It really depends how much weight you have to lose.

For me, at around 15 pounds my pants started fitting looser and I notice huge differences in my progress pictures BUT if I look in the mirror I see no changes. I still just see rolls and fat (sad how we see ourselves). I have lost 27 and have 40 more to go

I notice mine all of a sudden. It seems like nothing is happening, nothing is happening, then all of a sudden I notice my love handles have dropped and deflated a bit. Then I notice noting for another week or two until I suddenly notice my face is a bit thinner.

I think in terms of fat, I don't see the improvements a lot because I AM still fat, and that is what I see - that fat I still want to go. I know I'm losing, there is less flab to grab, but I don't see a lot of that.

That being said, I'm down around 15 lbs and people are noticing a bit, and they are noticing my improved health which is even more exciting! A girlfriend of mine noted I was "glowing" and that my skin had cleared up. We had a laugh over it because she eats a very healthy lower fat, non processed diet, and we found it interesting how peoples' bodies want such different things. My diet is the opposite of hers. LOL

Anyways, at about 10-15lbs down I started noticing, and so did a few others. My clothes fit much better, and I've gotten into a few smaller sizes in the last couple of weeks. Getting close to 15lbs down was a bit of a tipping point for me, in terms of what was noticeable.

Hang in there.

Think of it this way. That 5lbs of fat you see at the clinic would be distributed all over your body. It's on the entire length of your arms and legs, it's on your upper and lower back, it's on your buttocks, it's on your face and neck, it's on your upper and lower abdomen, it's on your breasts and it's even on your hands and feet.
But how many people have you heard say "if only I could just lose these last few pounds from my hands and calves and back"? Nobody is ever focused on their extra weight in those areas. We are all concerned with the major spots. The waist, hips and thighs. So when we lose weight, we look for the improvement in those places. But losing 10 lbs came from all of the body, possibly even inside around organs and such that isn't possible to see at all.
I started with 34 to lose and I think I was down about 10 when I could fit clothes that had been tight before. But that is almost 1/3 of my total goal.
Don't let it discourage you that you can't see it yet. That first 10 lbs is just your warm up. You're doing things right if you're losing, so stick with it and be proud that you are succeeding. And it's so important to know, especially if you get discouraged easily, that the scale will go up sometimes. It's completely normal and doesn't mean you've put on weight. If you are staying in your calorie goal, you don't need to stress weight increases. There's a ton of explanations and it will remedy itself within a short time no doubt.
For example, after a hugely successful week of losing, I am up 2 lbs this morning from just yesterday! However, I had 3 rum and diet cokes on my date with hubby last night... Though I know I am dehydrated from it due to my terrible leg cramps this morning, and normally would show a water loss the day after drinking, I am pretty sure the culprit is the AS in the diet coke since I normally would never have so much in one day. I'm not worried about the increase. It will drop off once I get back to normal.

Oh I feel your pain. I've lost 25 since I've started (20 on mfp). I've lost inches as well. Yet I look in the mirror and I don't see any change at all. I don't look any slimmer. I don't tell people about my efforts either, and no one has noticed any weight shift (so it's not just me being critical of my image in the mirror).

I read in another post that it may be that your body is taking care of the inside. Reducing visceral fat and liver fat. I really liked that. I'm okay with staying the same size as my body sorts out the really dangerous type of fat that can kill you. That's how I'm thinking of it. But the scales and measurements don't lie... You are loosing weight.

50'pounds or so

I had looser clothes. But the perceptible difference was small

And for some of us we have an ingrained image of ourselves that is disorted. We may see ourselves as far after we have lost weight

It takes time for the mind to catch up to reality

My friend says I look one way... But honestly I don't see it. I still see an inch to pinch here or there.

So not seeing lost weight isn't a big deal.

It takes time to lose and time to adjust our minds to that new body standing in the mirror

JessicaLCHF wrote: »

htecky76 wrote: »

jessicatroberts wrote: »

All the older women at church "oh you look so skinny!" "Wow you are getting so thin"... And I am like (suuuuuuuure).

Congrats on that!!! Your picture on your profile shows a huge change ... but I understand only seeing ourselves one way. Good luck to you!

That's not my picture. It's my goal. if you look on my profile you can see at the bottom it's from "model my diet", which is a pretty cool website I found. You put in current measurements and then desired goal and it makes a little sim-like you and sim-like how you will look. That was me at my heaviest. I'm about 2/3 to goal.

I love playing with this website, just wish it had an option to say "don't shrink the hips or shoulders more!" I'm an hourglass and am done losing weight in those areas, they're bony and have no fat covering any longer. It's really just my thighs and backside that will change now.