30lbs down and cant tell

Hello all, I've lost 30lbs since I've started and can't tell a difference. Others I know can tell and do congratulate me on weight loss. To me my stomach is still there and fat is still lingering. I can fit smaller pants, the scale reads differently from my beginning weight but I just don't see it. I think my scale is rigged lol. I can see weight loss in my face but that's it. I am however half way to Desired goal. O started at a weight of 265lbs, and I would like to get down to 215/220 and be toned. At the moment I'm 234 and still look a lil heavy.

Replies

  • 30 pounds?? That's awesome. I've also lost about 30 and more often than not I find myself in the same situation. Whenever I feel that way I look at my progress pictures. There is no doubt about it when I look at the progression. If you haven't been taking pics, start! It is a great way to see where you came from. Congrats on a job well done:)
  • UrnAsh
    UrnAsh Posts: 207 Member
    Congrats on the weight loss!
  • Lala_White
    Lala_White Posts: 52 Member
    Congrats on your weight loss! Don't get discouraged though, just keep doing what you're doing. Obviously you're doing something right :)
  • Wrenbot87
    Wrenbot87 Posts: 100 Member
    Well, I'm a woman so my weight loss journey is a little different...but I couldn't see a difference in myself until I lost 50 pounds :/ That's amazing that you're getting so close! Be proud!!
  • socajam
    socajam Posts: 2,530 Member
    Hello all, I've lost 30lbs since I've started and can't tell a difference. Others I know can tell and do congratulate me on weight loss. To me my stomach is still there and fat is still lingering. I can fit smaller pants, the scale reads differently from my beginning weight but I just don't see it. I think my scale is rigged lol. I can see weight loss in my face but that's it. I am however half way to Desired goal. O started at a weight of 265lbs, and I would like to get down to 215/220 and be toned. At the moment I'm 234 and still look a lil heavy.

    I am right there with you. Even though my clothes are fitting better and I can see some changes (smaller stomach, double chin slowly disappearing etc), I don't think it will make any difference until I reach between 30-40 pounds, so you are not alone.
  • beautifulctb
    beautifulctb Posts: 100
    I feel the same way... when I look in the mirror I see the same person I was 47 pounds ago, but with the help of progress pics I can see the difference! Congrats on your loss!!!
  • ncmedic201
    ncmedic201 Posts: 540 Member
    We see ourselves every day so it's harder to see the progress like others do. Look at before and after pics and I'm sure you will see a huge difference!
  • __Di__
    __Di__ Posts: 1,659 Member
    Hello all, I've lost 30lbs since I've started and can't tell a difference. Others I know can tell and do congratulate me on weight loss. To me my stomach is still there and fat is still lingering. I can fit smaller pants, the scale reads differently from my beginning weight but I just don't see it. I think my scale is rigged lol. I can see weight loss in my face but that's it. I am however half way to Desired goal. O started at a weight of 265lbs, and I would like to get down to 215/220 and be toned. At the moment I'm 234 and still look a lil heavy.

    Need some before and after photos, I bet you will see the difference then.
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    Don't worry, I've lost 47 lbs and see very little difference, so I've been in the same place. Some people have commented as I think my face is thinner and I know I can wear stuff that was too tight 4 months ago but I can't do an after pic to my before as a comparison shows hardly any discernible difference. Thing is, you apparently lose visceral fat first, that is the unhealthy stuff that surrounds the organs in the abdominal cavity. The stuff you see is the subcutaneous stuff, under the skin and that takes longer to go. Just stick in there, it will go eventually.
  • perrinjoshua
    perrinjoshua Posts: 286 Member
    30 lbs lost is amazing! I wouldn't worry about what you think you see as the difference, we don't always see ourselves in our true light. If people are commenting, that's a sure thing. I was wondering when, if ever, any of my colleagues would notice my weight loss and just last week they started. Yippee, it must be working. Just keep doing what you're doing, it's a marvellous achievement. Good health to you.
  • dupaboo
    dupaboo Posts: 174 Member
    Need some before and after photos, I bet you will see the difference then.

    ^^This! 30lbs is awesome - celebrate and keep moving. Congrats!
  • RickyLuvsMary4ever
    RickyLuvsMary4ever Posts: 56 Member
    I also know the feeling!!

    I have lost 40 pounds and I don't see it with my eyes yet!

    I have gotten a lot of compliments and my clothes are totally hanging off of me, but I still feel like a failure at shrinking because I cannot see it with my own eyes yet.

    But I am going to keep pushing, after all I feel great! My cardio stamina is way up and my general health has reversed from half dead to thriving.
  • BobcatGirl110
    BobcatGirl110 Posts: 364 Member
    I said the EXACT SAME THING....yeah my clothes are loose but I couldn't see (and frankly still can't) it and no one else could either (especially when you are wearing the same clothes). So I did what everyone suggested and took pictures and placed them side by side (my profile is my first 3 month picture with about 25 lbs difference) and I can see it. I mean that I can see it in the picture...still don't in the mirror and I am convinced of two things:

    first, our own brains get in the way because we "see" what we can't to see....I can say I did this at my highest weight too. I was me, I was still the girl I'd always been so I didn't pay attention or care about the weight.

    second, progress pictures are critical...they are confirmation, they are reminders, they are motivation, they are proof, they are all these things and probably more. I'm starting to think we shouldn't be allowed to make a lifestyle change without them :)

    BIG CONGRATS on your progress...keep going and take pictures to remind yourself what you are working so hard for :) You are doing well and that is a huge accomplishment!
  • Aventuria
    Aventuria Posts: 151
    It took me 45lb until I started to loose inches.... ;-)
    (started with 285lb)
  • Reinventing_Me
    Reinventing_Me Posts: 1,053 Member
    Thirty pounds is great! Congrats on that! Do you lift weights? If not, you should start.
  • Kath1391
    Kath1391 Posts: 138
    I know how you feel,I've lost a total of 42 pounds(19 due to MFP) & I've only really noticed lately.My clothes fit alot better & my face is certainly thinner.Keep up the progress :)!
  • KatieBee8
    KatieBee8 Posts: 61
    30lbs is a fantastic loss.

    It's always a lot harder to notice the change when it's ourselves because we see our bodies daily! Take comfort that others are noticing and commenting. Your clothes must feel a little looser/more comfortable? :smile:

    (I have the same problem and struggle to see any change in my body as yet but I've also received lovely comments so I'm trying to keep those in mind!)

    I would recommend taking progress pictures from now on so you have something to compare. You'll really see the change then.
  • TriShamelessly
    TriShamelessly Posts: 905 Member
    OP - I suffer from the same self perception issues. I think us men simply tend to see ourselves as we wish to be until we undertake to lose some weight, build muscle and look toned. Once that decision is made, we then become critical of where we're at. Having lost 53 pounds so far, I am now more critical of my looks than I was at the beginning. Be proud of your progress and eventually the self perception will come around! And best wishes for continued success.
  • mjkingsbury
    mjkingsbury Posts: 21 Member
    30 pounds is awesome! I can't wait to say those words! But keep in mind that the results aren't seen as easily by us because we are looking in the mirror everyday and those around us don't look as closely always! One day at a time! Be encouraged with those little details- clothes fitting better, scale, compliments, etc... somethings working! :)
  • highervibes
    highervibes Posts: 2,219 Member
    30 pounds?? That's awesome. I've also lost about 30 and more often than not I find myself in the same situation. Whenever I feel that way I look at my progress pictures. There is no doubt about it when I look at the progression. If you haven't been taking pics, start! It is a great way to see where you came from. Congrats on a job well done:)

    I'm so glad I took "before" pics even though I was so embarrassed! (I hid them on my computer in a file called Gluten Free Recipes so my huby wouldn't see them LOL)
    People ask me if I've lost weight in a 5lb kind of way, it's discouraging but I'm doing this for my health, so I don't really mind that much. Looking in that Gluten Free Recipe file makes me realize how much I've accomplished so far!
  • Dcioby73
    Dcioby73 Posts: 18 Member
    First of all, congrats! 30 lbs is no joke, even if it's not ALL fat loss, and you may have lost a little fluid and muscle in the process as well.

    Two things to remember:

    a) The problem areas are ALWAYS the last ones to come in. My abs and chest are always the last bodyparts I show progress in, whereas my calves, for instance, continue to get toned and defined even though they look fine even when I'm overweight.

    b) I know you've heard this before, but is it FAT loss or WEIGHT loss? It's possible that if your diet and exercise aren't super on point that you lost a good amount of lean tissue, and that's why, despite the massive scale loss, it may "only" be 15lbs of actual fat.
    I would definitely start doing your bodyfat on a weekly or bi weekly basis. Either get a caliper, or use a site like this one, where all you need to know is your weight and waist circumference. It's probably not super accurate, but if you use the same method every week, you should at least be consistent in your approach to measuring BF%.

    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/body-fat-calculator/
  • ken_hogan
    ken_hogan Posts: 854 Member
    Hello all, I've lost 30lbs since I've started and can't tell a difference. Others I know can tell and do congratulate me on weight loss. To me my stomach is still there and fat is still lingering. I can fit smaller pants, the scale reads differently from my beginning weight but I just don't see it. I think my scale is rigged lol. I can see weight loss in my face but that's it. I am however half way to Desired goal. O started at a weight of 265lbs, and I would like to get down to 215/220 and be toned. At the moment I'm 234 and still look a lil heavy.

    Congrats on the loss!! I didn't have a chance to read ALL the responses, but from what I've noticed myself and have had others tell me is that sometimes it takes longer to notice the weight loss on ourselves compared to others looking AT us. Give it time and I'm sure you WILL notice. Good job again!!
  • heytherelameman
    heytherelameman Posts: 76 Member
    In the past, I've lost over 100 lbs and still told myself I was STILL way too heavy. I didn't celebrate that loss. I didn't embrace the compliments. I still looked in the mirror and saw the same fat girl.... and that is what I later went back to!

    I wish I could go back to thin me and tell her she is beautiful. I wish I could tell her to take ownership of the work she did and to love herself. Well, with some hard work, I will be able to get back to that again... or that's the plan anyway! :)

    Moral is, CELEBRATE! EMBRACE your weight loss and USE IT AS MOTIVATION to reach your ultimate goal! No more picking on the bad! :)
  • Meg_Shirley_86
    Meg_Shirley_86 Posts: 275 Member
    When I was 19, I was overweight (not obese) and started to really buckle down before I went to Basic Training. I wasn't trying to be cute, I was trying to lose some fat and get strong. I weighted about 160. After months of that, plus completing basic training, I was down to 145, and looked MASSIVELY different. All of this happened inside a year, but I could not tell. I knew I was stronger, I knew I weighed less, I knew I was wearing a much smaller size in jeans, but I saw my stomach the same, still saw a bit of back fat, what have you. Of course, now when I look back at pictures from when I came home, I'm just like, "HOLY S****!" I looked very fit and better than I ever have my whole life. We judge ourselves more harshly. I had abs, actual abs, and still saw whatever dough was left as the same it had been before. It's crazy. Pay attention to compliments, and the facts, like measurements. It's real!
  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    Yes, what everyone else said about progress pics! I've only lost around 16lbs. and can already kind of tell in my everyday life and often when I look in the mirror, but I'm really excited to compare my progress pics soon! Try it out and see how that works for you.

    And, definitely congratz on that big accomplishment -- 30lbs. off is nice!
  • sorcha1977
    sorcha1977 Posts: 133 Member
    I couldn't see it at first, and then I took pictures and saw a huge difference. As you said, wearing smaller clothes helped too.

    When you see yourself every single day, it's hard to notice changes. My boyfriend didn't notice either, but then he saw my pictures and it was obvious to him too.

    Take pictures every time you lose 10 pounds. It helps. Trust me. :)
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