When does weight loss become noticeable?

ILoveFroggies
ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys, how much weight would I have to lose before other people start to notice?

I'm currently 168cm tall and 54-55kg... That's 5'6 and 120lbs. So, my BMI's around 19.4.
But my body fat % is extremely high, around 25% or even as high as 30%.

I know overweight people have to lose a fair bit before it's noticeable, but I'm on the small side, so I'm guessing weight loss would show quicker?
Can anyone quantify this, please? How many kgs lost will show?

Replies

  • phreekles
    phreekles Posts: 216 Member
    sounds like you don't need to lose any weight - just exercise to turn fat into muscle and tone up instead. this kind of process can take months. if you lost any weight you'd probably be losing lean body mass as well which u dont wanna do!
  • sozisfitnow
    sozisfitnow Posts: 209 Member
    Im short so people noticed after a stone loss last year, and 7lbs since on mfp this year notices alot again!:smile:
  • JenToms80
    JenToms80 Posts: 373 Member
    I have found that people are noticing now Im toning rather than losing weight, I guess with that confidence you wear better fitting clothes :)
  • carly_am
    carly_am Posts: 145 Member
    ^^ yea this.

    Sounds like you just need to tone up so I wouldn't worry about 'weight loss' per se (put the scales away!!) and just focus on hanging your body composition.

    With regards to when people notice, for me never it seems!! I started at 161lbs (before mfp) and I'm now 145lbs and the only people who say anything are the people who know I've been trying to get fit. People who don't know obviously don't see it as they never mention anything so I take it that the people who do know are just being polite!!
  • misssmarita
    misssmarita Posts: 130
    Don't quote me on this, because I'm no expert and this is just what I've read on other message boards: if you're pretty hardcore about it, you can expect to lose 1% body fat a month. But the thing is, you're gonna have off days, you'll be pressed for time, you'll have the flu, yada yada. It's not that you need to be making excuses, but you won't be perfect, because you're human. So I would say don't lose any more weight, but just get that body fat percentage down, and you'll notice you'll be looking leaner and more fit. I reckon, give it about a year or so.

    GOOD LUCK!
  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
    There's no such thing as fat turning into muscle, but I agree with you that it would be a good idea for me to lose fat and gain muscle.

    Also, I'm not sure if you're right that losing weight would mean I'd mainly lose lean body mass. My understanding is that happens when a) you are on an excessively calorie restricted diet and b) you are lacking in body fat reserves.
    However, I would NOT go on an excessively calorie restricted diet (I find I can lose weight slowly but surely eating at least 2000 calories a day), and I am NOT lacking in body fat reserves (30% is reasonably high)
  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
    Ooh, thanks guys, just saw the rest of the replies, hahah!

    Yes, actually, I think you're right, toning up is what can make the biggest difference, rather than weight loss per se, so I reckon I'll focus on that (gaining muscle and losing fat)!
  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
    Also, about the looking better in clothes thing, I currently find that even though my BMI's in the low end of the healthy range, I actually wear a bigger jeans size than some of my friends in the very high end of the healthy range. :(
  • markyb1977
    markyb1977 Posts: 28 Member
    When you get rid of your old wardrobe, and buy new clothes!!! :-)
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    You don't need to lose weight. I would imagine that your weight loss would show just around the time your bones starting poking through your clothes..... don't go there!! :-)

    This is not an insult, it's fab that you are not fighting the flab, good for you, but to really make some changes in your health IMO you need to look at the composition of your diet, don't eat diet food, just eat healthy food, reduce your fat intake and get some whole foods into you.

    As for the changing the way you look, and we all want to do that, exercise will do that for you, no cheats, no easy way out, no quick fix I'm afraid. There are lots of people on this site that are big into strength training and that could be good for you.

    My one HUGE piece of advice is DON'T DIET. I started my first diet at around 112lbs and my next one at 120lbs and then 130lbs and so on. I always lost weight and I always gained back what I had lost and more. If I had just changed the way I ate and adjusted my lifestyle back then I might not have spent the next decade yo yoing!!

    Do it now whilst you are still looking good!!!

    Best of luck!
  • Superchas
    Superchas Posts: 129 Member
    For you every day of feeling fitter and healthier - and it is you who is doing this for you

    For others depends how large you were at start of diet I had to lose 100lbs or 27% of starting weight before people were noticing

    Best
  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
    Aww, thanks for the advice, guys :)

    So, would the best thing for me to do be to do some exercise every day and eat a healthy diet (more fruit, veg, proteins, wholegrains, less refined carbs/sugars/junk food)?
    Should I count calories (e.g. in a range of, say, 2000-2200)? or should I just eat however much I happen to eat, even if it's like 3000 a day?
    I have a bit of a tendency to emotionally eat, so would calorie counting (to the abovementioned healthy level or thereabouts, not to a restrictive or dieting level) be worthwhile?
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    Hi guys, how much weight would I have to lose before other people start to notice?

    I'm currently 168cm tall and 54-55kg... That's 5'6 and 120lbs. So, my BMI's around 19.4.
    But my body fat % is extremely high, around 25% or even as high as 30%.

    I know overweight people have to lose a fair bit before it's noticeable, but I'm on the small side, so I'm guessing weight loss would show quicker?
    Can anyone quantify this, please? How many kgs lost will show?

    I think it is going to be different for everyone. I would say I started getting comments from people at the 15-20lb lost mark.

    Strange thing is....my dad saw me at Thanksgiving, then again last week ( so like 6 weeks apart) and even though I have only lost like 2lbs since he saw me last, he told me I had lost weight!

    as a weight training newbie, you do not HAVE to eat a ton for body recomposition ( losing fat/gaining muscle). I have spent the last year eating a "normal" amount and my muscles are coming along just fine! If counting calories is what keeps you from eating crazy amounts, then DO it.
  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
    Lol, ive been asking myself that same question. Ive lost almost 10kg this month, my tracksuit pants fell down yesterday :laugh:

    Yet not 1 person ive seen lately has said anything.

    I dont feel like ive lost weight. Still feel like a fat budda, but the tracksuit pants don't lie. :laugh:

    Still, i shamelessly cant wait for that first person to notice. :smile:
  • bathsheba_c
    bathsheba_c Posts: 1,873 Member
    The problem is that different people accumulate and lose body fat in different parts of their body. So one person might lose a bunch in their hips and thighs first, while another person might lose in their boobs and face first. The result is that you can't really predict when people will notice. For me, they started noticing after 5 lbs. Others on here had to wait 30 lbs before someone noticed.
  • kirstyfairhead
    kirstyfairhead Posts: 220 Member
    Aww, thanks for the advice, guys :)

    So, would the best thing for me to do be to do some exercise every day and eat a healthy diet (more fruit, veg, proteins, wholegrains, less refined carbs/sugars/junk food)?
    Should I count calories (e.g. in a range of, say, 2000-2200)? or should I just eat however much I happen to eat, even if it's like 3000 a day?
    I have a bit of a tendency to emotionally eat, so would calorie counting (to the abovementioned healthy level or thereabouts, not to a restrictive or dieting level) be worthwhile?

    Yes, Yes and Yes.

    Eat good food and get into the habit of exercising for sure and as for the calorie counting/food log there is nothing wrong with that at all, especially if you hit the food cupboards when you're having a bad day.

    It will help you to keep on track, know what intake level works for you and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

    You only have to look at some of the guys on this site to see that it can work for people who just want to stay fit as well as those who need to drop lbs.

    Good luck and look forward to the new healthier you. x
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    Two comments:
    1. Like someone else said, you shouldn't lose weight. You should do strength training to gain muscle mass and lose fat.
    2. Sadly, when it comes to skinnyfat going fit, the odds someone will notice the difference over your clothes is tiny. You'll look pretty much the same in clothes, but a hell lot better naked. Since starting strength training I went down a pants size, but no one noticed it at all.

    Feel free to add me, I'm doing the same thing and our stats are quite similar.
  • Synapze
    Synapze Posts: 499
    You'll look pretty much the same in clothes, but a hell lot better naked.

    This little Black Duck aint gettn naked to be noticed :laugh:
  • HardRockCamaro
    HardRockCamaro Posts: 147
    Beginning of the month when I sat down at my desk my shirt felt tight around my waist.
    Same shirt 3 weeks and 7kg lost later and there is an inch of free play in the shirt so quicker than you might think...
  • brevislux
    brevislux Posts: 1,093 Member
    You'll look pretty much the same in clothes, but a hell lot better naked.

    This little Black Duck aint gettn naked to be noticed :laugh:
    Gee, I hope not.
  • annakommers
    annakommers Posts: 48 Member
    im small and i usually start noticing changes at half a stone/7lbs, when i weghed more i didnt notice till about a stone/14lbs
  • Struckhoff
    Struckhoff Posts: 4 Member
    By my math, 7.2 pounds of weight loss equates to losing one gallon of body fat. I always felt like weight loss was mostly noticeable in increments about that large. It's also a great motivator-- Visualize a gallon of milk every time you lose 7.2 pounds.
  • ILoveFroggies
    ILoveFroggies Posts: 120 Member
    I think I also want to be narrower as well as more toned though (so not just looking better in a swimsuit, also looking better in clothes). At the moment, I have a pretty big muffin top, visible rolls of fat through my shirt, etc, haha, and parts of my body such as my arms are really quite wide, they "puff" out in a very noticeable way

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