amlong1977
    Amlong1977 Posts: 125 Member
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    It's hard to tell without seeing your diary. Are you staying within your calories & macros? Are you drinking LOTS of water? Have you measured to see if you're losing inches? With only 40 lbs to lose you should definitely measure. How are your clothes fitting? When you workout a lot your muscles hold onto water to help repair themselves so you nay see more inches than lbs. Don't get discouraged after only 4 weeks. You didn't put it on overnight & you shouldn't take it off that way either. Plus the fewer lbs you have to lose, the slower it tends to come off. If you're eating right & drinking plenty of water, just give it time & you will see results! Don't give up! The first month is usually hardest because you're getting used to a new routine so you're ov:happy: er the first hurdle. :happy:
  • lin7604
    lin7604 Posts: 3,019 Member
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    yes measurements and pictures are a MUST! i wish i took pictures but was thankful i did measurements!
  • KaitDW
    KaitDW Posts: 21 Member
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    Exercising is only a small part of weight loss. It really is all about diet. Finding the right calories and foods to support your workouts and your body.
  • pixiestick
    pixiestick Posts: 839 Member
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    If you open your diary, maybe I/we could give some more specific advice.
  • RachelSRoach1
    RachelSRoach1 Posts: 435 Member
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    I heard in general:
    6 weeks for you to notice
    12 weeks for your close friends/family to notice
    18 weeks for everyone else.

    I like a deadline so this works for me. Now all I have to do is be faithful to the diet!!!
  • californiagirl2012
    californiagirl2012 Posts: 2,625 Member
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    Hi All i new to mfp, i started exercising instensely around 4 weeks aago but havent really seen any changes on the scales and am starting to get dissheartened, I need to lose 40 pounds , has anyone any advise? Hw long does it take to see results? and what should i be doing, so far ive been kickboxing and strength training with dumbells .

    Everyone is different. It took me two years to lose 60 lbs and I've kept it off for over a year.

    Too many changes at once can be hard on some people. I've always eaten healthy so it easy for me to simply eat less. Eating at a calorie deficit is hard on people; even a small deficit puts your body in a state of flux with hormones and such. Everyone is different. Some people can handle a deeper calorie deficit than others, this is not right or wrong, it just is. Stress in your life affects your hunger hormones; lack of sleep, fatigue, job stress, family stress, financial stress, etc. Add in emotional eating issues and it gets even more complicated. Most people can only handle so much change/stress at once, they try to do too much and fail. Sometimes it might be a better strategy to eat at maintenance and make some small changes first, it really depends on how much stress you are taking in at the moment.

    There is no mystery to weight loss, everyone thinks something is wrong, their metabolism is broken, they have low thyroid, they have menopause or whatever issue, they are as unique as a snowflake, whatever. I thought a lot of these things once too but once the doctor helped resolve the health issues for me I learned there is still no magic pill. Most people eat more than they need to and are not at good at estimating calories as they think they are. Most people have a lower BMR than they think they do. The only way to know for sure is to go to a lab and have it tested. It doesn't seem fair to have to eat less and feel a little hunger. It's hard to face the truth of it, very hard. It's not fun. It's drudgery at times. But if you learn to enjoy your smaller amounts of food (necessary to lose weight, since the reason we got fat in the first place was eating too much whether we knew it or not), and rejoice in your victories it can be done.

    Your body loses weight in chunks, not linear. I have found that you can do everything right and your weight loss seems to plateau but if you are patient and keep exercising and eating at a deficit (however slight) you will lose it, it will suddenly "whoosh". There are so many variables for the scale; water retention, digestion, hormones, allergies, sodium, carbs, water intake, DOMS, inflammation, the list goes on. People mistakenly think they lose or gain weight when they eat more or less because of these fluctuations.

    Losing weight requires tremendous patience. You will not lose it when you want it or where you want it. The body does its thing. Some apparent plateaus can last a month or so. You cannot make it happen faster. You must focus on two things; calories and exercise. Nothing else matters. Scales and metrics don't matter. The day in and day out grind of exercise and calories are all that matters. It is not very exciting until things fall into place. You get your victories and you ride one victory to the next.

    The scale is a trend tool. The scale is good but put it away and only check once a week and only use it as a trend tool. It will fluctuate, it does not matter. Take front side and back progress pictures at least once a month. You will see differences that the metrics won't tell you and it's that little bit of NSV that will keep you going until the next victory.

    To say eat more is wrong.

    To say eat less is wrong.

    If you plug in all your info (typically age, gender, height and weight) into one of those calculators what you get is the average metabolic rate of a group of people who share your age, sex, height and weight. What you DON’T get is YOUR EXACT calorie needs. It's a place to start.

    To find the exact calories needed for YOU to be in a healthy sustainable calorie deficit is the right answer. Wait, if you need to adjust by 100 do it, wait, adjust, wait, adjust, wait. The tortoise wins this race.

    All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.
  • WinnerVictorious
    WinnerVictorious Posts: 4,735 Member
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    Hi guys thanks for d replies, i have been eating less but mayb my diet could do with some more fine tuning, i feel like i can see some small changes but on the scales ive only dropped 3 pounds, i will keep going and hope for the best, hopefully by 8 weeks things will be changing :)

    don't just hope for the best, figure out what's wrong and fix it and then get the results you expect.

    open your food/exercise diary so people can see it and comment.
  • CMMia17
    CMMia17 Posts: 42 Member
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    You may have probably had some changes, but not on the scale. Check with your clothing, do they seem a little loose to you? Does your face seem a little slimmer? (This is when I know I had some changes, seeing my face slimmer, I got those chipmunk cheeks when gain weight, lol). I had a friend who was about a size 10. I noticed huge changes after 3 months. I know she exercised with her b/f and established good eating habits. I also have to say the same for myself. I can’t necessarily say I had to lose weight, but anything I stay committed to, I had noticeable changes in 3 months. Whether it was cardio, weight lifting, or martial arts. But, I think it also depends on the persons metabolism as well. There is a lot of information out there that tells you how to boost your metabolism (eating about 5 to 6 times a day, this has to do a lot with starvation mode of the body, you can find this kind of information online and in anatomy and physiology books)
    I would have to say that I had lost the pounds I had gained in the past two years by applying better eating habits. I used the Abs diet book as a beginners guide for food shopping. Its not really a diet, more of replacing food you would like with healthier versions of it. Also explains the basic of how to properly fuel your body and understating the differences of how calories are burned and how long with cardio and strength training. Only problem that I have is that I can’t have milk because I’m lactose intolerant and anything gluten, trail bars and trail mixes don’t’ react well with my body.
    Anyways, I would just check it out at the library, or go to the bookstore and skim through it take notes. You usually see it in the bargain section. There is always a lot of information online that you can find by trusted websites.
    Sorry for the long post, but I hope you get something out of it! Remember, just because the scale doesn’t show any changes doesn’t mean there hasn’t!
  • cindl24
    cindl24 Posts: 178
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    I've been at this since April. Some close friends noticed after I'd lost about 20 pounds. Now, in the last week or two, co-workers and people at church have begun to notice as well.
  • NaughtyForties
    NaughtyForties Posts: 69
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    yes measurements and pictures are a MUST! i wish i took pictures but was thankful i did measurements!


    ^^^ this

    I take pictures regularly as it's a sure fire way to see differences when there side by side. Also @californiagirl post is right on the money especially about how / where you lose weight. Basically it'll boil down to 1) Diet 2) Exercise and 3) Patience. There's some good feedback here and the general theme falls under these three categories. Good luck....
  • cc_126
    cc_126 Posts: 47
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    Guys tank you so much for taking the time to comment with advice, i will take on board all you have said i will also open up my diaries tomorrow and start to track more, I think my diet needs adjusting and also i need to be patient, i will start taking pics and forget the scales for a while :)

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