How many pounds lost until people noticed weight loss?

mhlew
mhlew Posts: 377 Member
in Motivation and Support
Right now I am 5'8'' 285 pounds and most recently lost 9 pounds. I know this is just the begginng so I dont really expect anyone to notice 9 poounds. But I am curious how many pounds it took for you to lose before you started to get compliments on your weight loss from friends and family. Now before all the negative Nancy's respond with "are you doing this for them or for you" , YES I am doing this for me, however who does not like compliments!?

Would love to hear when people started to notice- and anything different since losing weight? (more options of clothing to choose from, went down a shirt size, easier to do simple tasks that thin peopple take for granted?) Would love to hear it all.
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Replies

  • CherokeeBabe
    CherokeeBabe Posts: 1,704 Member
    Last time I was losing I was aiming for 20-30 lbs lost and no one noticed until I had lost roughly 12-14lbs of it. It takes time, especially when it's people that see you a fair bit, they seem to notice last :)

    My landlords brother noticed before my closest friends, because he only saw me once a month vs. daily.
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    A couple close friends noticed after about 25 lbs. Said they could tell in my face. Not many other comments until I hit about 45 lbs lost and then the floodgates magically opened. I get comments almost daily now.
  • TheSatinPumpkin
    TheSatinPumpkin Posts: 948 Member
    about 20-30lbs before i went down a belt notch in addition to my wife noticing some changes. She was the only person aware of my WOE.. 90lb before getting comments from others.
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    and anything different since losing weight? (more options of clothing to choose from, went down a shirt size, easier to do simple tasks that thin peopple take for granted?) Would love to hear it all.

    Also, there is so much other stuff after dropping weight.

    > downsized clothing and can wear the more fitted t shirts out in public now. I no longer have to wear the XXL golf shirts un tucked.

    > more confident at work and social situations

    > can do more activities with kids

    > don't feel like an old and rickety man by the end of the day

    > embarrassing but actually used to have trouble wiping after going no 2 plus other digestive issues. Let's just say my office doesn't smell like it use to when I was eating greasy foods all the time.
  • Mexicanbigfoot
    Mexicanbigfoot Posts: 520 Member
    I am currently down about 36 pounds (I still have almost 150 to go) but people just recently started commenting. I'm not sure it's so much that they've "noticed" my weight loss as much as they've noticed my pants falling off me and me trying to hold them up (if that makes sense) :laugh:

    I have currently gone down between 1-2 pants sizes (depending on brand, etc)
    I am down from a 3x to 2x (comfortably) in shirts
    I can walk for longer distances without getting out of breath.
    I can stand for a long time (sometimes hours) and my back doesn't hurt and my feet don't hurt.
    I can get up and down out of chairs without having to "rock" myself up because of my weight.
    When I get into the car, my seatbelt fits without cutting me in half.
    I am able to sit in booths at restaurants and not have to worry so much whether I will fit.
    I can go up (and down) a flight of stairs without having to stop and rest.
    I can fit in a regular movie seat (one where the arms don't raise)
    I have skinny elbows....I know, who has fat elbows? THIS GAL DID!! :embarassed:

    I could go on and on. I know a lot of these things seem silly, especially to people that have never had a weight problem, but they are huge to me. I've started to feel really good about myself and I actually (for the first time) think I can do this on my own.

    Good luck on your journey!! Sam :drinker:
  • meredithreid
    meredithreid Posts: 2
    It really depends on whether you're exercising or not, and if so, what kind of exercises you're doing.

    The first time I lost a large amount of weight (100 pounds about 10 years ago), people started noticing around the 20-30 pound mark. At the time I was only focusing on diet, so a good portion of that weight was muscle and water along with fat.

    This time, I've been at it for a month and people have already begun noticing.
    I haven't changed sizes or what kind of clothing I wear (still wearing the same jeans and tshirt to every weigh in) I've only lost 4 pounds, but with a combination of light cardio and light weightlifting (along with diet), it has been 4 pounds of fat that I've lost.
  • mygrneyes20
    mygrneyes20 Posts: 4
    I'm at 30 lbs and people keep asking me if I changed my hair LOL...I have done nothing different to my hair my face is just skinnier LOL. It makes me laugh every time someone asks "did you change your hair?"
  • bukowski_shine
    bukowski_shine Posts: 70 Member
    I have lost almost 20 pounds(havent updated on mfp as I didn't weigh on my 'official' scale yet)
    My friend who saw me 20 pounds ago said he notices no difference.
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    I am 6'2", started at 281lbs Sept. 2013. It took ~40lbs before anyone noticed.

    In May, I started heavy lifting. I've lost 7-8lbs since May, but in those last 3+ months, I've had more people notice a difference between May and now than I ever did prior to this summer. Our UPS/Fedex guys at work that I see almost every day of the week have even noticed a difference in how I look between May and now lol. Go figure!

    ETA: The people you see every single day will take quite some time to notice. My immediate family that I see once every week or two still has not said anything. Coworkers will rarely say anything in most work environments because people get weary of getting in trouble for making inappropriate comments, especially if the person that lost weight is not comfortable with others commenting on their appearance.
  • willrun4bagels
    willrun4bagels Posts: 838 Member
    I'm at 30 lbs and people keep asking me if I changed my hair LOL...I have done nothing different to my hair my face is just skinnier LOL. It makes me laugh every time someone asks "did you change your hair?"

    And... THIS! SO many people ask me if I cut my hair or colored my hair. Or something looks different - did I get glasses / contacts, etc., I love the look on their face when I say "nah, but I lost 65lbs".
  • VintageFit
    VintageFit Posts: 90 Member
    I'm down 20lbs and the ONLY person who has noticed it in a good way is my uncle, who hasn't seen me for over a year so he still only knows large me.
    Everyone else who sees me daily or weekly hasn't noticed :(
  • JennyToy
    JennyToy Posts: 149 Member
    Honestly i would say it takes 30 pounds, maybe it's just me. Or new clothes. If your clothes are too big it's harder to tell. But don't do it for them. Do it for you :)
  • Wookinpanub
    Wookinpanub Posts: 635 Member
    Or new clothes. If your clothes are too big it's harder to tell.

    I was still wearing my bigger clothes which went from tight to loose to baggy and it was hard to tell. When I bought some more form fitting dress pants for work, the comments definitely got more frequent.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    The more weight you have to lose, the less noticeable early losses are. For example, when you have say, 100 lbs to lose...10 lbs isn't a whole lot.

    I had about 40 Lbs to lose...and could still lose maybe 10 vanity Lbs. I started at around 5'10" and 220...really, the first 20 Lbs or so weren't that noticeable. Some people could tell there was something different, but most of my weight loss early on was in my limbs and neck, etc. When I got down to around 200 Lbs people started noticing the weight coming off my face...by 190 I looked quite a bit different and the last 10 Lbs from 190 down to 180 were the most drastic.

    I would also add that a lot of people don't comment anyway...it's a taboo subject, even to compliment someone.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    A coworker told me a few weeks ago or longer that I had looked like I'd lost weight, at that point I think I'd lost maybe.. 8lbs? It wasn't a lot, but I'm also specifically focusing on fat loss with as much muscle maintenance as possible so I can start bulking in the winter. My mom commented more recently that my (true) waist was getting really small, at this point I think I'd lost closer to 10-11lbs.

    I only have another 15lbs or so to lose though, maybe 20, so the differences aren't super huge to my immediate family, and at work I tend to wear sweats and my work shirt is baggy (retail, woo).

    I think I've noticed more than other people, especialy since old clothes I couldn't even put ON 3-4 months ago are now either just starting to fit or are almost fitting.
  • ASH2038602
    ASH2038602 Posts: 215 Member
    Around 20lbs for me is when people started noticing. A lot has gotten better since I started losing and working out. I am lifting more than when I started, my cardio has improved, my joints dont hurt all the time just from walking, I am down a couple sizes, I dont feel sick to my stomach all the time from greasy foods, I feel like I have a more positive outlook on life, and I feel great about myself for staying committed to this.
  • FitOldMomma
    FitOldMomma Posts: 790 Member
    After 30 pounds others started commenting. Mostly my face showed the difference.

    It took 40 pounds before I really had to downsize my pant size.

    I sure wish I'd taken body measurements when I began this journey because I know the inches lost would be pretty impressive. ;)

    I think it's kind of funny that smaller people can lose just 5 pounds and it's obvious as heck!
  • meredithreid
    meredithreid Posts: 2
    I think it's kind of funny that smaller people can lose just 5 pounds and it's obvious as heck!
    It's not just smaller people! I'm 5'3" and currently 246 down from 250. It really DOES depend on what the weight loss you have is. Seriously, it's only been a month and 4 pounds and people have said something, but it is pure fat that I've lost.

    It's all about how you lose the weight. Diet and exercise gets more results for less weight than diet alone! :happy:
  • MaidensAndMonsters
    MaidensAndMonsters Posts: 89
    I started at 195ish and people noticed when I got into the 170s. Now everyone just tells me "Don't lose too much". I'm still overweight :-| lol. I'm 5'8" BTW.
  • corbinskiii
    corbinskiii Posts: 135 Member
    Nobody noticed until I had lost about 70 pounds.
    That didn't bother me, I work at a hospital and now almost everyday a nurse asks how much I've lost and follow up with "oh when did you get weight loss surgery." Which I didn't. I much preferred the quiet :)
  • caskettfan
    caskettfan Posts: 13 Member
    I have 70- 80 lbs to lose and most of my friends started noticing around the first 7 lbs. I lost inches faster than I did pounds, so they noticed that my clothes were a lot looser.
  • AquaticQuests
    AquaticQuests Posts: 947 Member
    People figure something is different but they can't place what it is?
    Haircut?
    Taller?
    Clean shaven?
    I've heard it all!
    So long as you keep wearing your old bigger clothes most won't notice the change till you're in smaller clothes!
    No rush! If you expect comments to motivate you, you may not make it! Most of the comments/ realizations likely will come much later when you've already done the hard work!
    So long as you know, keep at it!
    The rest will catch up/ catch on later!
  • MisterZ33
    MisterZ33 Posts: 567 Member
    a few people have noticed. i enjoy the compliments, but what really motivates me is when i punch new holes in my belt.
  • cherrilovee
    cherrilovee Posts: 194 Member
    People started noticing after only 10 pounds. I don't like compliments on my weight loss from people because they'll say something like, "Wow you're looking so much better, if you lose a little more it'd be perfect." Like NO, I get to choose how much I want to lose, it's my body. If you think you can do better, DO IT. Don't tell me how much I need to lose.
  • TheArchyBunker
    TheArchyBunker Posts: 1,967 Member
    For me it when I was down 20lbs. When I was down 40lbs it was really apparent.
  • 6ftamazon
    6ftamazon Posts: 340 Member
    People started noticing around the 40-50 lb mark for me. But I'm insanely tall and I had a lot to lose. I'd say people normally start noticing at around 15-20 lbs.
  • amanda9402
    amanda9402 Posts: 64 Member
    I got comments at 10-15 lbs - the fat comes off my face first. I've been lifting too, so while I am still 20 lbs from my goal weight, I get a lot of comments about where those lbs are going to come from. I'm by no means skinny, but the excess is distributed pretty evenly, and I'm developing good muscle. I'll take what I can get.
  • mhlew
    mhlew Posts: 377 Member
    My consensus tell me around 20-25 pounds is when the comments start rolling in. Love to hear everyone's comments on weight loss being noticed. Has to be one of the best things to hear. Still waiting for my first comment :)
  • skyytlz
    skyytlz Posts: 30 Member
    at about 20 lbs i got a few people noticing, not many though. i asked my bff and she said she can see it, but because im losing weight evenly across my body, im assuming its not as noticible as if 20lb came off one section... maybe.

    my roommate still doesnt see a difference.

    tbh i dont see a difference in the mirror, just that some of my clothes fit better (not too tight) and some worse (getting to loose)
  • cincysweetheart
    cincysweetheart Posts: 892 Member
    It took 49 pounds before I got my first comment from someone outside my family. But now (59 pounds), it's happening regularly. Wearing smaller sizes that actually fit makes a big difference in people being able to see a difference. While I could tell my clothes were fitting looser and my watch was looser, I could never tell a difference myself just by looking in the mirror. It wasn't until I took a picture and compared it to one taken 4 months earlier that I could see a difference myself (see current profile pic).

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