How long until people notice?

misszoielouise
misszoielouise Posts: 28
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm 23, 5'4" and 205 lbs. I've lost 6 lbs so far. Just wondering how much weight I might need to lose for people to start noticing?

Replies

  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
    First, congratulations on losing 6 lbs!

    Second, I hope you're doing this for better reasons than other people noticing.

    Third, it's going to take time before other people notice a difference.

    Fourth, if YOU notice a difference, that's what matters most.
  • misszoielouise
    misszoielouise Posts: 28
    Thanks. I've only lost 6lbs but already particularly my pants leggings ect I can feel that they are looser which is all good.

    I still have a long way to go though!
  • thinsports
    thinsports Posts: 10
    I bet everyone is different. It depends on how you carry weight, where the weight comes off of, etc.
  • misszoielouise
    misszoielouise Posts: 28
    I am lucky I tend to lose weight fairly fast. I may post some then and now pics soon to see if people on here can see a difference. But not until I've lost over 14lbs :)
  • rileyleigh
    rileyleigh Posts: 106 Member
    It also depends on who you are referring to. I have lost 20 pounds, and there is quite a significant difference in how i look already. It is quite obvious to me, and my spouse agrees, but no one else has mentioned anything. People usually avoid the topic of weight, even if it is the fact that you look skinnier. No one wants to bring up a topic that could possible cause offense or be misunderstood. The safe route is to just not say anything and keep living their life.
  • goldfinger88
    goldfinger88 Posts: 686 Member
    I was 147 and lost about 23 lbs. In my case, I'd lost about 20 pounds before anyone said they noticed. But when you're super sized, it will take a whole lot of weight before it's noticeable to most folks. I noticed the difference much sooner than anyone else did. Of course, the sad truth is, people are so self-absorbed, they hardly notice other people anyway.
  • misszoielouise
    misszoielouise Posts: 28
    Well done for losing 20lbs! I think I will feel lots better once I have lost 20+lbs. my mom has already said she can see a difference in my face and that my tummy is going down. And my tummy measurements have gone from 49 to 43 so that's pretty good even tho it's still huge and I still have a long way to go
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    I hope you're doing this for better reasons than other people noticing.


    This.
  • Awesomeness323
    Awesomeness323 Posts: 10 Member
    I started at 174 and am currently at 149. It took people about 20 pounds to notice :) I'm 5'2''
  • misszoielouise
    misszoielouise Posts: 28
    I started at 174 and am currently at 149. It took people about 20 pounds to notice :) I'm 5'2''

    That's great! Congratulations
  • techgal128
    techgal128 Posts: 719 Member
    I've lost 45 pounds and people haven't noticed. lol

    I don't care though since I sure do. :)
  • suzreen
    suzreen Posts: 2,455 Member
    I had 18 pounds to lose, have lost 14, and only my husband and two other people noticed, and not until very recently. It is really WONDERFUL when someone notices, so I hope you will get that feedback some time soon, but in any case, you know you have done it, and you are going to do more, too! Wishing you SUCCESS!
  • queenb39
    queenb39 Posts: 54 Member
    Don't feel bad I have lost 39 lbs. and only a few people have said something. Keep your head up !!
  • fooninie
    fooninie Posts: 291 Member
    I read this: "It takes 4 weeks for you to notice a difference, 8 weeks for your friends to notice, and 12 for the rest of the world. Don't quit!"

    Kind of stuck with me.
  • DeliriumCanBeFun
    DeliriumCanBeFun Posts: 313 Member
    I notice changes in myself way before others notice, which is natural I guess, but sometimes people are unsure about saying something. My husband said early on that he could tell in my face, but no one else really said much until I lost about 20-25 lbs and bought some new clothes that fit better. I too hope you're doing this for yourself, but I will be the first to admit that it feels great when others notice your hard work. It sounds like you're already doing it, but I highly recommend tracking your measurments in addition to your weight. Six inches in your waist is great progress! Keep up the good work:flowerforyou:
  • oxers
    oxers Posts: 259 Member
    It took around a month and a half to two months for people to start stopping me and saying "whoa, have you lost weight" and "jeez, you look good, what have you been doing?" My weight lifting instructor noticed after about fifteen, my friends after ten or twelve. But I don't know for sure, since the only people that have commented are people I'm close with and people I work out with.

    I told myself I wouldn't care if people noticed or not, because I'm doing it for myself, and that's still true, but.. yeah, it feels pretty good when they do. There's nothing wrong with enjoying it :] Congratulations on your loss! It can definitely help to have people point it out, I think, because sometimes it's difficult to see yourself objectively
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
    When I started I was looking bloated and had just been to a family event. Next event I was down 10lb, not bloated, and felt like I looked much better. NO ONE NOTICED. These event's were only about a month apart.

    Some people still haven't noticed and others have complimented me.
    I feel much better so I guess that's what's important. But it's nice to get a little acknowledgement when you put in a lot of work.

    And 6lb down is AWESOME! keep it up!
  • jezzi16
    jezzi16 Posts: 128 Member
    For me about 15 pounds
  • stephe1987
    stephe1987 Posts: 406 Member
    Well, it took me 10 lbs (a little over a month) to get my family who lived with me to notice. I started out at 160, so 10 lbs was about 6% of my body weight. After 15-20 lbs, the family members who didn't live with me started to notice.
  • VeryKatie
    VeryKatie Posts: 5,961 Member
    I would estimate 15 - 20 depending on how you lose it.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    it-takes-4-weeks-for-you-to-notice-your-weight-loss-tile_thumb2.jpg
  • bergpa
    bergpa Posts: 148 Member
    it-takes-4-weeks-for-you-to-notice-your-weight-loss-tile_thumb2.jpg

    Just don't expect that in 8 weeks people are going to start commenting. As another post said, most people avoid this topic. I've lost 24 pounds in 25 weeks and other than my immediate family, only one other person has commented on it.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    it-takes-4-weeks-for-you-to-notice-your-weight-loss-tile_thumb2.jpg

    Just don't expect that in 8 weeks people are going to start commenting. As another post said, most people avoid this topic. I've lost 24 pounds in 25 weeks and other than my immediate family, only one other person has commented on it.

    Good point. :laugh: The only people who have commented on my weight loss are family members (well and people here on MFP when I posted progress pics). At this point, it is definitely noticeable, but I know people don't say anything for the simple reason that weight is a touchy subject.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    People usually avoid the topic of weight, even if it is the fact that you look skinnier. No one wants to bring up a topic that could possible cause offense or be misunderstood. The safe route is to just not say anything and keep living their life.

    This. How soon they notice and how soon anyone you haven't talked to about it say anything are two separate issues.
  • Riverglow
    Riverglow Posts: 6 Member
    I feel like it depends on how big you are to start with and how tall you are. 20 pounds on a 5' tall, medium build person is a lot more noticeable than on a 6' tall obese person. People started pointing out that I was losing weight when I lost around 15% of my total weight (I was 145 and the first comments started occurring after I lost around 22 pounds)

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