18 Ibs Lost, and no one notices

It's like the quote:
"It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing,
8 weeks for your friends to notice,
and 12 weeks for the rest of the world to notice"

Hang in there! I've been there myself..actually it sounds crazy but I seriously didn't notice that much a difference on myself until I lost 60lbs. keep up the hard work and everyone will notice soon!

I know the feeling. I'm 5'3 and have lost 27 pounds and no one has said anything.... my husband *knows* I've lost it so he compliments but apparently it's not noticeable

Frustrating but I know people will notice eventually. I'm doing this fully and totally for me but it's really awesome to get the compliments as well. It's encouraging and gratifying.

I had the same thing this past weekend - I've lost 28lb and no-one said anything. Then I thought:

i) I feel SO much better - fitter/trimmer and more comfortable

ii) I am the only one who is really concerned about how big or small I am

iii) I carry my weight very evenly and people in the past, when I have dropped weight before, have commented that they never realised that I was as big as I was.

iv) some people do not like making personal comments about weight for fear that 'Have you lost weight?' or 'Gosh you look great - have you lost a few pounds' translates as 'Before you were huge!'

We are a sensitive lot! Do this for you - others will notice how much more active/trim or glamorous you look in good time.

Congratulations on your 18lb loss :flowerforyou:

Couldn't have said it better!

I've lost 19lbs and even my husband hadn't noticed. He heard me on the phone with my sister talking about how much I had lost and realized I was just plugging along and not sharing it with him. I figured he'd notice eventually. He knows I'm watching what I eat and exercising, lol. Truly though, people will notice and start commenting at some point and that will feel nice, but you've got to do this for yourself Good Job!

This is all good feedback. As I recall, people began to notice once I initially lost 30 lbs last year, but I think it's because I was wearing the same clothes and they were loose. Once I bought proper fitting clothing I didn't get as many comments. Since then I lost an addtional 20, but then I regained 30 and then lost 10 again, so now I'm back to 30 lbs lost. Very few people noticed my most recent weight gain and loss.

To be honest, I didn't really like the attention I was getting for losing weight. Sometimes the attention can take away from your focus Also, I never thought of myself as a 'big' (although I was and still am technically overweight), I just wanted to become more lean. So a lot of the comments were a rude awakening that other people had considered me 'big' before the weight loss. They say you're not supposed to care what others think, but when you get comment after comment sometimes its tough to ignore. This is why I prefer no mentions at all. Plus, like some of the other posters said, I was doing it for me, not for anyone else. I was noticing my weight loss which was enough.

Good luck on your journey, keep up the good work

Well, as somebody else already said, you might have lost it homogenously so that it isn't that noticeable; you should also consider that you might have lost a relevant amount of water weight at the beginning. It would be hard for me to recognize someone as smaller without seeing them wearing at least 1 size less in clothes... especially because looking thinner/chubbier is also influenced by clothing, shape, and also how often I see the person.

People may be afraid to say anything due to how politically correct the world is becoming. Sometimes giving someone a compliment can get you in trouble. :frown: Or they may be worried that you're ill and it might make you feel bad.

The important thing is YOU know how much you've lost. You know you're looking and feeling better and that's what counts. :flowerforyou:

When I had lost 18 pounds, even *I* didn't notice it. No one else commented until I had lost about 40 pounds, and then the query was "Did you lose a little weight?" By that time, I needed new pants unless I wanted to look like those younger guys who wear their pants down at their knees.

I had a few good friends that knew I was trying to lose weight, so they would talk to me and encourage me the entire time. It took at least 40 pounds before someone at work that didn't know I was actively trying to lose weight to say something. He did say he noticed earlier, but didn't want to say anything because people can be very emotional about it. After he said something, it seemed like everyone started noticing. I also had an acquaintance ask my brother if I was losing weight because I was sick before he commented.

I've lost 20 pounds in all, with some ups and downs, and no one but my husband notices when I lose. However, people do think I've lost weight whenever I get a haircut or change my makeup - once even when I had gained weight but got some cute new clothes.

People just aren't very good at telling when someone has lost weight unless it's a huge amount. Even if they think you look better, they probably won't be able to tell what changed.

My friends only notice when I suddenly go "I can feel my ribs!" while watching TV...

I don't expect anyone else to notice except my boyfriend :P

(I have also said "Oh good gods, I have a collarbone?!" and "Are these my hips? Crikey" and similar things. I am not used to it and I tend to say things I'm thinking out loud at odd times... XD )

What exactly do you want people to notice? Try a new, form fitting, dress or something - then people may comment. But if you're doing this just for the comments of other people, you're not setting yourself up very well for continued maintenance.