At what weight should I start to NOTICE changes ON my body?

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tamarhacopian
tamarhacopian Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
I lost 6 pounds so far and I don't notice any difference. Nothing looks smaller, still the same. Is this normal?:indifferent:
When you think about, 6 pounds is kinda heavy, right? I mean, Imagine a 6 pound weight. I should be noticing a slight difference, you know?
That makes me think since its only 4 pounds away from 10 pounds, even losing 10 pounds I doubt I would notice a difference...and I'm sure there will be, but it will be so small its unnoticeable!
At what weight should especially myself (then others) start to notice the decrease in fat (by looking at my body, of course)?

And does anyone know which part of the body burns the fastest AND burns first? Or does the whole body burn fat in unison?
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Replies

  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    The problem with weight loss is that it doesn't necessarily happen evenly and from the places you want the most. Believe it or not, I started noticing real change about 50 pounds in!

    The first few pounds are usually water weight, so it's not very noticeable. The small amount of fat you did lose, you may have lost it from internal fat, some obscure area you are not aware of, or from too many places to show a difference in one location. The places where you store or lose fat mostly depend on your unique genetics.

    Don't just judge by weight, take a tape measure to your key areas every month and you are bound to see some difference eventually, even if it's hard to gauge by just looking in the mirror.
  • Nedra19455
    Nedra19455 Posts: 241 Member
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    I lost 6 pounds so far and I don't notice any difference. Nothing looks smaller, still the same. Is this normal?:indifferent:
    When you think about, 6 pounds is kinda heavy, right? I mean, Imagine a 6 pound weight. I should be noticing a slight difference, you know?
    That makes me think since its only 4 pounds away from 10 pounds, even losing 10 pounds I doubt I would notice a difference...and I'm sure there will be, but it will be so small its unnoticeable!
    At what weight should especially myself (then others) start to notice the decrease in fat (by looking at my body, of course)?

    And does anyone know which part of the body burns the fastest AND burns first? Or does the whole body burn fat in unison?

    My understanding has always been that you usually lose weight in a top-down kind of way. So I noticed my face and neck looking trimmer first, then my collarbone area, then my waist. My upper body has always been more troublesome than my lower body, so I didn't notice any real differences in my hips/legs before I started noticing new changes to my neck, shoulders and waist again.

    It's subtle. I haven't been dropping sizes and nobody's been commenting, but my clothes feel looser and I just look slimmer.
  • lemon629
    lemon629 Posts: 501 Member
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    It depends on the person, where the fat has reduced, and how heavy you are to begin with.
    I noticed a difference after losing only six pounds when going from 186 to 180, I think because it mostly came from my stomach area. However, when I reduced down from 215 I didn't see a difference until I'd lost 15-20 pounds.
  • Sreneesa
    Sreneesa Posts: 1,170 Member
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    I have lost around 22lbs and went down 2 jean sizes. I really didn't notice any difference at 6lbs. Before starting at 185 on here, I had lost 10lbs a little while prior to beginning MFP. So went from a 14-15 now to a 10-11.

    My stats are:

    5'10
    SW - 185
    CW - 163

    Hang in there. Give it some time.
  • sadrithmora
    sadrithmora Posts: 121
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    To be honest, I've lost 40lb and I STILL don't feel much different, aside from buying smaller sized clothes. You're always with your body (sounds strange, so hope it makes sense) so it's much harder to notice changes in yourself rather than someone you only see like once a month. What I do is compare photos really, and then I really do notice. But the first change that I've FELT was around my neck and cheeks. Before my collar bones were hardly visible at all. Another indication is feeling better in general. My feet used to get tired a lot more simply due to all that extra weight put on them.
  • KarmaLaine
    KarmaLaine Posts: 37 Member
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    I notice after about 10lbs, others start to notice after 15-20lbs.
  • MaggieLoo79
    MaggieLoo79 Posts: 288 Member
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    At 8 pounds lost, I noticed that my jeans - which had been too tight - were fitting right and not skin tight anymore.
  • Erinelda
    Erinelda Posts: 96
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    I lost neatly 30lbs and 4 inches off my gut but since I guess I am shrinking all over I can't tell yet. I am waiting to feel a bone or something lol. I think the small part o9f my waist may be lower but that's about it.
  • DianeinCA
    DianeinCA Posts: 307 Member
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    I've lost 13 pounds and I'm still wearing the same jeans. They're looser...but not so loose that it's obvious I need to go shopping (in my closet :tongue: ).

    Only one person has asked me if I'm losing weight and that was someone at Easter who hadn't seen me since Christmas.
  • TonyPillz
    TonyPillz Posts: 248 Member
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    I didn't even start noticing until i looked at before and after pictures.
  • keobooks
    keobooks Posts: 92 Member
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    I've lost 8 pounds and while I don't look any different, I bought a smaller band size in my bra yesterday. My bras were all old but they were just getting way too droopy to account simply for age. Sure enough my back shrank 2 inches.
  • ndj1979
    ndj1979 Posts: 29,136 Member
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    First, no part of your body is going to burn fat more quickly then another. Fat comes off from where it wants, when it wants…Typically for men it tends to stick to our lower stomach area the longest, and I believe for females its the hips and thighs area that stays the longest….

    Second - you should start to notice changes at about every ten pounds lost. Although, this will depend on what your starting weight is. I would not fret so much over body changes, as long as you are losing , you will get to the body that you want; it is just going to take time, patience, and dedication….
  • Laughter_Girl
    Laughter_Girl Posts: 2,226 Member
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    I believe it's more difficult for people to recognize weight loss in themselves. For me, I can only tell slightly when I look in the mirror. Take pictures along the way, take measurements, and observe how your clothes are fitting. Even if you can't notice it per se, those indicators will speak volumes.
  • LoupGarouTFTs
    LoupGarouTFTs Posts: 916 Member
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    I didn't notice any difference at only six pounds, but now at 13 pounds I've noticed that my pants are starting to slide off me. I'm still at the awkward stage, though, of not fitting into the next size below that, but I'll get there soon enough. I have noticed that my shirts are a little looser at the bottom, too. As others have said, just keep trucking and you'll get there eventually. Congrats on getting this far! :bigsmile:
  • zeal26
    zeal26 Posts: 602 Member
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    I see a noticeable difference, in progress pictures, every 10lbs. It's pretty hard to see the differences on your body yourself since you're looking at it every day, but much easier to see it in side-by-side pictures.
  • arvidsonc
    arvidsonc Posts: 4 Member
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    I lost 6 pounds so far and I don't notice any difference. ...At what weight should especially myself (then others) start to notice the decrease in fat (by looking at my body, of course)? ...And does anyone know which part of the body burns the fastest AND burns first? Or does the whole body burn fat in unison?

    You should notice that your clothes are looser or more comfortable as some have mentioned. Pictures do help!

    According to the textbook on personal training, fat reduction/dissolution is based on genetics and on losing it in the reverse order in which the body added it. I think I remember right that fat takes at least twice as long to lose as it does to gain it.

    For example, I am only 3 pounds down and 21 days into my current effort, but my flab on my upper arms is not as noticeable to me either, so I am happy to see that I am losing that fat since I am working out my arms with weights just to help the muscles be stronger when the fat goes away. In the past, I have always noticed that it is time to pay attention to my eating and lack of exercise when something simple like putting dishes away causes me to notice out of the corner of my eye that my upper arms jiggle too much, so today when I noticed less jiggling, I felt better.

    Remember this if you are working out, especially with weights: Muscle weighs more than fat so measuring your arms, waist, abdomen, and thighs monthly or biweekly might be more helpful. You'll see smaller circumferences as fat disappears.
  • christacb
    christacb Posts: 29 Member
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    I have lost 12 pounds and I have noticed a very slight difference in the way my pants fit and in the way my face looks. I am tall though, 5' 9". I would assume that 12 pounds lost on a short person might show more than a 12 pound loss on a tall person.
  • yasoyyo
    yasoyyo Posts: 15
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    When going through cycles of dieting/not dieting/general variations in my eating and workout patterns, my weight fluctuates by 5-6 pounds, and even then I notice a difference...Only in my upper body though - at my lower weight my upper abs show when I tense them, at a higher weight they don't. My legs stay the same I think. Oh, and I'm between 132-138 lbs.
  • lorrennon
    lorrennon Posts: 43
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    Ive lost 40 lbs and still really don't notice much difference. I was amazed to find a ride at the amusement park that I couldn't ride with my daughter I now can. My daughter told me I don't look pregnant anymore as well. So the difference is not as easily noticeable by the person losing the weight, but I assure you, its there.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,808 Member
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    Don't just judge by weight, take a tape measure to your key areas every month and you are bound to see some difference eventually, even if it's hard to gauge by just looking in the mirror.

    This!

    Also I have lost almost 25 and dont really notice but a few others have. I am down a size but everyone is different.

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