How long does it take to see results?

cc_126

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 .

orangelobster

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

Are you eating less?

Weight loss is mostly a matter of eating less, exercise is maybe 20% of the plan

T1mH

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

yes measurements and pictures are a MUST! i wish i took pictures but was thankful i did measurements!

KaitDW

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

If you open your diary, maybe I/we could give some more specific advice.

RachelSRoach1

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

donnakcraig

I started July 27 and dropped a fast 20lbs. by eating 1200 a day. some days i did eat back my exercise points but only if i have too,

my goal by Thaksgiving is 40 lbs (4 monthes) and i am a little over it.

no matter how much you exercise you must lgo and count calories and do it each day and it will work for you also

good luck

cc_126

Thanks donna and congrays on d great weightloss, all you guys are an inspiration

kimad

Depending how much you have to lose, 3lbs in one month isn't really that bad.
Heck it's a loss not a gain. I always say, all the small numbers will add up to bigger numbers.

make sure you are getting in a calorie deficit. Exercise is important, but diet means alot more.

When I started I was 245 lbs, so I lost more out of the gate (I can't say that anymore haha), but I would say it took 20+ lbs for people to notice. I was obese though.

Keep at it... time is going to pass anyways, so you will get there.

cc_126

wow, 87 pounds is amazing, tats brilliant, im inspires, im probably hoping for miracles, i need to be patient i know, im just so eager to start seein results

Tina2Cats

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 .

Hi, I have been on mfp for 2 months and have lost 10.5 lbs which I gained some of it back, about 2 lbs. There isn't any real noticable changes in me yet. My hubby, of all people, hasn't noticed, but maybe it's still too soon. 8 lbs isn't that much difference. I too, exercise daily, but it's about calories and eating habits. I am getting better at changing my eating habits, but it's still rough going at times. Still, I will not get discouraged or give up. I will keep persevering and keep my eye on the prize: A slimmer me with a fab body!

I read on here somewhere that it takes about 12 weeks for others to notice a difference (weight loss/gain) either way. We have to keep working at our weight loss journeys and eventually, others will take notice. I will support you.

ggsmamma

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

3# in 4 weeks is awesome! I wish that I could average that high :-)

DiaryOfaThickFitWoman

Hi there, I have only lost about 7lbs since my journey starting 10\22\2012. However, I'm coming to understand that losing weight is all about eating less and exercising more. It's as simply as that! There's no special way or secret regimen. Do those two things and log your food faithfully and you will lose. The amount and time period varies from age, weight and genetics like everything else. I have recently learned and accepted this. Feel free to add me. *Also, healthy foods are most definitely needed, but moderation is the key. This is a lifestyle change .....

buffykaz

I've only been doing this for a few weeks and while I still look pretty much the same in the mirror, I have noticed that my pants are more baggy around the waist.
I don't excercise like crazy at the gym or anything, but I do try and do some form of exercise (be it a walk, vigorous housework etc) every day. Counting calories and making sure I stay under my daily limit seems to be the best method for me.

katrinaryanwong

I asked the same question when I first started my diet and exercise two months ago. I started my 1,200 calories count and excised every day but still didn't see the result the first month. But then my weights started dropping every week which I had lost almost 11 lbs since September 23. Don't give up..just keep exercising and eat healthy. You should see the results soon.

LauraDotts

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

3 pounds in 4 weeks is excellent progress.